Thirty-Five
M y eyes snapped open to the mid-morning sunlight illuminating the room with a soft yellow glow. I was bundled deep into the sheets of the bed, feeling as though I awoke amidst a pile of clouds.
And I was alone.
I realized what had pulled me from sleep was the ringing of a bell on the wall, incessant enough to be annoying, sharp enough to startle me awake. In my sleep-addled brain, it took me a moment to realize it was the telephone, and another to realize I should answer.
“Yes?” I yawned, putting the receiver to my ear.
“Miss,” came a male voice, one I didn’t recognize, but immediately knew it was a servant, a butler perhaps, if Vince even had one. Monotone, unenthused. “You have a visitor. Shall I offer them tea? ”
“A visitor?”
“Yes, ma’am. She says she’s a friend.”
Flora .
I rubbed my eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall, ticking toward eleven in the morning. “Sure. Yes. I’ll be right down.”
After I hung up, I changed into a minty day dress with fluttering sleeves of gossamer. I hadn’t been able to decide between the hundreds of dresses in the closet, so I just reached and grabbed one, finding a pair of white low heels. I brushed through my hair and deemed it good enough.
I could not tell what clothing Vince had pulled from the closet for the day. Every shirt was folded immaculately, jackets hung in a neat line, shoes shined and presented on low shelves. It was like a department store, except it was all his, all ours . Endless options to choose from every day, and I didn’t think I’d be able to get through my half before it all went out of style. I could hear Séra laughing, More the reason to wear something new, morning and night!
I wasn’t sure where exactly Flora had been taken. As I left the bedroom, my steps echoed in the halls, and I made my way toward the front of the house, the bottom level, where I’d met Sinclair and Séra and Veronica. I did not have to wander too far before a well-dressed older man, standing at a corner, gestured for me to follow him. “This way, ma’am.”
I was used to deference growing up, but being called “ma’am”, as though I owned the house, didn’t feel right.
“Is Vince… occupied?” I asked. A small part of me wanted him to join, because I knew Flora had questions—and I didn’t know how to answer them .
He paused, as though surprised I’d spoken to him. “Yes, ma’am.” He led me to a small tearoom, down the hall from the dining room. Gesturing for me to enter, he stepped aside to reveal a door ajar.
As soon as I pushed it open, Flora stood from her seat, setting down her tea. “There you are!”
I couldn’t help but smile at seeing her. “You woke me up, so this better be important,” I joked, wrapping my arms around her.
“Is sleeping more important than seeing your best friend?” She pressed her cheek to mine. The warmth of her skin was a small shock, and she smelled of lavender and citrus and everything good. “You’ve been hiding from us, holed up in here.”
“Not from you ,” I said, squeezing her tight.
“I know,” she conceded, holding me at arm’s length. “I just miss you.”
We took opposite seats, a full tray of tea and cakes and sandwiches between us. I could see she’d already begun to nibble at the food.
“Dixon doesn’t know I’m here,” she said, reaching for her teacup.
I rolled my eyes. “Then should I expect him to come crashing through the window?”
She giggled. “Maybe,” bringing the teacup to her lips. She wore her usual soft red lipstick, her light hair curled for the day in even waves.
I poured myself a cup and dropped in a cube of sugar. “How are you two?” I had not really gotten a chance to ask when I’d seen them last, being a bit too drunk, and Dixon too preoccupied with glaring at me .
“We’re fabulous,” she said. “But what about you? ”
I took a nonchalant sip. “Better than ever, I suppose.” I was good. Really good. I leaned back with a sigh. “I feel I can finally breathe.”
I hadn’t heard anything else from Lucas or Mother or Wright since that lousy letter in the papers. No other announcements in the news, no ransom letters in the mail. As though I had disappeared from the face of the planet and they’d gone on with their lives.
Flora just beamed at me, her hands clasped in her lap, and I saw it clear on her face that she was bursting at the seams.
I rolled my eyes. “Alright, out with it. What do you want to know?”
“Everything!” She leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “One moment you were there, the next, you’re gone, and Lucas is brooding even more than usual. What happened?”
I sighed. “Lord Highsmith arrived—”
She gasped. “Is that who that was? I stopped by the house to see you a few days ago, and Lucas just grumbled that you were away for a week or so. There was some guy with him—that was Lord Highsmith?”
I nodded.
“Who Lucas wants to marry you off to?”
I nodded again.
Her face scrunched. “He’s not even that attractive.”
I breathed out a laugh. “I don’t think Lucas picked him for his looks.”
“So, you two met? ”
“We more than met. It didn’t take long for him to start sounding like Lucas. And when I made it known I was not interested, Lucas… made it known that was not an option.” I remembered the feeling of his fingers around my neck, looming over me, shaking me. Wright’s insistence that Lucas get me under control.
But instead of fear, it conjured up disgust. How was I related to such a man?
And how was Mother so blind to it?
I realized a sadness had settled deep within me, a soft, almost imperceptible sensation; a kernel buried underneath all the other emotions, but still there nonetheless. Sadness that this was how it had to be. Sadness that I couldn’t confide in my mother, sadness that I couldn’t love my brother.
“And—Vince?” Flora caught herself before she said his old name. Adam .
I shut my eyes for a moment, letting the memory of that night wash over me. “He saved me, more or less, and brought me here. And I’ve been here ever since.”
Flora’s hand fell to my knee, and she gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’m glad you have him. If I were able, I would’ve stolen you away long ago.” She lifted a shoulder. “But perhaps you’d be too easy to find.”
“Perhaps,” I laughed.
“What do you do all day?” Flora removed her hand and leaned back into the couch again, lifting her teacup.
“Oh, I just—” What did I do? The past few days had been such a whirlwind; I felt like I had done everything and nothing all at once. My days were spent lounging, roaming; I slept a lot, and often did not wake until at least midday. And then, before I knew it, it was evening, and Vince was overwhelming me with his touches and him .
Was that not enough?
“Surely there must be a lot to explore here,” Flora giggled. “It’s such an old building, and there are so many rooms!”
“Believe me, I know.”
“I’m so jealous!” She grinned. “I wonder what Dixon’s house in England is like?”
“Probably much of the same.”
She shook her head. “No, he’s told me his house is a little old-fashioned. He’s said…” She trailed off.
“What?”
Her cheeks reddened. “He’s said that Vince’s house is… excessive .”
I laughed, because it was true. This house was excessive. But it was also grand, wonderful, and enthralling. Just like Vince. “Sounds like Dixon. Comes from money, but would never let you know.”
Flora rolled her eyes at me. “You know how he is.”
“I do. Which is why I’m expecting him to fly in any moment.”
Her face turned serious, troubled. “He wouldn’t.” Her brows furrowed for a moment, then she looked up at me. “He told me he’s never coming back.” A pause, then a sly quirk to the corner of her mouth. “And I’m not supposed to come back, either.”
I exaggerated a gasp, hand to my chest. “And here you are! What a bad girl!”
She wiggled a brow, then straightened in her seat. “Perhaps I like being bad.”
“You like Dixon worrying about you,” I said .
She looked around the room innocently. “And what of it?”
“Just don’t get me in trouble with him.”
“He’s the least of your worries.”
I faltered, my hand reaching for my cup but stalling mid-air. “What do you mean?”
Flora blinked at me. “Oh. Did you not know?”
“Know what ?”
She sighed. “I wish I had a newspaper.” She looked at me directly. “Lucas has come out with it. He’s put a reward on your head. One million dollars .”