Chapter 14
Icouldn't remember when Bellamy had left the night before, but I knew that I hadn't really slept. I was exhausted and must have looked it, because when I showed up for brunch Delilah pulled me to theside.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes crinkling inconcern.
I quickly wiped beneath my eyes with my finger. Sure enough, they felt puffy. "I'm fine," I lied. "Just couldn't sleep lastnight."
She raised an eyebrow, not convinced. "Do you need to take a rain check today?" she asked. "I can ask Ms. Enders. It'll suck, we won't get another chance to leave before the party, but I'm sureshe'll–"
"Leave?" I asked,confused.
"Yea," she said. "You didn't know? We're going into towntoday."
Had I known that? Probably. "I'm sorry, I forgot. No, you don't need to talk to her. I'm fine." I brushed past her and made my way into the lounge where the tables were preset, and everyone was already in their own designated seats. I went to my table, feeling Delilah's eyes on my back. It was only the twins and I today. It looked like the only other girl who shared our table was either sick or had decided to skipbrunch.
Ms. Enders entered the room, looking the picture of regal grace in a sheath dress and short kitten pumps. She addressed the ladies from the front of the room, her naturally severe, yet beautiful face flushed as she relayed her excitement. We were going into the upscale, small town of Pineville in order to get fitted for our dresses for the cotillion – or pseudo-cotillion. At this point, I couldn't find it in myself to care what it wascalled.
When Mr. Wallace entered the room, I almost slapped myself. I was here for a reason, and that reason was not to mope over my own stupid choices. I was here to find a criminal – a blackmailer...a potential rapist. There had already been one suicide. I looked around the room at the girls. I didn't know all of them. Hell, I didn't know ninety percent of them, but I still felt responsible for them. I straightened my back and resolved to finish this up – and quickly if I could. We were already halfway through this camp. I looked around, seeing if Margarie was nearby. Now, knowing that she was his daughter, I wondered why she chose to work for Ms. Enders rather than attend with the girls. Another thing Delilah had pointed out to me earlier in the week was that even though the etiquette courses sucked big time, they were a good way for the girls to network. These girls weren't just ordinary teenagers. They were the daughters of rich and powerful people. They would likely end up going to the best colleges, marrying into the upper echelon of any community they chose. Their connections and friends were a network of the wealthy, famous, andpowerful.
"Ladies," Ms. Enders called across the room. "As you all know, you will be going on a little trip today. Well, I have a wonderful surprise for you. Unfortunately," I watched as her face tensed slightly while Mr. Wallace remained completely unreadable, "I won't be able to join you as I usually would. Mr. Wallace has agreed to see you into Pineville. I hope that you'll all give him your attention and mind his regulations. We do ask that you stay together in groups. You are, after all, young ladies and under our care. Please take care not to stray from the group and to keep Mr. Wallace aware of your whereabouts if you choose to take some free time and shop at the localboutiques."
Ms. Enders finished with a few reminders on table manners as we would be staying in town for dinner at what Isador and Natalia calledLa Maison, a French restaurant. I glanced at Mr. Wallace out of the corner of my eye. Delilah had said he was militant with his boys. I would be surprised if he didn't quiz us on our table manners and the proper use of utensils. I looked down at the silverware with irritation. Thankfully, though, brunch ended without a Mr. Wallace intervention and we were all escorted into several stretch limos to head totown.
The seats were warm leather and some of the girls popped a bottle of champagne and poured the glasses. "Um, aren't we all underage?" I asked. Even Natalia, Isador, and Delilahlaughed.
"Don't worry," Delilah said, handing me a glass. "No one is going totell."
"I'm so glad Mr. Wallace went with the other limo," Isador said, leaning back against the door as she put her heel clad feet on her sister'slap.
Natalia grimaced and shoved her off. "Silk, Isa," she snapped. "I'm wearing silk." Isador laughed but didn't put her feet back up as she sipped herchampagne.
I stared down at my glass of champagne and, remembering how sore my muscles had been after the "extra training" Knix had ordered, I lightly handed it off to someone else, hoping Natalia, Isador, and Delilah didn'tnotice.
"Me too," one of the other girls, whose name I didn't know, said with a groan, responding to Isador's relief. "He's old and a stick in themud."
"You're just mad that you can't bat your eyes at him and get whatever you want like you do with your daddy, Lindsey," Delilah snapped. The girl in question wore an expensive, floral, wrap dress with nude heels with red bottoms. She rolled her eyes at Delilah and drank morechampagne.
It didn't take long for us to reach Pineville. Apparently, other than the larger cities, the majority of upper New York was a hunter and fisher's paradise. Pineville was quaint but sequestered. Though it was upscale, which was obvious in the whitewashed buildings and classically antique little houses here and there, it was still quite small. The limos pulled up at the end of the main street – the street with the most shops and businesses – and everyone got out. Several of the girls from our limo teetered on their heels including Isador and the other girl, Lindsey, both of whom were obviously alreadytipsy.
My gaze shot to Mr. Wallace as he stepped out of his limo. His hard eyes and enigmatic face were stone cold. Delilah gripped my hand and tugged me after her. I was starting to feel very thankful that she had taken me under her wing when I arrived. Having a friend was good for blending in, yes, but really, sometimes, I needed someone who was much more knowledgeable about all of this stuff than Iwas.
"Come on," she called behind her, "they get free time first, we're heading to the shop first to getfitted."
"Hi Angel," Delilah said with a bright smile as we entered through the tinkling glass front door. The shop was a small boutique with an elegant African American woman at the counter. The place smelled like coconut and lavender and I loved it the moment I inhaled. There were fabrics on every wall, tapestries bearing obviously hand-wovenscenes.
"Good to see you again, Dee," the young woman – Angel – said. "Who's this?" She graced me with a smile that seemed to shine right out of herface.
"This is Harley," Delilah introduced. I blinked, confused for a moment, then nearly stumbled over myself to offer my hand as I recognized my pseudonym. After the night before with Bellamy, my whole brain had apparently been fried if I couldn't even remember my fake name. It was only two letters off from my real name for God'ssake!
"Hi," I said hesitantly, offering my hand. Angel took it and then held it for amoment.
"Wow," she said. "I've never seen eyes with gold in thembefore."
"What?" Iblinked.
"Your eyes. They're brown, but you've got these interesting light swirls of gold in them. They're quite pretty." She let my handgo.
"Oh," I said dumbly. "Thank you." I felt a flush rise to my face and Delilah laughed. Thankfully, the twins saved me from furtherembarrassment.