Hawthorne Read Online Free Page A

whispered. "As in murder?"
    Noah nodded, his face somber . "Looks like that's what they were getting at. Can't find what came of the investigation, though. Your grandparents were married six months later, almost exactly a year after he tied the knot with Alma. I'm sure the timing set a few tongues to wagging." He opened another journal. "This is Margaret's. It's kind of creepy how they're all kept together in one place if you ask me."
    The humid attic took on a sickly chill . "Can you imagine losing your wife and your unborn baby in such a horrible accident, both at once?" And why was it kept a secret? In the seventeen years she lived in Hawthorne Manor, not once had she heard of Alma or her grandfather's unborn baby. Or, stranger yet, the accident. Even if the family chose not to discuss the incident, it was quite odd for the servants not to talk — especially about a death with suspected foul play. "Anything on how she died?"
    He shook his head . "Not in the papers." Fishing through newsprint, he added, "Mostly just the standard announcement stuff. Your grandparents' marriage. Your mother's birth." He paused and glanced at Emma, then returned his attention to the paper in his hand. "Her death. Did you know your grandparents had a little boy? Your mom’s baby brother."
    "Yes. " Even on the lone syllable, Emma's voice shook. The deaths — aside of Alma's — weren't news to her. The Hawthorne family had more than their share of tragic endings of late. With both of her grandparents gone and no surviving children, Emma truly was the last of the family line — a fact which no doubt made her absence over the last few years especially difficult for her grandmother. Without Emma, Margaret Gray Hawthorne had been quite literally alone in the world, save for the company of her servants. What Emma wouldn't give to go back and change everything — to have a second chance to be with her grandmother and with Noah.
    He caught her eye. "Well, brace yourself." Longing filled his expression — as if he wanted to hold her, to gather her close and keep the words from coming to his lips — but instead of reaching for her, he simply stacked the books into a neat pile and wound the purple ribbon into place. "Somehow, Emma Grace, I don't think you'll expect to hear this next part."
    Emma's temperature rose a degree or two hearing her name roll off his lip s, but his tone did little to settle the unease threading the room. The cold spot in the attic dissipated into the oppression of humidity, then the heat of fire. The pressure in the room nearly killed her, but Noah sat calmly — studying her — his face traipsing with mild concern, if not indifference. The heat… didn't he feel it?
    His mouth moved, but a distant buzzing kept the words at bay . A movement in the corner of her eye had Emma's attention darting to the shadows.
    In a single horrifying second, she was certain they held the face of the old woman. Noah's words came back to her: I think I know who she is .
    He was still talking . Emma tried to hear him, but the translucent figure in the corner — there, but lurking just out of focus — swept the sound from the space.
    Then , as suddenly as she appeared, she was gone. As if someone flipped a switch, through muffled, muted airwaves, finally Noah's words broke through.
    "Rumors… reported… your grandmother killed Alma."

Chapter Four
     
    For the most part Noah had corralled his disbelief over seeing Emma Grace again, figuring he'd tuck it away for now and maybe examine it when she left, for he knew she would. In the meantime, he'd just enjoy the moment. He'd revel in the way those soft waves of reddish-brown hair caressed her back, leading his mind back to the days when his fingertips made the same trails over her bare skin. He'd let his heart lounge in the nearness of her and let the warmth of what they once had — and what still lived within him — linger inside, strengthening his soul for whatever would come of this