Deception Read Online Free PDF

she said.
    Instead of laughing, Clay nodded, turned, and left her. She closed the door and found her fingers turning the lock. Never one to lock and bolt herself in her room, she smiled at her behavior. The house was big, and old, and a little eerie. The past did cling to the rooms. She could smell it in the gleaming wood surfaces and the rich tones of the carpets that were scattered about the hardwood floors. She could see it in Clay Sumner.
    Half an hour later, bathed and with her hair brushed, she stood before an ornate mirror that covered half a wall of her bedroom. Behind her, a fourposter bed of dark mahogany promised a good night’s sleep. The idea of dressing for dinner had never crossed her mind, but as Connor pressed her palms down the legs of her khakis to smooth out the wrinkles, she smiled at Willene’s astute comment on her wardrobe. She
was
lacking when it came to dresses. In California, the dress was passé. But this was the South, where women dressed like women and men adored them. Her smile deepened. Her female friends in Malibu had been horrified when she’d told them she was moving to Alabama. Shocked and horrified. It was, indeed, a different culture. In a flash of mischief she wondered if she could possibly find an old ante-bellum dress in her size. If she could get one and have her photo snapped, it would be a great gag postcard.
    Smiling at the imagined expressions of her friends, she put some lipstick on and checked her image. She was as ready for dinner as she’d ever get, and feeling much hungrier after her bath.
    There was a gentle tap at her door. A young woman called her name, announcing that dinner was ready whenever she was.
    “I’m coming,” she answered, opening the door. A slender young brunette was standing at the edge of the landing, looking at her as if she were an alien. The girl’s pointed face held a certain sweetness, and she held herself as if ready for flight.
    “Sally?” Connor questioned. Willene had finally brought her coffee, tired of waiting for the young maid to return from her rendezvous with the foreman.
    “Yes ma’am, that’s me. Willene sent me to tell you dinner’s ready.”
    “Thank you.” Connor started to close the door, but the expression on Sally’s face stopped her. “Is there something else?”
    “Aren’t you going down to dinner now?” the girl asked. She looked down the staircase with the nervousness of a cornered rabbit.
    “Yes, I’m ready.” Connor picked up the cup and saucer to return it to the kitchen. As she drew her key from her pocket to lock the door, she felt Sally watched her. “Is something wrong?”
    Sally looked to be eighteen, and she acted even younger. She was a pretty girl, freckles strung across her nose and gray eyes that reflected a happy nature. Now, though, she looked frightened.
    “I’m glad you’re walking down with me. Those stairs.” Sally shook her head. “I know it’s my imagination. Willene and my mom say I read too much, and most of it the wrong stuff. Those stairs give me a case of it, though.” With reluctance showing in each step she stared down the hallway.
    “It’s an old house.” Connor found herself repeating Clay’s words. “Lots of creaks and noises. I’ll have to get used to them myself.”
    “During the day, I don’t even think about it. It’s just the night. Sometimes I think I see someone in these halls.”
    “Someone from the household?”
    “No, ma’am. Not from the household. A young woman.” She laughed nervously. “You see, I’m afraid of the dark. My brothers know it, too, and they like to scare me. Jumping out of things and all. Willene said if I didn’t get over acting silly I was going to be fired. That’s why I wanted to walk down with you, if you don’t mind.”
    Connor decided the best tack was to change the subject. She pointed to one of the pictures that lined the hallway. “Some of Mr. Sumner’s relatives?”
    “Yes, ma’am. Willene knows them all by