Penmort Castle (Ghosts and Reincarnation #1)(79)
Author: Kristen Ashley

“That sounds good to me,” Nicola put in, following Mrs. Truman.

“Me too,” Fenella added. She was right on her mother’s heels.

“You know what I drink,” Jenny told Abby and turned to the stairs.

“G&T,” Cassandra requested, moving after the others.

“I’ll just help Abby,” Honor, to Abby’s surprise, stated and the women climbed the stairs.

“That’s nice of you,” Abby muttered, even though she was unsure. She hadn’t yet made her mind up about Honor.

Honor’s eyes were on the stairs and after Cassandra’s booted foot disappeared, she turned to Abby and said in a whisper, “Not really, I needed a chance to talk to you when Mummy wasn’t around.”

Abby went on guard and looked at Honor.

Her face seemed intent, though not unfriendly, but something about it made Abby mentally brace.

Still, Abby replied in a soft voice, “Okay. Can we talk while we make the drinks?”

Honor nodded and Abby asked her to see to Cassandra’s gin and tonic, telling her where to find the liquor and glasses while Abby went to the fridge for the wine.

When she had the wine and was uncorking it, she turned to Honor. “What is it?”

Honor glanced to the side, her eyes catching Abby’s. “Fenella told me what’s going on.”

Abby bit her lip, not sure this was a good thing.

Honor continued, “It’s okay. I don’t think you’re crazy. I know Vivianna exists, I know what she does. So does Suzanne. And, he’s never mentioned it, but I know Alistair does too. The only person who hasn’t seen her is Mummy.”

Abby pulled the cork out of the bottle and asked, “Really? Why not?”

Honor shrugged. “Don’t know. Always thought that was strange, but she never shows or makes a peep when Mummy’s around. Anyway, she, Vivianna I mean, doesn’t do harm to us girls. I think she even likes Suzanne.”

Abby could understand that. Evil, Abby guessed, would know (and like) evil. She didn’t mention this philosophy to Honor for obvious reasons and Honor kept talking.

“I get the feeling she hates Alistair. A lot. She’s always doing things to annoy him when Mummy’s not around. Moving his stuff. Tripping him up as he’s walking through the house. Screaming when he’s on the phone.” Honor stopped and shivered, mumbling, “God, I hate it when she screams.”

Abby’s hand arrested while taking down a wineglass. “She screams?”

Honor nodded. “That’s the worst. It isn’t like a regular scream. It’s low, eerie, sinister. Just hideous.”

“That’s awful,” Abby whispered, thinking it bloody well was.

Who could live like that?

“Yes,” Honor replied and her eyes went to the stairs before she moved to the refrigerator for ice. “We don’t have much time and that isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“It isn’t?” Abby enquired and Honor shook her head.

“I wanted to talk about Alistair,” she told Abby and dumped some ice into Cassandra’s drink.

Abby’s body went solid and she had to force herself to pour the wine while querying, “What about him?”

“He’s dangerous.”

Abby stopped pouring the wine, stared with stunned, frightened fascination at Honor and breathed, “What?”

Honor came close, took the bottle from Abby and began to fill the glasses, all the while talking swiftly. “He’s not a good man. I don’t like him. Neither does Fenella. We never did. When Daddy died Mummy…” She stopped and Abby watched her force a swallow, betraying an intense emotion that made Abby’s heart go out to her before she forged ahead. “Things weren’t good for Mummy. She was…” Honor halted again and finished with the wine, putting the bottle on the counter. “Let’s just say, she had to marry Alistair. She didn’t marry him because she loved him, she married him because she needed to find a way to take care of us and she had no choice.”

“Oh Honor,” Abby whispered, feeling for Honor and definitely for Nicola, but Honor shook her head again.

“It’s okay, we’ve all gotten used to it. Even Mummy. The thing you have to know is, a long time ago, I found the diaries,” Honor told her.

Abby’s brows drew together in confusion “The diaries?”

“Yes, Lorna’s diaries,” Honor answered. “I found them in the library, years ago, and kept them hidden. I don’t think anyone even knows they exist.”

“Who’s Lorna?” Abby asked.

“Anthony and Alistair’s mother.”

Abby just looked at her, not knowing what this meant and Honor got closer, her eyes going to the stairs then back to Abby and she started speaking quickly again.

“See, Alistair isn’t a Beaumaris. Lorna was raped.” At this news, Abby sucked in breath and put her hand to the counter to hold on but Honor continued. “Some gardener did the deed and then took off. Very unpleasant. She never told her husband, I don’t know why. She should have. Maybe, back then, they didn’t talk about that kind of thing or he wouldn’t have believed her. Doesn’t matter, she didn’t. Before the rape, she was happy, except for Vivianna. She was in line for the axe from Vivianna, I just know it. From what Lorna wrote Vivianna was playing with her, getting ready to go in for the kill. He loved her, Richard Beaumaris did, you could tell from what she wrote. Except, after Alistair was born, Richard turned on her. He knew Alistair was not a Beaumaris, thought she’d cheated on him. His love died and Vivianna backed off when it did but Lorna never said a word.”

“Oh my God. That’s horrible,” Abby whispered, her heart hurting, thinking about Cash’s grandmother living that sad life.

Honor nodded and gave Abby a look that said she definitely agreed but she kept talking hurriedly. “According to the diaries, regardless of how he was conceived, Lorna loved Alistair. She loved both her boys. Anthony and Alistair never got on, though. Lorna thought it was as if Anthony could sense what made Alistair. Furthermore, Alistair was not a nice kid, she loved him but he did things that scared Lorna. Scared and confused her. Things, I think, she only told her diary.”

“That’s not good,” Abby muttered.

“No, it isn’t,” Honor agreed. “And he hasn’t changed. Really hasn’t changed. So much so, I think he could, and probably did, meddle with the brakes on Anthony’s car.”