Flashback by J. Michael Hunter

Author:J. Michael Hunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.
Published: 2015-08-19T00:00:00+00:00

16

On Monday morning, Laura sat eating breakfast in the dining room when Agnes announced that Roger Ballister had arrived. As he entered the room, he smiled broadly and asked, “How’s our little Laurie this morning?”

Laura swallowed hard. “Hello, Roger. I wasn’t expecting you. Would you like something to eat?”

“Thank you. That would be wonderful.” He sat down, and Agnes served him breakfast. Laura wondered why he had stopped by without warning, and her palms began to sweat. Then she reminded herself that she wanted to talk to Roger about Ruby, so no matter what he’d come to talk about, she would ask her questions.

They ate without speaking until Agnes left the room. Then Laura couldn’t stand the silence any longer. “Well, what brings you here so early?”

“Agnes telephoned me yesterday afternoon. She tells me you’re remembering things about Buford’s Bluff,” he said a little too cheerily, his Southern accent seeming thicker than before.

Laura wiped the corner of her mouth with a cloth napkin. “Roger, why didn’t you tell me about Ruby?”

He smiled a broad smile that seemed a bit forced. “That’s what I’ve come to explain. I fear you think the worst of us, but we wanted to protect you, Laura. You must believe that.”

Laura clenched her jaw, then spoke slowly and firmly. “I’ll decide what I’ll believe, Roger.” She found speaking her mind—a new practice for her—both liberating and disconcerting.

“Yes, of course. But please allow me to explain,” he urged, holding his hands out pleadingly.

Laura placed her napkin in her lap. “That’s all I’m asking.”

Roger cleared his throat. “Laura, you experienced a great shock here at the mansion. Agnes told me you’ve been reading about Ruby Davis, so I’m sure you know the details. Apparently you heard Ruby fall that night. You came from the nursery and looked down the stairs and saw Ruby lying at the bottom. You went into shock, Laura. It was terrible. We didn’t know if you were ever going to recover.”

“But how did you think you were going to keep something like this from me?” The question came out in more of a demanding tone than Laura had planned.

“It was a foolish notion, I’ll admit. At first I was confident we could do it. But when I slipped and called you ‘Laurie’ in the car, I knew it was going to be difficult. Nonetheless, I worked for your aunt, and before her death she insisted I try to keep your past from you.”

Laura frowned. “But why?”

“She feared you would have bad feelings about Buford’s Bluff and refuse to run the plantation. She also believed your mother would have wanted it that way.” His words dripped with a sweetness that almost made Laura cringe.

She took a sip of juice, and as she placed the glass on the table, it clinked against a saucer. She tried to will her hands to stop shaking. “Roger, can you tell me in your own words what happened to Ruby that night?”

“Well, as far as we know, Ruby heard the storm approaching and excused herself to go check on you.

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