Chapter 28
Violet
I was still staring at the door, praying that Roman wouldn’t burst through it again. My body was rigid, my pulse a wild, uneven rhythm. Another part of me was stuck replaying what had happened during our encounter. What I’d said and what I’d done.
I’d screamed for Julian.
Not for help in general. Not for anyone else. For him. Because somehow, despite everything he’d done to me, I knew he’d come running if he thought I was in danger. I knew he’d put himself between me and anyone who tried to hurt me.
That realization twisted everything inside me. How could I trust him to protect me when he was the reason I needed protecting in the first place?
No matter how much I thought about it, my mind just couldn’t seem to separate the two halves of him—the man who’d taken me, and the one who’d taken care of me. It didn’t make sense. None of it did.
Still… I knew one thing for sure. The fear I’d felt when Roman stalked in here earlier was nothing like the fear that Julian inspired in me.
Roman made my blood run cold.
Julian made it burn.
And that scared the shit out of me.
I almost jumped out of my skin when someone suddenly rapped on the door again, but my shoulders quickly sagged with relief when I heard Taisiya’s voice carrying through.
“Miss Calloway? I’m just coming in to collect your dishes,” she called out as the lock clicked. “I’ve also been asked to bring you a treat.”
“A treat?”
She smiled faintly as she pushed the cart inside. “One of our cooks made too many cakes,” she said. “So all the girls are getting a slice for afternoon tea. There’s elderflower cordial as well.”
“Oh, cool. Thanks,” I murmured, watching her as she stooped to put my dirty plate on the lower shelf of the cart. A thought struck me, and I frowned. “Hey… could I ask you something about your job?”
“You can ask,” she said lightly. “Though I can’t promise I’ll be able to answer.”
“I was just wondering. Have any of the Selection girls ever tried to attack you or any of the other maids?” I asked. “I mean, you go into their rooms alone, and if someone was desperate enough, they could try to rush you and take your key, right?”
Taisiya’s head popped up from behind the cart, one brow raised. “Is this your way of letting me know you’re planning to attack me?”
My eyes widened. “Oh, god, no! Of course not,” I said quickly. “I was just curious, because it seems a little dangerous for you. I mean… some of the girls must want to get out of here pretty badly.”
“Hmm, not really. Most of the young ladies accept their new circumstances quickly. But...” She hesitated as she straightened and started pouring pale lavender-colored liquid from a pitcher into a glass. “There was one incident, years ago, when I first started.”
“What happened?”
“One of the girls did exactly what you described. Tried to rush a maid. But she was subdued before anything serious happened.”
“Subdued?” I echoed. “How?”
“Our employers provide us with protection, on and off the estate, because as you pointed out, there are always risks when you’re working for an organization like this.”
“What sort of protection?”
Without a change in expression, Taisiya reached into her apron pocket and drew out a small black pistol.
I froze, breath catching in my throat.
“Sorry,” she said softly, tucking it away again. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Just wanted to show you. To answer your question.”
“Well,” I said after a beat. “That’s… definitely an answer.”
“The maid didn’t shoot the girl,” Taisiya said hurriedly. “She just showed her the weapon to scare her, and it was enough to make her back off.”
“Oh. I see.” My shoulders sagged with relief. “What happened to the girl afterwards?”
“I believe the Club decided to have her removed.”
My blood ran cold. I had a feeling I knew exactly what that meant.
“How often are girls… removed?” I asked in a tremulous voice.
“Not very often. Like I said a minute ago, most adapt quite fast when they realize what they have here.” She gave me a faint smile and set the cake and cordial on the table. “Anyway, I hope you enjoy your treat.”
“Thanks.”
She turned to leave, but then quickly turned back to look at me again, brows knitted.
“I, um…” She stopped and cleared her throat, gaze dropping to the table.
Then her brows drew together, like she wanted to say something else but thought better of it.
“I, er… I forgot to tell you the flavor of the cake. It’s red velvet. ”
“Oh. Nice. I love red velvet,” I said softly.
Taisiya nodded once, the motion a little too brisk, and wheeled her cart back out of the room.
For a moment, I just sat there, staring at the neat little plate of cake and the pale purple cordial beside it. After the day I’d had, the idea of enjoying a sweet little treat felt almost surreal.
Finally, I picked up the fork, cutting off a small bite of cake. It was light, rich, and impossibly soft, and for a few seconds, the delicious taste of chocolate and cream cheese drowned everything else out.
I washed it down with a sip of cordial, curious about the flavor. It was floral and delicate, with something faintly citrusy I couldn’t quite place. I took another sip, and then another, letting the cool sweetness chase away the knot in my chest.
Before I was halfway through the glass, the edges of my vision started to blur.
I blinked hard, frowning, my fork clattering onto the plate. A strange heaviness was pressing down behind my eyes, and my limbs suddenly felt sluggish and distant, like they belonged to someone else.
“What the…” My voice came out thick, slurred. I pushed back from the table, gripping the edge to steady myself, but the room swayed violently.
Panic clawed through the fog rapidly setting in.
No.
No, no, no.
The world tilted again, and my shoulder hit the edge of the settee. Somewhere to my right, I heard the faint creak of the door opening yet again.
“Taisiya?” I tried to say, but it came out as a mumble. My head lolled toward the sound. “J-Julian?”
A dark silhouette stepped through the doorway, and a familiar masculine voice echoed through the haze in my mind. “Hello again, Violet. I’m sorry it had to be this way.”
It was Roman. He’d come back for me.
I tried to force my body to move, but my limbs wouldn’t respond. The last thing I saw before the darkness took me was his hazel eyes staring down at me, unblinking and full of intent.
Then everything went black.