Fall From Grace (Slater #1) (13 page)

Chapter Twenty Two

Alice.

She had cried his name, Alice kept thinking.  Alice was furious. It was Alice’s mouth that was giving Laura all the pleasure, it was her heart that loved Laura, yet it was Porter’s name that she had screamed during her release.  Alice knew that her only option was to get rid of Porter for good.  He needed to be out of their lives.  It was the only way to have Laura to herself.  She needed a plan. He was an integral part of the village, he would be missed, there would be a lengthy investigation and in order to keep Laura safe, she needed a good plan.

Alice looked at where Laura lay completely sated after her orgasm; her long blonde hair flung over the pillow under her head, her body was that of an angel and Alice although not normally turned on by women found that she was drawn to Laura like a ship to a siren.  She just hoped that with Laura her demise wouldn’t be like that of the seamen caught in the sirens snare.  Watching Laura’s chest rise and fall with her sleeping breaths she could feel the pressure between her legs beginning to rise, she seemed insatiable since having Laura in her cottage, she could smell her scent everywhere, she could taste her on her lips even after washing and Laura seemed to just ooze into every fibre of Alice’s being.

Alice looked over Laura’s nightgown; it was the same gown that she was wearing in the asylum.  It was caked in dirt and it was starting to look tattered.  None of Alice’s clothes would have fit Laura, so she knew she would have to take her into the village to purchase more.  She couldn’t risk taking her looking as she did, Alice thought about taking her back to her home, but she wasn’t sure that she could risk that either.  Alice knew that she would have to disguise her somehow. She looked between Laura and the sharp blade that sat in the window sill, left behind by the last man she had allowed to stay. 

Alice grabbed the blade and crept quietly to Laura, holding a piece of hair between her fingers, Laura sighed in her sleep as Alice began to slice the hair away.  Soon Laura’s hair was in a bundle in Alice’s hand.  Alice sat in the wooden chair and stroked it gently.  It must have brought comfort, because the next thing she remembered was Laura’s shrieks that shrilled through the house and seemed to echo throughout the whole woods.  Alice’s eyes flung open in distress, she leapt to her feet and spun around searching for the danger.  When she turned her eyes to face Laura, she saw her with her hands on her bald scalp. As Alice realised the panic, she took the few steps to the bed and pulled Laura’s head into lap, cooing to her with soothing words.

“My hair Alice, you took my hair” Laura exclaimed, looking up at her like a lost puppy.

Alice nodded her head and continued to run her fingers over the cold scalp of Laura.

“Yes my love, I had to, we need to go into town and I needed to disguise you” Alice cooed.

“You could have put my hair under a hat, why did you need to take it from me?” Laura asked, her eyes spilling over with tears.

Alice hadn’t thought about putting her hair under a hat.  She hated seeing Laura so distressed, it was only hair and it would grow back.  Alice swallowed the pit of disgust that was building up inside her for Laura’s spoilt actions to her helpfulness.

“It had to be this way” Alice said dryly as she stood and looked out the window.  “I have to get ready to go to work.  I will be back by the morning, be washed and ready, we will go and get you some clothes of your own”

Alice turned and left the house with the sounds of Laura’s wracking sobs filling the air.  She stomped through the woods, her agitation growing with every step.  Not only at Laura’s reaction to the hair, but her thoughts about Porter and the cries of her lover.  It was getting too much to bare.  Alice was seething on her walk through the woods, she stomped her way down the path lost in her own anger.  With her head down thinking about Laura and Porter she felt herself plough into a chest.  Alice looked up into the face of Porter frowning down at her.

“Nurse Alice” he said as he grabbed her waist preventing her stumbling back onto the ground.

“Porter” Alice said, righting herself with frustration, her face blushing.

Porter still had his hands on her waist as he gazed down at her.  She couldn’t read his face, but his eyes were trying to tell her a story.  For a moment Alice thought that her face may have given too much away and she quickly replaced her look with her blank mask that she had learnt to wear.

“Excuse me, I need to get into work” Alice said, reaching up and gently touching Porter’s fingers that had encircled her small waist.

Porter shook his head as if shaking himself out of a trance and cleared his throat.

“Ah yes, of course you do.” Porter stepped aside for Alice to move around him. “Um, Alice, can I meet with you in the chapel later on, to talk about some things?”

Alice nodded her head and swiftly moved into the front doors of the asylum.

When her shift had come to an end Alice was tossing up whether she could sneak out of the asylum so as to avoid Porter when he skirted around the corner.  Alice swallowed the groan that was building up in her throat.  She was still feeling anger at Laura’s reactions to the loss of her hair and the last thing she wanted was to be confronted by Porter, the apple of Laura’s eye.

“Alice, will you join me in the chapel?” he asked.

Alice forced a smile to her lips and nodded following him into the small room.  Porter sat down on the wooden pew in the front of the chapel and tapped the seat next to him, indicating for Alice to sit with him.  Alice gingerly sat beside him smoothing her skirts over her legs, forcing her face to stay blank.

“Alice, I keep wracking my brain as to where I know you from, but I can’t put my finger on it” Porter said, looking into her face.

Alice frowned, she remembered clearly where he knew her from and it hurt her to think that she was so forgettable.  Yet he didn’t forget his precious Laura, she thought.

“We may have met in the town perhaps, I grew up here” she spoke calmly, trying to keep the agitation and jealousy out of her voice.

Porter shook his head and frowned as he tapped his chin.

“No Alice, that’s not true, I spoke with Stefan about you, he said that you grew up in an orphanage and there is no orphanage for two counties”

Alice began to fidget with her fingers, her anger was beginning to rise and she had to wonder what right Stefan had discussing her childhood with the clergy.  She wondered whether Stefan disclosed his role in Alice’s childhood.  She swallowed the snort that almost escaped, Stefan would never tell those secrets, she thought.

“Yes I did.  Look Porter.  We have been intimate.” She said with a sigh not able to keep the façade up anymore.

Porter’s eyes widened and Alice could see him going back through the faces of his conquests trying to place which woman she was.  Suddenly recognition spread across his face.

“The bridge” he spoke just above a whisper.

Alice forced the smile again as she watched Porter visibly pale.  She nodded and continued to fidget with her fingers.  Suddenly she stood as the room began to heat up and she started to feel stifled.

“Excuse me father, I need to get home” she said quickly turning on her heels and fleeing the chapel. 

As she left the room Alice quickly glanced over her shoulder to see Porter drop his head into his hands.  The further she got away from Porter, the better she began to feel. But the dread of trying to take Laura into the village weighed on her.  She couldn’t help but feel that this was going to end badly for them all.

Chapter Twenty Three

Laura.

Laura cried for what felt like hours after Alice left for work that evening. Sleep finally came but only in spurts. She couldn’t believe her once beautiful hair was in a clump on the table.  Laura tentatively ran her hand over her scalp, feeling the prickles of the stubble that covered her head, the tears endlessly ran down her face in despair.  She felt so silly crying over hair knowing it would grow back, but she already felt so ugly, being as thin as she had become and now without hair, she lost all of her identity.  She wanted to be angry at Porter; she wanted to blame him for all of her problems.  But she couldn’t, Laura realised when she had seen him standing at the window while Alice licked her folds and she orgasmed, that she still loved him, he still held her heart.

The door swung open pulling Laura from her thoughts, Alice stood in the threshold, she looked furious.

“Why aren’t you ready” Alice bellowed.  “I told you to wash and get dressed ready to go into town”

Laura instinctively pulled back.  She quickly reached for the wash bowl and began to wash at her face and arms.  Alice stepped towards her and grabbed Laura’s arm, spinning her around to face Alice.  She scrubbed at Laura’s face so hard that her skin stung from the angry swipes.  She wasn’t gentle like she had been in the hospital.  Once Laura was washed to Alice’s standard, she threw a dress at Laura.

“Put this on” she spat.

Laura slowly put the dress on over her head, it swam on Laura’s small shrunken frame, but Alice seemed satisfied.  She leaned forward and wrapped a scarf around Laura’s head, leaving just her eyes visible and slid some shoes towards her feet which were too tight.  Alice tugged at Laura’s hand and dragged her through the front door.  Laura blinked hard at the sprinkling of light that seemed blindingly bright through the canopy.  Alice didn’t seem to have time to let Laura relax and take in the beautiful spring air, instead marching on into town dragging Laura at her heels.

As they came into town, Laura’s senses were filled with the familiar scents and sounds and she instantly began to relax.  She could almost forget everything that was happening to her at that moment. But her serenity was cut short as Alice dragged her into the market to the dressmaker.  Laura stood uncomfortably, feeling like everyone’s eyes were on her.

“Do not say a single word, if anyone recognises you, they will send you straight back to the asylum and I won’t be there to prevent Stefan from having his go at you” Alice growled into Laura’s ear while pinching her arm tight.

Laura winced at both the pain and warning.  She wanted to run; she wanted to go back to her home, to her father’s arms.  But she didn’t want to take the risk that he would send her back to the asylum.  In her fear she decided it was safer to do as Alice asked.

Once Alice had found clothes suitable for Laura, she began to drag her back to the cottage.  As they neared the bridge, Laura was assaulted with memories, the buxom red head being loved by Porter, Porter’s demonic eyes watching her, revelling in his pleasure.  Laura glanced over at Alice who led the way. Alice’s red hair hung down her back. Laura watched the large curves of Alice’s hips as she turned to see why Laura was stalling. It struck Laura suddenly.  Alice was the woman with Porter that day.  Laura stopped unable to move any further.  Alice stepped towards her, angry at Laura’s hesitation.

“What is going on?” Alice growled.

Laura pointed at Alice and shook her head.

“You” she said barely loud enough for Alice to hear “It was you”

“What was me?” Alice asked, looking at Laura like she had freshly lost her mind again.

“You were the one, here under the bridge, you were the one who took him” Laura screamed, ripping her hand from Alice’s.

Alice’s eyes widened as her face paled.  She shook her head and stepped closer, but Laura stumbled backwards, she couldn’t stand to be near Alice any longer, she knew she had to get away from her.

“No Laura, your imagining things” Alice spoke softly. “Please, come now, we need to get you home, you’re sick”

Laura shook her head, she wasn’t going to be talked into going back with Alice and she knew what she saw, there was no imagining the show that haunted her for years.  Alice took Porter from her, Laura knew she had to run, it was her only chance.  Suddenly Laura spun and hitched her skirts up, running.  The shoes slipped from her feet, but Laura continued to run.  She didn’t want to hesitate to see if Alice was behind her.  She tried to hear, but couldn’t, the only audible sound was the blood pounding through her ears.  She felt like her lungs were bleeding, her muscles were on fire, but her legs were refusing to stop.  Soon Laura saw her house begin to appear.  There was no smoke coming from the chimney, the garden her mother once had beautiful flowers and vegetables growing in were no longer kept.  Laura took the chance to look behind her and was relieved to see that she seemed to have managed to lose Alice. 

Laura reached the front door of the cottage and tested the small metal knob; it turned and the door opened with a creak.  The room was dark and cold. But Laura felt safe, she felt like she was home.  For the first time in a long time Laura felt whole again.  She felt sane once more.