she said, her eyes bright. She giggled as if we were already conspirators.
After she ended the tour of Wyndemere, we both agreed we were tired enough now to go to sleep. Dr. Davenport came quickly down the hallway when he heard us walking toward our bedrooms.
“You two going to sleep?”
“Yes, we are, Harrison. It’s been a long and trying day, and so sad now, too,” Samantha said. She took his hand, and he hugged and kissed her. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” he said, releasing her and turning to me.
“Parker will be taking you to the hospital and then Dr. Bliskin’s office at nine in the morning,” he said.
“And me, too,” Samantha said.
“Yes, of course. I’ll be in touch throughout. He’s going to expedite all the tests we need.”
“How’s Elizabeth?” Samantha asked.
“She’s asleep. My mother puts on a good act, but she’s a bit more vulnerable than she’d like to be. In a way, it’s better for the two of you to be busy tomorrow.”
“What about the funeral?” Samantha asked.
“I’ll get the details to you tomorrow.” He looked at me. “I’m sorry that this is your introduction to Wyndemere. However, I’ll be taking time off now, and I’ll do what I can to make everything run smoothly.”
“I can return to New York and come back,” I suggested.
“Oh, no!” Samantha cried. “We have everything planned, down to the month our child should be born, or close to it.”
“It’s not always that specific, Samantha. Things might take a while,” Dr. Davenport said softly.
“I don’t think so, Harrison.” She looked at me. “Everything is too perfect. You’ll see.”
He smiled. “You might be right,” he said, touching her cheek.
I had no doubt that to keep her happy, he would move heaven and earth to make it so. I wondered if I would ever find a man who looked at me the way he looked at her. It was as if she was the sun, the very source of his health and happiness.
However, this man hadn’t even had a moment to mourn, I thought. He was hiding his sadness to avoid making her sad.
He turned to me. “Are you all right? It’s been something of a whirlwind for you. I didn’t anticipate all this so soon.”
“Yes, I’m fine, but I am tired.”
“Of course. Have a good night’s rest,” he said.
“I’ll wake you,” Samantha promised after she hugged me. “We’ll have breakfast in the little alcove off the kitchen. It gets the morning sun. It’s not going to rain tomorrow, is it, Harrison?” she asked, practically demanded.
“I don’t think so.”
She looked down the hall. “Is he…”
“No, he’s been taken to the funeral parlor.”
“Good,” she said. “Oh. I didn’t mean good.”
“I know, sweetheart,” he said. He glanced at me.
It was obvious she meant that she didn’t want to think about what had happened, but I didn’t believe it was because she was unfeeling. Death frightened her because it had visited this house, a place I easily understood to be her fortress. The grounds, the servants, and her doting husband all provided her with the walls that kept her safe from the tensions and turmoil of the outside world.
“Maybe you should give me something to help me sleep,” she said, “like you did for your mother.”
“We’ll see,” he said. “Good night, Emma.”
“Yes, good night,” Samantha said.
I watched him walk her down to her room and go in with her before I entered mine. The bedding smelled brand new. With the oversized, exceedingly soft pillows, I easily imagined I was going to sleep on a cloud. Despite what had happened and how strange I still felt being here, the emotional turmoil inside me and the traveling pushed me to near exhaustion. I think I fell asleep seconds after closing my eyes.
But I didn’t sleep through the night. The sound of someone sobbing woke me. When I listened harder, I thought I heard voices. I rose and went to my door. Peering out toward the sound of sobbing and voices, I saw Elizabeth Davenport in a robe. Dr. Davenport, also in a robe, was embracing her and trying to get her to go back to her bedroom.
I glanced toward Samantha’s room, but all was quiet. When I looked back at Dr. Davenport and his mother, I thought he looked in my direction. I closed the door softly and returned to bed. I really didn’t know these people. What was happening wasn’t my business. Their grief was still quite raw. Samantha had welcomed me to her world with open arms, almost the