“She knows what?” Hannah practically screeched. “What does she know?”
“That she’s supposed to take up where Amelia left off.”
Hannah shook her head. “That makes no sense.”
“It does if you accept that you’re supposed to take up where Bettina left off.”
“What?” Slowly, Hannah tracked her eyes to Abigail and found her grandmother’s shoulders sagging in defeat. “What is she saying?”
Now it was Stormy’s turn to be confused. “Who are you talking to?”
Abigail let loose a sigh. “I was just trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
Stormy scanned the area for an unknown visitor. “Seriously, who are you talking to?”
“Am I somehow part of some ancient story?” Hannah asked in a shaky voice.
“I honestly don’t know,” Abigail answered. “It’s possible, though.”
“How?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Maybe you should shorten it and tell me anyway.”
“What about Lindsey?”
“You’re trying to distract me.” Hannah refused to back down now. “Just tell me.”
“Fine, although this is not the way I would’ve chosen for you to find out.” Abigail held out her hands in a placating manner. “You’re not a descendent of Josette, no matter what this idiot would have you believe.” She jerked her thumb in Stormy’s direction. “You are, however, a descendent of Clement.”
“But ... I don’t understand.”
“That makes two of us,” a new voice echoed from the east, a shadow emerging from beneath the weeping willow.
Stormy jolted at the arrival of the new visitor, taking a moment to absorb the girl’s dark hair and eyes. “Who are you?”
Hannah was the one to respond. “Angel? I don’t understand.”
“You will,” Angel responded in a dark voice. “It’s time for all the answers to be made clear. Isn’t that right, Abigail?”
The ghost didn’t look happy to be called out. “I didn’t realize it was going to end like this, Hannah. You have to believe me.”
Hannah didn’t know what to believe. “Just tell me what’s going on. I think I deserve to know.”
“She’s right,” Angel agreed. “If you don’t tell her, I will.”
Abigail was resigned. “I’ll tell her. You have to be patient, though.”
“That’s never been my strong suit but go ahead. I’m dying to hear what you have to say.”
18
Eighteen
“The story I told you was true,” Abigail insisted. “I didn’t exaggerate. I didn’t lie. I might have, however, left a little something out.”
The queasy feeling settling in the pit of Hannah’s stomach grew more pronounced. “Why don’t we start with the basics?” she suggested in a cold voice. “How are we related to Clement Creed?”
“He lived on the mountain after Josette died. Although he never married again, he did ... have relations ... with some of the people who worked the property for him.”
Hannah’s brow furrowed. “Like slaves?”
“Not slaves. More like indentured servants.”
“That’s not any better.”
“Back in those days, indentured servitude was fairly normal. It wasn’t an ideal way to live, but the poor immigrants coming from Europe needed to earn their way in a new country, and working for a man who seemed to be making a good living was one of those ways.”
Hannah ran the double-talk through her head. “Clement paid for passage for these people and then insisted they work for him until they paid off their debt. Did all of them work in the fields?”
“Mostly.” Abigail bobbed her head. “Not all of the workers were laborers, though. Some worked in the houses for Bettina and Amelia. They were hand maidens of a sort.”
Realization dawned on Hannah. “They were expected to wait on the daughters and then service Clement in other ways.”
“Pretty much.”
“Hold up.” Stormy raised her hand. “What’s going on here? Who are you guys talking to? Is this the teenager you were looking for? If so, you can take her and go. I have some things I’m supposed to be doing and I’m rapidly losing interest in watching you guys talk to air.”
“It’s not air,” Angel replied, raising her hand into an exaggerated claw and throwing a bolt of magic toward Stormy. The witch immediately reached for her throat, her mouth open and protesting, but no sound came out. “You’re not part of this. You never will be. You might want to be part of it, but you’re not worthy. It’s time for you to be quiet.”
Fear jolted through Hannah when she realized Angel had silenced Stormy with magic. “I don’t understand. Were you ever in danger?”
“I don’t think I’m who you think I am,” Angel replied. “It doesn’t matter, though. My path is now set in stone. It’s your path that needs to be arranged.”
Bewildered, Hannah looked to her grandmother. “You need to explain this, and it had better be quick. We’re running out of time.” She had no idea how she knew that, but it felt fairly obvious. “Just tell me.”
“Clement fathered multiple children with the servants,” Abigail volunteered, not offering up a single word of protest. “He was the sort of man who bragged about his virility and liked to prove it. He didn’t provide for the children he sired. Basically, he freed the indentured servants when they turned up with child, provided them a pittance, and sent them on their way. We’re ancestors of one of those servants.”
“How great for us,” Hannah drawled.
“Believe what you want about Clement — and I happen to think he was an abhorrent individual — but it’s likely he sent the women away to protect them. Bettina and Amelia wouldn’t have reacted kindly to more heirs. In their twisted states, they would’ve used the children as fodder until it was only the two of them standing.”
“They were just as evil as their father,” Hannah mused.
“They were dual-natured,” Abigail countered. “The girls weren’t of one world. Amelia came from another plane. She never belonged here. Josette wanted to make sure she had enough power to overthrow Clement if it became necessary, though, and she was determined to harness Amelia’s powers.
