by Smoke, Lucy
"Oh?" I asked.
Delilah nodded, smiling brightly now. "I'm going to Greece in August," she admitted. "My parents are going to let me do an exchange program for my senior year and then I'll be off to college. The exchange program will keep me from coming here during the winter." Her pretty face blanched. "If you can believe it, it's even worse then."
Just as I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh, a firm voice called our attention. "Ladies." I slowly turned and took in Ms. Enders as she approached, her trusty clipboard in hand. I looked at it curiously. "I trust you will practice what you have learned today with each other in your free time."
"Yes, Ms. Enders," Natalia, Isador, and Delilah said in unison. I jumped and mumbled the same.
Ms. Enders watched the four of us and, for some reason, I got the strange sensation that she was looking for something. But then her gaze landed on Delilah for an extended period of time. "Lilah," she said, her voice lowering and gentling into a friendlier tone, though her eyes remained razor sharp, "you seemed to have some trouble remembering to keep your back straight while you were sitting in your seat today. I would expect someone who has been taking my lessons for as long as you have to set a better example."
I watched as Delilah's face flamed red, the blush stealing across her cheeks. Though she didn't glance to me or the twins, it was obvious she was incredibly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Ms. Enders," she said quietly. "I'll remember from now on."
"See that you do, dear," Ms. Enders said. "Especially since this will be your last cotillion with us."
Ms. Enders strode away with Mr. Wallace, who I hadn't noticed standing just behind her.
Isador scoffed, "What a witch."
"What?" I turned back to them.
Delilah's color was still high. "It's nothing," she said, shaking her head and turning toward the opposite end of the hallway Mr. Wallace and Ms. Enders had retreated down.
"Ms. Enders is so jealous of Delilah, it's not even funny." Isador’s accent grew thicker in her irritation.
"No, she isn't." Delilah rolled her eyes.
"She is," Natalia confirmed with a nod. "You don't see it because you've known her for too long and her and your mom are close."
"And as for the cotillion," Isador took over, "it's complete and utter trash."
"Now, that's definitely not true," Delilah said as we turned a corner as a group. Ahead there were double doors leading outside. We headed towards them and I wondered if the guys were tracking me through the house via my phone. I knew they had put a tracking device in it just before we arrived – for emergencies they had assured me. "Ms. Enders spends a lot of money on the ‘end of course’ parties."
"I just meant that it's not a real cotillion," Isador replied.
I decided it was time to get real information. I was here for a reason and even though these girls were incredibly sweet and had welcomed me with open arms, I needed to remember the goal here. I needed information on Ms. Enders and perhaps the rest of the staff.
"So, does Ms. Enders normally approach girls and rebuke them like that?" I asked when we reached the doors. Natalia opened the door and held it for the rest of us, shaking her head as she followed behind.
"It's not like that," Delilah said before Natalia could respond. "Ms. Enders really is nice. She just has to keep a certain image."
Natalia shook her head again and rolled her eyes. "Don't you think," she began, "that it's a little odd that she never married? How old is she again?"
Delilah strained her lips in a frown. "Why does it matter if she's never been married?" She turned and stopped.
Natalia shrugged. "I'm just saying, it's a little odd. She's also surrounded by young women who have the rest of their lives ahead of them and she's a middle-aged lonely woman."
"Maybe she wants to be alone," Delilah defended. "Have you ever thought about that?"
I stopped and took a moment to take in our surroundings. We were along the side of the villa in the garden that my bedroom overlooked. I glanced up and sure enough, there were several windows on the second floor with one at the very end that had gold curtains. Thick ivy crawled over the rest of the stone walls, up and over the first-floor shutters on either side of the windows and further, towards the roof.
"Why are we out here?" I asked, changing the subject. They had given me enough to think on. A part of me wished that I could write it all down, but even I knew that would look suspicious.
"We're heading down to the lake," Delilah said and we started walking again.
"There's a lake here?"
We stopped at a steep drop off at the edge of what I thought was the villa's back gardens. It swept down in an incline all the way to where several girls were already laying out, enjoying the sun. My lips parted as I took it all in. The sun shone down on the sparkling lake. It was practically a swimming pool except that it was too large, stretched long enough for there to be a short running track around it. The track stopped in one spot where several girls had laid out towels. Some were even in their swimsuits, splashing around in the water.
"There aren't any snakes or alligators in the water, right?" I asked.
All three girls looked at me like I was crazy, and I remembered that there were no alligators in the north. Those were almost strictly a southern creature. I blushed. "Sorry, that was dumb."
Natalia and Isador shook their heads, laughing. Delilah smiled and put her hand on my arm. "Don't worry about it. I could tell you weren't from New York by your accent."
"I have an accent?"
Natalia and Isador turned and headed towards a set of stone stairs that led down to the lake. It made sense, trying to walk down the incline would have been far too dangerous.
Delilah snorted daintily. "Yes, it's sweet though. Southern...almost Charlestonian?" she asked curiously. I panicked as I grasped the iron handrail and descended with the group. But there was no reason for me to panic. Knix was from Charleston, it only made sense that his cousin – I – was as well. That was believable.
"Yeah," I said, then I followed it up with, "you have a good ear."
Delilah shrugged. "I like accents. It's why I became friends with these two." She gestured towards the twins who whipped around as they hit the bottom steps.
"You love us," Natalia said, "just because we're us."
Delilah shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Sure, Talia," she said, "whatever you say."
Natalia didn't comment on Delilah's amusement. She and her twin simply nodded their heads before they turned and headed off, their dark curls bouncing in time with their steps. I watched them go before turning to Delilah.
"Do you want to take a walk with me?" I asked. Though I had ulterior motives in wanting to talk with Delilah, because it was obvious she knew the most about Ms. Enders, I also liked her quite a bit already. I had expected the girls here to be mean or cruel like they were in movies. They all dressed nicely, it was true. They had their hair and nails done. They were all made up like perfect dolls, but so far, they had been anything but mean.
"Sure," Delilah said, and we headed for the track.
We left the squealing girls in the water behind – there were buoys and ropes in the water that kept them from swimming the length of the lake, and before long they were pinpricks in the distance. The lake was longer than I originally thought, at least a mile around. We could still see them and if I squinted, I could probably point out Natalia and Isador.
"I've always liked coming out here," Delilah said as we stopped across the lake from the others. "It's calming. In the winter, the lake ices over and, sometimes, Julia lets us go ice skating."
I noted the way that she said Julia – calling Ms. Enders by her first name. It wasn’t only in my file, I recalled Marv's mom mentioning the woman's first name when we had tea.
"She seemed a little harsh on you earlier," I said.
Delilah shook her head, "She didn't mean to be. She's always been like that. She's really proper and a lot of people take that as her being stuck up and
snobby, but she's not."
"Are you sure?" I questioned. "What if Isador had a point and she's jealous of you?"
Delilah shook her head vehemently. "No one gets her." She turned to me in quick jerky movements. "You just got here," she said, "don't judge her yet."
I put my hands up to placate her. "I'm not, I was just making a statement."
"Just because I don't want to come back here and I don't enjoy the etiquette lessons doesn't mean that she's a bad person." Delilah’s chest rose and fell with her movements.
"You seem worked up," I pointed out gently. "I promise you–" It felt so wrong to lie, but I knew it was necessary. I needed to shelf my feelings and just get through with this "–I'm not here to judge anyone."
Delilah looked at me for several more moments, as if scrutinizing my sincerity. She must have decided in my favor because after a few moments the tension in her shoulders eased and she turned back to look across the lake. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just been really hard for Julia lately. There have been some outrageous rumors spread about her and the girls who come to her camps."
"Rumors?" I wanted to talk about this and leaned in closer. "What kind of rumors?"
Her eyes settled on me once more. "Why are you so interested?" she asked.
I froze for a split second before forcing myself to shrug and turn away. My nerves felt frayed and my muscles knotted. I wanted so badly to open up Delilah's head and pick out whatever I needed. This whole undercover thing, I realized, was great in small doses. But I was emotionally involved in this case and I had to temper myself to keep from bulldozing through this and messing it all up.
"I'm sorry," I said. "It's just that I'm new here and–" I paused for a split second, debating on how far I wanted to take this. I took a breath and continued. "I've heard some things," I admitted, "and I was a little nervous about coming here. I’m not really all that good with...well, the etiquette stuff.”
Delilah put a hand on my arm, her eyes crinkling with amusement. “No one ever is. Come on, let’s head back.” She took my hand and tugged me forward. For a split second, I felt like I could see my best friend’s face in hers – Erika was just like these girls, I realized. All girls had something special in them, something unique, but we were bonded, too, by what we were – just girls. We were the weaker sex in some ways, but we were incredibly strong in others.
Chapter 13
It didn’t matter to me how freaking beautiful the ballroom was, or how much the guys had assured me once I caught a glimpse of the etiquette itinerary that my skills in gymnastics would probably lead to grace on a dance floor. It still made me want to run screaming in the opposite direction. The sunlight streamed in through the high glass windows. Girls giggled and talked along the sidelines as they waited their turn. Mr. Giovanni, our instructor, winced as I, once again, stumbled onto his foot. His feet weren’t large for a man’s either; they were actually rather small. It made no sense why mine would hone in on his and stomp on his little toes at every opportunity.
“Alright,” he said, stepping away from me abruptly, “I think that perhaps you need a break. I will give another lady a chance to practice now.”
I think both of us breathed a sigh of relief when I agreed. I really wanted to go sit down and hide for the next couple of hours. Two days at Villa de la Enders, aka the etiquette camp from hell, and I was no further in getting any information on anyone. Ms. Enders had held up to Delilah’s belief. I had been able to call the guys at least once a night and Texas assured us that her financials were clean, if a bit wane. If she was getting any blackmail money, it certainly wasn’t on any accounts that she had listed. So far, he hadn’t been able to find any unlisted accounts either.
I stepped back against the wall as Mr. Giovanni called forth Isador who, with her dark curls and her olive toned skin, practically floated around the dance floor in his arms. I pinched my lips and watched as she stepped forward and then back, following Mr. Giovanni’s lead. That’s what he had instructed us to do – I thought I had been doing that, but it looked like when she stepped forward he stepped back. When I had stepped forward, he had stayed right where he was.
Ms. Enders’ ballroom was long and elaborate. With benches under each window and each window set a yard apart. With hardwood floors that shone, and French doors that led out onto a beautiful balcony and matched the same French doors that led in from the grand hall. Matching chandeliers hung from the high ceilings and deep burgundy drapes hung alongside each window. Even as I sat next to a chattering Natalia and Delilah, it was hard to acknowledge that I was actually here. I was wearing a dress that had probably cost more than some people’s paychecks. I was in heels and makeup and... I missed my cat.
I hadn’t thought much of Cleo since Alex had told us we were leaving, but I missed her all of a sudden. Alex had assured the guys and me that he or someone close would stop by regularly to check on her, feed her, and clean her litter box. I knew that she was taken care of. I couldn’t stop myself from missing her though. I missed my mom too. I wondered what she would say if she could see me now. I hoped that when we got back the guys might let me tell her what we had done. I wanted her to know that I was doing well. I wasn’t just doing okay, but doing well. This job was important. It was the difference between an innocent young woman – perhaps several young women – being hurt and blackmailed, and living freely.
I looked around me at Delilah, Natalia, Isador – the rest. They were so young. I certainly wasn’t the youngest one here, but I wasn’t the oldest either. They were all far too young for someone to take advantage of them. And yet, that was probably exactly why someone was taking advantage of them. Something clicked in my brain as I looked over the girls with a new vision in mind. Was someone targeting them purposefully because of their gender and age? Their connections were a given. But why these girls? Why now? Had it been going on for a lot longer than we thought?
Quietly, I leaned over to Delilah and tapped her on the shoulder. She twisted her head my way. “Do you remember the conversation we had by the lake the other day?” I asked. She frowned, but nodded. “You said something about rumors being spread about the camp,” I said. “How long have there been rumors?”
“Oh,” Delilah said, “Julia – I mean, Ms. Enders, she’s always had to deal with handling the rumor mill. She says you can’t get girls and guys together without something happening and someone being blamed. People like to point fingers and since she’s the one in charge, it’s usually her.”
“Girls and guys?” I blinked at her, confusion clear in my tone. “What do you mean? I thought this was just an etiquette camp for girls.”
“It is,” Delilah replied, nodding, “but Mr. Wallace runs his own etiquette camp for young gentlemen – not as popular– but he usually runs sessions in the Fall and Spring while Ms. Enders runs them in the Winter and Summer. At the end of our two weeks here, Ms. Enders’ throws a cotillion – well, it’s more of a pretend cotillion, a practice run of sorts. We don’t have to wear the white dresses – and Mr. Wallace invites his past pupils to visit and attend. It’s usually not so bad because powerful families know powerful families. You’re sure to recognize a few people. Some of the boys will be escorting the girls, those who haven’t made previous arrangements, but most are just there to socialize.”
“He doesn’t do the same with his camps?” I asked.
Delilah laughed. “Boys don’t do cotillions.” I could tell the very concept was more than amusing. She wheezed, trying to stay upright and keep her laughter under control, but even tears began to form in her eyes.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” I said quickly, feeling my cheeks flush. “I just meant that he doesn’t invite Ms. Enders’ past pupils to visit the boys?”
“He wouldn’t want the scandal,” Delilah said with a shake of her head. Natalia looked at the two of us as if we were crazy. Then she shrugged, turning to her sister when Isador came back to sit down and told us that Mr. Giovanni
had asked for Natalia.
“What are we talking about?” Isador asked.
“Mr. Wallace’s etiquette camp for boys,” Delilah said.
Isador wrinkled her nose. “As much as I don’t like the etiquette courses, I would rather be here, at Ms. Enders’ than Mr. Wallace’s.”
“Why do you say that?” I was like a dog with a bone, I knew, but I was onto something, I just knew it.
“You wouldn’t know it by looking at him,” Isador confessed, leaning closer, “but he’s militant with his boys. When he’s working as Ms. Enders’ personal assistant, he takes a backseat role, but we all know why he’s really here.”
Before I could ask, Delilah nodded her head sympathetically. “It’s because he needs the money,” she said. My eyes widened as she continued. “He has two daughters; Margarie works for Ms. Enders.” I blinked, recognizing the name. That had been the same woman who had shown me to my room the first night. “And Kayla…” Delilah drifted and even Isador looked sad as she turned her eyes down.
“What?” I asked, confused by their reactions. “What about Kayla?”
Delilah’s voice lowered just below a whisper so that no one around us could hear. The classical music playing over the speakers at the far side of the room for Natalia and Mr. Giovanni further shielded her words. I found it curious, though, that she would take such precaution anyway. I leaned forward. “Kayla had a really hard time with the courses,” Delilah confided. “She got involved with one of the staff members – that’s why, I don’t know if you’ve noticed – but Ms. Enders only allows female staff now other than Mr. Wallace.”
“What happened?” I asked, a bad feeling forming.
“Turns out he was flat broke, and he was only going after her because he thought she was rich. He didn’t realize that she was Mr. Wallace’s daughter – if Margarie wanted, she could take Ms. Enders’ courses for free – and when he found out, he dumped her. It was awful. There was screaming and crying.”