by J. L. Ryan
The rest of the noon day brunch went by smoothly, and when April did have to go back out, she was glad to see that guests paid her no more attention than they did to any other member of staff. Slowly the guests filed out of the dining hall and out to the veranda. It was still raining lightly outside, but it would clear soon. The guests would enjoy any number of outdoor festivities while the staff prepared the indoor rooms for evening festivities.
April moved to her area of the dining room and began cleaning the tables. Someone else would come behind to vacuum, but she wanted to make sure that the floor was cleared of any large debris. As with everything else, she was still getting accustomed to cleaning, and the rest of the staff were done and cleared away as she still worked, her mind turning over bits of half-remembered lyrics to keep her moving at a steady pace.
A hand moved over the small of April’s back and along her buttock. She jumped up, pushing into the bulk of someone behind her. April had not even heard anyone come up on her. When she turned, she saw the same man with the grabby hands from brunch.
“You’re like a little rabbit.” His voice was smooth as he spoke. His eyes were even and demanding. April gripped the table and tried to put space between them, only to have him close it again. “I do like hunting rabbits.”
“I need to finish my work.” April could not think of anything else to say. The man’s hands moved to her waist and slowly up her sides to cup her breasts.
Everything happened at once then. The swinging door from the kitchen galley opened. Mr. Graven walked out, followed by two other staff members. The door from the veranda opened and an older woman walked in, followed by two young men. April’s hand collided with the face of the man accosting her with a loud slap propelled by the swing of her arm. It resounded through the dining hall before the woman began to scream shrilly.
April tried to wrestle control of her situation, but she could not. Mr. Graven was upon the scene immediately, asking the man – Henry Worthington as it turned out to April’s surprise and horror – if he were okay. The woman screamed about a trollop hitting her husband. Mr. Worthington began his explanation of how she had come onto him. April tried to speak up, to give her side of the story, only to be hushed by Mr. Graven or Mrs. Worthington screaming about lies. The noise brought more guests from the veranda into the dining room.
Mr. Graven finally took hold of April’s arm, squeezing tightly and leading her away. She tried to protest over his assurances to Mr. Worthington that he would take care of the situation. He led her out into the hall and spun her around hard, slamming her back against the wall and knocking the air from her. Further down, guests poured out of the dining room and into the hall, not wanting to miss the end of the drama.
“I have been very patient with you, but I will not have you accosting our guests,” Mr. Graven kept his voice stern and even.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” April said.
“You slapped one of the resorts most honored guests. You will go up to him and you will apologize.”
“I will not. The man is a pig!” April said louder than she meant to.
Mr. Graven pulled back his hand and aware of the crowd stopped himself. He lowered his voice and leaned in closer to April. “You are fired, do you understand? You will go to your cabin and pack your belongings. I expect to see you gone from here within the hour.”
April could not say anything else. She turned and ran down the hall as tears began to stream from her eyes, burning her cheeks in her shame and embarrassment.
********
Nigel Conroy knew two things very well. Henry Worthington was a misogynist and a womanizer and the staff of Stuart would happily kiss the ground that he walked on. He was certain that Worthington could have murdered the poor girl and the staff supervisor would still have found a way to claim she had fallen upon his knife or gun herself.
He also had a very good idea of who the girl was. He face was familiar, one he knew he had seen recently on the news. If he was right, she had been through enough. Being fired in front of all of the guests here was the last thing she needed. As the crowd began to slowly disperse, he took hold of the arm of another staff, a cute young woman with short blonde hair.
“I’m sorry, but I wanted to ask you something before you had a chance to go away,” Nigel said, releasing her.
“It’s alright sir,” the young woman said. “How can I help you?”
“The girl that just ran down the hall, what was her name?”
The young woman narrowed her eyes, and Nigel did not blame her. He sensed protectiveness and found himself very much liking this young woman.
“I don’t mean any harm, but she didn’t deserve what happened, and I think you know it. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you here for a few seasons, so I think you know what really happened. I just want to make sure she’ll be okay.”
The young woman continued to eye him warily. Nigel did his best to project his sincerity and she finally relaxed. “April Edwards. I can take you to see her. We share the same cabin.”
Nigel nodded his head. “Thank you. If anyone says anything, just tell them I pulled you aside to help me with an errand. I’ll vouch for you, I promise.”
The young woman did not say anything else. She simply turned and Nigel understood he was expected to follow her. She led him through a side door of the main estate house. The morning rain was now stopped, and the humidity of the afternoon was quickly setting in. She kept a brisk pace as she led him to the servant’s cabins and to what he presumed to be her own.
Nigel stepped in to a small living area with a couch, chair, and television and three doors that along the two adjacent and one opposite walls.
The young woman turned to the left door and knocked gently. “April sweetie, it’s Leah.”
“Please go away, Leah. I don’t want to talk to anyone,” April’s muffled voice came through the door, thick with her tears.
Leah looked back at Nigel but he nodded, waving his hand to urge her to continue.
“April, there’s a man here to see you,” Leah said.
The door swung open and April appeared, her face streaked with tears and fire in her eyes. Nigel felt a great deal of respect for her suddenly, and felt very badly for anyone that earned that ire. He thought she could have a fiery temper, one she might not even be aware of.
“I’ll gouge out that bastard’s eyes if it’s him,” April said before her eyes had a chance to survey the room. When they fell on Nigel, some of the fire pulled back, though he noticed it did not withdraw completely. “Who is that?”
“He’s one of the guests,” Leah said. “He wanted to make sure you were okay.”
April stood there and studied Nigel before turning back to her friend. “Tell him I’ll be fine.”
“Can I speak to you for a few minutes?” Nigel took a step forward.
Leah looked from Nigel to April, and he could see the helplessness in her eyes. She had duties to attend to and could not be playing referee between them.
April sighed and placed a hand on Leah’s shoulder. “It’s fine. You get back up before you get into trouble too.”
Leah hesitated, looked between the two of them again. She finally nodded. “You find me before you go, okay?”
“I will. Thank you.” April gave Leah a hug. She released her and Leah walked past Nigel, giving him a careful look that he read very well. April had a bad enough day, and he did not need to make it worse.
As Leah walked out of the cabin, Nigel turned his attention to the young woman before him as she stepped out of her room. She wore only the simple black dress common to all of the staff. The white apron had been discarded somewhere, either in her room or thrown aside as she fled the shameful scene.
“You have a good friend. Have the two of you known each other a long time?” Nigel was curious about this young woman. The media had painted her as the aloof princess of a sinister financial king, carefully keeping herself out of the direct light of the media. He was not seeing t
hat here. He was seeing something vastly different.
“Just a few days. Leah is a real gem, though.” April tilted her head to one side. “What are you doing here?”
Nigel gave a small laugh. “You’re not going to ask who I am?”
April shook her head. “I know who you are. Your face shows up in almost every magazine, usually some story about a broken-hearted girl or a large playboy party.”
Nigel brought his hand up to his chest and feigned injury. “You wound me. But that’s fair enough. I won’t lie. I know who you are too.”
April frowned deeply. “Here to gloat then?”
A sharp pain stabbed through Nigel’s chest and he was surprised to feel it. He was not sure why he felt so much sympathy for this young woman. She was attractive. Her dark hair and bright, blue eyes would be enough to captivate any man. Something else had drawn him in, however. He just wished that he could put his finger on what it was.
“No,” Nigel said simply. “I really did want to make sure you were okay. Do you know what you’re going to do?”
April shook her head. “I can’t go back down to New York. My face is still all over the television. I guess I get to hope that the few days of pay I have here is enough to fly me out to Los Angeles.”
“You don’t have anyone that can help you out?” Nigel felt very badly for her now. He knew from the news reports that her father’s assets had all been seized. He never imagined that it would leave her destitute. He wondered if anyone had bothered to care about that.
“I talked to my mother. She’s working as a waitress and trying to get into acting. She barely has enough money to pay her bills.” April paused. “Why am I tell you this?”
Why am I about to do what I’m about to do? Nigel was glad to see that at least both of them were behaving in ways they did not understand. She had an excuse. She was under duress. He had no idea what his excuse was, but he knew he would not be able to stop himself now.
“Would you like to spend the rest of the week here with me, as my guest?” Nigel asked.
April’s look of shock made him smile. “What?”
Nigel took in a deep breath and let it out. “I’m not sure why your supervisor was so hard on you, but I’m sure that you did not have it coming. A few broken cups is not worth risking a sexual harassment lawsuit. You don’t have anywhere else to go right now. So, take a few days to figure it out. Maybe you and your mother will be able to work out something. In the meantime, enjoy the resort as a guest where your old boss can’t touch you. As for Mr. Worthington, have the best revenge you can have on him.”
April crossed her arms. “What’s that?”
“Show him that it had no ill effect on you. Show him that you’re over it and moved on. People who do things like that; they thrive on knowing the chaos they’ve caused.”
Nigel watched April carefully as she considered his proposal. She was wary, and he did not blame her. He knew how quickly people in his own circles could turn if the sensed weakness or unattractive controversy. He did not expect that people in hers would be any different.
She finally uncrossed her arms and gave him a square look, setting her shoulders even. “What’s the catch?”
Nigel shook his head. “No catch. You’ll have to stay with me, but I have one of the luxury cabins, so you’ll have your own room. No expectations, except that you’ll accompany me and keep me company. That’s all.”
April continued to study him carefully. Finally, her stance relaxed. “Okay. I’ll accept your invitation.”
Nigel nodded. “Good. Do you have street clothes?”
April laughed. “Nothing worthy of a place like this.”
“Then I’ll add one more caveat to this deal. Allow me to take you into town for a shopping trip.”
April nodded. Nigel sat down to wait for her to gather her things. This was a quaint and small cabin. He wondered if she had a chance to see the luxury guest cabins yet, and what she would make of them.
********
April held her shopping bags in her hand as she followed Nigel up the walkway to the large cabin. Large picture windows dominated the façade, glowing through their translucent white shades. He carried her suitcase and occasionally made as though to be bearing too heavy of a weight. She could only laugh at that.
Nigel Conroy the man was nothing like the man in so many magazine articles that she and her sorority sisters would read. She thought he could have his arrogant side, and occasionally as he took her through the shops in town, she saw it, typically, when he put down a dress or outfit because he felt the price tag was too low. Mostly, he was normal, if somewhat impulsive in taking her on as his guest.
He opened the door to the cabin and held it for her to walk in.
It opened immediately to the main room, open with a vaulted ceiling. A large fireplace dominated it with a couch and two oversized chairs set in front of it. A wide high definition television hung above the fireplace and a full entertainment system sat to the left side. Along the left wall stood a bar and to her right the room opened to a dining room and a kitchen. April wondered if it saw use at all and wondered at its inclusion.
A stairway led up in front of her, dividing the mysterious kitchen from the rest of the downstairs. Nigel closed the door behind them and led her up the stairs. To her right another large living area was set up with balcony rails do that it looked down below them. Beyond it was a hall with three doors. Nigel guided her to one and invited her to set down her things. A double bed sat in this room and a elegant dresser. She set her bags down beside the door as Nigel set her suitcase down by the dresser.
“There’s a bathroom right across the hall from you. If you don’t like this bed, you can try the one in the room next to you. My room is at the end of the hall. I don’t know if you do your own laundry. If you do, the French doors in the hall have a small washer and dryer behind them. You can also set your laundry in the bins outside for staff to pick up. It’s your choice, but I do my own laundry.”
April blinked her eyes. “You do your own laundry?” She tried to imagine this man measuring out detergent and could not imagine it.
“My housekeeper at home taught me after I ruined my own clothes at another resort. I’ve had bad luck with staff losing my things.”
April wondered if his items were lost or taken. Most of the staff here were honest and hardworking, but she supposed that anyone could be tempted to take something that belonged to someone famous. “I suppose you cook too.”
Nigel shook his head. “No, that’s never a pretty sight. I hoped you did, actually.”
April laughed and shook her head. “My cooking is part of our sorority’s hazing ritual.” She watched as he gave her a dubious look, tilting his head to one side. “I’m serious. I once boiled the coating out of a pan.”
Nigel leaned against the doorframe, his look becoming quickly serious and contemplative. “It’s not fair, you know.”
“I know. I have to be more careful with pots.” April wanted the levity. The look in his eyes unsettled her.
“I’m serious. It’s fine that the Feds want to make sure your father pays back the money that he’s taken. That’s good. They can’t take away his ability to care for the people he’s responsible for. That punishes you for something you didn’t do.”
April swallowed hard. She did not like the look in Nigel’s eyes right now. It made her want to probe and want to understand the depth of empathy that he had in this moment. She did not want to do that. He was being nice to do this for her, but she did not want to complicate things any more than they were already complicated for her.
“Right,” Nigel pushed himself from the doorframe. “You’ve had a busy day, so I’ll let you rest. I’ll wake you up in the morning and we can go and enjoy brunch and some horseback riding if you like.”
“Horseback riding would be nice,” April said. “Thank you again.”
Nigel smiled as he turned to the hall. “Thank you for accepting my invitation.”
The young boy stood in front of the blazing fire, his eyes picking up the orange flames, reflecting them back to the world. Tears streamed down his soot-covered face and when he coughed, he sounded congested and full of smoke. Inside, in the flames, was everything he ever knew and understood to be love, compassion, and order. He could not understand what was happening, or why Nana uttered apologies as she tried to clean the soot from his face.
April sat up in bed and took in a deep breath. Vivid dreams did not come on often, but when they did, they always left her feeling strange, as though she were coming back into her own body. It was, she thought, the effect of her mind moving from its dream reality back into the real world.
The dream bothered her, and as her day played back in her mind and she remembered where she was, she understood why.
She had found the story by chance. Her ex-boyfriend had a playboy magazine sitting on his bed, and she flipped through to the life story of Nigel Conroy, as promised on the cover, while he played on his game console. When Nigel was five years old, his mother had set fire to their home. She had drugged her husband and her son’s nanny. She spread kerosene through the house, then over herself and her husband, lighting the both of them on fire. As the fire spread, Nigel’s cries somehow managed to wake the groggy nanny, who stumbled out of the inferno, holding the crying child.
The image in her dream was an image from the magazine article, a picture that had been taken of the boy as he stood watching the inferno that had been his home. He said in the interview for the article that he did not really remember the day, but it still influenced his life. His mother suffered from mental illness, untreated because both her family and his father had considered the idea of mental illness to be shameful, something that others faced, not them. Nigel had inherited his father’s fortune, and when he was old enough to decide a direction for it, created a foundation to encourage the treatment and de-stigmatization of mental illness.
