by Gayla Twist
This news perked me right up and I descended my ladder immediately. “That’s definitely something I would like to see.”
Lilly wasn’t so sure. “Are we allowed to stop working?” she asked. “I’d hate to get in trouble for shirking our duties on the very first day.”
“Oh, the Vanderlinds won’t mind,” Millie insisted. “They’re all asleep, anyway. And I’m sure Mrs. Denkler won’t have a problem with it. She’s in there herself.”
“Well…” Lilly thought it over.
“Oh, come on,” Millie urged. “You have to see how massive these chandeliers are. They’re like the size of a car, with a million prisms hanging off of each one. They’re amazing.” The temptation was too much, so the three of us hurried back to the great hall.
I could not believe the amount of scaffolding the men had built in order to raise the chandeliers. Taking into consideration the amount of ropes and pulleys they were using, I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone told me the giant fixtures weighed a thousand pounds each. I guess that was one of the benefits of living in a building constructed out of stone, you could hang heavy things off the ceiling.
Millie was right about the chandeliers being magnificent. Even without sunshine lighting up the room, the prisms still practically glowed on their own. They made a delicate music bumping into each other as they swayed back and forth, each suspended from its own small hook. They were so beautiful; I couldn’t imagine owning just one of the little jewels, let alone having an enormous chandelier festooned with them.
It looked like the entire staff of the castle was there, mesmerized while watching the first chandelier slowly inching higher and higher toward the vaulted ceiling. That’s why everyone was caught by surprise when one of the Vanderlinds appeared from above stairs and walked to the center of the room, craning his neck so he could take in the show.
There was something about the back of the young man’s head that drew my attention. He was tall and well-formed with dark hair that was ruffled on top, as if he’d just gotten up after tossing and turning in bed for a few hours. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt and gray flannel pants that were obviously tailor made to fit him perfectly.
One of the workmen hit a snag in the rope he was using to help hoist the chandelier. He called out a few words in a language that I didn’t understand. Some of the men stopped pulling on their ropes and others began pulling rather frantically. The chandelier began to sway harder and it tilted to the side. “Oh,” I exclaimed. I didn’t know what they were going to do to straighten it out. And I didn’t know how they were going to clean the chandeliers once they attached them to the vaulted ceiling.
I glanced back down again and got the surprise of my life. The young man was looking directly at me. Suddenly I found it hard to breathe. His face was just so beautiful, with stormy gray eyes, pale skin and full lips. I felt like he wasn’t just looking at me, but that he was seeing into my very soul. Thousands of little shivers ran up my spine as I finally put a face to the young man who had been haunting my dreams. When I realized this, my mouth popped open. I wanted to speak to him. I wanted to just be with him, to stand by his side. It was like he was the only man in the world and I was the only woman. My fixation with the castle suddenly all made sense. I somehow knew that he would live there. It felt like his heart had called me to him and I was powerless to resist.
In another instant I was screaming. The chandelier had somehow broken free from the ropes and pulleys. It was crashing toward the ground. And the young man who had just stolen my heart was standing underneath it. My piercing shriek startled him. He looked up and was only able to throw his arms over his head before the massive chandelier crushed him.
Chapter 30
Colette
People just stood there. It was as if everyone was waiting for someone else to do something. I had a moment of that myself. I kept thinking, I’m just a maid and this is my first day. Surely someone else will come to his aid. Someone in charge will take command of the crisis. But everyone was acting like they were frozen to the ground. And I couldn’t bear the thought of the poor young man suffering. So I hurried forward, shouting as I ran, “Call a doctor. Somebody call a doctor.” Dropping to my knees, I reached out to clutch his hand. Merely touching him sent a charge through me like I had grabbed a live wire. I’d finally met the man of my dreams and he was probably hemorrhaging internally. The thought made me want to shriek and burst into tears. But I had to be brave for him. If he was going to die, then I had to be there to comfort him during his last moments on earth. He’d stolen my heart and we’d never even have the chance to say hello.
“Don’t move,” I said, trying to keep a tremor out of my voice. “We’re sending for a doctor.”
“I’m fine,” he told me, sitting up.
“You can’t be fine,” I insisted. “You just have a giant chandelier drop on your head.”
This made him smile. “No, I really am fine,” he assured me. “I think maybe I just wrenched my ankle.”
And shockingly, he was fine. I kept expecting him to collapse from internal bleeding, but somehow he’d only twisted his ankle. It was a miracle. My heart sang with joy.
I helped him to a loveseat and we both sat there, holding each other’s hand. He introduced himself as Jessie Vanderlind. It was a name I knew I would be whispering in my dreams for the rest of my life.
“Mr. Vanderlind,” Mrs. Denkler exclaimed, hurrying over. “I do hope you’re alright.”
“Fine,” he said, only glancing briefly in her direction before returning his gaze to me. “Better than fine, in fact.” His eyes were shimmering gray clouds before a sudden spring shower.
“I’m so glad to hear that,” the housekeeper said. “It’s quite the relief. I’m afraid in all the commotion, our new housemaid has forgotten her place.”
“Her place?” Jessie mused, frowning at where I was sitting, as if he couldn’t quite make out the words Mrs. Denkler was saying to him. “She’s perfectly fine, I should think.” And then he asked me, “Are you comfortable? You’ve had quite a shock. Would you maybe like a glass of water?”
I couldn’t believe he was asking about my well being. Of course I was alright. Besides the shock of almost seeing a man crushed to death by a thousand pounds of leaded crystal. And the fact that, in the few seconds between when I’d had first laid eyes on Jessie Vanderlind and when the chandelier had knocked him to the ground, I had fallen in love with him.
“Get up, girl,” Mrs. Denkler snapped, grabbing me by the arm and hauling me to my feet. “You should be working, not lounging on a couch, harassing Mr. Vanderlind.”
“She wasn’t harassing me,” Jessie insisted. “In fact, I was very much enjoying her company.”
Mrs. Denkler pursed her lips together, giving me a fierce look. “Miss Gibson, I think it’s time you got back to work.” She raised her head and looked around the room. “Everyone who wants to keep their job should get back to work immediately.” People started hurrying out of the room. “Come with me, young lady,” the housekeeper snarled, still holding my arm in a vice-like grip.
I was marched back to the library, where Lilly was already ensconced, furiously dusting, pretending that she’d been there the entire time. Mrs. Denkler released me, practically thrusting me from her side. “I knew it was a mistake to hire such a pretty girl,” she said. “It always is.”
“Please don’t fire me, Mrs. Denkler,” I said. It would have been so humiliating. I didn’t know how I would face my parents. “I promise I won’t goof off ever again. I’m a good worker, I swear.”
“I’m not so much worried about your work ethic as I’m worried about you making eyes at the Vanderlind boys. I know they’re rich and handsome, but trust me when I say that boys like that aren’t for the likes of you.”
I looked down, feeling like I might burst into tears. She was right. I was being an idiot. Someone like Jessie Vanderlind would never even consider someone like me. He lived in a castle and I worked at
the castle. Even when we were in the same room, we were still a million worlds apart. “I know,” I told her, unable to raise my voice much louder than a whisper.
“I’m not going to let you go,” Mrs. Denkler said, after giving it some serious thought. “You remind me too much of…” She shook her head. “Well, that is neither here nor there. But I will say this; you are not to speak with Jessie Vanderlind. You are not to flirt with him. You are not to even gaze at him from a distance. If you are cleaning a room and he steps inside it, then you must immediately vacate that room and report directly to me. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“I’m just telling you this for your own good,” she informed me. “You’d think a girl your age would have more sense than you do.”
“I understand,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice steady. Mama and Papa hadn’t said anything directly to us, but I’d overheard them talking a few nights ago while they were both drying the dishes. Papa hadn’t had any real work in over two months. The extra money we would be bringing home was really going to help. “I’m lucky to have this job,” I told her.
“Yes,” Mrs. Denkler said. “I suppose you are. And I’m happy to let you keep it, just as long as you remember your place. Jessie Vanderlind is a very engaging young man when he wants to be, but just remember what I told you. He is to be left alone. Even if another giant chandelier comes crashing down on his head.”
Chapter 26
Jessie
I went back to my room and sat down on the bed. It felt like someone had just socked me in the stomach. The world was not fair. That much was obvious. If the world was fair, then I would still be human. That way I would be at liberty to fall in love with Miss Colette Gibson. I could woo her, and win her, and marry her. Then I could take her in my arms and kiss her and not fear that I would lose control and rip out her throat. But the world wasn’t fair. And I could not allow myself to fall in love.
I thought about instructing Mrs. Denkler to let the girl go. There would be some kind of compensation, of course, but the smart thing to do would be to bar Colette from the castle. But I somehow couldn’t bring myself to do it. And why should the young woman lose her position just because I found her attractive? But it was more than finding her physically beautiful. The way she rushed to my aid when everyone else was standing and staring spoke of a kind heart, a brave heart. And when she’d clasped my hand, the sensation I’d felt was like nothing I’d ever experienced. It was like nothing I’d ever read about in books. Love at first sight always sounded so foolish to me. You couldn’t fall in love with someone after just looking at them. Love was built on knowing someone and having shared experiences and finding out you had a million little things in common. Love at first sight was just an expression perpetuated by novelists and palm readers.
But all of my strongly held convictions about love melted away with the knowledge that a girl like Colette Gibson existed in the world. I said her name over and over again and it was ambrosia in my mouth. I kept playing the few brief moments we had spent together over and over again in my head. It felt like I would never be able to stop thinking about her.
I rose from my bed several times to find her and then sat back down again. Seeking Miss Gibson would not be a good idea, but it was as if my body had a mind of its own. Any practical decisions I made were quickly overruled.
When would Colette be done working for the day? I was half tempted to ring for Mrs. Denkler to find out. But I instantly knew that was a bad idea. Denkie was very protective of the family. If she sensed that I was unduly attracted to the girl, she would fire her on the spot. No, I had to keep my feelings to myself. I had to find a way to deny them. There was no one in which I could confide. I had to find a way to deny my love all on my own.
After an hour of just staring at the wall, there was a gentle knock at my door. “Come in,” I called.
In walked my sister. “Hello, brother,” she said, hurrying over and bestowing my cheek with a kiss. “I heard what happened with the chandelier and I wanted to check on you. Are you hurt?”
I gave her a quick squeeze, trying not to think about how I had yet to eat that day. “I’m fine,” I assured her. “But I guess it’s fortunate that Grandfather turned me when he did or I would have been squashed like a bug under the heel of a boot.”
“Oh,” she exclaimed and then threw her arms around me. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”
An idea occurred to me. It wasn’t the idea of a strong man, but the lightning strike of love had made me weak. “If I asked you to do something for me, would you be able to keep it a secret?”
“What kind of secret?” Emily asked, her eyes instantly shining.
“It’s not that big of a secret,” I told her, just something I’d like to keep from Old Denkie.” After a bit of thought, I added, “And probably Mother and Daniel.”
“I can keep a secret,” she assured me. “I promise,” she said, crossing her heart. “Now what is it?”
“I want you to find out what you can about a girl. She’s a maid that just started working here. But I want you to be very discrete.”
“What do you want to know about her?” Emily asked, squirming a little with the excitement of her task.
“Not much, really. I’d just like to know the days that she’ll be working here. And maybe the hours she’ll be working. And anything else you happen to find out.”
“Because you like her?” Emily asked, wearing a big smile.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not allowed to care about mortals anymore. You know that.” And then, before she could worry, I hastily added, “The only mortal I’m still allowed to love is you.”
“So you do like her,” Emily said. “You love her,” she concluded with the perceptiveness of youth.
“I don’t even know her,” I exclaimed. “If you’re going to let your imagination run away with you, then I’m sorry I asked. Please forget that I said anything.”
“No, I’ll find out for you,” she said, giving me a sly look out of the corner of her eye. “I want to find out. And I’ll be clever about it. I promise.” With that, she got to her feet and started heading for the door. “Oh,” she said, stopping abruptly. “But you have to tell me; what’s her name?”
I suppressed a sigh before telling her, “Colette Gibson.”
Chapter 27
Colette
Lilly and I were in the mud room, taking off our aprons and getting ready to head home for the day. We’d spent most of our afternoon finishing up the library. The time passed as a blur for me. I couldn’t even focus on the titles of the books I was dusting. All of my thoughts were consumed by the memory of Jessie Vanderlind.
Part of me felt like I should apologize to Lilly. I had thought her tunnel focus on spending time with Walter had been foolish and a little immature. But just a few minutes with Jessie Vanderlind had made me realize that I was wrong. I knew nothing about him, yet all I wanted to do was be with him. Before that moment, I had never understood how deeply people could love. When I first looked into Jessie Vanderlind’s eyes, the first instant that I saw him, I felt like there was a violin string running through my body and someone had plucked it. I could still feel it vibrating, deep in the very core of me, even thought I hadn’t seen Jessie for hours.
The door opened and a young girl stepped inside the small room. “Hello,” she said to me, giving me a hesitant smile.
“Hello,” I said in reply. The girl looked to be eleven or twelve. She was very pretty with blonde, curly hair and large gray eyes. She wore a velvet dress and shiny Mary Jane shoes. I knew without guessing that she had to be a member of the Vanderlind family. No one else in Tiburon could afford such fine clothes. Maybe for a wedding, but not for just wandering around the house on a Monday evening.
“What’s your name?” the girl asked.
“My name is Lettie,” I told her. “And this is my sister, Lilly.”
The girl smiled and tilted her head to one side. “Is Lettie
short for something? Colette, maybe?”
“That’s right,” I said. “What your name?”
“I’m Emily,” she told me. “How do you do?”
“How do you do?” I replied, suppressing a vague urge to drop a curtsy; she was so adorably formal.
“How many days a week will you work here?” she asked.
It seemed like an odd question, but I didn’t mind indulging a curious child. “We’re supposed to work ten to seven, every day, but Sunday,” I told her. “But Mrs. Denkler just told us this morning that we might have to work later some evenings.”
“And you’re a maid?” Emily asked. Expanding her question to include my sister, she said. “You’re both maids?”
“Yes,” I told her. “We’re both downstairs maids. And are you a Vanderlind? Or maybe the chauffeur.”
“Yes,” she said with a broad smile. “I’m the chauffeur.” Then she hastily added, “But I’m also a Vanderlind. Jessie’s my brother.” Then her cheeks grew red for some reason and she dashed out of the room.
I had to wonder what my brief exchange with Emily Vanderlind was all about. I couldn’t remember if she’d been in the great hall, watching the men raise the chandelier. Had her brother spoken to her about me?
I immediately chastised myself for such a flight of fancy. Mr. Jessie Vanderlind would never have any interest in a girl like me. Mrs. Denkler had made that abundantly clear.
“Come on. Let’s go,” Lilly said, breaking me out of my musings. “Papa’s probably waiting.”
I had trouble sleeping that night. I kept waking up, thinking someone was in the room with us. It startled me to the point that I half considered waking Lilly. But I knew I was being foolish, so instead I got out of bed, put on my robe and went to sit by the window. The moon was only half full, so it was a perfect night to just sit and gaze at the stars.