“Not really,” Val said. She threw back her head in defiance. “I’m eating for two now, you know.”
“Of course,” Henry said, setting down the tray with a clack. Val cringed in case the noise made Mai jump. He glanced around, then met Val’s eyes. He winked. “Don’t let the little one eat too much. We wouldn’t want him getting fat.”
“Her,” Val said.
Henry raised his feathery eyebrows. “Is it a girl this week?”
“I think so.”
“This child has changed genders more often than Eddie Izzard,” Henry said. “I hope you decide on one before it’s born.”
Val controlled herself and smiled at him blandly. “Thanks, Henry. Good night.”
“Good night. Just leave the tray outside the door.”
Val closed the door after him and locked it with a firm hand. By the time she turned around, Mai had emerged from her hiding place. She smoothed her long, dark hair back into its shining waves and tied it into a knot at the back of her head.
“I dislike him already. He treats you like an idiot.”
“He treats everybody like an idiot,” Val said.
“He has power. Have you noticed?”
“No. I don’t know how to tell.”
“We will have to work on that, but after we get you home.”
Mai pulled up the chair to the small table and dove into the food. Somehow in less than fifteen minutes, Esteban had put together a beautiful tray that would have been a hit at a fancy ladies’ luncheon. A bunch of tiny grapes was flanked by fans of cheese slices and mounds of country pate. Near the bottom, like mystic glyphs, squiggles of three different sauces begged to be tasted. On a second plate, chunks of strawberries and melons ringed composed pillboxes of salmon and chicken salads. At the top of the tray was a selection of small pastries and slices of cake. Val’s mouth watered. Luckily, there was plenty for two. She picked up the teaspoon from the right side of the tray and darted in to grab bites when she could. By the time Mai sat back and dabbed her mouth daintily with the linen napkin, all the plates were empty.
“I’ll bet,” Mai said, “that some serious attempts have been made to poach her kitchen staff.”
“Wish I could take them home with me,” Val said. “They could make a fortune in New Orleans.”
Mai nodded. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn. “I am sorry, Amazon, but I have been up since before dawn. I really need to rest.”
Val glanced at the clock. How inconsiderate of her not to realize how late it was!
“Take my bed,” Val offered. Mai shook her head.
“Where will you sleep?”
“On the armchair. It’s really comfortable. See the footrest? I can sit up and stretch out my legs on that.”
Mai surveyed the chair and smiled. “Foolish giant. I’ll take the armchair and ottoman. I can lie flat on that. You can’t.”
Val felt a rush of affection as well as relief. She had not really looked forward to a night on the upholstered chair. Naps she had taken in its embrace usually resulted in back cricks. “All right.”
Together they made up a small but comfortable bed for Mai. Val gladly sacrificed her crisp upper sheet, her quilt, and two of her three pillows to make her friend comfortable. She left Mai curled up and cozy with a cup of juice on the little glass-topped table beside her, reading a book.
Val cuddled down with the soft blanket and her remaining pillow, and had good dreams for the rest of the night. It was wonderful to know someone genuinely cared about her.
The sound of car tires outside woke her briefly. She heard the slam of metal doors and raucous voices like crows echoing in the darkness.
Melinda had returned.
Thirty-eight
When Val got up in the morning, the chair was empty and all the bedding had been returned to its normal location. Val wondered how it was she hadn’t felt a thing. It was good to have such a talented friend. She searched the room, but Mai was not there. Where she had gone, Val couldn’t imagine, but she trusted Mai’s sense of self-preservation to keep Melinda from detecting her presence, even in this fortress of a house.
Breakfast arrived, brought in by Henry in person. He wheeled the cart in and started to put dishes on her small table. They smelled delicious, but Val kept resolve firmly in her mind.
“Her majesty is back,” Henry said airily. “As soon as you’re presentable, please come down to the sitting room. Melinda has a lot to discuss with you.”
Val stood up, pulling her spine straight so she towered over Henry.
“Why wait?” she said, tightening the sash of her robe over her nightgown. “I have a few bones to pick with her myself.”
• • •
How the staff communicated, Val had never been able to divine. As she strode into the formal lounge with Henry at her heels, Marcella pushed open the small door at the rear of the room that led to the servants’ quarters and kitchen. She drew after her a brass cart very much like the one that was used to serve Val upstairs but more than twice the size. On it Val saw two sets of dishes. Somehow, Henry had informed her Val was coming.
Melinda rushed out of her seat as if launched from a cannon and wrapped her arms around Val in a fierce hug. The elder dragon female wore a rust-colored two-piece suit with a texture like lizard scales and Salvatore Ferragamo shoes. She drew Val’s robe tight over her belly.
“Valerie! You look wonderful, darling. My goodness, you’ve grown! But you are as beautiful as the goddess of the harvest. When I was pregnant, I looked like a hippopotamus. Sit down! Eat something. I didn’t mean for Henry to interrupt you.”
She bustled back to the little table and settled on one of the armchairs. Marcella laid out platters of ham, sausages, and eggs. A covered basket gave off the inviting aroma of fresh baked goods. In the middle, she set coffee- and teapots, pitchers frosted with condensation, and silver serving utensils. She unfolded a shimmering white napkin and put it across Melinda’s lap. She flicked another one open and waited for Val to seat herself.
“I was afraid I woke the whole house up last night when I got home, but you must have slept right through the ruckus,” Melinda said cheerfully. “Anyhow, I’m back! I have so many things for you, you will just scream with joy.”
“I’m sure I will,” Val said. She remained standing, her arms folded over her belly.
“Sit down already!” Melinda commanded, flicking a hand at the chair opposite her.
Val held her stance.
“No, thanks. I’m not too hungry.”
Melinda looked mildly peeved, but the expression was fleeting.
“Yes, I heard about your late-night snack. But don’t you want even a little something? My grandchild needs nourishment.”
“He’s getting everything he needs from me.”
“He? Are you sure this time?”
“No!” Val said, shifting onto one slippered foot. “I just don’t want to call him ‘it.’ Look, Melinda, why have you left me alone here so long?”
“Darling, I am not going to talk to you with my head craned back on my neck. It’s uncomfortable. Sit down. We’ll eat. Then we can talk.”
“Come on, sweetheart,” Henry said, winking at her. “Come and have some nice breakfast. We have all your favorites. Fresh strawberries.” He lifted the cover off a china bowl to show her the ruby red berries sliced into bite-sized morsels.
Very reluctantly, Val moved toward the chair, fighting her own impulses all the way. Henry pulled it out and angled it for her. Val sank into it, feeling as if she were being pushed down. Marcella swept the white linen across her lap. It settled half-on and half-off her baby bump. It should have been nearly weightless, but it seemed to hold her down like a seat belt.
Marcella served coffee from the taller pot, then withdrew through the servants’ door. Val watched her go with dismay. The
housekeeper was her only ally.
She resolved to stand up for herself or, in the present case, sit. The knowledge that she knew where she was bolstered her confidence. North Carolina, she said to herself. Just a few miles from the airport.
“What would you like to eat, darling?” Melinda asked.
“She likes bacon, eggs over easy, and just scads of fruit,” Henry said, just as she opened her mouth to reply. He dished plenty of all three foods onto her plate. “Sometimes we can talk her into a wee little cinnamon roll, but only if they’re whole grain. Freshly squeezed orange juice, which we have right here. And coffee. Gallons of coffee.”
“Is that much caffeine good for you?” Melinda asked.
“Well . . .”
“I did some reading,” Henry interrupted. “It doesn’t do any harm, apart from making us go tinkle more frequently. I mean, piling caffeine withdrawal on top of a growing baby is just too much to ask of one girl.”
Val looked up at him indignantly, but there was no more to add. She slashed through the rashers of bacon with her knife, making believe they were Henry’s glib tongue.
“Why have you left me here so long by myself?” she asked.
“I wanted you to get acclimated, make new friends. I understand that you and Marcella have been enjoying some nice conversations.”
Val feared for the housekeeper’s safety. “Is that against the rules?”
Melinda chopped the end off a sausage as if staging an execution. “No, of course not. Marcella understands her place. She’s not a dragon, of course. You’ve done very well incorporating yourself into the household. Some of the employees would rather go to you than Henry.”
The smirk that Melinda and Henry exchanged told Val that the household workers were soon going to be convinced of the error of their ways. She felt sorry for them. Val held fast to the memory of Mai in her room the night before, and all the thoughts of her home. It might not be glamorous, but she wasn’t a glamorous girl. Though she liked nice things, she refused to let them overpower her common sense.
“But why weren’t you here? You said you had a lot you would teach me.”
“And I will, Valerie. It sounds like you have been showing plenty of aptitude.”
“I just feel like I’ve been wasting my time here waiting for you.”
“Good heavens!” Melinda said, with a laugh. “I thought you’d appreciate the break. I kept Lizzy out of your way.”
Val felt panic rise in her like a tidal wave.
“Is Lizzy here?”
“Of course she’s here,” Melinda said. “This is her home. But don’t you worry: She’s in her own rooms. She won’t be in your way. If she has to come out for company, I’ll give you plenty of warning.”
Val stood up. “Melinda, you promised me I wouldn’t have to deal with her.”
“And you won’t, dear. She doesn’t even know you’re here.”
“She’s not stupid, Melinda. She’ll figure out that someone is staying here.”
Melinda waved away the possibility. “I always see to it that she has plenty of distractions. How do you think I get anything done around here?”
“I don’t know! When can I go home?”
Melinda shook her head.
“This is your home, Valerie. You can have whatever you want here.”
“No, it isn’t! My home is in New Orleans. I have an apartment in the French Quarter, if it hasn’t been rented out from under me while I’m here. I hope Griffen’s been paying the landlord. And why won’t you let me call him?”
“Of course you can call him. You can call anyone you want.”
“You’ve made plenty of phone calls, dear,” Henry put in.
Val nearly sputtered her indignation.
“And none of them go through! You just make me think that I’m recording a message on their answering services. God knows who I’m really talking to. They must get a big kick out of listening to me babble. I don’t appreciate it. I want to make real calls. And I want to get away before Lizzy figures out I’m here and attacks me again! She might kill me this time!”
“Call Dr. Drake,” Melinda told Henry. “I don’t know what’s in those prenatal vitamins she’s taking, but she’s hallucinating.”
“Immediately, Melinda.”
Horrified, Val looked from one to the other.
“I am NOT hallucinating! You have me trapped here. I feel like a prisoner!”
“You’re not a prisoner, sweetheart,” Melinda said. “Come up with me. I want to show you all the nice things that I bought for your baby.”
Val had a moment of temptation to see the items but did not want to let Melinda off the hook.
“If I had known she was in the house last night, I would have left!”
“It’s just as well, then, that you didn’t. Now, come with me.”
Melinda grabbed Val by the arm and marched her upstairs. Henry stayed beside them all the way. Val could almost see him rub his hands together obsequiously to defer to Melinda.
She had little attention to devote to either of them. She listened hard as they went up the grand staircase and into the corridor on the other side from her room, hoping she wouldn’t hear Lizzy’s voice. Every little crack or squeak that the old house emitted made her jump.
“Now, you don’t have to worry about her,” Henry said, taking her other arm. He leaned in, putting his lips close to her ear.
“Lizzy hates me!” Val said. She knew she sounded like a petulant child.
“She doesn’t really hate you. She doesn’t hate anyone,” Melinda said. “She’s just . . . undirected.”
“Undirected? She’s homicidal!”
Melinda shook her head sadly.
“Valerie. Did you ever think in your selfish little life what it’s like for me? Never being able to go anywhere without worrying about my daughter? Knowing that she can’t ever live on her own? That I will have to make provisions for her if, God forbid, I predecease her? Did you ever think about me?”
“What?” Val asked, taken off guard. She was filled with contrition. “No, I never . . .”
Melinda sighed heavily. She took a large key from Henry and unlocked the door at the end of the hallway. “I didn’t think so.”
“Valerie doesn’t mean to be inconsiderate, Melinda,” Henry said soothingly. He patted Val on the arm. “She knows how many sacrifices you have made for her. And she’s grateful for the comforts you’ve provided for her. Isn’t that right, Valerie?” he asked. His voice fell softly on her ears. Val batted away the unfamiliar sensation with one hand. It caressed the outer pinnae and fondled her lobes. She started to like the feeling and relaxed. The voice stroked her gently and slipped inside. “You’ve had such wonderful opportunities. And the staff has been so kind to you. Everything has been provided for you. Why, it’s like living in a palace, isn’t it? You have everything here: lovely rooms, excellent food, designer clothes—and how well they fit you! Even jewelry to enhance your already stunning beauty. You are appreciative.”
“Why, yes, I am,” Val said. How immature of her never to say thanks for all the kindness that Melinda had shown her. What was the matter with her? She had been brought up better than that! “I am grateful. You opened your home to me. You were so generous to give me a job. I feel that I’m really learning something. I’ve met such great people, like Mike Burns.”
Saying his name broke the mood for a moment. She remembered the last time that she and Mike had tried to go out for a date. She faced Henry accusingly.
“You stopped me from going out with him,” she said. “It’s like you’re keeping me under house arrest.”
“Not at all,” Henry said, his voice like silk. His pale blue eyes seemed to enlarge as he faced her. “I only kept you inside for your own protection. You saw the videos. That man invaded the property! He could have been coming for
you.”
He might have been coming to rescue me, Val thought, but kept the words from reaching her tongue.
“But I like to go out once in a while. I’m going stir-crazy in here.”
“It’s a big house. How can you be stir-crazy?” Melinda asked.
“It’s not that big!”
Melinda waved her arms impatiently.
“Henry, talk some sense into her.”
Once the spell had been broken, Val realized that he had been influencing her to accept, even like, her captivity. She was furious. Mai had warned her that he must have had something to do with her not connecting with the outside world. And he probably messed with her mind so she didn’t realize it! Couldn’t the Wurmleys do anything without resorting to enchantment to get their way? Henry had, well, a manner about him that made her go against her better judgment. She was going to make her own decisions from then on.
She broke away from him and retreated partway up the hall. Henry bore down on her as inexorably as an avalanche rolling downhill. She was determined not to let him cloud her mind again. One way or another, she was going to keep her wits clear.
“Oh, no,” she said. “Don’t you touch me.”
“Come now,” Henry said, coaxingly. “Don’t be like that.”
Months of pregnancy might have changed her body, but she had kept in shape. Henry reached for her. She dodged him, keeping watch on his hands. The long, slim fingers seemed to weave the air between them. Did she imagine the glitter of sparks, or was that just light striking off a gem in one of his rings?
“I am not going to hurt you, dear,” Henry said. “How can you even dream that I would harm a single hair on your head?”
“It’s not my hair I’m worried about,” Val said. She had reached the center hallway.
She heard footsteps and voices below. A quick glance showed her that Marcella had gone to the front door to sign for a delivery. She and the UPS driver were exchanging a few pleasantries as he clicked his pen against his clipboard device. The door was open!
Robert Asprin's Dragons Run Page 28