Other People's Bodies

by Amy Cross

  "And you can," he says, "but not in the bar".

  "Why not?"

  "Because it's beneath you!" He pauses, clearly frustrated by my refusal to just retreat and be a good little wife. "Can you imagine what people would say if they realized that my wife was working in a bar?"

  "No-one would care!" I continue. "Even if they did, screw them! It's not like I'm asking to take over the hotel! It's not like I'm trying to get the summerhouse rebuilt! Don't worry, I gave up on that idea. I just want to do something. Can't you see that I'm completely lost here? I wake up in the morning, and I have nothing to do!"

  "You're still trying to find a place -"

  "I've found a place!" I insist. "I've got an offer of a job -"

  "To work in a bar".

  "Yes!"

  "It's not going to happen," he continues, clearly forcing himself to stay calm. "You've never once said that you want to work in a bar. This is all completely new. I'd never..." He pauses, as if he just managed to keep himself from saying something he knew he'd regret.

  "What?" I ask. "You'd never have married me if you knew I wanted to actually get off my ass and work?"

  "My wife is not going to be a servant," he replies.

  "A servant?" I stare at him, and for the first time since we got married, I'm starting to wonder if he's got some kind of serious emotional problem. It's as if he's stuck in the past, and he wants me to be a polite, obedient wife who sits around knitting and sewing all day. "I'm not going to be a servant," I continue, trying to sound as calm and reasonable as possible. "I'm not going to do anything to embarrass you. I'm just going to learn a new skill. I probably won't even like it! I'll probably try something else in a few weeks! I just want to work out how I can be useful around here. Don't you understand that? Wouldn't you be more embarrassed if I sat around doing nothing all day?"

  "Did he put you up to this?" he asks.

  "Who?"

  "My brother".

  "Edward's got nothing to do with this!" I reply, shocked at such a ludicrous suggestion. "I doubt Edward even knows! Why? What the hell do you think this has to do with Edward?"

  "Forget it," he mutters.

  "No, tell me".

  "Edward likes to cause trouble," he continues, "and I've known for a while that he's got his eye on you".

  "Got his eye on me?" I ask, starting to feel as if this whole situation is spiraling out of control. Got his eye on me? What the hell does that even mean?

  "When Edward wants something, he gets it," Luke replies. "He doesn't give up until it's in his grasp. I've seen the way he looks at you, Elizabeth. He's probably manipulating this whole situation just so he can cause an argument between us".

  "Are you serious?" I reply. "I make a perfectly reasonable request, which you try to deny for no good reason, and now you think it's your brother's fault?"

  "You don't know him," he says firmly.

  "I don't think I know you," I say, although I instantly regret coming out with something that sounds so aggressive. "I didn't mean it like that," I add. "I just meant that I thought you'd be happy that I'm trying to create a life for myself at the hotel".

  "Let me tell you what happened," he replies. "Edward went to the guy behind the bar and asked him, maybe paid him, to offer you a job. Then he sat back and waited for the fireworks. It's what he does. It's what he's always done, going back to when we were kids. He knows how to get under people's skin. He sees everyone as playthings, and he thinks he can just use other people's bodies as part of some kind of huge game". He pauses for a moment. "Promise me you won't let him get what he wants".

  "What he wants?"

  He stares at me.

  "I..." Realizing what he means, I feel myself starting to fill with a kind of hot white rage. Does he seriously think I'd cheat on him? I swear to God, Luke's a great guy when we're alone, but as soon as Edward's name is brought up, my husband becomes a total asshole.

  "Just promise me," he replies.

  "Fuck you," I mutter, before slapping him hard on the side of the face.

  We stand in silence fora moment.

  "I'm going to overlook that," he says eventually.

  "Why?" I ask. "Tell me what you really think, Luke. Are you really so jealous of your brother that you think he can come between us? Is that the kind of woman you think I am?"

  "Don't be a fool, Elizabeth," he replies, walking across the room and opening the door. "I thought you were smart enough to recognize when people are trying to manipulate you. I thought you'd be able to see through a man like Edward. Please, don't prove me wrong".

  Once he's left the room, I turn and walk over to the window. I knew life at the Heights would be hard, but for the first time, I'm starting to wonder if I've made a huge mistake. This place seems so free and so unconstrained, yet I'm feeling more and more like a prisoner. I'm in the middle of some kind of power struggle between my husband and his brother, and it seems I'm being used as a pawn. If I can't find a way to change things, I'm not sure if I can handle living this way.

  Laura

  Today

  This is dumb. This is really, really dumb. I have no idea why I'm doing this, and frankly I'm worried that it might be a sign of insanity, but nevertheless, here I am, standing in my room during my lunch break, wearing the dress that Rachel tossed at me before she died. Elizabeth's dress.

  Dumb.

  The truth is, I can't work out why Rachel would have given me this dress, especially since she killed herself just a few minutes later. As I stand in front of the mirror, I realize that while it's not really my color, the dress certainly seems to fit me pretty well. However, there has to be more to it than meets the eye. It's almost as if Rachel was trying to send me some kind of message, although I don't understand why she couldn't have just told me whatever was on her mind. She certainly seemed a little crazy and highly-strung sometimes, and I guess we weren't exactly on very good terms, but surely she didn't have to deliver this 'message' in such a strange way.

  I've been meaning to try the dress on for a while, but something's been holding me back. I guess I was feeling a little superstitious, but this might be my best bet when it comes to making a breakthrough. The creepiest thing is that this is the dress Elizabeth Bannister was wearing in the only image of her I've ever seen. Sitting on Edward's desk, there's a photo of her standing by the clifftop, with this exact same dress fluttering in the breeze. It's strange to think that a completely different woman used to wear this dress, and now she's gone. I can't help wondering if there's a chance she might ever come back, in which case I guess maybe she'll want her dress back. Then again, something about this whole hotel makes me think that no-one ever gets a happy ending. Whatever happened to Elizabeth Bannister, my guess is that she's gone for good. Hopefully she's found a new life for herself far away. Wherever she is, I guess she won't be needing her dress again.

  Hearing a knock on my door, I pause for a moment, unsure as to whether I should answer.

  "Laura?" calls out a familiar voice. "You in there?"

  Cole? Why the hell would Cole have come down to my room?

  "Just a minute!" I reply. Looking at myself in the mirror, I can't help noticing that I'm revealing a little more cleavage than I'd like. Plus, there's the fact that this is one of Elizabeth's old dresses, and it might look weird if I'm caught wearing it. Then again, I guess it's unlikely that people are going to remember the clothes that a missing woman wore five years ago. Pausing, I decide at the last minute to take the dress off, just in case. "Wait!" I call out as I strip, before I grab a towel and wrap it around myself. Finally, I head over to the door and pull it open, to find Cole waiting outside.

  "Busy?" he asks with a smile.

  "I just..." I pause for a moment. "I just came to freshen up. It's been a busy morning. I've been running around all over the place trying to get the contracts in place".

  "Huh," he replies, but his eyes are already looking past me and as soon as he spots the dress on my bed, it's clear that he recognize
s it. "Where did you get that?" he asks, pushing past me and walking over to take a closer look. He stands completely still for a moment, as if the dress is the most shocking thing he's ever seen. "Where the hell did this come from?"

  "I found it," I say, figuring I'd rather not get into the details right now.

  "Where?"

  "Someone gave it to me".

  He turns. "What do you mean? Did you find it, or did someone give it to you?"

  "I don't know," I reply. "It was wrapped up, and I found it, but I think maybe someone put it there for me". I pause, realizing that he probably thinks I'm insane. "Rachel gave it to me," I say eventually, with a sigh. "At least, I think it was her. Right before she died, someone asked to meet me out by the old summerhouse, and they tossed this at my head. I'm not certain, but I'm fairly sure it was her. I mean, the note was in her handwriting, or at least I think it was, and..." I take a deep breath, aware that I'm rambling unconvincingly. "I guess that sounds a bit strange, huh?"

  As he stares at me, it's almost as if Cole doesn't really believe that I'm telling the truth. There's a hint of anger in his eyes, as if the dress has brought back bad memories.

  "It's just a dress, right?" I continue, even though I know it's clearly more significant. "I mean, she probably just thought I could use it. After all, it fits me perfectly. She probably had it in her room and then she figured there was no point wasting it so she decided to give it to me". I pause. "Right before she died". I pause again. "By, um, throwing it at me in the middle of the night on top of a cliff".

  "Did you try it on?" he asks.

  "No!" I pause. "Well, just for a moment".

  He seems genuinely shocked by this news, and it takes him a moment to reply. "Show me," he says eventually.

  "What?"

  "Put it on. Let me see".

  "I'm not sure -"

  "Show me". He stares at me. "Put the dress on, Laura".

  "Cole -"

  "Put the fucking dress on!" he says, raising his voice. "Please!"

  Sighing, I realize the easiest approach would probably be to just do what he wants. He's always seemed like a pretty relaxed kind of guy, so it's kind of worrying to find that he's suddenly getting so angry. "You'll have to wait outside for a moment," I tell him. "While I change, I mean. You'll have to wait".

  Without saying anything, he steps out into the corridor. I push the door shut before removing the towel and starting to get back into the dress. There's a part of me that feels this is definitely a little weird, and I can't help thinking I should have just binned the dress as soon as I realized where it came from. Either that, or I should have gone straight to the police and told them that a suicidal colleague gave it to me right before she jumped off the cliff. I mean, it's not as if there's a law against being given gifts by people who are about to kill themselves. Finally, with the dress back on, I pull the front up a little to hide as much of my cleavage as possible, before walking over to the door and pulling it open.

  "Ta-da!" I say with mock enthusiasm. "See? It does fit".

  Staring at me, Cole looks completely stunned. He's always come across as a confident guy, but right now he's as white as a sheet. I swear to God, I've never seen a man look so completely shocked, and my first instinct is to shut the door again and get the dress off as quickly as possible. It's clear that I should have hidden the damn thing as soon as I realized what it was; if I'd just made the smart choice, I could have avoided all this awkwardness.

  "So are we done?" I ask. "What did you come down here for anyway?"

  "Turn around," he replies, his voice sounding tense.

  "This isn't a fashion show..."

  "Turn around".

  Feeling a little awkward, I turn around before facing him again. "It's just a dress..."

  "Yeah, it's just a dress," he mutters. "Are you sure it came from Rachel? I mean, are you absolutely certain that no-one else could have given it to you?"

  "It was dark," I reply. "I mean, it could have been someone else, but I think it was her". I wait for him to say something, but he seems totally stunned. "Okay," I continue, "I think maybe it's time I got out of this thing. I only tried it on for a bit of fun, I didn't mean for it to become some kind of weird thing. It's not my fault that someone arranged to meet me in the middle of the night and then threw the damn thing at my head, is it? So she went into Elizabeth's things and grabbed one of her old dresses. Is it really such a big deal?"

  "That's the dress she was wearing when she disappeared," he says suddenly.

  I stare at him.

  "The night she vanished," he continues, "she was wearing that dress. That exact dress. So tell me. Do you still want to keep it?"

  Elizabeth

  Five years ago

  I know I shouldn't do this, but I can't help myself. Maybe it's because of Luke's holier-than-thou insistence that I must keep away from his brother, or maybe it's because I'm feeling completely isolated, but I feel as if I've got no choice other than to turn to the one person who I'm hoping can put things right.

  "Sorry," Edward says as he opens the door to his office, "I'm -" He stops dead in his tracks when he sees me. "Elizabeth, I'm sorry, I..." Pausing, he seems to be completely stunned by my arrival. So much for the idea that he's a master manipulator who's always in control. Luke's got a lot of ideas about his brother, and I think quite a few of them are pretty wide of the mark. "Is something wrong?" he asks, stepping back. "Please, come in".

  "I didn't want to disturb you," I reply as I enter his office. "I can come back later".

  "No, of course not," he says, shutting the door before walking over to his desk. "Take a seat. Is there something you need?"

  I walk over to the sofa and sit down. I guess I should have planned ahead a little better. There's so much going through my mind, I'm not sure where to begin, and I don't even know what I'm expecting Edward to do. It's just that I feel as if I'm floating through my new life without any kind of anchor, and after our conversation the other night when Edward came to my room, I can't shake the feeling that he understands me.

  "Would you like a drink?" he asks, opening a drawer and pulling out a bottle of whiskey. "I know it's a little early, but you look like you need something".

  "I..." I pause for a moment. "Sure," I say eventually. "I guess one drink can't hurt, can it?"

  "I can tell there's something on your mind," he continues as he pours us each a glass, "and the fact that you're here instead of talking to Luke makes me wonder if my brother might be the cause".

  Smiling awkwardly, I find myself already starting to regret coming to see him. I'm not even sure what I want, except that I see Edward as having the power to change everything that happens at the Heights, and I'm convinced that somehow he'll know what to do. There's also the fact that he seems immeasurably more mature and controlled than Luke, and I can't shake the feeling that perhaps Edward will step in and teach my husband how to behave.

  "I heard you were offered a job in the bar," he says suddenly.

  "Luke told you?"

  "Cole. The barman". He pauses. "It sounds like a good idea, although I imagine my brother would have something to say about it. He's a little set in his ways, and I'm not sure he'd like his wife to be seen in such a menial position".

  "It's not menial," I reply firmly. "It's a job. There's no reason to be ashamed. The only thing that'd make me feel ashamed would be if people thought I was just sitting around doing nothing all day!"

  He passes a glass of whiskey to me. "I think my brother is hoping that you'll get started with a family".

  "We already talked about that," I tell him. "We agreed that we're going to wait for a few years".

  "That might be what Luke said originally, but he tends to get a little over-excited. I've always seen my brother as being rather immature and keen to prove himself". He pauses. "I don't know that you can change his mind, Elizabeth, and I highly doubt that there's anything I can do to help. If I try to confront him, he'll merely retreat further into his
current point of view. I feel for you, I really do, but there's not much that can be done".

  "I can take the job," I reply.

  "I'm not sure that would be wise".

  "Why not?" I wait for him to give me an answer, but I know he can't. Edward is being very diplomatic, but I can see from the look in his eyes that he knows Luke is wrong. "What's he going to do?" I continue. "Put me over his shoulder and carry me out? Maybe if he sees that I can work in the bar without bringing shame on the family, he'll lighten up. I already tried to find other roles within the hotel, and that didn't exactly work out too well".

  Taking a sip from his whiskey, Edward seems lost in thought.

  "I know that all new hires have to be approved by you," I say eventually, "which means I can only work behind the bar if you agree".

  "Are you asking for my permission?"

  I nod.

  He stares at me for a moment. "You're putting me in a very awkward position".

  "Cole thinks I can do it".

  He takes another sip of whiskey. "A two week trial period," he says eventually. "After that, we'll reconsider, but -"

  "Thank you!" I say, almost on the verge of tears. It's crazy how I've suddenly become so desperate to work in the bar, but I see it as an important step in standing up to Luke and showing him that I've got my own life. "I swear, you'll never regret this".

  "I hope not," he replies, with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "If my brother questions the decision, feel free to tell him to come and talk to me directly. I think it's time that he and I had a little chat".

  Laura

  Today

  "Wait!" I shout, running after Cole as he storms into the empty bar. "Just hold up, okay? There's been a mistake!"

  "What kind of mistake is that?" he asks, not stopping as he hurries through to the kitchen area.

  "For one thing," I continue, following him, "that can't be the dress Elizabeth Bannister was wearing when she disappeared".