The Gilded Curse: Will the young heiress be the next victim of her family's curse? (16 page)

There was no point in turning around and riding away like some scared ninny. She would just continue on her course and act polite, like a mature adult. Her stomach tightened. She straightened in the saddle and nudged Angel forward.

“Good morning, Mr. Jones.”

He grunted and turned back to the sea, raising the binoculars.

She made an effort at conversation. “See anything interesting out there?” Maybe the man was a nature lover.

“Germans.”

Lexie’s heart stopped.

“Germans? You can see them?”

He shook his head. “Not yet, but I know they’re out there. I can always sniff out a German.”

Apparently, the man suffered paranoia from his years in the war. Didn’t Russell say the German submarines had been spotted farther north? Maybe he was delusional and saw Germans everywhere. She hoped he didn’t think she was one.

“Oh, you mean across the Atlantic. I thought you meant right out there.” She pointed to the water while Angel snorted and shook her head.

He lowered the binoculars and looked back at her. “They’re closer than you think.”

Now he was just getting creepy again. She struggled for something else to say.

“If that’s the case, I’m certain our military will make sure they stay away.” If there were any of Hitler’s ships coming close to this country, the U.S. government would keep them from getting too close. Wouldn’t they? The war was being fought over there, not here.

Mr. Jones looked up and down the beach before fixing his gaze on her. “Where’s our army? Do you see any here?”

She opened her mouth to speak but shut it. Uneasiness made her glance around. He was right. There really wasn’t anyone on the island that could protect them from a foreign invasion. Did Abner Jones think he could hold off an invasion by himself? Maybe he did.

“Well, thank you for watching out for the island, Mr. Jones.” She had to get away from this man. As she nudged the horse to move again, Abner Jones reached out and grabbed the halter, the horse neighing at the abrupt gesture. Lexie gasped, and her heart raced. The man drew close to the saddle and peered up into her eyes.

“You should watch out, too, Miss Smithfield. You never can tell when an enemy will pop up.”

Her breath caught. What should she do?

His attention diverted to something behind her, and the approaching beat of hooves on the beach made her turn to look too. Russell galloped toward them on a gleaming chestnut stallion.

As he neared, he called out. “Hello! There you are, Lexie. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.”

Abner Jones dropped his hand from the halter. Lexie exhaled relief but stared at Russell, confused. Was she supposed to meet him? Russell drew alongside, between her and Abner.

“Abner. I see you’re out patrolling the beach. I’m sure Miss Smithfield appreciates the fact that you’re looking out for the enemy, don’t you?” Russell glanced at Lexie and winked.

“Why, yes, of course. It is a great relief.”

“Keep up the good work, Abner.” Russell nodded down at the man, turned back to Lexie. “Are you ready to see the other end of the island?”

“Sure. I’ve been waiting for you.” Well, maybe that wasn’t quite true, but she sure was happy someone had shown up. Frankly, she couldn’t think of anyone else she’d rather see at that moment.

They urged their horses forward, Russell looking over his shoulder to tell Abner good-bye. But the man had resumed his lookout position, binoculars held high and seemed not to notice, much less care about, their departure. They trotted out of Abner Jones’ sightline, Russell leading the way.

Lexie called out to Russell above the sound of the waves. “Russell! Stop!”

He pulled his horse to a halt, and he twisted in his saddle to watch her catch up. His broad, cheerful smile warmed her heart in a way she wasn’t used to.

“Am I going too fast for you?”

“What? No. I just want to talk to you. I didn’t remember that we were meeting today, for one thing.”

“You don’t? Well, maybe because we weren’t—not officially, anyway.”

Lexie cocked her head. “So why did you say that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Guess I couldn’t think of anything else to say at the moment. Got his attention though.”

“Thank goodness you showed up. That man scares me! And I think he scared my horse too.” She patted Angel on the neck.

“Angel? Oh, she knows him. Just doesn’t like to have her halter grabbed like that.” He gave her a wide grin. “I’m glad you’re happy to see me.”

Lexie blushed. She gave him a twisted smile as she tried to keep focused on her questions.

“Is Mr. Jones really guarding the beach? You said…”

“Well, he thinks he is, so what harm is there? He’s still serving his country.”

“He warned me, Russell. Told me to be careful. Was he talking about Germans or something else?”

Russell shrugged. “Who knows?”

“Maybe he was warning me about himself.”

“Oh, I doubt it. Like I said before, he’s harmless, just different.”

“Russell, he told me the Germans were close by. You said they were way north of here, like North Carolina or further.” She studied his face.

“We don’t know exactly where they are. But they could go up and down the whole Atlantic seaboard, for all we know.”

“Well, maybe we really
do
need someone to guard the beach. Someone besides Mr. Jones.”

“We have somebody. The Coast Guard keeps a man out here walking the beach, looking out for anything suspicious.”

Lexie looked around, scanning the distance for a sign of anyone.

“Where?”

“Probably at the other end now. The guard rotates men. They come over from the base on the mainland.”

“Well, that’s good to know. It makes me feel safer, and I’m sure you’re glad to have them here to protect the club members.”

Russell laughed and shook his head.

“What’s so funny?”

“Don’t know how much protection one lonely man walking the beach is against a submarine, but I guess that’s better than nothing.”

So much for feeling safer.

Chapter 18

R
ussell turned his horse away from the beach to the trail through the woods. Lexie followed suit, casting an anxious glance up at the trees, just in case one decided to fall.

The narrow path didn’t allow them to ride side-by-side, so Lexie was happy to let Russell take the lead should anything unexpected occur.

Lexie studied Russell’s silhouette from behind. He sat straight and tall, quite comfortable in the saddle. He probably rode often, since it was so convenient. Unlike her, especially after Father died. Mother had become so overprotective—afraid to let Lexie out of her sight lest something bad happen to her as well.

College had given Lexie freedom to do what she wanted—as long as she came home every weekend to check in and assure Mother she was all right. Strange that her mother wanted to take care of her daughter’s well-being when she couldn’t even take care of her own. In the end, it was the reverse, with daughter taking care of mother, especially after Robert joined the navy.

Now she had the independence she’d yearned for, but was she capable of taking care of herself? Watching Russell lead the way, she realized he was taking care of her. At least he seemed to be. He always showed up at the right time—right when she needed him. How did he manage that? It was almost as if he knew she’d need help.

The smell of fresh-cut pine wafted through the air. Lexie inhaled the fragrance, which grew stronger as they moved along. She glanced through the trees to her left and saw more daylight, indicating a clearing. With alarm, she noticed a large area of tree stumps and fallen trees. She called out to Russell up ahead.

“Russell! Why are all those trees cut down?”

He stopped his horse and turned it in the direction of the clearing. She pulled up beside him and pointed.

“Timbering. We contracted with a lumber company to sell some of the trees on the island.”

“But why? I thought everything would be kept natural.”

Russell gave her a sad smile and lifted his shoulders. “Money. The club needed more revenue.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “There was no other way?”

“We’ve considered a number of ideas to increase the club’s income—golf tournaments, tennis tournaments, and so on, but it hasn’t been enough.” He nodded toward the cut trees. “This has been the most lucrative idea yet.”

She remembered her conversation with Mr. Mason, the waiter, about the club lowering the dues to attract newcomers.

“I understand some of the original members no longer belong to the club. Weren’t they replaced by new ones?”

Russell’s dimples revealed themselves in the smile he gave her. “Some were, but it seems our country’s running out of millionaires. Your grandfather’s generation is almost gone, and along with them, the wealth they brought to the island.”

Why did she feel guilty? It wasn’t her fault the family money was gone and she needed to sell the cottage. Yet, for some reason, she wanted to help. After all, her grandfather was one of the founding members of the club. What would happen if all the founding families left the island? What would happen to Russell? He’d spent his life here.

“I’m sorry, Russell. I had no idea.”

“So you see why we’d like you to keep Destiny?”

She nodded, but could she tell him she couldn’t even afford the taxes on the property?

“I’ll give it some thought.” Not that thinking about it would solve her problem, much less provide the funds.

They rode on past the island dairy where fat cows grazed in the fields. Beyond the dairy, the path led past the ruins of Horton House, its tabby walls keeping secrets of the earliest settlers on the island. Russell paused beside the old structure and waited for her to pull alongside.

“Remember when we used to play here?” Russell’s grin hinted mischief.

“Of course I do.” Lexie scanned the area. “I pretended it was my castle.”

“And Robert and I were the Indians attacking the castle.”

“Indians didn’t attack castles.”

“
We
did.” Russell laughed as he turned his horse back to the trail. He pointed to his right. “And the ghosts were over there.”

Lexie followed his gaze. She shuddered when she saw the fence surrounding the old cemetery where the island’s first inhabitants were buried. “That was always a creepy place. I never liked going there,” she said.

“Just old tombstones. Actually, I’ve always found it interesting to read the epitaphs.”

“Really? I never read them. Besides, Mother would have killed me if she’d known I ventured this far from the compound.”

“Would you like to take a look now?”

Lexie flashed a frown at him. “No, thank you. Let them rest in peace.”

Russell laughed again, nudged his heels into the stallion, and the horse began to trot. Lexie followed suit, and they proceeded along the trail back to the stables. When they reached the building, Russell dismounted then helped her down. A rich bass voice greeted them from inside singing, “Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!” George appeared in the doorway of the stables.

“Y’all have a nice ride?” The man’s grin covered his face. “Nice day for it.”

“Yes, we did, George. It’s a beautiful day for a horseback ride.”

“Yes, sir. This is the day the Lord has made.”

George took the reins of the horses, patting each one of them on their necks. “Did Angel behave for you, Miss Smithfield?”

“Yes, she did. Well, she was an angel.”

George laughed as he turned to lead the horses to the stalls. He resumed his singing as he walked. “Great is thy faithfulness!”

Lexie glanced at Russell, who beamed his familiar smile.

“What a beautiful voice he has.”

“He sure does. He preaches at the servants’ church.”

Lexie looked back at the stables. “He does? How did he have time to meet me this morning?”

“Ha-ha! Well, the service goes on quite a while because they spend so much time singing and praising God before the sermon starts. They probably didn’t even miss him.”

“He certainly seems happy, like he doesn’t have a care in the world.”

“You might be surprised. He’s had his troubles, but he keeps a positive attitude.”

Troubles? She’d like to know how he stayed so happy.

As Lexie and Russell strolled away from the stables, she recalled hearing music from the chapel earlier that morning.

“Russell, I thought you said the church service at Faith Chapel didn’t start until eleven.”

“That’s right. Why?”

“Well, as I walked to the stables this morning, I heard a piano when I passed the chapel.”

“I’m sure you did. The pianist was probably practicing, warming up.”

“The melody was lovely and stayed in my mind. Have you ever had that happen?”

“All the time. Do you remember it? Maybe if you could hum a few bars, I might recognize the tune.”