It had been a bad business, this horrible deed. Taken her own life, she had. Taken her life without a word to her daughter. Just a rambling note accusing her poor dead husband of awful things. But who could believe her? She had never been a likable woman. Not even before the fever came.
She hushed as Lafonda stepped outside and Yvette helped the younger woman into the carriage. Lafonda would be all right. She would heal and be better for leaving this place. She was strong and brave. This was the right thing. The best thing for her.
And then I could hear humming. Calpurnia walked from room to room. She touched the mantelpiece in the ladies’ parlor, the humidor in her father’s study and the cut glass goblets in the men’s parlor. But she did not go upstairs. She paused at the bottom and stared up.
“Goodbye,” she said in a whisper. But to whom? Who was she talking to?
And then I realized I was standing on the top step. Yes, I wasn’t in the foyer now but standing here. She was just there, just at the bottom. With a bow of her head, she walked out the door and a wild wind encircled her. And though I could hear the wind blow, it did not stir one piece of black lace or move a hair out of place. She smiled her cryptic smile and closed the door, taking the wind with her. As the clicking of the door echoed through the house, I opened my eyes.
While Ashland slept, I crept out of bed and went to the top of the stairs. Calpurnia wasn’t there anymore. She wasn’t here and would never be here again. She was gone for good and had taken the ghosts of Seven Sisters with her. Or at least the ones that tried to linger, the ones we’d forgotten or had never known about.
I would never see her again. Calpurnia Cottonwood had freed herself from her own past, and she’d freed us to enjoy our future.
I sat on the top step and thought perhaps I would cry, but there was no sadness left in me. No melancholy at all. No regret. Nothing but love and light.
Later that night, after the party was over, when the house was quiet and everyone was in bed, I went back to the top step and sat waiting. Just in case. But Calpurnia did not return. I heard soft footsteps behind me and looked over to see my niece sitting beside me, her ragged unicorn in her hands. She leaned her head on my arm and sighed. She knew too. I put my arm around her and hugged her tight.
“Aunt Carrie Jo?”
“Yes, baby.”
“Will you take a walk with me?”
And together we walked down the stairs to the back door. The air smelled like jasmine and magnolia. It was damp too, since we’d had quite a rain this evening. But I liked it. Lily set her unicorn by the back door, and together we stepped out of the house and poised on the step that led to the Moonlight Garden.
“Stay close, Lily. Don’t wander off.”
“I won’t, Aunt Carrie Jo. But you have to do it.”
“Alright.” She put her hand in mine, and I imagined a door. A door full of light and love and peace.
And together, we stepped through it.
About the Author
Author of the best-selling Seven Sisters series and the Desert Queen series, M.L. Bullock has been storytelling since she was a child. A student of archaeology, she loves weaving stories that feature her favorite historical characters—including Nefertiti. She currently lives on the Gulf Coast with her family but travels frequently to explore the southern states she loves so much.
Read more from M.L. Bullock
Morgan’s Rock Series
The Haunting of Joanna Storm
The Ghost of Joanna Storm
The Nike Chronicles
Blue Water
Blue Wake
Blue Tide
The Seven Sisters Series
Seven Sisters
Moonlight Falls on Seven Sisters
Shadows Stir at Seven Sisters
The Stars that Fell
The Stars We Walked Upon
The Sun Rises Over Seven Sisters
Christmas at Seven Sisters (bonus short stories)
Ghost on a Swing (series prequel)
The Idlewood Series
The Ghosts of Idlewood
Dreams of Idlewood
The Whispering Saint
The Haunted Child
The Gulf Coast Paranormal Series
The Ghosts of Kali Oka Road
A Haunting on Bloodgood Row
The Legend of the Ghost Queen
A Haunting at Dixie House
The Ghost Lights of Forrest Field
The Ghost of Gabrielle Bonet
The Ghost of Harrington Farm
The Creature on Crenshaw Road
A Ghostly Ride in Gulfport
The Maelstrom of the Leaf Academy
Gulf Coast Paranormal Extras
The October People
Shabby Hearts Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series
A Touch of Shabby
Shabbier by the Minute
Shabby by Night
Shabby All the Way
The Sugar Hill Series
Wife of the Left Hand
Fire on the Ramparts
Blood by Candlelight
The Starlight Ball
Ghosts of Summerleigh Series
The Belles of Desire, Mississippi
The Ghost of Jeopardy Belle
The Lady in White
The Vampires of Rock and Roll Series
Elegant Black
Lost Camelot Series
Guinevere Forever
Guinevere Unconquered
The Undead Queen of Camelot
The Desert Queen Series
The Tale of Nefret
The Falcon Rises
The Kingdom of Nefertiti
The Song of the Bee-Eater
Standalone books
Ghosts on a Plane