Page 13 of If The Fates Allow
Lucy shrunk a little, sadness making her look like a small child. “Grace isn’t singing, Willa.”
She knew that, but…
“I heard her.” Willa insisted. “I heard someone singing.”
“Are you sure you weren’t dreaming?”
Exasperated, Willa shushed her, thinking she might have heard it again. “Yes, I’m sure.”
And there it was. The faint melody sung countless times by Grace.
Lucy heard it, too, and she paled in the ghostly moonlight. “Who is in there?”
They would never know, for as they darted in the direction of the singing, their mother’s door began to open, and they were forced to retreat to their rooms quickly.
With her door locked and secured, Willa waited for signs of Margaret coming her way but heard nothing.
Nothing but the singing.
It was louder than before.
Lighter.
As if it were floating down from above.
Willa’s chest pumped wildly in terror, and she remained cognizant of her breathing, but that wasn’t saying much. A lion could be charging her in the wilds of Africa, and even then, she would remain cognizant of her breathing.
A pulse of lightning hit, illuminating the ceiling to reveal there was nothing up there.
And how ridiculous for her to think that there was. Of course, there was nothing up there. It must be Bonnie next door singing, for who else could it be?
A crash of thunder exploded, abruptly silencing the haunting song. Caught off guard, Willa stifled a scream and waited for it to pick up again.
But it never did.
Chapter 5
“Thank you for coming later in the day.” Willa fidgeted nervously on the parlor’s smaller sofa. “The entire household slept in after last night’s festivities.”
“As did ours,” Noah replied, rummaging through the black leather bag he had brought with him. “Did you enjoy yourself last night?”
“I di—”
A crash in the hallway and Bonnie’s harsh berating of the person responsible drowned out Willa’s answer. “Stupid girl!” Bonnie shouted. “Watch what you’re doing.”
Willa rose from her sofa and closed the door, not exactly worried over the societal rules of propriety. If Noah were locked away with Lucy, it would be another story, but as it was only her, no one would be concerned.
“Sounds like everyone is a little tired today.” Noah extracted an instrument and laid it on the table. “Or does your housekeeper usually not allow the staff to slip up from time to time.”
“Bonnie isn’t our housekeeper. She’s more like my mother’s personal companion. She’s also very particular about how Haven House should be run. Even more so than Ms. Graham, our actual housekeeper.” Willa returned to her seat, slightly nervous over what to expect from him today. “And what you heard was Bonnie scolding some Port Michaelson girls who were hired to help with The Gathering. I hear the plan is to have them stay on through the holidays, so Bonnie is likely just getting them up to snuff on how she expects things done.”
Noah’s profile was to her, and the wry smile on his lips dimmed slightly. “Yes, I met a few of them last night.”
“The Port Michaelson girls?”
“Those are the ones.”
Willa released a noise that clearly expressed how unimpressed she was by his tone, and even though it might seem a bit pathetic for her to be jealous, that didn’t change the fact that she was.
