Arrival of the Traveler (Waldgrave Book 1) Page 3

  Lena waited until Mrs. Ralston seemed to have her attention back on the potatoes before she struck. “Yeah, and…Well, let me just ask you, what do you think of his color selection? I mean, honestly, I was a little surprised.”

  Mrs. Ralston’s mouth fell slightly open, and she looked up at Lena, seeming to realize what had just happened. She turned away and didn’t speak for a minute. When she turned back, she looked completely calm. “Well, I think the Master has fine taste in decoration.”

  Sidling up next to her, Lena whispered, “Mrs. Ralston, what color is Uncle Howard painting the second floor hall?”

  Ralston turned away again, pretending to wipe up a spot on the counter. The slight blush that had graced her face before had left, leaving her cheeks very pale.

  “I’m sure it’s not my place to say.” They locked eyes for a moment, and then Mrs. Ralston swept out of the room. Lena stood, shocked. Mrs. Ralston had just admitted, in her own prim way, that she was lying for Howard. Lena turned and tried to follow her, but she was already halfway up the stairs and moving at a fast pace.

  “Mrs. Ralston!”

  Up into the library, into the hall, to the right…

  “Mrs. Ralston, wait! Please!”

  Lena turned the corner into the second story hall just in time to see the hem of Mrs. Ralston’s dress disappear beyond the last door at the right end of the hall.

  She dashed after her, following Mrs. Ralston right into a room that seemed to be some sort of study. The odd thing was that upon entering the room, Lena saw a desk, a sitting area, some small bookcases, a mini bar…but no Mrs. Ralston. And no stairs, and no other doors. This room, which Lena had just distinctly watched Mrs. Ralston enter, held no Mrs. Ralston. She walked the perimeter of the room several times, attempting to ascertain where the aged woman had disappeared to, but found no suspicious seams in the walls or secret doors. There was a light buzzing in her head, like she had very suddenly come down with altitude sickness; it probably had to do with the fact that she hadn’t eaten much at lunch.

  Determined not to be outwitted, Lena grabbed one of the books from a nearby bookcase, sat at the desk, and waited. Mrs. Ralston had to come back at some point…

  Five hours and two hundred and fifty-three pages later, there was a knock at the door. Lena looked over the top of her book, Moby Dick, at Mrs. Ralston as she entered the room.

  “I thought I’d find you in here,” Mrs. Ralston said high-handedly.

  Lena sat up straighter in her seat. “How did you—“

  “It’s a big house, dear. And trust me, as far as houses go, those who clean them know them best.” She smiled coyly.

  Lena sighed and threw her book onto the desk, where it landed with a noisy clap. “Well, what is it?”

  “Dinner is at seven. The Master asked me to remind you after the mishap earlier.” Mrs. Ralston smiled again, this time wider.

  “Thank you,” Lena said in a defeated tone, her eyes wandering the room once more, searching for the secret escape hatch.

  “It’s been my pleasure.” Mrs. Ralston started to leave, but then poked her head back into the room. “And dear, dinner at Waldgrave is a formal affair. I trust you have something to wear?” Mrs. Ralston raised her eyebrows.

  “Yes, I’ll find something.” Lena had only one formal dress; because she had moved around so much, and no one but her father had ever seen her more than once in a formal situation, it had been all that she had required. It was a black dress that was supposed to be ankle-length, but she had outgrown it by three inches since she had bought it; she vaguely reflected that she had worn it to two funerals in the last month. It would have to do for tonight.

  “Remember dear, seven o’clock.” Mrs. Ralston turned and exited the room.

  Lena made a face once the old woman had turned away. Seeing no reason to stay, she picked up Moby Dick, put it back on the self, and went out into the hall. It was half blue, half white now, and Lena crinkled her nose as she caught a whiff of the heavy paint fumes.

  And standing halfway down the hall was the last person she wanted to see.

  “Hey, princess!”

  Lena turned and went back into the study. She closed the door, but to her dismay, found there was no lock. She sat with her back to the door, hoping to brace herself if David tried to come in. But he didn’t. Standing outside the door, he started talking in an unexpectedly civilized manner.

  “Look princess, Mrs. Ralston told me I gave you quite a scare earlier. You said some things you shouldn’t have, and I forgive you.”

  In all her life, Lena had never met a hotel worker as impertinent as this one. He was talking to her as though she was in the wrong, and not him. His livelihood came right out of Uncle Howard’s pocket, and Lena was now financially tied to Howard, so really he was her servant, too. She had never actually yelled at a maid or concierge in her life, but figured that now was as good a time as any to start. She mustered her anger, stood, and opened the door. “What do you mean, you forgive me?! Right now, I should be forgiving you! You ass!” She slammed the door shut and sat down to brace herself again.

  “Well. You are a fiery one.” David paused, but didn’t seem upset. He chose his words carefully, like scouts sent to figure out the best path to an amicable relationship. “If it makes you feel better, I’m sorry you’re upset about me. You’ve got a pretty face, and you shouldn’t waste good looks acting like that.”

  Lena stood and opened the door again, intending to tell him off for his insolence, but quickly found she had nothing to say. So she just stood there, mouth wide open, feeling stupid. He was taller than she remembered. Taller than she was, anyway. With brown eyes.

  “Girls are easy. Give out a compliment, and they shut up.” He headed back to where he was painting, shaking his head and smirking slightly.

  “Excuse me!” Lena called, hoping she would think of an insult at some point in the next few milliseconds. David turned and looked at her, still slightly bemused. “I…need to get dressed for dinner.” Deep down, she was kicking herself.

  “Yes. You do.” He smiled and turned back to his work, dipping his paint roller back into the well of the tray and then squeezing out the excess. It made a sticky noise, like the smacking of gum on teeth, with every pass over the traction bumps on the tilted tray ramp; it disgusted David on a much deeper level than it should have.

  Lena walked down the hall, quickening her pace after she passed him—David’s temper had momentarily cooled towards her, but her mind had painted an unsettling image of him as a coiled snake. Charming, tranquil, and sleek one moment; fangs, rattling, and venomous pain the next.

  Once she had her door open, she took a deep breath to steady herself before turning to look back at him, refusing to live in fear. She shouted, “Hired help!” and watched David turn beet red before closing the door and locking it.

  It was an hour and thirty minutes until dinner started, and she wished she would have brought Moby Dick with her. Instead, she walked into the closet and shuffled through the clothes in the closet.

  She sighed as she thought about her stunted collection of attire. In all, she had only five day outfits, and that wouldn’t be enough now that she would be seeing the same people over and over again. She would have to ask Howard about money for shopping, a thing she truly hated to do, as she was already here on his charity.

  But then, he is my legal guardian now, and is responsible for keeping me… Besides, it’s not like he’s a poor man…

  It helped, but Lena still didn’t want to have to ask.

  As she searched for the black dress, she became puzzled.

  I know I hung it up here this morning…right at the end of the line, just like always…

  But it wasn’t there.

  How strange.

  She went to her suitcase, which she had pushed up next to her father’s, and opened it. There was the dress, the lone article left at the bottom, in a heap.

  I know I didn’t leave it like that...

 
But as she lifted it out, she saw that it wasn’t alone in the suitcase—there, underneath her old black dress, was a brightly colored something she had never seen before.

  It was a red dress, with glass beads done into the elaborate embroidery around the waistline. Entranced, Lena took it from her suitcase and out into the last of the daylight streaming through the gossamer drapes of the floor-to-ceiling windows that framed either side of her bed. The beads, no larger than pecks of birdseed, twinkled like stars and dispersed tiny bits of sunset light onto the walls and high onto the ceiling. The effect of the little pinpoints of red and orange on the dimming green walls was spectacular—like thousands of fireflies zooming around the room. It was dazzling.

  They don’t make dresses like this anymore… Lena thought, examining the hand-sewn details that traced delicate swirls around the fabric. I wonder who left it here? But for the moment she didn’t care about anything except trying on her exquisite find.

  She ran to the full length mirror in the bathroom to see how she looked, and at once felt ashamed that she didn’t wear makeup. The dress was made for someone with a body and face to match, someone who wasn’t her, someone who must have been much, much prettier than she was. Her hair had no volume, and her skin was too pale. It was embarrassing, to say the least—she was being outshined by a piece of cloth. She’d never owned anything as nice or as expensive as this dress, and she was beginning to see why.

  People like me don’t wear things like this.

  It was too elegant and affluent and…good…for her. She liked the old dress, the one she traveled with, that her father had bought for her.

  Lena was almost brought to tears. It hadn’t been Mrs. Ralston, because she had questioned whether Lena had anything to wear at all, so it must have been Uncle Howard. And now she would have to wear it, looking like a boar in a ball gown, or risk insulting the only relative she had left.

  She put her hair up as fancy as she knew how, but it didn’t help. As she was washing her face with cold water, trying to ebb the tears that were drawing closer, a knock came at the door.

  To her horror, it wasn’t Mrs. Ralston.

  “Whoa…princess…” David smelled of having showered, and had put on a clean shirt and worn-looking slacks.

  “What do you want?” Now she really was crying.

  “Howard wanted me to escort you to dinner, and may I say, you look…wow.”

  “Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Her lip trembled. “I’m not hungry, so just go and tell Howard he’ll have to eat without me tonight.”

  “Why are you crying? Are you sick?” There was a real concern in his voice as she turned and started to walk back into her room, not even caring enough to close the door in his face again.

  “I’d like to continue this conversation, but I’m pretty sure it would be improper of me to follow you in there, princess…”

  Lena sighed in exasperation. “You’re such a jerk, you know that?”

  He took two steps into the room, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her out into the hall, closing the door behind her.

  “I’m not going to dinner,” she said flatly.

  “You are, and we’re going to have a talk first.” He pulled her down the hall and into the library. Forcing her into a chair, he stood across from her and took a deep breath, shaking his head.

  “You’re the only girl I know who couldn’t enjoy living in a place like this.”

  “Really, and I suppose you consider yourself a field expert on women?”

  He looked up at her, mock surprise on his face. “Of course I am.”

  She couldn’t help herself, and smiled.

  “See, now that’s better.” He grabbed the box of tissues sitting on the table next to him and thrust them at her. “Now, clean yourself up and tell me what this is about.”

  She mopped her face. “It’s the dress.”

  “What’s wrong with it?”

  “Nothing. That’s the problem. Someone like me shouldn’t wear something like this.”

  “But you look stunning.”

  “No, David.” She stood up in frustration and started pacing the room. “This dress looks stunning. I look horrible.”

  “Well, you do now, but like I said, that’s more about your behavior than anything else.”

  Lena glared at him. There were footsteps on the stairs, and Mrs. Ralston’s head bobbed into view.

  “My goodness, what’s going on in here…” her eyes were as large as the dinner plates she had just laid out. “Lena? David, what’s going on here?”

  *****

  CHAPTER 3

  “It’s nothing. Nothing.” Lena wiped her eyes one last time, blew her nose, and tossed the tissue into a wastebasket.

  “Lena! What just happened here?” Mrs. Ralston’s voice was becoming frantic as she eyed David suspiciously.

  “I was…upset. About my dad, and stuff, and David suggested I take a moment to let it all out before dinner…”

  “Don’t lie to me, young woman,” Mrs. Ralston was hysterical. She was almost shaking.

  “Mrs. Ralston, nothing happened!” Lena pleaded insistently, struck by the irony that earlier in the day, she had hardly been able to convince Mrs. Ralston that David was a threat. Now, she was hardly able to convince her of his innocence.

  Lena threw up her hands. “Besides, I wouldn’t be the only one here lying, would I?” She was done crying. Something had snapped in her, and she decided she was done with all the lies that had sprouted up in the last twenty-four hours. She grabbed David’s arm and started for the stairs, Mrs. Ralston running ahead of them, as though she’d just seen a ghost.

  Lena walked down the stairs with her head held high. Her cheeks and eyes were still rosy from her tears, but she was more angry now than hurt, and really didn’t care. Lena didn’t know what she expected to find in the dining room, but it certainly wasn’t what she found.

  Uncle Howard, dressed in a not too formal suit, was standing at the end of the table; a terrified Mrs. Ralston was clinging to his right arm, partially hidden behind him. Lena was taken aback by the struck expressions on their faces, but decided she would remain in control and pretend that nothing had happened.

  “Well, thank you for the dress, Uncle Howard. As you can see, it fits very well, though it might need some tailoring around the hem. It’s just a little too long.” David escorted her to her seat before maneuvering around the table to his own spot. There were four places set out, and Lena assumed David and Mrs. Ralston must normally eat dinner with Uncle Howard. The two adults exchanged looks.

  “That dress…” Howard seemed to be in shock.

  “I presume it was you who left it for me?”

  Howard paused for a moment, studying Lena. “Yes. Glad it fits. It looks beautiful on you.” He shook Mrs. Ralston from his arm and sat down, motioning for her to do the same.

  “I see you changed your mind on the color of the hall.” Lena pushed some food around on her plate.

  “Yes. I did. At Mrs. Ralston’s urging, actually.”

  Lena looked up. Howard was looking quite exacerbated. For all the calmness of his voice, his eyes held the fear of a doe in the headlights.

  “Well, I must say, David’s doing an excellent job. That hall looks much better in green.”

  “Thought it would.”

  Lena put her fork gently down on the plate, folded her hands on the table, and looked calmly over at her uncle. Mrs. Ralston hadn’t touched her food yet, and didn’t look like she was going to any time soon.

  “But Uncle Howard, the hall’s going to be blue now.”

  Howard didn’t look up from his plate; Lena watched him as he slowly closed his eyes and shook his head ever so slightly.

  “Lena, no more talking for now. You told me that you didn’t want to be treated like a child, and I will apologize for having done so. Meet me in the second floor study after dinner. We will discuss your questions then.”

  Lena felt a little pang of triumph in her chest—she
wasn’t sure why she felt so victorious about knowing what color the hall was going to be, but she liked that she was more in charge than Howard at the moment. The rest of the meal went on in silence, though Uncle Howard and Mrs. Ralston kept shooting each other uncomfortable looks. Once they had finished eating, there was an uneasy peace as everyone sat motionless.

  It was Howard who rose first, followed swiftly by Mrs. Ralston. Lena was about to stand as well, when Howard stopped her.

  “If you’ll allow me just five minutes before you come up, Lena?”

  “Okay…five minutes.” There weren’t any clocks in the dining hall, and she wished she hadn’t removed her watch before coming down, but the aqua blue plastic hadn’t matched her red dress very well. As she watched Howard and Ralston walk out, she turned on David.

  “Do you have a watch?”

  “Not with me. Howard considers it rude to bring timepieces into the dining hall.”

  “What do you know about what’s going on around here?”

  “What’s going on…what do you mean?” David had said the words, but didn’t look confused at all.

  “There used to be pictures or paintings or something in the hall outside my room. What was on them?” Lena pressed.

  “How am I supposed to know?” He taunted.

  “David, don’t be like them…”

  “I’m just the hired help,” he smirked, “I don’t usually get to come in the house.” He leaned back in his chair and watched her become more and more flustered.

  “Screw you,” Lena hissed.

  She got up and made her way back to her room. She changed out of the new dress and hung it carefully with the rest of her clothes, put on her pajamas, and walked down the hall to the study.

  She had expected to be confronted by both Master and Housekeeper, but found Mrs. Ralston to be absent.

  “Lena, please sit down.” Howard had a drink in his hand which looked suspiciously alcoholic. As Lena took a seat in an old, cracked, brown leather chair, she watched her uncle shift positions nervously, one hand itching toward his ear. It had grown completely dark outside, and the only light illuminating Howard’s face came from a desk lamp. He was the younger brother of Aaron Collins, which made him only thirty-five, but just now he looked much older.