Shadows

XXIV

A feeling of doom penetrated Everstow Manor. Joel became a ghost of himself. He barely spoke, and his lips formed a straight line beneath his aquiline nose. Although I tried to stay out of his way, it became impossible to avoid him altogether.

While Joel grew silent, Lottie's temper rose. Her loud, grating voice often filled the corridors with complaints and sarcastic remarks. She found fault with everyone, particularly Cassandra. Poor Cassie retreated into the nursery and remained hidden in the schoolroom most of the time. I tried to persuade her to stroll in the garden or the vicarage. She dolefully shook her head no and continued gazing out the window.

I spent my free time with Dinah. The vicarage and church grounds provided a happy oasis for me. My cousin and I wandered around the churchyard, looking at the gravestones. The oldest we discovered was dated 1482. We speculated romantically about the woman buried beneath our feet.

"Ida Jenkins, 1430-1482," Dinah stated, laying the hedge roses she'd plucked earlier before the crooked stone. "Age fifty-two. I expect she was a villager."

"Probably lived in a cottage with her husband and six children," I answered, casting my eyes toward the other stones. "I don't see any other Jenkins around. Perhaps she was a maiden lady."

"Unlucky in love," Dinah sighed, hooking her hand in my elbow. We continued to stroll.

"Someday, I'll bring Cassandra with me," I remarked as we passed through the vicarage gate. "You'll like her. She's a charming child."

"Is it true she's Charlotte's daughter?" my cousin questioned, eager for gossip.

I sighed deeply and continued along the path at a quickened pace. In a small village, word traveled fast. By now, everyone knew of the difficulties at Everstow Manor. My brother Joel created a sensation when he married Charlotte Plumb.

The evening we discovered Cassandra was Lottie's daughter, Papa called them into his private office. I lingered in the hall, listening to the raised voices beyond the closed door. Lottie's shrill voice penetrated the thick walls with her blatant excuses. On a dark, foggy evening, an unknown male caught her in an alley and assaulted her. She had to endure an unwanted pregnancy at a very young age.

Her mother and father had sent her into the country to visit relatives. During the final weeks, her parents appeared and remained during the last days of her pregnancy. When they left, her mother carried the baby home, declaring a surprise birth. From then on, Cassandra became Charlotte's sister instead of her daughter.

The sound of Charlotte's weeping carried into the corridor. In my ears, the tones sounded fake and forced. Nevertheless, I heard Joel's soothing voice as he comforted her. A quarter-hour elapsed before they emerged in a close embrace. My brother bought her story, lock, stock, and barrel.

When the door opened, I scuttled as far into the great hall as possible. I had to make it appear as though I wasn't listening. As Charlotte passed, she threw me a triumphant glance. I met her eyes defiantly, and she cast hers aside.

Joel and Lottie ascend the staircase quickly. As soon as they disappeared, I hastened into the parlor. Papa stood at the mantle, smoking his pipe. The flames flickered, casting his face in its orange glow.

"I don't believe a word of it," I stated hotly. I could not hold my tongue.

"You shouldn't listen to keyholes, Priscilla, my dear," Papa responded gruffly.

"Surely you don't believe that cock and bull story." I sank onto the couch and stared into the flames.

"Joel believed it," my father announced. "I suppose, at this point, that's all that counts."