Whispering Hearts (House of Secrets #3) - V.C. Andrews Page 0,105
didn’t know whether I should invite him to sit with me. “One of these days, we’ll have you sing for us again… I have to look in on my mother. Good night.”
“Good night.”
I put the novel down after he left and sat there thinking.
Was it good that I had remained, or did I keep Samantha’s death fresh in his mind simply by being here? We had been inseparable, after all. In the beginning, it was because of her concerns about my surrogacy, and then, as time passed and we talked more, a real affection was built between us. It was more of a friendship while I was nursing. I imagined that every time he saw me enter a room or come down the stairs, he was still anticipating Samantha would follow or be beside me.
But every time I gave serious consideration to leaving and returning to my life, my ambitions, I felt waves of guilt. How could I be so selfish? At least stay long enough for him to get through it. It would also be quite traumatic for Ryder to suddenly lose both of us. Or… was I thinking more of myself?
Julia would pounce if she knew all this. She would blame me for getting myself entangled in the Davenports’ lives. I would have trouble defending myself. Ironically, she would be telling me that I had placed too much importance on money, something we both thought was true about our father.
Being a father was still very important to Dr. Davenport, but it was difficult for him. He truly enjoyed seeing Ryder and took delight in every little advancement he made, whether it was simply moving about more gracefully or learning what things were and pronouncing new words. Every smile on Dr. Davenport’s face was instantly accompanied by a sign of sorrow. It manifested itself in his eyes. She wasn’t there to share the joy. Almost always, he would glance at her portrait. If only I could fill that void, I thought.
Everyone noticed Dr. Davenport’s drinking, but no one would dare say a word. Franklin was aware of it and visited as often as he could. His efforts were yet to have a significant effect. Night after night, I heard Dr. Davenport lumbering his way up the stairs to his room. A few times, I thought he had turned in Ryder’s and my direction. I listened harder but heard nothing and fell asleep.
Then it happened.
I never heard my bedroom door open. I never heard him step up to my bed. He was naked.
“Samantha,” he said. “Samantha.”
God forgive me, but I said, “Yes, my darling.”
More from the Author
The Umbrella Lady
Shadows of Foxworth
Out of the Attic
Beneath the Attic
The Silhouette Girl
Spindrift
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
One of the most popular authors of all time, V.C. ANDREWS® has been a bestselling phenomenon since the publication of Flowers in the Attic, first in the renowned Dollanganger family series, which includes Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, and Garden of Shadows. The family saga continues with Christopher’s Diary: Secrets of Foxworth, Christopher’s Diary: Echoes of Dollanganger, and Secret Brother, as well as Beneath the Attic, Out of the Attic, and Shadows of Foxworth as part of the fortieth anniversary celebration. There are more than eighty V.C. Andrews novels, which have sold over 107 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than twenty-five foreign languages.
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V.C. Andrews® Books
The Dollanganger Family
Flowers in the Attic
Petals on the Wind
If There Be Thorns
Seeds of Yesterday
Garden of Shadows
Christopher’s Diary: Secrets of Foxworth
Christopher’s Diary: Echoes of Dollanganger
Secret Brother
Beneath the Attic
Out of the Attic
Shadows of Foxworth
The Audrina Series
My Sweet Audrina
Whitefern
The Casteel Family
Heaven
Dark Angel
Fallen Hearts
Gates of Paradise
Web of Dreams
The Cutler Family
Dawn
Secrets of the Morning
Twilight’s Child
Midnight Whispers
Darkest Hour
The Landry Family
Ruby
Pearl in the Mist
All That Glitters
Hidden Jewel
Tarnished Gold
The Logan Family
Melody
Heart Song
Unfinished Symphony
Music in the Night
Olivia
The Orphans Series
Butterfly
Crystal
Brooke
Raven
Runaways
The Wildflowers Series
Misty
Star
Jade
Cat
Into the Garden
The Hudson Family
Rain
Lightning Strikes
Eye of the Storm
The End of the Rainbow
The Shooting Stars
Cinnamon
Ice
Rose
Honey
Falling Stars
The De Beers Family
“Dark Seed”
Willow
Wicked Forest
Twisted Roots
Into the Woods
Hidden Leaves
The Broken Wings Series
Broken Wings
Midnight Flight
The Gemini Series
Celeste
Black Cat
Child of Darkness
The Shadows Series
April Shadows
Girl in the Shadows
The Early Spring Series
Broken Flower
Scattered Leaves
The Secrets Series
Secrets in the Attic
Secrets in the Shadows
The Delia Series
Delia’s Crossing
Delia’s Heart
Delia’s Gift
The Heavenstone Series
The Heavenstone Secrets
Secret Whispers
The March Family
Family Storms
Cloudburst
The Kindred Series
Daughter of Darkness
Daughter of Light
The Forbidden Series
The Forbidden Sister
“The Forbidden Heart”
Roxy’s Story
The Mirror Sisters
The Mirror Sisters
Broken Glass
Shattered Memories
The House of Secrets Series
House of Secrets
Echoes in the Walls
The Girls of Spindrift
Bittersweet Dreams
“Corliss”
“Donna”
“Mayfair”
“Spindrift”
Stand-alone Novels
Gods of Green Mountain
Into the Darkness
Capturing Angels
The Unwelcomed Child
Sage’s Eyes
The Silhouette Girl
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Gallery Books
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Following the death of Virginia Andrews, the Andrews family worked with a carefully selected writer to organize and complete Virginia Andrews’s stories and to create additional novels, of which this is one, inspired by her storytelling genius.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 by Vanda Productions, LLC
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Gallery Books hardcover edition October 2020
V.C. ANDREWS® and VIRGINIA ANDREWS® are registered trademarks of Vanda Productions, LLC
GALLERY BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
Interior design by Erika R. Genova
Cover design by Anna Dorfman
Cover photograph © Simona Boglea Photography/Moment/Getty Images
The Library of Congress has cataloged the trade paperback edition as follows:
Names: Andrews, V. C. (Virginia C.), author.
Title: Whispering hearts / V.C. Andrews.
Description: First edition. | New York : Gallery Books, 2020.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020019994 (print) | LCCN 2020019995 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501162602 (paperback) | ISBN 9781501162626 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781501162619 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Domestic fiction. | GSAFD: Gothic fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3551.N454 W47 2020 (print) | LCC PS3551.N454 (ebook) | DDC 813/.54—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020019994
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020019995
ISBN 978-1-5011-6262-6
ISBN 978-1-5011-6260-2 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-5011-6261-9 (ebook)