Whispers at Midnight by Andrea Parnell Page A

unexpected pleasure to my morning,” he said. “Now,
remember, I expect you to notify me immediately if you need my
assistance in any way. Meanwhile, I will hasten to complete the
documents concerning the estate. Elise had the contents of the
house cataloged before she left. I believe Gardner has a copy,
besides myself.” Cecil covered his mouth and coughed. “Though I
warn you, besides the furnishings, which you’ll most likely want to
keep, there are only a few things of much value. I can help you
dispose of those should you wish to.”
    Amanda nodded. How kind he was. She would
need to sell some things from the house. She had so little money
left.
    “I’ll expect you soon,” she said
thoughtfully. “Meanwhile, I’ll be very busy getting Wicklow in
order. It all seems to be under dustcovers.”
    Amanda hurried away, happily contented to
have made one friend in Williamsburg already. It gave her a
light-hearted feeling as she strolled past the taverns and visited
shops, frugally selecting the few necessities she required. She
bought a loaf of bread, since she didn’t know when Gussie would
return. Her own culinary skills ran afoul if she went past making
tea. Perhaps Gussie would teach her to cook once she was back at
Wicklow.
    Amanda’s final purchases were made at a
mercantile store not far from Cecil’s office. She found she enjoyed
introducing herself as the new owner of Wicklow and seeing the
interest that knowledge stirred. She knew the friendly shopkeepers
would soon spread the word of her arrival.
    Once upon the street again, Amanda lifted
her face to the sun and thought eagerly of the day when she would
be accepted as one of the gentlefolk of Williamsburg. She liked
being in the colonies. She liked the newness of this town, so fresh
and free compared with the crowded streets and tired, dingy
buildings of London.
    Suddenly and curiously, Amanda’s face
changed. The smile vanished from her lips. What had made her think
of London? Not the white picket fence nor the tall shading oaks in
the distance. Possibly it was the passing of a carriage ahead. The
spinning wheels had brought a dark thought fluttering through her
mind to mar her happiness. Her mother and Aunt Elise had been
thrown from a carriage such as that.
    Amanda turned down another street to rid
herself of the sight. She had grieved for her mother and for Aunt
Elise. That part of her life was over, though she would have
loyally served as her mother’s manager for as long as her stage
career lasted. But the choice had been taken from her and she must
not dwell on the loss. Her mother would understand the longing to
establish her own life here near Williamsburg and the need to be
accepted simply as Amanda Fairfax.
    Wandering aimlessly through the narrowing
streets, Amanda took little notice of which way she turned or what
street she took. She had walked for some time with her mind rather
blank and unsettled when something in a shop window caught her eye.
She stopped for a closer look. Her wandering had brought her to a
part of the city less prosperous than where she had started her
journey. Here, nearer the outskirts of town, the shops had a meaner
look and the people presented a less fashionable picture. Yet for
all the disarray, among the items in this dusty shop window were
some that must be quite valuable.
    Through the smudged glass she could see an
ornately carved ivory, ebony, and gold chess set. It was a replica
of the one Aunt Elise had used to teach her the game eleven years
ago. The turbaned kings, the veiled queens, and the knights on tiny
steeds with flaring nostrils stood at odds on the open board. Could
there be two like that unusual set? Hadn’t that same ivory king
been her champion when she had won? Aunt Elise must have arranged
those wins to strengthen a little girl’s confidence. Yes, it must
be the same set. She remembered vaguely Aunt Elise telling her
Jubal Wicklow had the figures and board made in some Eastern
country where