by Gayla Twist
“Oh.” I took half a step backward and covered the pendent with my hand. I guess it had slipped out of the top of my dress when I was bending over to pluck the flowers. “It’s…” I stammered.
“Where’d you get it?” Lilly wanted to know.
I had no explanation for her. All I could do was stare at her, wide-eyed.
My sister’s face grew hard. “Did he give it to you?”
I nodded my head. “For my birthday.”
“I thought that was over,” Lilly said in a tight voice as she remounted her bicycle.
“No,” I told her, also climbing on mine. “It’s definitely not over.”
“I hope he hasn’t taken advantage of you,” Lilly said. “That’s usually what happens when the rich boy starts sniffing around the maid.”
“It’s nothing like that,” I exclaimed. “You sound like Mama.”
Lilly shrugged. “She’s right about a lot of things.”
“She wasn’t right about Lev Wilson,” I pointed out as I pushed down on a pedal to get my bike rolling. “She still thinks he’s a nice boy.”
“Just be careful,” my sister said, following me.
“He’s always been a gentleman,” I insisted, not wanting to say his name out loud for some reason.
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Lilly told me. “At least not completely.”
“What, then?” I asked over my shoulder.
“I don’t know.” She rode for a few moments in silence. “There’s just something so very peculiar about the Vanderlind family. I don’t like their eyes.”
“What about their eyes?” I asked. I loved gazing into Jessie’s eyes.
“Their eyes all are the same color,” Lilly said. “Gray. And they’re all so cold... Sometimes it makes me think they’re dead inside, the blank grayness of their eyes.”
Lilly was being ridiculous. Jessie was so loving and passionate and wonderful. He couldn’t have been more alive.
“Don’t pester me with those,” Mrs. Denkler said when she saw the enormous bouquet I had gathered. “Just take them upstairs. And don’t bother Arthur.” At that point I had taken the flowers up to Arthur’s room numerous times, but the housekeeper always felt the need to warn me that the Vanderlind invalid needed to be left alone.
Lilly was right, I thought as I arranged the blossoms in a vase. I had gone a little overboard with my flower gathering that morning. I needed a much larger vase than usual and I could barely see around it at I tottered up the stairs.
At the top of the steps, as I peered through the flowers as thick as shrubbery, I thought I saw a figure slipping out of Arthur’s room. Moving my head to one side of the arrangement, I had a clearer view, but I was only able to catch a glimpse of Daniel heading around a corner at the end of the hall. I thought maybe he glanced back at me, but then again, maybe he didn’t.
I made my way over to Arthur’s door and set the overfilled vase on the ground. As I pulled my arms away from the arrangement, the flowers expanded and pushed the door to the room open several inches.
I froze, not sure what to do. The door was always firmly shut and Mrs. Denkler had warned us in no uncertain terms that we were to never bother Arthur under any circumstances. Did I close the door or leave it open? It was hard to know which was best. After giving it some quick thought, I decided I would just ease the door closed as quietly as possible. The family wanted Arthur to have privacy, after all.
I meant to just gently tug the door shut and go back downstairs, but I couldn’t help glancing inside as I reached for the knob. And then I pulled up short. The room appeared to be empty.
I guess I had been expecting a large hospital bed and a young man propped up on a pile of pillows, with a nurse tending to him, and some tubes coming out of his arm. But there was no bed, no nurse, not even a young man. At least there wasn’t a young man that I could see. The portion of the room that I could view through the crack in the door was bereft of any furniture.
I felt something cold run through me. Glancing up, I double-checked that I was standing in front of the correct door, the one with the bird over it. What was going on? I felt the urge to open the door the entirely, but I also felt like I should just pretend that nothing happened and hurry back down the stairs. Indecision kept me glued to the floor, right at the threshold of the room, for several seconds. I thought about Jessie and how he had tried numerous times to confess his family’s sins to me, but I wouldn’t let him. Then, although my curiosity was killing me, I took hold of the doorknob and eased the door shut.
“Is it what you were expecting?” Mrs. Denkler asked. She was standing right behind me and I was barely able to suppress a shriek.
“I wasn’t expecting anything,” I told her, backing away from the door a few steps. “When I put the vase down, some of the flowers popped the door open, so I thought I should pull it shut.”
Mrs. Denkler frowned. “Don’t lie to me, young lady. I saw you leaving the room. You had yourself a right good snoop.”
“I didn’t,” I insisted. “I promise. All I did was stand here for a moment and then try to close the door.”
The housekeeper looked like she was on the verge of believing me, when her eyes alighted on my neck. “What’s this?” she demanded, snatching at the pendant that Jessie had given me. “Didn’t I make myself perfectly clear on your first day that you are to wear no personal adornments whatsoever?”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Denkler,” I blurted. “I do remember you telling us, but…”
“And silver, nonetheless,” she said, yanking at the chain and causing my head to jerk forward. “What in the world were you thinking?”
“I’m sorry,” I said again. “It’s just…”
She pulled at the chain another time. “Why on God’s green earth would you wear this?” she demanded.
“I have to wear it,” I told her, trying to pry her hand open as she clutched at the locket. “I was told to wear it. Now let go or the clasp is going to break.”
“Told to wear it?” she all but shouted. “And who, pray tell, told you to wear it?”
“Jessie Vanderlind.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Mrs. Denkler stopped yanking on the pendant, but she did not let go. “Jessie Vanderlind?” she repeated, her eyes wide as if she was having trouble understanding the words. Then she focused on me and gave a sneer of a smile. “Well,” she said, slowly. “Haven’t you been up to all kinds of little tricks? And right under my nose. I should have known better than to hire the likes of you.” The old lady laughed. “And here I thought you were just some good little girl. Oh, so very nice, always gathering flowers for a sick boy.” She jerked on the chain again and I clutched at her hand to stop her from breaking it. “Little did I realize you were just doing it to suck-up. How dare you even think you had a chance of winning the heart of someone like Jessie Vanderlind?”
Angry tears filled my eyes. “Why shouldn’t I? He’s good and he’s kind. He loves me and I love him.”
“Love?” Mrs. Denkler exclaimed with a rueful laugh. “You are such a little fool.” She looked my face over, closely. “You have no idea what’s going on. Do you? He hasn’t told you a thing.”
No, Jessie hadn’t told me he loved me. Not in so many words. Or at least not in a language that I understood. But I knew it in my heart every time he looked at me. I felt it every time we kissed. “He does love me,” I insisted, practically clawing at her hand, but the old woman had a grip like a vice.
This elicited more laughter from Mrs. Denkler. “You are such a fool. Someone like Jessie doesn’t know how to love.” She gave me a shake. “That part of him died when he was made.”
“No,” I insisted, trying to push her off of me. Her words made no sense. “He loves me. I know he does. And I love him. I love Jessie Vanderlind.”
“You have no idea what it takes to love a member of this family,” Mrs. Denkler hissed. “You don’t even know who the Vanderlinds really are. If he
loves you so much, then why hasn’t he told you the truth about his family?”
“He’s tried,” I insisted. “He’s tried dozens of times, but I wouldn’t let him.”
She froze for a moment, her eyes looking quite wild. “I believe you,” she said. “But that makes things worse. Just wait until I tell his grandfather.”
“His grandfather is dead,” I whimpered. “Mr. Vanderlind is dead.”
“He will never be dead!” Mrs. Denkler shouted. “Do you hear me?” she demanded, giving me another good shake. “A man like that can never die!”
“Stop it,” I cried, thrashing against her might, as well as her words. “Leave me alone,” I wailed, using all my strength to wrench myself free.
But she yanked me back in the other direction. The clasp of the pendant finally snapping under the strain. I ended up falling forward and crashing through the door to Arthur’s room.
I lay there, groaning for a moment. The castle’s floor was hard stone and the wind had been knocked out of me. My elbow throbbed and I let out a sharp whimper when I tried to push myself up. Through a blur of pain, I took in the room. It was, as I’d gleaned through the crack in the door, almost completely devoid of furniture. At the far end of the room there was some type of appliance. It looked like a large icebox, or some kind of new, fancy refrigerator. There was also a small sideboard laid out with rows of clean goblets on one side and dirty on the other. The dirty glasses were coated with the remnants of something that was red and looked sticky. A few flies circled lazily around the soiled crystal. The flowers I had gathered yesterday had been placed to the left of the sideboard, out of the way.
“Where’s Arthur?” I asked, cradling my injured arm.
Mrs. Denkler just stood there, looking down at me, clutching Jessie’s pendent in her fist. “There is no Arthur,” she told me. “Now get up.” Reaching down, she grabbed me by the shoulders and hauled me to my feet.
“I don’t understand,” I said, feeling tearful again. “What happened to him?”
“Nothing happened to him,” Mrs. Denkler snapped. “You are such a stupid child. Isn’t it obvious?”
“No.” I shook my head, covering my face with my hands. I didn’t want to look at the room. I didn’t want to see the soiled goblets, all sticky and red.
The housekeeper drew a sharp breath, her hands at her sides, balled into such tight fists that her knuckles were white. And then she sighed, her hands releasing, Jessie’s gift slipped through her fingers and onto the floor. “Arthur was sent to New York last week,” she said, her voice becoming much softer. I could tell she was trying to be reassuring. “There’s a clinic there. They think they might have a cure.”
“But where are all of his things?” I asked, glancing around at the empty room.
“He took everything with him,” she informed me. “He might be there for awhile.”
“But…” I couldn’t stop shaking. “Why are you still taking blood donations if Arthur’s not here?” I forced myself not to glance in the direction of the large refrigerator at the far end of the room. “I’ve seen people lining up outside the clinic door, just like usual.”
“It’s because…” Mrs. Denkler smoothed her hands over her skirt and I could tell she was casting about for an explanation. “It’s because so many people in the town have come to depend on earning a few extra dollars from donating blood.” She folded her hands in front of her and looked me in the eye. “The family didn’t want to take that money away from people in need. So all the blood is going to local hospitals.” She nodded her head, indicating the back of the castle. “You’ve seen the ambulances drive up and haul the blood away.”
“Oh... “I forced myself to stop trembling. “Yes. I hadn’t thought of that. It’s very good of the Vanderlinds to provide such a service.” I forced myself not to think about the soiled goblets on the sideboard. I knew no good would come from asking their purpose.
“Yes, they are a great family,” Mrs. Denkler said with conviction. “I’ve never met finer.”
“I’m sorry for causing trouble,” I said, trying to stand up straight, but still feeling the need to clutch my elbow; it throbbed with a deep ache. I had to wonder if it was broken. “It’s just when I set the flowers down, the door popped open. That’s all.”
“I understand,” Mrs. Denkler said in a voice that was almost kind. “It’s usually locked. I guess someone was careless and left it open.” She stepped forward and touched me on the shoulder. “You’ve had a rough day and I think you should go home now. I’ll have one of the chauffeurs take you home in the car.”
“But what about my sister?” I asked, almost afraid to leave Lilly there without me. “And my bicycle?”
“I’ll request one of the larger cars,” Mrs. Denkler informed me. “There will be ample room to put your bicycle in the back. As for your sister, I’ll tell her you weren’t feeling well so I sent you home.”
“Thank you,” I said in a choked whisper, staring hard at the floor. I wanted to ask to take Jessie’s gift with me, but she was staring at me too intently.
“I need you to think very closely about what you’ve seen here today,” Mrs. Denkler said. “I need you to think about your relationship with Jessie Vanderlind. I understand that he’s a very handsome young man and I’m sure he can be charming when he chooses, but I hope you also understand that pursuing such a relationship might not be such a healthy choice for a young girl like you.” She reached out and squeezed my shoulder again, this time in a much firmer grip. “You might want to consider seeking other employment, if working here at the castle makes you uncomfortable.” The strength of her grip increased, making me squirm under its pressure. “But mind me when I tell you not to discuss what you’ve seen here,” she said. “About Arthur. The good people of Tiburon don’t need to know anything more about him. If the blood donations were to stop, then that could make things very unpleasant for a great many people.”
Chapter 40
Jessie
Mother, Emily and I were sitting in the dining hall, enjoying our evening repast when Daniel stalked in. We were used to him being moody and entitled, so his attitude was no surprise, but his presence seemed to fill the very air with disapproval.
“Is there something you want to share with us?” Mother asked. “Am I to guess that there is something going on?” Knowing Mother, she just wanted to get on with whatever criticism Daniel was about to rain down on us.
“Why don’t you ask him what’s going on?” Daniel said, thrusting his chin in my direction.
“It’s called diner,” I said, lifting my goblet for his benefit. “Maybe you should have some. It might make you feel better.”
Emily was seated next to mother, enjoying a meal of roasted pork and mashed sweet potatoes. I hated when Daniel had one of his little temper tantrums in front of her. She was at an impressionable age and I didn’t want her to think that she had to tolerate such poor behavior from a man. She kept her head bent to her meal, but I knew she was observing our exchange through her lashes.
“It case you haven’t noticed,” Daniel said, continuing to address our mother, “your second son has been diddling with one of the housemaids.”
If this came as a surprise to Mother, she did not react as if it was. She simply regarded Daniel with a calm expression on her face. “And you feel that Jessie’s activities somehow affect you?”
“It could have damning repercussions for all of us,” he exclaimed. “I don’t see why he couldn’t just go to a cat house if he wants some pretty little mortal to toy with.”
“He’s not toying with her,” Emily said, straightening up from her meal. “He’s in love with her.” She looked over at me, her eyes glowing. “And she is completely in love with him.”
“That’s completely preposterous,” Daniel practically shouted. “No Vanderlind would soil himself by falling in love with a mortal girl.”
Mother turned to look at me, her eyes filled with curiosity, but also encouragement. “Is
this true, Jessie? Have you fallen in love with a mortal?”
“Yes,” I said, addressing my mother, but steadfastly staring at my brother. “I am in love with Colette Gibson. She is a mortal young woman who works as a maid in this house.”
“I knew it,” Daniel all but howled. “I knew you were too soft-hearted. You’ll bring shame to us all. You disgust me.”
“Daniel, that’s hardly called for,” our mother chastised him. “And besides, falling in love is the best sort of news. It’s a reason to celebrate.”
“Your son admits to being in love with a mortal and you think that’s good news?” Daniel was aghast. “Excuse me, but I really don’t want to be staked in my coffin because of his foolishness. God only knows how much he’s told her about our family.”
“I haven’t told her anything,” I said, rising so quickly from my chair that it tipped over. “I’ve actually wanted to tell her. I thought I owed her the truth. But she refused to hear it. She said that she wanted to get to know me and not have her feelings influenced by any dark secrets the Vanderlinds might be concealing.”
“She’s obviously just a little gold digger,” Daniel insisted. “She shows you the shapeliness of her ankle and suddenly you fancy yourself in love.”
I wanted to fly across the room and smash my brother in the face. But I also knew that he probably wanted me to lose my temper and I wasn’t going to play his game. “I am in love,” I told him. “I know that’s an emotion you don’t easily understand, but just because you’ve never felt love doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
“At least I know better than to fall in love with some little trollop who probably only sees you as a meal ticket.” He rubbed his chin. “Or maybe that’s how you see her? Were you waiting for someone pure so you could slake both your lust and your appetite?”
“Boys!” Mother thundered, slapping her palm down loudly on the table. “That is enough.” She turned to my brother. “Daniel, you are acting beyond ill-bred. Didn’t I raise you to have better manners than this?”