Beautiful Strangers

by Ellen Dean

  At the turn in the stairs a tall window looked out over the garden and across the parkland. Beth paused and glanced down. H and Constance were talking. She drew back and hurried after her hostess.

  Davinia ushered Beth along the first floor landing complete with threadbare carpets, flinging open the bedroom doors one by one. Every room was decorated in a different colour and Beth lost count after the fifth or sixth. They were all comfortably furnished with heavy, dark furniture and solid four poster beds. In sharp contrast the ultra modern bathrooms had wonderful old Victorian style bathtubs. Beth lingered imagining herself soaking in deep scented water surrounded by rose petals.

  Hardly pausing for breath Davinia bombarded Beth with so much history Beth almost missed the invitation to be a house-guest.

  ‘So Beth. We’ll look forward to your visit. Julie and I just love entertaining.’

  ‘Visit? My visit?’

  ‘Wake up,’ she gently nudged Beth with her elbow. ‘I’ve just invited you to be our house-guest.’

  ‘Thank you. You’re very kind. I’d like that.’

  ‘Good. We’ll have to get something arranged. Do you get much free time from the hospital?’

  ‘Not a great deal.’

  ‘How do you find George Dickinson? Is he good to work for?’

  ‘He’s a charming man, and an amazing surgeon to boot. I admire him.’

  ‘I take it you intend to stay at St. Gregory’s?’

  ‘I’ve no plans to go anywhere else.’

  ‘How is your family coping? How is Catherine?’

  ‘You know my sister?’ Beth’s voice was surprised. Davinia’s interest in her and her family bordered on being downright nosy.

  ‘There you are!’ Daphne interrupted them. ‘I’ve been looking for you. I’ll come with you. I love mooching around this place.’

  Davinia looked at Daphne, nodded and winked, ‘Tell you what Daph . . . why don’t you show Beth around. After all, you know the place well enough and I really should be getting back to the other guests.’

  As Davinia hurried towards the main staircase, Daphne took Beth’s hand leading her into the nearest bedroom. Two steps into the room, she pulled Beth down onto a sofa. Beth realized Daphne had been drinking.

  She had difficulty keeping Daphne’s wandering hands at bay, and was fast losing her patience. They didn’t hear Petra come into the room until she was standing right in front of them. Because H had described Petra in such detail Beth knew immediately who she was.

  Running her hands over her body, taking time to unfasten the top button of her blouse, Petra lifted her leg to rest her foot on the corner of the sofa next to Beth.

  Daphne’s wandering hands finally stopped, she glared up at Petra.

  ‘Can I make it with you?’ Petra spoke in a weird accent.

  ‘Make it? Make what?’ Beth said.

  ‘Lurve. Is that what you English say?

  ‘Lurve?’ Beth could feel the laughter bubbling. Is this woman serious? Does she want a threesome? It was all too much. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the top of Petra’s stockings where her long shapely legs disappeared under her short skirt.

  Daphne forced a thin smile and patted the seat, inviting Petra to sit beside her.

  Is it the drink or do these women act like this all of the time? Beth wondered. Supposedly the housekeeper, Petra was dressed more like a French maid from an amateur dramatic farce, and her peculiar accent more French than Swedish. High heels, black stockings, the shortest, tightest black skirt that moved invitingly higher when she’d lifted her leg, and a dainty white apron. Her slinky white blouse gave a tempting glimpse of her deep cleavage.

  Ignoring Daphne, Petra beckoned Beth to her. When Beth didn’t respond, she reached forward and took Beth’s hands pulling her slowly to her feet.

  ‘Feel my titz, Beth.’ She placed Beth’s hands onto her breasts and held them there. Her nipples hardened under Beth’s touch.

  Petra closed her eyes and started to murmur in an exaggerated accent. ‘You exzite me you ravishing witch. Oh, you maker ze nipplez harder.’

  Beth struggled to suppress her laughter. This was the most bizarre situation to be in, but at the same time she felt a tremendous urge to kiss Petra’s pouting red lips.

  Playing hard to get, Petra tipped her head back out of Beth’s reach.

  Beth paused momentarily and made to step away, and then Petra came to life. Hands on either side of Beth’s head, she pulled Beth back to her; their lips met and her tongue searched out Beth’s.

  Daphne was furious. She slammed out of the room almost taking the door off its hinges.

  Chapter 12

  Petra led Beth to the bed. She started to pull her skirt up with one hand, holding Beth firmly by the waist with the other. She was going to enjoy this.

  The door burst open and Hyacinth stormed in shouting, ‘What the hell is going on in here?’ She was absolutely blazing, eyes full of venom. ‘Daphne said you were in here with that tramp!’

  Alarm bells rang in Beth’s head. God knows she’d just been warned about that temper and jealous streak, and now she was about to witness it first hand.

  With surprising strength, H wrenched the two girls apart pushing Petra away towards the door. Failing to gain control of herself, she drew back her hand and delivered a resounding slap across Beth’s face.

  Momentarily stunned, Beth raised her hand and slapped Hyacinth back, delivering an equally stinging blow. She rounded on Hyacinth with a fury to match hers.

  ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing? How bloody dare you!?’

  It was Hyacinth’s turn to be shocked. No-one ever dared retaliate against her, and although her temper was shooting off the Richter Scale, in that instant some respect for Beth was born. Still, it took a huge effort to steady herself.

  Conscience-stricken, she reached for Beth, ‘Darling, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you. Truly I didn’t. You gave me such a shock, kissing that hussy.’ Dramatically she pointed at Petra. ‘Will you forgive me? Please?’

  ‘Forgive you? You’ve never returned one of my fucking calls since we got back from Scotland. What the hell do you want from me, Hyacinth?’ Beth’s angry words struck home.

  ‘Darling, I’m so sorry. I over reacted.’ Shit, Hyacinth silently cursed. She must learn to control her temper, it would be her downfall. Standing as petulant as a small child, one hand on her heart, the other behind her back so she could cross her fingers, she gave Beth her most imploring look.

  Petra faded away like morning mist in the sunshine, slyly blowing a kiss to Beth from behind Hyacinth’s back as she slunk out of the door.

  Beth didn’t like this side of Hyacinth. She didn’t like it at all. All the apologies in the world would never make her forget that stinging slap.

  On a losing streak, H moved on. ‘I have strong feelings for you, Beth. So strong I’m finding them difficult to deal with. I was jealous! And I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch, I’ve had staffing problems at the Unit . . . I’ve hardly been home.’

  Surprised by her admission, Beth’s face softened but she couldn’t resist saying, ‘What? Not even time for a quick phone call?’

  Gotcha, thought H. Genuinely relieved, she pulled Beth into her arms, kissing her passionately as her hands slid under Beth’s shirt. She was almost panting in anticipation, but suddenly she stopped, and looked towards the door. ‘Listen . . . someone’s coming!’

  ‘What?’ Then Beth heard the voices.

  ‘Quick — into the dressing room.’

  Davinia, with her friend, the ultra-chic Clarice, entered the room. An avid collector of antique furniture, Davinia appeared to be showing off her latest acquisition, a set of drawers. She opened the middle drawer, they looked, neither spoke. Davinia lifted out a box and turned to her friend.

  ‘Yes, Davinia, that will do nicely.’

  Beth watched Davinia take a pink dildo out of the box.

  ‘What on earth are they going to do with tha
t?’ Beth whispered, jokingly.

  ‘Sssh. Keep quiet or they’ll hear us. We don’t want any embarrassment.’

  From their secret vantage point they watched Davinia fumbling under the folds of her black kaftan. Then she stood up, pulled it off over her head with a flourish, and turned to face Clarice. The pink dildo standing proud against her pubic bone peeped through the folds of her long purple shirt.

  ‘Strip.’ She demanded.

  ‘I do love it when you’re butch.’ Clarice simpered. She stripped in a flash.

  ‘Stand at the bottom of the bed, and bend over.’

  Watching the scene unfold, H and Beth shook with silent laughter.

  ‘My God, H. I’ll never be able to look either of these women in the eye again.’ Beth spluttered as H put her hand over Beth’s mouth to shut her up.

  After much puffing and panting, the two women stopped, both out of breath. There seemed to be little emotion between them Beth thought, just vigorous pounding. Finished, they disposed of the toy, dressed quickly and left.

  Hyacinth and Beth fell out of the dressing room. An intriguing thought came into Beth’s mind. We’re supposed to be going to London soon, will H expect me to do that, or will she leave me alone like she did in Scotland?

  ‘We’d better get back to the party. We’ll go down separately. Like I said — we don’t want to cause any embarrassment.’ H interrupted her thoughts.

  ‘And where do we go from here, H? Are you going to ignore me for the rest of the evening, or will you come and dance with me?’

  ‘Maybe we should keep our distance, darling. I don’t want people to put two-and-two together. I’ll keep in touch. I promise.’ H kissed her lightly on the lips and then pushed her toward the bedroom door.

  Beth glanced back over her shoulder, ‘Yes, make sure that you do.’ She disappeared through the door.

  H waited, giving Beth time to rejoin the party, then slipped down the back stairs. For the rest of the night they deliberately avoided each other.

  While circulating through the guests ostensibly checking on things, Petra slipped Beth her telephone number. She wanted to see her again so they could continue their game, running her hand lasciviously over Beth’s firm bottom leaving Beth in no doubt of her intentions.

  Collecting a glass of Chardonnay back in the garden room, Beth stood watching Clarice talking to her partner. They looked so in love that Beth wondered if she’d dreamt the bedroom scene.

  Subdued, Daphne joined Beth while they ate supper. Afterwards it was everyone for themselves on the dance floor as the mirrored walls of the ballroom reflected some of the wildest and most erotic dancing Beth had ever seen. She never sat down, she loved to dance. Some of the women she’d met at the Dickinson’s charity bash were there. Each one sought her out to dance, charming her with their offers of friendship. The party ended in the early hours of the morning when everyone was on the brink of exhaustion.

  Hyacinth, passing Beth in the grand hall, surreptitiously clutched her hand. ‘I forgot to tell you — I have some good news.’ She smiled slyly and left.

  Beth refused Daphne’s invitation for coffee. All she wanted to do was to collapse into her bed and sleep, but when she tried to sleep, unwanted flashbacks of Davinia and Clarice came into her mind, as did Hyacinth’s angry outburst. She could almost feel that stinging slap again. And what was H’s news?

  Chapter 13

  Hyacinth, still in her party dress, pulled away from the Hull ferry terminal. The package delivered safely by the courier was zipped into her handbag. It meant a trip to her London Bank sooner rather than later. She didn’t like keeping the diamonds in the house. The nagging voice in her head kept urging her to organize a safe deposit box in Newcastle. This was a personal consignment after all; it had nothing to do with the Coven.

  * * * * * * * *

  Daphne’s sleep was disturbed by the telephone ringing. Anticipating a hospital emergency she paled when she recognized her caller ’s voice.

  ‘I have been thinking about you, Daphne. I have decided I would like you to be the new Matron of my unmarried mothers’ unit in Carlisle.’ H casually fondled the bag of diamonds she’d carefully placed on her bedside cabinet. ‘It’s such a beautiful Georgian house and I need someone with your expertise and someone I can trust.’

  Daphne attempted to speak.

  ‘No, Daphne. You must listen to me. This is how it’s going to be. You will move into the self-contained ground floor flat within the house. I will double your hospital salary, provide you with a new car, secure your pension, and increase your holidays. In return you will hand in your resignation today, when you go on duty. Then I want you to go on holiday until you come to me in Carlisle. There is one other thing I want you to do. You must never see or try to contact Beth McConnell again.’

  There was silence while Hyacinth allowed Daphne time to digest the implications and seriousness of her words.

  ‘Hyacinth, thank you. What can I say? I don’t really want to go to Carlisle, I’m quite happy where I am.’ Daphne floundered, dreading the consequences if she dared to refuse.

  ‘Are you, darling? Do you think the Hospital Board will want you to stay when they learn about how you prey on the female student nurses and the dreadful things you make them do so they score good marks in their ward assessments.’ Hyacinth spoke calmly. She knew Daphne would accept her offer. She could afford to be patient.

  ‘Why are you doing this, Hyacinth? I’ve never done anything to hurt you. I’ve always been protective.’

  ‘That’s exactly why I know I’ve made a good choice and I can rely on you to make the right decision.’

  ‘You’ve given me no choice, have you? I’ll submit my resignation today.’

  ‘Good. Welcome aboard. We’ll speak later. You won’t regret it.’ Hyacinth replaced the receiver, admired herself in the dressing-table mirror, all the while congratulating herself on her latest plan. That was Daphne neatly moved out of the Beth equation and she had the perfect Matron into the bargain.

  Three hours later, Daphne handed in her notice, collected her belongings and left the hospital without telling a soul.

  Later that day, rushing along the corridor between wards, Beth, half asleep, literally bumped into Hyacinth.

  ‘H! What are you doing here?’

  ‘Hello darling. I’ve come to tell you my good news.’ H lifted her slipping shoulder bag back onto her shoulder. She wanted to prolong this conversation.

  ‘News? What news?’

  ‘I’ve accepted a new position, darling,’ Hyacinth lied.

  ‘A job?’

  ‘Yes, as you so sweetly put it. A job.’

  ‘Where?’

  Here, of course. I want to be close to you. They’ve been head hunting me for ages so I thought, why not? It’s the perfect opportunity for us darling, isn’t it? I officially accepted this morning, but I won’t be starting for a few months. We have to keep it to ourselves until the official announcement.’ She flicked her hair seductively, expecting Beth to be delighted.

  Beth didn’t know if she was or not. It was a bit of a bombshell. Through gritted teeth she forced a smile, ‘Well, isn’t that nice. Congratulations, Hyacinth.’

  Linking Beth to walk with her, H continued, ‘I’ve booked our London weekend. We’re going to have a wonderful time, darling, so be ready to go two weeks on Friday. We’ll take the early train then George can drive us to the station.’ She loved rubbing his nose in it. ‘Oh and I have some more friends I want you to meet. I’ll arrange a little get together.’

  ‘Now H, don’t jump the gun. I could be working.’

  ‘No Beth, you’re not, I’ve already checked with George.’

  Hyacinth stroked Beth’s arm. Beth wished she would stop treating her like a pet Poodle.

  ‘Darling, you have forgiven me for last night, haven’t you?’

  ‘Yes, of course I have.’ Pulling away, Beth said she would look forward to the London trip then she escaped before anyone had th
e chance to see them together thinking, it’ll be like this all the time when she works here. We’ll be continually ducking and diving. Uncharacteristically Beth crashed through the doors into the ward causing the nursing staff to wonder what had ruffled Miss McConnell’s feathers.

  Hyacinth liked to take risks; she didn’t. She decided she had put it off long enough. It was time to talk to Lindsay. She could trust her lifelong friend. She would call her tonight.

  Chapter 14

  Lindsay ran her hands through her short light brown hair. She was tired and it had been a bitch of a day. What she needed was a strong drink. Murders always meant long hours, although this one was all but solved. Closing the door to her minimalist two bedroom first floor apartment, she dropped her jacket onto the hall chair then poured herself a large whisky. Carrying it carefully across the cream carpet of her neat and tidy living room, she pulled open the patio doors. She intended to relax on the balcony and catch the last of the sunset. She was just settled into her comfortable lounger, long legs stretched out, tired blue-grey eyes about to close when the phone rang.

  ‘Shit!’ she cursed. ‘This better not be work.’ She leaned back, reached behind the curtains and picked up the phone.

  ‘Inspector Powell.’ She crossed her fingers, hoping it wasn’t more trouble. The desperate voice on the other end of the line brought an immediate change to her features. ‘Hi, Beth. What’s wrong?’

  Sensible Lindsay listened without comment to her friend’s garbled tale. A down to earth, matter-of-fact woman, she let Beth talk without interruption until Beth ran out of words. Lindsay loved her like a sister. She’d always believed Beth had gay tendencies, strengthened when she’d introduced her to a girlfriend once, as Beth hadn’t been able to take her eyes off her. They’d been friends since childhood, sharing secrets, looking after each other, and Beth had often been Lindsay’s alibi, getting her out of awkward situations with demanding girlfriends.

  They missed each other terribly when Lindsay gained promotion and transferred to Brighton. At the end of their long conversation Beth felt elated and knew exactly what she needed to do.