The late summer heat was unbelievably oppressive. I was unable to explore the grounds of the estate very much at all. The high temperatures stole the breath right out of my lungs and made me light-headed, so I tried to stay inside as much as possible.

However, one early morning before the heat of the day really kicked in, Maxwell took me for a ride in a golf cart to check on the irrigation of the pecan trees, and I was impressed with the sheer size of the property. I eagerly looked forward to a break in the weather so I could get out and walk around.

“Do you think the heat will ever drop enough that I can start taking some long walks? I really want to get to know the property.” I fanned myself with one hand. Even though it was early, the humidity was already high.

"There's certainly a lot to see outside of the house, Miss Darby. In fact, if you look closely enough, you might find relics of the Civil War in some of these fields. There weren't any battles fought on the property, thank goodness, but both Union and Confederate soldiers occupied the house and camped in the surrounding fields at different points in the war.”

Maxwell stopped the golf cart to let a wild turkey hurry across our path. It disappeared into the brush without a trace.

“They camped here? That’s incredible.” I grew up in a subdivision where all the houses looked exactly alike. I couldn’t imagine stumbling across a relic from the Civil War in my backyard.

“Fortunately, the commander of the Union troops that marched through here had once been entertained at Peacock Alley before hostilities broke out. He fell in love with the estate, so he didn't allow his troops to burn the house or the surrounding crops. Most of the plantations in this area were burned to the ground during the war, and were never rebuilt."

I was quiet for a time, thinking over his words. I looked out over the endless acreage and tried to imagine large numbers of troops camped out in the fields surrounding me. Considering the history of this place was overwhelming. Also, to think a quirk of fate had saved the house from destruction. Everything would be different if the house had burned.

We rode around for a couple of hours, chatting and checking on trees. I enjoyed spending time with Maxwell; he was always lovely to me, and never mentioned Savannah.

Just for fun, he drove me all the way to the edge of the property and pointed out Lake Arkabutla just past the wire fence. It was much larger than I expected and very calm and serene in the morning light. I remembered that this is where Savannah drowned, and where her body still rested, somewhere on the bottom of that big, majestic lake. It made me shiver despite the rising temperature.

"The official entrance to the lake property is a few miles from here." Maxwell laughed. "When we were kids, Nathan and I sometimes would just crawl under the fence here, and go right in. Sometimes we would even go swimming at night. I'm glad nothing bad ever happened to us because we snuck out, and nobody ever knew we were gone. Those were some fun times."

He seemed lost in his memories for a moment.

"Is it safe to swim in the lake?" I realized what I had just said, and I flushed. "I'm sorry. That was so stupid of me."

I was embarrassed by my thoughtless words.

Maxwell smiled in his kind way. "It is usually very safe to swim in the lake. Nathan and I swam there many times as boys. Savannah died because she took her boat out in a bad storm after she had been drinking heavily, and that wasn't a smart decision. The authorities believe she must have hit her head, or perhaps been struck by lightning, and that is why she didn't just swim back to shore. She was a strong swimmer, usually."

That was the first time he had mentioned anything about her to me. He was very matter of fact, direct, and didn't bother using the worshipful tone most people used when talking about Savannah. I was grateful.

“I’m sorry for what happened to Savannah.”

Maxwell seemed lost in thought for a moment, but then he nodded and went on. "About this time last year, it started raining, and we thought it would never stop. It rained off and on for over a month. It was nothing for us to get four inches of rain in one day. Then the next day the rain would continue. The flooding was immense and did a lot of property damage in the community. Luckily, for us, Peacock Alley is on high ground. I only worried that the pecans were getting too much water. Now, look at us, dry as a bone, worried that it will never rain again. What a difference a year makes, I guess."

The weather was certainly unusual. One day last week, we thought it was going to storm. The meteorologists at the local weather station were cautiously optimistic, and late in the afternoon, the clouds started building. However, nothing came of it. After a while, the clouds moved on, and we were left with just sun and heat, as usual.

As we were riding back to the house, I noticed a large, well-maintained barn in the distance; it was one of many outbuildings. I pointed it out to Maxwell.

"When I was a little girl, I really wanted a horse. I wondered if Nathan would mind getting a few horses so we could go riding together." My voice betrayed my excitement at the idea.

Maxwell smiled at me. "I'm fairly sure Nathan is so besotted with you that he would buy you a dozen horses, but he doesn't have to do that. There are several horses in the barn now. I'm sure there is one in particular that I'm thinking of that would be perfect for you to learn to ride. I'll talk it over with Nathan this afternoon."

I clapped my hands in delight. Maxwell was so sweet to me.

He stopped at the edge of an open meadow.

"Sorry, Miss Darby, I need to check the air pumps in this little pond. When it gets this hot, sometimes the fish are starved for oxygen, and they might die. We run pumps in all the ponds until October every year as a precaution."

Because it was early in the morning, the real heat hadn't descended upon us yet, so I decided to take advantage of our impromptu stop and walk back to the house.

“I think I will just walk from here. I’m really anxious to explore a little on foot.”

Maxwell offered to give me a ride and then come back out to the pump, but I told him there was no need. I jumped down from the cart and started walking.

Soon I came to a little cedar and brick building I had noticed earlier, but I didn't know its purpose. I was intrigued.

It sat in a small, open clearing behind the main house, with several apple, pear, and fig trees grouped around it. Curious, I decided to go in if the door was unlocked. Pulling on the wrought iron door handle, I walked into an air-conditioned space. The cold air was a noticeable difference from outside, and a welcome relief.

A dark figure turned toward me, and I was startled to see that I wasn't alone. I jumped and took a step back in surprise.

"Oh! Mother, I didn't realize anyone was in here."

Mother, dressed in her usual funereal black, was sitting on a bed in the middle of the room. My heart was pounding fast and hard, and it was obvious I had surprised her, as well.

I turned to leave, putting my hand on the door handle again.

"Don't go, Miss Turner. Let me show you around." She stood slowly, smiling what looked like a genuine smile, not the usual grimace she had reserved just for me.

Surprised, I came closer to her. Was this progress in our relationship? I had discovered since I moved to Peacock Alley, that my capacity for optimism was limitless.

"This was Savannah's secret little hideaway." She smiled at me.

Oh, great. My heart sank. Of course, I would find Savannah's hang out spot with Mother in it. Just what I needed to start my day.

"Savannah loved this place. She called it the garden house and spent so much time here, and decorated it so beautifully. Nathan decided after she died to leave everything exactly as she had left it. He couldn't bear to change a thing." Her words were like tiny stabs to my heart. "Here, let me show you her things."

"No, really, I don't want to intrude. I was just walking back to the house." I took a step towards the door, eyeing an escape.

"I insist, Miss Turner." Her voice was as cold as ever.

I was almost hypnotized by the unnatural light in Mother's eyes. I had never seen her so animated before. There was color in her usually pallid cheeks. She seemed almost worshipful of Savannah, and now I was going to have to hear more about the first wife who was so superior to me in every way. Just fucking great.

"Here is her bed."

Mother ran a head over the silky coverlet, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles. She pulled a corner of the spread back to show me the snowy linen sheets beneath it.

"She liked to come here and take naps, and sometimes she and Nathan would make love out here for hours. Especially when it rained. Savannah loved the sound of the rain on all the glass windows, and on the skylights."

There was a down comforter folded at the foot of the bed. I could just see Nathan and Savannah wrapped up in the covers, in an intimate embrace. Mother was painting quite a picture for me.

Now I was creeped out. I did not want to hear about my husband's sex life with his first wife. What mother would discuss such a sensitive subject matter concerning her son anyway? And who told her these details? Savannah? It surely wasn’t Nathan.

Mother moved slowly to a large modern armoire against one wall and opened it. She fingered the clothing inside, even lifting one dress off its hanger and sniffing it.

“I really should be going.” Again, I turned to the door, but Mother kept talking, ignoring my efforts to escape her.

"Here are many of her clothes. Didn't she have some beautiful clothing? No yoga pants or t-shirts for Savannah. That simply wouldn't do for the mistress of Peacock Alley."

Once again, another jab in my direction.

I noticed a silky nightgown pooled on the floor next to the armoire, as if its owner had just slipped out of it, and into her day clothes. I scanned the room again. From the way the room looked, Savannah could have been here minutes ago. There was no dust anywhere, just candles on every available surface, and dried flowers in vases by the bedside and on the fireplace mantel.

Why hadn’t someone packed all this stuff up by now?

“Wait, Darby. There’s more to see.”

I took another step toward the door.

"She picked those flowers herself, you know, the day before she died." Mother saw me looking in the direction of the dried flowers. "We just couldn't bear to throw them away."

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the garden house filled with the loveliest light from all directions. The light was golden and illuminated the room. All of the windows and skylights produced a glow that combined in a way that was almost heavenly. I could certainly understand why Savannah liked to be out here. However, the beautiful sunlight seemed out of place with the cold feeling crawling up my spine.

Unable to help myself, I stepped back into the room. I could see an open doorway that led to a full bath with a claw foot tub. Again, I tortured myself with images of Savannah and Nathan cuddling in a bubble bath, whispering words of love and passion to each other. I remembered the bath Nathan had drawn for me when I first arrived at Peacock Alley. Was that something he had done for Savannah, too?

I wanted to hit myself in the head to stop the images that filled my mind. Mother was smiling as if she knew exactly what I was thinking, and what it was doing to me. It seemed to make her happy.

Mother glided in her ghost-like way to a small vanity and picked up a tube of lipstick. "Here is all of her make up. Everything high end, of course. Only the best would do for Savannah. She bought most of her cosmetics in Paris, New York, or Los Angeles. I like to come in here and smell her powders and perfume. Nathan does, as well. He says he can feel close to her here as if she never left. It does seem like she could just walk in that door any minute, doesn't it?"

That fanatical light gleamed in her eyes once more. I was getting goosebumps.

Mother misted some of Savannah's perfume into the air and inhaled, closing her eyes as she breathed in.

"Nathan had this custom made for Savannah in Paris one year. Isn't it lovely?"

Now I could smell the cloying scent of jasmine and lilies. I didn't like it at all. It reminded me of something unpleasant, but I couldn't quite remember what...A funeral, maybe.

“It really doesn’t appeal to me. It’s a little heavy for my tastes.” My voice sounded faint.

"What do you think, Miss Turner? Do you think the dead watch us?" She crossed the room towards me. I found myself backing away, but I wasn’t quick enough.

Mother reached out and grabbed my wrist in a tight grip.

I stared at her, horrified and mute, trying to pull free.

"Do you think she watches you and wonders why Nathan settled for such a poor imitation of her beauty and charm? I wonder how long she will stand for it before she feels compelled to take action." She glared at me.

I pried Mother's cold fingers off my wrist and spun toward to the door. I was running away in my panic. Mother started laughing behind me.

Finally, I was through the door, and I slammed it shut behind me.

I have never believed in ghosts, still don't to this day, but at the very least, Savannah's memory was haunting Peacock Alley.