Witch Hunt (37 page)

Witnessing Bea’s harsh treatment of her servant reminded Vivian of her last encounter with Johnny Bartlett, the Eldons’ stable man. He had enlisted in the
RAF
, and Vivian was indignant about his choice to leave; she had slapped him hard across the face when he tendered his resignation. Three months later, his plane went down in the English Channel. Her hand still burned at the memory of her last act of selfish cruelty toward him. “May I please sit down?” She removed her heavy wool coat and gloves.

“Our home is your home.”

Vivian chose a chair as far away from Bea as possible.

“So, what is your gift, Vivian?”

“Actually, I’m skilled at the Priestess arts.”

Bea shook her head in confusion. “What?”

“The Priestess arts. I can channel the Lady. I preside over the religious festivals.” Vivian was proud of her ability.

“Is that all?” Bea asked.

Vivian was startled. “Isn’t that enough?”

“Well, we don’t go in for that religious stuff these days. We’re more practical.”

Vivian didn’t know how to respond. What would life be like without worship of the God and Goddess? She swallowed her disappointment and sudden sense of inadequacy. “What is your gift?”

“I’m a medium. Would you like to see?”

“I’m a little tired for a séance right now.”

“No, no. It’s okay. You just have to sit there. I can do it anytime, anywhere.” Bea put her glass on the coffee table and sat down on the ottoman in front of Vivian’s chair. She grasped Vivian’s hands in her sweaty palms and closed her eyes.

Vivian averted her head to avoid the noxious odor of liquor on Bea’s breath. Within minutes, Bea’s hands became so cold that it felt as if she were holding ice cubes.

“There’s someone here who wants to say something to you.” Bea’s voice was several octaves lower than before.

Vivian felt the energy in the room shift, and the hair on her arms stood on end. “Who is it?”

Bea’s voice went even lower and assumed a cockney accent. “It’s me … Johnny. Just wanted you to know it’s okay. Let it go. Okay, Tinkerbell?”

Vivian gasped with surprise. Only Johnny had ever called her that. She’d been to successful séances before in her life, but the ease with which Bea channeled amazed her. “I’m sorry, Johnny.”

“Being a bitch is just part of the human condition for you, love. Use it to your advantage.”

Vivian might have been offended, but instead she found herself accepting his advice. “Have a safe trip, Johnny.”

“You, too,” he said.

Bea pulled her hands out of Vivian’s and shivered; she wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth.

“Are you okay?” Vivian asked. “What can I do?”

“Scotch on the table there. Pour me a glass. Quickly.”

Vivian did as she was told and threw her coat over Bea’s shoulders for good measure.

Bea downed the glass of golden warmth and her shivering stopped. “Was it someone you wanted to connect with?”

“Yes, actually, it was. Thank you.”

“My, but you’re a pretty girl.” Bea reached out and patted Vivian’s cheek. “Your skin is just peaches and cream. And your hair’s such a pretty color; that’s called strawberry blond, isn’t it? You and Alan will have beautiful children.”

“About Alan and me — ”

“Now, don’t you worry about a thing; he thinks he’s in love with that Katherine Winthrop, but that’ll pass. You’ll make him forget her. She’s not one of us, you know. She’s a
Christian
.” She spat the word.

Vivian’s stomach lurched. The thought of competition was an unexpected hurdle to overcome. But more than that, she was appalled at the concept of a witch even considering taking an outlander — and particularly one who was Christian — as a spouse. “That’s disgusting.”

“My sentiments exactly.”

The two women had arrived at a common ground.

Vivian did not meet the rest of the family until dinner that evening. When she first saw Alan, she was captured by her own desire. He was the tall, dark, and handsome fantasy she had been entertaining all her life. She resolved to win him.

“This is our new house guest,” Bea announced when they were all seated. “Vivian Eldon, of the English Eldons.”

Everyone welcomed her.

Vivian noticed that Alan regarded her with frank appreciation. If her gift wouldn’t wow him, she felt certain that her beauty would have an effect.

“Vivian, this is my husband, Tony. And these are my twins, Cliff and Glynis — her husband, Dorian, is in the hospital right now — and Alan.”

“It’s a pleasure,” she said.

“What brings you to America?” Cliff asked.

“Your brother, actually.”

All eyes fell on Alan.

His thick eyebrows knitted themselves together. “Ah, excuse me?”

“My parents and yours thought we should meet each other.”

He squirmed and toyed with his fork. “Whatever for?”

“To check out the chemistry, I imagine.”

A red glow rose in Alan’s face. “Well, that’s nice of them, but I’m otherwise involved.”

“Not any longer,” Tony said.

Alan’s eyes reflected fear as they moved to regard Glynis, whose face suddenly paled.

Vivian didn’t understand the significance of their reactions, but she instinctively knew that her task was going to be easier than she expected.

Katherine spent another day waiting for Alan’s call. When he had taken her home from the New Year’s Eve party, he promised that they would go out again before he had to leave for school, and that time was fast approaching. She had resisted the urge to phone him, as she was well aware of the problems his family was having; she didn’t want to interfere with pressing issues that might need his attention. But she missed him terribly, and his prolonged silence had begun to make her nervous. Finally, she gave in and made the call.

Natalia answered the phone. “Hawthorne residence.”

“May I please speak with Alan?”

“Who’s calling?”

“Katherine.”

There was a moment’s hesitation. “I’m sorry, Miss Katherine, but Mr. Alan isn’t home … to you.”

Katherine laughed. “Don’t be silly. This is Katherine Winthrop.”

“Yes, miss, I know.”

The solemnity in Natalia’s voice made Katherine’s heart race.

“Is this coming from Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne?” She had never felt as if they liked her much.

“No, miss, from Mr. Alan himself.”

Katherine stomach took the emotional punch. “Why? What did I do?”

“I’m sure I don’t know, miss.”

“Yes, well, thank you, Natalia.”

It didn’t take long for shock to turn to despair.

Katherine had known Dorian Wildes only as the sexy young porter at the local train station. Now she also knew him as the son-in-law Tony Hawthorne had crippled. Nevertheless, she felt that somehow she might find the answers she needed in his hospital room. She took him flowers.

He immediately began to sneeze and handed them back to her. “Thanks, but losing my legs has given me an allergy to things that pollinate.”

Katherine didn’t understand the analogy, but she removed the bouquet from the room and thrust it in the hands of a surprised, but grateful, passerby in the hallway. She returned to the foot of his bed.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Emasculated. But otherwise just dandy.”

“What you did was very,” she paused to grope for the right word, “gallant.”

He laughed bitterly. “Yep. That’s me. Just a regular Sir Walter Raleigh.”

“What will you do now?”

“The next step, I suppose, is to get over my self-pity.” He looked out the window at the gray winter sky for a while. “Then I guess I’ll learn a trade that doesn’t require legs.”

“Any ideas?”

He laughed again, but this time it was more mischievous than bitter. “What do you think about my becoming an accountant and taking over management of the Hawthorne finances? Would that get old Tony’s goat or what?”

Katherine smiled. “I think it’s perfect revenge.”

He regarded her with keen eyes. “Why are you really here?”

“Am I so transparent?”

He nodded.

“Alan cut me off without explanation. Things were going so well for us, too. I tried to reach him, but my call was refused. I’m beside myself and thought you might know something.”

Dorian sighed and lit a cigarette. Katherine could tell he was planning his response carefully. Finally, he exhaled several rings of blue smoke and said, “It’s my understanding there’s another woman.”

Katherine gasped; such a possibility had never occurred to her. “Who?”

“A friend of the family, from England. She came to visit, and, well …”

Katherine’s head reeled in disbelief. “Why wouldn’t he have told me? After all we’ve meant to each other?”

Dorian took a deep drag on the cigarette and chuckled. “The Hawthornes are a mighty unpredictable lot. Take it from an expert.”

The door swung open behind her, and thinking it might be Alan, Katherine’s heart performed a somersault. But she turned to find only Glynis.

Glynis fixed Katherine with a harsh stare. “What the hell are you doing here? Now that Alan’s moved on to bigger and better things, are you trying to hook my man?”

Katherine was stunned. “Of course not. I just came to — ”

“Well, take your pathetic ass somewhere else. Just because your dad did us a favor, we don’t owe you anything.”

“I never — ”

“Get out.”

Trembling and fighting back tears of humiliation, Katherine did as she had been told.