An’gel watched them disappear down the hall and then turned on the lights in the parlor. She went back to the sofa and sat, pondering what she had learning from eavesdropping.
First, she knew that Horace did have financial problems. There was no other construction she could put on Horace’s conversation with “Bubba” that made much sense. How serious those problems were remained to be discovered. Horace’s money woes weren’t really her business, she realized, but she worried about the implications for her goddaughter, of whom she was extremely fond.
Second, she had learned that Sondra and Trey, as stepsiblings, had an apparently rocky relationship. From the exchange between Horace and Tippy, she gathered that they yelled at each other often. An’gel smiled. As Tippy would say, they “yewwed” at each other. The child’s lisp was adorable, she thought.
Trey’s relationship with Sondra piqued her curiosity. According to Richmond Thurston, Sondra had only ever treated Trey as a brother. Trey, on the other hand, had been “mooning” after Sondra for quite some time.
Considering the threat Trey had made, An’gel wondered just how far the young man would go to keep Sondra from marrying Lance.
CHAPTER 13
The storm cleared out around eleven, and Dickce and Jacqueline returned to Willowbank shortly after noon. Mireille was still stable, they reported, and Jacqueline intended to go back to the hospital and spend the rest of the day and the night there. When An’gel suggested she have something to eat before she drove back to Baton Rouge, Jacqueline shook her head.
“I’m not hungry right now, Tante An’gel. I want to get back to Maman as quickly as I can.”
An’gel gave her a quick hug. “If there’s anything we can do, let us know, my dear. Would you like me to come back with you?”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Jacqueline said. “There really isn’t much any of us can do except wait and pray. I can only go in to see her at four and eight.” She shrugged. “I just want to be there in case . . .” Her voice trailed off, and for a moment she looked as if she would burst into tears.
“We will be praying for her,” Dickce said, giving Jacqueline’s arm a quick squeeze. “We’ll look after things here.”
“Estelle has been letting people know that the wedding is postponed,” An’gel said. “We’ll deal with anything that comes up.”
Jacqueline clapped a hand to her mouth in a gesture of dismay. “I completely forgot about the wedding. Have you talked to Sondra?”
“No, I haven’t, but Richmond Thurston did. Not long after, your stepson came in, and he went up to talk to her, too.” An’gel didn’t want to worry her goddaughter by telling her about Trey’s behavior. If she had to, she would deal with Sondra later herself, or surely Horace could. Jacqueline’s place at the moment was with her mother.
“I wish Trey would leave Sondra alone,” Jacqueline said after a heavy sigh. “He’s convinced he’s in love with her, but Sondra has never given him any encouragement. I guess I’ll have to ask Horace to talk to him again.”
“Don’t worry about that now, honey,” Dickce said. “You go on and leave things to us.”
Jacqueline flashed them a grateful smile. “You’re right. I need to get back to the hospital. Thank you.” She turned and trotted up the stairs.
As Jacqueline moved out of sight, An’gel took her sister’s arm and led her into the parlor. “Tell me about Mireille,” she said when they were seated on the sofa.
Dickce shook her head. “Sister, it just about broke my heart to watch her lying there in that bed. She looks so frail right now. It’s hard to see how she’s going to recover from this.”
An’gel felt a chill creeping over her. What should have been a joyous occasion for a family gathering had now turned into a potential tragedy instead. Her heart ached for her cousin and the turmoil in the family. All due to the utter self-absorption of one person and her vindictive actions when she was thwarted.
“I know.” Dickce squeezed An’gel’s hand. “That child has so much to answer for.”
An’gel’s tone was brisk as she responded. “Best not dwell on that, or else I’ll march up those stairs and yank every single hair out of her head.”
“And I’d help,” Dickce said. “I hate to say this, Sister, but I’m starving. We never did finish breakfast, and I need something to eat. Have you had any lunch?”
An’gel nodded. “I finished not long before you and Jacqueline got back. Estelle made bacon-and-cheese quiches and a salad.”
“That sounds fine to me.” Dickce rose. “Guess I’ll go to the kitchen and ask for some.”
“Go right ahead,” An’gel said. “Benjy came up for his lunch a little while ago, but he took it back with him to his cottage. Peanut and Endora have been jittery with the storm, and he didn’t want to leave them alone too long.”
“He’s such a sweet, caring boy,” Dickce said. “Will you be in here? I guess I’ll eat in the kitchen, if it’s okay with Estelle. Seems silly to eat in the dining room.”
“That’s what I did.” An’gel stood. “I’m going to make a run into town and buy a few things for our dinner. With everything that’s going on, I’d just as soon fix something in our cottage tonight. There’s supposed to be another line of storms moving in later this afternoon or early evening.”
“All right, then,” Dickce said. “I’ll see you back at our cottage.” She headed for the kitchen.
An’gel picked up her purse, checked to make sure she had her keys and her wallet, and then let herself out the front door to make her way carefully through the wet grounds to where the Lexus was parked.
She returned an hour later with several bags, and Benjy came out to assist her with them. She thanked him, then said, “I overheard a woman at the grocery store talking about the weather. Apparently the next wave of thunderstorms that’s headed our way will be more violent than what we’ve had already.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Benjy said. “I checked the forecast on the Internet a little while ago, and it was saying the same thing.” He took all but one of the bags from her, and she let them into the cottage.
“How are Peanut and Endora doing?” An’gel asked as they walked into the tiny kitchen area off the small living room.
“They were pretty restless earlier.” Benjy set the bags on the counter and began unpacking them. “They’re still a little on edge, I guess because they can sense there’s more to come. Funny how animals can tell things like that.”
“I feel a bit edgy myself,” An’gel confessed. She opened the compact refrigerator and put the eggs, milk, and cheese inside.
“I’m sorry about your cousin,” Benjy said. “I know you’re worried about her.”
“Yes, it’s a bad situation,” An’gel said. “All we can do now is pray.”
In his quietly efficient way, Benjy had finished putting things away. He rolled up the plastic bags and stowed them in a drawer. “If there isn’t anything else I can do right now, I guess I’ll go back next door and read. I don’t like to leave the kids alone too long.”
“You go right ahead,” An’gel said. “And if you want something to snack on, help yourself.” She knew Benjy was often hungry between meals, and she had bought extra fruit and a few snack items for him.
Benjy grinned. “Thanks. I’ll take a couple of things with me.” He chose an apple, a banana, and a package of cheese and crackers. “See you later.”
After the door closed behind him, An’gel went to Dickce’s bedroom and quietly opened the door. Her sister lay on her side on her bed, evidently asleep, so An’gel pulled the door shut and moved away. She might as well nap herself, she decided, because she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep with a violent storm going on around them. Best take advantage of the lull in the weather and get some rest.