Read Online These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly - Free Book Online

streetlamp and stared up at the windows to Papa’s study. Then he left.”
    â€œHe was probably only a vagrant,” said Phillip, relaxing a bit. “But if you see him again, have Theakston fetch the police.”
    Jo had to work up her courage to ask her next question. “Did Papa … Did he have someone? Someone else, I mean.”
    Phillip looked confused. “I don’t understand,” he said.
    â€œSomeone besides my mother. Could Eleanor Owens be that someone?”
    â€œGood God, Josephine!” Phillip exclaimed, upset again. “How does a well-brought-up young lady even know to ask such a thing? There certainly was not someone besides your mother!”
    Jo winced at her uncle’s sharp tone, but she was relieved to know her father had not kept a mistress.
    â€œI’ve had quite enough of these questions,” Phillip warned. “I know why you’re asking them, but you must stop. It’s not healthy. You won’t find a reason. I’ve already tried. All you’ll do is torture yourself.”
    Jo started to protest, to tell him she was sure they could find the reason, if only they kept looking, but he held up a finger, silencing her.
    â€œDon’t speak. Think, Jo. Think of what you’ve just said. You’ve talked about disagreements with the partners and the possibility of your father consorting with strange-looking men and inappropriate women. Does any of that sound like him? Does it explain why he took his life? No. All it does is dishonor his memory,” Phillip said angrily.
    Jo didn’t reply; she just looked down at her hands, folded in her lap. Her uncle’s words, she knew, were intended to make her feel ashamed of herself. That was what people did when they wanted to stop a girl from doing something—they shamed her.
    Don’t fill your plate; it’s greedy. Don’t wear bright colors; you’ll look fast. Don’t ask so many questions; people will think you bold.
    â€œThink, too, of how irresponsibly you behaved,” Phillip continued. “You’re lucky you were not seen at Park Row. Not by anyone who matters, I mean. We’re all lucky.”
    â€œWhat do you mean all ?” Jo asked, lifting her eyes to his.
    Phillip didn’t reply right away. When he did, Jo sensed he was choosing his words carefully.
    â€œI’ve worked very hard to keep the truth of your father’s death out of the newspapers. Had I not, your chances of making a good match would’ve been ruined. There was talk in the days following his passing, and I don’t want it stirred up again. When you go places you shouldn’t, and speak with people you shouldn’t, you risk doing just that. I know how deeply you’re grieving, Jo, but don’t let that grief be your undoing. That’s the last thing your father would’ve wanted.”
    Eddie was right about that, too, Jo realized. Uncle Phillip did pay the authorities to say Papa’s death was accidental.
    Phillip reached for her hand. “A woman’s entire happiness depends on her marriage, and I intend for you to make an excellent one.”
    Jo nodded, feigning acquiescence. She knew her uncle only wanted the best for her, but she couldn’t do what he was asking—she couldn’t stop trying to find answers, and she couldn’t put her feelings in a neat little box. Her father had taken his life. Something had driven him to it, and that something must have been terrible.
    He was gone, but his ghost lingered—in the quiet streets of Gramercy Square, in the hushed rooms of her house, in the hollows of her heart. It would haunt her forever unless she could find out why.
    Phillip, still holding her hand, said, “I’ve treated you as an adult, Jo, and now I expect you to behave like one. Your mother has not guessed the truth, and I’m glad of that. Likewise your aunt and cousins. I implore you to carry on bravely and