Beside the Brook

by Paulette Rae

  She ran a hot bath, piled high with lavender bubbles. Soft music filled the room as she turned the radio on and the curtains protested against the thin rails as she pulled them shut. This part was purely habit. Being three stories up and having no neighbours within view of the house, privacy was a given, but it made her feel more comfortable closing herself in.

  Having soaked for a good thirty minutes she pulled herself from the water, reached for a thick bath towel and dried herself off. She wiped the mirror with the corner of her towel and peered at her image through the steam. She had pulled her hair onto the top of her head with a large plastic clip to keep it out of the water, and she turned to see the curve of her neck, now bare and slender. Her hair never afforded much attention, except for the effort she put into preventing it from turning into a frizzy birds nest on a daily basis. Tonight she decided to style it up into a French twist. As she walked back into the bedroom she noticed something draped over the end of her bed. She frowned, and walked forward to pick it up. It was a dress, made of beautiful jade material, with a haltered neck and flared skirt. A row of diamantes decorated the middle, veering up into a slight ‘V’ under the breasts where the material was gathered to accentuate the waist.

  Jamie, she thought to herself as she pulled the padded clothes hanger over her head and turned to the mirror to get an idea of what it would look like on. It was a simple but stunning design and Kirsten smiled as she saw it against her. She hoped it would fit. Quickly she pulled the towel from her body and slipped the dress from its hanger; stepped into it and pulled the straps around her neck into a loose knot. She turned back to the mirror. It sat snugly against her frame as if it had been tailored to fit, the inlaid bra cushioning her breasts perfectly and producing just the right amount of cleavage. The waist accentuated her hourglass figure and the skirt flowed down over her hips in a final flattering detail.

  “Wow,” she whispered under her breath. As she twisted, the material fluttered around her calves in soft folds.

  How does he always know? She pondered. First it was the earrings, now the dress. When she had commented earlier to Jamie about finding something to go with the earrings she had no idea he would do something like this. He must have already had the dress when they’d had that conversation. She smiled as she thought about it. Wasn’t he a dark horse for being able to keep a straight face over that one? Nothing had given him away at all.

  Kirsten delved into the back of the closet and pulled out a pair of black, heeled sandals. She pulled them on, twisted the leather strap around her ankle and clasped it firmly into the tiny buckle on the other side of the shoe.

  Going back to the bathroom she applied a little makeup and sprayed her hair into place, then put on the earrings Jamie had given her.

  She returned to the full length mirror to examine her final look. She sighed. Never before had she been so happy with the way she looked. She couldn’t have picked a better outfit for herself if she had tried.

  Jamie was so full of surprises. She was beginning to understand why Brook had been so in love with him, if this was the way he treated his women. It was very flattering. Kirsten decided it was time to go downstairs for the party. After a final dab of perfume behind the ears she headed out into the hallway. She couldn’t wait for Jamie to see what she looked like.

  Chapter 12

  Kirsten could almost feel the cloud under her feet as she glided down the stairs. It was amazing how the right outfit could instill such confidence, she mused as she watched her reflection pass in the window. She paused on the second storey landing to see if Jamie or Sarah were still there. When she heard nothing but the steady tick of the antique framed wall clock she continued down to the ground floor. As she rounded the corner to the formal lounge she could see everyone was already present. Craig and Sarah had decorated the room with bright streamers and had hung a large birthday banner over the French doors.

  Sarah looked gorgeous in a pink taffeta party dress, white stockings and polished vinyl shoes to match. Her blonde hair had been washed and pulled back into pigtails with two cerise ribbons.

  Beth wore a stunning two piece pant suit in vivid blue, and Tyler had donned a burgundy silk shirt and black dress pants. He looked extremely handsome, his dark hair brushed back in place. Even Craig had scrubbed up for the occasion, wearing a casual brown suit and an open collared shirt.

  But her attention was for Jamie, who had also showered and changed. He now wore a pair of tan dress pants and a linen vest over a long sleeved black t-shirt. She smiled as he turned. Everyone looked as she entered the room and she waited for a glance of appreciation from Jamie. But what she got told an alternative story. Puzzled, she stared at him. Her stomach lurched as she realised his face had drained of all colour, as if she were an apparition of the dead.

  She heard Tyler in the background as he whistled in appreciation, but was equally astonished as Beth gasped, her hand clutched fearfully to her chest. Something was wrong; terribly wrong. What was it?

  “Jamie?” she questioned.

  “You look stunning. ” Tyler seemed to be the only one smiling as he stepped forward. Kirsten glanced at him, confused for a moment.

  “Is that-?” Beth’s fingers were shaking so much she had to put her drink down. It clunked heavily onto the table and almost toppled over. Jamie’s face was stone, unreadable. His eyes seemed lifeless as he spoke in a low tone, finishing Beth’s sentence in a deathly tone, “Brook’s dress.”

  Kirsten’s heart flipped in her chest as she realised her devastating mistake.

  “You look so pretty.” Sarah, unaware of what was unfolding, ran forward and smiled at Kirsten.

  “Jesus Christ where did you get that?” Beth spat in an uncontrolled blather. She seemed almost hysterical.

  “I-,” Kirsten started. She stared down at herself, suddenly feeling sick to the stomach. Her mind raced as she tried to grasp what had gone so wrong. One minute she was on top of the world, feeling a million dollars in the new outfit Jamie had bought her and the next she was wearing a dead woman’s dress. How had this happened? If Jamie hadn’t given her the dress then who had?

  The room began to spin and her vision swam, making her feel giddy. She clawed at the dress with her hands, suddenly wanting to be somewhere else; anywhere but here, standing in front of Jamie wearing his dead wife’s clothing.

  Jamie turned away, unable to look at her. She wanted to speak but her mind wouldn’t focus, couldn’t find the words.

  “Kirsten,” Beth said uneasily as she moved forward. Her voice seemed to be coming through a thick fog down a dark tunnel. Kirsten could barely make her out through the haze. As her head swung round the room turned grey and she felt her body falling. There was nothing she could do. Everything faded to black as she collapsed onto the floor.

  When she came to Beth was hovering over her, her pale face looking frail and full of concern.

  “There you are, honey.” She wiped Kirsten’s face with a cold cloth. “Kirsty, can you hear me?”

  “Mmm,” Kirsten groaned as she squirmed on the floor. Her legs lay at an odd angle and were beginning to cramp.

  “You fainted, its okay, lie still for a minute.”

  Kirsten could hear Sarah crying. She turned her head and could see that Jamie had taken Sarah out onto the patio. She could tell he was listening to Beth, but he wouldn’t look in their direction.

  “Beth?” Kirsten looked up as a tear rolled down her cheek and plopped onto the carpet beneath her.

  “Yes?” Beth placed her hand softly on Kirsten’s forehead. Kirsten whispered loud enough for only Beth to hear. “Get me out of this dress.” Her whole world had caved in. She felt humiliated and alien lying on the lounge floor. Understanding, Beth called, “Craig, help me will you?”

  Tyler stepped forward into Kirsten’s line of sight. “I’ll help.”

  Beth whipped her head round at her son and gave him a sharp look of disapproval. “I think you’ve done enough for one night.”

 
With that one statement Kirsten knew what had happened. Tyler had left her the dress; slipped it onto her bed while she had been taking a bath. But why? What motive did he have for wanting her to make a fool of herself in front of everyone? And why had he seemed so pleased with the way she looked?

  Craig appeared by Beth’s side, and with little effort scooped Kirsten from the floor, cradled her into his warm arms. Kirsten nuzzled into his neck, hid her face from view as they walked out of the room.

  They took the service elevator to the third floor and Beth met them on the landing.

  “You can put me down now.” Kirsten said as Craig pushed her bedroom door open.

  “Are you sure, on your feet?” Craig asked.

  Kirsten nodded. “Ah-huh, I’m okay.”

  “Hang on, honey. I’ll just get your shoes.” Beth unbuckled her sandals and cast them onto the floor under the window. Then Craig placed her onto her feet.

  “I’ll leave you to it.” Craig left the room and pulled the door closed behind him.

  “Beth, I’m so sorry, I had no idea.” Kirsten blinked in despair. She felt like such a victim as she remembered how Beth and Jamie had stared in disbelief.

  “Where did you think the dress came from?” Beth demanded in a puzzled tone. Of course to someone who didn’t know the history between Kirsten and Jamie it would be an obvious question. A dress just magically appears from nowhere; wouldn’t you wonder where it came from?

  Kirsten found her robe in the wardrobe and pulled it over her shoulders. Then she released the dress tie from around her neck and yanked it down from her waist. It fell into a limp pile around her ankles. She sighed. She wasn’t ready to tell Beth everything.

  “I’m the victim here remember.” Her defenses engaged in low gear as she reminded Beth who the culprit was. “I should be asking you what you know about it. This was Tyler’s doing wasn’t it?”

  “Yes it was,” Beth conceded. “But for heavens sake don’t ask me what his motivation was. I’ve yet to find that out.”

  “Oh I’ll be asking him the same question, don’t you worry about that.” Kirsten folded her arms across her chest and scowled.

  Beth pursed her lips. “Well what a wonderful night this turned out to be.” She sounded deflated, disappointed and a little angry.

  Kirsten slumped onto the bed, emotions getting the best of her as a new torrent of tears escaped and ran tracks of mascara onto her cheeks.

  “I’m so sorry, Beth,” she sobbed.

  “Oh no honey, I didn’t mean it was your fault.” Beth lowered herself onto the bed and put an arm around Kirsten’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel worse.”

  Kirsten wiped the flood away with the sleeve of her robe and sniffed.

  “Why don’t you get changed and come downstairs, I’m sure we can forget this happened.”

  Kirsten was horrified. She couldn’t imagine showing her face, en masse, again this early. She shook her head. “No, I can’t, Beth. You go, I’ll be fine.”

  “I never thought I’d use this analogy but you know you’re supposed to get right back on the horse don’t you.” Beth attempted a smile to try and lighten the mood.

  “In this case I don’t think so.” Kirsten sighed. “I think I’ve done enough damage for one night.”

  Beth stood up. “Well if you’re okay I really must get back downstairs, before those two go head to head.”

  Kirsten knew immediately who she was referring to. But she doubted Jamie would do anything until Sarah was safely out of the way. She was already upset by what had happened, the poor girl. She was Jamie’s priority and he wouldn’t cause a scene in front of her.

  “Yes you go, Beth. I’m fine, really.” She fixed her boss with a convincing stare.

  “Okay dear, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With Beth gone Kirsten swung her legs onto the bed and stretched out, closed her eyes against the light. She still couldn’t believe what had just happened. How could she have been so caught up in Jamie that this huge misfortune had slipped past her guard? If she had paid more attention surely she could have picked up that something was incredibly wrong with the situation. Couldn’t she?

  Kirsten still couldn’t believe that Tyler would do something like this. Was this still about Brook? Was he so twisted and bitter about Jamie that he would use Kirsten so blithely against him? Did he somehow know about her relationship with Jamie? It was the only way he could have expected she would simply put the dress on without asking any questions. He had to know she would assume it was there for a reason. Later, after she had rested she would seek out the answers. But for now her head pounded louder than any thought that invaded her mind. Kirsten closed her eyes and let her body drift away into sweet oblivion.

  * * * *

  The cold woke her several hours later. She shivered as she sat up, pulled her robe around her as she blinked in the dark. Disoriented for only a moment, she remembered the events leading up to her sleeping on top of the blankets. Her heart sank. Jamie. What had she done?

  She pulled herself up and walked to the bathroom, clicked on the tiny fluorescent light above the mirror. She took the pins from her hair and let it fall around her shoulders, wiped the black bags of makeup from under her eyes and stared at her forlorn image in the glass.

  She had to find Jamie to make sure he was okay. Earlier they had been so cheerfully discussing the possibility of him joining her after the party, and now she felt completely abandoned. Not surprisingly things had gone awry between them. What could she expect? She had gaily slipped into a dead woman’s dress and presented herself to him. He wouldn’t know what she had assumed. Right now he probably thought she was just as much the villain as Tyler was. She had to set him straight, make him aware that none of this had been her doing.

  Kirsten padded barefoot down the stairs to the second floor. The house was dark and still. She glanced at the clock as she passed. It was just after eleven. She wondered if anyone was still up. Carefully she picked her way down into the bowels of the house, crept silently through the lounge, abandoned hours ago. A sliver of light seeped from under the kitchen door, Kirsten could see it as she weaved her way past the furniture in the dining room. The divine aroma of Craig’s cooking lingered and Kirsten’s stomach growled, reminding her she had skipped dinner. But the sound of raised voices from behind the solid oak door stopped any thoughts she had of placating her appetite right now. She could hear Jamie in muffled tones, his voice raised in anger. She pushed open the door and the bright halogens of the kitchen blinded her for a moment before she could focus. Jamie had Tyler up against the far wall, pinned by the neck with one large hand. His face was a picture of pure hate, his stature one of a man who was not about to back down. He had already struck Tyler at least one blow, the left side of his face was split open, his eye already swollen shut as blood trickled over one purple cheek. Tyler gagged for breath as Jamie continued to clasp him firmly, the fresh adrenaline in his veins spurring him into a blind rage.

  “Jamie!” Kirsten screamed as she closed the gap them in mere seconds. She clawed at Jamie’s arm. She knew physically she would not be able to pull him off the smaller man, but luckily the sound of her voice interrupted his onslaught. He let go of Tyler, who instantly put his own hands up to his neck and slumped against the wall. There were large red indents on his throat where Jamie’s fingers had been.

  Jamie took a step back and glared at Kirsten, his own breath coming in short raspy gulps.

  “Jesus, Jamie, you were going to kill him.” Kirsten blurted before she had time to think.

  “It’s what the bastard deserves,” Jamie said far too calmly for Kirsten’s liking. She looked into his eyes, saw something extremely unnerving there. If she hadn’t come into the room when she had, Tyler would quite possibly be dead before morning. Right now

  she needed to get Jamie away from Tyler. Despite anything that had happened, Tyler didn’t deserve to die, especially by Jamie’s hand.

  “Not
hing is worth that.” Kirsten stepped in between the two men, pushed Jamie back toward the door as she tried to break his intense stare from the man lying broken on the floor. “Jamie?” She put her hand up to his face, forced his gaze down to her own. The haze seemed to clear and Jamie looked almost remorseful, as if it just dawned on him what had happened. “You need to go.” Kirsten pointed to the door and without a word Jamie turned and pushed through the door to the back hallway. He disappeared into the dark before the wooden panel closed with a dull thud behind him.

  “Tyler, are you okay?” She turned and crouched beside his limp form. Tyler opened his mouth to say something but the only thing that escaped from his crushed windpipe was a croaky groan.

  “Come on let’s get you up.” Kirsten pushed her own weight under his armpit, forced his arm around her neck and hoisted him to his feet. The faint smell of whiskey wafted over her as she helped him to a chair by the window. She crossed to the fridge and pumped a cold glass of water from the chiller then opened the freezer, found a small packet of frozen peas and wrapped them into a tea towel. Going back to the table she pressed this against Tyler’s cheek bone. He winced as the makeshift icepack touched his skin.

  “Ow,” he managed to get out through clenched teeth.

  “Here drink some water, it should help.” Kirsten handed him the glass and he sipped it cautiously, his face contorted in pain as he swallowed. She sat in the chair opposite him, pulled it closer and crossed her legs to the side so she could still hold the ice pack against his face. Her robe slipped so she grabbed it quickly and stuffed it between her knees to hold it in place. She stared at Tyler, lost for words. She was so mad at him for what he had done earlier, but now he just seemed so pitiful she couldn’t feel anything but sorry for him.

  “Damn you, Tyler Frampton,” she muttered. “You are nothing but trouble.”

  “Thank you,” Tyler forced out in a whisper. Then he cleared his throat, took another gulp of water and his voice seemed to come back. “If you hadn’t come along God knows what would have happened.”