Immediately after the ceremony, the partying began. Everyone went to the tables. Lucille had arranged for Ethan to sit with me at the long dais that included her relatives, the governor and his wife, and Senator Brice and his wife. I saw how wide-eyed Ethan was at the sight of all of these important political figures right beside him. He was also drinking quite a bit, which worried me. The only way to slow him down was to get up and dance, and we did so right after Daddy and Lucille had their first dance. To my surprise, before it ended, Lucille’s father danced with her, and Daddy beckoned to me.
“Go on,” Ethan urged.
I rose and joined him on the dance floor. I hadn’t danced with him since I was a little girl.
“Well, what do you think, Semantha? Did Lucille plan a winning affair or what?”
“It’s overwhelming, Daddy.”
“I hope this is going to be a wonderful new start for all of us,” he said. He held me closer, and when we turned, I saw Cassie standing there looking terribly sad. “Not that for one moment I don’t wish things had turned out differently for us, Semantha,” he continued. “But we can’t change what’s happened. We’ve got to go on and be strong.” He held me out a bit and looked into my face with his own full of determination. “You’re going to be all right. We all will be now. When I get back, we’ll be an even closer family.”
“Okay, Daddy,” I said.
He smiled, and we finished our dance.
“You looked great out there,” Ethan said. “Your father’s pretty graceful. I only hope I can be half as accomplished and well rounded as he is when I’m his age.”
“You’re off to a good start,” I told him.
He beamed and seemed to grow another inch in height. “I can’t fail with a cheerleader like you behind me,” he whispered. He kissed me just below the ear and held me tighter as we danced.
We stayed out there until dinner was being served, and I decided Ethan was right after all. We were having a good time. It was a terrific party. I knew I could enjoy it even more if I just didn’t think of it so much as my father’s wedding. Besides, this was something no daughter wanted to do, dance at her father’s wedding. But that was something not easily put aside, especially not if Lucille Bennet had anything to say about it.
The cake-cutting ceremony was as impressive as she had predicted it would be. People were taking pictures with themselves in front of or beside the cake. There were a half-dozen photographers and the film crew working the event. Guests were constantly asked to speak directly into the camera and offer their good wishes. However, for me, listening to all of the well-wishers, one after another, remark about how my father looked ten years younger and so happy was like swallowing sour milk. After a while, no matter how much fun Ethan and I were having, I couldn’t wait for the wedding to end.
Ethan had drunk too much and was dozing off from time to time by now, anyway. After the cake ceremony, a parade of people lined up to shake my father’s hand and compliment Lucille. It seemed never-ending. The only time Ethan came back to life was when Lucille called to him to meet someone or beckoned him to her side.
“Boy, does she know how to network,” he told me, returning. “She introduces me only to people who can be of some benefit to the Heaven-stone Stores. I never knew we employed so many attorneys, too.”
I smiled to myself at his use of the word “we.” Daddy would say he’d become so loyal so quickly that he would take a bullet for the organization. Would he take a bullet for me?
“Don’t hold your breath,” Cassie whispered. While she was at my side often, I saw her follow Daddy everywhere. She didn’t miss a word. I couldn’t help but wonder if Lucille would be anywhere near here if Cassie were alive, but what good did my wondering do now? It only made me more depressed. I drank a little more than I should have, too, and found myself getting tired. Neither Ethan nor I felt much like dancing anymore. All of the noise around me seemed to merge into a low hum. I was sick of smiling, of saying hello and thanking people, many of whom spoke to me only to see how I was reacting.
“There are so many phony smiles,” Cassie whispered. “It’s like being at Mardi Gras in a parade of masks.”
I wasn’t going to disagree with that. When I saw the first group of guests begin to make their way out to their cars, I sighed with relief. The end was in sight. Finally, the orchestra played its last number, and the remaining guests began to file out. Lucille had given instructions that nothing was to be closed down and no attempt to clean up would begin until all of the guests were gone. It seemed some would never leave, but they finally did, and the cleanup began.
Daddy and Lucille had slipped away to make their final preparations for departure. The limousine would take them to their hotel near the airport, and in the morning, they would catch their flight to connect with their cruise.
When Ethan and I and Uncle Perry went in to go to bed, there was no doubt we would do just that. None of us looked capable of remaining awake another minute. My two best men kissed me good night and sauntered off to their own bedrooms. Ethan looked as if he didn’t have the energy to undress and might just fall into the bed in his tux. I barely managed to get myself cleaned up and into my nightgown. When I crawled under the light blanket and laid my head on the pillow, I saw Cassie standing there, her body glowing.
“We buried our mother again tonight,” she said. “Sleep on that.”
I turned my back on her, closed my eyes, and dove into a pool of sleep, welcoming darkness, silence, and amnesia. I didn’t open my eyes until noon, and even then, it took twenty more minutes for me to get used to the light and gather enough energy to get myself showered and dressed. Like a sleepwalker, I maneuvered down the hallway and down the stairs. To my surprise, both Ethan and Uncle Perry were already up and dressed and having their late breakfast out on the patio, where they could observe the final cleanup being carried out. They both rose at the sight of me.
“Hey, Sam,” Uncle Perry said. “Are you awake?”
“Not yet,” I said. Ethan rushed to kiss me good morning and pulled out my chair. Doris was out with fresh coffee and some morning rolls. I told her that would be fine for now.
“Your father called just before they boarded the cruise ship,” Uncle Perry said. “He wanted me to tell you he’d call the first chance he got. That was quite an affair last night. No one who attended is going to forget it.”
“The wedding to beat all weddings,” Ethan said.
I could see Uncle Perry was waiting for me to agree, but I sipped my coffee silently.
“Looks like another beautiful day,” he said. “They’re almost finished out here. The Heaven-stone estate should return to its idyllic state soon.”
“Not soon enough,” I muttered.
The way Uncle Perry and Ethan glanced at each other told me they had been discussing me.
“Well, you guys enjoy the rest of the day,” Uncle Perry said, rising. “I’m heading back.”
“I’ll be in shortly, too,” Ethan told him.
“I don’t think you’re expected to.”
“That’s the best time to do what you have to do, when it’s unexpected,” Ethan told him.
Uncle Perry laughed. “Looks like you’ve been Heaven-stone brainwashed already. All right. If you need anything, anything at all, Sam, you make sure to call me, okay?”
“Thanks, Uncle Perry.”
“I’ll drop by in a few days nevertheless and invite myself to dinner.”
“I’d like that.”
He kissed me, shook Ethan’s hand, and walked off.
“I really like him,” Ethan said. “He’s quite different from your father, not as tough, perhaps, but he gives you a chance. Too many people in high positions are so arrogant, so condescending.”
“Lucille would say he’s not arrogant enough. She finds something wrong or weak with everyone she meets.”
“I don’t know. My guess is she’ll be quite different now.”
“How?”
“No
t as uptight about everything. She has nothing left to prove. She’s there.”
“Speaking of that, why do you have to go in today? You heard Uncle Perry. No one expects it.”
“I’ll just show my face. I sort of promised Lucille I would keep my eyes on things.”
“Promised Lucille? Did my father ask you to do that?”
Ethan smiled. “I’m not stupid, Semantha. When Lucille asks you to do something for the corporation, it’s pretty much your father asking as well.”
I didn’t hide my displeasure.
“But I’ll be back soon. From the looks of it, you could use some quiet time, anyway. Why don’t we plan to meet at the pool late in the afternoon? We’ll relax, have a simple dinner, and just curl up together and watch a DVD. How’s that sound?”
“Refreshing.”
“Good.” He finished his coffee, glanced at his watch, and rose. “I’m going up to dress for the office. You staying out here?”
“For now,” I said.
He gave me a fatherly peck on the cheek and hurried off.
Doris came out to see if there was anything else I wanted and to clear off some of the dishes. I still had no appetite.
“Where’s Mrs. Dobson this morning?” I asked her, realizing I hadn’t seen her yet.
“Oh, Mrs. Heaven-stone told her to take today off along with her regular day off. She went to visit some friends in Lexington.”
“Mrs. Heaven-stone?” I muttered, more to myself.
“I guess we call her that now, don’t we?”
“Yes, of course, Doris. You should take the day off, too,” I said. “We’re not doing very much. I certainly don’t want an elaborate dinner.”
“Oh, I couldn’t . . .”
“Yes, you can,” I insisted. “With my father and his new wife gone, I’m in charge here,” I added, perhaps too sharply. She winced. “You go enjoy yourself and visit friends, too. In fact, you don’t have to return tonight.”
She looked around as if she were afraid someone else might be listening. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, Doris. Mrs. Heaven-stone isn’t the only one running things here. Go on,” I said.
She looked at me with surprise, nodded, and left.
“Very, very good,” Cassie whispered. “Maybe there’s some hope for you yet.”
I continued to sit there, nibbling on a roll and butter and sipping some coffee, until the last of the cleanup was done. Our regular grounds workers swarmed in and in no time had the estate looking close to what it had been before the event. Occasionally, someone looked my way, but it was all really organized and self-run. I didn’t have to say a word. Our estate was always well maintained, but it did seem different since Lucille’s arrival. It was as if a U.S. Marine drill sergeant had retrained everyone.
Ethan returned in his suit and tie. I told him Mrs. Dobson was gone for the day and night and I had dismissed Doris.
“Then we have this whole place to ourselves?”
“Exactly,” I said.
He thought a moment and smiled. “Then I will definitely hurry back.”
He kissed me and rushed off. I nearly fell asleep again just listening to the droning of lawn and garden machinery. Doris stopped by to tell me she was leaving. There was a real look of trepidation on her face. It was almost as if she wanted me to put my command in writing so she could prove she hadn’t left without permission. In the short time Lucille had been overseeing the estate, she had given Doris and the other employees the sense that she was ubiquitous—she was everywhere and always watching, even when she was off on a honeymoon.
“Have a good time,” I told her. I started to clear off what was left on the table.
“Do you want me to do that first?”
“No, Doris, I can do this. I’ll be fine. Really. Go on.”
She nodded, smiled, and left.
What I wasn’t anticipating when I entered the house was the complete stillness. I hadn’t heard such silence inside since the days before my mother had died and she, my father, and Cassie were all somewhere else. Strangely, even as a young girl, I had never felt frightened or even alone. Daddy had done such a good job of giving us all the feeling that the house was a living thing and all the relatives captured in portraits and statuary were there in spirit. When I was a very little girl, I would talk to them the way little girls would talk to their dolls. Strangely enough, Cassie, when she caught me doing that, wouldn’t criticize or make fun of me. She’d give me the feeling it was something she had done and might still be doing herself. More than once, she had said, “These icons of our ancestors have more to tell us than most of the so-called living.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant, but it sounded clearly like permission to imagine conversations and even pretend events.
“Great-aunt Eleanor is having a birthday party today,” I’d say to another portrait, and set up a fake cake and candles. If Cassie saw me doing something like that, she’d stop by to give me some real history.
“Great-aunt Eleanor would be one hundred and eighteen,” she’d tell me.
“Too many candles for a cake,” I’d say, and she’d shake her head and walk away.
Right now, I walked the corridor of ancestors, as we called it, the corridor with portraits on both sides, and asked, “What do you all think of the new Mrs. Heaven-stone?”
I didn’t need to hear their voices. I could see the displeasure in their eyes.
Later, I did what Ethan suggested and put on my bathing suit and went out to the pool. I swam a little and then fell asleep for a while on a chaise longue. The sound of a door closing woke me, and because of the film of sleep over my eyes, I gazed through what resembled gauze toward the house to see what looked like my father coming out to walk to the pool. I sat up quickly. Why would Daddy be home? I quickly realize he wasn’t. It was Ethan, but he was wearing one of my father’s dinner jackets with the Heaven-stone emblem embossed on the outside left pocket.
“And how is our precious Miss Heaven-stone?” he asked as he stepped up to the pool.
I stared at him with a half-smile on my face.
“Where did you get that jacket?”
“My closet, where else?” He leaned down to give me a soft, sweet kiss on my lips and smiled. “If we’re to be the master and mistress of Heaven-stone, we should act like it, right?”
He sat at my feet on the chaise longue. Then he looked around with scrutinizing eyes and nodded.
“I’d say the place is back up to snuff, wouldn’t you, Lucille?”
Lucille? He turned to me, anticipating that I would continue the make-believe.
“No,” I said. “I found a tissue on the East Lawn.”
He roared. “Well, we’ll have to see who was responsible for that area and have him whipped.”
“Boiled in oil.”
“Skinned alive. Shall we think about dinner?”
“Is it the proper time to think about dinner?”
He looked at his watch. “One minute past the proper time.”
“Then we’ll think about it,” I said.
He leaned forward. “I took the liberty of buying us Chinese take-out. Why don’t you go in and dress for dinner, and I’ll see to it that everything is warmed up properly?”
“I expected nothing less,” I told him, and rose. He stood and held out his arm. I put my hand on it, and the two of us walked in step toward the house, holding our bodies and our heads in an exaggeratedly perfect arrogant royal posture. I did the best I could holding back my laughter, but when we reached the house, it burst forth like water crashing through a dam.
“Now, now,” he said. “If you’re going to laugh, laugh like a lady.”
“Sorry.”
I pulled myself in again and headed for the stairway.
“I’ll be down shortly,” I said. “Please make sure everything is prepared perfectly and I’m not disappointed. Disappointment is forbidden in my presence.”
“Yes, Mrs. Heaven-stone,” he said. He smil
ed impishly.
I threw him a kiss and hurried up the stairs.
This was going to be fun after all, I thought, and felt a surge of new energy and excitement. I found a dress in my closet closest to one Lucille would wear and pinned my hair up the way she often pinned hers. The devil in me was romping. I went to her and Daddy’s bedroom and sorted through some of her jewelry to choose something appropriate, a necklace of pearls and matching pearl earrings in a gold setting. I even found a pearl pinkie ring that fit. Before I left, I thought a moment and then sprayed myself with one of her expensive perfumes. The scent was easy to recognize as hers.
Ethan had the table ready, placing his setting in front of Daddy’s chair and mine in front of Lucille’s. When he saw me, he stopped and looked worried for a moment. His eyes shifted as if he were afraid someone would catch us.
“You went whole hog,” he finally said.
“Excuse me, but I don’t tolerate comparisons to pigs. Angels, goddesses, or wives of powerful politicians, yes, but hogs, no.”
He laughed. “Looks like I really started something here.”
“Don’t play with fire if you’re afraid of being burned,” I warned. “Are you afraid?”
I had chipped his ego. His shoulders rose, and his posture straightened instantly.
“Absolutely not. Teddy Heaven-stone fears nothing and no one. Shall we dine, Mrs. Heaven-stone?”
“Of course,” I said, and took my seat. He brought out the reheated dishes. “It all smells quite good,” I said. “I hope you had the official taster check it out.”
“Oh, yes, yes, of course. She lived,” he added.
We both laughed. I realized I was really hungry, not having eaten much for breakfast and having forgotten about lunch. We ate. Ethan surprised me again by opening one of Daddy’s bottles of expensive French white wine, and then we continued our mimicking, reviewing the wedding just the way we imagined Daddy and Lucille reviewing it. We drank all of the wine and ate most of the food. When I rose and started to clear the table, he seized my left wrist.
“Leave it for the servants,” he said. He stood and pulled me closer to him. “This is, after all, our first honeymoon night.”
Secret Whispers Page 21
