The Restoration by J.H. Moncrieff

Author:J.H. Moncrieff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: horror; gothic fantasy; supernatural horror; flame tree press; speculative fiction; ghost stories; paranormal horror; women of horror; ladies of horror
Publisher: Flame Tree Publishing
Published: 2021-09-17T14:45:28+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

Terri put a hand on her daughter’s head. Gertrude had left them hours ago, and already the house felt lighter. Perhaps she’d been the one truly haunting the house. She’d definitely been poisoning the atmosphere. “It’s okay.”

“No, it isn’t. I feel really bad. I should never have sided with her over you.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry – sorry you’re back to eating like this again.” She looked ruefully at the grilled cheese sandwiches and oven fries she’d prepared for dinner. Gertrude would have undoubtedly made chicken fricassee or some other fancy shit. Terri couldn’t compete in that department. But her daughter was still here, and Gertrude was not.

“I’m not. It’s great. Gertrude’s cooking was nice and all, but it was a bit too weird for me.”

Terri laughed, even though she knew she shouldn’t. “Me too. It was a lovely cioppino, though.”

“Until it ended up all over the walls.”

“Yeah. It took forever to get that stuff off. Mac ’n’ cheese would have come off in a snap.”

“I really do feel bad, Mom.” Dallas lowered her gaze to her plate, but not before Terri saw a glimmer of tears.

“Hey, forget about it. We’re together now, we’re talking now, and that’s what’s important. You know I don’t hold grudges. I’m glad you came into Emma’s room.”

A smile tugged at the corners of her daughter’s mouth. “Me too. To be honest, I kind of hoped you’d be in there.”

“Really?” That had been the last thing Terri expected to hear. Dallas had looked so angry when she’d first seen her sitting there.

“Yeah. I wanted to talk to you, but I didn’t know how. After so many days, it felt weird.”

“If that ever happens again, and I hope it doesn’t, now you know. Just talk. You’re my daughter. I’m never going to shut you out.”

“I got so caught up in wanting to find out what happened to Niles. I wanted to prove his sister killed him.” Dallas sighed, the weary sigh of a much older person. “But you were right. We shouldn’t have been going around saying Henrietta did it without any proof. I’d hate if someone did that to me.”

Thrilled that her daughter was displaying empathy after three days of showing none, Terri was also furious with Gertrude for involving her child in her sick obsession. “I’m glad you see that now. Honey, Henrietta fired Gertrude, and Gertrude is angry about that. It doesn’t have anything to do with Niles at all.”

Niles was a convenient excuse, had always been an excuse.

“I apologize for letting her stay here,” she continued. “It wasn’t a healthy environment for you, but I’m going to do my best to make up for it with what’s left of the summer.”

“Can I stay with you for the school year too?”

Terri could scarcely believe what she was hearing. While it was her greatest wish that Dallas would choose to live with her full-time again, she’d assumed that ship had sailed. “Are you sure you want to do that? I’m probably going to be stuck here for the year, so that means leaving your old school and all your friends.

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