“Who are you?” I asked.
She scowled at my question, then said, “The du Lac head of mistresses.”
“What—they have a head for that?”
Ignoring me, she said, “You may call me Madame.”
Behind her, two women only a little older than me came into the room. Madame was dressed in the same starched blue uniform I’d grown accustomed to seeing, while the two younger girls were in matching diaphanous white gowns. Madame made a motion with her wrist, and the two girls came behind me, yanking me up.
“I—what—Hey!” I squeaked, as the girl behind me reached for my arms, pulling them above my head. The second girl dropped to her feet, reaching for the hem of my nightgown.
Madame came closer to me, eyes narrowing. I held my dress tight to my chest as the two at my feet fought with it robotically. They went for my thighs, and I shoved them off so fast I knocked over the tea. It shattered to the ground, honey liquid spilling over the antique floorboards.
I realized I’d made a grave mistake when their eyes grew like saucers.
Seconds ticked like minutes, three strangers staring at me, waiting for me to let them undress me. I wanted to take the steaming tea kettle at my back and chuck it at their faces. And then what? Run? Abandon Grayson?
A poem my uncle had read aloud to me came to mind, one by Robert Frost.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
I’d already made my decision on which road I would take. I told Grayson I would be Atlas, and I would shoulder the burden.
Whatever that might be…
I slowly raised my arms, eyes down, as they lifted my dress above my head.
I stood naked in the center of the room, holding my arms to my chest. Madame walked a circle around me, gray eyes sharp.
Calculating.
She eyed my rounded stomach way too long for my liking. I’d been hiding my pregnancy under shapeless dresses, but when I was naked, it was obvious. Unavoidable. Inevitable. I was a little over three months along, after all.
I worked my jaw.
Madame touched my hair. “Unruly.” She exhaled through her nostrils like Tansy did when examining the silver. “Come find me when you’re finished.”
The girls nodded. I watched the old woman leave the room out of the corner of my eye, her shadow reflecting in the spilled honey tea.
The girls dragged me into the en suite bathroom and shoved me into a clawfoot tub centered on the dark hardwood. It smelled like lavender and was filled with so many oils my skin shone like glass. They grabbed my arms, stretching to rub me raw.
Then they moved to go between my thighs.
I slapped their hands away. They shared a look, rolling their eyes.
“Miss, if you don’t behave, it will be worse for all of us,” the one with jade eyes said.
But they didn’t try again.
Floral-smelling shampoo was squeezed and lathered roughly into my hair. For a while the only sound was the splash of water.
I studied them. I was finally alone, and they seemed young. Not tough and imperious like the others I’d encountered. Maybe I could finally start getting useful information.
I closed one eye against the sting of shampoo. “Do you work for the du Lacs?”
They shrugged. “Kind of. We work for Madame.”