Page 92 of Whispers of Helena
He leans in, pressing a soft kiss against my lips.
I melt into him, my fingers tightening around his. When we part, I look up at him and smile.
“I love you too.”
The steady rhythmof our days brings a quiet kind of peace. Mornings spent making breakfast, guiding Kiran through his lessons, tending to the garden. Each task grounds me, reminding me of a life that once felt so distant. And then there’s Silas, the unshakable presence I longed for in all those years apart. The comfort of his touch, the way his gaze lingers on me. It’s everything I once wished for, everything I thought we had lost.
Sometimes, in the stillness of the afternoon, when Kiran is bent over his math or lost in the simple joy of digging in the dirt, I find my thoughts wandering. Would this have been our life? Would there have been more laughter, more tiny hands reachingfor mine, more nights spent whispering about the future? I like to think so. But time just wasn’t on our side.
Still, the push of my purpose presses against me.
Getting Silas to understand the truth of his existence is only half the battle. I need him to repent. To seek forgiveness before it’s too late.
No one has spoken Bennett’s name since the day the papers arrived, but I can feel his presence like thunder waiting behind the clouds. The conflict simmers beneath the surface, teetering on the brink of the inevitable. Part of me wants to ask Silas what his plan is; another part of me wants to live in unknowing bliss.
The thoughts occupy my mind as I scrub circles over a soap-covered dish.
“I think that plate is clean,” Marcel says as he emerges from the office.
I look down, shaking off my stupor. “Yeah, guess it is.” I turn on the water to rinse it. “I thought you were going to avoid me for the rest of time.”
Marcel has done everything in his power to be the first one done with dinner, even going as far as having his coffee and bread in the barn so he’s gone by the time I come down to make breakfast each morning.
I turn toward him. “I’m really sorry for what happened the night of Eli’s birthday.”
He shakes his head, still not meeting my eyes. “It was just Silas throwing his weight around when it wasn’t needed. You know I respect you and your marriage, Caroline.”
“I do. Again, I’m sorry.”
Marcel gives me an easy smile. “I know. And hey, that’s the most action I’ve seen in about fifty years, so nothing to be embarrassed about.”
I snap his arm with my towel. “You’re horrible. Now get out of here before Silas pitches a fit again.”
He tips his chin and starts for the door. I glance out the window and see Silas leading Merriweather out of the stables, Kiran by his side. They guide the mare to the paddock where Silashoists Kiran up into the saddle, handing him the reins. I watch as they begin to walk circles. Kiran’s feet hardly reach the stirrups, but his face is beaming.
Then I focus on Silas. His gentle hands direct the mare while making sure Kiran stays in the saddle.
A small part of me doesn’t want to say goodbye to this life.
I placethe final pan back in the cabinet when a knock comes at the front door. I’m the only one in the house, so I make my way to the office, out of sight. I know deep down that almost none of the living can see me, but knowing people like Eli and Ruth walk this earth has me cautious.
A second knock sounds, loud and insistent, and I hear the shuffle of boots. My pulse quickens hoping Eli or one of the men see that we have visitors.
Finally, Eli’s voice rings out in greeting. Then I hear Bennett Everly’s.
“Eli, glad you’re here. Came to see if you’d like to talk.”
The Enemy
Silas
From the shadowsof the barn, I keep a watchful eye on the house, my breath steady but my pulse thrumming beneath the surface. Marcel slips in through the barn’s side door, moving with practiced quiet.
“Do you see them?” he murmurs, his voice low, cautious.
I nod, my gaze fixed on the porch. Bennett stands stiff and composed, speaking with Eli, but it’s the figures behind him that send a shiver down my spine. They watch in silence, their presence a cold grip in the evening air. When Eli answered the door to Bennett’s pounding fists, I knew what he was here for. And now, wherever he goes, he doesn’t go alone.
Marcel shifts beside me, his arms crossed, his eyes locked on the scene unfolding. “Did you get the will in place?”
