Chapter 1 - THE SURPRISE BEHIND THE CASTLE DOORSPeople often assume a ninety-year-old woman cannot hear well.
I encouraged that assumption.
It allowed careless people to speak freely when I entered a room.
On the evening before my ninetieth birthday, I left my bedroom without alerting the staff.
My granddaughter Clara believed I was asleep.
My daughter Rebecca had insisted that I rest after dinner.
My grandson Nathaniel had kissed my cheek and promised that nothing interesting would happen before morning.
All three were lying.
Not maliciously, I thought.
They were preparing a surprise party in the castle’s grand dining hall.
Whitaker Castle had stood outside Charleston for more than a century.
Its stone walls survived hurricanes, wars, financial crises, and four generations of family arguments.
My late husband, George, restored the dining hall thirty years earlier.
Crystal chandeliers hung above the marble floor.
Tall windows overlooked the garden.
That evening, gold ribbons decorated the columns.
White flowers covered the tables.
A large cake stood beneath a silk cloth.
Wrapped gifts surrounded it.
Ninety golden balloons crowded the ceiling.
I watched from the dark hallway.
Rebecca wore a burgundy evening dress and directed two employees arranging crystal glasses.
Clara stood on a small ladder, tying ribbon around a chandelier support.
Nathaniel moved between them in a tailored navy suit.
Snow perched on his shoulder.
Snow was a beautiful white parrot with intelligent black eyes and a talent for repeating sentences at inconvenient times.
George gave him to me sixteen years earlier.
The bird knew the sound of my bedroom bell.
The opening notes of my favorite song.
And every insult our former gardener muttered beneath his breath.
Snow saw me in the hallway.
He tilted his head.
I raised one finger to my lips.
He remained silent.
Nathaniel lifted a champagne bottle.
“Grandmother will never suspect anything.”
Clara laughed.
“She suspects everything.”
“Not this.”
Rebecca stopped arranging glasses.
“Has the doctor confirmed he’s coming?”
Nathaniel’s smile weakened.
“He’ll be here.”
“Why does she need a doctor at her party?” Clara asked.
“Because she’s ninety,” Rebecca answered quickly.
I studied my daughter.
Her shoulders were tense.
Nathaniel noticed me looking from the doorway.
For one second, our eyes met.
Then Snow spread his wings.
The bird turned toward my family.
In a clear, cheerful voice, he announced:
“We have to kill that old woman on her birthday!”
No one moved.
A gold gift box slipped from Rebecca’s hands.
It struck the marble floor.
Snow tilted his head innocently.
May you like
Then he repeated the sentence.
This time, he used Nathaniel’s voice.
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