Chapter 5 #2
‘In American terms, you’re fired, Cindy,’ Stephens says calmly. ‘Kindly leave or you’ll be thrown out. You have ten minutes to collect your belongings and be at the gate. As it’s so late, a taxi will be called for you, which is more than you deserve in my opinion.’
Giggling maid makes a choking, spluttering noise, which Stephens completely ignores.
He looks around at the others. ‘And, as for the rest of you, Nurse Smith is not employed by this estate. Doing as she bids without question will see you in the same position that Cindy now finds herself. Miss Novelle is to be treated with the same respect you would show Mr. Novelle or the Master Novelles. Is that understood?’
I hear a couple of ‘yes, sirs.’
‘Now, get to bed!’ he orders and they file out in silence.
Stephens’ eyes find Nasty Nurse.
‘As for you, madam, I may not be able to get rid of you, but you will not treat Miss Novelle in this manner again.’
Nasty Nurse smirks. ‘You can’t interfere, Stephens. It’s not your jurisdiction. I mean Jesus. You’re a butler.’
‘I think you’ll find that this house and all that goes on within its walls is very much my jurisdiction, Nurse Smith.’
She gives him one of her smirks. ‘We’ll see.’
She turns to me. ‘As for you, I’m calling Joe right now. He’s going to know about all of this. The clothes that have been brought for you will have to be checked for contraband. I’ll be taking them all.’
I watch in concealed anger as she strips my closet of everything that’s hanging in it, and rummages through my drawers for the rest of the stuff Shade brought before she leaves the room.
Stephens is last to go, and I give him a small smile as he picks up the trash can. He bows curtly as he closes the door.
A few minutes later, I tense as I hear the nurse’s quick strides and clacking shoes. But she doesn’t come in. She just re-locks my door.
No one comes into my room the next morning or afternoon. No food is brought. All I have to keep the hunger pangs at bay is water from the tap faucet.
The entire day passes like that. When I bang on my door to be let out, no one comes. Where is Stephens? I know he’d never let this stand. What’s happened to him?
A note is slipped under my door that night.
It’s from Samantha saying that Stephens was in a hit and run while he was off the estate that morning. He’s in the hospital.
I crumple it in my palm before tearing it up into tiny pieces and throwing it out the window.
Joe and Nasty Nurse did this. I know it. They’ve made sure that Stephens isn’t here to help me.
I search my room, hoping for some food the ransacking maids might have missed, but there’s nothing. I go through my school bag and find the little paper smiley face scrunched up in the bottom.
I’d forgotten about it. Frowning, I turn the bag inside out and peer closely at the seam.
It looks like it’s been cut and then loosely sewn back together.
If I feel it, there’s something in the lining of my bag.
I work my fingers into the seam and pull it open.
Inside is a little bag with the pills I made.
Not Envy, the revenge ones I used on the sorority girls and that dick, Bennet.
I can’t eat them, of course, but if I’m careful, they may end up being a different kind of lifeline.
I hide most of them under my bedframe on one of the flat metal bits, but three of them I put back in the bottom of the bag inside the lining.
They’re too small to be felt, so no one should find them.
I don’t sleep well that night. I’m worried and hungry and I have no way of contacting anyone.
I’m supposed to be going to class tomorrow, but what if they don’t let me go?
John isn’t back from his trip for days. Is Nasty Nurse just being like this because he’s gone, or is John letting Joe tighten the noose?
The next day, I’m very hungry and very tense. My door finally opens at nine am and Nasty Nurse struts in.
‘Ready for class, sweetie?’
I am not ready. I’m dressed in underwear that chafes, a bra that doesn’t fit me properly and, since all my clothes have been taken, one of the gray uniforms.
She laughs when she sees me. Actually laughs.
‘Well, you can’t go out like that!’ she sniggers. ‘Your future husband sent this.’
She holds up a red dress. It’s short and skimpy and looks like it’ll be tight.
‘I can’t wear that to class,’ I say through clenched teeth.
She rolls her eyes. ‘Put it on or stay in your room without food for another day.’
She throws it on the bed and, thankfully, leaves me alone to dress for once.
After a moment, I sigh and take off the gray pants and shirt.
I put on the red dress. It’s even tighter than it looked.
I pull it down as far as it’ll go, but it only stretches to a little way past my ass.
Not even bothering to look in the mirror, I throw up my hair and leave my room for the first time in two days.
Down in the foyer, there’s no one to open and close the door. It’s such a tiny thing, but it’s a stark difference and I hate it.
‘Where is Stephens?’ I ask because I’m not supposed to know yet.
‘He was in an accident.’
‘Really?’ I murmur. ‘What kind of accident?’
She shrugs. ‘I didn’t ask. He’s in the hospital.’
We go outside, and, for the first time in my life, I close the door to the Novelle house behind me. I stop short when I see the car.
‘That isn’t John’s car,’ I say. ‘I’m supposed to have John’s car and driver.’
Nasty Nurse sighs loudly. ‘Jesus, do you always have to be so difficult? It’s a damn car, Marguerite. Just get in it or you’re gonna be late to class.’
I don’t want to be late.
The driver opens the door, and I peer in. It’s empty. No Joe and I guess Jacob is in the front again.
I get in and, as my door closes, the one on the other side opens and Nasty Nurse gets in.
‘Why are you coming?’ I ask.
She ignores me, just takes out her phone and starts tapping.
We start driving toward Richmond U, but instead of stopping, we keep driving right past it.
‘My class is in that building over there,’ I say. ‘Why aren’t we stopping?’
When the car stops at the next red light, I try to get out, but the doors are locked. Even the windows won’t open.
I look at the nurse and find her regarding me. ‘You’ve been very difficult, and you’ve been breaking a lot of rules, sweetie. Did you really think that Joe would let you act however you wanted?’
‘What is this?’ I snarl.
‘Can’t a man see the woman he’s going to marry?’
I sit back in the car, pushing my rampant emotions down, but I know that this isn’t going to go well for me.
After going a very roundabout way, we get to the Banderville gate. They wanted me to think we were going to the college, I realize. I wonder what they wanted to achieve with that little mind game.
At the house, my door is opened. I don’t move.
‘I want to be taken back to my stepfather’s house,’ I say to the driver.
I’m ignored, and a moment later, Jacob lunges in and grabs me, pulling me out.
I scream. His fingers dig into my arms, and I struggle, but he’s massive. I’m like a hummingbird trying to escape an eagle. He drags me up the steps to the house and I’m pulled inside.
‘I’m here against my will,’ I say to their portly butler, but the man pretends he can’t hear me.
I’m hauled across the house and along a hallway to what I remember as Joe’s office from when I was here for Thanksgiving. The nurse trails after us, muttering that I’m making a fool out of myself.
In the office, the hated metronome is clicking in its terrible rhythm. Joe is sitting behind his black desk. It’s slightly messy, as if he didn’t plan for me to be coming here today.
I try to focus on what’s around me to try to calm my fears.
A half-empty China cup sits next to a notebook and a tablet on the dark desk.
There’s a prescription pill bottle on its side under a pile of papers.
Is he trying to hide it? I can’t make out the whole sticker, but I’m sure it’s fentanyl.
Joe must be in a lot of pain to be given such a strong painkiller.
Good.
‘Ah, there you are.’ He stands and looks at me. ‘That is a very short dress,’ he remarks. ‘Nurse Smith, did she put it on voluntarily?’
The nurse, standing to my left, gives me an odd look. ‘Of course she did. You saw the underwear. You saw what kind of a girl she is. She loves the attention.’
‘I put this on because you told me you’d lock me back in my room with no food if I didn’t!’ I snarl at her.
She gestures at me. ‘You see? This is what she’s been like. I know you probably hoped I was embellishing, but she’s completely intractable. She does nothing I ask, just acts out. When I went through her room, I found food, the lingerie, a razor and she had a phone.’
Joe’s eyes leave me, locking onto the nurse.
‘Where is it?’
‘We haven’t found it yet,’ Nasty Nurse replies with an angry look at me. ‘But we will.’
Joe comes out from behind his desk, shaking his head and tutting. ‘Oh, my dear Marguerite,’ he says. ‘What am I going to do with you?’
When I don’t answer, he motions for Jacob to release me, which he does immediately, though he stays close by.
‘You’re being very disobedient. Nurse Smith doesn’t like it and neither do I. Do you think this is how women of our station act?’
I say nothing. I listen to the tick of the metronome, even though I despise it. It reminds me that nothing they do will be worse than The Heath. I square my shoulders and look straight ahead, trying to calm my racing heart.
Joe doesn’t look away from me as he takes out his phone. He taps something and puts it to his ear.
‘Could you come in for a minute?’
He puts his phone down on the desk and I hear the door open.
‘Oh, she’s here?’ I hear Marcus say. ‘You want to do this now?’
‘I do,’ Joe says with a small smile at his younger brother.
‘Okay, but we’ll need to keep her quiet. Laurie’s in the other room.’