Wanted: Redemption by Christine Sterling

Author:Christine Sterling [Sterling, Christine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-02-05T06:00:00+00:00

Charlotte woke up to her brain pounding in her skull. She opened her eyes and quickly closed them again, the light too bright for her condition. Her mouth tasted like tar.

Moaning she pulled the covers up over her head and tried to wake up. She had her first decent night’s sleep since the fire, and it wasn’t because she took one of those pills Hattie gave her.

She rolled over, pushed herself out of bed and attended to her morning ablutions. Then she sat at her vanity and started to pin up her hair. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and leaned in again in disbelief of what she saw. Her eyes were rimmed in red and her skin looked dull.

She pressed her fingers against her cheek and watched the skin bounce under the pressure. It had to be laudanum that was in that milk.

She couldn’t tell anyone she drank it. She put on her wrapper and grabbed the cup. She’d go down to the kitchen and quickly wash it before anyone was the wiser.

She crept down the stairs, not seeing anyone as she made her way to the kitchen. The clock chimed ten o’clock. Tess and Dawson must have taken the children somewhere as she couldn’t hear the sound of the babies.

She entered the kitchen and quickly rinsed the dish in the bucket of soapy water. She then set it aside to dry. She was just about to leave when a glass bottle caught her attention. It was nestled between two tins in which Milam stored bacon grease and flour.

She picked up the bottle and noticed there wasn’t a label. The bottle was green glass and smooth in her hands. A small cork held the contents in place. She pulled off the cork and took a sniff of the dark liquid inside. It didn’t smell like laudanum.

She put her finger against the top of the bottle and tipped it like she was getting perfume from a vial. A drop of reddish-brown liquid covered her finger. She touched her tongue to the substance and grimaced. It was the same substance as was in her milk the previous evening.

She froze as she heard Dawson and Tess in the foyer speaking. There was nowhere to hide. Chiding herself she wondered, why should I hide in my own house?

Tess’s footsteps approached the kitchen and Charlotte looked at the bottle in her hand. Quickly recorking it, she slipped the bottle into the pocket of her dressing gown just as Tess pushed open the door.

“Momma,” she exclaimed. “You gave me a fright. I didn’t expect anyone in here.”

“Uhm. Yes.” Charlotte smoothed down her hair then pulled the neck of her robe closer together. “I was just ….” She smiled at Tess. “I was just coming to make a cup of tea. Would you like one?” she asked, pointing to the stove.

“Why don’t I make you a cup of tea. I’ll bring it in the sitting room.”

Charlotte stood there a moment, looking at her daughter.

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