Chapter 3 - Shadows in the East Wing
The threats from Vivien threw Rosa into a state of constant, waking nightmare. For the next three days, she barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Vivien’s elegant hands pushing Margaret down the stairs, or worse, those same hands reaching for Lily.
She kept Lily confined to their small apartment in the east wing, forbidding her from stepping foot into the main house. But a three-year-old could only be kept in one room for so long before becoming restless.
On Friday evening, Nathaniel was away in Manhattan for an emergency board meeting. The house was quiet, enveloped in a dense winter fog. Vivien had ordered dinner to her room and hadn't been seen all afternoon.
Rosa was in the main library, dusting the heavy mahogany bookshelves, trying to keep her mind occupied. She didn't notice that the heavy oak door had swung open slightly, or that a small, curious figure had slipped out of the east wing corridor.
Lily was tracking her red rubber ball. It bounced silently across the thick Persian rugs of the long gallery, rolling past the family portraits, until it bumped against a pair of black velvet slippers.
Lily looked up.
Vivien was standing in the middle of the dark gallery, holding a glass of red wine. She looked down at the child, her eyes narrowing in the dim light. She hadn't paid much attention to the housekeeper’s child before, but seeing the girl now, a sudden, dark suspicion took root in her mind.
"Well, hello there," Vivien said, her voice dropping into a low, predatory purr. She knelt down, her velvet dress pooling around her. She picked up the red ball. "Whom do we have here? You're Rosa's little girl, aren't you?"
Lily nodded, backing away a step, sensing the danger intuitively. "I want my ball."
"In a minute," Vivien said, her eyes scanning the child's face. She remembered the day of the "accident." She remembered the slight rustle she had heard on the second-floor landing just before she pushed Margaret. At the time, she had dismissed it as a draft or a mouse. But now...
"Tell me, little girl," Vivien whispered, leaning closer, the scent of her expensive perfume filling the air. "Where were you playing on Tuesday afternoon? Were you near the big stairs?"
Lily bit her lip, remembering her mother’s strict warning. It’s a secret. A dangerous secret. She remained silent, reaching out her hand for the ball.
Vivien’s grip on the ball tightened until her knuckles turned white. "Answer me, you little brat. What did you see?"
"Lily!"
Rosa’s voice shattered the silence of the gallery. She came running down the hall, her face white with terror, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She snatched Lily up into her arms, pulling her away from Vivien as if the woman were a venomous snake.
"Miss Cole! I am so sorry," Rosa cried, her voice shaking uncontrollably. "She escaped from the room. She didn't mean to bother you."
Vivien stood up slowly, smoothing down her velvet dress. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes were dead. "She wasn't bothering me, Rosa. We were just having a little chat. She’s a very quiet girl, isn't she? Doesn't say much."
"She doesn't speak English well, ma'am," Rosa lied frantically, holding Lily tightly to her chest. "She doesn't understand anything. She's just a baby."
Vivien took a slow sip of her wine, her eyes never leaving Rosa’s terrified face. "Is that so? How convenient for you. Make sure she stays out of the main house, Rosa. The next time she wanders off, I might not be so gentle."
Rosa didn't wait for another word. She turned and fled back to the east wing, locking the door behind her. She sat on the floor of her small living room, holding Lily, sobbing silently. She couldn't do this anymore. The danger was too close. She had to leave the Whitmore estate, even if it meant poverty, even if it meant losing everything.
But as she began packing her old suitcase, a realization stopped her. If she ran away without saying anything, Vivien would know she was a threat. A woman who would push a billionaire's mother down a flight of stairs wouldn't hesitate to hunt down a runaway maid in San Antonio to ensure her silence permanently.
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Running wasn't an option. She had to fight. But she couldn't do it alone.
She needed to speak to Nathaniel. But she needed proof.
