Chapter 11
Carlynda did end up going to work, much to both of their relief, that following day. Whatever caused her to be sick so early this morning was no longer present. She was glad, for she needed to watch over her new employees for another day or two before she could even start to consider taking a day or two off coming to the bakery.
There were seven of them now all together. It made business much more enjoyable when she was able to talk to others as she worked. The four other employees were just as well with their jobs as the first three. Monsieur Marcus de Dome got along really well with Henri and helped him with the heavier duties, like restocking. Madame Amee Locke worked great with the customers, just like Gabrielle. She always had a bright smile and seemed to really enjoy her job. Madame Lyla Boise was a bit of a loner, but she was just as brilliant of a baker as herself, Henri, and Giselle. Monsieur Alezan Basque didn't bake, but he had quite the eye for organization and the mind for finance. Carlynda was proud of her employees and thought they would all work well together. The men didn't seem all that discouraged to have a female as their employer and the ladies were excited to be earning their own living.
Several days passed with no other hint of her sickness. Erik and Carlynda decided it was because of what she ate the day before. Erik never wanted her to eat that that same diner again, but she was able to convince him such a demand was unreasonable. It almost led them to their second big fight when Carlynda accused him of being too controlling and demanding. Luckily, instead of yelling back at her, he relented, but he did manage to get a promise that she wouldn't order the herb roasted chicken from there ever again. It was a promise she was all too willing to give.
After the end of the week, Carlynda decided her employees were ready to work on their own, but that didn't mean she would never show up and do some of the work.
"Your usual today, Monsieur Manier?" she asked the aging groundkeeper.
The man nodded. "Yes, that would be swell." He was pulling out his money as he said, "I see you gathered some helpers."
She chuckled and nodded as she glanced behind her. Through the door of the kitchen area, she could see Madame Locke putting some pastries on a pan in the back room to be ready for a display. Madame Boise was out of sight, but she could hear the fires of the oven. "Yes," she said as she turned back to M. Manier. "They are a good crew." She took the money from him and handed him the white bag with his usual order.
"That's good, mademoiselle. You could use more time for yourself."
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, that is the idea. Au revoir, monsieur." He tipped his hat to her as he left the bakery.
Her smile widened when she saw the next person come in. "Meg!"
The young blonde came up to the counter and smiled. "Nice to see you too, Carlynda."
"What are you doing here? Don't you have rehearsals?"
She shook her head. "No, not right now. I haven't seen you in a few days, so I thought I'll come by to say hello." She leaned over the counter and smiled. "Hello."
Carlynda gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, I was busy training the new employees and…"
"And Monsieur Geroux wanted all of your attention," Meg interrupted with a sly gleam in her eye.
"Meg!" she gasped, her face turning red.
The blonde giggled and shook her head. "Don't play innocent with me, soon-to-be Madame Geroux."
Carlynda frowned. "What on earth's creation are you talking about? Erik and I…we aren't…"
Meg threw her a look. "At this rate, it's bound to happen."
The older woman relaxed and shook her head. "It's not like that, Meg." What she knew of the dancer was that she was a bit of a romantic. Bound to happen, indeed. In Meg's world, love was the center of everything. Carlynda no longer saw the world like that, but it just made her like her friend all the more. She hoped Meg wouldn't get so effected from the world like she was.
"Well, not right now, but give it time. I'm sure…"
Everything else that Meg was saying was lost on Carlynda as soon as she glanced out the window of the bakery. Her smile slipped and she froze. Across the street, through the fluffy snow coming down, she saw the familiar penetrating eyes of M. L'Angley. He was leaning against the door of the gentlemen's club again, holding a cigar. He wasn't wearing a coat, despite the chilly weather.
"Carlynda? Carlynda."
She snapped her eyes to Meg. The dancer's eyes were drawn in concern. They searched her eyes as if trying to find the answer to her state. Her lips were slightly parted, like she was trying to think of something to say. "I'm sorry, Meg, you were saying."
"Forget what I was saying. Are you alright? It's as if you saw a ghost."
Carlynda glanced back out the window and her heart stopped when M. L'Angley tilted his hat to her, a cool smile forming around his cigar. She quickly glanced back at Meg and nodded. "Yes, yes, of course. Everything is fine. Just got one of those chills, you know." She was suddenly feeling quite nauseous again and it wasn't because of bad food. His mere presence was making her feel a little ill. Her stomach turned and she snapped her mouth shut, trying not to puke. Behind her, she could hear M. Basque flirting with Madame Boise, laughter from Madame Locke, Madame Barnette, and Gabrielle, and the clinging of pots as Henri and M. de Dome worked on the dishes. Her stomach calmed at the reminder of people. She was very glad she had hired them because their quiet chatter in the back gave her comfort. M. L'Angley wouldn't dare do anything with so many people present.
"Carlynda?" Meg whispered worriedly. Her blue eyes were big and bright with concern.
Before Carlynda could speak, the door opened, letting in a breeze of cold air before it closed again. She glanced around Meg as the blonde turned to see the new arrival. It was Lucian. Had she been in the right mind she would have questioned why he was early. He came almost every night before closing to drive her to the opera house.
He stomped his boots on the ground, trying to take the snow off as he took his hat off. He glanced up and gave them a charming smile. The smile quickly disappeared after one look at his sister. "Claudette, what happened?" He rushed over and stood beside Meg, seemingly not seeing the blonde.
"Claudette?" Meg whispered to herself.
Carlynda's eyes flickered back to the window. Taking the hint, both, Meg and Lucian, turned. The door of the gentlemen's club was closing behind a retreating back.
"I don't understand," Meg said.
"Was that…?" Lucian questioned as he faced her again.
She nodded.
Lucian body stiffen and his hand tightened over his cane. There was murder in his eyes. Knowing exactly what was going through his mind, Carlynda reached across the counter and grabbed his arm. "Lucian, don't! Don't be rash."
"I'm not going to do anything, but talk to him."
She tightened her grip on his forearm. "That may be your intent, but it will turn violent. Don't make things worse."
He grinded his teeth and turned his back to the door. His shoulders were tense, but she knew he wouldn't go, so she let go of his arm.
"What is going on?" Meg asked, eyeing both of them. "Carlynda?"
"Meg, this is my brother, Lucian. Lucian, my friend, Meg."
They exchanged tense pleasantries before Lucian turned back to her. "You're coming back to the manor with me."
"Lucian…"
"For my sake, please. I need to see that you are safe. I cannot just trust you with a man I barely know." Even though, Erik finally accepted Lucian as his patron, her brother dealt mainly with M. Bernard. He hadn't seen Erik since the patron interview.
She nodded. "I'll be right back." She went into the back to a little desk in the corner to write Erik a note. Her employees didn't seem to realize anything was amiss. She sat down, ignoring her workers as they chattered together, and wrote a note to Erik.
She heard the front door open and close and she tensed up. Lucian didn't…he wouldn't…She hoped he didn't just leave while her back was turn to "talk" to M. L'Angley.
To her relief she saw Gabrielle leave the back room. A customer then. She sighed in relief and picked up her quill, dipped it into the ink, and started writing as carefully as she could, trying her hardest not to have shaky handwriting.
Erik,
I'm staying at my brother's manor tonight.
She paused. She didn't want to tell him the real reason because then he would press her for information she still wasn't ready to give. But lying to him? Was that what she had to do? She promised she would tell him everything if L'Angley threatened her in any way, but, really, he hadn't, so she wasn't breaking her word, was she?
Don't worry. It's not about that. Lucian wants to me to help with some redecorating. He is hopeless when it comes to the arrangement of a home. He could certainly do with a wife. He is planning on making the manor a home for quite some time and really wants to change it. Trust me, it does need it. My old bedchambers no longer suit me. I will not be at my bakery tomorrow. I am trusting my employees to carry on without me now. This way I can spend all day ordering my brother and countless others about. That does sound splendid.
Would he get suspicious if she invited him to come to her bedchambers tonight? He might see that as proof that she wasn't feeling safe or well.
With a heavy heart she wrote:
I'll see you tomorrow night. Promise.
Carlynda
She folded the note and entered the front room again. She gave it to Meg. "Will you please see that Erik get this?"
She nodded. "Of course, but, Carlynda, what is going on?"
"Please, Meg, don't ask questions. I'll tell you someday, just not today. Please."
Meg took one look at her and her brother before nodding. "Alright. I'll do it now." She left the bakery. If only Erik was so easily persuaded to drop a topic.
"I told Erik that I will help you redecorate your home tomorrow. That is exactly what I plan on doing." Would it be less of a lie if she did what she told Erik she would do?
Lucian grimaced, but nodded. "If you wish. It does need to be done, I suppose." He glanced around the shop. "Do you have the morning paper?"
She shook her head. "No, why?"
Lucian took a step back. "It would just give me something to do while I wait for you to finish." He sat down on one of the chairs that lined the front of the bakery. They were set there for those waiting for their order or if they wanted to eat their pastry before leaving.
"Pardon?"
He raised an eyebrow. "You don't seriously think I'm going to leave when he is right across the street, do you? I am staying right here." He rested one foot over the thigh of the other and placed his arms on the back to the chairs beside him, as if to proof he wasn't about to go anywhere.
"Oh, Lucian."
"Don't try to persuade me otherwise, Claudette. You've been missing for three years. I'm not about to lose you again to a possibly insane murderer. Indulge me."
"Fine." She stepped from behind the counter and stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. "But I cannot have you sitting here until closing. You'll grow quite bored."
He eyed her suspiciously. "Then get me something to read."
She shook her head and grinned. "No, I have something better in mind."
"Something tells me I'm not going to like this."
"You, dear brother of mine, are going to work."
His eyebrows shot up. "Me? Work? Preposterous! Mother and Father taught me better than that," he said with fake arrogance.
"Come on." She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.
"But in all seriousness, Claudette, I've never worked a day in my life. I'm rubbish at it really," he protested as she pushed him behind the counter and towards the back room.
"Good," she said, patting his arm. She grinned up at him. "This would be a learning experience. And call me Carlynda." Just before they entered the room, she couldn't help but glance back at the window with a nervous frown. He wasn't there, but she knew he was in the building and that didn't make her feel any better.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and glanced up when they entered. She could feel Lucian's body tense up awkwardly at the stares.
"Hello, everyone, this is my brother, Lucian. He's never worked in a bakery before and would like to try it out. Lucian, this is everybody." She didn't need all seven of them there, but this was the last training day and thought it would do them good to have a day working all together. It gave them a chance to talk and get to know each other.
Lucian gave them a jerky wave. "Hello."
She chuckled at his nervousness. This was going to be entertaining to watch.
That night, she was still laughing over all of her brother's mistakes and mishaps. The many times he dropped something, spilled something, mixed the wrong ingredients, and slipped over things helped ease her worried heart. He had to ask someone almost every time if this or that bottle was the right ingredient. He didn't even know what flour looked like. She found it all too amusing. She had refused to help him at all, allowing him to make mistakes, only to laugh at him for it. The only thing she didn't have him do was dealing with customers. Although, with the rate he was going, she might have had more customers. For who could resist an entertaining show of an aristocrat trying to bake?
"Well, I'm glad you found all that entertaining, sister," Lucian said as he walked her to her bedchambers. He had changed his clothes and cleaned the best he could as soon as he got home, but he still had specks of flour in his hair and blue frosting on his ear. It had amused her throughout their whole dinner.
She laughed and leaned into his arm. "It was very, very entertaining." They stopped at her door and she turned to him. "You still have flour in your hair," she said before entering her room. She chuckled when she heard Lucian curse.
She turned on few of the gas lamps and dressed for bed. She frowned when she saw her overly pink and white bed. Would she be able to get a restful night's sleep without someone beside her? Would Erik come?
She peaked out her curtains and into the grassy fields, but didn't see any dark, shadowy figures. No Erik.
Sighing in disappointment, Carlynda got into bed, readying herself for a restless night.
She didn't know what woke her. Maybe it was the horrible nightmare or the sound of the floor board creaking in the hall. Why someone was up this late, she didn't know. Perhaps it wasn't as late as she thought it was.
She stared up in the darkness, tired, but unable to sleep. Flashes of her nightmare came to her each time she closed her eyes. The faces of the men who used her, M. L'Angley, her father yelling at her for her improper behavior, the night M. L'Angley tried to…She sighed and rolled over, reaching for the lamp by her bed.
There was a soft knock on her door. Confused, she sat up and stared until another knock. "Coming," she called out softly.
Carlynda threw her robe on as she walked across the cold floor to the door. She creaked it open and blinked at the candle light that was suddenly in her eyes.
"'xuse me, mad'selle." It was the maid, Margot, in her nightgown and a cup of tea. Though, she had to wonder why the maid was in this part of the manor. "I saw thee 'ight, mad'selle. Everythin' alright?"
She opened the door wider and nodded. "Yes, Margot. Thank you. I'm just having trouble sleeping."
"Same 'ere, mad'selle." She held up the cup. "Tea? Helps one sleep."
Carlynda shook her head and gave the maid a fond smile. "Thank you, but I can't take your tea. You brewed that for yourself."
"Aye, mad'selle, and I can brew another. Take."
"If you insist." The maid nodded, allowing Carlynda to take the offer tea cup and saucer. "Thank you, Margot." She took a sip. "Umm, this is good, but…" She took another taste. There was something bitter about it, some aftertaste that didn't sit well with her stomach. "What is in this…" Her tongue felt swollen and dry. Why was her mouth dry? She glanced up and the world shifted. The tea cup fell to the floor with a loud crash. Her hands went out, trying to find something to catch her fall. Was she even falling?
Margot's face blurred in and out. Her face…why was Margot crying? She looked scared. Was her eyes wide? Her mouth was moving, but Carlynda couldn't hear any words, just a vibration in her ears. It almost sounded like muffled voices, like someone was trying to talk through a pillow. Two men joined Margot at the door way. Large, brutish-looking men. They were in and out of focus, but they seem to fill the doorway. They entered her room, leaving Margot alone in the hall. Carlynda stumbled backwards, her arms flinging around trying to catch something, anything. They walked towards her.
Her heart was beating so loud. She could hear it. The constant th-thumb, th-thumb, th-thumb. It was loud in her ears and it was getting faster. The noise of it…Noise. She needed to make some noise. She needed to wake someone. She needed help. Her brother's room was right across from hers. It shouldn't take a lot to wake him. She opened her mouth to scream, but no noise came out. Her mouth was too dry. Her tongue was not functioning well.
One of the big men grabbed her arm and pulled her forward. The thrust caused her to stumble and fall. The man let go of her arm as she rolled to her back. Her vision blurred some more. It was getting harder and harder to see, but she could see the two blurry faces of the men above her. The man grabbed her arm again and said something.
She kicked her feet and it got caught on something. Her nightstand. She kicked hard just as the other man grabbed her other arm to help his comrade in hosting her up.
Crash
Her nightstand hit the ground, loudly. The book that was sitting there and the vase of flowers crashed to the floor as well.
The last thing Carlynda was aware of was the sound of her own heartbeat over the yelling of a man. Her last thought: where was Erik?
Yay! An update! Finally.
