Beautiful Whispers (Ausmor Plantation Book 1 - Romance/Suspense) by Alice Ayden Page B
Authors: Alice Ayden
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quiet place. The staff. The family. Tourists. Evan’s nature preserve. Bitty’s screams. Her helpers’ cries. Mrs. Kiness’ orders.
I shrugged it off. Then another noise. Before I could turn around, the sharpest pain…
“What on earth?” were the first words I heard when I woke up face down in the sawdust.
Mrs. Kiness rushed to my side and helped me up. “What happened? Did you trip? Was it an accident?”
The pounding in the back of my head told me it wasn’t an accident as my hand pulled away revealing blood.
“Oh the saints!” Mrs. Kiness jolted into rescue mode. “We need a doctor and a hospital and an ambulance.”
I grabbed her hand before she rushed off. “I’m fine. I’m okay.”
“But…”
“It was an accident.” If he was willing to do this to me, what would he do to Jane?
Mrs. Kiness led me inside and to my room. Refusing to go to the hospital, I lied in bed propped up with pillows. My head ached like a son-of-a-bitch, but I’d been hurt worse in the bar fights I used to get into.
My room at Ausmor was small and at the back of the house. Yellow. Too yellow. I think it was Mrs. Hodges old room. Mrs. Kiness left quickly and brought back flowers. I didn’t know why. What about me screamed flowers? But I smiled, and it made her feel better. Mrs. Kiness fussed and sighed and fumed and worried. She’d been like a mother to my own mother, and, with no other family, she was the closest I had to blood.
I didn’t refuse the doctor she brought, and he said I didn’t need stitches and would be fine. But through all the good news, Mrs. Kiness only heard one thing: concussion. Enough to put her on high alert.
“You rest but not too much sleep. We cannot have you waking up dead,” Mrs. Kiness said.
I nodded or grunted, and she understood. Then someone knocked on the door.
Mrs. Kiness opened the door to Jane. From the look on her face, I don’t know if she knew I was hurt or had just come back to see me. Either way, I was happy to see her.
Her eyes immediately flashed confusion then worry. “What happened?”
“An accident,” I said.
Mrs. Kiness nodded slightly, but her downcast eyes told Jane something else. “He’ll be fine, child. How did you hear about it?”
Another knock on the door saved Jane from explaining. Mrs. Kiness opened it to see Sally, one of her protégés.
“A disaster, Mrs. Kiness. I don’t know what to do.” Sally tried to catch her breath. “You have to come quick. But I swear it wasn’t my fault. And I swear I tried to stop them. But I swear I couldn’t. And I shouldn’t have said those things. But I swear I—”
Mrs. Kiness grabbed Sally. “Find a breath, sweet child. Breathe. There is no need for such a fuss. It will all be fine.”
Sally smiled and wiped a few tears away, but her panic couldn’t be sequestered. “But you will come with me, won’t you Mrs. Kiness? I can’t deal with it all by myself. I swear I can’t—”
“Child,” Mrs. Kiness said more forcefully. “You must learn to relax. Ausmor is a large house, and there is always bound to be something amiss.” Mrs. Kiness hesitantly looked at me and then Jane. “You will stay here until I return?”
Jane nodded. “If I must.”
15 Jane
I waited until Mrs. Kiness left. She moved like molasses. Then I looked at Alexander. “Okay, what the hell?”
He took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I was at the carpentry building. Heard something behind me. Next thing I know I wake up covered in saw dust with a bloody head.”
“And there was no one else there when you woke up?”
“Just Mrs. Kiness.”
“Don’t think it was her.”
Alexander rolled his eyes. “You sure?”
“ She’d never hurt Josie’s grandson.” My mind raced trying to place the usual suspects. Johnston never got his hands dirty. Pathetic little bastard probably hired someone else to wipe his own sweaty ass.
“I know who it was,” Alexander said. “Coward waited till my back was turned.”
I
I shrugged it off. Then another noise. Before I could turn around, the sharpest pain…
“What on earth?” were the first words I heard when I woke up face down in the sawdust.
Mrs. Kiness rushed to my side and helped me up. “What happened? Did you trip? Was it an accident?”
The pounding in the back of my head told me it wasn’t an accident as my hand pulled away revealing blood.
“Oh the saints!” Mrs. Kiness jolted into rescue mode. “We need a doctor and a hospital and an ambulance.”
I grabbed her hand before she rushed off. “I’m fine. I’m okay.”
“But…”
“It was an accident.” If he was willing to do this to me, what would he do to Jane?
Mrs. Kiness led me inside and to my room. Refusing to go to the hospital, I lied in bed propped up with pillows. My head ached like a son-of-a-bitch, but I’d been hurt worse in the bar fights I used to get into.
My room at Ausmor was small and at the back of the house. Yellow. Too yellow. I think it was Mrs. Hodges old room. Mrs. Kiness left quickly and brought back flowers. I didn’t know why. What about me screamed flowers? But I smiled, and it made her feel better. Mrs. Kiness fussed and sighed and fumed and worried. She’d been like a mother to my own mother, and, with no other family, she was the closest I had to blood.
I didn’t refuse the doctor she brought, and he said I didn’t need stitches and would be fine. But through all the good news, Mrs. Kiness only heard one thing: concussion. Enough to put her on high alert.
“You rest but not too much sleep. We cannot have you waking up dead,” Mrs. Kiness said.
I nodded or grunted, and she understood. Then someone knocked on the door.
Mrs. Kiness opened the door to Jane. From the look on her face, I don’t know if she knew I was hurt or had just come back to see me. Either way, I was happy to see her.
Her eyes immediately flashed confusion then worry. “What happened?”
“An accident,” I said.
Mrs. Kiness nodded slightly, but her downcast eyes told Jane something else. “He’ll be fine, child. How did you hear about it?”
Another knock on the door saved Jane from explaining. Mrs. Kiness opened it to see Sally, one of her protégés.
“A disaster, Mrs. Kiness. I don’t know what to do.” Sally tried to catch her breath. “You have to come quick. But I swear it wasn’t my fault. And I swear I tried to stop them. But I swear I couldn’t. And I shouldn’t have said those things. But I swear I—”
Mrs. Kiness grabbed Sally. “Find a breath, sweet child. Breathe. There is no need for such a fuss. It will all be fine.”
Sally smiled and wiped a few tears away, but her panic couldn’t be sequestered. “But you will come with me, won’t you Mrs. Kiness? I can’t deal with it all by myself. I swear I can’t—”
“Child,” Mrs. Kiness said more forcefully. “You must learn to relax. Ausmor is a large house, and there is always bound to be something amiss.” Mrs. Kiness hesitantly looked at me and then Jane. “You will stay here until I return?”
Jane nodded. “If I must.”
15 Jane
I waited until Mrs. Kiness left. She moved like molasses. Then I looked at Alexander. “Okay, what the hell?”
He took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I was at the carpentry building. Heard something behind me. Next thing I know I wake up covered in saw dust with a bloody head.”
“And there was no one else there when you woke up?”
“Just Mrs. Kiness.”
“Don’t think it was her.”
Alexander rolled his eyes. “You sure?”
“ She’d never hurt Josie’s grandson.” My mind raced trying to place the usual suspects. Johnston never got his hands dirty. Pathetic little bastard probably hired someone else to wipe his own sweaty ass.
“I know who it was,” Alexander said. “Coward waited till my back was turned.”
I
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