Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
ISABELLE
“ A dam Stone is the most insufferable man I have ever met in my life!” I flop face-first onto the bed.
Brigette chuckles, busily setting out towels and amenities for me. “He’s not so bad.”
I twist around, sitting straight on the bed. “Are you kidding me? I know he’s your boss, so you probably have to say nice things about him, but COME. ON.”
Brigette stops her scurrying and faces me, a stack of towels in her arms. “He can be a bit…gruff. I agree. But he’s been through so much, especially after the accident. You have to understand…” Her voice trails off as her eyes widen, and she resumes her tasks in the room.
Accident? “Understand what?”
Brigette waves her hand at me. “It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.”
“I wish I could,” I mutter. I rub my forehead, lamenting my fate for the evening. “I’m already freaked out about staying here. Are you sure he’s not going to eat me in the middle of the night? I swear, he looks like a lion now. ”
Brigette snorts. “You’ll be fine, as long as you stay out of his private office.”
My mouth drops open. Would he really do something to physically harm me?
Brigette’s eyes widen. “Oh, no! I didn’t mean it that way! Well, you still shouldn’t go in the office. But he would never do anything to harm you. That I can promise.”
“What’s in the office?”
“Nothing, nothing.” Brigette keeps up her work, but I don’t miss her hard swallow.
Well, now I’m paranoid. I don’t ask any more questions, though, because Brigette is visibly flustered. She’s been so kind to me, and I don’t want to make her more upset than she already is. My stomach, though, has other ideas. It growls louder than the helicopter propellers in Adam’s latest movie.
“Oh, dear. Are you hungry?” Brigette asks.
Yes, I’m starving, but I couldn’t stomach another minute of sitting at the table with your boss. “No, no, I’m fine.”
“You’re not.” She spins in a slow circle, triple checking that everything in the room is in order, then gives me a quick nod. “Come with me to the kitchen. We’ll find you something to eat. And I can introduce you to the rest of the staff.”
“Are you sure?” My stomach grumbles again, even louder this time.
Brigette smirks. “Positive. Come now, let’s go.” She steps into the hallway, and I follow her. “I can show you around the castle as well.”
“I guess that’s a good idea.” Why not take advantage of the opportunity to explore this place? But fear pops in my mind. “Will Adam mind?”
“Hmm?” She turns to face me. “No, he should be in his office by now. He tends to spend his evenings in his quarters, which are on the other side of this upper level, so we won’t have to worry about running into him.”
With that weight off my shoulders, my stomach gives a grumble of approval. I follow Brigette through the maze of corridors, all dimly lit by candles. These are all bedrooms, but I could easily get lost in this place.
She points out Adam’s quarters. “This is Mr. Stone’s office, and next door is his bedroom. Everything here in the castle is available to you, just not Mr. Stone’s quarters.”
The little shiver of nerves reappears. Didn’t Lionel say there was someone named Theodore here? Who is that, a dead body in the office? At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything.
“Why do I need to stay out?” I make my tone light, hoping she won’t see through me to my racing heart. “Is he hiding a…body in there?”
“A body ? No, no, of course not.”
I want to be relieved, but her quick response still hasn’t convinced me.
I need to get out of here ASAP.
I follow her down the stairs and she points out the different rooms as we pass them—the music room, the great hall, and the library. “And here’s the kitchen!” she says brightly, pushing a swinging door open. The kitchen feels homey; the cabinets are all dark wood and the countertops are beautiful granite, gray mixed with shades of tan and brown. We’re met with cheerful voices from a small group crowded around a long wooden table, talking, laughing, and relaxing after the day.
But as we enter the kitchen, I see the moment one of the young women about my age spots me. She elbows the girl next to her, and quickly the voices drop to whispers.
“This is Ms. Lovett,” Brigette announces to the group.
“It’s just Isabelle,” I say, giving a small wave .
“I brought her here to get something to eat,” Brigette explains.
There’s a scuffle as the workers start getting out of their chairs and head to the kitchen. A man with a mustache smooths out his white chef’s coat, and the two men who served dinner, the ones who look nearly identical, stand and straighten their lapels.
“No, please,” I say quickly. “I just need a little snack. Maybe some cereal?”
The girls around my age, one redhead and one blonde, glance at each other with their eyebrows raised.
“Just cereal? Are you sure?” Brigette asks me.
“Yes, that would be great. It’s my favorite snack at home. I used to stay up late watching Seinfeld with my dad and eating bowls of cereal.”
Brigette smiles softly and leads me over to a pantry. She opens the door, and I’m met with a floor-to-ceiling stash of every cereal you can imagine. Cap’n Crunch, Lucky Charms, Trix (which, I can confirm, is NOT just for kids), Cheerios, and some healthy organic ones, too.
“Whoa,” I breathe. “This place is like a grocery store.” I turn to Brigette. “Do you have every kind of ice cream, too?”
“Sadly, no.” She lifts the side of her mouth in a grin. “Mr. Stone’s preferred late-night snack is cereal, as well.”
“Hmph.” That takes the wind out of my sails. A pit forms in my stomach remembering our conversation and the fact that I refused to do the movie with him. That movie was supposed to signal the start of my career. Now it’s over before it even began.
I can’t worry about that now. I look back at all the cereal options and smile again, grabbing the box of Cookie Crisp. “I was never allowed to eat this one at home. My sisters said it had too much sugar. But I’ve always wanted to try it.”
“Sounds perfect.” Brigette motions towards the girls, and they set a bowl, spoon, and carton of milk on the table. “Come, eat.”
I bring my prized box to the table and pour my cereal. “So, you all live here with Adam?” I ask. I take my first bite of the cereal and let out a little sigh. “Oh, this is good.”
Brigette smiles. “Yes, we do.”
“It’s pretty secluded out here. Don’t you guys have families?”
“We are each other’s family,” she replies. “But when the Stone family isn’t here, we go back to our homes and families to visit.”
“Huh. Interesting.” I take another bite of my cereal, loving the fact that I finally get to enjoy this naughty treat. I guess I could have bought a box back home in LA, but there’s something more fun about eating it here.
Now I notice everyone is staring at me.
“What are your names?” I ask. I might as well make some friends if I’m stuck here.
“This is Mario,” Brigette says, motioning toward the man with the curly mustache and white ensemble. Stereotypes are alive and well here. “He’s our head cook. Sophie and Maisie are his assistants.” The two young women nod at me. “Graham and Greyson are our footmen,” she says, and the two identical men in their twenties smile at me.
Brigette points upward. “Everyone else has gone to bed. Nina, Eva, and Becca are our cleaners, Cassandra is our hairdresser, and Josephine and London are our sewists.”
There’s no way I’m going to remember everyone’s names from this single introduction, but at least I’ve got them stored somewhere in the back of my mind. It’s kind of awkward that everyone is watching me. I’m about to tell them they can do something else, since their job does not include waiting on me hand and foot, but I’m interrupted by the pitter-patter of little feet rushing our way.
“Gramma!” A little boy with sandy blond hair rushes up to Brigette and squeezes her around the legs.
“Theodore! You’re supposed to be in bed!”
He steps back and gestures at his green costume. “I’m not Theodore.”
“Ah. I’m so sorry,” she says with a smile. “Hulk, you’re supposed to be in bed!”
In return, Theodore gives a little growl and flexes his muscles, then hugs Brigette’s legs again.
Ohhh, so this is Theodore.
Not a dead body.
That’s a relief.
But then it raises another question. “Why does your grandson live here?” I ask Brigette.
“It’s just a visit,” she says. “My son—his father—is on a much-needed vacation.” She lowers her voice. “He’s a single father now.” She mouths the words Theo’s mom left .
Poor little Theo.
She ruffles his hair. “So Theo gets to have some fun here with us. But it might turn into a longer stay than we expected, with this turn of the weather.” She looks down at Theodore, who still has his arms wrapped around her legs. “Theo, this is Isabelle. She’s staying here tonight.”
He eyes me carefully. I’m not an expert on kids, but I’m pretty sure he’s around preschool age. “Hi, Theo. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You’re eating candy cereal,” he replies. “Daddy doesn’t let me eat that kind of cereal.”
“Well, my daddy didn’t let me eat this kind of cereal when I was a kid, either. ”
He considers this for a moment, then looks back up at Brigette. “Can I have some of that cereal, too?”
Brigette looks at me, and I shrug. I’m not in the position to make decisions like this, but I don’t see why he can’t have a treat with me.
“Sure,” she says.
Theo squeals and expertly climbs up the counter, grabbing a bowl and then plopping down into the seat next to me. I pour some cereal and milk in his bowl, and with a cheeky grin aimed at me, he takes his first bite.
“Yummm,” he says, diving in for another bite.
“Slowly, Theo,” Brigette warns.
Theo growls back at her.
“Slowly, Hulk,” she tries again. He gives her a big grin and nods.
“He’s got quite an imagination, huh?” I whisper to Brigette.
“You have no idea.” She smiles wistfully at him. “You never know which superhero he’ll be that day.”
“How does Adam feel about him being here?” I ask.
Brigette tilts her head from side to side. “He tolerates it, so long as Theo doesn’t cause too much trouble. Which is usually Becca’s job…Theo, where is Becca?”
Despite his mouth full of cereal, he answers. “She’s asleep in my bed. She’s veeeeery tired.”
“I thought Becca was a cleaner?” I ask Brigette.
“When Theo visits, she doubles as nanny. But she tends to fall asleep early.”
I snort a laugh. “I’m not surprised.”
Brigette sighs. “Keeping an eye on a three-year-old can be very exhausting.”
“I’m three and a half!” Theo gestures widely with his hands, and his spoon flings milk across the table .
I’ve finished my cereal, so I stand and take my bowl to the sink while one of the other girls cleans up Theo’s mess. “I should text my dad and let him know I have to stay overnight. He wanted me to call when I was on my way down the mountain.”
“Oh, you probably won’t be able to do that.” Brigette says.
I whip my head over to her. “What do you mean?”
“When the weather is this bad, we typically lose cell service. And general phone service.”
My brain needs a second to process her words.
No cell service.
Or phone service at all.
“Wait, so we’re STRANDED up here?!” My voice comes out like a squeak.
Brigette exchanges a nervous glance with the other workers. “I mean…in a way, yes. But I promise, you’re safe. You don’t need to worry.”
My heart races in my chest. She seems genuinely kind, as do the rest of the workers. And if Theo is here, there shouldn’t be anything to really worry about.
Right?
But that doesn’t ease the voice in my head telling me I’m trapped…with Adam Stone.