by MK Schiller
I remembered the quote. Remembered that it was early in the book. In this book. This book that belonged to Liam…not me. The right thing to do was to leave Liam’s possessions alone. I tucked the paper back between the pages, but more cards fell out, scattering all over the floor.
Oh, no. No. No.
Clearly, they marked pages. They also had the same writing. I stuck them back in, praying I wasn’t messing up the order too much.
I stood to place it back where I’d found it, but I couldn’t help myself. One sentence, I promised. I turned to a random page and read it quickly. It wasn’t enough. One paragraph. I could read a paragraph quickly. My eyes lowered, my lips moving as I devoured the words. One whole page. I deserved it, right? One stolen page of Dickens would sustain me for a long time.
My eyes scanned the well-written sheets, careful to avoid the private note cards wedged into the spine.
My thumb leafed across the pages once more, searching for another random passage to read. Air wafted across my face, blowing a strand of loose hair. Ink, glue, cardboard, and paper were not so distinctive on their own, but when combined, they created the headiest scent. I sniffed, inhaling the memory.
“Read this one, Mary,” Papa said. “You’ll enjoy it.”
“My teacher says Indians should only read Indian authors.”
“Then your teacher is a fool, beta. What a shame since your tuitions are so high.”
I stared at the huge book. Surely, he didn’t expect me to read the whole thing? I was twelve years old.
“Priya’s mother says reading will make your eyes go bad. Men don’t want to marry girls who wear glasses and squint.”
I chuckled, remembering the way Papa had tilted his pipe, jabbing the mouthpiece into the air with each point he made. “Then Priya’s mother is also a fool. Pity you’re surrounded by so many ridiculous people. Why are you even thinking of marriage at your age?”
I shrugged, unsure myself, except that movies, clothes, and weddings were the only subjects of conversation among my friends. Unlike my father, I had no desire to be an outcast, so I followed suit.
He bent to my level, as he always did when he wanted to capture all my attention. “Don’t clutter your mind with nonsense. There are many people who will try to educate you, including me, but you are and will always be your own best teacher. There are many wonderful Indian authors, and you should read them. But don’t limit yourself. Never be afraid to read about other times, other places, other cultures. On the contrary, it won’t cause your eyes to blur, but rather open them wider. The choice is yours, lovely. But I fear you listen to others too readily. That your horizons will be so narrow, you’ll have to squint the rest of your life.”
“I’ll read it,” I said, more to please him than any real desire on my part. My sister, Hannah, always soaked up everything he said with a reverence I found annoying.
Hannah. I thought about her every day, but the memories were always tangled with grief. This one was different. She had sat next to me on our worn red couch, a tattered, threadbare blanket wrapped around her, begging me to read Dickens to her. The couch had been my papa’s doing because he invested all his money in us. In our education. But the blanket, I had hated with a passion. My mother had left it, and Hannah clung to it as if it would shelter her from any storm.
“You won’t understand it,” I said to her with an air of authority I didn’t deserve. My father looked angry then, his eyebrows knitting so tightly they almost joined. He said I was never to speak so disrespectfully to Hannah. His anger subsided as quickly as it came. He led me to the other room. He said in hushed tones we should both try to be more like Hannah. He’d always said Hannah had something special in her spirit that the two of us sorely lacked.
At the time, I thought he was speaking literally about her extra chromosome. But of course he wasn’t. It was her inner strength—a rare combination of joy, loyalty, and faith. There was nothing cynical or bitter about Hannah. She was the tiniest jewel, but she could bring light to the darkest corners.
Holding these same words in my hands again made my heart heavy and full at the same time, a bittersweet wave of emotion. My eyes darted across the sentences on a random page, my lips moving to a cadence that was too fast for rhythm. Was I an avid admirer or an addict?
A clearing throat intruded on my inner monologue, snapping it shut the way I did with the book. My spine straightened with such speed needles shot through my lower back.
“Is it common for the staff to pilfer through the guest’s belongings?” The deep voice was British.
British? He was British? I stared into the mirror, watching my body tremble before focusing on the image of him behind me.
Holy Mother of God.
I changed my mind.
He was a god.
Steam from the bathroom swathed him as he stepped out, a towel looped low around his hips. His naked chest, revealed muscles chiseled to perfection. I’d seen him when he arrived, but I wasn’t paying attention. And now my attention would not go anywhere else. His damp hair, the color a mix of sun with flecks of sand, lay unruly against his head. His expression conveyed annoyance. I pivoted, my bum backing into the bureau. He narrowed his eyes. Green eyes? Brown? They were both. They were neither.
“I’m waiting for an answer.”
My fingers clutched the book, digging into the hardback cover, holding it against my chest as if it could shield me from his voice, deep and husky. I shrank back farther, praying the floor would quake open and swallow me up.
His eyes shifted to my hands. He blinked, staring at the book. As much as my eyes were absorbing, my mouth refused to work. What could I possibly say to him? There were no excuses. I’d trespassed and, as a result, I’d be sacked.
“I’ve frightened you,” he said, his voice a shade softer. He held up his hand. “Wait.”
He picked up a few articles of clothing from the open suitcase on the bed, then looked back at me. “Stay.” He closed the bathroom door behind him, disappearing into the diminishing poufs of steam.
I should run. But my feet were stuck to the floor, even though my legs were shaking. For once, I was grateful the sari would hide that.
When he came out a few minutes later, he wore soft, faded jeans and a green rugby shirt. He stood a few feet away, but I could smell fresh soap and sweet mint radiating from his body.
He slapped his chest three times. “My name is Liam Montgomery.”
I continued to stare, dumbfounded. Was he introducing himself to me as if we lived on the same plane? I had found comfort in being a maid because the attention paid to me was on par with my paycheck. That was my preference. My choice. Perhaps a penance in a way. But now…I had all his attention and no idea what to do with it.
He sighed, shaking his head with disappointment. “Lotus Girl, why would you pick up a book you can’t read?”
Lotus girl? Was he talking to me?
“Let’s try this again. Mera Nam, Liam Montgomery,” he said in poorly pronounced Hindi.
“You don’t speak Hindi either?” When I didn’t respond, he picked up his phone and pressed a few buttons. “So many languages in this country. Rest assured, I’ll find yours.”
As if rest were a possibility.
“Ah, here we are.” He repeated the introduction in Punjabi, Gujarthi, Marthati, Tamil, Bangali, and even Sanskrit. Each time, he looked at me with a hopeful expression. With my continued silence, he grew more disappointed. Somehow, his desperation to talk with me made the tension dissipate just as the steam had. Finally, he threw his phone on the bed.
He shook his head in resignation, offering me a self-deprecating smile. “That’s all I got. I suppose we shall never speak.” He stared at the book again. I held it out to him with both hands. He stepped closer, his bare feet oddly beautiful. Later, I would wonder why I didn’t just lay the book back on the bureau. His hands, large with long fingers, gripped the other edge and stilled the wobbling tom
e. I tilted my chin, forcing myself to look at his face. I knew I’d regret the moment if I chose to…squint.
He nodded toward the book, but kept us at a distance. “It’s a shame, really. This is my favorite Dickens’s novel. It’s almost an autobiography.” He tugged on it. I wouldn’t let go.
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Why the hell I’m still talking to you when you can’t bloody-well respond, I have no idea.” He gestured to the door. “Either it’s heatstroke, or I’m going mad.”
“You’re wrong.”
He swallowed, his eyes widening. “I’m not going mad?”
“It’s not an autobiography. Dickens said his most autobiographical book was David Copperfield. Not Nicholas Nickleby.” I thought I’d said it in my head, but the way his jaw dropped made it clear I’d articulated the statement.
Liam smiled again, his expression a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. “She speaks. And what interesting things she has to say.”
I closed my eyes tightly. Now that I’d spoken, and in English, an avalanche of words tumbled out of my mouth. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to steal it, sir. I was only looking at it. I’ll resign, sir. You don’t have to bother yourself with sacking me.”
His voice was cool but strong, a rush of water quenching an out-of-control flame. “Calm down. No one is getting sacked.”
My eyes popped open. “No?”
“I believe you.”
Why did he believe me? I wondered if I muttered that aloud as well because he answered the question.
“Of all the things on the bureau, the book is the least valuable. You skipped over a Cartier watch, gold cufflinks, and several hundred dollars in favor of a novel.”
“You’re wrong again. It is the most valuable.”
“Perhaps.”
He held out his hand for a handshake, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Most people in a prestigious hotel as this believed I was contaminated. They avoided touching me.
“Now then, my name is Liam Montgomery.”
I backed away.
“I know.”
He smirked, taking a step forward, but stopped, his foot hovering in midair before he stepped down. “Ah yes, I introduced myself already.” He dropped his hand.
I swallowed, realizing I’d rebuked him on some level, but instead of being angry, he seemed concerned, unsure, and cautious.
“In seven languages no less. Impressive,” I said, hoping my pathetic stab at humor had made a mark.
His grin returned, and I let out a breath so long, my diaphragm sighed with relief.
“And what is your name?”
“Mary. Mary Costa.”
“That’s not a very fitting name, is it?’
I straightened, exposing my stubborn, sardonic side I’d done so well in hiding from the world. “It’s a Catholic name. There are many Christians in India, sir.”
He arched a brow. “Of course.” His eyes wandered to the skin below my neck.
I covered it with my hand, feeling the cool glint of the cross that hung there, trying and failing to ignore the way my toes curled under his intense gaze.
“You misunderstand me, Mrs. Costa. I only meant that it’s a very simple name for an exceedingly complicated girl.”
A nervous giggle escaped me. The sound was so foreign I was sure it had come from someone else. “I’m not complicated, sir.”
“Liam. Call me Liam.”
“That’s not proper, Mr. Montgomery…sir.” With that, I relinquished the book.
He clasped it in his large hands, appearing slightly amused before his expression sobered. “As you wish, Mrs. Costa.”
“Miss. It’s Miss.” Had he called me by my surname? Did he not know I was a maid? I’d gotten used to being referred to as “maid,” or my first name, and sometimes just “girl,” but no one…no one ever called me by my last name.
“Miss Costa, would you care to borrow the novel?” He held it out to me.
I shook my head, backing into the dresser once more. The very thing that had rooted me in this room now acted as a deterrent. I held out a hand in protest. “I couldn’t.”
“Please, it would be my honor to lend it to you. I’m here for a week. You can return it anytime before then.”
I wondered if this might be a test on his part. “No, Mr. Montgomery, sir. Thank you for the generous offer, but hotel staff cannot accept gifts from guests.”
His smile tightened. “I’m very aware of the rules. We both work for the same company, after all. But this is not a gift. It’s a loan.”
“No, please.” No please? Did that even make sense?
He frowned. “Understood.”
“Have a good day, sir.” I said, doing some ridiculous curtsy as if he was a king. He did look regal, and at least the gesture caused the amused smile to come back. A deep line imbedded into his right cheek when he smiled just wide enough. I would call it a dimple, but it didn’t indent in a pucker, but creased the defined angle of his face in a solid line. For a moment, I wondered what it might be like to touch it, trace it with my finger, my lips.
As the thought appeared, I brandished it, mentally whipping my own dirty mind. I backed out through the door, stumbling once as my foot caught on the hem of the sari.
“Have a good day yourself, Miss Costa.”
Chapter 3
Liam
Mary Costa. Her name repeated in my head, a blasted record that skipped with irritating regularity. She was pretty…not breathtaking. Okay, perhaps a little breathtaking. Her skin, the color of coffee with one shot of cream, radiated with a soft rosy blush when I caught her. Those chocolate eyes had gone wide. Her pouty mouth spun words so beautifully they rolled off her tongue in a lyrical way. Her long black hair twisted in a tight and complicated braid, except for a few loose rebellious strands that framed her face. The innocence of her stare did nothing to detract from her strong backbone. Not many people corrected me. It was the last thing I expected from her. I wanted to sketch her so much. I imagined mixing the colors and outlining her form, capturing each feature, freezing them on a canvas.
I shook my head, snapping out of it. My mum had wanted to be a writer, and she told me once what it was like. When an idea hacked into her head or she caught a snippet of interesting conversation, she didn’t walk, she ran to her typewriter to get it all down so it could exist in the world instead of just her head. It was a deep need, almost an addiction, she’d said.
That wasn’t what this was. I had found inspiration where I least expected it, but I didn’t want it. I sure as hell didn’t need it.
Still, the girl intrigued me. Besides her looks, the most interesting thing about Mary Costa was the way she aroused….my curiosity. Okay, she aroused other things, too. There were so many questions I had. Why was she a maid? She spoke perfect English. Surely, she could get a job at one of the new IT companies sprouting up all over India, or better yet, work the front desk here. Why sell herself short?
I contemplated this while watching her from the restaurant window, half-listening to Prabhat go over the financial analysis I’d already reviewed on the plane. She scrubbed tables by the pool, picked up discarded items, and refilled the towel rack. For some reason, I wanted to carry her away from this place. This life even. Ridiculous thought, that. Although I was careful in my leering, I had no right to look at her, or regard her at all for that matter. She was an employee. Any deviation from a professional relationship would ruin my reputation…and hers. She had her life. And I had mine. My very good life. Still, why was she here?
“Mr. Montgomery, you can see we have good prospects for an auspicious year ahead.”
“That may be, but the hotel is still losing money at an alarming rate.”
“But sir, this is a short-term issue. The downward pattern will change.”
Short-term, my arse. “Three years, Prabhat. That’s not a downward pattern. It’s a spiral. That’s not entirely your fault, b
ut unless we see some growth possibilities, we cannot continue this way. I’m sorry, but difficult decisions will need to be taken.”
I hated this part of my job. Looking at this man, who no doubt had a family to support, and telling him the job he’d had for the past ten years was an uncertainty.
“I understand, Mr. Montgomery.”
I sighed, gathering up the sheets of paper. “Before we do anything, I’ll take another look at the books and run some comparisons.”
He straightened in his seat, his smile too wide for my small concession. “Thank you, sir. I think you’ll see if you just—”
“We’ll talk about it later. Now, have you set up the interviews for me?”
He sipped his tea. “Yes, all of our high-level staff is ready. I beg your pardon, sir, but I still don’t understand the purpose of the interviews.”
“Often times, the people who work for us have the greatest insight. They can see problems we cannot. Problems we need to provide solutions for.”
“Very smart, sir...brilliant.”
I didn’t care for or need the ego stroke. But I wouldn’t waste my breath telling him as much. Beneath the cloak of praise, it was clear the man didn’t like me. Under the circumstances, who could blame him? I was fine with the dislike. Hell, I would even respect it if he didn’t hide his hostility behind kissing my arse.
“Shall I start sending them in now?”
“I don’t want to speak with the high-level staff only. I told you I wanted conversations with all areas of the hotel.”
“Sir, most of our lower-level staff do not speak proper English.”
“Then get a translator.”
The teacup shook in his hand. “Of course, sir. I would be happy to translate.”
The last thing I wanted was him acting as translator. Everyone here feared me as it was. Except for Prabhat and senior staff, they didn’t even know I owned the hotel. But it didn’t matter. I was an outsider from the corporate office. That was enough to cause suspicion and distrust. They wouldn’t be honest in the first place. And even if they were, he’d make each response work in favor of the hotel.
