Heavenstone 02 - Secret Whispers

all feared him. I would never have said they liked him, but I can say it now.”
    “Even when Mother was alive?”
    “Maybe in the early days, but my brother can be and was quite a stuffed shirt. He had to live up to that image of what he believed a Heaven-stone should be. He hardly ever smiled or made small talk with an employee. He quickly began to resemble some of the men in those portraits on the walls in there. I’m glad your mother resisted sitting for one of those portrait painters. Anyway, as you admit, you see a big difference in him now, too.”
    “Yes, I do.”
    “Well, then, I guess we should both count our blessings and be happy that Lucille Bennet’s come into his life, which means our lives, too, eh?”
    “I guess, Uncle Perry.”
    He tilted his head a bit and smiled. “You don’t sound as convinced as I am.”
    “I am,” I said. “It’s a little harder for me because . . .”
    He nodded. “Once you fully accept her, you feel you’ve betrayed the memory of your mother?”
    “Exactly.” I smiled. I’d never deny that Cassie had been right about me. I was so easy to read I really should have a library card for my face.
    “It’s Hamlet, only reversed,” Uncle Perry said. “Right at the start, we learn he felt that way about his father and about accepting his uncle as a replacement.”
    “I know. I love that play.”
    “Well, then,” Uncle Perry said, leaning toward me, “beware of ghosts, Sam.”
    “Mother doesn’t haunt me like that, Uncle Perry. She would never be the one to take away any of Daddy’s happiness.”
    He studied me a moment, and then, again leaning toward me, said, “But Cassie haunts you?”
    I was shocked. I had debated with myself about telling him. How did he know? I was sure I hadn’t given him any reason to think so. Was she haunting him as well?
    “I can’t help thinking about what she would think, Uncle Perry. She never hesitated to give me her opinion about anything.”
    He waved it away. “Fight it, or don’t care, Sam. I don’t like speaking ill of the dead, but I never had trouble believing what you told us Cassie had done. Cassie was an evil child, no matter what your father thought. I even saw that when she was no more than four, saw how she clung to your father but not your mother. I could see how she recoiled when she touched her. Why, she wouldn’t even let her brush her hair.”
    I didn’t speak. I had no doubt Cassie was listening. He saw how I gazed about the veranda, and he raised his eyebrows.
    “You’re worried someone will overhear me? Don’t worry. I don’t say these things to your father. I’ll stop talking about her. I can see it makes you uncomfortable. All right.” He changed his tone and folded his hands on the table. “Let’s talk about you instead. Have you given any thought to working with me? You’ve got that fabulous new car now. You can drive yourself, make your own hours, and get as involved as you wish. What do you say?”
    “What would I do, actually?”
    “Lots of things, Semantha. We’re constantly evaluating the new clothing lines, and you know how much I rely on your opinion about that, especially for the teenage market, and then there is the advertising, dealing with the magazines, newspapers, television, and radio. We’re also working with an Internet firm to dress up our Web site and start linking to our products everywhere. There’s a lot for you to do. It’s important we keep the younger perspective on everything.”
    “Okay, Uncle Perry. I’ll really think about it.”
    “Maybe you can start after the wedding. They’ll be off on their honeymoon, and it will be pretty lonely and quiet around here.”
    “Yes, that sounds like a possibility,” I told him.
    “Mission accomplished, then,” he said, clapping his hands.
    “What mission? So, that’s why you wanted to have lunch with me, isn’t it?” I asked, teasing him with narrow, suspicious eyes.
    “Hey, I’m still a little bit of a Heaven-stone, shrewd and conniving. But for good things.”
    I laughed. No matter what, I would always have Uncle Perry there for me whenever I got too low or simply needed a shot of energy and hope. There weren’t many occasions when he wasn’t a bright light. Sometimes, I thought, even Cassie had to admit it to herself, if not to me.
    He looked at his watch. “I’ve got to get back,” he said, rising. “There are still a few things I want to do today. Tell Mrs. Dobson she outdid herself