Page 52 of The Heiress
“Ahhh,” Mom gasped, “of course, sweetheart.”
But it was me who swept her into our little circle of misery, who pulled her in and held her close. Because whatever strange coincidence had brought Elisha into our lives, somehow she’d helped rebuild us, strengthen us...and it seemed now I owed her payback.
Chapter 16
Elisha
Mrs. Pritchard hadasked me how it was going at the Carter’s house. I was evasive at first, wondering if Laurahadtold her I’d left the Country Club and that they’d sent a search party out for me. I imagined she was summonsing me back to Whitney Hall, a thought that wrenched my heart. I had one more night with the Carters, and strangely, I didn’t want it taken away from me.
But it was actually worse than that. Mrs. Pritchard demanded I call my parents. They were apparently in deep distress and ready to take the next flight to check on me. I wondered if Mrs. Pritchard knew thatnext flightmeant private jet. I’d handed Laura back her phone and ascended the Carter staircase two steps at a time, nearly twisting my ankle in the process.
I pulled my phone out of my suitcase and with its battery in the red, I plugged it into the charger. A hundred missed call notifications popped up on screen. I dialed Dad’s number with a nervous push of the button. At the sound of ringing, my shoulders hunched, storing tension.
“Elisha!” Dad exclaimed. “Where have you been? Why haven’t you answered our calls?”
“Dad.” It felt good to hear him, no matter how angry he sounded. “I told you I was turning my phone off,” I said, on the brink of tears already.
“Your mother’s been distraught,” Dad said, his voice softening, “and so have I.”
Silence reigned as I anticipated his full-on blasting of my behavior, a blasting I deserved. Oh yeah, my lies, my deception, my disappearing act. I needed to be disciplined for putting my parents through all that stress. Better to face it now, over the phone while thousands of miles away.
“Elisha?” Dad sounded worried as if the connection had been lost. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes, I’m here,” I sighed.
“I haven’t been completely honest with you.” Dad’s words sent the hairs on the back of my neck rise, an ominous announcement if ever I heard one. “Wehaven’t been completely honest with you.”
I couldn’t even muster a reply, a whisper, my brain bombarded with whatever revelation I was about to hear. For some reason, Mom’s health was utmost in my mind, an imagined experimental treatment trial in Europe—was that why they’d traveled abroad, under the guise of business?
“Princess, I can’t talk about it right now,” Dad’s voice reclaimed its authority, “But I need you to stay in touch.Pleasedon’t shut us out again.”
“Is it Mom? Is she okay?”
“Your mother is fine, Ya-Ya is fine, everyone is fine,” Dad pacified. “But this isn’t something I can talk about on the phone. And it’s nothing for you to worry about. Please, Princess, I need you to trust me, and believe me when I say this is all about doing the right thing for you.” Without pausing, he carried on in chief executive mode. “Now, I hear you’re with a local family? Is everything okay? How are they treating you?”
“They’ve been amazing,” I said, but learning that no-one was struck down with illness, I was unable to resist a sarcastic jibe. “Why is this all so secretive? You get upset with me for sneaking away to a hotel, yet you’re on the other side of the world and you can’t tell me why? What is it? Is it your empire? Is it crumbling?” Venom had crept into my voice, so quickly I’d reverted back to anger, the feeling of abandonment returning.
