Leilani nods and walks to the kitchen, returning with a fine china basin filled with lemon water. Leonie dippers her fair hands in the lemon water and turn her palms back and forth. After she finished, she asks for a towel. Leilani removes the basin and offers Leonie an Egyptian cotton towel, before taking the basin and discarded towel back to the kitchen. Weak as she is, her hands shake.
Next, Maureen then asks her to bring glasses of water to the table. Leilani complies, placing the crystal glasses next to an empty china basin on the tray. Mrs. Florence Bamford sips the water and swishes it around her mouth before spitting it discreetly into the basin. Leonie takes her glass and takes small, elegant sips before politely bending over to spit the water. After her first two sips, she spits the water into the basin, but then she gets an idea. With a small smirk, she spits the rinse water onto the hand holding the tray.
Leilani feels the acid roil with revulsion in her stomach. She shakes her hand and tries to wipe Leonie’s saliva from her skin, but she’s not strong enough to hold the ray with one hand. Suddenly the glasses, the basin, and water all tumble to the ground.
“What an idiot!” Mrs. Florence Bamford yells, “Why can’t you hold a tray? Clean it up now!”
Mrs. Bamford didn’t see Leonie spit on Leilani’s hand, but Leilani doubts it would have mattered if she had seen it. Mrs. Bamford gives Maureen a look and the maid comes over and kicks Leilani . Leilani is taken by surprise and falls in a puddle of spit-water.
Leilani’s hair falls messily around her face and her uniform is rumpled and dirty. Her hands are wet with Mrs. Bamford and Leonie’s spit water. She can’t find the words to describe the depths of her humiliation. Strengthened by her sudden rage, she tries to get up and slap Maureen, but she’s not strong enough to make much progress. Maureen easily stops her and pushes her back onto the ground.
“Let it go, Maureen,” Leonie says calmly, standing up and offering Leilani her hand, “Leilani doesn’t mean it. Leilani, are you okay? Why don’t you go to your room to clean up?”
Leilani sees right through Leonie’s false kindness. Stubbornly, she refuses Leonie’s hand and struggles laboriously to her feet. She glares at Maureen hatefully. Leonie watches frozen in position, surprised that Leilani doesn’t seem to be fighting her tormentors. She knows Leilani’s weak, but her sudden and uncharacteristic meekness is concerning; Leonine wonders what her rival is planning.
Leilani returns to her room to change. By the time she emerges, they have started eating their steaks. The rich smell of steak fills the dining room, and she can hear the sound of the knives slicing through the tender meat. She stands quietly by the table and observes the modest and dainty way in which Leonie eats her steak and drinks her water.
“What are you doing standing there?” Mrs. Florence Bamford asks, “Pour orange juice for me and Leonie.”
Mrs. Florence Bamford cuts a piece of steak and puts it in her mouth. The steak is medium-rare and slightly bloody. A drop of blood flecks Mrs. Florence Bamford’s lip as she eats, making her look like a vampire. Leilani picks up the jug of orange juice and walks to Mrs. Bamford’s side to pour her a glass. She can’t help but take a longing look at the half-eaten steak on the plate. Leonie sees her and smiles cruelly.
“Leilani must be really hungry after spending so much time in that room,” Leonie said with false concern.
Leilani looks at Leonie warily. Mrs. Florence Bamford shrugs.
“Maureen, ask the chef to roast a steak for Leilani,” she commands.
Maureen smiles understanding Leonie’s unspoken intention. She takes a steak from the kitchen, places it on a china plate, and carries it into the dining room. The bloody piece of meat is completely raw.
“Pull out the chair for Leilani,” Mrs. Florence Bamford orders.
One of the maids pulls out the chair and presses Leilani’s shoulder to force her to sit down. Maureen places the plate in front of Leilani, picks up the fork and knife, cuts a piece and tries to feed Leilani. The metallic smell of blood fills Leilani’s nose. She covers her mouth, pushes Maureen away and runs to the nearest bathroom to retch violently into the toilet.
Though Leilani hasn’t eaten anything in days, her stomach contracts as violently as if it were full of food. She spends a long time in the bathroom before her body calms, leaving her weak and sweaty on the marble floor. Leonie listens to Leilani’s retching and drops her fork with a clang—a horrible thought comes to her mind.
“Is she pregnant?” she asks anxiously.
Mrs. Bamford frowns and shakes her head.
“I don’t think so,” she answers, “If she is, I would have heard of it.”
“Maybe it’s recent?” Leonie suggests.
“That can’t be,” Mrs. Bamford objects, “Dr. Meyer said she’s unfit for pregnancy.”
“That doesn’t mean she can’t get pregnant at all,” Leonie says, “Oh, what will we do? If Mr. Francis Bamford finds out, it’s all over.”
Though many servants show special loyalty to Florence or Waylen, the vast majority are loyal to Francis Bamford. They work throughout his houses as informants. Even when he’s away, his servants keep him informed of the latest news at home. It’s how he learned about Waylen’s illness so quickly.
“She’s full of tricks,” Mrs. Bamford says with a worried look, “We’ll ask Dr. Walter to examine her.”
When Leilani returns from the toilet, she notices the woman regarding her with strange looks.
“Leilani, are you unwell?” Leonie asks.
“I appreciate your sudden concern for my health,” Leilani answers acidly, tugging her dress down as she speaks, “Besides, being half-starved, I am a little unwell. The smell of blood and grease turns my stomach.”
Leilani thinks nothing of this, but Leonie and Florence exchange significant looks with one another. Before Leilani can notice anything, Mrs. Florence Bamford hides her concern.
“Go ask Dr. Walter to come around,” she says in a cool, neutral tone.
David hurriedly rushes into the room, carrying an emergency kit with him. Leilani takes a deep breath upon seeing his arrival. Something clicks in her mind as she recalls her strange dream and the way her stomach has been feeling. She gives David an uneasy look and he gazes back with concern and confusion. Leilani tries to convey her concern through her expression, but Leonie irritably interrupts and draws the doctor’s attention to herself.
“Dr. Walter, Leilani says she feels sick when she smells blood or grease,” Leonie complains, “Could she be pregnant?”
David nods at Mrs. Florence Bamford in greeting before approaching Leilani.
“Mrs. Bamford,” he says to Leilani, “How long have you been feeling this way?”
“Only today,” Leilani answers with an accusative edge in her voice, “I’ve been in the darkroom without food or water for a few days so I didn’t feel anything earlier.”
David freezes in the midst of opening his medical kit. He can’t believe the family has mistreated her so severely in Waylen’s absence. He wants to say something, but he knows he’s not part of the family. They respect his medical advice but expect him to keep his opinions to himself.
“Don’t waste any time,” Mrs. Florence Bamford snapped irritably, concerned that David knows about Leilani’s torment, “I want a diagnosis.”
David halts for a second before sliding the pregnancy test back into the kit. Instead, he takes out another instrument.
“I’ll check Mrs. Bamford’s pulse first,” he says.
Leonie is about to object, but David gently places his hand on Leilani’s wrist. He listens attentively to her pulse and then frowns. He gives Leilani a casual look and she returns a complicated one, filled with mixed meanings. After a moment, David removes his hand and takes a deep breath.
“I think Mrs. Bamford is pregnant,” he announces.
Leonie feels like her head might explode. Before she can think things through, she crosses the room and shoves David off of Leilani. Frantically, she begins digging through the medical kit.
“I don’t buy it,” Leonie says, “Taking a pulse is not an accurate way to determine pregnancy. Take the pregnancy test out.”
Leonie’s frantic move doesn’t frighten Leilani. She gives David a grateful look and feels a weight easing from her chest.
“Is David helping me?” Leilani wonders, “I deliberately disclosed my torment to him because I know he’s loyal to Waylen. I was hoping he’d help me, but I never expected that he’d go this far for me. Though this is only a makeshift plan, it’s a good one. David must know that pregnancy is the only thing that can change Francis Bamford’s mind. The only downside is explaining that it was all a lie to Waylen when he comes back—he’ll be so disappointed.”
This last thought brings a sharp pang of pain with it. Leilani freezes suddenly, shocked by her own thoughts.
“What am I doing?” she wonders, “Am I really upset that I’m not actually having a child with Waylen? I need to get it together.”
“Miss Summers, are you unhappy with Dr. Walter’s diagnosis?” Leilani asks.
David takes the medical kit from Leonie.
“I’m not unhappy,” she said quickly, “I just think this sort of news is far too important to risk any inaccuracy, and a pregnancy test is the only way to really be sure.
Don’t you agree with me, Dr. Walter?”
David nods reluctantly.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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