The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor (19 page)

She stood back so I could see it. It was a gorgeous oil painting done in light greens and yellows and blues. The sun rose in the background and pathways of water wound through marshland in the foreground. The sun twinkled on the water. The effect was idyllic and serene.

“I love it,” I told Vivian. “Can I see some of the others?”

“Of course.”

I took my time perusing the artwork. There were several pictures that were similar to the one I had seen already. There was a stunning painting of an allée of trees just like the ones at Peppernell Manor. That painting would definitely have to go in the front hall. There was another picture of a narrow waterway snaking its way toward the sunset between two stretches of land. The clouds, colored pink and purple by the sunset, looked real. The painter had done a beautiful job. And I especially liked one of Lowcountry tree silhouettes under a full moon.

“What do you think?” she asked excitedly.

“I think it's going to be hard to narrow down our favorites!”

“How about this? You pick four and I'll pick four. Then we can see if they go together and will fit in the front hall. Did you bring the measurements?”

I laughed. “I don't go anywhere without all the measurements of every room. You pick your four first.”

“All right.”

I watched as she chose her favorites. Sure enough, she picked the allée painting that looked like Peppernell Manor. She also picked out a marshy-looking painting as well as one with several shorebirds walking among the reeds and one of the open ocean with a beach in the foreground.

“My turn?”

I chose my four carefully. I ended up with the first painting I had seen—the one of the sunrise—plus I chose the one with the silhouettes under the full moon, one with a field of wildflowers in the foreground and a watery marsh in the background, and another ocean painting, this one with a faraway sailboat. All eight paintings would indeed look striking grouped together in the front hall of Peppernell Manor. In fact, they looked better than the portraits would—too bad these were only on loan until the portraits were restored.

Vivian was very happy with the entire ensemble. She told me she would do the necessary paperwork to take them home for a loaner display and then get them to the manor as soon as possible.

I went back to the manor and walked around slowly in the rooms I had finished thus far, taking a few more photos and noting whether there were any finishing touches that I needed to complete. I was pleased with the progress of the restoration and was anxious to get started in the withdrawing room. All of the other public spaces downstairs were complete, with the exception of some furniture for the ballroom and the paintings for the front hall.

I walked into the withdrawing room. It was a small room, paneled entirely in cypress, as was the custom in the grander homes of the mid-nineteenth century. Though there had been some staining, I could see that the wood, once restored, would be the color of a fine cognac. A large fireplace stood along one wall, with a green-and-black marble hearth. The carved details on the cypress were astonishing. They looked like they were still in very good shape, so I might not need a special woodworker to finish this room.

I had completed the work on the ceiling weeks ago, but now I would have to get to work refinishing the walls due to the discoloration from cigar smoke almost as old as the manor. It would probably take a couple of long days to completely remove the stains. This room was carpeted, too. A dark blue carpet with a gold fleur-de-lis design covered the floor. It looked rather worn and dingy and I wondered whether I would be able to save it.

I got to work on the walls right away. It would be great to have this room finished in time for the open house in case anyone wanted to use it. Lucy even “helped” me after I picked her up from school during the afternoon. She had her own cloth to wipe down the walls; she had fun and I didn't have to worry about her or ask someone else to watch her for me again.

Heath joined us at dinner that night. Vivian was focused on the open house and the plans that she had made so far. Phyllis tried to speak once when she was serving the meal, but Vivian shushed her and waved her away imperiously. “Not now, Phyllis. When I need your advice, I'll ask.” Phyllis looked daggers at her but said nothing.

Heath had more important things to discuss. “Dad, it's looking more and more like that storm is going to make landfall along the Carolina coast. When do you want to start buttoning things up?”

“Tomorrow morning, first thing,” was Graydon's swift reply. “The weatherman is saying that there's a strong possibility that the hurricane is going to make a direct hit not far from here. We need to get everything secured within the next twenty-four hours.”

Just then I got a text from Lucy's school. All nursery school classes were cancelled the following day to allow families time to prepare for the storm. I was starting to get nervous. Living in Chicago, I was never much concerned about hurricanes. They were something that I followed from thousands of miles away on cable news. Now it looked like I might be in the middle of one, and I was very anxious, especially for Lucy.

My phone vibrated. Brad. I knew what he was calling for and I excused myself from the table and went into the drawing room to take the call.

“Hello?”

“I assume you've heard about the hurricane heading for South Carolina,” he began. “When are you leaving?”

“What are you talking about? We're not leaving.”

“You have to. If you don't I'll take back my permission for her to be there with you.”

“Don't threaten me, Brad. She and I are staying here and she'll be just fine.”

“How do you know?”

“The owner of Peppernell Manor has assured me that this house has been through lots of hurricanes and there's never been so much as a broken window,” I lied.

“Sure,” he sneered.

“Brad, I think it's safer for us at this point to stay here than it is to go running off somewhere else.” It wasn't true, but I couldn't think of anything else to say.

“How long will it be before the storm makes landfall?”

“Could be any time now. Could be by tomorrow.”

“You're lying, Carleigh. I've heard that it won't be for a couple of days.”

“Why did you ask, then?”

“You have plenty of time to get out of there.”

“Brad, why can't you just trust me to keep her safe? If it seems like the storm is too strong, there's a huge basement. We'll go down there.”

He was quiet for a moment, probably thinking.

“Besides, I frankly think we're safer in the basement than we are driving out on the road to get somewhere else.”

“Well,” he began, “are you sure you'll be with her the whole time?” Good. He was starting to come to his senses.

“Of course! What else would I do?”

“Hmm. I guess it would be all right if you stayed there, as long as you promise to keep her right with you all the time.”

“You know I will. I don't want anything to happen to her, either.”

“Have Lucy call me as often as you can.”

“I will,” I promised.

The next day we were all busy getting the manor ready in case the hurricane made landfall nearby. Graydon and Heath took a ladder all around the outside of the house to make sure each set of shutters was in working order and to put large
X
shapes in each windowpane with strong masking tape. Then they closed the shutters, leaving each room in near-complete darkness. Walking around indoors was eerie, like walking around in the twilight, even though the weather outside was sunny and, to my eyes, beautiful. Lucy trotted along beside me as I helped Evie and Phyllis move lawn furniture down into the basement. The garage, now free of its police tape, would have been a more logical destination for the furniture, but we all agreed that we didn't want to go in there. We also put Heath's patio furniture inside the carriage house. Vivian had gone into Charleston to supervise hurricane preparations at her store. I shuddered thinking of all the beautiful historic artifacts that could be ruined or damaged by a hurricane.

After the lawn furniture had been stored safely, Evie and Lucy and I went indoors where our assignment from Graydon was to make sure that the manor's emergency kit was completely stocked. Evie assured me that it remained fully stocked at all times so our job was just to double-check.

The kit was kept in a large storage closet in the basement. I couldn't believe all the things that were necessary in case of an emergency requiring the residents of Peppernell Manor to evacuate or live without electricity for an extended period. There were the things I expected: lots of water, a first-aid kit, flashlights, a large supply of batteries, candles, matches in waterproof containers, canned food and a can opener, a battery-operated radio, and a supply of personal items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant. But there were other things I never would have thought of: powdered milk and sports drinks, sunscreen, bug spray, a camera for insurance purposes, paper and pens, a waterproof and fireproof box for any important documents that were kept upstairs in the house, a tool kit, bedding, and even a supply of books and games to play when boredom set in. The emergency items couldn't really be called a “kit.” It was more like an entire room filled with items that might be necessary in case of a dire emergency. Evie told me that the only things missing were cash and travelers' checks, which Graydon always kept in a safe upstairs.

I was astounded by the amount of work that went into preparing for a hurricane that might or might not strike.

“Do you guys do this every time there's a hurricane in the forecast?” I asked Evie.

“Only when it looks likely that the hurricane is going to hit nearby,” she answered.

“This is pretty late in the season for a hurricane, isn't it?”

“Yes. There were a couple of close calls over the summer, but nothing like this. We only shuttered the windows for those.”

We went upstairs where Phyllis and Ruby were busy making quick breads and some cookies for the “kit” in the basement. Lucy wanted to help them, but Heath called me and asked me to put together a kit for Addie in the carriage house. Lucy decided she'd rather visit her furry friend than bake.

We went over to the carriage house, where Addie greeted us excitedly. People say animals know when a storm is coming, but Addie acted the same as always, running around in circles, barking, and jumping with sheer joy. We found a large box and filled it with dry food, treats, towels, fresh water in gallon jugs, and an extra leash. Lucy was in charge of choosing a number of Addie's toys to keep in the box. She took a photo of Addie with my cell phone and I wrote down the name and address of Addie's veterinarian and put the paper in the box for Heath. We didn't want to leave Addie again, so we stayed for a little while to play with her on Heath's patio. She must have been confused by all the activity around her, so we wanted to give her some special attention.

After a little while we went back to the manor to help with additional preparations. Graydon insisted that the radio and television stay on to keep track of the storm; there now seemed to be a general consensus among the weather experts that the storm was headed right for the Charleston area. I was getting more and more nervous, but I tried to stay busy to keep my mind off the hurricane and to keep Lucy occupied.

We worked around the property for the rest of the afternoon and then went over to the stables with Heath to check on the animals there. We made sure the animals had plenty of food and water in case no one was able to get there during or right after the storm, though Heath indicated that he would make every effort to get to the stables to tend to the animals. He put tape on each stable window while Lucy and I made sure that the chickens were secured inside their coop.

Then we went back to the manor to wait through the long hours before the hurricane was due to come. It would be at least twenty-four hours before we would begin to feel the first hints of the storm. We all had dinner together in the dining room, darkened due to the covered windows. It was really rather cozy, with the lights shining warmly and the silverware clinking quietly in the subdued atmosphere. Lucy thought it was fun.

After dinner Heath went to the carriage house where Addie was no doubt anxious to see him, and Lucy and Evie and I went upstairs to read and play with her dolls. We spent a very pleasant evening, just the three of us and the dolls.

The next day I worked on the main staircase of the manor. The steps were worn and scuffed, and I wanted to clean them as much as possible before refinishing them. I planned to refinish every other step first, then let them dry and refinish the remaining steps. Otherwise there would be no way for everyone to get up or down the stairs.

Lucy played with some of her toys in the drawing room while I worked. Evie was busy up in her room, making calls and doing some work on her computer that might not be possible if the storm knocked out power. Heath and Vivian were both in Charleston making final storm preparations. I knew Vivian was very nervous about the antiques and artwork in her store and she was spending as much time as possible there to make sure the artifacts would be safe.

It was a day of waiting, of apprehension. The weather outside was strangely calm and only a little cloudy. There was no rain, no wind. I took Lucy over to the carriage house for a little while to play with Addie on the patio and it was actually pleasant sitting out there. It truly was the calm before the storm.

We were at dinner that evening when the rain started spattering on the windows. The storm had arrived. Though it started with raindrops hitting the shutters, it became strong quickly as the wind picked up. Heath had joined us, but planned to go back to the carriage house right after dinner to stay with Addie. Strangely, Vivian had not yet arrived from Charleston. Graydon tried calling her cell phone, but it went right to voicemail. He excused himself from the table and went into the kitchen to leave her a message, which we could all hear clearly from the dining room.