I’d show him that Emma O’Brien wasn’t going to bow to his wishes. I wasn’t a doll in a box. The idea that occurred to me was only a small act of defiance, but it was something. Instead of waiting for Ian to knock, enter, and take away what remained of my midday meal, I would take it to him.
Pushing the cart, I stopped and opened the door. “Ian.”
My eyes widened and my pulse beat in double time.
I stepped through the threshold.
My heartbeat echoed in my ears.
The hallway was empty.
I didn’t take time to consider what I was doing. This wasn’t small; this defiance went against everything Rett and Ian had said. It was also an opening, a path to freedom. I had to take it.
Quietly closing the cart in the suite and the door behind me, I took off toward the staircase.
Emma
Looking down at my bare feet, I realized I hadn’t taken the time to put on shoes or even socks. With my eyes wide open, I moved the direction I’d been taken each night, turning left from the door. A quick check over my shoulder confirmed that in the other direction, there was one door beyond mine on the other side of the hall. Beyond that, it dead-ended with a window, an unblocked window.
My fingers blanched as I gripped the square cap on top of the banister and took a step down. As soon as my weight pressed upon the stair, the wood creaked. I’d heard that sound before, when Rett was leading me. However, never before had it seemed as loud. My head quickly turned from side to side as I held my breath, waiting for someone to find me. The staircase was currently very simple in design, a polished oak with a smooth wooden handrail sandwiched between two tall walls. It paled in comparison to the other rooms in this house.
I’d assumed after the first night that the blindfold Rett asked me to wear was less about hiding the nuances of Rett’s home than it was about me relinquishing my sight to him, allowing him to lead me, and trusting him. That said, I wasn’t certain what I’d find once I was able to see more of his home. The dining room, conservatory, and courtyard had been magnificent.
Letting out my breath, I looked up. High above within the stairwell was a large intricate heavy metal light fixture as well as another unblocked window. Despite the landing and bend in the staircase, the natural light allowed me to see down to the next level.
By the time I made it to the second floor, my breathing was shallow. Too shallow. I stepped into the shadows past the landing and mentally scolded myself.
“Stop it, Emma. Breathe.”
I peered around, recognizing that it was difficult to hear anything over my own thumping heart pounding in my ears. Wrapping my arms around my chest, I stood perfectly still and took in my surroundings.
There was a second set of stairs heading down to the first floor.
While I saw it, I was confident that I’d never been led down or up this second staircase. Peering again around the corner, I had memories of turning after descending the first set of stairs. Around the corner, I saw what I’d experienced without sight. There were high ceilings, luxuriously wainscoting-paneled walls, and a polished wood floor with a long predominantly red rug running down the center of the hallway. If the carpeting had been golden, it would be like Dorothy’s yellow-brick road possibly taking me to see the wizard.
However, it wasn’t yellow and the last person I wanted to see was the wizard, a.k.a. Everett Ramses. My goal was to find a way out of this maze. I didn’t know where I was going or how to get there, but this was New Orleans. There were people and establishments. All I needed was the ability to make a phone call to Ross.
Now with a semblance of a plan at hand, I held myself against the wall and waited for my pulse to resume a normal beat. As I did, I tried to listen to the world around me. Faintly, I heard noises a floor below.
If my assumption was correct, this was a back staircase, perhaps one that had been constructed for use by servants. If I was right, going down the hallways would eventually lead me to the front staircase, the one I imagined to be much grander.
In my current state, I wasn’t looking for grand. I was on the lookout for escape.
I took one step down and then another. As the staircase had done a floor above, this one came to a landing and changed directions. I held my breath as voices came into range. With limited practice and accessibility, I was still able to recognize both of them, quite the accomplishment considering I only could identify three people. Neither of the voices were of the man I was trying to avoid. That wasn’t completely true. I was avoiding everyone.
The voices had been Ian and Miss Guidry. While I hadn’t caught their entire conversation, their tones were jovial as Ian bid her so-long, for now.
Quickly, I hurried back up the stairs and turned the corner on the second floor. Pressing my body against the wall, I waited with my heart drumming against my breastbone as footsteps came closer. Closing my eyes, I held my breath. As long as Ian didn’t stop on the second floor, I would be safe for now.
Would he go into the suite and find me missing?
If I’d thought ahead, I would have closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower. I hadn’t given my escape that much consideration. Then again, if Ian simply kept an eye on the door, I had more time before he discovered I was missing.
Ian’s footsteps continued upward.
I waited until Ian reached the third floor.
Once he did, I hurried back to the staircase and took one step down and then another. With another large window at the top of the landing, no matter where I moved, my shadow cast down the stairs to the floor below. I did my best to stay near the wall as I continued downward.