Holly opened the front door to the townhouse as quietly as she could. She turned and waved goodbye to David. He’d insisted on walking her home but steadfastly refused to even climb the stairs in case he met Victoria. Holly had spent much of the dinner reassuring him that she wasn’t being held against her will in the Hastings house.
At first, she had thought he was being silly and overreacting, but when she remembered the news articles she had found online, and her own overreaction, she could see where he was coming from. Since she’d lived with Victoria, she had quickly discovered that the woman was very different than the myth.
David waved back and offered her a smile. He dug his hands into his pockets and turned to walk away.
Holly stepped inside and closed the door. She leaned against the doorframe to remove her high heels. Getting used to wearing the demon footwear was a long process, and she’d need to practise. She’d only worn the shoes for a couple of short walks – and tonight she had spent most of her time either in a taxi or at the restaurant – and she was already limping.
She noticed a dim light coming from Victoria’s study door. She crossed the hallway, noting the untouched Arrival Book on the telephone table. It seemed curious that Victoria was in her office but not working. She peeked around the corner.
Victoria was sitting in the armchair, her legs curled beneath her, wrapped in a sinfully soft-looking blanket. She was reading a book. The light above her seat bathed the room in a cosy glow. The whole scene looked heavenly comfortable.
“Did you have a nice evening?” Victoria asked without looking up.
Holly smiled. She wasn’t as stealthy as she thought. She walked into the room and sat on the sofa beside the armchair.
“Yes, it was very nice. He’s a nice guy.”
“Good.” Victoria continued to read her book.
Holly angled her head but couldn’t quite see the book cover. “What are you reading?”
Victoria lifted the book up slightly.
“Dickens!”
Victoria nodded. “Yes, it occurred to me that I haven’t read this since I was a little girl, many, many years ago. Bleak House was always my favourite Dickens.”
It was obvious that, while Victoria’s mood had improved, something was still off. Holly doubted Victoria was the kind of person who would want to open up and talk about it.
“Can I get you a drink? Some tea?” Holly offered.
Victoria shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“Have you eaten?” Holly knew she wasn’t doing a good job at hiding the concern in her voice.
Victoria placed her book in her lap and smiled. “Actually, I have. I ate some of the delicious meal you prepared yesterday. Clearly you are an accomplished chef.”
Holly felt her cheeks blush. “No, I’m just good at following instructions.”
“Well, it was delicious. Thank you.” Victoria cleared her throat. “Gideon, a dear friend and work colleague, would love to come over and meet you sometime soon. If that is acceptable?”
Holly was excited about the prospect of meeting someone from her past. “Absolutely, I’m free whenever he is!”
“No more dates with Darren?” Victoria enquired, smoothing the blanket that covered her feet.
“David,” Holly corrected with a smile. “No, no more dates with David.”
Victoria frowned. “I thought you said you had a nice evening?”
“Oh, I did,” Holly replied. “As I said, he is a really nice guy. I just didn’t feel anything for him, like that, I mean.”
“Oh, I see.”
“So, who is Gideon?” Holly pressed.
“Gideon is my director of photography. But really, he is my right-hand man, invaluable. And a wonderful friend of many years. You worked with him extensively, and I’m led to believe that you were also rather close. Certainly closer than most of your other work colleagues. Gideon took you under his wing when you started at Arrival, showed you the ropes, etcetera.”
Holly bit her lip with excitement. She was thrilled with the chance to meet someone who knew her, someone who could give her more insight into herself.
“Great, whenever Gideon wants to meet up, that would be great. Except tomorrow morning.”
“What’s happening tomorrow morning?” Victoria asked.
“I get the key to the storage unit.” Holly blew out a nervous breath. She didn’t know if the unit would be full of trash or treasure. It would be a long and sleepless night before she found out.
“I see. Would you like some company?”
Holly felt her shoulders slump with relief. She’d wanted to ask for Victoria’s moral support, but she was nervous to do so in light of recent events.
“Yes, I really would love you to be there,” she admitted.
Victoria smiled, the first real smile Holly had seen from her in a while.
“What time would you like to be there?” Victoria asked.
“The office opens at nine, and I kind of wanted to be there first thing. It’s by Central Park, West Eighty-Fourth.”
Victoria’s eyes flicked towards the ceiling as she calculated the information. “We’ll leave at quarter to nine. That gives us plenty of time. And I’ll take the Range.”
“R-range? As in Range Rover?”
“Yes, in case you want to bring anything back,” Victoria clarified.
Holly had never thought of Victoria as a driver, much less a New York driver. As far as she knew, the woman was always chauffeured.
“Thank you, I really appreciate that,” Holly said in earnest. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was. Victoria had found her, rescued her, and continued to help and support her. Yes, she was a little frosty at times, but Holly could see that it was mainly an act.
“I was just about to head to bed,” Victoria said. She started to stand up.
“Oh, you looked so comfortable. I was going to grab a book of my own and join you.”
Victoria folded the blanket and placed it on the back of the armchair. “Feel free to use the room, I’ve had a long day and an early night is on the cards.”
Holly didn’t believe her for one moment, but she allowed the older woman her escape. “Okay, good night.”
Victoria picked up her book and nodded her own good night.
Holly stretched her arms up and wondered what to do. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She had genuinely been considering reading, but mainly to be with Victoria. After spending so much time with her, she now found she missed her company.
She stood up and walked over to the bookshelves. There was no order to the books that Holly could discern. They were from various authors and in various genres. The only common theme was that they were all specially bound, artistic special editions.
Another bookcase was filled with back issues of Arrival Magazine. She picked one up at random, pulling the one beside it out to act as a marker. She opened the edition and saw Victoria’s face staring back at her beside the Editor’s Letter for that month. She read through the letter and chuckled at the light tone and jokes. She slowly walked over to the armchair, her nose still in the magazine.
Victoria knew she was asleep. She knew she was dreaming. And yet she was powerless to stop the narrative from playing out. In her dream, she was asleep in bed, much the same as in real life. She could feel that strange dreamlike aura, that fuzzy confusion that prevents one from quite grasping onto reality.
In the dream, the creaking of the bedroom door woke her. She noticed the lamp on the bedside table was on, which was unusual. She never left it on while she slept. The light enabled her to see Holly in the doorway.
Her mouth instantly ran dry.
Holly entered the bedroom, one hand leaning casually on the doorframe. She was dressed in Victoria’s favourite couture from the Aubade 2015 collection. Holly’s long hair curled around her pale shoulders, and Victoria distantly wondered when the girl had grown her hair again.
“Shh,” Holly hushed before Victoria had the chance to form a cohesive sentence.
Victoria sat up in bed, pulling the sheets with her to keep herself covered. At least one of them should be worried about decency.
“What’s all this nonsense about a midlife crisis?” Holly asked as she sauntered into the bedroom.
Victoria stared in shock as Holly approached the end of the bed, staring at Victoria with what could only be described as ravenous hunger.
“That feeling in your stomach, the one you attribute to guilt,” Holly whispered. “You know that’s not guilt, don’t you?”
Victoria swallowed hard and reminded herself that this was a dream.
Holly climbed up the bed too quickly for her to protest. In a matter of seconds, she had straddled Victoria. She leant her elbows on either side of Victoria, close enough for Victoria to feel the heat pulsing from her lingerie-clad body through the sheet.
“You know that’s desire, don’t you? You desire me, Victoria. Don’t you?”
Victoria woke up with a jolt. She sat upright in her empty bed, heavy breaths falling from her open mouth. Her eyes raced around the darkness to assure herself that she was alone.
“Oh, shit,” she murmured.