“Two or three years?” Leilani asks, feeling her skin prickle.
Three years ago, Charles was Nanny’s doctor. Could he have given her poisoned medicine? Leilani shakes her head. No, that’s impossible, she thinks. Charles always treated Nanny so well. It must have come from somewhere else.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Leilani says. “Is the drug similar to some other medicine? Maybe someone made a mistake with her prescription and accidentally made this instead of her normal medicine.”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Dr. Pan says. “The active ingredient in this drug is basically the same as the one used in many common insecticides. No one would put this in medicine.”
“So someone did this to her on purpose?” Leilani asks. “There’s no chance it was an accident?”
“I’m afraid not,” Dr. Pan says. “We’re going to take some medicines to try to reverse the effect, but there’s no guarantee they’ll work. We’ll observe the effects closely, but I think it’d be better if she could continue to receive mental stimulation. For example, if her family members could visit and talk to her, that might help stimulate her brain.”
“I understand, thank you,” Leilani says.
She sighs and hangs up the phone. Last time she visited Nanny, the old woman only responded to Waylen’s voice. Now that she and Waylen are officially separated, there’s no way she’ll get Waylen to go with her to the hospital. The recording of his voice may have worked, but Andrew threw the pen into the ocean.
The car arrives at D.O., and Leilani tries to focus on the meeting ahead. The receptionist greets her with a warm smile and buzzes her through the lobby. As she waits for an elevator, she hears two pairs of high-heels click across the marble floors. The women stand behind Leilani and whisper to each other.
“Did you see Sophie’s new customer?” one asks. “She’s the most distinguished woman I’ve ever seen.”
“She really is,” the other replies. “And she was so polite and friendly too—not at all arrogant.”
“Everyone says she’s rich,” the first says. “And her clothes and handbag were obviously designers, but her car was so plain. Not at all what you’d expect from such a wealthy woman.”
“Maybe she just likes to keep a low profile,” the second woman says. “She’s classy, you know.”
Leilani wonders who the customer is. Only the truly wealthy can afford to have a custom-made D.O. design, and Leilani wonders if she’s met the woman before. The elevator dings, and the doors slide open. Leilani gets on, and the women nudge each other when they see her face.
“There are so many stunning women here today,” they whisper.
Leilani smiles, pretending she can’t hear them. The women get off on the sixth floor, and Leilani heads to Sophie’s penthouse office by herself. Sophie’s personal assistant is waiting to greet her outside the elevator doors.
“Welcome, Miss Peters,” she says. “Ms. Johnson is waiting for you in her office.” Sophie’s office is the same as Leilani remembers it, but there are several new vases filled with Juliet roses. The delicate peach petals are still covered in fresh dew, and their scent perfumes the air. An elegant woman is sitting on the sofa, deep in conversation with Sophie.
Leilani knocks on the open door as she enters, and the two women stand up. Sophie rushes over and wraps her in a warm hug, and the woman smiles politely. She walks across the room, with light dancer-like steps and takes Leilani’s hand.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Miss Peters,” she says.
Leilani studies the young woman in front of her. She’s wearing a simple dress made out of a light, expertly woven cotton. The dress looks as if it was custom-made for her—it shows off her slim waist and petite figure. Her face is lovely and classically beautiful. Dark curly lashes frame her large, green eyes, and her heart-shaped lips are a natural pale pink. Her expression is kind and friendly, but she seems a bit shy.
“Leilani, let me introduce you to Rebecca Arlington,” Sophie says. “She’s the daughter of a friend of mine, and she’s just come back to the country. She grew up abroad, you see. She saw some of your sketches, and she fell in love with your work.”
“Miss Arlington, it’s nice to meet you too,” Leilani says.
Rebecca smiles and reaches into her handbag. She pulls out a small pink box and shows it to Leilani.
“I’ve brought a small gift for you,” Rebecca says. “I hope you like it.”
Leilani feels herself blush and says, “Oh, you’re too kind, but we’ve just met. I can’t accept it.”
“Really, it’s nothing,” Rebecca insists. “Please take it.”
Leilani takes the small pink box and murmurs a quiet thanks. Rejecting the gift would be rude, and Rebecca seems like a kind person. She doesn’t want to hurt Rebecca’s feelings, even if the gift is a little odd.
Sophie ushers them back to the sofas, and her assistant brings a silver tray with a blue and white china teapot. She offers each woman a cup and fills it to the brim with fragrant, rosehip tea. She offers the women sugar and cream, but the delicate tea tastes better on its own, and the women refuse.
“It’s not often I have such beautiful young women in my office,” Sophie jokes. “You put my roses to shame.”
Rebecca laughs politely and says, “Don’t flatter me. Miss Peters is stunning, though—I wonder if all women in this country are as beautiful as she is.”
As Rebecca talks, Leilani notices a subtle, almost musical accent in her voice. She smiles at Rebecca and takes another sip of her tea. Rebecca crosses her legs at the ankle and swirls her teacup. Every movement is as graceful as a dance step.
Sophie’s assistant walks over and whispers something to Sophie, and Sophie’s eyes widen slightly. Before Leilani can ask what’s wrong, Sophie smiles and stands.
“Excuse me, I’m afraid I have to attend to something,” she says. “I hope you and Leilani can continue the conversation without me.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Rebecca says. “I believe that Miss Peters and I will get along very well.” She turns to Leilani and smiles, “Do you mind if I call you, Leilani? Please, feel free to call me Rebecca—there’s no need for us to be so formal with each other.”
Leilani nods, wondering why Sophie has introduced her to Rebecca. Does Sophie want me to design something for Rebecca? She thinks. I’d be happy to do it, but I’m already working on these cufflinks. I want to finish them before I accept a new project.
Rebecca leans forward and puts her teacup on the glass-topped coffee table.
Her movements are perfectly silent—the teacup doesn’t even make a noise as it touches the table. Rebecca smiles and stands. Leilani follows her lead.
“Leilani, thanks so much for coming to meet me in person,” Rebecca says. “It’s really thoughtful. I’m so grateful you agreed to design the cufflinks for me. Sophie told me you were on leave and pregnant, but I just knew no one else would be able to do as good a job as you.”
Leilani looks at Rebecca in surprise. She assumed a male client had asked her to design the cufflinks—she wasn’t picturing someone as small and feminine as Rebecca.
“I’m happy to show you some of my ideas,” Leilani says. “Let’s go downstairs to the offices.”
In the elevator, Rebecca clears her throat and says, “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re so slim I almost can’t believe you’re pregnant. I hope someday when I have children, and I’ll carry them with your grace.”
As she talks about having children, a subtle blush creeps up her face, making her look innocent and girlish. Leilani laughs and waves the compliment away. She wants to ask Rebecca about the cufflinks, but she’s not sure where to begin.
The doors of the elevator slide open, and a clerk pushing a cart loaded with a tall pile of boxes rush forward without looking. Leilani wraps her arms around her stomach and braces herself for the crash, but it doesn’t come. Rebecca jumps in front of her and throws her arms out to block the cart. The sloppily piled boxes tumble down, and the clerk yelps an apology. Rebecca takes Leilani’s arm and leads her around the mess and out of the elevator.
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.