Episode 3
Ellisandre
Ellisandre held Dana’s giant stuffed giraffe as the nine-year-old ran back and forth from Alice’s room to her own, checking for her favorite books. “Two minutes.”
“It’s under your pillow,” Alice called out to Dana, following the child. Her own bag was packed and hanging over one shoulder. She smothered a yawn as she went by.
“Oh!” Dana threw herself on her bed and reached under the mound of pillows, fishing out the book of myths.
Perhaps it wasn’t strictly a child’s book.
It wasn’t advised to give artfully illustrated histories of Nordic legends—all parts included—-to children, but Linda had only rolled her eyes once when Ellisandre had presented Dana the book.
Besides, Dana didn’t believe in all the fairy tales anymore.
She would never be a normal child. Why give her normal gifts?
Ellisandre moved the giraffe to under their arm and held open Dana’s bag, making space. “In here.”
Dana pushed the volume inside beside the five other books and looked up anxiously. “Is it okay?”
“It’s good.” Ellisandre nodded. “Now think about who you will be when you come back and how you will want your room. Is there anything that you will want to be different from how it is now?”
Dana scrunched up her face and flew around the room moving chairs into place, fixing her covers, and picking up her pajamas. “Are we coming home when it’s dark or when it’s daytime?”
“Probably before dinner, in a few days,” Ellisandre replied. “Not quite sleeping time, but not early.”
Dana put her pajamas in one of her drawers. “I want it clean, so I can do things.”
Ellisandre nodded. “Good planning. Is there anything else you need? We’ll eat breakfast on the road with Ash while we’re driving.”
Dana took a deep breath and looked around for Alice.
She was just coming back from the kitchen, carrying the cloth-covered cooler of food for the drive.
Linda was nowhere to be seen. She must still be getting ready for the office.
Ellisandre checked her watch. Linda was certainly still getting ready.
Ellisandre grimaced. Linda needed more support.
Before Dana and Alice, Ellisandre’s only focus had been Linda.
Normally she’d be in Linda’s room picking out her jewelry.
But now they were co-parenting two emotionally battered teens and one child with post-traumatic stress.
Linda didn’t even know about Sevastyan. It was past time to pluck a few competent hands from various departments under Linda’s office and start plugging them into Linda’s schedule.
It felt almost wrong, relying on anyone else to care for her. No one knew Linda like Ellisandre did.
But she doesn’t know you.
Ellisandre stared at that thought, rolled it around in their head while Dana gripped to Alice’s hand asking if they were really going to come back, then requested to see Linda before they left. Alice and Dana went off toward Linda’s bedroom.
Linda knows me. Just not all the story of me.
The taste of the lie was strong on Ellisandre’s tongue. Linda knew Ellisandre as a somewhat ruthless yet caring assistant who made problems disappear. She’d never known why Ellisandre had been happy to play a supporting role in her life, taking on whatever Linda pursued without question.
Would Linda still look at them the same if she knew?
Ellisandre followed Alice and Dana. Linda was sitting at her makeup table, foundation on and half her contour done. She was just setting Dana down from a hug.
“Okay, bathroom, one last time,” Alice said to Dana. She gave Ellisandre a look. “I think we’re ready.”
“I’ll meet you at the door in a few minutes.”
Alice’s eyes widened a fraction, then tightened in understanding. Damn, the girl was too observant. Alice shut the door behind her as she left.
“I’m not sure when I’ll get used to seeing you carrying stuffed animals,” Linda said, nodding at the giant giraffe still in Ellisandre’s arms.
Ellisandre set the comfort toy down on Linda’s bed and sank onto the end of the mattress. “What if I told you I’ve never been completely honest with you?”
Linda looked at Ellisandre for a long moment, then turned back to her mirror, picking up one of her small, stiff brushes for eyeshadow. “I know you’ve never been particularly honest with me.”
Ellisandre raised an eyebrow, meeting Linda’s gaze in the mirror.
Linda smiled back without turning around and started to apply brown powder to her lids.
“It’s not that you lie. You just leave holes in stories wide enough for me to move a housing development into.
And that’s how you’re honest. You leave the hole there, and you don’t pretend you didn’t.
Like when John disappeared. I asked you about it; you just looked at me and said nothing. You didn’t lie.”
Ellisandre raised their eyebrow higher.
Linda chuckled and leaned forward, checking herself up close, and blending.
“I know you did something to him; I just don’t know what.
And I know he’s not the only one you’ve done things to.
I know that you never talk about the time between when we first met and when you found me again. And I don’t think I’ll ever ask.”
“Why not?”
Linda turned around on the stool and lowered the brush, meeting Ellisandre’s gaze.
“Whatever happened, whoever you had to be, whatever you had to do—” Linda shrugged, as if trying to encompass more than she could cover with words.
“I know who you are to me. Am I ever worried that you’ll hurt someone?
Yes, it crosses my mind. You’re not a safe person, Ellisandre.
You’re not even what most people would call a good person.
You have too much agency. You care too much.
” Linda sighed and looked down. “You’re going to train Alice.
I know it. I’ll fight you about it. She likes to be fought over.
You like the repartie. Alice has a bit of you in her.
Our family is safer for you teaching her some of what you know.
If you’re going to be a person who cares that much, if you’re going to have that much agency, it’s better to be skilled enough to carry out whatever you’re going to do without getting caught. ”
“So you don’t care that I don’t tell you?”
Linda cocked her head to the side. “Care? Ellisandre, I care for you. I care that things happened you can’t talk about.
I don’t care that you don’t tell me because I know you.
I know who you are to me. I know how you teach Ash to alter his clothes, and that you gave Misha a downpayment on a condo a few years ago.
I know that you can’t abide bad coffee and you think fast fashion should die in ignominy, preferably on fire. ”
Ellisandre lowered their eyes, digesting everything for a moment. “You’re not jealous?”
Linda stood up, crossed the room, and knelt at Ellisandre’s feet.
She laid her hands on Ellisandre’s wrist. “Jealous? No. I’m not even sure I have the right to wish whatever happened to you didn’t happen.
I respect who you are. And you are who you are because of whatever choices you made and whatever events that have taken place. ”
Ellisandre put their other hand over Linda’s. “You might meet my other world soon. I might need to go away for periods. I won’t be able to talk about it.”
Linda gazed up at Ellisandre unfazed.“All right.”
Ellisandre squeezed Linda’s hand.
“I know you’re not choosing to leave us,” Linda said. “This other world of yours might not let you make promises, so I’ll make one instead. You’re my person. And you will always have a place in my life.”
“Even if I scare your dates away?”
“I’m waiting for the one who can stand up to you.”
Ellisandre laughed. They squeezed Linda’s hand again. “If I disappear, it’s because I was taken, not because I left.”
“All right.” Linda’s face stayed trusting, forcing calm into the moment.
Ellisandre nodded. They glanced at the clock on the wall. “You have your eight thirty. Tristan is going with you. I briefed him and he has all the paperwork.”
“Thank you.”
“And I made him buy a new suit. So hopefully HR doesn’t get a complaint over that.”
“He has a crush on you. I doubt it.”
Ellisandre stood and shook themselves out, letting the energy of uncertainty fall away. “Not interested, but if it will get him to turn someone else’s head, I’ll send a few more decent outfits to his closet. The boy is brilliant, but dresses like a donkey.”
“That ‘boy’ is thirty-two, and I’m not sure how donkeys dress.” Linda picked up her mascara.
“Like Tristan.” Ellisandre swooped in and kissed the top of Linda’s head. “I’ll order two more suits for him and charge them to the business account. That way he looks the part if he’s taking more meetings with you.”
Linda shook her head in exasperation. “Then he will complain. Or fall in love with you. Employees aren’t dolls.”
“I’ll insult him until he accepts his fate.”
“I’ll get Sam to compliment him when you’re done.”
“Perfect.” Ellisandre smirked and headed toward the door. “See you this afternoon.”
Ellisandre
Driving Ash, Alice, and Dana to the Estate wasn’t a cover so much as a convenient way of wrapping up multiple goals and hiding the primary motive behind the secondary.
The Estate stood on expansive forest acreage.
The drive up to the main residence was at the end of over half a mile of private drive, all through land owned by the Reevesworths.
Dana grew quiet in the back seat as the trees arched overhead.
Alice, in the front passenger seat, looked back and then unbuckled.
Ellisandre glanced over, still guiding the vehicle over the gravel road.
“She’s scared,” Alice said, and put her heels up on the seat and pushed back, sliding head and shoulders first through the space between the front seat and into the back.
Ellisandre raised their arm, and helped with leverage. “Don’t do that in front of Linda.”
“As if,” Alice said.