The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor Read Free

turned to me and yelled, “There’s water down there!”
    Evie joined her at the window, explaining that the water was part of the Ashley River and was very important to the Peppernell Manor farm.
    â€œAre there animals on the farm?”
    â€œYes. We have some cows and horses, and of course chickens, and some sheep. Would you like to see them?”
    Lucy jumped up and down, clapping. “Yes! Yes!”
    Evie smiled at her. “Once you and Mama are done unpacking, we’ll go for a drive and you can see some of the animals, okay?”
    â€œOkay!” Lucy was beaming.
    It took over an hour to hang up and put away all the clothes Lucy and I had brought. When we were done, we went downstairs in search of Evie. We found her in the kitchen talking to Ruby and she offered to take us to see the stables and pens. Lucy couldn’t wait to see the animals. We all climbed into my car, but I let Evie drive. She swung out of the garage and down the long allée to the main road. She took a right turn and went a half mile or so, then pulled off the road onto a bumpy dirt track. We drove slowly for a couple minutes, then stopped next to an old stone stable. On the far side of the stable were a pen and another, larger, stone building.
    â€œWant to see the horses first, Lucy?” asked Evie, her eyes twinkling.
    â€œYes!” came the answer from the backseat.
    The three of us went into the stable. I was struck by the coolness of the building, despite the heat outside. It smelled of horses and leather. Horses could be heard whinnying and chewing and stomping, and Lucy could hardly contain her excitement. She ran along the stone floor, making neighing noises and peering in each stall, shrieking and clapping with delight at every horse. She pulled Evie along with her, demanding to know all their names.
    â€œCan I ride one?”
    â€œSure,” exclaimed Evie.
    â€œNo,” I said firmly.
    Evie glanced at me sheepishly. “Spoke too soon. Sorry.”
    â€œThat’s okay. I just think she’s too little.”
    â€œBut I want to ride one!” cried Lucy.
    â€œYou’re too small to ride a horse. Maybe when you’re bigger.”
    That’s when the wailing started.
    Evie grimaced. “I started all this. I’m really sorry.”
    I smiled at her. “It’s no big deal. She’s just exhausted. Lucy, would you like to see the other animals before we go back to Evie’s house?”
    Lucy nodded, red-eyed and sniffling.
    Evie led us to the next stable. The tour of the second stable was quick because Lucy was getting so tired. We saw ducks, sheep, cows, pigs, and chickens, but by the end of the tour Lucy was barely able to drag her feet. I picked her up and we headed for the car.
    Back at the manor, she took a short nap in our room while I caught up with Evie in the drawing room downstairs. Though I had wanted to wander through the rest of the rooms in the house, Evie convinced me to chat for a while before dinner, promising that we could tour the home after dinner.
    â€œSo how have things been—really—without Brad?” she began.
    I grimaced. “Good riddance to him and that stripper girlfriend of his. Her name is Jilly, but I call her Jiggly. Not to Brad’s face, of course.
    â€œCan you believe he said I wasn’t spontaneous enough? I guess if ‘spontaneous’ means leaving your family behind for someone you barely know, then he was right.
    â€œWhen he first left, I was heartbroken. And furious with him and Jiggly. I felt like a failure. I was always exhausted, but I couldn’t sleep at night. I cried a lot. It took me a long time to realize that the anger and hate were hurting me and Lucy much more than them. I had to let it all go for my own sanity. So I’ve moved on; I’ve stopped being so angry and now all I feel is relief. Not that I would ever want to go through it again, but it made me finally face the fact