Lies We Tell

Chapter 3

Honour woke early, excited about her first day, although it likely wouldn’t amount to much more than moving in and meeting the staff. She showered, ordered breakfast through room service and dressed in black cargo pants and a black Henley-style shirt. While she waited on her breakfast, she packed. There wasn’t much, mostly clothes befitting her career, and even those were only the bare basics. It wouldn’t be long until Honour would be hanging them in her new quarters. A knock at the door signalled the arrival of her meal.

After she had eaten, Honour took her rolling suitcase down the back stairs and locked it away in her trunk. She walked around the building and re-entered by the front door, stopping at the front desk. With her bill paid, she asked the young man if he could spare a documents box. He went off to retrieve it and in no time at all, she was in the elevator and on her way to her room. She packed her books, laptop, discs and toiletries case into the documents box and took it downstairs as well. A final check of the room assured her she had forgotten nothing. She hung her sunglasses from the neckline of her shirt, pocketed her car keys and took her room key to the front desk.

“All set then, Miss Elliot?” The young man smiled.

“I’ve enjoyed my stay, thank you.” Honour returned his smile, slid her sunglasses on and left. She settled herself into the driver’s seat, started the car and took a deep breath. “Well Honour, let’s go see what it’s like working for Bree Donovan.”

***

“Miss Donovan, the mail is here.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Vaughan.”

Beverly smiled as she asked, “Are you looking forward to having an assistant?”

Bree nodded as she crossed to her desk. “I am. I’m having the devil’s own time with a couple of the board members, so any help Miss Elliot can give me will be appreciated. Is her room ready?”

“All that remains to be done is to make the bed and open the windows to give the room an airing.”

“Very good.” Bree sat down. “Send Miss Burke and Miss Lewis to do that. You need to delegate more often, Beverly. They report to you, take advantage of their youth.”

“Miss…”

Bree turned her chair. “Beverly, you told me I needed an assistant so that I didn’t need to work so hard, correct?”

“Aye.”

“We have a housekeeping staff so you don’t need to do everything. You aren’t thirty or even forty anymore, let the younger staff go upstairs and finish Miss Elliot’s room. Understood?”

Mrs. Vaughan shook her head ruefully and gave Bree a half-smile. “Not fair, Miss, to use my own counsel against me.”

“Sure it is. You would do the same to me if you thought it would further your goal.” Bree’s eyes twinkled.

Beverly chuckled. “Aye, I suppose I would.” She nodded and left to find the other housekeepers.

By ten that morning, Bree Donovan already had a headache brewing. No amount of rubbing her temples made any difference. She took a couple of deep breaths and interrupted the voice on the other end of her phone.

“David, I’ve already explained this. There are three bookstores in that neighbourhood. Even if the Donovan Group did buy out the biggest, we would still have the others to compete with. Both of which are niche stores. I have no interest in taking us the route of a superstore. That’s not the vision I have for this company.”

“Then perhaps you need a new vision, Miss Donovan.”

“Why are you so attached to the idea of making us into a copy of the other big chains?” Bree asked.

“Why are you so stuck on an antiquated mission statement?” David retorted.

“Are you kidding me?” Bree’s voice rose dangerously. “Did you seriously just say that to me?”

“Yes, I did. I think you’re too immersed in your father’s vision …”

“And I think your head is stuck too far up your ass to see what’s clearly working!” Bree shouted into the phone. “Perhaps you should take another look at our profit statements, and your bank accounts and stop rocking the boat!” Bree slammed the phone down.

Mrs. Vaughan set a bottle of pain reliever down beside her water glass and slipped out of the room silently.

“Damnitalltohell!” Bree cursed. She stood abruptly, took two of the pills and left the room. On her way upstairs to change clothes she bellowed, “Mrs. Vaughan! I’ll be in the gym beating the bag to death!”

“Aye, Miss.”

An hour later, Bree stepped from the shower calmer, wetter and without her headache. She had pounded on the kick-boxing bag until her arms and legs shook, but in the end, she felt better. She tucked in her blouse, zipped up her slacks and made her way back down to the main floor. 

She met with Beverly at the bottom of the staircase at the same time as Honour knocked. “It’s all right, Mrs. Vaughan, I can get it, thank you. But if you could freshen the pitcher of water in the library?”

“Aye, Miss.”

Bree opened the door. “Miss Elliot, good morning.”

“Good morning, Miss Donovan.”

“Come in. I thought I’d give you a tour of the house and then let you get settled.” Bree shut the door and gestured toward the library. “You must be thirsty after the drive up.” 

“The roads were good, but a bit dusty,” Honour replied as she followed Bree into the library.

Once inside the room, Bree gestured to the sofas as she asked, “Do you like lemon or lime in your water? Or straight?”

She saw an amused expression flit across Honour’s face before she answered. “Lime, please.” 

Bree wondered what had amused the younger woman as she dropped a wedge of lime into a glass and poured water over it. Just before she turned around, she realized that her choice of words could have been twisted into a lesbian joke. Mentally, she gave her head a shake. ‘Well, at least she has a sense of humour.’ Bree thought.

She turned from the bar, took two steps and passed Honour her glass. “There you are. I thought we might take a minute before I gave you a tour of the house.”

“Thank you.”

“As I said before, you’re welcome to use the gym, pool and sauna when your schedule permits. I expect you’ll want to take the rest of the day to settle in and explore the grounds.”

“It occurred to me on the drive up that we didn’t discuss wardrobe.” Honour pointed out.

“That’s true,” Bree took a drink from her glass before continuing. “You’ll find my household staff all dress in dark grey and light blue while on the job. I’ll have my tailor come and take your measurements tomorrow so you can be dressed similarly. Clothing can say quite a bit about us, don’t you think?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Your choice of casual clothing today,” Bree gestured toward Honour. “Tells me you like the basics, but you put stock in solidity. Your car, a metallic burnt orange Mustang,  tells me you harbour a wild streak. You’re a bit of a contradiction, Miss Elliot.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. I try.” Honour smiled. 

“Tomorrow morning, I’d like you to take breakfast with me in the dining room. It will give us a chance to go over some things before the day gets away from us. Do you have any culinary concerns?”

“No, Ma’am. I’m pretty easy to please, no food allergies or sensitivities, no special foods needed. I suppose my only culinary quirk is that I won’t eat organ meats.”

“I don’t either,” Bree replied as she made a disgusted face. “Never eat anything that filters or pumps. I’ll tell Chef Flynn to set the meal for seven-thirty.” 

Honour nodded and drained her glass.

***

“Let me show you the house, then.” Bree stood.

Honour followed Bree out of the library and back out to the foyer. “This is quite an extraordinary space.” 

“Thank you. I intended it to leave an impression on anyone brave enough to visit.” Bree smiled. Then she turned and strode up the right-hand staircase.

Honour shook her head slightly and studied the space they were walking through with great interest. On both sides of the foyer, curved staircases twisted away to the upper level. Wood was everywhere, the treads of the stairs, the handrails, on the walls and carved panels. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling high above and Honour couldn’t imagine how it was cleaned. Bree had stopped at the top to wait for her newest staff member and to watch her reactions to the house. Behind her waited double doors that led out to a balcony looking out over an expanse of lawn and hedges. Above them rested a large round window that let in the morning light. The wooden stairs had given way to a wooden floor on the landing.

Honour stood at the top of the stairs trying not to seem impressed, but she was awed by the warmth of the space given its size. To her left hung a long painting of an emerald dragon flying over fields of amber grain. Bree walked to the far end of the painting and opened a door Honour hadn’t even noticed.

“There are two suites on this side of the house, one of which is yours. The house has many rooms, I don’t expect you to remember where everything is right away.” Bree turned and indicated the first door. “To make suite identification easier, I had panels of different wood set into each door. This suite at the end and on the right is yours.” Bree stopped and turned toward a light-coloured wooden door that had a panel of dark wood set into it. Honour stopped as well.

Bree smiled. “Go ahead, Miss Elliot, it’s your quarters now.”

Honour stepped forward and turned the knob. The door swung open silently and revealed an intimate sitting area at first glance. Two burgundy, high-back leather chairs flanked a small wooden table. A nearby window allowed sunlight to arc across the room. Over the wooden floor, a large woven rug filled the sitting area with shades of red and muted orange. Once Honour had moved fully into the room and looked to the right, she could see the rest of the space. There were no other floor coverings, allowing the warmth and grain of the wooden floor to shine through. Two other tall windows, as was the first, were flanked by heavy black draperies, pulled back and away to allow the light in. The walls here too were cream tinted. The queen-sized, four-poster bed was dark wood and already made up. Off to the side sat an unassuming wooden desk and simple chair. 

Bree stood beside Honour and indicated another door. “Through that door is your 

en suite bathroom, and through this door here,” Bree turned to a small door set into the wall beside one of the nightstands. “This is your walk-in closet and dressing area.”

Honour opened the door and couldn’t help but be shocked at how large the closet was.“Miss Donovan, I’m fairly certain my quarters at my last posting were not this big! I’m only one person, I don’t need all this space.”

Bree chuckled and swept her chestnut hair back over one shoulder. “I’ll not have my household manager in a small room.”

Honour turned to her employer. “But…”

Bree held up a hand to stop any further debate. “I’ll hear no more. Feel free to personalize your quarters as you like. Come, I’ll show you the back stairs and the entertaining part of the house.” 

Honour flashed her a small smile. “I’m curious now!” As they left the walk-in closet, she said quietly, “I’m sure I’ll never fill a third of this space though.”

Bree chuckled. “So you know, the lights are on a dimmer switch, which is here beside the door. The bedside lamps are operated by touching the base. All doors are kept closed to maintain privacy.” She closed the door behind them after they had stepped out into the hall once more. “I have a small household staff, which I will introduce you to tomorrow morning at our weekly staff meeting.” Bree turned to their right and pushed on a recessed panel to reveal a well-lit stairway leading down.

“This house has been a surprise so far,” Honour remarked.

Bree laughed. “A pleasant one, I would hope?” She led the way down the stairs.

“Most certainly so.”

“Good! Our staff meetings are held every Monday morning at nine sharp. You’ll want to bring a notebook and pen.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Here we are at the back of the main floor.” She stopped at a door and pulled it open. “This is the kitchen, and through that other door is the spirits room.”

Honour turned and regarded her new employer curiously.

Donovan tilted her head in invitation and led the way. “I suppose it might be called a wine cellar if it were in the basement. I don’t drink much wine. Do you drink, Miss Elliot?”

As she followed behind, Honour replied, “On occasion, I prefer a well-aged malt whiskey.”

Bree nodded. “You’ll find the main supply of spirits here and distributed to the library bar as needed. This also falls under your responsibilities as well. You will be coordinating with Chef Flynn.” Bree turned to find Honour making notes on a small screen. “Any questions so far?”

Honour glanced up. “I assume you’ll want daily meetings?”

“Yes. I was thinking about morning meetings, perhaps over breakfast.”

Honour lowered the screen. “At my previous post, I rose at five am to get a brief run in before my employer rose at seven. I was at his beck and call all day, so my run and occasional workouts in the gym were often at his mercy.”

Bree nodded. “I see. Well, I tend to rise between seven and eight in the morning. I would say you can expect to run uninterrupted.” Bree plucked a bottle of whiskey off a shelf and motioned for her new household manager to follow her into the kitchen. As Bree poured the whiskey into two tumblers, she continued. “I believe that your time should be your own, as much as possible. Of course, I can’t make any promises.” Bree passed her a glass and raised her own. “To the success of our new arrangement.”

Honour toasted the executive and they both drank.

Feeling the pleasant burn down the back of her throat, Honour smiled and set her glass upside down in the sink. Bree did the same.

“Would you like to see the exercise room and the pool?” At Honour’s nod, Bree led the way through the foyer once again and across it to the stairs leading to the basement landing. Here, she turned to her right and opened a door. “This is the exercise room. You’ll find a full set of weights here, a rowing machine, a treadmill, sit-up bench, a stair machine, pull-up bar, and a kickboxing bag. Across the hall,” Bree stepped back into the hall and opened another door. “As I’m sure you can tell, this is the pool.”

Honour followed her new boss into the room and gazed around the sun-lit space. One entire wall was windows and the full-sized pool was recessed into an ivory-coloured floor decorated with Mediterranean blue tiles. The pool bottom and sides were all tiled in the same shade as the accent tiles.

“All of my staff are encouraged to use both rooms. I find a fit body makes for a sharper mind. Over here is the sauna,” Bree trailed away along the side of the pool, and Honour followed along, imagining what it would be like to use the sauna after a swim at midnight.

“Mrs. Vaughan has grandchildren, and when their birthdays come along, I host pool parties and have a movie showing in the theatre.”

“You have a theatre too?”

“I’ll show you.” Bree placed a hand on Honour’s lower back and guided her out into the hallway. “I am a fan of adventure movies myself, and outer space. The children seem to enjoy nearly anything animated, so they’re easy to please. What kind of movies do you enjoy?”

“Adventure, fantasy, comedy. But I’ve not been able to take in many movies lately.”

“It sounds as if your former employer kept you quite under his thumb, Miss Elliot. You’ll find I am not so controlling. Here we are.”

Miss Donovan stopped at door set off to the side and pulled on a heavy brass handle. She waved Honour through first before following. The room was decorated with movie posters along the wall and leather recliners sat in three rows. Honour counted seating for twelve before admiring the large screen set into the wall at the far end of the room. 

“We have a staff movie night on the last Saturday of every month. I try and attend as often as I can, but business does occasionally keep me from it. I believe the popular vote this time was for Avatar.”

“One of my favourites!”

“Wonderful! Now, you’ll need to know where my quarters are.”

Bree led the way up the stairs until they were once again on the second-floor landing. Instead of turning left however, she turned right. A door painted to blend in with the marble walls was marked only by a brass handle. Bree pressed the handle down and passed into her personal space. The large room had a wooden floor, much darker than the rest of the house. The walls were decorated with burgundy paper scattered with small white flowers. A simple door to the left led off into the en-suite bathroom. Like Honour’s suite, there was a sitting area defined by a large woven rug. Bree’s chairs were the colour of fine vellum, with high backs and a cushion on each. A low oak cabinet held a few books nearby. Her bed was also made from dark wood with posts carved in elaborate twists.

“Let’s have a seat for a minute.” Bree gestured to the chairs.

Honour let the other woman sit first and then settled herself. “This is a nice room.”

Bree smiled slightly. “I’ve chosen all of the furniture myself, including that in your suite.”

“You’re a talented decorator, Miss Donovan.”

“Thank you.” Anything else she might have said was interrupted by her cellphone.

“Excuse me.” Bree looked at the caller identification and sighed before answering.

“Yes?”

There was quiet in the room for a moment.

“He did what? Goddamn him! He’s got sway too...all right...call everyone on the board that will vote our way, let them know what he’s trying to pull. Delay the meeting as long as you can, I’m on my way in.” Bree scowled and disconnected the call.

“I’m sorry, Miss Elliot, I need to run to company headquarters.” 

“Do you need my assistance?”

Bree rose and headed for the door. “Thank you, but no. You take the day and settle in as we planned. I’ll need someone on the outside to bail me out if I give in to my fondest urge and choke the bastard.”

“I’ll roll my nickles, Ma’am.” Honour responded easily.

Bree glanced at Honour, shook her head once and gave her an amused smile. Then she went to an intercom panel beside her door. She pushed a button and spoke. “Mrs. Vaughan, could you meet us in the library, please?”

After a brief silence, a reply came back. “Yes, Miss Donovan.”

Beverly was waiting for them when they re-entered the library.

“Mrs. Vaughan, could you please help Miss Elliot get her things settled, something has come up with the board and I need to run into the city. I’ve already texted Miss Rickard for the car. Give Miss Elliot a copy of the contact list, show her the office and introduce her to Chef Flynn so she doesn’t starve.” Bree strode to her desk, lifted her briefcase and began to drop files into it. 

“Aye. Would you like a plate set aside for you?”

“That would be nice, thank you. I have no idea how long this will take.” 

Honour watched Bree slip her blazer on and head for the front door

“Miss Elliot, I’ll see you tomorrow morning for breakfast at eight in the dining room, if not before.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Bree went to the front door and plucked an overcoat from the closet there. “Beverly, roll your nickels and pray you won’t need to use them.”

“Ma’am?”

“Miss Elliot can explain.”

When the door had shut, Beverly turned to Honour. “Nickles?”

“Miss Donovan got a call while we were upstairs. I got the impression someone is trying to hold a board meeting without intending to include her. When I asked if there was anything I could do, she told me she would need someone on the outside to pay the bail if she gave in to her fondest desire and choked someone,” Honour shrugged. “I told her I would roll my nickles.”

“Ah.”

“She seemed sort of amused by it.”

“She would. Not many folks have the nerve to banter with her like that. Too busy being afraid of her. Let’s get your things then, shall we?”

Honour opened the door for the Scotswoman and asked, “So, what do I need to know that Miss Donovan won’t tell me?”

Beverly chuckled. “You’re a canny one, lass. Miss Donovan was raised by good people, hard-working and fair. But with certain, conventions, shall we say. Unless she initiates an informal conversation, we use formal titles. Never refer to her by her first name. She can be stiff at times, but don’t let that intimidate you.” With some stiffness, Beverly stepped carefully down the stone steps toward the orange mustang, with Honour close by. “She takes a bit to warm to some people.”

Honour pushed the remote button to open her trunk. “Is she as much of a workaholic as she reputed to be?”

“Sometimes more. As you’ve learned, there are those on the board that would like to see her gone. They make trouble for her at every opportunity. It’s likely those that have started this latest upset. She has to work twice as hard to try and stay ahead of them. Any help you can be to her will be a blessing.” Beverly watched Honour unload the rolling suitcase and documents box. “I expect you’ll meet the rest of the staff tomorrow. All women.”

“That must be interesting.”

“And at times an irritation.” Mrs. Vaughan admitted, then turned and pointed out a ramp. “That’s the underground parking.”

Honour pulled the garment bag from the back of the car. “I was wondering about parking, thank you.”

Mrs. Vaughan reached for a suitcase handle. “Oh, I can get that!” Honour said quickly.

“I may have snow on the roof, Miss Elliot, but I am far from weak. I assume it has wheels, does it not?” she said brusquely.

Honour flushed. “It does.”

“Very well, follow me and I’ll show you where the elevator is.”

“There’s an elevator?”

Once they had brought the luggage into Honour’s room, Mrs. Vaughan continued. “Normally, any staff on the grounds eats dinner together in the breakfast nook between four o’clock and five. I can take you to meet Chef Flynn now if you like.”

“That would be nice, thank you.”

As they rode back downstairs in the elevator, Beverly added, “Miss Burke, that’s Miss Donovan’s personal housekeeper, is bringing in lasagna tomorrow. It’s the chef’s day off.”  Once the elevator had stopped and it’s door slid open, Beverly turned to the right and made her way into the spacious kitchen.

“Chef Flynn, Miss Donovan has asked me to introduce her new personal assistant and estate manager. This is Honour Elliot.”

Honour smiled at the young freckled woman in a crisp white uniform. “Chef.”

“Miss Elliot, it’s good to meet you.”

Mrs. Vaughan slid her hands into her sweater pockets. “Miss Donovan had to run out unexpectedly and has asked that a plate be put aside for her this evening. I doubt Miss Elliot has had anything to eat today. Perhaps an early lunch might be in order?”

Chef Flynn smiled and nodded. “Absolutely, Mrs. Vaughan. Will you be staying with us for supper too?”

“No, my husband has been pestering for fish and chips. So my daughter is coming over to help me with that. Heaven forbid he help out in the kitchen.” The head housekeeper addressed Honour again, “What are your plans after lunch?”

“Miss Donovan invited me to make use of the exercise room and pool, so I think I’ll do that. Perhaps take a walk on the grounds. Is there anywhere off limits?”

“To the rest of the staff, yes. But for Miss Donovan’s right hand, I doubt it.” 

“Thank you for your help. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Elliot.” The housekeeper inclined her head slightly.

***

Alone for the first time since setting foot in the house, Honour turned to take in her new quarters. Her room at her last post really had been smaller than the walk-in closet here. Just enough for a bed and a dresser. It didn’t take long to hang her business wear, unpack the suitcase and documents box. With her empty luggage tucked into a back corner of the closet, Honour plucked her keys off the nightstand and went to park her car. The garage door opened automatically as the mustang approached and she drove in slowly. After parking, she made her way into the house through an unremarkable metal door. She came out directly across from the laundry room in the basement and made her way up to the kitchen, intending to use the back stairs. The house was completely silent, a peaceful, soothing cocoon.