Page 15 of Spilling the Tea

Felicia Laverne Madaris sat on the edge of her bed with her bifocals perched on her nose while knitting a baby cap for her great-great-grandbaby, the one she figured would be born seven months from now. To be on the safe side, she was using yellow yarn instead of pink or blue.

Although the expectant parents hadn’t made an official announcement, Felicia had dreamed about fish a couple of weeks ago but decided to keep it to herself. There was no reason for her to tell anyone about her dream. That would only cause a lot of speculation, and this was one time she would let the couple do the honors themselves.

The Madaris family motto, passed down from generation to generation, was “Protect, Provide, and Prosper.” Those words summed up the family’s beliefs, values, and goals. They protected their own, and often, that protection extended to others. They also provided for each other, growing the family’s wealth while at the same time remembering those less fortunate through their numerous charities. And while they were certainly a successful family prospering financially, they were also prospering physically. It always filled her heart with joy when there was a Madaris wedding or birth. That meant the family was growing, and that made her happy. Felicia Laverneknew she wouldn’t live forever and intended for her family to continue being prosperous in every aspect of the word while she was here.

She had given birth to seven sons, all of whom were alive except one. She felt that familiar pain in her heart whenever she thought about Robert. The only one she had lost.

Her remaining six sons did just as their father would have wanted by caring for her needs. As she began getting older, they insisted she no longer live alone in her home on Whispering Pines. They wanted her to spend more time with them and their families. They proposed that she stay at Whispering Pines with her youngest son, Jake, and his wife, Diamond, for six months out of the year. She would stay with her oldest son, Milton Jr., and his wife, Dora, two months out of the year, including that three-week cruise she always enjoyed. During the remaining four months, she would rotate between the other sons—Lee and his wife, Pearl; Nolan and his wife, Bessie; Lucas and his wife, Carrie; and Jonathan and his wife, Marilyn. This month, she was with her third-born son, Nolan, and his wife, Bessie.

She loved her family and knew they loved her, although she was well aware they thought she sometimes overstepped her boundaries. That was utter nonsense. As far as she was concerned, she had no boundaries regarding their happiness and well-being. Her family would always come first, and she would do what was best for them, whether they thought it was or not. That was the promise she’d made to her beloved Milton on his deathbed, which she intended to keep.

She heard the knock on the door. “Come in.”

Bessie opened the door, and although it was fairly early, Felicia figured she was checking on her for the last time before settling in for the night. Nolan Sr. and Bessie loved playing checkers before going to bed. However, from the look on Bessie’s face, she immediately knew something was wrong. “What’s the matter, Bessie?”

Bessie came and sat in the chair beside the bed. “Mama Laverne, I just got a call from Cate, and she told me something that I think you should know.”

Bessie and Cate had been best friends growing up, and Cate was now her great-grandson Chancellor’s housekeeper and cook. If Cate had called, that meant it concerned him. “Has something happened to Chancellor?” she asked, trying to keep the distress out of her voice. “Did he get hurt today on the ranch?”

Bessie reached out and took her hand. “No, Chance is fine, but it does concern him.”

“What is it, Bessie?” Felicia Laverne asked, staring into her daughter-in-law’s troubled gaze. Lord, she hoped it had nothing to do with Ravena Boyle, whom she heard was back in town. There were family members who were worried about that since they’d known how much Chancellor had loved the girl. However, she, of all people, knew about the Madaris pride. A wounded Madaris didn’t forgive easily and could hold a grudge forever. She believed any love Chancellor had for Ravena had turned into loathing.

“He got a visitor today,” Bessie said.

“Ravena?” she asked softly. The woman was conceited enough to think after all she’d done, she could recapture Chance’s heart.

“No, it wasn’t Ravena, thankfully. It was a young woman by the name of Dr. Zoey Pritchard. She’s a medical doctor from Baltimore.”

Felicia Laverne didn’t recognize the name. “Why would his visitor be concerning enough for Cate to call you?”

“Because she came to the ranch asking questions, wanting to know about the people who owned the ranch before. Namely, the Martins.”

A knot formed in Felicia Laverne’s throat. “Why would this woman want to know anything about the Martins?”

“She’s claiming to be their granddaughter.”

Felicia Laverne now understood why Bessie was troubled. The last thing the Madaris family needed was someone asking questions about the Martins, which would ultimately lead to questions about the Satterfields. The Satterfields and Madarises had been rural neighbors for several generations. Waylon Satterfield had been her husband Milton’s very best friend. His only child, a daughter named Arabella, had married a man whose last name was Martin. Could the woman be Arabella’s granddaughter, as she claimed?

“Mama Laverne, you know what that could mean, right?” Bessie asked, intruding into her thoughts.

Mama Laverne nodded, suddenly feeling the weight of the Madaris world on her shoulders. If this woman asked questions, they could reveal scandals, lies, and a cover-up involving the Madaris and Satterfield families. There were secrets her sons knew nothing about. Secrets she had hoped to take to her grave. Bessie didn’t know everything. She only knew what she’d overheard as a teenaged girl growing up as a preacher’s great-granddaughter.

Lord help her if the cover-up was ever revealed—a murder cover-up that she was the only living soul with any knowledge of.

“Yes, I know what it means,” Felicia Laverne said, trying to keep her voice calm, although she felt anything but that.

“There’s more,” Bessie continued.

Felicia Laverne wasn’t sure her heart could take any more. It was already beating faster than it should. “Lordy, what else is there?”

“Cate overheard Chance tell the woman he would be contacting you. That you could tell her all the information she wanted about her family since he was certain you’d remember them.”

Yes, she remembered them. She could decline a meeting withthe young woman, but then her family would wonder why. Doing something like that would be so unlike her. They knew how much she liked talking about the past. However, when it came to her family, some things from the past should stay there.

Moments later, after Bessie had left her alone again, Felicia Laverne just sat on the edge of the bed, her mind in turmoil. Unable to finish her knitting since her hands were trembling, she placed the basket aside to look at the framed photograph on the nightstand. She carried it with her whenever she was shifted from son to son. It was the picture of her and Milton on their wedding day, well over seventy-five years ago. She was so much in love then and still was. He was a handsome man who’d passed his looks on to his sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons. Generations of Madarises that he would be proud of.

“My beloved Milton,” she whispered in a soft tone. “What am I going to do?”

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