Beneath the Black Moon (Root Sisters) (30 page)

“You’re
right. It has to do with us,” Grandma said, placing a hand on each of Cam’s
shoulders. “Our bond and our trust. Cam, I’ve told you the truth.”

Cam
stared into her grandmother’s eyes, the blackness of them reminding her of her
own eyes, and reminding her that her grandmother was family. Her mother’s
mother. For as long as she had lived, Cam had always trusted her grandmother.

“There’s
nothing else?” Cam asked finally, lowly.

“No,”
Grandma said, sensing her victory and taking a step back, glancing again at
Caro. “There is nothing else. I’ve told you the whole tragic story.”

“I’m
sorry,” Cam said quietly, glancing between her grandmother and Caro. They stood
several feet apart, but they stood the same way, feet braced firmly, arms
crossed close against their chest. She couldn’t tell what either of them was
thinking.

“Beth’s
still coming.” Caro remarked flatly from where she stood by the stove.

“Oh,
right,” Cam said quickly, and with a final glance at her grandmother she turned
to go.

Outside
of the kitchen the sun was shining, and Brent stood under a dogwood tree. Cam
felt a sudden thrill as she realized that he was waiting for her.

Mine.

My
love.
She thought as he approached, and when his hand
touched hers it warmed her more than the sun.

“What’s
wrong?” He asked as they linked hands, twining their fingers together. Cam was
standing close enough that she could feel the heat of him under his jacket and
she eyed his hair, blonde and thick, but perhaps getting a little wild.
It
should be trimmed
, she thought, and smiled.
Maybe I’ll do it
.

“Nothing
is wrong,” she told him, and her heart was suddenly so light that she really
believed it.

“Are
you sure?” He asked, gazing at her closely. “There are always such shadows in
your eyes.”

“Not
always,” Cam told him, releasing one of his hands so that they could turn and
walk together. “When I’m with you, you chase them all away.” It was amazing the
effect that he had on her. Nothing had changed in the few minutes since she had
confronted her grandmother, but somehow, with each step that she took with Brent
at her side, the world seemed to grow brighter.

***

“Well,
we both knew that would happen eventually,” Caro said, as she and Daphne
watched Cam wander across the lawn with Brent.

“What?”
Daphne asked, and Caro turned to stare at the woman who was her constant
companion.

“You
know what,” she said, “one of your daughter’s children asking questions, that’s
what.”

Daphne
sighed, her gaze still fixed on Cam and Brent. “I didn’t expect it to be Cam,”
she said, and she sounded almost defeated. “Diana, certainly, or maybe even
Helen, she’s a clever girl, but never Cam.”

“I
don’t see why not,” Caro said.

“Because
it’s
Cam
,” Daphne said, “
my Cam
. I all but raised the child after
my daughter died.”

“That’s
why it had to be her,” Caro said. “You can lie to anyone but a child. They grow
up and one way or another they always stumble upon whatever their family has
hidden from them. It’s unavoidable.”

“That’s
what you think.” Daphne said. “Cam would never have started to doubt me if it
weren’t for that Brent boy.”

“I
think he’s good for her,” Caro said, and Daphne glared at her. “He is. Look at
her,” she pointed to where Brent and Cam had taken a seat beneath an oak tree.
“When she’s with him she smiles. She laughs.”

“She
asks
questions
.” Daphne added.

“Believe
it or not Daphne, that’s a good sign. When they’re together they see things
that weren’t obvious before. They make each other think.” Caro sighed when
Daphne only shook her head. “Anyway, you might as well get used to him. I don’t
think he’s going anywhere.”

Daphne
sighed. “No. Neither do I.”

June 28, 1855

Paris

Cam
flipped over the cards, one after the other. The middle card represented passion,
and Cam couldn’t say she was surprised. It had been a very common reading
lately, given the way that she and Brent had been carrying on. Even now as she
read the cards she was sitting on his lap, wearing only her dressing gown.
They’d had a late morning, and Cam was still warm all over, particularly where
they touched.

Their
engagement hadn’t been a long one, but it had seemed like ages until they were
finally able to share a room together, without a chaperone.

Chaperone—
what a ridiculous idea
. Cam could barely contain her
snort. It had been worth the wait, though, now that they were on their honeymoon
they could enjoy a hotel room in peace. Cam sighed as Brent kissed her bare
shoulder, her neck, the shell of her ear. The warmth of his breath brought a
flush to her face as he whispered into the crook of her neck. “John and Hattie
will be here soon.”

“Good,”
Cam said absently, distracted by the way he was trailing one finger up and down
her arm. She turned to smile at him and caught his expression. “What?” She
asked, and then followed his gaze to the cards in her hand. “Oh,” she leaned
back against him comfortably. “I forgot.” She gathered up the cards and put
them in the hotel desk drawer. She had been fortunate, more fortunate than
she’d ever expected, to find a husband who didn’t mind a little conjure here
and there.

Her
sister-in-law Hattie was less understanding, and Cam couldn’t blame her, given
what Pauline had subjected her to. Hattie and John were also in Paris was
because John had taken his wife to France following her ordeal, hoping that the
weather and a change of scenery would help her recover. Hattie had improved
rapidly after the death of Pauline, but the relationship between Cam and Hattie
had been strained for a little while. Initially Hattie had thanked Cam
profusely, but when she realized that Cam continued to practice conjure, she had
grown frosty. But when it mattered, Cam could channel a little of her mother’s
charm, and it certainly mattered to her to be on good terms with Brent’s
family. Cam had worked on Hattie since she and Brent had arrived in Paris two
weeks ago, and lately the ice between them had begun to thaw.

It
was still strange, seeing Hattie as a healthy, animated young woman given that
when Cam had first seen her she had looked like a breathing corpse. As it
turned out, her new sister-in-law had a playful spirit and a wicked sense of
humor. Cam hoped that one day they could be close. In the meantime, Cam was
enjoying touring cities that she had never expected to see. She and Brent had a
few more weeks in Paris scheduled before they were on to Rome, and when their
honeymoon came to a close in the fall they were going back to Cypress Hall so
that Cam could visit her family. She’d never been away from any of them for
this long, and even though she was enjoying being alone with Brent, she missed
them.

“What
are you thinking about?” Brent asked, tucking a lock of her loose hair behind
her ear.

Cam
looped her arms behind his neck and gazed up at him. “My family,” she admitted
finally.

He
pretended to be disappointed. “Not me?”

“I’m
always thinking about you,” Cam told him. “Even when I’m thinking about
something else I’m thinking about you.”

He
grinned, “I believe you,” he said, and tilted her chin up for a kiss.

He
was part of her family now, Cam thought, once they had kissed each other
breathless. It was strange to think how suddenly it had all happened. But that
was how life went, Cam mused. A few moments could define someone for a
lifetime, just like that first, heated look at her aunt’s barbecue that had
changed both their lives. If Cam leaned back and closed her eyes, even then as
she sat in the cradle of her husband’s lap, she could practically journey back
to that day. She could remember exactly how she had felt, sitting at the
kitchen table in her hated crinoline and thinking with apprehension of the man
that she now loved.

Then
Brent kissed her, and Cam was transported back into his arms, forgetting that
earlier day, now vanished in a shower of Magnolia blossoms and Mississippi
sunlight.