Authors: Casey Elliot
*****
The journey seemed to last for hours with Jane getting more terrified by the minute. The road was becoming increasingly bumpy, and she found it difficult to remain in her seat.
“I don’t mean to be a pain,” she turned to face Gerard. “But, are we almost there?”
He flashed her that crooked smile again, and his eyes shone as he spoke.
“As a matter of fact, we are…..” he slowed the car down, as they drove onto a graveled path. “Look up there,” he pointed out the windshield.
Jane craned her neck to see from his viewpoint and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the building at the top of the hill. It was then that she only had one thought running through her mind.
This is how a lot of horror movies start
.
The house was towering and foreboding, and made from dark granite stone that glittered in the moonlight. The windows appeared to be more like spying eyes that were wary of visitors, and the door was large and gaping like a mouth in a twisted scream. The driveway was long and winding and, as the limousine reached the entrance, Jane didn’t want to get out. She hesitated for a moment, as Gerard opened her door with his perfect politeness. Wavering for just a second too long, she considered asking to be dropped back in the city or running away shrieking into the wilderness. Of course, she could do neither of these things, so she grabbed her backpack and took a deep breath.
“In your own time, Miss Kershaw.” Gerard tipped his hat.
“Are new recruits always as nervous as me?” Jane stammered.
“Oh…. Sometimes they’re a lot more terrified,” he dismissed her worries with a chuckle. “Now, let me take your bag.”
She handed it over and knew she had no choice, but to see to her new job…. and new life.
“So, this is home now,” she spoke to herself, as she looked up at the house.
Her gaze fell upon the precarious looking turrets that surrounded the top of the building like icing on a cake. For a moment, she was certain she saw a bat fly away from one of the windows, but then she pulled herself together and followed Gerard up the path.
“I’m sorry. I’m just not used to being in places like this,” she hurried to catch up with him.
“Oh, don’t be.” The butler smiled, as he struggled with the bag on his back. “We’re well aware it’s an unusual….. setting,” and he laughed once again; his voice echoing off the walls. “But now…. Let’s get you acquainted, shall we?”
He pulled out a large brass key that looked more like a book end than something you could open a door with. It was a two-handed job to open the main door, and when he did, it creaked ominously. Jane was soon hit by the smell of antiquity; old books, mahogany, and dust. It was a comforting smell and she breathed it in as a reminder of home. She had spent most of her childhood in the local library or perusing museums, and felt as though she had been instantly transported back to being twelve. However, she was soon pulled from her thoughts by Gerard slamming on the overhead lights and found herself standing in the center of a great hall. Taxidermied animals lined the walls with ancient portraits looking down on her with suspicious eyes. She had to admit, it was pretty cool.
“Is this place real?” she laughed. “It’s more like a film set.”
“I’m glad you find it entertaining,” Gerard said, as he took the first step at the bottom of the long and winding staircase. “But, follow me. It’s late and I must show you to your room.”
Jane struggled her way to the top of the stairs, and her legs were aching by the time she reached the landing.
“This way!” The butler called after her, as he disappeared down a long hallway.
She jogged to reach him and when she caught up, he was lingering outside a door with another large and peculiar key.
“This will be your quarters,” he explained. “You’ll find everything you need here, although I’m afraid it’s not the Hilton,” he smiled wryly with his eyes fixed on hers.
It made her shiver, but she was relieved that; at last, she had somewhere to live. Looking around at the building, she knew a good thing when she saw it, and it looked as though this house was a far cry from her humble, if not squalid, apartment with Lee.
Once inside the room, she thought it was plain, but tasteful and she loved that the décor was floral. She guessed it was very much a woman’s living space, as every surface was delicately flourished with a woman’s touch from the white lace curtains to the pink wallpaper.
“It’s lovely,” she smiled.
“It is, isn’t it?” Gerard placed her bag down and took off his hat. “Just off here” he opened a nearby door “is the bathroom… whereas in here” he opened another “is the living quarters with a small kitchenette and so on.”
“Very nice.” Jane poked her head round the door to take a look. “It’s bigger than my old place,” she mused.
But, Gerard wasn’t interested in hearing about her life. He lingered at the door, as if hoping to leave at any moment. He yawned uncontrollably and clapped a hand to his mouth.
“I’m terribly sorry, Miss Kershaw. It’s been a long day and it’s very late.”
“That’s ok. I’m dead on my feet.”
“Very well,” he bowed. “I’ll leave you to get settled. Breakfast is at eight A.M. Goodnight, Miss Kershaw,” and he closed the door gently.
For a moment, Jane listened to the sound of his light, quick footsteps, as they disappeared down the hall. Then she flopped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, gazing at the ornate light fixture and intricate cornicing. She pondered on the possibility that she had accidentally travelled back in time, but then she laughed at her own vivid imagination and sat up.
Pulling things out of her bag, she packed her clothes away and lay on top of the bed. It was time to reflect on the weirdest night of her life and, as she rested her head on the lavender-scented pillow, she wondered if Lee was worried about her.
A single tear slipped out from the corner of her eye and slid onto the pillow.
It’s for the best,
she thought.
That man was a brute.
And, she closed her eyes and let sleep take a hold of her.
*****
When the sun shone in through the window, it cast long and elaborate shapes across the bed, as it leaked in through the lace curtains. Jane stirred, as she heard the sound of birds chirping and opened her eyes. After a few seconds of great confusion, she soon realized she wasn’t at home, but was rather in the mysterious house she was so certain she had dreamt.
“So…. I really am here,” she sat up and clutched her head.
The absinthe, although she’d only had a single shot, had taken a toll on her and she vowed to never try the foul smelling green stuff again. The inside of her mouth felt as though it was lined with the driest of fur, and she ran her tongue over her teeth and grimaced.
“Urgh…..”
She hurried to the bathroom and got washed and dressed before beginning to apply her makeup. She sat on the floor like she always did when concentrating on her eyeliner in front of the full length mirror with her butt planted on a pillow.
However, a knock on the door startled her and she flinched, sending a rogue flick of liquid liner across her entire eyelid.
“Ah crap!” she grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her face.
“Miss Kershaw?” Gerard was calling from the other side of the door. “Breakfast is served.”
“Be there in a minute.”
“Very well, though better not keep your new employer waiting,” and his footsteps dissolved into the distance.
Through all the chaos, Jane had scarcely thought about who her employer was, and now, she was all aflutter with nerves, as she wondered who it could be.
“Hopefully, it’s some mad old Hollywood actress who’s gone senile,” she thought, as she fixed her makeup. “Or some rich kid who just wants me to play video games all day.”
Of course, she knew this was highly unlikely, but if she knew what the truth was, she would have fled the house screaming.
With her heart in her mouth, she meandered down the long staircase and followed the smell of breakfast to the dining room that sat just off the great hall. It had large windows that reached from the floor to the ceiling and a gargantuan, sparkling chandelier that dangled down into the center of the table.
The table; however, was so long that she couldn’t see who was sitting at the other end of it until she was standing directly opposite him. The first thing she noticed about him were his eyes, dazzling and green. They looked like glittering emeralds. Then, there was his face, regal and handsome with high cheekbones and a chiseled, diamond-shaped jaw. His hair was black and slicked back, and his demeanor aloof and arrogant.
He regarded her curiously, as she sat down at the other end of the table and looked amused by her timidity.
“I’m Ferdinand Gilbert,” he announced with a voice that was as alluring as his looks. “You must be the new housekeeper.”
“I am,” Jane croaked out a terrified reply.
“Good…. I hope you last longer than all the other silly girls.” He looked at Gerard and reached out to grab the morning paper from him. “Tell me, Gerry, has she been a well behaved?” He joked.
“Oh, she’s a very lovely girl,” Gerard simpered at his boss.
“Good.” Ferdinand began reading the paper while twiddling his fork in a rasher of bacon. “I don’t need any more trouble.”
There was a long silence, as Ferdinand ignored Jane. With nothing else to do, she began to eat and was delighted by what was on offer. She hadn’t eaten since the previous afternoon, and she wolfed down her bacon and eggs and washed them down with a strong coffee.
“Right then.” Ferdinand stood up and paid no attention to his new housekeeper. “I have a meeting in the city,” and he strode out of the room abruptly, leaving Jane and Gerard alone.
“Is he always so……” she fumbled for the right word. “Is he always so…. Er….”
“Rude?” Gerard offered her a word. “Yes, always.”
They both shared a conspiratorial giggle, and then fell silent once again.
“So, now what?” She looked up to the butler with wide expectant eyes.
“Now, you wait.”
“Wait?”
“Until the evening… that’s when your work begins.” Gerard was on the cusp of turning on his heel, but Jane stopped him.
“What do you mean? I thought I was going to be a housekeeper.”
“You are, of sorts…..”
Jane didn’t like the sound of that or the way Gerard spoke so furtively. Her mind went to terrible places; dark corners of her psyche where she imagined a whole multitude of sexual horrors to take place.
“This isn’t some weird kinda…. sex trafficking thing, is it?” She nodded her head in the direction of Ferdinand’s departure.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” and the butler left too, leaving her alone in the grand dining room.
There were countless portraits everywhere she looked, and she didn’t feel comfortable at all in their presence. In fact, she felt as though at any moment, she would turn and see their eyes moving, as though they had come to life.
She shivered under the gaze of Ferdinand’s ancestors and hurried out of the room. Reaching the crisp, cool air of the great outdoors, she immediately felt relieved to be out of the house. From the outside, it looked even more threatening and it loomed down on her with its great Gothic architecture; however, she soon found if she looked out to the nearby fields that were bathed in sunlight, she was soon soothed by the sight.
Relaxing on the grass, she pondered on what was to happen once the evening came. There was something about Gerard that she felt particularly unhappy about. He was elusive and brisk, not to mention he spoke in riddles half the time. Nevertheless, he’d treated her perfectly well, hadn’t he?
With the trauma of the previous night long behind her, she was still exhausted at its memory and her thoughts turned to Lee once again.
“The bastard,” she mumbled to herself, as she picked at the grass. “He better regret hitting me. I hope to God he misses me so much he can’t stop crying,” and she smiled at the thought of seeing his tears splashing over his favorite Pink Floyd t-shirt. “Asshole.”
Laying her head down on the grass, she let the sun carry her troubles away on the lightness of the springtime breeze. It wasn’t long until she felt so relaxed, she was almost falling asleep. In the distance, she could hear Gerard pottering about in the abandoned stables, and she pretended for a moment that it was her mother moving pots and pans about her childhood kitchen. It was then that she fell into a blissful sleep.
*****
It was cold when she opened her eyes and saw the gray skies above her. A drop of rain had fallen and landed square in the center of her forehead. She frowned and rubbed it away before hurrying inside to escape the impending shower.
“Very nice to see you settled in,” Gerard appeared behind her. “I assume you are most rested for this evening.”
“Eh….. I guess so,” she murmured.
“Wonderful…. I’m afraid you missed dinner you pesky girl, but as you can see,” he pointed to the grandfather clock against the back wall. “It’s almost eight o’clock,” he announced with great excitement.
“Ok…… What’s so special about eight o’clock?” she asked quite genuinely.
Gerard burst out a maniacal cackle.
“It means your work begins,” and he narrowed his eyes into a sinister glare.
Jane wasn’t sure what was going on, but she knew something terrible was about to happen. She could feel it in her gut like an omen.
“Come with me.” Gerard wiggled a finger at her in a hitherto motion.
She followed him up the stairs with each step feeling like a step closer to her doom.
“Hurry up. There’s not much time!” Gerard was now running while urging the young girl to hurry up. “We’ve only got a few minutes until the clock strikes eight!”
Jane, in her state of confusion, ran to catch up only to lose him once again, as he sprinted around a dark corner before dashing into a nearby room. As she approached, out of breath and panting, she saw he had left the door flapping open with a draft catching it.
“Here, Miss Kershaw,” a voice called from inside.
She was about to follow it, but stopped on the threshold, as she saw the scene that was unfolding in front of her. Ferdinand was stripped to his boxer shorts, his muscles rippling, as he lay on the bed. Jane immediately began to blush and her cheeks grew hot, as she held her cool fingers to them.
“Hurry!” Gerard was now shouting.
She entered the room feeling more nervous than she’d ever had before. This was worse than the time she wet herself in elementary school during the school play. In fact, this was worse than the time she had a hot date with Jackson Smith, the hottest guy in her school, and when she arrived, all the cool kids threw ice cream at her and made pig noises.
She was staring blankly with no idea what to do when she heard Ferdinand say:
“I think this girl is an idiot.”
And, she snapped back to reality.
“I’m not an idiot,” she explained in a caustic tone. “I just have no idea what’s going on? Why aren’t you wearing clothes? I mean, what is this fucked up shit that’s taking place?”
The two men were taken back by her sudden outburst and looked to one another with concern.
“Tell her,” Ferdinand flung his arms up in resignation.
“Very well,” nodded Gerard. “Miss Kershaw, you have one job here as housekeeper. You take these and you lock them tight. Then, you walk out of this room, close the door, take a seat out in the hall, and wait until morning.” He held up a thick iron shackle and expected her to take it. “Now, Miss Kershaw, we only have a few seconds left.”
She saw the shackles were attached to Ferdinand’s wrists and ankles and, in a daze, she did what she was told. Fastening down the locks on the shackles, she watched as the young man was secured to the bed.
With so many questions needing answered, she tried in vain to say the right words. Yet, the more she tried to make sense of the situation, the more she found herself looking up and down Ferdinand’s body. He was so perfect in every way. He was lithe and tanned, yet strong like an ox and bright eyed too with that emerald gaze of his glistening with cunning intelligence.
“I don’t understand,” was all she could muster before the clock in the corner chimed and it was eight o’clock.