Part One
She Said
Trixie could hear her telephone ringing as she struggled to open her apartment door. As usual when she was in a hurry, the key was sticking. She stamped her foot in frustration and all of a sudden it worked. The door swung open and Trixie snatched up the phone.
“Hello?” she greeted, slightly louder than was necessary.
After a pause, her mother replied, “Hello, Trixie. It’s good to hear your voice.”
“Sorry, Moms. I didn’t mean to yell.” The thought occurred to her that she would be speaking to her mother the next morning in person and she rushed on, without giving her mother a chance to answer. “Why are you calling? Is something wrong?”
“Nothing like that.” Helen Belden’s voice was calm, but there was a note in it that Trixie could not understand. “It’s just that some letters have arrived for you and I thought you might have something to tell me about them.”
That caused Trixie to pause. “What kind of letters?”
“Oh, mostly the usual sort of thing; though, there’s one that’s come from Kentucky that has me a little concerned, and there’s another one that’s rather strange – that’s the one I’m calling about, actually.”
“What’s strange about it, Moms?” Trixie was beginning to become impatient with the obvious stalling. There was a long pause. “Well, Moms? What is it?”
“It’s just that it’s addressed to Beatrix Frayne,” her mother answered, at length. “So, Trixie, is there something you would like to tell me?”
Damn! Trixie thought to herself. What do I say to that? Aloud, she asked, “What does it look like? Is it hand-written, in scratchy old-person writing?”
“Yes, I suppose you could describe it that way.”
She let out a silent sigh of relief. “It’s probably just from Mr. Englefield, then. He’s got some weird ideas. Don’t worry about it, Moms. I’ll deal with it when I see you tomorrow.”
“There’s just a slight problem with that,” her mother answered. “It has marked on it, ‘To be opened immediately, without fail. Do not delay even a day.’”
Trixie closed her eyes and breathed out as she made a decision. “Can you open it for me, please? Just remember what I said about his strange ideas, okay?” There were the sounds of tearing paper, then an indrawn breath and a long pause. “What is it, Moms? What’s in it?”
“It’s just one sheet of paper; just a few words.”
Trixie could hear the shock in her mother’s voice and her heart beat louder. “What words? What does it say?”
“I don’t understand what it means. It says, ‘The time to repay has come. Serve her memory or suffer the curse.’”
He Said
“Brian? Do you have a minute?”
He looked up from the book he was reading at a table in the library to see one of his classmates standing nearby with a hopeful look on her face. She was tall and slim, dressed in a quirky style and with a hairstyle to match. This week, her hair was a vibrant red; the last time he had seen her, it had been platinum blonde.
“Of course, Indira,” he answered, waving her to a seat. “What can I help you with?”
She pulled up a seat and took a look at the book he had been studying. “I’m not interrupting, am I?”
Brian shook his head. “I just had one of those moments after an exam where I’m sure that I got an answer wrong and just had to go and check.”
“Were you?” she asked. At his nod, she smiled in sympathy. “I hate that.”
“You wanted to speak to me about something?” he prompted, as the conversation threatened to stall altogether.
She paused a moment and then seemed to make up her mind. “I was wondering whether you were staying here for the summer, or going somewhere else.”
He considered his answer. “A bit of both. I’ll have to make an appearance or two at my parents’ place in New York State, but most of the time I’ll be here. Why do you ask?”
“I’m suddenly without plans, or a place to live,” she admitted. “I was going to go to my sister’s place, but we’ve argued and there’s no way I’m going now. I don’t really have anyone else. So, I was wondering if I could leave my cell number with you, in case you hear of any work or any place to live. I’m not fussy – anything will do for either of those.”
Once more, Brian paused to consider his answer. “If you really mean it about not being fussy, I think I could help you with one of those. My room-mate has already left for the summer and won’t be back until classes are about to start. I could call him and ask if he’d mind my moving his things out of his room. You’d need to leave before he’s due back, but I don’t think he’d mind you being there when he isn’t.”
“You’d really do that?” she asked, seeming surprised. “That would be great!”
An hour later, the matter was settled. Brian had made the call and gained permission, he and Indira had negotiated rent and conditions and she had moved in.
She Said
Trixie squirmed in her seat as the car travelled along Glen Road. Jim, at the wheel, seemed calm and untroubled. The sun was still low in the sky, its light filtered through the trees. If Trixie had gotten her way, they would have arrived at least an hour ago, but Jim had insisted that the need to get back to Sleepyside was not quite so urgent as that. He believed that arriving in time for breakfast would be soon enough.
“You couldn’t drive a little faster, could you?” she asked, for about the fourth time on their journey.
Jim chuckled. “My answer to that hasn’t changed since the last time you asked. And, since we’re almost there, I don’t see why it should. You only have another two minutes to wait.”
She sighed noisily and hunched her shoulders. “I hardly slept last night for wondering what it’s all about.”
“I know; I was there,” he reminded her.
The car pulled into the driveway and Trixie sat up straight once more. At the end of the drive, Jim stopped, but Trixie was already out of the car and hurrying towards the kitchen door, where she knew she would find her mother. She caught the door before it slammed and made her way inside. As expected, Helen Belden was at the stove cooking a hearty breakfast. At her daughter’s entrance, she looked up and smiled.
“Good morning, sweetheart. You’ve made good time.”
Trixie returned the greeting and kissed her mother. “We could have made better time if Jim had cooperated,” she grumbled, just as he joined them. “So, where are my letters?”
Helen pointed to a small pile on the opposite counter to where she worked and Trixie went to it, leaving Jim to greet and talk to her mother. First, she examined the mysterious letter that had prompted their hurried return, finding that it matched all of her expectations. The other letter from Kentucky came next. Tearing it open, she shook out the enclosure and started to read. Her eyebrows rose as she did so and she felt her jaw drop.
“What is it?” Jim asked, apparently catching sight of her expression. “Are you okay, Trixie?”
“Mr. Englefield’s dead!” she exclaimed. “He’s been sick in hospital for over a month, in a coma for most of that time, and he died more than a week ago – which means that he didn’t send the other letter.”
“You told me it was definitely him,” Jim accused. “Now you’re saying it wasn’t?”
She picked up the first letter and examined it more closely. “It sure looks like his writing,” she muttered. Putting it down, she read some more of the other letter and sighed in relief. “Oh, I guess that explains it. Mr. Englefield left the letter with this man, to be sent on the same day as… Oh, no! Please, not that.”
“What is it, Trixie?” Her mother sounded tense, but continued with her food preparation. “The same day as what?”
Trixie looked up at her mother and Jim, gazing in dismay from one to the other. “The same day he starts the process of transferring ownership of the cursed house to me!”
After a few moments of stunned silence, Helen put in an objection. “That can’t be right, Trixie. It takes many months or even years to actually gain possession of property after someone dies. It’s too soon for that to be happening now. Probate takes a long time.”
Trixie turned back to the letter and shook her head. “It says here that Mr. Englefield set up some kind of a trust, which means the property isn’t covered by the will, so it doesn’t have to wait for probate. It means that I’ll get it soon – probably in a few weeks’ time – but the trustee wants to see me first, and he wants that to be as soon as possible.” She groaned. “And he says there’s another letter for me from Mr. Englefield, telling me all of the things he wants me to do with the house once I actually own it.”
“What are you going to do, Trixie?” Jim’s voice was quiet and his face serious.
She let out a sigh. “I guess I’m going to see this man and find out what it is Mr. Englefield wanted me to do.”
“You’re not going to just refuse?” her mother asked.
Once more, Trixie shook her head. “I’ll find out what he wants first; I think I owe him at least that much.”
He Said
“Hey, Mart! You busy?” his room-mate, Phil, asked. “Beer and pizza at Doug’s place in half an hour. Last chance before we leave tomorrow.”
Mart shook his head. “I’m just going to pick up Honey.”
“So, bring her along.”
Once more, Mart shook his head. “No, thanks. I think I’ll stick to the plans I already have.”
Phil shrugged, a teasing smile playing on his face. “Your loss. Go ahead and act like some old married couple.”
Mart laughed. “It’s not like that.”
The other man raised a sceptical eyebrow. “How so?”
“Well, we’re not married, for one thing,” Mart pointed out. “I think my brother would do something to seriously hurt me if I even thought about marrying Honey. He needs another five years or so to get over her.”
With a few words, Phil gave a graphic description of what his own brother could do in those circumstances.
“It doesn’t matter,” Mart added, pushing aside any thought of saying something like that to Brian, however tempting it might be. “He can probably have the five years. I’m not in any hurry and I don’t think Honey is, either.”
“Good plan,” Phil answered with a shudder. “You won’t catch me getting married any time in the next five years.”
With that, he was off. Mart sank down onto a chair, frowning. The short conversation had brought some unpleasant thoughts to mind. He shook himself to clear them away and went back to what he had been doing. There was little point worrying about Brian now. They would just have to deal with his reactions as they came.
She Said
Setting down the telephone receiver, Trixie set off to the stable at Manor House, where she had arranged to meet Jim. Her mind churned as she walked, all of the possibilities of her current situation jumbling together until she had to tell herself to stop and wait for more information. She reached the stables, finding Jim and Regan talking together and two horses saddled and ready to go.
“Hi Regan,” she greeted, while going up to Susie and giving her a pat. “Oh, it’s so good to see you again, Susie-girl. I’ve missed you while I’ve been away.”
She swung up into the saddle, watching in admiration as Jim did the same. Jupiter pranced a little, anxious as always to be off.
“Be careful, the pair of you,” Regan warned. “I won’t be here to see to things afterwards – I have some errands that can’t wait. Remember, I want to see everything in order in these stables when I get back.”
“We haven’t forgotten, Regan,” Trixie answered, even as they started to move away. “You drilled us enough when we were teenagers that I don’t think we’ll ever forget.”
He shook his head at her. “What’s it been? A month since you turned twenty? I don’t think it’s time for flaunting your maturity just yet.”
Trixie laughed and rode away, close behind Jim. They let the horses set a quick pace, working off some of their energy before the day got too hot. After a time, they slowed enough to allow for conversation.
“I’ve made an appointment with the trustee,” Trixie told Jim, seeing his shoulders stiffen in as she did so. “I’m going to meet with him on Friday morning. Do you want to come to Kentucky with me?”
There was a pause as he considered. “I could probably manage that. I was planning on spending a lot of this week with Dad, sorting out some investments and things, but that can probably wait. Do you want me to be there?”
As the path opened out into a clearing, she came up beside him to see his face. “I guess I’ll have to see the man alone, but I think it might be a good idea if you were close by. I’m really not sure what I’m going to be facing there.”
“Okay, then,” he answered, with a nod. “I’ll make some arrangements.”
He Said
“Are you ready, Di?” Dan asked, as he reached the doorway to her dorm room. “We need to get going if we want to be in Sleepyside before dark.”
“Almost,” she answered, while stuffing a few last-minute items into a voluminous bag. “Give me a minute or two, okay?”
Dan sighed and sat down to wait. He knew better, by now, than to offer to help; Di never wanted anyone to interfere with her packing, which followed an incomprehensible system of her own devising. Five minutes later, she was finished and they were heading for the car.
“I’m thinking of changing my plans for summer,” she told him as they walked. “I know we agreed that it would be nice to stay in Sleepyside for the whole summer, but an opportunity just came up to spend a month working at a gallery in New York City and I think I should take it.”
He nodded, hefting the bag he carried into the other hand. “Maybe you should. My plans are fixed, though.”
“I know.” She sighed, sounding rather sad. “It would be a big strain on our relationship to be apart for so much of the time. I don’t really want to commute every day, so we’d probably only see each other on weekends.”
They reached the car and loaded Diana’s belongings inside. Dan considered what his girlfriend was really saying and made up his mind on what he should do. His chest ached a little at the thought, but he knew that the time had come.
“It’s not working, is it?” Dan asked, watching her face. “You and me, as a couple.”
Di met his eyes and shook her head. “I don’t think it has been for a while. We’ve been… growing apart.”
“I still want us to be friends, though,” he added.
She smiled. “I think we can handle that. No hard feelings.”
He smiled in return. “None at all.”
She Said
As the news spread of their impending trip, Trixie and Jim found that several others were eager to accompany them. They had debated over whether to drive or fly, but when the travelling party had expanded to five Bob-Whites, it became clear that the best option was to take up Mr. Wheeler’s offer of use of his jet. The fact that neither Brian nor Dan could make it, due to previous commitments, did nothing to alter that decision. Mid-morning on Thursday, the group took off in New York for a long weekend in Corbin, Kentucky.
Squeezing the five of them, along with all of their bags, into the rental car they picked up after landing, they were all very glad of the choice they had made.
“I hope it’s not far to the motel.” Diana sounded a little fretful, squeezed into the middle of the back seat between Trixie and Honey. Each of the three women had a bag of some description in her lap.
“It will be, if Mart is navigating,” Trixie quipped. “Have you got the map the right way up, Mart?”
“I know where I’m going,” Jim assured them, even as Mart was spluttering his indignation. “It shouldn’t be too long.”
The friendly squabbling continued through the whole trip, not abating when they all tumbled out into the parking lot of a modest motel.
“How about if we go get checked in?” Jim suggested, as a battle threatened between the former front and back seat passengers. He ushered the group into the small office, where they continued to squabble, this time over who would share a room with whom.
“I think I should be the one to get a room to myself,” Di asserted, only to have her claim disputed by both of her female friends.
“Is it that important?” Jim asked in a weary voice.
Trixie eyed the two men and came to the conclusion that they had already decided between themselves who would sleep where. “I guess not,” she answered.
After that, the check-in process went smoothly and Trixie soon discovered that she would be sharing a room with Jim, Honey would share with Diana and Mart would have a room to himself. How Jim had convinced Mart of the suitability of this arrangement, she did not know, nor did she wish to enquire. She would not push her luck that far, but determined to just make the most of it.
He Said
“Morning,” Indira greeted, as she entered the kitchen.
Brian took a sip of his coffee and responded in kind. He kept his eyes averted from his new room-mate in view of the partly see-through nature of her current apparel. In hindsight, he considered, it might have been prudent to set down some guidelines on what was and was not appropriate clothing in shared areas of the apartment. As it was, he felt as if now was not the time to discuss the matter. Indira, it seemed, had other ideas.
“I’m making you feel uncomfortable, aren’t I?” she asked, smirking at him. “What’s the problem, Brian? Haven’t you seen breasts before?”
His gaze snapped up to meet her eyes. “Of course I have; I just wasn’t expecting you to be displaying yours. If you don’t mind, it might be better in future if you didn’t.”
She looked down at him, a strange smile on her face. “Hmm… I didn’t expect this. Most guys are happy enough to look.”
“I am not ‘most guys’,” he told her in a quiet voice.
Indira nodded. “I see. Okay, then, Brian. I will respect your prudish desire for decency. Or, is it that you’re gay and find my body unattractive?”
“I’m not a prude, and I’m not gay, either,” he objected. “And I don’t see any reason why I have to be one or the other to think that it’s not a good idea for us to wander around the place partially-clad. I don’t need things getting complicated here.”
She sat down at the small table across from him and put her chin in her hands. “You do have a point, there. You are completely not my type – and I’m pretty sure I’m not yours, either. I’ll try to remember, but you may have to remind me now and then. I’ve never been that modest.”
For the first time since she entered the room, Brian smiled. “With three younger siblings, I’ve probably prized my privacy a little too much. I think we have a workable compromise here, though, don’t you? You’ll try to remember to be fully-dressed and I’ll try not to mind too much if you forget.”
“Deal,” she answered, smiling.
She Said
“What time is your appointment, Trixie?” Honey asked as the five had breakfast together the next morning.
Swallowing a mouthful of toast, her best friend answered, “Half-past one.”
Honey’s brow creased slightly in disappointment. “I was hoping it might be earlier than that. Or later, I suppose. Di and I were thinking of going for a drive after you’d finished – or before you went, if it was later in the day – maybe down to see the place we stayed the last time we were here, but maybe we should wait until tomorrow.”
“You go ahead and do whatever you like and don’t bother about me,” Trixie told her. “There’s no point wasting a whole day hanging around waiting for me. And, anyway, I get the feeling I might be back here later this summer anyway.”
“If you’re sure…” Honey hesitated, watching her friend’s face.
Trixie nodded. “I’ll be fine. I don’t mind if you all go. I’ll have to see the trustee alone anyway.”
“Do you want me to stay with you, Trix?” Jim asked.
She paused a moment, then shook her head. “You go and enjoy yourself, Jim. There’s no point in you missing out just because I have to see this man. You all have a good time and I’ll see you later.”
Trixie was set on this course of action, so they dropped her a short distance from the location of the appointment, to entertain herself in the meantime and walk to the address she had been given at the appropriate time. That done, they set off into the countryside. Without much thought, they homed in on Cumberland Falls, where they had stayed on their road trip two years before. Reaching that destination, they drove around the area for a time, before getting out of the car to take a short walk to the falls themselves.
The area was just as beautiful as it had been the last time and the five thoroughly enjoyed their walk, the sight of the vast quantity of water rushing over the falls and the cool breeze that blew across the river towards them. It was not until later, as they were on their way back to the car, that disaster struck. Distracted by a passing insect that she feared might have a sting in its tail, Honey lost her balance and fell heavily, twisting the same ankle she had injured two years before while walking in a very similar location.
“Oh!” she cried out, as her hip bumped painfully on the ground. “Oh! That really hurts.”
In an instant, Mart was by her side, asking where it hurt. In only a few minutes, Honey knew that this injury was worse than the previous one had been. She felt profoundly grateful that her brother had been persuaded to come with them, rather than go with Trixie, because she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she could not put weight on the foot.
“Do you think you can stand on it?” Jim asked, leaning into Mart’s space to see the damage.
Honey shook her head, her lips tightly pursed to hold in the moan which wanted to escape. The two men exchanged glances.
“You take one side, Jim, and I’ll take the other,” Mart directed. “Ready, Hon? We’ll lift you up on the count of three.”
A slow, painful journey back to the car followed. Inside, the two men settled her into the middle of the back seat, with her sore foot resting on the division between the two front seats. Jim retrieved a bandage and a cold pack from the first aid kit and applied them in the approved fashion.
“I’m so sorry about this,” she told the others, feeling very guilty for spoiling their day.
“Don’t worry about it at all.” Di gave her arm a pat and buckled her own seatbelt right next to Honey. “I think we’d about finished here anyway, and I’m sure there’s lots of interesting things to do back in Corbin. We’re ready back here; let’s go.”
Honey thought, as they drove, that Jim was being extra cautious and limiting his speed. The trip seemed very much longer than it had the first time, presumably because she could not keep her thoughts off of her throbbing ankle. When they arrived back at the motel, the throbbing had not let up at all. Before they had even gotten out of the car, Jim asked about it, and she had to admit that she was still in considerable pain. Jim immediately decided that she needed to be seen by a doctor.
“Oh, please, no!” she cried, staring at her brother in dismay. “I’m sure it will be better in the morning. Let me go inside and rest it for a few hours. You can all go somewhere and do something else.”
Mart seemed torn between her pleas and Jim’s frowning concern. Di was sitting back, letting others decide what happened next. However, Jim was determined.
“Tomorrow is Saturday,” he reminded her. “I’m a little concerned that it might be broken – and I really don’t want to have to deal with that on the weekend, if I can help it. Humour me, please, Hon.”
Feeling as if she wanted to cry, Honey nodded and shut her eyes. There was a pause, as Jim got out of the car and did something. A few minutes later, he was back.
“I asked at the desk and got the address of a doctor,” he informed them, “and I rang for an appointment, while I was there. It’s not far from here, but the woman I spoke to said you may have to wait a while. Do you want us to all stay with you, Honey?”
“No,” she answered, feeling as if that was too much to ask. “Maybe if just Mart stays with me?”
“Of course I will,” he answered.
“And we won’t be far away,” Di added. “We’ll stay real close, in case you need us. Just call if something comes up.”
Ten minutes later, Honey was installed in an uncomfortable chair in a doctor’s waiting room, with her leg propped up on another chair. Mart sat down next to her and asked if she would like a magazine. Thinking that it might help keep her mind off of her current predicament, she nodded.
With barely a glance at the cover, Honey picked up the top magazine of the small heap her boyfriend offered her. Idly leafing through its creased pages, she soon found an article that looked vaguely interesting and settled back to read. A few moments later, she let out a startled gasp, partly in shock at what she’d read and partly in pain from the jolt she had just given her foot.
“Are you all right?” Mart asked, ignoring the magazine and looking at her ankle.
“But that’s what I was planning!” she wailed, waving the article in his face. “Just look at this!”
The page she held out to Mart was headed ‘Living with the Price of Success.’ The illustrating photograph showed a well-dressed woman in her late thirties sitting on a beach, staring moodily out to sea.
“This is exactly my career plan,” Honey continued. “The same ages, the same time frames, everything. And what she says here is so completely the same as what I thought. But if it’s a choice between a career and a family…”
“What are you talking about, Honey?” he asked, seeming bewildered. “Is your foot hurting you?”
“Yes, but that’s not what I’m talking about right now. I want you to look at this article, Mart. Actually look at it and read what it’s about.” She watched understanding dawn on his face, along with a tinge of embarrassment. “You see? She made a choice – the choice that I was thinking of making – and it was the wrong one.”
“Hold on,” Mart objected, keeping his voice down with obvious effort. “I’m sure, with all the new techniques and things, that it’s not so much a choice, any more–”
“But what if it is?” she interrupted, dropping her voice as she saw the woman opposite her look up in interest. “I seem to remember my mother mentioning something about having a lot of trouble getting pregnant. What if I can’t, and I leave it too late, and I miss out on being a mother, just because I wanted to build a career, which I can do any time, when I should be doing the things that have to be done at the right time?”
Indecision hovered on Mart’s face. “Well, maybe you should ask your mother about it,” he finally answered. “Maybe you misremembered, or something.”
“I will,” she replied softly, “at the very next opportunity.”
The pair lapsed into silence. Honey read the article through three times in its entirety and had started on a fourth perusal when her name was called. Mart leapt to his feet and gently helped her into the consultation room. She held his hand tightly as he tried to retreat into the waiting room and so he sat down next to her while she spoke to the doctor and he made his examination.
“I don’t think it’s broken,” the doctor finally proclaimed, adding a few instructions on how to manage the injury. “If it doesn’t improve, you will need to see your own doctor when you get home.”
Honey thanked him nicely and let Mart move her back to the waiting room, where he settled everything for her. She made a quick call to Di to tell her that she had finished. As she waited to be collected, she picked up the magazine once more and stared at the picture of the unhappy woman. Even when she closed her eyes, the image remained in her mind. The story that went with the photograph echoed there as well.
Continue to part two.