Page 49 of If The Fates Allow
“I’m so sorry, Noah.” She was crying, careful and controlled, just as she was taught. No hysterics else someone might hear. “They were running away, andhefound them.”
The song faltered, dissolving into nothing as it listened, reliving the memory with her.
“Grace and Tommy,” she went on. “They were going to live at his mother’s home in Atlanta until Tommy could find work far from our mill, buthefound out.”
A chill encircled where they stood, distinct and shapeless. Noah pulled her further into his arms, and the wool of Cal’s coat itched along her neck. “What are you telling me?”
She shouldn’t allow him to hold her when she was about to speak a truth that might have him giving up this entire idea of making her his wife. She could have been deceitful and waited until they were wed before revealing it, but that wasn’t fair. He needed to know. Noah had to understand what they were up against and why there would be no going back when she did finally escape Haven House.
“My father.”
There was a tickle on the back of her wrist, ghostly fingertips tracing the freckled pattern that matched its own. The touch pushed her to be brave, reminding her that the possibility of a life with Noah was worth the risk.
“Grace knew my father would never accept her choice. I’ve told you she was beautiful. Men throughout this county and all the neighboring counties relentlessly sought her out. Grace was a goldmine to our father, and giving her up to some mill worker was never going to be an option.”
The touch on her hand applied more pressure, holding on as she made it through the retelling.
“It was at The Gathering. My father found Tommy and Grace in the library. That’s why the mill workers are no longer allowed near Haven. He’s forbidden their presence in our home ever since.”
A sympathetic smile tugged at the corner of Noah’s mouth. “And your sister and Tommy felt that they had no choice but to run away.”
Grace would have run after that night whether Tommy had joined her or not. Once the guests departed from The Gathering, their father cornered Grace in her bedroom, locking them in while he taught her a lesson with his fists. The muffled screams that had come through the closed door still gave Willa nightmares, as did the scene when they wereable to get inside. It had taken Cal to break down the door, but her father did not stop even then. He only halted his attack when Margaret and Bonnie rushed in, throwing themselves on top of Grace, who lay shaking on the floor.
Willa had stood helplessly in the doorway, holding a crying Lucy as they looked on in horror. The staff wisely stayed on the lower level, allowing the illustrious Fairweathers their moment to shine. The gossip would spread quickly and once Grace disappeared, no one ever blamed her for leaving.
“He beat Grace horribly that night, and she couldn’t get out of bed for almost a week. Tommy became concerned after the first day, so he hid outside the house and even attempted to break in to get to Grace.”
“I can’t blame him. If it were you…” Noah pressed her flush to his chest. “I would have murdered him, Willa. I would have torn the walls of Haven House down to get to you.”
Her cold hand warmed as it was released, their visitor’s way of showing it was pleased with Noah’s words. Yet, they only upset Willa. “You must never come for me. Ever. No matter if you think my life is in danger, do not come.”
“Of course, I will come for you.”
“No!”
She was getting upset, and the air suddenly felt much thinner than before. Her tears certainly weren’t helping, but she couldn’t stop. Instead of it being Tommy lying dead by the bayou, her mind showed her Noah. Lifeless. Drowned in a fit of rage.
“Grace got away. She got away, Noah. They were almost safe, but my father found them in the forest, right by the graveyard. We didn’t know what was happening until it was too late.”
It had been Cal who was alerted that something was off. Scheduled to go over the mill accounts, he sensed something was wrong when their father was late. Stephen Fairweather was never late for anything, and when a half hour passed, Cal took it upon himself to conduct a search. He’d gone upstairs first, and when he couldn’t find any trace of theirfather, he went out onto the balcony to see if he was there. That was when he heard the screaming.
“My brother figured out something was wrong and came tearing through the house, shouting for help. We all made it out to the porch in time to see him bolt across the yard. I had never seen Cal run so fast.”
Taking a steadying breath, she allowed herself a moment. Noah’s concern was tearing at her soul, but she told herself she could be strong.
“We heard it then.” She wiggled free of his hold on her but ended up bumping into a tree. With nowhere else to go, she remained plastered against its trunk as Noah and the ghost of her sister waited for her to speak. “Have you ever heard someone’s heart breaking? It’s awful and sounds as if the world truly is ending.”
“Stay with me, love.” Noah came over when she began to slide down the tree’s trunk. “I’ve got you.”
“We ran. Even me. We all ran as fast as we could toward Grace’s screams, but it was too late. Tommy was dead. Drowned right there on the shore of the bayou near the graveyard.” She was gasping, hardly able to speak as the memories returned to choke her. “Tommy had fought bravely for Grace, but he was no match for our father.”
Noah held her up as the storm of emotions she’d kept bottled inside arrived in force. She cried against his chest, the clock ticking down on their time together.
“When we came upon them, Tommy was face down at the water’s edge with Grace on her knees next to his body, pleading and crying for him to get up. There had been so much blood splattered about. On the ground, on the gravestones, everywhere.”
The pain remained. It would be two years this Christmas, but the pain remained as strong as it did on the day it happened.
“We just stood there. Shocked and appalled. Bonnie was the first of us to snap out of it and went to my father, who was staring at his bruised hands. They were speaking, and we were listening, but none of us were watching.” Her face scrunched tight. “None of us were watching Grace.We didn’t see her rise and march off to the mill. We didn’t see as she… as she went straight to the point where the manchineel trees grow.”
