by Gayla Twist
“I’m ready,” the girl told me, tentatively taking my hand. “As long as you promise to be gentle.”
Using my night vision, I could see that she wasn’t actually a young girl at all. She wore her hair in a girlish style and she had a petite figure, but I would have placed her age closer to twenty-seven than seventeen.
Sensing my hesitation, the young woman tugged on my arm again. “Don’t be bashful,” she told me. “We can experience this new adventure together.”
“No, that’s okay,” I told her, gently disengaging my arm. “I wouldn’t want to turn anyone from a fresh flower to a soiled dove. Although I appreciate your willingness.”
“You don’t want to share your first time with me?” she asked, somewhat surprised. Her innocence routine had obviously not been questioned too many times before.
“No thank you,” I told her and then pressed a half-dollar into her palm. “I think you should probably leave this place while you still have your health.”
“Oh, if only I could,” she said, allowing tears to fill her eyes. “But I have nowhere else to go. And no one to be kind to me.”
“I’m sorry to hear of your troubles,” I told her, pressing another half dollar into her palm, “but I am not the right man for you.” I sensed she was about to continue to give me her damsel in distress routine, so I fixed her with my eyes and said, “Trust me when I tell you that I am not a person whom you would want to know more intimately. Now please leave me alone.”
She stared at me for several seconds, not moving or even blinking, before saying, “I understand. And wish you an enjoyable evening.” Then she turned and quickly hurried out of the room.
Daniel made a sound of disgust. “I don’t have all night to dawdle while you act fussy,” he told me. Grabbing a voluptuous red head by the wrist, he began towing her down the hall. “Wait for me, once you’re finished,” he called over his shoulder. “I might go back for seconds.”
“I’m sorry about Crystal,” the Madame said, stepping forward. The older lady had her hair piled high on her head and she had painted a red circle on each cheek as a substitute for any kind of blush reflex. “She’s new to our establishment and maybe a little too untested for your liking. But I’m sure we have plenty of girls who can please you,” she said, indicating the females like a butcher displaying a case full of meat.
Glancing down the line of women and girls, I spied one female who had withdrawn into the corner, furthest away from the lamp. She was older than the others and standing at a peculiar angle that spoke of suppressed pain. I could tell just from looking at her that she was unwell. She’d done her best to cover her malady with plenty of rouge and powder, but I could detect her sallow skin underneath.
Noticing my glance, the Madame perked up. “Has someone caught your eye?” she asked.
“Yes,” I told her. “I’d be happy to get to know the young woman in the corner a little better.”
The Madame frowned. “Are you sure?” she asked, arching an eyebrow in my direction. “Bernadette has been unwell lately, so maybe you might be happier with a different girl.”
“No,” I told her with a polite smile. “Bernadette will suit me just fine.”
The older woman shrugged. “You know your own mind, young man,” she said, then snapped her fingers at the female in the corner. “Bernadette,” she called. “Somebody give her a shove.” Another girl goosed her and Bernadette’s eyes fluttered. “Bernadette, you have a customer.”
“Oh,” the woman said. “Oh, good. And such a handsome man to take an interest in me.” I could tell by the way she moved across the room that she was in immense pain, but she tried to carry it off as if she wasn’t.
Bernadette did her best not to hobble as she led me down a dark passageway to the rooms where the girls plied their trade. Someone, presumably the Madame, had been burning incense to cover the stench of unwashed sheets and human misery. I had to wonder, if this was a high-class whorehouse, what were the low-class whorehouses like? The thought made me shudder.
Mistaking my actions for trembling, Bernadette squeezed my arm. “Don’t worry, sweetie,” she said. “I’m not going to judge you. You can be as quick as you like.”
Chapter 21
Colette
Our mother picked us up from school the next afternoon and drove us out to the castle. “It doesn’t seem right for you girls to arrive on bicycles,” she said, “when applying for work in such a fancy home.”
Lilly and I did our best to clean up in the back of the car while Mama drove. I was so nervous I was practically shaking. We were going to go inside the castle. Sure, it was only the servants’ entrance, but still, we would be inside. I should have been tired because I kept waking up all night with crazy, and wonderful, and frightening dreams, but I was too excited to feel tired. In fact, all day at school I was practically bouncing off the walls.
As we drove up to the castle, I was surprised to see a gate was being erected around the building. I guess that was probably to keep the family’s vicious dogs from running wild. I hadn’t said anything to my family about the dogs. I didn’t want to risk that my parents would refuse to let us work at the castle, just because of some unruly pets.
The Vanderlind family must have recently moved in because there was already a guard in purple livery attending the area where I assumed they would eventually erect the gate. “Yes?” he asked. He had a heavy accent that I couldn’t identify, so the word came out more like, “Ves?”
My mother stared at him for a moment, not sure what to say and then eventually found her tongue. “My daughters were asked to come by today to apply for positions as maids,” she said. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was feeling a little intimidated.
“Mrs. Denkler,” I called from the back seat. “We were invited here by a Mrs. Denkler.”
The guard’s face registered immediate recognition of the name. “Drive through,” he told Mama in a somber voice. “Go to the right. Knock on the door for deliveries.”
Once Mama had parked the car, Lilly and I climbed out and straightened our skirts. “Just remember to be polite,” Mama instructed us. “And be honest about your work experience. I’m sure they would appreciate honesty above anything else.” We both assured her that we would.
As we approached the door with the deliveries sign posted on it, Lilly suddenly turned around and took a few quick steps back toward the car. “Mama, aren’t you going in with us?” Her voice had gone up an octave and she suddenly sounded about ten years old.
“No,” our mother said, shaking her head a little. “You’re both old enough to apply for a job without me standing over you like a mother hen.” But then she looked at Lilly’s anxious face and added. “It’ll be okay, Lilly. I’m sure everything is going to be fine.”
“Why did I let you talk me into this?” Lilly said in a low voice as we both stood in front of the door.
“Aren’t you excited?” I asked, confused by her behavior. I was practically jumping up and down.
“No,” she said, emphasizing the word by shaking her head rather adamantly. “I was a little excited, when we told Mama and Papa, but I don’t know…” she said, her words trailing off. “It’s just… I just have this horrible feeling of dread. Like we’re going to go into this ugly old building and never come out again.”
“Oh, come on, Lilly.” I silently thanked my lucky stars that I hadn’t mention the dogs or I would have never gotten her out of the car. “Mama’s waiting for us right outside the door. I think she’d call the police if we didn’t show up after a couple of hours.”
“I know,” Lilly said. “But…”
“But what?” I asked, extending my hand to ring the bell.
“Wait,” she said, grabbing my arm. “I’m sorry, Colette, but I really don’t want to do this.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I told her. “Of course we’re going to do this. We need the work. And I hear the castle pay is better than we could get anywhere else. I’m sur
e it’s much better than what you were getting at Zucker’s.”
“I know, but…” I had never known my sister to be a shrinking violet, but there was a tremble in her voice. For whatever reason, she was extremely reluctant to go inside.
“Come on, Lilly,” I said, putting my arms around her and giving her a squeeze. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. And if it’s weird, or creepy, or scary at all, we’ll turn right around and leave. I promise.”
Lilly didn’t say anything. It was almost as if her feet where frozen to the ground.
“Tell you what,” I said, desperate to get her moving. “If you do this for me, then I’ll agree to go to the dance with Lev next month.”
My promise caught her attention. “Really?” she said, shifting her eyes in my direction. “Promise?”
“Yes,” I assured her. “If you go inside with me and apply for the job, I promise I will chaperone you and Walter under the guise of being Lev’s date.”
Some color came back to Lilly’s cheeks. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll go inside. But I don’t promise I’ll take the job.”
I reached over and rang the bell.
A few moments later the door was opened by a young woman with a friendly face and fair hair that was pulled back into a bun. She was wearing a black dress and a frilly white apron. “Yes?” she asked with a smile.
“Hello,” I said. “Mrs. Denkler is expecting us.”
“Oh.” She smiled some more. “Are you here about the housemaid positions?”
“Yes?” I returned her smile and nodded my head several times.
She opened the door wider. “Come on in,” she told us. “I’m Millie. I just started working here, so if you have any questions, don’t ask me,” she said with a laugh.
I felt a shiver run through me as I stepped over the threshold and into the castle. I don’t know why, we were simply entering a dark hallway which led to a mudroom, but something about just being inside the building, filled me with a tingling anticipation.
As we followed the young maid through the mudroom and down another hall. I tried to keep a little ahead of Lilly, in case we were set upon by a pack of unruly dogs. But we were not assaulted. We simply entered a modest room that contained a small couch, a desk and a few chairs. “Wait here,” the young woman told us. “I’ll go and find Mrs. Denkler.”
Neither of us felt comfortable enough to sit down. So we stood there, feeling awkward. “She seems nice,” Lilly eventually said, probably only to break the silence.
“Very,” I said, just to say something in reply.
“Sorry about being so silly outside. I just felt such a wave of dread. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before,” my sister told me.
“It’s okay.” I reached over and squeezed her arm. “Maybe your lunch didn’t agree with you.”
This made her giggle, which made me giggle. We tried to suppress our mirth, but then we’d look at each other and start snickering again. I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea for us to titter our way through a job interview, but I was just so nervous that I couldn’t help myself.
Just then the door opened and Mrs. Denkler entered the room. We both stopped giggling immediately. In my excitement to see the inside of the castle, I’d forgotten how intimidating the housekeep actually was.
“I was expecting you earlier,” was the first thing Mrs. Denkler said.
“We were at school,” I told her. “But classes end after next week.”
“And will both of you be returning to school in the fall?” she wanted to know.
“My sister, Lillian, is graduating,” I said, gesturing to her by way of introduction, “but I have one year left.”
“I suppose if you had a job that paid you well enough, you wouldn’t feel the need to return,” Mrs. Denkler said. It was more of a statement than a question, so I said nothing, even though I had every intention of returning to school in the fall for my senior year.
The housekeeper looked me over from head to toe. “It’s so very important when running a great house like the Vanderlind household to hire the right kind of staff,” she said. “Some housekeepers advise to only hire plain girls. Especially when the family has sons to consider.” I couldn’t tell if she was trying to insult me or pay me a compliment. “And yet still I am tempted,” she said, putting a finger to her lips and staring at me intently. “I can’t help but noticed the resemblance” she murmured, half to herself. “It’s quite striking. Especially the hair.” She made a gesture as if she was about to reach over and touch my head, but then she thought better of it and retracted her hand.
Lilly glanced over at me and I tried not to return her look. I so very desperately wanted to see the entire interior of the castle and working there seemed like the very best way to accomplish that dream.
“I wonder if anyone will notice but me,” Mrs. Denkler said, biting the side of her lower lip and then immediately releasing it. “If the master was still alive, I am sure he would see it in an instant. But we were of that age.” She looked very sad for a moment and I thought I saw tears brimming in hers eyes. But then she cleared her throat and said, “I doubt anyone else will notice.” And then she asked me, “I don’t suppose you have any Hungarian blood?”
I wanted the job so desperately that I almost blurted, “Yes, we have,” but then I remembered how our mother had instructed us to be honest, so instead I said, “Not that I know of.”
“It’s a pity,” Mrs. Denkler said with another sniff. “That would have at least explained it.” I still had no idea what she was talking about so I just smiled and gave her a nod. And then the housekeeper thought of something. She looked deeply into my eyes. “Do you ever have dreams that are not your own?” she asked. “Do you have glimpsed memories that don’t seem to belong to you?”
“Uh… No,” I replied, truthfully. Her line of questioning was starting to make me feel unsettled.
Turning her sharp eyes on my sister, the housekeeper said, “Your name is Lillian Gibson, I presume. The resemblance is not as strong in you.”
“I’m Lilly Gibson,” my sister managed to say. “How do you do?”
“I’m Mrs. Denkler,” was the housekeeper’s response. “You will be issued two uniforms and four aprons each. You are expected to take care of your own uniforms and your appearance should always be flawless,” she informed us. “Now, if you don’t have any questions, “I’ll summon Millicent to show you your duties.”
My stomach did a flip. “You mean you’re hiring us?” I stammered.
“You can start the Monday after your school ends next week,” the housekeeper said.
“But don’t you want to ask us any questions?” Lilly wanted to know. “About our past work experience or… anything?” That’s what we had been expecting, at least.
“I’m sure your duties will not be too much for you,” Mrs. Denkler said, her lips drawn into a tight, flat line. “If they are, you’ll be discharged without a reference.” She pulled a small watch on a chain out of her dress pocket and glanced at it. “I really don’t have time for any more questions. Wait here and Millicent will look after you,” she said, before abruptly turning to leave the room.
“Will any of our duties involve caring for the dogs?” I asked, before Mrs. Denkler had a chance to disappear. I desperately wanted the job, but I wasn’t a fool. All of the workers had been so adamant about some type of dangerous animal. I couldn’t expose my sister and myself to the risk of being mauled.
The housekeeper gave me a sharp look over her shoulder. “What dogs?” she asked. “I hope you are not the kind of girl who is always asking ridiculous questions.” And then she left before I could assure her that I wasn’t.
Lilly and I stared at the door for several seconds after she left and then turned to exchange looks. “I guess we’re hired,” my sister said, appearing as mystified as I felt.
“I guess.” It seemed a very odd way to hire someone. “Do you think Millicent is the same Millie that answered the door?”
&
nbsp; Lilly shrugged. “We’re about to find out.”
A few moments later and Millie rushed into the room. “Congratulations,” she exclaimed. “I knew Mrs. Denkler was going to hire you, just as soon as I saw you. I just knew it.”
“Thank you,” we said in unison.
“Oh, I’m so happy.” She really was beaming. “It will be so nice to have other servants around here who can actually speak English.”
Chapter 22
Jessie
The room itself was small, but not miniscule. There was a fringed shawl hanging over the window and another across the bed in an attempt to make the place look a little less down-at-the-heels. Another red scarf festooned the globe shade of a lamp which sat on the bedside table. The lamp was electric, but had obviously been converted from oil at some point in the last few decades.
Bernadette took the shawl from the bed and draped it over the back of a chair with great care. I could tell at a glance that it had been hand embroidered. Then she eased herself onto the bed. “Is there anything you’d like in particular?” she asked, patting the open spot next to her on the mattress. “Any fantasy you have for your first time?”
“Actually,” I said, taking a seat on the room’s only chair, but being careful not to disturb the shawl, “I won’t be joining you. Although I greatly appreciate the offer.”
“Oh.” A look crossed Bernadette’s face that I couldn’t interpret. It was either surprise or relief. Possibly both.
