Hallow House - Part Two Read Online Free PDF

never heard his voice so grim.
     
    Chapter 23
     
     
     
    At the head of the stairs, Samara turned away from her Uncle Vincent, upset both by the fact he'd guessed she was attempting to impress Mark and by his obvious disapproval. Was business was it of his? She hurried downstairs ahead of both men.
     
    At dinner, she noticed Geneva was not serving, instead, a new young woman, darkly pretty, brought the food in from the kitchen.
     
    "Thank you, Rosita," she heard Vera say. "You're doing very well." After she left the room, Vera added, "She's new, this is her first position and she's afraid she won't do the right thing."
     
    "Where's Geneva?" Samara asked.
     
    "Didn't I write you? She got married. Her husband is a widower with three children. We went to their wedding in Tulare."
     
    "Have there been any other changes?"
     
    "You and Mark have met, I understand. Irma and Blanche are still with us. And Jose."
     
    "Me, too." As she spoke, Frances smiled at Samara from across the table. "I've become a regular fixture in the Gregory menage. I tried to leave once or twice, but--"
     
    "Don't even think of leaving," Vera said. "Those twins would have me round the bend in a week."
     
    "The twins look more alike every time I come home," Samara said.
     
    "We tried to dress them differently." Vera sighed. "Katrina took it in stride but Naomi threw tantrums every time."
     
    "Naomi is the leader," Mark put in. "She's always the first to try everything I ask, even though she's not any more capable than Katrina." He smiled. "I find it a pleasure to work with the Gregory children."
     
    "You've been most patient," Vera said. "Especially with Johanna."
     
    "Her speech has improved remarkably," Samara said, glancing at Mark for the first time. She didn't want Uncle Vince to catch her staring again
     
    Her uncle, though, seemed to be concentrating on Marie. Every time Samara came home, she could see that Marie's appearance had deteriorated more. She used to be pretty in her long flowing gowns with perfect makeup and her hair always styled. Now she looked old and unkempt.
     
    On the other hand, Vera still had her same fresh prettiness. Seeing how fondly her father looked at Vera, Samara wondered if maybe being loved had something to do with a woman's attractiveness.
     
    After dinner, Samara slipped outside into the soft warmth of the June evening. The heavy sweetness of late-blooming orange blossoms drifted from the citrus groves. One of Jose's dogs barked at what was probably an unseen rabbit and then was still. Quiet enveloped her and she breathed n the peacefulness of the valley with the scent of the blossoms. Behind her a breeze rustled through the pines. It was impossible to think of curses or wars. Even Sergei's memory was dim and far away.
     
    "Lovely." Mark Schroeder's voice came from her left.
     
    She turned to face him. Somehow she'd known he'd come to her. "This is a beautiful spot."
     
    "I didn't mean the countryside," he said. "Though it does somewhat remind me of my boyhood home near the Hartz Mountains, this valley is different from anything in Germany. The similarity is in the serenity."
     
    Had he meant to say she was lovely? Flustered, she sought safety by asking, "Do you miss Germany very much?"
     
    "America is my home now. But I sometimes long for what I knew as a child. Don't you?"
     
    Before she thought, Samara blurted, "No!"
     
    Turning from him, she walked away. How could he understand about her mother, about Sergei and the horror of that night she'd ridden into the storm with baby Johanna? How could he understand how she'd been humiliated and terrorized by the person she loved best on earth?
     
    "I'm sorry if I caused you distress." Mark's voice was low as he walked beside her, so close she could feel the heat of his body. He took her hand, stopping her.
     
    At his touch, all thoughts left her mind but those of Mark and the delicious tingle in her veins.
     
    "Your parents have given me permission