As You Wish Read online

  “Impressive!” Elise said.

  “What the hell was that?” Kevin shouted as he jumped up.

  “It’s this horrible old house,” Hildy yelled back. “It’s falling down. I told Olivia that man was a charlatan. He’s put her in this house and he’s left her—just like he did before. Kevin, we must get her out of here. If we have to move into this place, we’re going to be here when she gets back. I bet if we look hard enough we can find a key hidden somewhere. We must do whatever we have to to make her see reason.”

  “Is there a key?” Elise whispered.

  Olivia gave a nod. “I think I’ve just seen the gates of hell.”

  “Come on,” Elise said. “Race you across the bridge.”

  Olivia started to follow, but on impulse, she tossed her pretty blue and white satin bra through the trees. Naked, clothes over her arm, she ran after Elise, across the bridge, then took a sharp left over a shallow part of water that lapped about their bare ankles.

  At the tall stone wall, Elise hesitated, unsure of how to get over. Olivia came up behind her and began throwing clothes over. The stump she’d used so many years ago was gone, but a thick tree branch hung down low and ended on the other side of the wall. Olivia jumped up, caught it, swung herself up, then looked down at Elise on the ground.

  Bits of sun sparkled on their bare bodies.

  “Come on.” Leaning down, Olivia stretched out her arm to Elise. “Don’t back out now.”

  Elise grabbed Olivia’s arm in a grip so secure that it felt as though she’d rehearsed it, then propelled herself upward. The two women scooted across the branch.

  Olivia groaned. “I do not want my gynecologist to see what I’ve just done to my nether regions.”

  “A gyno would be the only one to see my injuries.”

  “I don’t know. Ray seems to like you.”

  “Bad Olivia!” Elise said as she came to the end of the branch and dropped down beside the older woman.

  As soon as they were on the ground, they began running, body parts bouncing. In spite of their age difference, both of them were tall and thin, and as pretty as wood sprites.

  Abruptly, Olivia grabbed Elise’s arm and stopped her. Silently, she pointed. Houses had been built on the land since she and Kit had run across there.

  With muffled giggles, they pulled on their clothes and, braless, they started to walk around the old stone wall to the entry gate.

  “It’s getting late and I’m hungry,” Elise said. “Do you think part of Ray’s gang membership was to be able to make a tuna casserole?”

  Olivia let out a snort of laughter. “You saw that in him too? That’s exactly how I saw him. I told Kit I bet that on what looks to be a very fine body he has one or more gang tattoos.”

  “And what did your husband say?”

  “That he hoped I didn’t go searching for them.”

  Elise laughed. “I love a man with a sense of humor.”

  “Let’s see... You want passion and humor. What else?”

  “Are men capable of more than two good traits?”

  “Oooooh,” Olivia said. “So cynical at such a young age.”

  “I have my father and my husband as role models. According to them, what makes a man is how much money he has.”

  “I understand that. In that case, my late husband was powerful. He had all the money I could provide.”

  “Now who’s being cynical?”

  “Truthful, my dear. I’m just being truthful.”

  “Anyway, when it comes to Ray, I’m allowed to say anything I want. He looks at me like I’m some brainless rich girl who’s never had a problem.”

  “Then change his mind,” Olivia said.

  They had reached the main gate to the Camden Hall estate. To the left was Young Pete’s small house and to their right was a three-story stone tower. Decades ago, the neighborhood kids had named it Pete’s Spy Tower. Three generations of the family had watched through the open porch on the top, and it did resemble a prison guard’s eyrie.

  When Elise and Olivia stepped onto the property, Young Pete was standing there. His long, unsmiling face was wrinkled from a lifetime of being outside in all weather. His blue eyes were watery, but it was said that he could see a fly at a hundred yards.

  As calmly as she could manage, Olivia asked how he was doing and introduced Elise. Young Pete said nothing, just gave a sort of grunt and nodded.

  As the women walked toward the cottage, they suppressed their giggles. If Young Pete had seen them just a few minutes earlier...

  The man’s voice came to them. “Well, Olivia, I see you’ve been up to your old tricks.”

  Olivia froze in place. He was telling her that he knew what she’d done today and who the culprit was so long ago. She could feel her entire body turning red. Deeply embarrassed, she started running so fast that Elise had trouble keeping up with her.

  In the cottage, Olivia barely let Elise inside before she slammed the door behind her.

  Ray was sitting on the couch reading a trade magazine. “You two look like you’ve been up to no good.”

  Elise started to laugh, but the look on Olivia’s face stopped her.

  “If he knows, the whole town does,” Olivia muttered. “The church, the quilting circle. Oh no! Maybe my parents knew.”

  Elise turned to Ray. “Do you know how to make a drink? Not one of those nasty tea-colored things on ice, but something that tastes good?”

  Ray gave Elise a slow glance up and down, as though he was seeing her for the first time. When his eyes met hers, it was with a look the waitress at the diner would have loved. He was interested.

  But Elise didn’t budge. She glared at him.

  With a nod of concession, he went to the kitchen and they heard ice tinkling. In minutes, he returned with two of those wonderful glasses that were a big triangle on top. Two olives on toothpicks were in each glass.

  “Girlie enough for you?” Ray asked Elise.

  She sipped hers. “Delicious. You must have had bartender experience.”

  Ray shook his head in disbelief. In a sentence she had taken away his years of success and put him back to going to school during the day and bartending at night. “Daddy cut your allowance off, did he? Terrified you’ll have to get a job like the rest of us?”

  Before Elise could speak, Olivia held out her empty glass. “Another one, please.”

  “I hope you two floozies don’t get drunk. I’ve got a tuna casserole in the oven.”

  That was too much for the women. The drinks on an empty stomach, the memory of what they’d done, Young Pete’s knowledge, and Ray’s casserole made them fall on each other laughing. They could hardly stand up.

  Chapter Four

  Bartending in a college town had given Ray a lot of experience with drunken females. He put his big hands on their shoulders and half pushed, half pulled them into the kitchen and set them down on the long seat that ran under the window. They were laughing and saying nonsensical things like, “Will he put the two new ones in the frame with my old one?”

  “Maybe he’ll have three separate display cases.”

  “I have a scrape on my right cheek—and I don’t mean my face.”

  “I have a scar on my leg from the first time! That damned wall needs to be sandblasted so future adventurers are protected,” Olivia said.

  “Explain that one to a contractor,” Elise said. “Oh. Wait! Carmen’s brother might be able to do it. Think I could get a discount? For services rendered?” They collapsed in laughter.

  Ray was shaking his head as every sentence made them go into more laughter. They were nearly hysterical with it.

  Opening the oven, he pulled out the big casserole. It had been a long time since he’d cooked anything, but he’d remembered rather easily. Boil the noodles, drain, flake the cans of tuna. Add chees