Evangeline, Alone. (Book 1): Evangeline, Alone

by Styles, M. A.

  “We are finished here,” she said flatly, all previous emotion out of her voice. “The party begins at seven. Make sure Evan is dressed in the outfit hanging on the door in his closet, and make sure you are in the usual dress. I believe it has been laundered and laid out for you in your room. Bring him the back way and meet us at our bedroom so that we may all arrive together.”

  Evie was so caught off guard by the complete ignoring of the previous issues that she lost her train of thought and just stood there taken back. Mrs. Adams got up gracefully from her seat, walked right passed Evie without so much as a look, and headed for the stairs.

  Evie listened to her heels clack against the marble steps until they reached the landing and foyer. Then she shook her head a bit, and rubbed her hands down her face trying to bring herself back down. What in the hell was she going to do? She definitely wasn’t going to leave Evan, that was the last thing she would do. She was going to have to talk to Burke and never leave that little boy’s side again. Even if she was told to, and if that became a problem, she outs herself and gains the upper hand. That was it. That’s what she decided, and with that she started to slow her breathing, turned around and headed out the door to her room.

  Though her bedroom door was still closed when she got to it, when she entered, it definitely felt like someone else was there. At first she just thought it was someone from the staff coming in to tidy up and bring her assigned dress for the party, which now was laid out on her bed. She saw her bag had been picked up off the floor and placed on the chair to her vanity. That didn’t feel right. Even though she never directly looked into her room when she threw her pack in, she had a faint memory of seeing the dark shape of the dress already on her bed when she went to speak to Mrs. Adams.

  Her hand slowly lifted to the holster tucked inside her pants as she thought of a possible link to Rep. Walters coming to teach her a lesson on interference. She took a deep breath preparing to fully enter the room and stepped in. That’s when the scent hit her: lilacs. Not too heavy, but soft, fragrant and feminine. A memory two decades old flashed into her head and she hesitated as the bathroom door opened up, and a woman walked out.

  “Oh, you can save that darlin’. Even that won’t scare me away. You should know,” the woman said in a subtle and charming southern accent waving her hand at the movement to the holster. She walked across the room, and passed a hand across the dress laid out on the comforter, and tsk’d at it. “Oh my Lord, we’re really going for ninety-eighties au pair aren’t we?” She took a seat on the large upholstered forest green armchair set on the other side of the bed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head as she did it.

  She looked the woman up and down unable to register what was happening and how she was there. She could feel that her eyes were wide in awe, and her arm was starting to seize up from reaching back for her Sig.

  “Momma?” Evie said with a mix of confusing and elation that she tried to shove back down.

  “Has it been that long that you’re unsure?” her mother chuckled.

  “I- why are you here? How did you know?” she asked more bluntly than she intended.

  The slightly hurt look on the woman’s face confirmed that’s how it sounded. “Well, I think I raised you better than to greet me like that.”

  “No! I’m sorry,” she said, her body completely softening. “I just, I mean, Momma. This is not an everyday occurrence,” Evie said with a bit of a laugh, hoping to lighten the mood.

  “No it is not. Not since you were seventeen I believe.”

  Evie swallowed hard at that fact and dropped her head down a little. Though she had in fact seen her mother after she was seventeen, she had not been in such close quarters since that age, the last time she lived with them. All that happened in-between then and now seemed to scream in between them as they faced each other. Evie wanted to hug her, but her pride and confusion had her sit on the bed in front of her mother instead.

  She gave her a kind, but small smile. “Momma, it’s really nice to see you, but what are you doing here? How’d you even get in?”

  “Honey, you should know by now, I’m capable of anything.” She gave her a wink and her big beautiful smile that always made Evie feel warm. “Also, I was invited.”

  Evie thought about that for a while, and honestly didn’t doubt how far reaching Mrs. Adams could be, but had never thought for one second that she could reach her own family.

  “Ok. I can understand how the Adams would like you to come to their party, but I don’t have any idea why you would want to go to their party, Momma.”

  “Oh, honey, I don’t,” she said matter of factly, still with that smile stretched across her face. “But a funny thing happened at the weekly club luncheon last month with the ladies. Margaret started talking about this up-and-comer ‘climbing through the muck of undesirable new blood,’” her mother finished with the mocking quote and rolled her eyes. “And then she flashed me the invite- a very overdone invitation I might add- to this uber patriotic mess of a grab for support, disguised as a fundraiser. Or, as I like to say to your father: ‘the usual.’” Her mother looked down at her hand and casually adjusted the nearly quarter of a million dollars of jewelry she wore from wrist to finger tips. She straightened her engagement ring to be centered perfectly against her wedding band and slid the clasp of her diamond encrusted tennis bracelet to the underside of her wrist. But Evie knew what this little pause was really for, to let her digest the mention of her father. She didn’t take the bait.

  “So you weren’t invited then?”

  “Oh honey, I think it’s safe to say we have an open invitation to every event in the country. All we have to do is RSVP, invitation or not.” Her mother shook out her fingers and placed them back on her lap, returning her gaze to Evie who was looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

  “Still doesn’t explain why you RSVP’d to this one then, Momma,” Evie said shortly, growing frustrated with this little game her mother was playing.

  “Well, I’m getting there, darlin’. I was trying not to judge this man by the gaudiness of his invitation, so I started to inquire more about him. His name sounded familiar, and I highly doubt he had even seen the invite to his own party anyway, so I couldn’t completely hold that against him. So there goes Margie, pulling out those cell phones I despise that I let Charlotte do all the work on for me, and she does the Google to pull up a picture of him. She shows me, and I see him and his wife,” she paused to raise her eyebrow at the mention of Mrs. Adams, then continued. “And their adorable little boy all sitting so nicely together in their Sunday best at the little egg hunt last Easter at their church.” Her mother stopped and looked at her like that should answer all her questions.

  Evie picked up her hands a little, giving them a confused little flick of her palm, “And…”

  Her mother leaned back into the plush arm chair with all of the confidence of a queen, but the smirk of a jester. “Well, it was the darnedest thing, darlin’. There, about ten feet behind them, and off to the side like a little scolded child, was this small face. A face I recognized immediately, even with that ridiculous hair,” she added for good measure with a frown of judgment, her eyes passing over it then. “I would recognize this face anywhere, because I made it.”

  As her mother’s face hardened just enough to show her annoyance and displeasure of having to find out about her daughter accidentally, Evie raised her eyes to the ceiling in recollection of the exact photo her mother was talking about. She was running around with Evan, helping him find the colorful eggs filled with treats, even though she knew Mrs. Adams would throw away all the candy before he could get any. She was called off when she had gotten the newspaper photographer to come take a picture of them, and Mrs. Adams shooed Evie to the shadows to help sell the picture of her being a participant in her son’s life. She didn’t think she was in it, and it seems like she barely was, but that’s all her mother needed.

  “Now I have given you your space, honey, because I get it.
I don’t like it, but I get it. But when my baby’s face is put in front of me, I’m not going to ignore it. So it was quite simple from there. A few more Googles with Charlotte when I got home- don’t worry, I said nothing to Margie- I realized you were connected to this family some how. One phone call to Mr. Burke here from Charlotte and we had you, darlin’. Note my surprise though when I found out your job title here, Nanny Evie,” she said as her chin dropped and she looked at her questioningly.

  “So you’re here because of me then?” Evie said, letting a huge breath of air out she didn’t realize she was holding in, and relaxed into the bed a little, still a tad annoyed.

  “Of course! We have little interest in Councilman Adams, good man or not, but you darlin’, I’m always going to be interested in.” She gave her daughter another kind, loving smile.

  “Mr. Adams is a good man, Momma, but-“

  “Oh, I’ll stop you right there, honey. I’m well aware of the type of woman Mrs. Adams is. She’s the one who made that invitation and the theme of the party, so that’s telling enough. Washington is full of them,” her mother said as she rose up from the chair and started for the door.

  “She’s more than that, Momma. I mean she is all that definitely, but not like all those other ones.”

  She stopped between the end of the bed and the door out to the hallway, and turned to her daughter with a serious face. “What do you mean, darlin’?”

  Evie looked down to the floor for a moment to collect herself. “I love Evan. I have literally looked after him since the day he was born.” Her mother gave her a nod of understand and an “mm-hmm” for her to continue. “I don’t know what you know- well, who am I kidding,” Evie said with a laugh. “Probably more than me, apparently.”

  Her mother gave her a smile with worried eyes and waited.

  “Momma. Have you seen Mrs. Adams today? Does she know you’re here?”

  “Thank goodness, no she does not. Her assistant said she was in the middle of some host duties at the moment, and as soon as she could see me, she would. And I told him that’s nice, but I was here to see my daughter. Thank the Lord, she has yet to get a free minute to come by anyway.” Though her mother was happy she didn’t have to deal with the councilman’s wife, you could tell she was also putting another strike against her for not greeting a guest and an important one she should feel very lucky to have at that.

  “I want you to know, she’s having brunch with Rep. Walters downstairs,” Evie said it looking her straight in the eye. One, so that she could see how much her mother knew by her reaction, and two, so her mother could tell that was obviously not a good thing.

  Her mother’s neck and head stiffened at the knowledge, and she swallowed hard at it. “I see. And…”

  Her mother was a smart woman. She would not speak so openly about such things, but she did want to be clear they were on the same page.

  “She seems to be…” Evie took a moment to choose her words carefully. “She is very interested in a quid pro quo relationship.” She looked into her mothers eyes pleading for her to understand how much this powerful woman was willing to give to the powerful man. “They both seem to have things the other covets and are more than willing to help one another.”

  Her mother stood there quietly, thoughtfully, looking all over her daughters face. “And you know all this for sure?”

  “Every bit of it. And, since you know my job title, I am unsure about how helpful I can be in the near future to their- business arrangements and partnership,” Evie finished, a dark shadow crossing her face.

  Her mother put her hands on her shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze and looked into her face. “Oh, darlin’, I am sure you know exactly how helpful you will be,” and her warm smiled spread across her face again. She let her hands slide down her arms until she held her daughter’s hands. “I will make sure that people know,” and she leaned in and kissed her daughter on the forehead, then turned back for the door.

  Before she got her hand to the knob, there was a soft double knock followed by a saccharine sweet, “Miss Evie, may I come in?”

  Her mother turned to her with a questioning look, and Evie’s face didn’t help. After a few moments of disbelief, Evie gathered herself and stammered out warily, “Yes. Come in.”

  The door slowly opened to show a tiny, sweet-faced Mrs. Adams at the beginning of one of her performances. “I’m just checking in to make sure you had a nice breakfast before this busy day with my Evan.” Then she gasped in feigned surprise when her eyes scanned the room to find Evie’s mother.

  “Oh my!” she said, putting her hand to her chest. “Mrs. MacNamara! To what do I owe this pleasure? I was expecting you this evening with the rest of the esteemed guests.” She rushed over demurely to shake her hand.

  “Well, it seems you may have heard I’m here to see my daughter. Your nanny, Evie.” Mrs. MacNamara’s well practiced face gave away nothing, but her words said much more than the simple sentence.

  Mrs. Adams caught herself and cleared her throat. “Well, my assistant may have just mentioned the family connection, now that I think about it. I am so sorry to keep you waiting. My assistant thought it best not to interrupt my brunch, so I didn’t know of your presence until now.”

  “Yes, I heard you were brunching.” She let that hang there for a beat then proceeded, “But don’t you worry. I was here to have a nice sit with my girl. It’s been too long, right sweet heart?” She turned to her daughter to make sure that Mrs. Adams had to acknowledge her with respect again, even if it was fake.

  Evie smiled and shook her head. “Yes, Momma. I’m so glad that you’re here.”

  Mrs. MacNamara’s head whipped right back to the councilman’s wife. “And she tells me your son is just the sweetest little thing. So smart and polite.”

  “Oh yes, our Evan is a joy! Such a joy. I thank God for him every day. We had such a struggle to get that little blessing. I’m sure you heard.”

  Evie’s mother gave her a tight lipped smile with squinted eyes. “Mm-hmm.”

  “Well, I can’t wait for you to meet him this evening. He always loves to come down for our charities and to meet all those important people. I would get him right now, but I believe he’s eating his breakfast. I’m sure Miss Evie would be more than happy to escort him to you tonight. Evan will just be so delighted to meet his lovely nanny’s parents!”

  “Oh, will my Evie will be working tonight?” Mrs. MacNamara said thoughtfully to the woman. “That seems a bit odd, given the circumstances of our attendance don’t you think? Shouldn’t she be a guest as well? Have the whole family here for your fundraiser!” She gave her the biggest smile her cheeks could muster, and held it vengefully during all of Mrs. Adams’ uncomfortable squirming.

  “Goodness, how rude of me! What was I thinking! I’m so sorry. Obviously, I had no idea until now that you were related. I feel so foolish. Of course she is invited to attend. I just hope we can find someone as loved and skilled as Miss Evie to take care of Evan tonight,” she said in a last ditch attempt to thwart Evie attending the gala with the guilt of leaving Evan unattended during its duration.

  “Well, who’s watching him now? I’m sure whomever you so kindly chose to watch him this morning so I could have a stolen moment with my daughter could do it again tonight.” Her mother just stood there, head slightly cocked to the side and waited.

  Mrs. Adam let out a tiny nervous laugh, and didn’t skip another beat. “Oh my, what was I thinking! Of course. Who better to watch my most precious treasure than our head of security, Mr. Burke? As long as he feels comfortable leaving his duties with so many of our great nation’s important people here tonight. Though, I’m sure he could always find one of our other staff if need be,” she said through set teeth.

  “Mr. Burke! He’s an old family friend, don’t you know? I’m sure I could go talk to him and make sure he stays with your Evan. All of us silly important people will be bringing enough protection for ourselves, as we tend to do. Is he
still with Evan? I could just go downstairs and get to see them both at once!” Mrs. MacNamara took a step towards the door.

  “No! Oh no, Mrs. MacNamara. Don’t be silly. You enjoy your time with your daughter, and I will head down and tell him of the tiny change to tonight myself.” She took a backwards step to the door, fake smile still stretched across her face. “And Evie, obviously, you will have the night off so you can attend.”

  “Well, thank you so much,” Mrs. MacNamara said. Now it was her turn to put her hand to her chest and feign surprise. “What an amazing woman you are, putting this all together.”

  Mrs. Adams let out a little relieved sigh at the compliment even though she knew damn well it was not sincere. She was just played by one of the best. She took another step back towards the door looking for escape.

  “Mrs. Adams?” Evie’s mother said as she looked over to the homely dark gray, almost housekeeper like frock laid out on the bed. “Would it be alright if I had some of my people come by in a bit with a dress for Evie and to gussy her up for the evening?” She slowly turned her gaze right back to the hateful woman, making sure her expression showed she was well aware of what that dress on the bed was for and why it was chosen.

  “Of course! I will tell the gate they are coming!” She quickly took the remaining steps out into the hallway. “And don’t forget,” she said with a delightful grin, “it’s got to be red, white, or blue.”

  “Oh yes, of course, how fun!” Mrs. MacNamara said, turning to her daughter and feigning excitement.

  “I look forward to seeing you and Senator McNamara tonight! And take as long as you’d like with your mother, Miss Evie.” With one last fake smile, she silently closed the door. You could hear her steady steps clacking away until she reached the stairs, and then you could hear her running.

  “What a goddamned nightmare,” Evie’s mother said, turning and grabbing that dress off the bed and throwing it towards her closet. “And a tacky patriotic theme for Labor Day. Color dress code. She’s as trashy as her Daddy’s lottery winnings could’ve made her.” She took a long breath and looked Evie up and down.