Ridge House - Chapter 4

Explaining the Darkness of Ridge House

I was called into Lady Johnson room to talk to her about the future and she said she had something to share with me.

I thought it was about my marriage to Connie and was partly right.

She said, “Years ago she had strong feelings for Joseph and he took advantage of her affections, the result being a pregnancy of one of the grandsons.

Joseph refused to marry me but continued to stay on as butler. I didn’t give up on him marrying me,” she said, “So I continued having sex with him.

This is where the darkness began here at Ridge House.  It is set on Smoky Ridge where the clouds cause a natural darkness around it. It was used by a tyrant at the earliest century as a place of torture to get information out of enemies of the tyrant.

We came into possession of it four generations ago and have kept it up to some degree as you know. Because of my getting pregnant over and again no one was allowed to visit lest they find out what I was doing.

I had four offspring with Joseph and he treated them very badly. They were all males and left when they got married.  For some unknown reason the fathers died young. I thought Joseph had something to do with it but couldn’t prove it.

When the grandsons came to live with us I feared for their lives.  It was me who put the wire on the steps to remove that danger.  

But for some reason they ended up dead somehow which I’m not aware of how it happened.

For some reason Joseph cared for Connie and he never harmed her. It may have been partly because I threaten him if he did or it might have been another reason.

Now it comes to you and Connie.  She has some bad genes and I hesitate giving my approval for you to marry her; because of her not you.

You are the one person I have learned to trust. If you think she can overcome her bad genes and not pass them on then you may marry her.

You best think it over and get back to me. I would like to see great grandchildren before I die.”

That revelation certainly was a surprise.  She set a trap for her live in man and now what do I do with that information.

The sheriff said it was natural causes so I guess that is what it is.

I need to talk to Lady Johnson again before I talk to Connie for there is something missing that other reason still stuck in my mind.

I found Lady Johnson and said, “You haven’t told me all the truth.”

She said, “What do you mean?”

“All of the offspring have been males until it came to Connie so I want the truth about that.”

She had the look of one who had been found out.  She said, “You have me. Connie’s father, my son was infertile and his wife was going to leave him. He allowed her to become pregnant with another man and the result was a blond haired girl named Connie.

When I told you she had bad genes I lied, but I had to test your love for her one more time. It seems you are smarter that I gave you credit for.  Go ahead and marry that girl for you deserve her.”

We had a small wedding; none of my family were invited. Sometime it pays to know when to cut the ties of friends and family. This may go against tradition but is the wise thing to do especially when money is forthcoming.

We are happy as a couple can be and Grandma Johnson along with us.

It took a year to sell Ridge House. We renamed it happy house and that helped with the past negatives. The county bought it and made a museum out of it.

We purchased a nice house on the edge of town and the four of us are very happy.

Did I forget to tell you of our little blond haired girl that came to live with us?

Just ten months after we were wed she came on the scene and great grandmother won’t leave her alone.  

She finds that playing Great Grandmother Johnson is a lot more pleasurable than being the Austere Lady Johnson of Ridge House.

Finis