Page 79 of Cursed
She wanted to turn her brain off, but thoughts kept whirling around inside her head like spiny little creatures—the spines stabbing at her.
Alone in the darkness, she considered her own life. For two years she had thought that no other man besides Trevor Kirkland would ever matter to her. Then Andre Gascon had started corresponding with her, and everything had begun to change.
It was as though he’d woken her from an emotional sleep. And when he’d taken her in his arms, she’d come instantly alive. But it had started before that. He’d made her care about him, even before they met. Even when she’d tried to keep the barriers around her heart intact, he’d broken through.
Yet were her feelings for Andre really hers? Or were her emotions all twisted up with those of another woman—Linette Sonnier? Linette had risked everything when she’d let herself fall in love with a man named Andre Gascon. She’d gone off with him—and lost her life.
Morgan would have liked to think that Linette had nothing to do with her. But somehow the dead woman had reached out across the years and dragged Morgan into her life. Which was why her feelings for this Andre were so intense, she told herself.
She stopped at the edge of the garden, then made her slow way across the lawn.
Janet was standing rigidly on the back balcony staring into the darkness. When she spotted Morgan, she ran down the steps and toward her.
“Are you all right, child?” she gasped.
“I hurt my ankle. It’s not too bad.”
“You need ice.”
“Yes.”
“Can I help you walk?”
“I’m fine.”
Janet kept pace beside her. “Did you talk to him?” she finally asked in a strained voice.
“Some.”
“What did he say?”
“He’s afraid to tell me the truth.”
“Because it’s taking a tremendous risk to talk about it.”
“What’s your stake in this?” Morgan demanded.
The woman answered at once. “I love him like a son. I want to see him happy.”
“Well, he’ll have to be happy by himself!” Morgan muttered as she pulled herself carefully up the steps.
“You’re leaving?” the housekeeper asked.
“Yes.”
Janet made a distressed noise. “I was so sure …,” she swallowed, then went on, “You can’t just walk away from him.”
“I think I have to.”
“You’ll feel better when you have some dinner in you,” Janet said hopefully.
Apparently, food was Janet’s solution to every problem. But the thought of eating anything now made Morgan’s stomach knot. “I’m not hungry. Just fix me a bag with some ice.”
The older woman sighed. “All right.”
Morgan took the ice pack up to her room and wrapped it in a towel. Sitting in the chair, she propped her leg on the footstool and draped the ice over the ankle. The cold felt wonderful.
When she looked up, Janet was standing there.
