Dark Homecoming by William Patterson Read Free Book Online Page A

used the night her father walked out on them.
    I’m going away , her father had said. I can’t take any more of this.
    She stopped whining.
    â€œSweetheart,” David was saying, “believe me, if I didn’t feel it was urgent, I wouldn’t go.”
    â€œIt’s okay, David,” Liz forced herself to say. “I understand.”
    â€œDo you?”
    â€œYes. I’m disappointed that you won’t be here for me to get to know Huntington House, but I do understand. It’s very important that you show your father that you can handle situations like these.”
    â€œThat’s my girl,” David said, cupping her chin in his palm.
    Liz didn’t like it when he called her a girl. It felt patronizing. But for the moment she let it slide. Better to have him patronizing her than considering leaving her.
    Liz was fully aware that she had some serious codependency issues to work through. Nicki was always informing her of the fact. “Sweetheart,” Nicki would say, “you better work through that codependency stuff or you’ll never have a satisfying relationship.” One time, somewhere between Gibraltar and Corsica, Nicki had been particularly adamant, giving Liz a long list of relationship dos and don’ts.
    Liz had laughed. They had been drinking wine on the quarterdeck. “If you’re such an expert on relationships, how come you’re not in one?”
    â€œBecause I’m in the middle of a cruise, baby,” Nicki replied, “and I’m just having fun. But someday, when we’re back on dry land, I intend on settling down. And I’m going to do it right. None of this letting the man set the terms.”
    But Liz knew that was exactly what she had done with David. She had allowed him to make all the decisions about when they got married, where they would live, what their household would look like. It had been hard to say no to the promise of Huntington House, of course. Liz couldn’t deny being intrigued by the idea of all that land, all those rooms, all those servants. Growing up as she had, with a mother always struggling to pay the bills, Liz had been a bit dazzled by David’s descriptions of his estate.
    He was packing now. Liz watched him with a sinking heart.
    â€œOh, but David, I don’t know any of the details of running this house. Like preparing grocery lists and menus and coordinating the staff . . . I don’t know any of that yet.”
    â€œThat’s what Mrs. Hoffman is for, sweetheart. You don’t have to trouble your mind with any of those details. You just relax and explore the estate. Have one of the chauffeurs drive you around town. Look for a property for your dance studio. You’re going to need something to do with your time, baby.”
    Liz wasn’t all that keen on David calling her “baby” either. She wasn’t a baby. She was a grown woman—his wife. But it was just his way of showing affection.
    David snapped his suitcase shut. “And I’ll be back in just six days, sweetheart. Not even a full week.”
    He kissed her. Liz gave him a smile. This wasn’t what she expected married life to be exactly, but she figured she’d have to get used to it.

8
    V ariola had seen many things in her day. Back in Haiti, before it had been devastated by the earthquake, she had watched as her mother had changed stones into flowers and healed little children of influenza with just a sprinkle of her special powders. When she was just seven years old, Variola had seen a dead man get up and walk. So nothing surprised Variola.
    She was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for the new Mrs. Huntington. The late Mrs. Huntington had been very particular about her meals. They had to be vegetarian and wheat-free and always topped with fresh raspberries. The late Mrs. Huntington had had other requests of Variola as well, and most of them had had nothing to do with her culinary