Фрида Макфаден – The Housemaide / Горничная. Книга для чтения на английском языке (страница 6)
“So what do you like to watch on television?” I ask, hoping she’ll take the hint.
She frowns like I offended her. “I prefer to read.”
“That’s great! What do you like to read?”
“Books.”
“What kind of books?”
“The kind with words.”
Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be, Cecelia. Fine, if she doesn’t want to talk about books, I can change the subject. “Did you just come back from school?” I ask her.
She blinks at me. “Where else would I have come from?”
“But… how did you get home then?”
Cecelia lets out an exasperated huff. “Lucy’s mom picked me up from ballet and brought me home.”
I heard Nina upstairs about fifteen minutes ago, so I assume she’s in the house. I wonder if I should let her know that Cecelia is home. Then again, I don’t want to disturb her, and one of my jobs is to look after Cecelia.
Thank God, Cecelia seems to have lost interest in me and is now rifling around in her pale pink backpack. I find some Ritz crackers in the pantry as well as a jar of peanut butter. I spread the peanut butter over the crackers like my mother used to do. Repeating the same act that my mother used to do for me so many times makes me feel a little nostalgic. And sad. I never thought she would abandon me the way she did.
After I’ve spread peanut butter on the crackers, I slice up a banana and put one slice on each. I love the combination of peanut butter and bananas.
“Ta-da!” I slide the plate onto the kitchen counter to present it to Cecelia. “Peanut butter and banana crackers!”
Her eyes widen. “Peanut butter and banana?”
“Trust me. It’s really good.”
“I’m allergic to peanut butter!” Cecelia’s cheeks turn bright pink. “Peanut butter could kill me! Are you trying to kill me?”
My heart sinks[20]. Nina never said anything about a peanut butter allergy. And they have peanut butter right in their pantry! If her daughter has a deadly peanut allergy, why would she keep it in the house?
“Mommy!” Cecelia shrieks as she runs toward the staircase. “The maid tried to hurt me with peanut butter! Help, Mommy!”
Oh God.
“Cecelia!” I hiss at her. “It was an accident! I didn’t know you were allergic and—”
But Nina is already racing down the stairs. Despite the disarray of her house, she looks flawless right now in another one of her gleaming white skirt-and-blouse combinations. White is her color. Cecelia’s too, apparently. They match the house.
“What’s going on?” Nina cries when she reaches the bottom of the stairs.
I wince as Cecelia propels herself at her mother, wrapping her arms around Nina’s bosom. “She tried to make me eat peanut butter, Mommy! I told her I was allergic, but she didn’t listen.”
Nina’s pale skin flushes. “Millie, is this true?”
“I…” My throat feels completely dry. “I didn’t know she was allergic. I swear.”
Nina frowns. “I told you about her allergies, Millie. This is unacceptable.”
She never told me. She never said a word about Cecelia being allergic to peanuts. I would bet my life on it. And even if she had,
But she won’t believe any of my excuses. In her head, I nearly killed her daughter. I see this job slipping out from under my fingers.
“I’m truly sorry.” I speak around a lump in my throat. “I must’ve forgotten. I promise I’ll never let it happen again.”
Cecelia is sobbing now while Nina holds her close and gently strokes her blond hair. Eventually, the sobs subside, but Cecelia still clings to her mother. I feel a terrible stab of guilt. Deep down, I know you aren’t supposed to feed kids before checking with the parents. I’m in the wrong here, and if Cecelia hadn’t been so vigilant, something terrible could’ve happened.
Nina takes a deep breath. She shuts her eyes for a moment and opens them again. “Fine. But please be sure you don’t forget anything so important ever again.”
“I won’t. I swear.” I wring my fists together. “Do you want me to throw out the jar of peanut butter that was in the pantry?”
She’s quiet for a moment. “No, better not. We might need it.”
I want to throw up my hands. But it’s her decision if she wants to keep life-threatening peanut butter in her home. All I know is that I will definitely never use it again.
“Also,” Nina adds, “when will dinner be ready?”
Dinner? Was I supposed to be making dinner? Did Nina imagine another conversation between the two of us that we never had? But I’m not about to make excuses again after the debacle with the peanut butter. I’ll find something in the fridge to prepare.
“Seven o’clock?” I say. Three hours should give me more than enough time.
She nods. “And you won’t put any peanut butter in the dinner, right?”
“No, of course not.”
“Please don’t forget again, Millie.”
“I won’t. And does anybody have any other allergies or… intolerances[21]?”
Is she allergic to eggs? Bee stings? Too much homework? I need to know. I can’t risk being caught out again.
Nina shakes her head, just as Cecelia lifts her tear-streaked face off her mother’s chest long enough to glare at me. The two of us have not gotten off on the right foot. But I’ll find a way to fix it. I’ll make her brownies or something. Kids are easy. Adults are trickier, but I’m determined to win over Nina and Andrew[22] as well.
Chapter 5
By 6:45, dinner is almost ready. There was some chicken breast in the fridge that was already marinated and somebody had printed instructions on the bag, so I just did what the instructions said and threw it in the oven. They must get their food from some sort of service with directions already on it.
The kitchen smells fantastic when the garage door slams. A minute later, Andrew Winchester is strolling into the room, his thumb in the knot of his tie to loosen it. I’m stirring some sauce on the stove top, and I do a bit of a double-take when I see him, having forgotten quite how handsome he is.
He grins at me – he’s even more handsome when he smiles. “Millie, right?”
“That’s right.”
He inhales deeply. “Wow. That smells incredible.”
My cheeks flush. “Thank you.”
He looks around the kitchen in approval. “You got everything clean.”
“That’s my job.”
He chuckles. “I suppose it is. Did you have a good first day?”
“I did.” I’m not going to tell him about the peanut butter debacle. He doesn’t need to know, although I suspect Nina will clue him in. I’m sure he won’t appreciate me almost killing his daughter. “You have a beautiful home.”
“Well, I have Nina to thank for that. She runs the household.”
As if on cue, Nina arrives in the kitchen, wearing another of her white outfits – a different one than only a few hours ago. Once again, she looks impeccable. But while I was cleaning earlier, I took a few minutes to look at the photographs on their mantle. There’s one of Nina and Andrew together from many years ago, and she looked so different then. Her hair wasn’t as blond and she had on less makeup and more casual clothing – and she was at least fifty pounds thinner. I almost didn’t recognize her – but Andrew looked exactly the same.
“Nina.” Andrew’s eyes light up at the sight of his wife. “You look beautiful – as usual.”
He pulls her to him and kisses her deeply on the lips. She melts against him, grabbing his shoulders possessively. When they separate, she gazes up at him. “I missed you today.”
“I missed you more.”
“I missed
Oh my God, how long are they going to debate who misses who more? I turn away, busying myself in the kitchen. It’s awkward to be so close to this display of affection.
“So.” Nina is the first to pull away. “Are you two getting to know each other?”
“Uh-huh,” Andrew says. “And whatever Millie is making smells incredible, doesn’t it?”
I glance behind me. Nina is watching me at the stove with that dark expression in her blue eyes. She doesn’t like her husband complimenting me. I don’t know what the problem is though – he’s obviously nuts about her[23].