“I’m telling you I’m done.” Hesper groaned. “I don’t care what Serena says, the little parasite is sapping my energy and I want her out. You know, I’ve been taking care of this baby twenty-four seven for the last eight months straight—the second I pop, the next nine months are Eric’s.”
Lena and Hesper laughed. They hadn’t seen each other in months, but they had been on the phone almost every day. Hesper’s last visit had been in January, and she hadn’t been allowed on planes since. It was now May, and Hesper was ready to welcome her daughter to the world. Really, really ready.
“Now, have you actually confirmed with the doctor that it’s a girl?” Lena asked. “With one of those scan dealies?”
“No, I told you—it’s a girl. I just know it’s a girl. It’s a Silenti thing…you’ll understand when…” Hesper paused, and both of them knew what she had been about to say. But due to her family’s unique status in the Silenti world, Lena had sworn time and again that she would never have children. “Well, just trust me.”
“Yep. That’s right.” Lena smiled. “I’m going to have to take your word on it. So when are you coming to see me?”
And that was the other thing that had changed…given the results of her last trip to Australia, and the new Council restrictions on her leaving Waldgrave, Howard hadn’t been able to clear any further travel plans for her. Even to be there for the birth of her best friend’s daughter.
“Well, you know—as soon as a pilot can look at me without freaking out.” Hesper laughed. “June eighteenth, if I can’t get my hands on some castor oil and make it happen sooner. Or a few days after the eighteenth, I guess.”
She wasn’t serious about the castor oil. She was sick of being pregnant, but Lena was sure she wouldn’t take the chance that it would harm her baby. She had put a lot of time and energy into that baby, as she so often whined. But Lena had called Eric and warned him just to be sure; a pregnant woman was a hormonal woman, and Lena knew better than to trust the judgment of a hormonal woman.
“How’s Eric holding up in all of this?” Lena asked.
“Oh, you know him. Internet college, and all that. Like I said, he’d damn well finish before mid-June because that’s when he goes on diaper duty. He’s already got a job proposal for some IT place.”
“Well, that’s good.” Lena grinned at the way that Hesper’s words had slowly morphed since her move to Australia; it wasn’t a dramatic change, but she was starting to lose her California accent in favor of one with a hint more Outback twang.
“Yeah, it is. He’s worked hard for it, and I’m proud. Bloated and fat, but proud.” Hesper said with more than a hint of dissatisfaction.
Lena was happy to hear a knock on her door. She loved Hesper, but didn’t want to have to hear about how bloated she was again.
“I’ve got to go.”
They hung up and Lena answered her door. It was Cheryl, balancing a basket of clean clothes on her hip and a heavy catalog under her arm. “Rosaleen wants you to pick some clothes out of here.” She pushed the catalog at Lena. “She said no more tee-shirts and no more teen clothes, and you need to pick out some suits from the ladies’ professional section. No short skirts.”
Mrs. Ralston had been cracking down on the style that Hesper had brought into Lena’s life since meeting her. There weren’t any female Council members for her to base Lena’s look on, so she had made the decision that Lena was going to dress extremely formal and professional in any situation that involved other Council members. While it was true that Lena had a need to be viewed as serious and qualified, getting a hold of new clothes was becoming an issue. There weren’t any designer shops in the nearby town, and since Griffin had moved in, there wasn’t anybody to take her out anyway; Howard couldn’t leave, and neither could Mrs. Ralston because the number of Darays at the house was now too big for either one of them to effectively watch alone by Council standards. Plus, there was the fact that no one on the Council trusted Lena anymore—not even to run into town to look at new clothes. She was left to guess at sizes and order out of a catalog; they wound up sending back almost three-quarters of what they ordered in the first place.
Cheryl walked over to the closet and started unloading clean clothes. Lena threw the catalog onto the bed and went to help. Cheryl gave her a look reminiscent of Mrs. Ralston. “She wants your selections by dinner, so you’d better get moving.”
“I know.” Lena walked into the closet and started pulling out some of her older outfits, fondly eyeing a pair with rhinestone swirl patterns on the back pockets. Some of them weren’t even that old, but Mrs. Ralston wouldn’t let her wear them anymore, so they had to go. She carried a pile of blouses, sweatpants, tee-shirts, sneakers, and jeans out and threw them on the bed. It was really a shame to see some of it go, but then, there would always be new clothes. “You can take whatever you want, as always. Marie too.”
Cheryl hung up the last shirt and walked out to the bed, where she dug through the pile. “You know Marie won’t. The old bat upstairs doesn’t like us to wear your stuff.”
“It’s not my stuff. It’s your stuff after I give it to you.” She picked up a tee-shirt—she was sure she’d only worn it once—and held it up to Cheryl. “It’s a little long in the sleeves, but I bet Mrs. Ralston could alter it. Are you in a size nine shoe yet?”
Lena picked up the three pairs of shoes she was getting rid of; one of them was a strappy pair of black sandals. Lena had made a direct plea on their behalf to Mrs. Ralston that black was professional, but the older woman insisted that skin seen through straps, and especially black ones, was scandalous.
“I’m an eight and a half, but close enough. Marie’s a seven, I think. Tiny little feet.” Cheryl sighed and picked up a shirt with a butterfly motif on it. The shirt was a pale pink that made Cheryl’s mousy brown hair and delicate features seem deceptively childish. She was still a child, but part of the nature of being a Silenti was growing up quickly. Cheryl was already taking studies at a high school level, and some days, Lena was sure she was the most emotionally mature person in the house. “She’d love this, too. I don’t know why she’s so scared of them. Did you know she won’t even go upstairs anymore? She won’t do any of their laundry or cleaning? It’s a pain. I’d call her a brat, but she’s so sensitive.”
It was true; Marie was sensitive. Lena couldn’t blame her, because she hated being around her grandfather just as much. If anyone had a problem it was Cheryl for being so fearless. She had even told off Griffin once for staining a new shirt, letting it sit, and then getting angry when Mrs. Ralston couldn’t get it out. Griffin had almost gotten her kicked out for that stunt, but Howard had refused to do it, and in a rare twist of events Master Daray had chosen to abstain from backing Griffin up; Lena had to wonder if he found Griffin’s sudden ambition of leadership within the household a challenge to his own authority. Cheryl collected the clothes that she wanted, and the ones she thought might fit Marie, and left.
Lena!
What?
Ryan Ashmore’s on my cell phone for you—I’m in the office!
Lena’s term at Waldgrave was becoming too drawn out again. She needed to get on a plane or in a car, but as things were, there was no hint of a promise that she would ever be allowed to leave again. Her whole life was stuck in a cyclical rut, and there would never be anything to look forward to besides birthdays, Council, and the rare occasion that Cheryl badgered Griffin for making a mess. And, apparently, unexpected phone calls.
Lena rushed from her room to the office down the hall, where Howard was sitting diligently at his desk, typing on the computer with one hand while holding the cell phone at arm’s length with the other. Lena grabbed it and sat down in a chair.
“Hello?” She said, trying to keep her voice level after her jog down the long second floor hallway.
“Lena, nice to hear from you again.” Ryan Ashmore’s voice came back at her, as pleasant and confident as ever. Ryan was a confirmed Council heir, and a natural
at the political games the Silenti liked to play. When he spoke, Lena could imagine the easy smile that would grace his eyes. “We’re settling all the planning for the rafting trip on the Colorado next month, and I was wondering if you’re still interested in going?”
Lena flinched. She wanted to go more than she’d ever wanted to do anything in her life, but composed herself to sound professional. “Ryan, it’s nice to hear from you, too. Life’s been a little hectic around here lately…”
“Oh?” He asked; he sounded so concerned. Lena had to wonder where he had learned to fake such wonderful social skills, because she was sure his interest in her was merely political. They had only managed less than a handful of meaningful conversations in the time that they had known each other.
“Oh, yeah…Paperwork.” Lena responded, hoping she sounded half as genuine as Ryan did. “Howard’s got me doing a lot of paperwork, and there’s been some hassle with the arrangements for Mrs. Corbett.” Mrs. Corbett had given birth to a son last March, greatly complicating the future of representation for the Corbett household. Griffin was in the process of trying to arrange for his last remaining blood family to live at Waldgrave until other arrangements could be made. “And I’d love to go, I really would.” Howard stopped typing and his eyes wandered over to Lena. “But I’ll need to work out my schedule first. What date were you planning on leaving?”
“The reservation’s been made for July thirteenth.”
“Reservation?”
“For the first camp site.” Ryan responded.
“Oh, right. Well,” Lena looked over at Howard, who was still watching her, “I’ll look things over and get back to you later today, alright?”
“That sounds great.” Ryan smiled. “Have a good afternoon, then.”
“Yeah, you too…”
Lena hung up the phone and Howard crossed his arms. Trying not to blink, Lena shaded the phone call as best she could. “I’ve been invited on a political outing with some other heirs, and I believe it would benefit my future on the Council to go.”
Howard sighed; his arms remained crossed. “And where is this outing being held?”
“Colorado.” Lena said quickly.
Howard didn’t move anything but his lips. “Where in Colorado?”
“Well…” Lena tried to think, but there was no other way to say it. “Progressively downstream on the Colorado River.”
Howard went back to typing. “Don’t get your hopes up. You’ll need an escort. I have to stay here with your mother, grandfather, and Griffin. And to my knowledge, Rosaleen doesn’t do rivers.”
Lena tried to keep the desperation out of her voice. “There will be lots of other people there—people who will be on the Council someday. It’s not like I’ll be alone. Isn’t that enough?”
“They may have status as adults in our community, Lena, but we still recognize them as a bunch of naïve teenagers. They’re young and stupid—and I’m not sure how I feel about you going off with a bunch of young, stupid boys, anyway.” Howard looked away from his computer screen just long enough to see the depressed look on Lena’s face. He shifted uncomfortably. “Get me a list of names and I’ll see what I can do.”
Lena jotted down Ryan Ashmore’s number from Howard’s cell phone and headed back to her room. Convinced that she had to make it work or she would die of seclusion, she programmed the phone number into her cell phone and called it. A moment later, she had acquired the guest list—and she wasn’t sure if it was longer or shorter than she would have liked it to be. There were only seven people going besides her, and of the names she knew, at least three were from Old Faith families. She made another jog back to the office, where Howard looked over the list with an uncertain expression.
“Lena, I don’t know…” He said, scratching behind his ear.
Lena pouted. “Please, Howard…Please. I really want to go. I need to get out. And I’m pretty sure I’ll really need to get out after two more Corbetts have moved in here. Please, please, please let me do this!”
Howard continued to stare at the list and heaved a sigh. “Let me think about it, and even then I’m not too sure how the Council will react to this request. We’ll see.”
At dinner that night, with everyone gathered around the table (excepting Cheryl, Marie, Pete, and Mrs. Ralston, whose presence at the table had annoyed Master Daray to such an extent that they now ate in the kitchen instead), Howard was unusually quiet. This was typically a sign that the answer was going to be ‘no,’ as he liked sharing good news. Instead, the conversation turned to Griffin’s family.
His three-month-old brother was in good health and his mother wasn’t doing nearly as well since the loss of her husband, who she still refused to believe would have killed himself. Hesper was going to pop any day now, which would land her arrival to visit with Lena around the time that Mrs. Corbett was planning to move in. Ava was the only one who didn’t see a problem with this inconvenient fact, as she was too overjoyed to have babies in the house again—ones whose diapers she would not be obliged to change.
Griffin was acting as though the situation was a bomb that needed to be diffused. “You’ll have to tell her to delay her trip, Lena. My mother’s dealing with enough already, and having the family disgrace in the house might put her over the edge.”
Lena fought the temptation to hurl a fork load of peas at Griffin. He had become entirely too bossy in the past months, even given how little she had seen him. “She’s my best friend. In fact, she’s probably closer to being my sister than yours. So no, I’m not asking her to delay, and I’m not going to be making her stay out of your mother’s way any more than your mother should have to stay out of hers. She’s my guest, and I want to meet my niece. Your niece.”
“Yes, it’s a pity it’s not a boy. Mason will never get an heir now—not that it’s a bad thing. I voted against letting him in to begin with.” Lena tried ignore Master Daray, but he had known her long enough to have figured out exactly which buttons to push. “But then, these things do tend to happen. Similar types are drawn together with similar results; that’s why the girl went off with them to begin with. She goes off with young Mason and then they have a girl, and their only blessing is that they’re both too stupid to mourn the loss.”
Lena’s jaw dropped and Howard set his utensils down to hold his face in his hands. He shot an apologetic look at Lena.
“Excuse me.” Lena stood up and took her plate into the kitchen, where she sat down to eat between Pete and Mrs. Ralston. She felt bad for leaving Howard in the dining room alone, but was sure he understood.
The next morning, Howard confirmed that the Council was, indeed, refusing Lena’s request. Even one of the families represented on the guest list had spoken against her going, and this fact particularly upset Howard, even though he had only been cautiously okay about her going to begin with. Apparently he felt insulted on a very personal level because his heir was being snubbed for reasons that didn’t have much to do with the political disagreement surrounding her bloodline. Lena, however, was just upset that she wasn’t going to go.
“Why can’t I go? Why?” Lena was trying to hold the tears back, and was failing miserably. She was starting to hyperventilate, and on a perverse level she was hoping it might require someone to take her to the hospital—anything to get out and away. “I’m going to die here. They’re going to keep me trapped here until I die, and there’s nothing I can do about it…”
Howard walked out from behind his desk and sat down in the chair next to Lena. “Stop being so melodramatic. You’ll get your chance. You’ve just got to find a way to make them trust you. My father was the foremost among researchers, scholars, and historians who specialized in the portal, but he was also married to a human woman with two sons, and one of them was human. He was a hard-core integrationist and believed in equal rights and representation for our lower classes, but he still found a way to get along with your other grandfather to continue his studies.” He passed her a box of tissues
. “He found a way to make it work, and so can you. It might not happen quickly, but you can make them trust you.”
“How?”
Howard took a deep breath and looked out the window. A moment later he looked back. “I don’t know. But you know what? You’re a smart one. You’ve snuck out of this house twice without anyone knowing until after the fact, you’ve managed to learn the whole of Latito in only a few months, you know exactly what to do to aggravate every person living here, and you got yourself onto the Council with a much better margin than anyone expected. And you’ve been here just over a year—it’s truly impressive what you’ve accomplished so short a time. You’re clever, and you’ll figure it out. You’ll find a way to make them trust you.”
Lena smiled. It was good to know that someone had faith in her—maybe she would figure it out. She certainly didn’t think she would, but if Howard did, then maybe she would.
June 30th was as bright and cheerful as anyone could have asked. The lawn was a deep, sultry green and Pete had been keeping up well with the gardens. Marie had been helping him since she wanted to stay as far away from Master Daray as possible. She had quite a gift, and as Lena and Howard sat outside waiting for Hesper and Eric’s arrival, he commented that he had never seen the flowers look so bright before. Reds, yellows, oranges, whites, and pinks danced in the slight summer breeze as butterflies, the first ones Lena had ever seen at Waldgrave, flittered about between them.
A grey sedan pulled up the drive and parked at the side of the house. Howard and Lena helped the guests move the luggage into the house where it was cooler, and then they settled into the living room. Hesper lifted the blanket cover from the car seat carrier, revealing a pink, wrinkled little body clothed in a bright white creeper with a glitter heart on it. Her name was Maren Delaney; the former name came from Eric’s mother, who had died when he was very young. ‘Delaney’ had been the name on a piece of mail accidentally delivered to the Mason household on the day of the birth, and Hesper, tired and delusional from all the drugs, had liked it so much that she had written it down on the birth certificate. Maren yawned and stretched her tiny arms, then settled back into her nap.
Eric took her up to a room on the second floor to let her nap and to unpack their bags, and Hesper and Lena sat in the living room a while longer. Ava had wandered off when Maren left, and Howard excused himself to give the two friends some privacy.
“So. You’re looking good.” This, in fact, was an understatement. Hesper didn’t look any different than she had before the pregnancy.
“Thanks. I’ve got three more pounds to go.” Hesper and stretched out on the couch. “How are you?”
“Good.” Lena shrugged.
Hesper gave her a look and smiled coyly. “Just good?”
Hesper bobbed her eyebrows suggestively, and Lena laughed. “What do you mean?”
“Griffin moved back in, didn’t he?” Hesper pointed towards the upper floors.
“Oh. Yeah.” Lena’s voice deflated.
“Shut up. You’ve always had a crush on him and you know it.”
“He’s not the way he used to be. And you shut up, because I don’t. He’s a jerk.” Lena sighed.
Hesper rolled her eyes. “How’s everything else, then?”
“Well, speaking of Griffin, he’s going to get back tomorrow with your mom. Apparently there’s been some trouble with the family servants, so they’ll probably both be in a great mood when they get here.”
Hesper cracked a wry smile. “You’re just one big freakin’ ray of sunshine today, aren’t you? What happened?”
Lena sank down on the couch. She had only heard what Howard had been told by Griffin, who had basically slated it to sound like an unfounded mutiny. “Well, you know your mom was a little high strung to begin with, right? And then there was the thing with your dad, and she’s alone in the house except for the baby, and she started drinking a little so the staff took the baby away to keep him safe. Well, your mom still maintains that your dad didn’t kill himself and that he was somehow murdered. She thinks the staff are trying to kill her and Darius Jr., and they got so fed up with her abuse that some of them walked out. Griffin disbanded the rest of the house because he’s bringing the two of them here.”
Hesper remained quiet for a moment, a pensive look on her face, then sat forward. “I guess it was bound to happen someday. My dad was the only one keeping order there. The baby’s okay?”
Lena stood up and started walking to the kitchen; she needed something to rip apart with her teeth. “Yeah…about him. I’m not sure what’s going to happen to him. Griffin is about ready to have her legally declared incompetent, and I think he thinks I’m going to surrogate his little brother, which isn’t going to happen.” She threw the refrigerator door open and pulled out some leftover meatloaf.
“He wants the baby to stay here?” Hesper asked in a surprised, slightly twanging tone. “Can’t Ava take him?”
Lena shut the refrigerator door and glared at Hesper, raising her eyebrows sarcastically. Ava couldn’t be trusted to take care of herself for more than a few hours, let alone a baby.
“Oh…right. Well, what about Mrs. Ralston?”
“Do you want some?” Hesper accepted the offer, having briefly forgone her vegetarian diet during her pregnancy and breastfeeding, and Lena pulled down two plates and started hacking away. “My grandfather doesn’t believe that human-borns should be allowed to raise ‘high-blooded’—his words, not mine—Silenti. So we have a competent parent who’s unacceptable, an incompetent parent who is acceptable, and me. And I am sure as hell not going to adopt the kid, because I have no freaking clue how to raise a child, and I’m not going to ditch my political career to learn how. Griffin can get in touch with his maternal instinct.”
Hesper took her meatloaf and they sat down at the table. “You’re a little stressed out today. What’s really up?”
Lena sighed as she fell into a chair. She’d been a little vicious with the meatloaf, and it wasn’t really a loaf anymore. She stared at the meat crumbs on her plate. “I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to get out of here before I’m responsible for a child and I can’t leave. And I can’t leave because they don’t trust me not to bring about the apocalypse.”
They ate silently for a while. Lena could sense Hesper’s sympathy, and wanted to feel better for it, but her life was just too dark. She couldn’t shake the cloud that had been hanging over her since she had been disallowed from the rafting trip, no matter how hard she tried.
“I’m sorry Lena. I really am. If the portal hadn’t been stolen so many years ago, this wouldn’t be happening, but it is, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Whoever had it probably got rid of it, but for a lot of people here there’s a fear and a hope that it’s out there waiting to be found. A lot of them are scared or wishful that it’s a lot closer than we all think.” She smiled and reached out to touch Lena’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go play with a baby—I promise it will make you feel better.”
Lena smiled. Playing with a baby could make anyone feel better—just as long as it wasn’t her baby.
Dinner that evening was a quiet affair. Howard had greatly hoped that Master Daray would have taken to eating upstairs while Hesper and Eric were visiting, but he hadn’t. Everyone sat at the table staring at each other uncomfortably, except for Maren, who was cooing contentedly in a carrier in the chair next to Eric. Her intelligent little eyes kept darting to Master Daray’s face, and she would smile at his almost comical level of displeasure. She was definitely taking after Hesper.
The next day Lena hid upstairs with her guests as Griffin settled his mother and brother into a room, and then they found themselves at yet another awkward dinner. Unfortunately, Hesper wasn’t going to be nearly as shy with Griffin as she was with Master Daray.
“So, Lena says you’ve been a real jerk lately.” She said, serenely lifting her fork. You really know what women want, don’t you?”
Lena flinched and gaze
d into her broccoli trying to think of something to say. When she looked up, she saw Griffin staring at her. He wasn’t smiling, but his eyes were very amused. He smirked and confidently looked back at Hesper. “Lena’s a Council member now, not a woman.”
“Uh huh. Sure. So why are you being a jerk lately?” It was evident that Hesper was trying to help, but Lena wished she would just stop. Fighting with Griffin never worked out well for either of them, because the stalemate enforced by the Council often resulted in drawn-out conflicts where they both tried to subtly sabotage the other without getting caught. And, much to Lena’s chagrin, when the adults in the household finally did realize that something was happening, they were much more apt to try and stop Lena. Griffin didn’t take orders from anyone but Master Daray.
Griffin kept cutting up his steak. When he had a bite ready on his fork, he looked back at Lena. “Lena? I’ll differ this question to you.”
Lena looked over at Howard, who was trying very hard to ignore the situation in hopes that it would go away, but Lena wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip since no one had yet told her to behave herself. She looked back at Griffin. “Maybe it’s because your lips are perpetually attached to someone’s ass, Griffin. I’d imagine that kind of behavior would make anyone a little cranky.”
Ava gasped and Howard almost choked on a mouthful of greens. Hesper tried not to laugh, Eric looked uncomfortable, and Master Daray had chosen not to honor her quip with a response of any kind. Griffin raised his eyebrows, but didn’t look phased—in fact, he was looking at her like she was an animal doing a trick. She wanted to wipe the smug look off his face by saying something low, but he beat her to the punch.
“How’s Australia, Hesper? I’m going to be spending some time in Cairns next week. After that I’m going to England to visit relatives, and then I’m going to a small political function in India. After that, if Master Daray can spare me for a week, I might take some time off in Greece.” He looked back over at Lena. “I’ll be sure to send you a postcard.”
Lena took a deep breath. She was going to say something really low, something about his mother being a crazy, incompetent, old widow with a swinging husband, but Howard intervened. Don’t. Just stop.
She looked back into her broccoli. Unfortunately, Griffin wasn’t ready to let it go. I really will send you a postcard. I mean it. He’s got me picking up some sort of artifact that someone dug up—cost him a load, too. It’s another book; we’ll read it together after I get back, but until then I’ll be enjoying my vacation on the beach.
Lena tried to hold back her tears with some success. She would be here, like she always was, sitting around reading or helping with the chores, or doing Howard’s paperwork, or trying on clothes so that Mrs. Ralston could send them back to get the next size up. Hesper reached over and grabbed her hand under the table, and the rest of the meal passed in silence.
Mrs. Corbett wasn’t seen at all over the next few days, and Lena got a shred of revenge one day when she caught Griffin taking food up to her ‘like a common servant.’ Apparently Mrs. Corbett had become so paranoid when Mrs. Ralston had arrived at her door the first day, she wouldn’t eat anything unless it was provided by Griffin. She kept her baby close, and no one had seen little Darius yet. Hesper was starting to worry that her mother would hurt the baby, and though Griffin wasn’t openly agreeing with her, he was getting very anxious about the situation. Lena wasn’t sure what was going to happen to Mrs. Corbett and her baby, but she was glad it wasn’t her decision to make.
When Lena woke up on one bright July morning, and saw a card pushed halfway under her bedroom door, she assumed it was because Griffin was going to miss her birthday due to the fact that he was living a life she was desperately jealous of. When she opened it, she was filled with a mixture of amused anger and outright disbelief. Since she had become a member of the Council, he hadn’t been able to push her around or tell her what do as much. As a result, he had become much more devious in his methods.
You’ll be caring for my mother and brother while I’m out of town. They’re staying in one of the larger bedroom suites on the east side of the fourth floor. I’ve attached a schedule—be prompt, as she gets very irritable when she’s kept waiting.
My plane left at six this morning, and if you’re waking at the typical hour, you’re already late for her breakfast. I suggest you run.
Griffin
Well, that’s just great. Lena checked the schedule on the next page, looked over at the clock on the nightstand, and saw that she was late by almost an hour. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Griffin. He didn’t answer. Taking a deep breath, she grappled with her options.
She was the only one who knew. Mrs. Corbett wasn’t likely to trust any of the kitchen staff Waldgrave currently had, and judging from what Lena knew of the late Master Corbett, she probably wasn’t fond of Howard, either. Hesper and Eric weren’t on a favorable list either, even if Lena had had the heart to try to make them do it. Ava was just short of completely hopeless. That left Master Daray; there was a snow ball’s chance in hell that he would be providing services to anyone, even a mother in need.
Lena sighed, got dressed, and went down to the kitchen, where breakfast had already been prepared. She shoveled some eggs, bacon, and toast onto a plate, poured a glass of orange juice, and ignored Hesper’s funny look before making her way to the fourth floor. She knocked and waited at three different doors before Griffin’s inept directions led her to the right one.
Only two or three seconds after Lena had knocked, the door had opened just a crack, and a darkly outlined, clear blue eye had looked her over sharply. A moment later, Mrs. Corbett walked away from the door, leaving it slightly ajar. When she hadn’t come back after several minutes of waiting, Lena timidly pushed the door open.
“Mrs. Corbett?” She shifted the tray awkwardly in her hands, trying to be sure none of the juice sloshed.
“I’m waiting.” And indeed she was. Lena looked around the room and saw her seated at a small table, her hand resting on a cradle that was tucked closely next to her chair. She was a stern looking woman in a blue blouse, a semi-fitted black ankle-length skirt, and expensive, designer shoes. Her deep brown hair was done up in a perfect bun, and her makeup was flawless. For a woman who planned to stay in the same room all day, and for nine o’clock in the morning, she was looking better than Lena did on most formal occasions. Lena suddenly realized that Mrs. Corbett’s piercing blue eyes were still watching her. There was an annoyed, sour look on her face.
Lena started to walk toward the table.
“Shut the door.” She snapped.
Lena kicked the door shut with her foot, which caused Mrs. Corbett to give her a disapproving glare, and continued on to the table. She set the tray of food down and turned to leave.
“You’ll stay and watch the baby while I eat, and then take the tray away with you. It lessens the intrusion of my needing to answer the door a second time.” She said all of this without looking at Lena, who paused, turned around, and looked into the cradle. He looked exactly like Griffin, except smaller, chubbier, and balder. She reminded herself that he wasn’t cute; he was the enemy. The enemy she wasn’t going to get attached to.
“He’s sleeping.” Lena said.
As Mrs. Corbett placed her napkin firmly in her lap she glared up at Lena again. “Then you’ll sit and wait in case if he wakes up.”
Lena looked around and saw a chair against the far wall, which she sat down in. She watched Mrs. Corbett eat her breakfast; her stomach growled, as she’d skipped her own breakfast to get Mrs. Corbett’s to her faster. When she finally brought her napkin to her lips—being careful not to smudge her sleek lipstick—and set it on her tray, Lena got up to fetch the plate and claim her freedom until lunch was due. When she reached out for the plate, though, Mrs. Corbett caught her arm.
“Not so quickly. Turn.”
Lena gave her a confused look. “What?”
“Turn. Turn around, so I can
look at you.”
Lena hesitantly took a few steps back and turned around, keeping her eyes always on Mrs. Corbett. She made a mental note not to bring up a knife next time. Mrs. Corbett sighed and relaxed slightly into her chair. She crossed her legs.
“You’re a beauty, but those pants don’t suit you.” She said. “That—shirt—is a size too large and your hair needs a professional. You need makeup and your eyebrows need waxing, but you have potential.”
She looked at Lena a moment longer, and Lena wondered if she was waiting for a reply of some sort. She wasn’t going to get one. Then she started talking again.
“Everything was cold. I don’t eat bacon or eggs cooked in bacon grease, and the orange juice had pulp in it, which is already upsetting my stomach. It won’t happen again. I’ll have a turkey sandwich on wheat for lunch with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on one side of the bread. Keep it light. I want the crusts trimmed off but still on the plate, not touching the rest of the sandwich. One apple, cored, cut into small enough pieces that I won’t smudge my lipstick while eating it. A mug of hot water and a glass of cold water, no ice, and an unopened individually sealed tea bag. Is that clear?”
“Sure…” Lena said, not sure what else to say.
Lena turned and walked toward the door, beginning to see for the first time how possible it was that someone had become annoyed enough with the woman to want to kill her. She rolled her eyes. At least I have potential… She thought to herself.
“Sarcasm is not appealing.” Mrs. Corbett remarked sharply from behind her, and Lena flinched. “It won’t happen again.”
Without a word, Lena left the room. She had been exceedingly careful to keep that thought to herself, too. She went down to the living room and crashed on the couch with Eric and Hesper. They were watching a daytime game show and eating popcorn. When Lena sat down, Hesper looked over at her sympathetically.
“She’s a pill, isn’t she?”
“Not the word I was thinking of, but yeah, she is. Does everyone in your family have the ability to hear private thoughts?” Lena shot a pained look at Hesper. It was going to be a long few weeks until Griffin got back.
“Oh.” Hesper blushed. Behind her, Eric was nodding enthusiastically. “Well, yeah, I guess so. My mom’s the only one who abuses the advantage, though.”
Eric went from nodding to shaking his head. In one swift motion, Hesper swung her elbow back and nailed him in the gut. Eric threw a fistful of popcorn at his wife as Ava came running into the room carrying Maren at arm’s length in front of her.
“Take it! Take it!”
Eric stood up and took Maren. “What’s wrong?”
“She’s got that look again!”
Lena felt her stomach drop through the floor. She spun around and searched Maren’s eyes for disaster, but didn’t see anything wrong. While the Corbetts were apparently attuned mind readers, everyone in the Daray line had the ability to see death in the eyes of the soon to be deceased. Eric had forgone actually looking at Maren and had instead leaned in close and smelled her.
“Yep. I got it.” And he started for the stairs. Hesper smiled dreamily after him, then turned back to Lena.
“Just don’t take her crap.” Hesper shrugged easily as Ava wandered away again. “If you’re lucky, you might even end up like me and get to never talk to her again. How’s Darius?”
“He was sleeping when I was up there.” Lena said, fidgeting with the remote to turn up the volume on the television.
Hesper waited a moment to be sure that Lena wasn’t intending to add anything. “And?”
“And what? It’s a baby, they’re all the same, right?”
Hesper laughed, grabbing the remote and turning the television off. “No! Now tell me what he looks like, because I haven’t seen him. I probably won’t get to see him until he’s old enough to be out in public alone. He’s my brother, Lena.”
“Um, okay…” Lena thought back. It was a baby—bald and pudgy as they all were. She was trying not to focus on the fact that he was already showing a distinct resemblance to Griffin; it bothered her for some reason. “He’s bald and chubby.” She said simply
Hesper stared at her a moment longer. Then she gave a frustrated sigh and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and started to find the camera mode. “You’re going to take a picture. For me, because I want to know what my little brother looks like.”
An image of Mrs. Corbett attacking her at the mere suggestion of taking a picture flashed into Lena’s mind. “He looks like Griffin, okay?! Geez! Why’s that so important?!”
Highly amused, Hesper smiled. “Why does that bother you so much?”
“Because I am not getting attached to this baby, and I am not living out whatever sick fantasy Griffin has about my becoming the surrogate mother after yours gets committed!” Lena stood up and paced to the window. She turned and leaned against it, facing Hesper, who was still looking very amused at her friend’s frustration.
“I wish they’d just give him to me. I’d take him.” Hesper smiled. She closed her cell phone and put it away.
“Ha! Doubt it!”
“Well, who knows…I mean, they might vote to just dispose the Corbett house from the Council this year now that there aren’t really any of us left. God knows where our servants are, even. I’d be truly surprised if Griffin gets them to put a hold on it until the kid’s sixteen.”
It was true, but Lena gave the Corbett name a better chance than Hesper did. Griffin had mentioned something about Master Daray wanting to keep the Corbetts on the Council because they had always voted in his favor. And if he got to raise another child under this roof, it was ensuring yet another generation of protection for the Daray family. History had proven that Daray held enough sway on the Council to enforce his will when he needed to.
The clock on the wall caught her eye. She only had an hour and a half before Mrs. Corbett’s lunch was due, and she still hadn’t showered or eaten breakfast. Turkey on…something. Lena excused herself to go upstairs and shower, kicking herself for forgetting the order. When she came back down to the kitchen she made three sandwiches, hoping one of the guesses would be correct, and drudged back up to the fourth floor.
She knocked. Three minutes later, when no one had answered, she knocked again. Her second attempt went unrewarded. Slightly perturbed because the weight of the tray was starting to cut into her arm, she cracked the door and peered inside. Mrs. Corbett was seated at her table, with the baby in her arms, apparently unable to be bothered by getting up to answer the doors or even call a simple, ‘Enter!’
Lena walked in and set the tray on the table. Mrs. Corbett held the baby out towards her, and Lena froze. She didn’t want to hold him. Mrs. Corbett turned and glared at her.
“Don’t be unnatural, take the baby!”
Their eyes met, and Lena quickly looked away. She reached out and took the baby; he was heavier than she had expected, and never having held a baby for longer than a few minutes, she wasn’t quite sure what to do. Darius was heavier than Maren, and he wiggled far too much. She tried holding him the way she had seen Hesper hold Maren, but it didn’t work—he immediately started squirming and whining, arched his back, and Lena almost dropped him. Mrs. Corbett was on her feet immediately, grabbing the child back from her.
“Oh, for goodness sake! A girl your age should have more experience!” She glared at Lena as she swayed on her feet, clutching Darius close to her chest. “You’ve never held a baby before? Never?”
Annoyed and embarrassed, Lena lashed out. “Only your daughter’s! I’m sorry, but I’ve been too busy doing more important things to have done much more than that!”
“So you’ve made clear to the world.” Mrs. Corbett said disapprovingly. “Put your arms out.”
Lena gaped at her. “What? I don’t want to hold him!”
“This isn’t about what you want. This is about you being here to help me, and you’re going to hold him.” She once again held Darius out and away fro
m her.
Lena gave an exasperated sigh, looked longingly at the door, and then put her arms out in front of her. Mrs. Corbett carefully handed Darius back to her.
“You’re going to have to hold him closer.” She directed. “There. Now, if he starts to fuss you need to move by walking or swaying.”
She sat back down and started eating a sandwich. Lena was terribly uncomfortable; he was heavy, and he kept looking at her like he knew she was a novice. He stared for a good ten minutes before he started turning his head to look around the rest of the room; his eyes landed on Mrs. Corbett and he arched his back again. Lena struggled to keep him from pitching himself at his mother, but he never cried, and the rest of the meal passed without incident.
Lena took the tray and the garbage out of the room. Mrs. Corbett’s dinner order had been even more complex than her lunch order, and in addition she had asked for more diapers and baby formula. After she cleaned up the dishes in the kitchen, Lena asked Hesper if she would be willing to make a run into town for her to get the requested supplies. As Lena watched the car pull away and down the drive from the front door, the spring season making the rest of the world so vibrant and warm, and with nothing to look forward to but serving Mrs. Corbett’s dinner and processing the RSVPs for the year’s Council, she was again struck by how depressed her life was making her. She needed to get out, and she had no idea how to make it happen.
*****