Secrets of Hallstead House (7 page)

When I went back into the foyer, I could hear the low murmur of voices from the dining room. I had no wish to return there, so I went up to my room, put on a jacket, and let myself quietly out the front door. The storm had passed, so there was no rain to contend with tonight. Keeping to the flagstone path, I walked slowly around the outside of Summerplace, listening contentedly to the night sounds of the island and the Saint Lawrence River. I could hear the low throb of humming insects against the soft background sound of the night breeze blowing through the tree branches. The water of the river moving slowly on its course to the Atlantic Ocean made a comforting sound, almost mesmerizing, and I loved it. It was so different from the noise of the neighborhood I had just left a few days before. On this peaceful island there were no wailing ambulances, no rumbling street cleaners, no cars honking incessantly. Here one lived in the company of nature and its soothing rhythms. In the short time I had been on the island I was already feeling some of my stress draining away. I felt I could now allow the memory of my parents to surface without having to thrust the grief aside. It helped knowing that Alex had experienced grief too.

As I walked around Summerplace, I saw a glimmer of light shining through the closed dining room drapes. Brandt and Giselle would probably be leaving soon since it wasn’t raining anymore. Giselle undoubtedly had to get up early in the morning for work and would want to be in bed at a decent hour. It was also getting chilly, so I pulled my jacket tighter around me and headed for the front door.

I went up to my room without meeting anyone. I was getting tired, so I didn’t bother to build a fire. I just crawled between the covers and was almost asleep when I heard a faint knock at my door. Concerned that Alex was ill, I jumped out of bed and went quickly to open the door.

Will was standing there, still dressed in his dinner attire. As usual, he looked debonair and handsome. “I’m sorry to bother you so late, Macy, but I wanted to talk to you alone. May I come in?” he asked politely.

Still thinking that he might be here with information about Alex, I let him in. He sat down in one of the chairs before the cold fireplace and motioned for me to sit down too. I was getting impatient. “Is Alex all right? Is that why you’re here?”

He sighed and passed his hand over his eyes. I noticed for the first time the ever-so-slight graying at his temples. “As a matter of fact, Macy, Alex is the reason that I’m here. Oh, she’s probably sleeping peacefully right now, so there’s no need for you to worry about her tonight. But I must tell you that I am starting to get a little concerned that your presence here is perhaps not in Aunt Alex’s best interests. I have noticed that she seems to be a little preoccupied while she’s trying to work and now there’s this illness that seems to be affecting her. I am of the opinion that your notions of a quick recovery and exhausting physical therapy are doing Aunt Alex more harm than good.”

I was speechless. I certainly had not expected this kind of opposition from Alex’s nephew. I stared at him for a moment.

“Will, I am sorry to hear that you feel this way. I’m here because Alex hired me to be her nurse. My job is to see that her doctor’s orders are carried out. As for my ‘notions’ of a quick recovery, don’t you agree that it’s best for her to begin her normal activities again so that she can get back to her life? I’m not rushing her into anything. This is standard procedure for a patient of her age recovering from hip surgery. Furthermore, the illness that you feel she is currently suffering from seems to be no more than fatigue. It is common among surgery patients, particularly those who are almost eighty years old.”

Will did not waver from his position. “But can you explain why she doesn’t seem to be able to concentrate on her work? I think I know why. It’s because you arrived here with your sad stories about your parents and you’ve dredged up all the unpleasantness about her own family—about Diana and Forrest and their deaths. It’s impossible for her to concentrate when she can’t get her own grief out of her head.”

“I happen to think that she’s dealing with her sadness in a very healthy manner. She doesn’t seem to be dwelling on the past, and she seems generally happy and content.”

Will stared at me steadily. I met his gaze evenly, refusing to let him know that he was making me uncomfortable. Finally he spoke.

“I can see that you’re determined to stay here despite Aunt Alex’s best interests. Fine. There are other ways to persuade you to go.” He stood up. Relieved, I rose as well. He stepped closer to me and put his face very near mine. His dark eyes flashed anger. His lips curled and he hissed at me, “You are not wanted here. Go away from Hallstead Island or you will be very sorry you stayed.”

Then he left, closing the door softly behind him. I found that my knees were trembling and I sat down on the bed with my face in my hands, feeling alone and thoroughly unnerved. What was behind Will’s animosity? I didn’t believe that his actions were caused by a deep concern for Alex’s well-being. I wished there was someone I could talk to. I didn’t want to discuss this incident with Alex since Will was her nephew and I didn’t want to upset or alarm her. I could perhaps speak with Stephan, but that seemed too much like tattling. I needed to know what was driving Will to speak to me in this way. I certainly wouldn’t ask either Vali or Leland, and I didn’t really feel comfortable asking Giselle. That left only Brandt and Pete. Since Pete spent so much time on the island, he seemed the better choice. Perhaps I could talk to him, make some inquiries about Will, tomorrow.

Rest was what I needed. I pulled the covers up and closed my eyes, expecting sleep to elude me for a long time. But thankfully I was wrong and I fell asleep almost instantly.

It was not to last.

I
don’t know what time I was jarred awake by the sound of crashing glass. My heart pounding, I jumped out of bed and switched on the bedside lamp. Looking around, I saw in dismay that a pane of glass in one of the French doors leading to the balcony had been shattered. Glass lay strewn across the floor in a million tiny shards. My mind still foggy from sleep, I could only stand there for a few moments, staring dumbly at the mess. What had happened? Was the wind really blowing that hard? Maybe a branch had been sent flying through the glass. But as I stood still and listened to the night breeze sighing, it seemed unlikely that a sudden gust of wind had caused this damage. I recovered myself enough to put on a pair of slippers, then walked toward the glass slowly, wondering how I was going to clean it up.

Then I saw something under one of the armchairs near the fireplace, and I froze with shock. I knew with sudden clarity what had happened. There sat a large rock. Someone had thrown it through the door.

Now I was afraid. Will must have done this. He had been so angry earlier, and he had promised that I would be sorry for staying here. Had he been standing on the ground below my balcony and tossed it up? Or had he been standing outside my door and thrown it from nearby? Somehow the thought of someone standing right outside my door in the middle of the night sent chills down my spine; it was even more disturbing than the rock throwing itself.

I needed to go downstairs to the kitchen to find a broom and dustpan. Before I went into the kitchen, though, I went to check on Alex, who was sleeping peacefully. I moved quietly, in part not to awaken anyone and in part because I was so frightened. I didn’t want to notify anyone who might be lurking around that I was up and alone, but the house was dark and silent. Whoever had thrown the rock didn’t seem to be around.

I swept the glass from the floor and disposed of it in my bathroom. I didn’t want to venture around the house again to get rid of it. It had become very cold in my room; I was shivering, and my teeth were chattering by the time the floor was free of all the glass. I didn’t know what would happen if I tried to build a fire in the fireplace with a draft coming in through the broken French door, so I opted not to try. The last thing I wanted right now was another fireplace incident.

I didn’t know what to do with the rock I had found, so I put it in the back of the armoire. I would decide what to do with it later.

There would be no sleep for me now. I went into my dressing room and curled up in an armchair with a blanket. It was slightly warmer in there, since the dressing room door had been closed when the rock was thrown. I had the book with me containing stories of the history of the Saint Lawrence River and I tried reading that for a while.

But my mind was elsewhere. Maybe I should be taking Will’s threats more seriously. Maybe I should think about going home. Was it possible that my presence here was upsetting Alex? I didn’t think so, but this incident had unraveled me enough that I was beginning to doubt myself. Perhaps I should talk to Alex, but I didn’t want to upset her. It was possible that she would even send me home after this incident. What if that rock had landed on the bed? I could have been seriously hurt. I shuddered. I didn’t want to think about that. I had to get control of myself. I needed to organize my thoughts and stop thinking about what might have happened. I had known from my first few moments at Summerplace that I was not welcomed by everyone here. Pete had told me that Vali and Leland disapproved of my presence here, and Will had made very clear to me that he didn’t want me here either. I shouldn’t be surprised that someone was trying to scare me off the island.

My thoughts reeled round and round until morning. I tried to rest but couldn’t. Several hours after going into the dressing room, I stepped into my frigid bedroom and saw that a beautiful, sunny morning had dawned. As was common, morning brought with it a renewed purpose and a sense of courage. I had a job to do and I was not going to be scared off. Whoever had thrown that rock into my room would see that the attack hadn’t succeeded and that I couldn’t be intimidated in such a cowardly way.

The first thing I would do today would be to find Leland and ask him to repair my balcony door. Next, I would see Alex and find out directly from her whether she truly wanted me here. If she did, I would stay.

I felt a little better when I went downstairs. Vali had made Alex a tray and taken it to her already, so I made myself a quick breakfast that included lots of strong coffee, then went in search of Leland before I went to see Alex.

I found him working outside the house where he and Vali lived. He was kneeling on the ground and didn’t hear me as I approached, so I startled him when I spoke.

“Leland, pardon me for bothering you, but I was wondering if you could do something for me.”

He twisted around to look up at me and said nothing, waiting for me to continue.

“The glass in one of my balcony doors broke and I need a new pane of glass installed.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he said noncommittally. He straightened up and stood next to me. “How’d that happen?” he asked.

“Someone threw a rock through it,” I answered. Then I turned and left him there. I didn’t wait to see his expression. I didn’t think he had thrown the rock, but in case he had, I wanted him to see that I wasn’t afraid.

I went to see Alex next. She was already in her office working, surrounded by sheaves of papers. The phone was ringing, and she looked like she was back in her element. She waved me in, smiling, and I sat down to wait for her to get off the phone.

When she hung up, I waved my hand toward her desk and grinned. “It looks like you’re feeling better this morning!”

“Oh, Macy, I slept so well last night. I feel much better today. You know, you were right. I think all I needed was some rest. I
have
been working too hard lately.”

“Well,” I cautioned her, “it’s easy to overdo it. Please take it slowly.”

“I will, dear. I promise.” She winked.

I had been trying to decide on the best way to broach the subject of my presence, and I had finally concluded that I should just come right out and ask her what I needed to know.

“Do you have a minute to talk?”

She looked at me with concern and laid her papers aside. “Of course, Macy. What is it?”

“I’ve been wondering whether my presence here is helping you or making things harder.”

“Macy! How could you say such a thing? Now that you’re here, I can’t imagine what I did without you. You have been a great help and comfort to me; you must know that.”

“Thank you, Alex. I was just wondering; that’s all.”

She looked at me suspiciously. “What made you ask such a question?”

“I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to make sure that you feel I’m doing my job.” I didn’t want to tell her about my conversation with Will or about the rock-throwing incident last night. Apparently she knew nothing about it or she would have mentioned it to me by now.

“Macy, please don’t think that. I love having you here. I know that Vali and Leland can be a little rough around the edges, but try to ignore them. They feel a little territorial about me and Summerplace.”

Vali and Leland weren’t the ones I was concerned about at the moment, but I let that go. I got up and thanked her, promising to return to do exercises with her later.

Before I left the office, Alex called me back. “Macy, why don’t you go up to the turret today and try your hand at some painting? Isn’t that something you’d enjoy?”

My face must have betrayed my excitement, because Alex laughed and added, “I’ll bet you’ve been dying to get your hands on a paintbrush again.” She once again handed me the key to the turret door. “You enjoy yourself, and I’ll see you later.”

I was thrilled to be able to go up into that marvelous turret room and paint. It had been so long since I had created anything with my hands; I was anxious to get started. Upstairs I was welcomed into the turret room again by the clear blue sky and an enveloping sunshine that brightened everything it touched.

The first thing I did was to turn on a large space heater I had seen on my previous visit. I would need extra heat so that my hands would stay warm. Cold, stiff fingers were the bane of a painter’s existence.

The heater worked well and soon the room was cozy and comfortable. I looked around for a sketchbook and found one in a large drawer in the artist’s table. As I walked slowly around the perimeter of the room, I tried to empty my mind and let the gorgeous scenery inspire me. Then, sketchbook in hand, I sat down on the sofa with several pencils and closed my eyes, breathing deeply. I began to feel myself relaxing and I opened the sketchbook.

I started drawing the first thing that came into my mind: a small pinecone hanging from a bough. I wasn’t satisfied with it, and I drew the same pinecone several times on the same piece of paper. Finally, after a number of tries, I finished one that I liked, so I picked up some chalk pastels and experimented for a bit with different hues. Then, holding the sketch pad away from me to look at the picture, I decided I needed watercolors to bring it alive, but I could do that later. Right now, I wanted to draw something else. I began with a picture of a rowboat. It wasn’t in the water, since I had always had trouble with outdoor scenes; the light playing off the water was difficult for me to catch on paper. So I drew just a rowboat, old and well used. Pleased with my efforts, I added some muted color to that picture too.

I must have been so engrossed in my drawing that I didn’t hear Vali come up into the turret room. When I looked up, she was standing at the top of the stairs, watching me. I gave a start and her lips curled in a crocodilian smile.

“Yes?” I inquired tersely. I was not pleased that she had come up here and I wanted her to go away. She had broken the turret room’s spell and I was feeling a little peevish.

“I came up here to see if I could clean. But I see you’ve taken it over. You have a habit of doing that.”

“Vali, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t taken anything over. If you’re still upset about my asking you to set two extra places at dinner last night, then I apologize. But we couldn’t send Brandt and Giselle out into that storm.”

“What I mean is that you’ve inserted yourself into this household rather nicely. You walk around here like you own the place. I’d advise you to remember that everyone at this house was here long before you were.”

I didn’t know what to say in the face of this tirade. I was starting to feel a little nervous up here alone with this woman. I tried to talk to her calmly.

“Vali, I am here to do a job, just like you. And of course I’m aware that I have the low spot on the totem pole here. I can assure you that I have no delusions about my position on Hallstead Island.”

“You aren’t even wanted here. Why don’t you just go back where you came from?”

Not this again
, I thought. “Vali,” I responded evenly, “I was hired to be Alex’s nurse. I am not leaving until she asks me to. Besides,” I added, “I spoke to her just this morning and she assured me that she wants me to stay.”

She said nothing but stared at me venomously. I met her stare and tried not to flinch.
She’s a bit unstable
, I thought. I waited for her to say or do something. Finally she spun around on her heel and left. I listened until she slammed the turret door behind her, and then sank back onto the sofa.
What am I doing here?
I wondered.

I was at a loss to explain why Vali and Will disliked me so. Pete had warned me on my first day at Summerplace that I wouldn’t find a warm welcome here, but I had no idea that the feelings against me would be so strong. I laid my head against the back of the sofa and closed my eyes, sighing deeply. How could I convince Vali and Will that I meant no harm to anyone and that my only purpose at Summerplace was to be a good nurse to Alex?

I didn’t have long to think, because I heard footfalls on the turret steps again. My body tensed, waiting for another uncomfortable encounter with Vali, but to my surprise it was Stephan’s head that poked into the turret room. He looked around and saw me on the sofa.

“Mind if I come up?” he asked genially.

“Not at all; please do,” I invited.

He sank down in one of the low armchairs opposite the sofa and looked around the room. “I haven’t been up here in quite a while.”

“Have you come up here to tell me to go home too?” I couldn’t help asking.

Stephan looked at me, confused. “Of course not, Macy. Why do you ask that?”

I smiled at him ruefully. “I’m sorry. I just had a confrontation with Vali and I’m a little ruffled by it.”

“What kind of confrontation?”

“Oh, she was just up here suggesting that I go home,” I explained. “I told her that I’m not going away until Alex sends me away.”

“Good for you,” Stephan encouraged me. “Actually, I suppose that’s part of the reason I came up here looking for you.” He crossed his legs and settled into his chair more comfortably. “You and I haven’t had much of an opportunity to talk since I got here, and I just wanted to know how things are going for you at Summerplace. And how Alex is doing, of course.”

“Well, let me start with Alex. I think she’s doing quite well. Hip surgery is very painful and recovery can be a long, drawn-out process. But she is a remarkably determined woman with a great deal of stamina. Her physical therapy exercises are going well, and she and I walk outdoors every day if it isn’t raining.”

“She’s mentioned several times that she likes to go on walks with you around the house.”

“I must say that I’m glad that flagstone path is there for her. Without it, I think walking around Summerplace would be much more difficult. Particularly as she refuses to wear more sensible shoes for walking,” I added with a grin.