Happily Never After (14 page)

“Good, we’ll figure something out. I’ll be
thinking of you tomorrow night. And I’ll watch for you in case you
change your mind about coming.”

I didn’t even realize I was smiling until
after I’d ended the call. Jason had a way of sneaking up on me, of
getting under my skin before I had a chance to stop it. He was so
darn persistent. With him, I could live in the fantasy world that
Mama always talked about. I could believe in her happy endings.
Except I needed to make sure I remembered which was the reality and
which was the fantasy.

My head was full of dreams when I fell
asleep.

Hours later, an unknown sensation woke me up.
I opened my eyes and knew instantly something wasn’t right. It was
too dark.

I sat up in bed cautiously and surveyed the
area.

By the time my investigation made it to the
right side of my bed, I’d almost convinced myself that I was
imagining things.

Until I came face to face with Marietta.

I barely made out her figure in the darkness.
She stood two feet from the side of the bed, her intense stare
locked on me. I scooted as far away from her as I could and
switched on my bedside lamp.

Shadows played across her face, painting her
with pure evil. The shadow I had started thinking of as Catherine
was there as well but it bounced and flowed like a normal
shadow.

Marietta remained there, still as a stone,
for a long time. The lack of any life in her body scared me almost
more than the look in her eyes. They were boring into my very
soul.

“Marietta,” I squeaked out her name quietly,
hoping it didn’t anger her.

Nothing.

The longer it went on, the more I felt my
body react. I started shaking and couldn’t stop. It pulled me into
that zone where you couldn’t make a rational thought. As crazy as
it sounded, I thought her stare would be what killed me.

Her eyes were full of hate but beyond that
she was empty, nothing. Marietta was gone. Only her body remained.
She was an empty shell.

All of the other times I'd had interactions
with her and Catherine it had been a physical thing. This was
different. This was an assault on my soul.

And it was working.

I lay in the bed curled up in as small a ball
as possible. Even with my eyes closed, I felt the weight of her
stare. I honestly felt as if I was going to lose my mind.

Then, I sensed her move. I opened my eyes and
watched as she turned and walked away. The vacant stare never left
her face, even as she walked out of the room.

I could breathe again but wasn’t able to
uncurl from the protective ball. I stayed that way all night, my
mind focused on one thing, whether or not she would return.

I would not allow myself to fall asleep
again.

Chapter Nineteen

Marietta and the twins spent the entire day
getting ready for the ball. I mostly tried to stay out of their
way.

I kept thinking about what Jason said the
other day about being scared. I knew there was some truth in it.
I’d spent so much time keeping my head down I was uncertain how to
reach out and grab something I really wanted. I couldn’t even stand
up for myself without fearing some kind of fallout. That had to
change.

It tempted me more than I ever thought it
would, to defy everything and meet him at the ball. Screw the
consequences, whatever happened would at least have happened
because I took a chance. But even with my pep talk, I couldn’t make
myself get up and actually do it. If all else, at least I’d have a
quiet night in the house to do research.

My lack of motivation didn’t stop me from
longing to be one of those girls primping all day, vibrating with
the anticipation of what the night would bring. Since meeting
Jason, I saw so many possibilities and so many things I’d missed. I
wanted a life.

I was sitting in the kitchen eating when they
came down. I knew they were supposed to be dressed as Southern
belles but it was hard to tell with the layers and layers of lace
and satin. The materials were beautiful and I truly thought if they
had merely gone with the ‘less is more’ mindset, they would have
shined.

Marietta’s dress was a melon orange color,
complimenting her pale blond hair and accenting the lack of color
in her cheeks. I hadn’t noticed until then how pale and drawn she
looked. She was starting to look more and more affected by the
entity holed up inside her. As far as the presence attached to her,
it felt excited, almost bubbling with energy.

One more thing to convince me it was
female.

Suzie and Anna wore similar styles of dress
with laughingly full hoop skirts. Suzie’s was a light blue and
Anna’s a soft yellow.

“Don’t wait up,” Suzie sneered cruelly.

As they gathered up their stuff, the doorbell
rang.

“Quinn, get that,” Marietta bit out.

I moved past them and opened the door, even
though Anna stood only a couple feet away.

The man wore a normal tux, not the kind of
thing I would have pictured someone going to this ball to wear. I
didn’t recognize him and assumed he was someone escorting my family
to the event. Over his shoulder I saw a long black limousine parked
at the curb.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

He smiled, “I’m here to escort a Quinn
Roberts to the Savannah Heritage Ball.”

My jaw dropped as Marietta stormed up and
pushed me out of the way. Jason. He must have done this. It was a
nice gesture but he should have known better.

“What did you say?” Her anger simmered below
the surface and I braced myself as the shadow loomed behind
her.

His smile fell into a look of confusion. “I
was told to pick up Quinn Roberts from this address and drive her
to the resort. Do I have the wrong house?”

“Who ordered that?” Suzie roared.

“I don’t have that information, miss.”

Marietta glared at me. “You have the right
location but Miss Roberts will not be attending the ball tonight.
I’m afraid it will just be my daughters and I. You can take them
out to the car and I’ll be right along.”

The man opened his mouth to argue with her
but she shot him a look that made him take a couple steps back. “Of
course, ma’am, I’ll be waiting outside.”

In spite of the twins’ questions, Marietta
shoved them out the door without a word. They had a hard time
fitting through the doorway with those huge hoop skirts. It would
have been funny if I wasn’t nervous about Marietta. She slammed the
door and turned to me.

Prepared to have her unleash her wrath one
me, I was surprised when she smiled sweetly. “I suppose you’re not
going to explain?”

I shook my head. “I don’t have any idea,
Marietta. I swear. I haven’t made any plans to go tonight. I know
my place.”

Of course she didn’t believe me. She grabbed
me by my hair and dragged me up the stairs. It brought tears to my
eyes and I fought not to cry out. “I don’t know what you’re up to
but I don’t like it. Whatever you planned for tonight isn’t going
to happen. It’s my night! I haven’t been to a ball in so long,
since before the War. Tonight, I’ll be the one they look at, the
way it used to be.”

We reached the door to the attic and Marietta
threw me forward. I caught myself on the steps and whirled to face
her. She looked like Marietta, but the shadow throbbed around
her.

“Catherine?” I whispered.

She laughed and slammed the door in my face.
I heard the lock click and the beat of her heels as she walked
away. I turned to walk up the stairs and stopped at the sound of
something heavy being dragged across the floor towards the door,
which shook as it was pushed up against it. I guessed she moved a
heavy piece of furniture to block the door, in case I figured out
how to unlock it.

I knew she was gone because the house grew
still and quiet in a way it hadn’t been the last few days. Outside,
the twilight darkened, matching my mood perfectly. I tried to
reflect on what happened but all I felt was shock.

In the far corner of the attic, a faint light
blinked and grew bigger and brighter. I felt the air change and
instantly I knew this presence was the strange force that protected
me. Sitting up on the bed, I watched the light pulse and move
closer. I wasn’t nervous. Something told me no harm would come from
this energy.

Then, it changed and the light formed into
the shape of a person. After a quick flash it dimmed, leaving
behind a surprisingly solid woman.

I stared at her in shock. I was able to look
at her straight on. Her image did not waver or flicker. Her
clothing appeared to have come from the War era. The cut of her
rose colored dress and the hang of her skirt resembled the
antebellum costumes seen all over the city. It was what the twins’
dresses should have looked like.

“Hello, Quinn.” She spoke in a soft, breathy
voice.

Apparently, I’d finally lost my mind.

The woman smiled. “Don’t be afraid, dear.
You’ve felt me before and I’ve been waiting until you needed me
most.”

“You’re the one who scared off whatever
almost killed me? And all those other times too?” I finally found
my voice. Over the years, I had experienced many crazy things but
this really topped it all. “Who are you?”

“I’m your great-great-great-grandmother,
Margaret Roberts.”

I gasped. “I don’t understand. Why are you
here?”

Margaret walked over and sat next to me on
the bed. A thousand chills ran through me when I actually felt the
bed shift under her, as if someone with actual weight and substance
sat down instead.

“I have a story to tell you, Quinn and then
I’m going to help you go to your young man. You’ve had too much
tragedy in your life. It’s about time we changed that.”

I laughed at her. “You’re going to help me
see Jason tonight? What, you’re my Fairy Godmother?” Her face
remained blank as if she had no clue what I was talking about.
“Fairy Godmother, from Cinderella? It’s a story about a girl who –
she’s locked up and – oh, never mind.” I ran my hands over my face.
Maybe I was the only one who saw the similarities.

“You’re an odd girl.” She studied me closely.
“I know you’ve been investigating the events surrounding my
daughter’s death and that of her husband. Would you like to hear
what really happened?”

“Of course, I’d love to find out what it has
to do with this house and if I really am in danger like she
says.”

Margaret nodded and took a deep breath
preparing for the story she was going to tell. I settled in to
listen to her voice, as slow and richly southern as Sorghum
molasses.

Chapter Twenty

“After the War, most of the Roberts family
businesses were broke. We poured everything we had into a losing
cause. Our family watched and waited with all of Savannah’s great
families for their loved ones to return. And when Sherman marched
into the city, he spared it. Everything changed after that. Our
slaves went free and Yankees poured into Savannah looking to
capitalize on our misfortune. Even in a city ravaged by war and
newfound poverty, this house stood as one of the finest.

“Our family had dealings with a man named
William Jennings. He was a Yankee. We borrowed money from him to
keep our remaining businesses open and the opportunity to rebuild
our cotton empire. You may have already gathered that William was
not a good man. After about a year, he told my husband and me that
he would be willing to forgive our debt in exchange for the
house.

“Instead of our beloved family home, James,
my husband, offered him something much more valuable to a Yankee;
our daughter’s hand in marriage. To a man like William, the
opportunity to marry into one of the oldest families in Georgia was
too much to turn down. We could have avoided all of this if it had
not been for James’ pride.

“You have to understand it was a tragic time.
All our friends and neighbors were falling from their lofty
heights, losing everything. The only reason we were still in
business was because of Mr. Jennings. I understand the reason, but
I’ll never forgive myself for standing by and allowing it to
happen.”

Margaret smiled sadly. “Catherine was a
headstrong girl and desperately loved her place in the social tiers
of Savannah. She was so beautiful and vibrant. Many eligible
bachelors chased after her and fought for her hand, but she only
had eyes for one, Jackson Merriwether. The Merriwethers were one of
the richest families in Georgia, probably in the entire South.
Jackson was their oldest and a dashing young man. He came and
called on Catherine many times and there was much speculation that
they would wed.

“Then, the war happened. Jackson enlisted and
vowed to return in a few months as a war hero. All those boys who
enlisted thought they were going to be back soon. The pride of the
South.” She shook her head. “For years, he only managed to get a
few letters through and she saw him once for about an hour near the
holidays. Their love never diminished. Even after Gettysburg when
he was listed as missing or dead, she clung to the hope that he
would still come home.

“The day we told her she was to be married to
a stranger I saw hate in her heart. She fought against it, but
those were different times. She had to do what her father wished
and she never forgave us. A couple days before the wedding she even
tried running away but James brought her back kicking and
screaming. They were married in a quiet ceremony and for the entire
ten months they were married, I only saw her once. We corresponded
but I always got the sense from her letters that she was being
guarded.

“Back then Savannah was still a small city so
it was odd to not have seen her at social events. From what I could
tell, William was a controlling man with a vicious temper. I heard
rumors and gossip about him beating her and other unspeakable acts.
Each time I tried to call on her William told me she was ill. I
should have done more.