Replacement Baby

by Mary Ann Smart

  Fontaine. The French man is Fontaine. What did I get myself into? And where on earth is Lionel? Rose stared at Rodney as he continued laughing and spoke to Fontaine. She glared at him bitterly as he mocked her. If her arm was not aching, she would have jumped to her feet and slugged him in the face.

  “Let’s leave her in here, and go discuss what we are going to do with her,” Rodney suggested. Rose hated how he never even acknowledged her. He ignored her completely. He never spoke a word to her.

  To think that I thought I loved him, Rose thought angrily. What a fool I was. I was so stupid.

  “Fine,” the man named Fontaine said. “This door locks from the outside, so she won’t be going anywhere.”

  “Her body is too weak to even attempt any sort of an escape,” Rodney reassured him.

  The two men walked out, shut the door, and locked it. Rose looked around the room. It was very similar to the room that she and Lionel had found earlier, only there were no black jewelry boxes in this one. Rose’s arm stung. I think it might be broken, or at least fractured, she thought with woe.

  Rose could hear the two men talking in loud voices from the heating vent. They were discussing her.

  “Should we get rid of her tonight?” Rodney asked.

  “As soon as possible,” Fontaine replied.

  “Would you like me to take care of it?” Rodney asked, sounding eager.

  “I suppose so,” Fontaine said absently.

  “What do you think?” Rodney asked. “A bullet? Or I can use a knife if you’d rather.”

  “Neither,” Fontaine responded. “Both are messy.” Both men began laughing heartily, as

  if someone had told a good joke.

  Rose’s mind was racing. They are going to kill me. They’re going to kill me tonight. She glanced all around, trying to think of any means of escape. She looked behind her and spotted a window.

  “Let’s have a drink before you do the deed,” Fontaine suggested. “I always find that these sorts of things are easier after a brandy or two.”

  Rose heard their footsteps as they walked down the hall. Seizing her last opportunity to live, Rose scrambled to her feet. She crossed the room to peer through the glass window. What luck! Rose thought with satisfaction. Right outside the window was a large tree branch. It was about five feet from the window, but she was certain she could jump. A few times during her childhood, Mrs. Harrison had taken her to Central Park in New York and she had climbed trees with some children who were there. She felt confident that she could get down by climbing the tree.

  Gazing down at the tree, Rose realized that the tree was actually in the next door neighbor’s yard. The branches merely reached over to the house she was in. When she climbed down to the bottom, she would be in the neighbor’s yard.

  Opening the window with her uninjured arm, Rose hopped onto the windowsill. Taking a deep breath and saying a quick prayer, she boosted herself up to a standing position. Then, with all her strength, she took a giant leap from the window ledge to the extended tree branch five feet away. She winced in pain as both her arms grasped onto the thick branch. She hung for a moment, glancing down and remembering with fright that she was hanging three stories above the ground.

  Rose used all of her upper body strength to hoist herself up on top of the branch. She wrapped her legs around it and began crawling slowly and with care down toward the main trunk. She glanced nervously back to the window, but the room she had come from still appeared to be empty.

  Once at the tree trunk, proceeded with caution. She climbed down from branch to branch. The process was painful, but she was determined. It took several minutes, but at last she reached the lowest branch. It was still about ten feet from the ground, but Rose held her breath and let go, landing hard on the soft grass.

  After a moment, Rose hopped up and brushed herself off. She ran, limping slightly, through the neighbor’s yard. She peeked out onto the street when she reached the fence in the front.

  To her surprise, Rose spotted a police officer, crouching beside some hedges across the street. Rose breathed a massive sigh of relief and let her body sink onto the grass. She began weeping.

  “Lionel must have called them,” she whispered. “Oh, thank God! Thank God!”

  Regaining her strength, Rose’s exhausted body struggled to get up. But finally she got to her feet and opened the gate on the neighbor’s fence to get onto the sidewalk. She approached the police officer with her hands up and her palms face forward.

  “It’s me,” she said, her voice filled with relief. “It’s Rose Porter. It’s me. I’m safe. I’m alive.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Everything that happened afterward was a blur to Rose. Lionel had to retell the events in order to help her to remember. She listened intently, and pieced together his story with her own memories of the events that followed.

  After telling the policeman who she was, another officer led her to a police car and helped her to get in. He drove her to a waiting ambulance, which took her to a hospital. Lionel was waiting for her at the hospital when she arrived.

  The police raided the house just minutes after she was taken away. There they found Fontaine, Rodney, the man that she and Lionel had followed, the man who had found Rose in the attic, and several others, who were accomplices. They also found over eighty million pounds in jewels and with them the answers to many mysterious and unsolved jewel robberies in England and around Europe. The only person they did not find was Mother.

  After Rose was treated for her fractured arm and her other scrapes and bruises, she was moved into a cheerful enough hospital room. A nurse helped her to get settled in the new room. An hour later, Lionel came in to see her. He held her close and cried as he told her about his frantic attempts to help her.

  Rose was stiff in his arms, not used to being held with such tenderness. But slowly her body relaxed as Lionel told her what happened.

  “After I went down the servant’s staircase,” Lionel explained. “I checked the kitchen and there was no sign of anyone. But I still wanted to be able to reassure you that no one was around, so I went ahead and peeked around a little. There seemed to be no sign of life anywhere even near the kitchen. By the time I was done looking around, a few minutes had passed by. I went back up the stairs and I heard a commotion, which was you struggling with that oaf of a man. When I went to go help you, the door at the top of the stairs that led into the long hallway was locked! I was ready to bang down the door, but I didn’t think it would help you if I got captured, too. Especially not when no one knew where we were. So I snuck into the kitchen and called the police. I had made a mental note of the street name and house number when we arrived.”

  “Thank you,” Rose whispered wearily, leaning her head back on the pillow. “I kept wondering where you were.”

  “But I didn’t give up on you,” Lionel continued. “After I called the police, I snuck around the house, trying to find a way to you without making my presence known.” His voice was distressed and his eyes were teary. “I was frantic. But then I looked out a window and saw a police officer outside. So I went out to him and told him where I thought you were. Then they forced me to wait with them. I begged to go help find you, but they held me back.”

  “Honestly,” Rose said weakly, still exhausted from the whole ordeal. “I was scared to death. I’ve never even been half as terrified in my life. But I made it through. I used my wits and every ounce of strength in my body and I escaped. My body feels like death right now, but in my spirit I really do feel as if I could take on the world. Thank you for all you did, Lionel. I really appreciate it.”

  “Well, let’s have you get some rest for the night,” Lionel suggested. “You deserve it, and your body needs it. No need in having you stay up. And you’re welcome.”

  “Wait,” Rose pleaded. “I don’t want you to go. Please stay!”

  “Don’t you want to get some sleep?” Lionel asked her.

  “Would you at least wait until I fall
asleep before you go?” Rose begged, smiling sweetly at him.

  “Absolutely.” He squeezed her hand.

  “This isn’t going to violate any visiting hours, right?” Rose asked.

  “It is, but I made friends with the nurse, so we’re fine.” Lionel glanced over at Rose and smiled..

  Rose smiled back. “Was she pretty?”

  “She was quite the beauty,” Lionel said, pausing. “Back in 1955. But now she’s not quite as pretty as she was then.” He smiled teasingly.

  “Oh, Lionel!” Rose cried, rolling her eyes.

  They spoke for a few minutes more before Lionel let Rose drift off to sleep.

  * * *

  “You’re famous!” Julie cried the next morning, rushing into the hospital room. “It’s all over the news. They even had your picture in the newspaper this morning. Front page! To the bottom, in the corner. But still! To think, my best friend and my brother are famous. You both are like celebrities now!”

  Rose was sitting up in her hospital bed with a tray of breakfast food on her lap. She smiled at Julie’s excitement. Lionel, who came with Julie, looked over at Rose and rolled his eyes.

  “Well, I hope it all dies down soon,” Rose admitted. “I don’t want to be famous. I just want to live a peaceful life. No frills, no fame. Just me enjoying every day and being free from anyone who wants me dead.”

  “No fame?” Julie asked, her voice filled with shock. “If I were in your shoes, I’d be doing interviews and getting in front of the cameras every chance I got! I’d be waiting for a phone call from the queen.”

  “Well, that’s where you and Rose differ, Julie,” Lionel told his sister.

  Julie scowled at Lionel. Then she turned back to Rose and smiled. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

  “I’m glad I’m okay, too,” Rose replied. She smiled at her friend.

  Julie went on and on about Rose and how she longed for her friend to be well again. She also talked about all the things that they would do together when Rose was well and back home again.

  Later in the afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Douglass visited her in the hospital. They spoke kind words and showed great concern. Rose thanked them with graciousness and told them how much she was hoping to come home soon. Before leaving, Mrs. Douglass gave her Rose gentle hug and they said their farewells. Not long after they departed, Lionel and Julie left to let Rose get rest.

  Leaning back in her hospital bed, Rose closed her eyes in hopes of falling asleep. Though she was all alone in the room, she felt safe knowing that all the people who were out to harm her were behind bars. All of the people, except for Mother. Rose could feel a shiver go up her spine at the thought, but she pushed away her fear. Hopefully Mother will be found soon, Rose told herself.

  * * *

  Detective Hamilton from Scotland Yard came to speak with Rose in the hospital the next day. Through the interviews with Rodney, Fontaine, and the others, they had discovered some new information. The investigator had come to question Rose and inform her of the new discoveries.

  “Well, we interviewed that Rodney fellow,” Detective Hamilton told Rose. “I understand that you spent a lot of time with him. Apparently your kidnapper, the woman who raised you, informed him in June that she thought you may have gone to London. She had him search for you, which he did until he found you. He had seen you before, several years ago, in your Brooklyn home. He had come there with several other men to deliver jewelry.

  “That’s it!” Rose exclaimed. “I always felt like I had seen him somewhere before. There were always men visiting my adopted mother. So he was there with them. It makes sense now. Why didn’t I think of it before? He seemed so familiar from the start. I asked him about it, but he denied it.”

  “When he found you, he began talking to you with the goal of asking you out and gaining your trust.”

  Rose’s heart began to pound as she listened to the investigator speak. Lionel had been right all along about Rodney. Why didn’t I listen to him? Rose thought with regret.

  “When he told his girlfriend, your kidnapper, his plan to date you to gain your trust, she became very angry and forbade him from having physical contact of a romantic nature with you. Apparently, she threatened him.”

  Rose blushed. The investigator continued to read over his notes. Then he continued his story.

  “Now, do you remember the day when you were on your way to meet Rodney for lunch and you were confronted by your kidnapper?” Detective Hamilton asked next.

  “Yes, I do,” Rose said with a shiver. “It’s scary just thinking about it. She appeared out of thin air, it seemed liked.”

  “Well, that was all set up by Rodney,” the man went on. “He wanted to convince you that the Lionel Douglass had betrayed you and told your kidnapper where you were. He wanted you to think that Lionel and his family could not be trusted. But apparently, when the woman who kidnapped you finally got her hands on you, she didn’t want to let go. She considered taking you away, ruining Rodney’s plans. She wanted to harm you.”

  Rose’s face went white as she listened. How did I so narrowly escaped? Rose wondered. It was as if a guardian angel had been watching over me.

  “But you managed to escape, luckily,” the man told her. “It all aligned perfectly with Rodney’s plan. Rodney wanted you to trust only him. He wanted you to be completely dependent on him. Then, when he was convinced that you trusted only him, he was planning to turn you over to this Mr. Fontaine. Surely, at his hand, you would have been killed. They wanted to eliminate you. They were constantly worried that you would report the woman who raised you to the authorities. They were concerned that if you went to the police about the kidnapping, they would find her and also discover her connection to the jewelry shop robberies. And from what you told us, they were planning to kill you last night.”

  “I see,” said Rose as it all sunk in. She shuddered. Ignorance was bliss for me these last couple months, she thought to herself. While I felt safe in the Douglass home, people were looking all around London for me. Those people were waiting to catch me alone. They wanted me dead.

  “Do you have any questions for me?” Detective Hamilton finally asked. “I’m sure that this is all a lot to take in. But here is my card, and please feel free to contact me should you have any questions at all.” He laid a card down on the table beside her hospital bed.

  “I do have one question,” Rose said. “What about my kidnapper? Do you think you’ll find her soon?”

  “I can’t discuss specifics, but I’m hopeful that we will find her soon.” The man smiled.

  The man politely said good-bye and Rose leaned back on her pillows. She suddenly felt very tired. Her body was still sore, but the pain in her arm felt better than it had before. The doctor had told her that she may be able to go home the next day. Rose smiled as she thought of returning home.

  * * *

  Rose woke up in less pain than before the following morning. Hopeful that she would be able to return home, she sat up and began running a brush through her hair. A nurse came in to serve her breakfast, which she ate while sunshine streamed through the window.

  Lionel called her on the telephone, and told her that he and Julie would be stopping by later in the morning. She then hobbled out of bed, showered, and washed her face. She applied some make-up, which Julie had brought by the day before. Rose also changed into a starched and pressed pink nightgown.

  A doctor came in and examined Rose. He updated her on her progress, and informed her that she was ready to be discharged.

  Ten minutes after the doctor left, Lionel and Julie arrived. They were thrilled that Rose could come home with them. Julie helped her pack her things and Lionel went to the hospital café to get her a cup of coffee. After getting dressed in her normal clothes, Rose left with Lionel and Julie.

  Rose took a deep breath of fresh air as soon as she stepped outside. She felt the warmth of the sunset on her face and the breeze blowing through her hair. With the breeze came a beautiful and
overwhelming feeling of freedom.

  Her legs were a little sore, so Rose walked more at a slower pace than normal. Her fractured arm was in a sling, but otherwise she felt fine.

  They went home for a while and ate lunch in the sunny kitchen. Julie was tired and decided to take a nap, but Rose wanted to go out and enjoy the sights and sounds of London. Lionel eagerly offered to go with her. They left the house and walked down the tree lined street.

  “Let’s ride the Tube,” Rose suggested. “I want to go for a walk. I’m still a little sore, but I need the exercise. I’m so sick of being cooped up inside.”

  “Okay,” Lionel agreed.

  After a short walk, they rode the Tube on the Piccadilly Line and simply enjoyed the ride. Rose found herself savoring the gentle sway of the train car as they rode through the underground tunnels. Because it was a weekday afternoon, there were few people on board.

  “Would you like to go shopping?” Lionel suggested to Rose.

  “Sure,” Rose replied.

  “Why don’t we go to the Portobello Road market?” Lionel shared his idea. “The full market is on Saturday, but there are still plenty of shops open during the week.”

  “Okay, sounds good,” Rose agreed.

  They switched trains and soon arrived in Notting Hill near the edge of the market. Rose first went into a small boutique shop, which mainly sold dresses. She admired the rows of white and cream lace sundresses hanging on a long rack. Several of them featured sashes in vibrant colors, such as blush pink, peach, lavender, pale green, and sky blue.

  “You like the dresses?” Lionel asked her as she gently touched the soft fabric on each one.

  “Oh, yes,” Rose replied.

  “You should buy one for yourself,” Lionel suggested.

  “Yes, I should,” Rose agreed. “I have some money with me.”

  “So, which dress do you want?” Lionel asked.

  “Well,” Rose said with hesitation. “I do really like the cream dress with the green edges.”

  “Then buy it,” Lionel said, smiling. He paused and glanced over at Rose. “Listen to me, sounding like Julia now.”