Secrets of Hallstead House (4 page)

I smiled inwardly, imagining Pete’s dismay if I asked him to taxi me over to Cape Cartier so I could use a treadmill. But I thanked Miss Hallstead, saying, “I may take you up on that if Pete is ever going to Cape Cartier on an errand. It would feel good to run or bike. I never learned how to swim, though.”

Miss Hallstead suddenly turned ashen and gripped her door handle for support.

“Miss Hallstead!” I cried, running to her. I put my arm around her waist in case she should fall, and helped her into her sitting room. She lay down on the sofa and looked up at me wildly, her hands fluttering nervously. I held her hands in mine—they were like ice. I grabbed the stethoscope from the medical bag and used it to listen to her heart.

Normal.

I took her blood pressure.

Normal.

I was getting up to yell for Vali or Leland, thinking we should call for a doctor, when she finally spoke.

“I’m sorry to have scared you, Macy. I just didn’t know that you can’t swim.” I sat down again.

“All that because I can’t swim?” I asked, incredulous. “I told the nursing agency that I can’t swim before I accepted this position. They said I didn’t need to know how.”

Miss Hallstead closed her eyes and moved her lips silently. I sat, waiting. She remained quiet for a few moments, then opened her eyes again and looked at me sadly.

“Diana died by drowning,” she said quietly.

Suddenly I understood. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” I murmured. Naturally Miss Hallstead would be upset by anyone not knowing how to swim.

She sat up slowly and patted my hand. “I overreacted,” she stated. “The agency people were obviously right; of course you don’t need to know how to swim for this job. I was just taken aback for a minute.”

You were more than just taken aback
, I thought. Aloud I asked, “Are you all right, then?”

“Yes, dear. I’m fine now. I’ll work for a few hours; then you come and see me, okay?” She smiled.

I promised to return, then went back to my room, where I sat down at the desk and wrote a quick note to my best friend in New York, Simone. She had asked me to update her when I got settled. Ever since my parents died and Alan left, I hadn’t been interested in spending time with my girlfriends, or even my aunts in Connecticut. I had withdrawn into myself, preferring to be alone; I wasn’t ready to get back into the world I knew. It probably would have been better if I had spent time with other people, but my friends had been good about giving me the space I needed. They were concerned, though. I knew Simone would be anxious to hear how I was doing. I would ask Pete to mail the letter for me the next time he went to Cape Cartier.

I fixed my own lunch and ate alone again in the dining room. Vali had taken a tray to Miss Hallstead and I made a mental note to try to encourage Miss Hallstead to take her meals in the dining room. It would be good for her to venture out of her rooms for a change of scenery a few times a day.

After lunch, I peeked in on Miss Hallstead. She was working busily, so I took a notepad and systematically went through the rooms downstairs, making notes of the changes that would have to be made in order for Miss Hallstead to move through the rooms with ease. In most of the rooms there were area rugs that would have to be secured with double-sided tape so that she wouldn’t trip on them. In addition, I would have to rearrange the furniture in some of the rooms to facilitate her movement through them. I went in search of Leland to ask for help in completing these tasks. I found him in the kitchen getting instructions from Vali for airing out and cleaning two rooms upstairs.

When I entered the kitchen, both Vali and Leland turned around and waited impatiently for me to speak.

“Leland, if you get some extra time this afternoon, could you give me a hand moving some furniture around and taping down some of the rugs downstairs? I’m trying to make it a little easier for Miss Hallstead to move around on this level of the house.”

Leland nodded and mumbled, “I’ll help you later, when I’m done helping Vali.”

Vali looked at me malevolently and snapped, “I’m going to need him for quite a while. Stephan and Will are coming late this afternoon and their rooms have to be ready.”

I had no idea who Stephan and Will were, although I remembered that Pete had mentioned something about Miss Hallstead’s adviser and nephew. Before going upstairs, I thanked Leland and said he could find me in my room or with Miss Hallstead. It was becoming clear that I was going to have a significant amount of downtime in this new job. I located the camera I had brought and I headed outdoors to try my hand at some river shots.

It had warmed up since morning and was beautiful outside, so I left the flagstone path almost immediately and set off through the woods. The trees swayed in the gentle breeze, and I could hear again the music made by the wind in the branches. I could also hear other sounds: a boat, several birds, and a low rumble that I couldn’t identify. I kept walking, figuring that I would eventually find the water, and came out of the woods on the channel side of the island. I immediately saw that the strange noise I had heard was coming from a ship moving slowly through the channel. I snapped several pictures of the gigantic boat as it churned past Hallstead Island. It was a behemoth of red and black steel, longer than one football field in length, with a small bridge and a large gray smokestack. It passed within a few dozen yards of the island, and I felt like I could almost reach out and touch its massive bulk. I watched in fascination until the stern of the boat passed by. A flag I didn’t recognize, presumably the flag of the nation under which the ship sailed, flapped in the wind from the back of the boat, and several men stood on the deck, watching the scenery go by. They all wore peacoats and wool caps, and they waved at me from their perch high above where I stood. Delighted, I enthusiastically waved back and then watched the boat until it was well down the channel and the waves from its huge wake had stopped slapping against the low stone wall that surrounded the island.

After the ship had continued on its way, I looked around at the other nearby islands. Now that the ship was gone, the waves lapped softly against the shore again, gentle and rhythmic. The water surrounding the island sparkled in the bright autumn sunshine, like an ever-shifting blanket of diamonds. The islands I could see from where I stood were of varying sizes, and the homes on them displayed different architectural styles. On the island closest to me was a large white Victorian-style home surrounded by beautifully manicured formal lawns and gardens. Across the channel, I could see a large island with an old, rambling red house on it. There were lots of trees on that island, as there were on Hallstead Island, but unlike Summerplace, the red house commanded a sweeping view of the river.

I continued walking along the river’s edge, keeping far enough away from the water that I wouldn’t have to worry about losing my footing and falling in. I took quite a few pictures of the neighboring islands and of my surroundings. Eventually, I came upon the unique-looking tree that I had seen yesterday from the boat. It was a rather small tree; its trunk grew straight out of the ground for about three feet and then arched over the river, where its slender branches grew both up toward the sky and down toward the surface of the water. Red leaves tinged with saffron swayed in the breeze. I took several photos; then, turning to go back to Summerplace, I noticed a path leading into the denser woods away from the leaning tree, so I followed it, hoping it led back to the house. After several minutes of walking through the cathedral of trees, I emerged at the back of the cottage used by Vali and Leland.

As I walked back toward Summerplace, Leland came around the corner of the house. When he saw me, he slowed his pace and looked away. Undeterred by his obvious desire to avoid talking to me, I walked up to him and said, “I’m glad I ran into you, Leland. Would you mind coming up to my room and showing me how to build a fire in the fireplace?”

“All right,” he agreed. “I’ll be up in a few minutes.” I went upstairs and put my camera away, and in just a few moments I heard a knock at the door. I opened it and Leland was standing there glumly, holding a box of long matches, some sticks, and several newspapers. He said, “All right, let’s get this over with.”

I followed him into the room. He knelt in front of the fireplace and asked over his shoulder, “Do you just want me to light it now, or do you want to do it yourself later?”

“I’ll light it myself tonight,” I answered.

Leland proceeded to crumple up several sheets of newspaper and throw them onto the grate inside the fireplace. Then he stacked the small, spindly branches and twigs on the paper. Finally, he took two logs from the small pile next to the fireplace and placed them on the grate, on top of and slightly behind the papers and the kindling.

“Just strike a match and throw it on the bottom of the pile when you’re ready,” Leland stated.

I thanked him and he left without another word.

After a moment, I also went downstairs, hoping to get some of Miss Hallstead’s exercise therapy started this afternoon. I knocked on her sitting room door and, just like the night before, heard her answer faintly, “Yes?”

“It’s Macy, Miss Hallstead. Are you ready to start your exercises now?”

“Almost, dear. Come on in,” Miss Hallstead called. I walked through the sitting room and bedroom to the office, where I knocked softly again before opening the door.

“Have a seat anywhere, Macy. I’m almost done here. And for heaven’s sake, please call me Alex.” She finished looking over a sheaf of papers and made several notations on the pages. Then she stood up slowly, tidied her desk, and smiled at me. “I’m ready,” she said.

We decided to work on her exercises in her sitting room. Alex had changed out of her pantsuit and into more comfortable clothes, suitable for exercising. For the next hour, we discussed and worked on several of the exercises that she had begun during her recent stay at a rehabilitation center following her hip surgery. As I had suspected, Alex proved to be an eager and determined patient. At the end of an hour, I advised her to rest for a bit, but she wanted to continue. I was about to insist that she rest when we were interrupted by a knock on the sitting room door. Vali poked her head into the room and informed Alex that Pete had just left for Cape Cartier to pick up Mr. Marks and Mr. Harper.

“Thank you, Vali,” Alex answered. Vali left, closing the door behind her, and Alex turned to me with a broad grin. “Stephan and Will will be here soon—I’m anxious for you to meet them.”

“Who are Stephan and Will?” I asked.

“Stephan Marks and Will Harper. Stephan is a dear old friend of mine and Forrest’s, and Will is my nephew. They both work for HSH Oil. Stephan is what you would call my right-hand man, and Will works in finance. They’re visiting now because we need to meet to discuss some negotiations that HSH has initiated. They’ll probably be coming and going between Summerplace and New York several times over the next few weeks.

“Macy, I need to change out of these clothes and into my suit again. I know I’m vain, but they don’t need to see me in these awful things. Could you just help me out of these sneakers? I had a terrible time getting them on.” She laughed.

I helped her with her sneakers, but she refused any additional help, so I returned to my room after promising that I would be back down in thirty minutes to meet Stephan and Will.

A short while later I was reading the Paul Malo book when I heard muted voices in the hallway outside my room.
Stephan and Will must be here
, I thought. My thirty minutes were almost up, so I checked my reflection in the bathroom mirror and went downstairs to Alex’s rooms.

She had indeed changed into her suit and looked every bit the consummate professional. She was at her desk again, this time talking on the phone. She motioned for me to be seated, and I sat down across the room at a small conference table so that she could have some privacy for her call.

I was still sitting there a few minutes later when there was a knock on the office door that led to the porch outside. Alex hung up the phone hastily and walked over slowly, without her cane, to open the door to the two men who stood outside.

“Stephan! Will! I’m so happy to see you both!” she greeted them. They stepped into the room and I got my first look at two men who would come to play an important role in my life very soon.

S
tephan embraced Alex, then held her away from him, looking at her with affection. “Alex, you never cease to amaze me,” he said, smiling. “Hip surgery, then rehab, and look at you! Working like a Trojan as always, and in a suit, no less! I’m very impressed!”

She turned to me and winked. “Stephan, I’d like you to meet my new nurse, Macy Stoddard. She’s wonderful,” Alex said.

I blushed and held out my hand to Stephan. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Marks.”

He shook my hand warmly. “It’s Stephan, please. And I’m very glad to know you. It seems Alex here is in very capable hands.”

I liked Stephan immediately. He was about sixty-five years old, tall, with white hair and blue eyes behind rimless glasses. He was dressed casually but impeccably—the collar of an oxford shirt peeked out from underneath his sweater.

Next Alex turned to Will and held out her hands to him. He took them in his and kissed her cheek. “Hi, Aunt Alex,” he said. “You look great.”

“Thank you, dear. This is Macy Stoddard, my new nurse. You two have a lot in common. She’s from New York City too.”

He smiled at me and held out his manicured hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Macy,” he said.

Will was one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen. Dressed like a model in jeans and a black turtleneck, he was well over six feet tall and had wavy dark brown hair. His eyes were a piercing black and his chin was strong and square. He looked like he was in his late thirties.

“Alex,” I said, “if you don’t need me for anything right now, I’ll leave you three to talk.”

“That’s fine, Macy. I don’t need anything. I’m sure you’ll have a chance to become better acquainted with Stephan and Will later on. Vali is planning dinner at seven.”

I hoped that meant that Alex would be joining us in the dining room, but I found out when I went downstairs for dinner that Vali had already taken Alex a tray. I would definitely mention to Alex the following day that it might do her good to eat in the dining room with other people.

Dinner was slightly more formal than it had been the night before. Candles were lit on the table and very soft jazz music played in the background. When I walked into the dining room, Stephan and Will were seated at the table, talking in low voices. I hesitated to sit down and interrupt them, but Stephan stood up to pull out my chair and invited me to have a drink from a bar that stood in the corner. I had just accepted a glass of white wine when Vali appeared to serve the first course, a crisp green salad topped with pears and candied walnuts. It was delicious. As we ate, Will asked me about New York.

“Where do you live in the city?” he began.

“I have an apartment on the Upper West Side,” I answered. “Near Columbus Circle. And you?”

“I have a place in Gramercy Park, not too far from our offices. It’s a four-story brownstone,” he remarked.

Bit of a braggart
, I thought.

“Gramercy Park is a beautiful neighborhood,” I said.

“Yes, it is. Many of the homes have important historical significance. In fact, the building next to mine houses an art society that’s over two hundred years old.”

I turned to Stephan. “Do you live in Manhattan, too, Stephan?” I asked him.

“Yes, I do,” he replied. “I live right in midtown, in a small, quiet neighborhood called Tudor City. It’s right across the street from the United Nations.”

“Stephan could live anywhere he chose, couldn’t you, Stephan?” Will laughed. “But he picked some quiet little street that no one’s ever heard of.” He shook his head in apparent disbelief.

“Actually, Tudor City is an area that many people are familiar with. We just don’t like to advertise ourselves,” Stephan replied, looking pointedly at Will. “People don’t move there because they want an address that everyone recognizes. They move there for peace and quiet. It’s like an oasis in the middle of New York City.”

“It sounds very nice,” I said blandly, then changed the subject. “How often do the two of you get up here to Hallstead Island?”

“A bit too often for my taste,” Will stated.

“Not often enough,” Stephan said simultaneously.

Just then, Vali appeared with small bowls of soup. As she cleared away the salad plates, Will looked up at her. “Vali, my love, you’re looking beautiful this evening.” She rolled her eyes at him and smiled, shaking her head.

“Always the flirt,” she answered.

When she returned to the kitchen, Will turned to me.

“So, living on the West Side, you’re probably familiar with the clubs in that area,” he said.

“Not really,” I acknowledged. “I don’t go to any clubs.”

“How about that wine bar right on Columbus Circle?” he probed.

I knew the place he meant. Exclusive, expensive. “No, I’ve never been there either,” I replied with a politeness I did not feel.

“No? Did you get to see any of the new shows on Broadway before you came up here?” he continued. This was getting tiresome.

“One doesn’t go to those places on a nurse’s salary,” I informed him. Will seemed finally to get the point and stopped talking.

We ate our soup in silence for several moments and then I told them, “I’d like to get Alex to start taking her meals in the dining room. She’s eaten all her meals on a tray in her room, and I think it would do her good to eat with other people.”

“ ‘Alex’? Awfully familiar, aren’t we?” Will asked me.

“She asked me to call her Alex,” I replied.

“I think it would be wonderful if you could get her to start eating meals with other human beings again,” said Stephan. “It’s been quite a long time since I’ve seen her eat anywhere but her own rooms.”

“I’ll mention it to her tomorrow,” I promised.

Over the rest of dinner, which was a magnificent beef tenderloin, the three of us, led by Stephan, made small talk about the very lively history of Cape Cartier. Stephan seemed to know a great deal about the area, and he was a captivating storyteller. Thankfully, Will did not have much of an opportunity to quiz me further about my social life in Manhattan.

After dessert I excused myself, leaving the two men alone to discuss business. Before going upstairs, I checked in on Alex to make sure that she didn’t need anything further from me.

I found her reading a book in her sitting room, still dressed in her suit. She said she’d be fine for the rest of the evening, so I went upstairs.

Before changing into my pajamas, I was anxious to try my hand at building my first fire. Feeling a little silly, I took the kindling and logs and crumpled newspapers out of the fireplace and laid them on the hearthrug next to me. I then repeated the steps I had watched Leland take. I struck one of the long matches Leland had left for me and cautiously reached into the fireplace and touched the flame to the paper and kindling. Ever so slowly, the flames began to spread and get bigger. I was delighted at this small victory, and I sat back on my heels to enjoy the fire unfolding before my eyes.

Not wanting to miss any of this beautiful show, I hurried into the bathroom to wash and put on my pajamas. It took me only a few short moments.

When I stepped out of the bathroom I knew immediately that something had gone wrong. The room was quickly filling with a thick, choking smoke, and for just a split second, I stood there, my mind paralyzed with fear. An image of my parents’ car engulfed in flames following their accident flashed through my mind, and it seemed to jolt me into action. I sprang across the room and in a few seconds was dashing down the stairs, yelling “Fire! Everyone out!” at the top of my lungs. I bolted into Alex’s rooms, where she was still reading in front of her own gaily crackling fire.

“Alex,” I panted, “there’s a fire. We have to get you out.”

“What!?” she exclaimed. She looked up at me with horror and confusion. “But how—”

I grabbed her book and tossed it aside, then took her hands and, as gently and quickly as I could, helped her stand up. I put my arms around her quaking shoulders and led her toward the door I had seen Stephan and Will use earlier in her office. I was helping her quickly through the bedroom when Stephan burst in.

“What’s going on?” he asked quickly, taking Alex’s hand and pulling her along.

“There’s a fire,” I said grimly. “Upstairs.”

Alex walked as quickly as she could through her bedroom and office, and Stephan and I helped her onto the porch. Stephan looked at me and asked, “Can you get her down the steps by yourself? I’m going back in to put the fire out.”

“You can’t go back in there, Stephan!” Alex yelled.

“Alex, just go with Macy. It will take firefighters too long to get here. I won’t do anything stupid, I promise.” And Stephan disappeared through Alex’s door.

I helped Alex down the stairs near her porch door and we stood well away from the house. Will ran up to us from the front of Summerplace, calling out, “Are you okay, Aunt Alex?”

“Yes, Will, I’m fine. But Stephan went back inside.” Her voice was filled with dread, her face looking white even in the darkness.

“What the hell for?” Will demanded.

“He wants to try to put the fire out because it takes time for firefighters to get to the islands,” she replied tearfully.

Then Vali and Leland came jogging around the back of Summerplace and Vali demanded, “What happened?”

I answered her. “There’s a fire upstairs.” She fell silent and we all looked upward into the windows of the second floor.

At that moment, Stephan appeared again at Alex’s porch door. He opened it and stepped outside. “It’s all right, everyone. False alarm—there’s no fire.”

“Are you sure?” I cried. “Where did all the smoke come from?”

Stephan came to stand with the rest of us. Just then, Pete came running up and joined us. “What’s going on? I heard shouting and couldn’t find anyone downstairs.”

Stephan answered him. “It’s okay, Pete. Macy thought there was a fire upstairs, but it turned out to be just some smoke from her fireplace. As soon as I opened the flue, the smoke started drawing up the chimney.”

All eyes turned on me. Will and Pete looked incredulous. Vali and Leland both shook their heads in disgust. Alex and Stephan looked at me sympathetically.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Will said. He glared at me. “Don’t tell me you forgot to open the flue.” He stared at me for a minute, then tilted his head back and started laughing. I had never been so embarrassed.

“I’m . . . I’m sorry,” I stammered, looking around at everyone standing there in the cold. “I didn’t realize that I forgot to open the flue.” Leland hadn’t said a word about a flue—that much I was sure of—but I didn’t want to make a scene and start pointing fingers. I had created enough of a scene already.

Vali and Leland turned to leave, and I saw Leland give me one last malevolent look, but I ignored him. Pete left too, but not before he shook his head at me, chuckling. I felt my face grow hot and I knew I looked as flustered as I felt. I hastily apologized again to Alex for causing her anguish, but she smiled at me. “It could happen to anyone,” she said. “Now, let’s get inside before we all freeze.”

Stephan and I walked up the steps on either side of Alex, and Will followed us into her office. She invited us to join her in her sitting room for tea, but she looked so weary that we all declined. Stephan walked to the sitting room door and turned to me. “Macy, don’t let this get you down. I know you’re embarrassed, but don’t dwell on it. It’s over and you did the right thing by getting Alex out of here when you thought there was danger. I thank you personally for that.” He looked fondly at Alex and bid us good night. Will followed Stephan out, kissing Alex and raising his eyebrows at me. I sighed deeply and apologized one last time to Alex.

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”

“Macy, it’s already forgotten. Now, I want you to go up and get some sleep, and that’s what I’m going to do, too. And by the way, what Stephan said is right. I think you were very brave coming in to save me when you thought Summerplace was on fire, and I thank you.” I smiled at her and left.

When I got back to my room, the fire was burning brightly and my room was warm, but it smelled terrible and smoke still hung in the air. I now noticed a small handle above the fireplace grate that I hadn’t seen before.
That must be the flue handle
, I thought ruefully. I sat down in front of the fireplace for quite some time, thinking of nothing in particular, but feeling very sorry for myself. I was exhausted but I didn’t want to get into bed yet. When the fire died down, I crawled into bed, but it was a long time before I was able to fall asleep. When I finally did, in the early hours of the morning, I was tormented by a nightmare I had had so many times in the past six weeks.

After waking from the horror, it always took me some time to calm down. This night was no different, but I eventually was able to get back to sleep.

I woke up early the next morning and was glad that I had a patient to care for, to keep me focused on work instead of on my nightmare or my lingering humiliation and embarrassment. When I went in to see Alex, she said nothing of the “fire,” and for that I was grateful. I didn’t mention it either. I did mention, however, that it might be good for her to start eating with other people in the dining room rather than by herself in her sitting room. She didn’t agree with me, but she didn’t exactly disagree either. I told her how much I personally would like to eat meals with her and she said she would think about it. Then she changed the subject and asked, “Do you think we could postpone our exercises a little today so that I can meet with Stephan and Will?”