Saving Simona (Alone In The World Trilogy) (10 page)

”I will be there as soon as I finish this cake.”

10             

Gia and Lucie both fell asleep the moment they got back to their car, their eyes glued shut until the train jolted to a sudden stop. Gia was thrown to the side of the car, her body crashing to the ground on her right side, pinning her wrist at an angle beneath her abdomen. Lucie lost her stability as well, falling to the ground with a quiet
thud.
She groaned as her head hit the carpet, her hand coming to the base of her neck as she sat back up. Gia pushed herself up as well, wincing as a sharp pain went through her wrist from where she landed on it. She cradled it to her chest.

“Here, let me help you,” a female voice
said from over by Lucie. Gia glanced up to see a young woman with dark blonde hair and wearing a light purple satin dress helping her companion up from the ground gently, being careful not to jostle the girl any more than was necessary.

Gia stared at the girl, a sense of recognition bubbling deep in her belly. The girl looked familiar… was she the wife of one of her previous suitors? A daughter perhaps? She shook her head. No, that’s not right. Suddenly, the realization struck her, and her eyes opened wide.

Gia shook her head quickly when the girl looked up and made eye contact, the other girl’s eyes widening in recognition as well. She cocked her head to the side at Gia’s head shake before Gia mouthed, “Don’t say you know me.” The dark blonde narrowed her eyes for a moment before she nodded. She turned back to Lucie, asking if she was all right.

“I’m fine,” Lucie said after a
few seconds, her eyelids dropping until they half-covered her glazed eyes.  She shook her body out before pressing a hand to her stomach and groaning, her cheeks developing a green tinge. “On second thought, I am not feeling so well.” She put the back of her other hand against her forehead, her breath coming out in heavy pants through her mouth. “I think I am going to go and see if Oliver can find something to settle my stomach.”

Gia walked over by the girls as Lucie lean
ed against the side of the car. “Do you want me to come with you?” she asked, placing a comforting hand on Lucie’s forearm. Lucie shook her head.

“No, I will be alright by myself,” she assured
the brunette. “I am going to go back to dining car if I cannot find Oliver. Just stay here.”

Gia nodded before sitting down. Once Lucie had left the car, the
darker blonde rushed over to the unoccupied seat next to Gia, placing a hand on her knee as she turned to speak to her. “Gracious, Gia, what was that about?” She paused and turned away from Gia as her male companion kissed her on the head before saying that he was going to go and see if he could find out why the train stopped before turning back, her eyes full of questions.

“Hello to you too, Lottie,” Gia said. She nodded her head back towards the seats that Lottie and her beau had been in earlier
, evading the question about why the other girl had to stay quiet about their relationship. Lottie had been one of Gia’s luxury sisters until a little more than two years previously, when one of the men, like Owen, had fallen in love with her and paid for her freedom. His name was William. “Was that the same man as before?”

Lottie nodded
, chuckling softly. “Same old William,” she said, shaking her head. “We were married shortly after he purchased my freedom two years ago.” She shrugged. “Actually, that is why we are traveling to Leeds. We needed some time away from our normal life in Leicester.”

“That sounds nice,” Gia said, happiness filling her for her friend.

Lottie nodded. “I am a mother now. Our twins, Addalyne and Tobias, just turned three months last Saturday.” She smiled before shifting her shoulders and pushing Gia playfully. “What about you? Do you have a beau now? I see that you are no longer dressed in those rags that Father called ‘luxurious,’” she teased, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth.

Gia hugged Lottie. “Congratulations, Lottie! I am so happy for you!” She pulled her arms back
as she said, “I am no longer part of Father’s ring, but I do not have a beau either.” She shrugged. “There was a man who was interested, but Leander would not give him the privilege of buying my freedom.”

Lottie squinted her eyes in confusion. “I never heard of Father refusing a sum of that much money.
He must have had some sort of reason, although I cannot imagine what that reason might be. How did you get out, then?”

Gia shook her head, her hand subconsciously drifting to the now-healed wound in her side. “I really would rather not talk about it.”

Lottie nodded sympathetically. “All right. You never answered my other question, though. Who was that woman that you were with? Why could I not greet you properly?”

Gia went quiet for a moment before answering. “Lucie does not know who I truly am,” she said softly, looking back down to the ground. “That’s why she cannot know who I am, cannot know
what
I am.” She shook her head. “She would hate me.”

Lottie put her hand on Gia’s shoulder. “I doubt that she would hate you. You work for Leander because you have no other choice, not because you want to. She cannot hate you for something that you cannot control.”

Gia scoffed. “No, she most definitely would. She would refuse to be around me any longer if she knew.”
She thinks that I am only assisting with that that I ‘overheard.’

Lottie shrugged. “If you are so sure, then all
right.”

Gia forced a smile, trying to clear the tension that had mixed in with the air.  She cleared her throat before asking, “How is life away from Leander? Is it everything that you expected?”

Lottie reached up and fixed a strand of hair that had fallen from her bun before she moved her hand to her bodice, running the eggshell gloves over the satin until it was pressed smooth against the corset’s boning. “It is wonderful,” she admitted, dropping her hands back down onto her lap. “I had imagined that I would serve William much like I had served all of Leander’s clients, or that I would be a mere housewife like my biological mother had been. However, William’s sister lives with us, and she is a great help. Together we are able to get the baking and cooking done far quicker than either of us would be able to do on our own. Besides, William also has a few foot maids and butlers to assist with things as well several days of the week, so I have a fair share of free time, as well.”

Gia laughed. “I would have thought that a man of William’s standing would have wanted his bride to never have to work.”

Lottie smiled coyly. “Helping around the house was my choice, as was it Vivienne’s. She has always loved to cook, and I have always loved to bake. We told the help the day that I moved in that she and I would take over the majority of the meal preparation simply as a mere hobby.” She laughed. “The help did not have any problem accepting our wishes to lessen their work load.”

Gia snorted. “I should think not.”

The girls chatted for a few moments more before they heard the sound of something sliding from the direction that William had exited from. They looked up to see William stepping through the doorway, his hair ruffled from crossing between the cars. He walked over and kissed Lottie on the top of the head. “The train just had to stop to let another pass on the tracks,” he said, holding his hand out to Lottie to take. When she did, he pulled her up into his arms. “Let’s return to our seats, love.”

Lottie nodded before pecking William on the lips. “I will be right there, sweetheart. I just want to tell my friend farewell.”

William smiled and nodded, kissing Lottie again before returning to his seat, turning to stare out the window as he waited.

Lottie sat back down and hugged Gia tightly.
Gia hugged her back for a moment before Lottie pulled back, holding the brunette at an arm’s length. “It was so nice to see you again, Gia. I hope that whatever you and your friend are on this train for goes well for you.” She kissed both of Gia’s cheeks before standing back up and walking back over to her husband, squeezing his thigh before pulling a bag out of her sachet and settling in to read. William continued to stare at Lottie, his eyes shining with affection as he watched her.

Gia sighed as she watched them before turning to her own window. She wondered if she would ever find someone who loved her as much as William clearly loved Lottie. She thought that she had had that with Owen, but she doubt that he had any idea that she was still alive
, or if he even still wanted her to be his bride. She was sure that Leander would have been the first person to brag to the gentleman that his intended had been killed in some sort of raid, or from some sort of illness, but could he offer Owen another girl to ease his suffering? The more she thought about it, did Owen ever even
have
the money? Could Raymond have stabbed her of his own volition? If so, what did she do that was so wrong?

Her thoughts drifted to Simona
, knowing that kidnapping
her
is what she did that was so wrong. How ever was she going to save the girl? It was going to be difficult, Gia knew that much. If she was lucky, the house would be deserted, and the brunette would be able to sneak onto the property without having to fear getting caught. But what would she do about breaking into the basements? She needed a key to reach any of her sisters. That is, provided that Simona was even still alive. For all Gia knew, Simona could have been killed during the breaking process, or died after her first encounter with one of Leander’s men. Simona was so small that it wouldn’t surprise Gia if her body had been too inexperienced and immature to handle the force of the militant-built men using her body to do as he pleased.

Gia did not know what she would do with herself if she got into the lair, only to get
there moments too late. And telling Lucie….how would she be able to do that? It would break Lucie completely, and that was something that Gia knew she just could not do, under any circumstance. Lucie had become too important to her for Gia to tell her that she was wrong, that Simona was not there, and that they wasted all this time. She would not be able to tell Lucie that the girl was dead, and Lucie would spend the rest of her life searching town after town in hopes that her sister would one day be found.

Gia started as she realized just how deeply her priorities had changed. This time yesterday morning, her biggest concern was finding Simona so that she could take the reward money and escape England, go somewhere that Leander and his men would never be able to find her. America, perhaps, or somewhere in Eastern Europe. Anywhere but here. Now, though, Gia would give up all the money in the world just to know that Simona was brought home, safe and sound.

Gia sighed, shaking her head. She really did hope that Lucie and she would be able to remain friends once all this was over. Speaking of Lucie, she should probably go and see how she was doing.

Gia made her way to the food car
, assuming that the girl was there, since she had not returned to the passenger car that they had been occupying. Once she had made her way into the dining car, the brunette’s eyes immediately landed on Lucie. The girl was sitting in a booth, staring out the window with her head pressed against the glass, a platter of biscuits resting on the table in front of her. Gia made her way over to her companion. .

“What are those?” Gia asked, sliding into the booth opposite Lucie.

Lucie turned back, scrunching up her nose at the dish. “Ginger cookies,” she commented, poking at one of the cookies. “The waiter said that they should help with the motion sickness.” She pushed the plate away, her eyes narrowing. “I would rather eat my own shoe then consume whatever these things are.”

Gia chuckled. “I’m sure they aren’t that bad.”

“You try them, then.”

Gia did as she was told, and picked up one of the
biscuits. She held one up to her nose, grimacing at the smell before she took a bite.  She immediately spat it back out, coughing and sticking out her tongue. Gia pushed the plate away quickly, letting out another cough before remembering her lady-like manners and clearing her throat, forcing herself to swallow the dry, gritty dust. She turned to stare out the window for a moment before facing Lucie again. She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and laughed before teasingly saying, “And you said that trains were not that bad.”

Lucie groaned and dropped her head onto the table, surrounding her face with her arms. “I hate trains.”

11

Leeds

Gia and Lucie settled back into the green plush of their seats a quarter of an hour later. Lucie was still sick to her stomach, but she refused to eat any more of those ginger cookies to try and ease her sickness. Gia had found Oliver, and the boy had searched the train for something to keep in Lucie’s spot in case she got sick again. Sure enough, as soon as Lucie sat down, she found her face buried into a paper bag, violently vomiting once more.

“I
really
hate trains,” Lucie commented once there was nothing left in her stomach to purge.

Gia chuckled before rubbing circles against Lucie’s back. Lucie began to dry heave, once again burying her face into the bag. She groaned.

Gia leaned back in the seat and looked out the window at the station that was coming into view on her left. “Hey, I think we are almost there,” she said before leaning back up and resting her chin on Lucie’s shoulder as she rubbed harder.

Lucie took a break from her heaving to lift her face a few
centimeters above the bag. “Thank goodness,” she mumbled. She coughed wetly and made a face, pulling away from the bag and holding it away her, fanning the air in front of her face. “Holy gee, that is repulsive.” She scrunched up her nose.

Oliver appeared to Lucie’s right, a cup of water in his hand. “I thought you might like to rinse your mouth out once you get off the train,” he said softly. Lucie nodded. Oliver straightened out his back and held out his hands to the girls. “Ready to enter Leeds?”

He pulled the girls up, going especially slowly with Lucie. He led them to the stairs before descending in front of them, helping each girl in turn jump off the last step and onto the ground of the Leeds station. Gia and Lucie thanked him and began to walk away, but Oliver caught Gia’s arm before she could get very far. She nodded at Lucie to go ahead to the park bench before turning to the boy. “Hey, Gia, hold on a minute.”

Gia waited patiently as Oliver helped the rest of the passengers out of the car before coming back over the brunette. “Hello,” he said softly.

“Hey,” Gia said back, laughing. She smiled at the boy. He smiled back, winking at her. “Was there something that you needed?”

Oliver shrugged. “Nothing especially,” he admitted. “I just wanted another chance to talk to you.”

Gia leaned in and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you for being so helpful today,” she said as she pulled back. Oliver flushed a deep red, his cheeks breaking out into a wide smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

Oliver nodded, his red cheeks becoming even darker. He bowed towards her, tipping his hat down towards her feet. Gia curtsied back. “That it was,” he agreed, reaching a hand out to brush back a loose strand of Gia’s hair behind her ear. His eyes widened and his hand darted to his pocket at the train whistle blew, alerting the boy that he needed to get back on the train for the next set of passengers.

Oliver pulled out a scrap of paper, which he handed to Gia. “It’s my address,” he replied to Gia’s look of confusion shyly. “In case… in case you ever want to get in touch with me. I know that you likely won’t want to associate with a middle class cove like me, but I figured I should at least give it a shot.” He ducked his head, nervously fiddling with the back of his hair below the hat.

Gia ducked her head as well, to place a swift kiss on his lips before pulling back and giggling. She was amused that Oliver had mistaken her for upper class. Even though she was wearing the proper clothes, she still felt like a commoner. “I will keep that in mind.” She kissed him again. “Goodbye for now, Oliver.”

Oliver grinned and pulled Gia into another hug before turning and jumping onto the train’s steps just as it began to move. He began to wave at Gia, and continued to wave as the train moved.

Gia waved back until the train was out of her sight. Once it was gone, she glanced back down to the piece of paper. She tucked it into the top of her dress before going over to the bench. Lucie had moved so that her arm was splayed over the back of the seat, her forehead leaned against her forearm. Gia pursed her lips at her friend before going over
and sitting next to her, placing her hand on the ill girl’s shoulder. “Are you feeling any better?” she asked.

Lucie nodded. “Thank goodness for solid ground.” She looked up at the sky, her eyes wandering across the sky at the different constellations. “It is a beautiful night.”

Gia slipped her eyes up as well. “There’s Orion,” she said, pointing at a series of stars. Gia glanced back down to the horizon, looking between the trees far in front of the station, to the covering that only covered the benches for waiting passengers. It was a good thing that tonight was clear. She did not want to have to wander around Leeds in both the dark
and
the rain when trying to find Lucie’s friend’s house. That is, if Lucie herself could even remember where her friend lived. “Hey, Luce?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know where we are going?”

Lucie glanced back at her friend before looking back at the stars, nodding. “Yes, I do. A few months ago, Vertiline sent me a letter that had directions to the house, in case I ever wanted to stay. We will just follow those.” She opened her suitcase and
pulled out an envelope. Lucie peeked at the letter. “It says here that she only lives a half mile away from the station.”

Gia nodded. She was glad that it would not be a very long walk between the station and the house. Since the brunette lived in the town, she did not want to spend more time than was necessary in the main roads. If she was lucky, this Vertiline woman would not recognize her face, but what about the citizens of the rest of the town? The men, especially. Gia being identified was the worst possible thing that could happen to Simona at this point.

Gia and Lucie made their way through the street beneath the gas street lamps. Gia stared at the ground during the majority of the journey, making sure to avoid making eye contact with anyone who passed by. Lucie, however, kept her focus forward, making sure that they were on track.

Sure enough, within a quarter hour, Gia found herself strolling up the side of a street to a reasonably-sized beige house, a white picket fence lining the outside of the property.  On the front porch, there was a man and woman sitting in rickety wicker chairs and laughing as they talked. The man
looked to be in his mid-thirties, and was wearing a pair of dark brown trousers and a light blue gingham button down shirt. He had light blonde hair and, from where Gia was standing, she could tell that the man had light eyes. The woman was in her early twenties, with curly light brown hair that was tied to the side with a powder blue ribbon. She was wearing a dress in the same color. The bodice had a white lace overlay that came down to meet a thick white ribbon that rested against the top of her crinoline, the skirt spread around her feet echoing the same ribbon as it brushed the ground. The dress buttoned up to the top of her neck, where it met with a white satin collar.

As Gia and Lucie walked up to the front gate, which was at most ten feet from the porch, the man strained his neck, looking to see who the intruders were. “Who are you?” he called, squinting his eyes at the faces he clearly did not recognize.

The woman looked over as well. Once she saw the faces, she shot up out of her seat and ran to the front gate, letting Gia and Lucie into her yard.

“Luciana!” the woman exclaimed, her pretty face lighting up in joy. “I was not expecting you to be visiting our town!” Her cheeks broke out into a
wide grin.

Lucie smiled back. “Hello, Vertie. It was a chance visit. I’m sorry that I did not have the time to tell you earlier.”

“Pish posh! No matter, all that matters is that you are safely in town.” Vertiline opened the gate and stepped out, gathering her friend tightly in her arms before pulling away, looking at Lucie at an arm’s length. “Is there anything I get you? Tea, a bit of supper?”

Lucie shook her head. “Actually, I was wondering if my companion and I could stay with you for the night. It has been a mighty long journey, and we need a place to rest.”

Vertiline nodded. “Of course you can!” She called to her husband, glancing over her shoulder. “Eugene, love, would you prepare the beds in the guest rooms, please?” She turned back around, ignoring the grumbles of annoyance that Eugene let out in response to his tobacco session being cut short.

“Oh! How rude of me, I forgot to introduce you to my companion,” Lucie said, stepping to the side to turn her hands to present Gia. “Vertiline, this is Georgiana Fletcher. She is…” Lucie paused for a
moment to think. “She is my fiancé’s cousin. We were traveling here to do a bit of shopping, and our train ended up breaking down and leaving us here in the dead of night rather than late afternoon.” She shook her head. “Shame, really.”

Vertiline smiled and stuck her hand out to Gia. “Pleasure to meet you, Georgiana.”

Gia smiled back and shook the hand offered. “I go by Gia, actually. It is a pleasure to meet you as well.”

After a bit more chatting, Vertiline took a step back, gesturing towards the house. “Well, come in, now! No need to stand out here in this nightly chill for more than an evening rest any longer than we need to.”

Gia laughed. “Weren’t your husband and yourself sitting outside when Lucie and I arrived?”

“Well, yes,” Vertiline replied shyly, pushing a lock of hair back behind her ear. “Cornering Eugene during his nightly tobacco chewing is the only way I can speak to him as of late. I had news I wanted to share with him.”

“I am sorry for interrupting you, then,” Lucie apologized.

Vertiline began to walk towards the front door.
Lucie and Gia followed behind. “It’s no trouble, Luce. I will simply tell him of the news on the morrow.” She shrugged. “I can only hope he will be as excited as I am. Once I have told Eugene, I will then tell you as well.” She opened the door, holding it open for her guests before stepping in behind them. “Would either of you like anything to drink?”

“Do you have any hot cocoa?” Lucie asked, shivering slightly. She sat down at the table in the center of the room. Vertiline smiled and nodded, walking to the side of the door to grab a few logs of wood for the stove. She stared at the stack for a moment before choosing two large pieces of lumber. She then made her way back across the room to the stove, inserted the wood, and began to put things t
ogether to make the beverage. 

Gia sat down as well, shifting when the crimson cushion began to slide off the edge of the oak chair. She looked at Lucie in confusion. “What is hot cocoa?”

Vertiline spun around, her jaw dropped. “You have never had hot cocoa before?”

Gia shook her head bashfully. “Is it some kind of luxury item? My family was middle class, but Mother refused to bring anything to the home that
may make us children feel superior to anyone below us.”

Vertiline nodded. “That would be why you have never tried it, then.” She finished mixing the ingredients in the pot, stirring it lightly before tapping the wooden spoon on the edge of the pot and laying it along the back of the stove, safely out of the way of the fire below. She came over to the table, sitting down alongside the girls. “You will love it.” She crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward, making eye contact with Gia. “So, Gia, how old are you?”

Gia thought about her answer for a moment, quickly realizing that her birthday had passed during the time that she was laying unconscious in Solomon’s spare room. “I am twenty,” she finally said.

Vertiline nodded, smiling. “That is a good age to be. I was twenty when Eugene and I were wed,” she commented, her eyes twinkling in remembrance. “I was working as a governess with Eugene’s sister, and she introduced us when he came down for a visit once, when we were eighteen. My mother was a governess, too. Lucie’s, in fact. That is how we became friends.” 

Lucie nodded. “Your mother always just
had
to bring you with her when she was working.”

Vertiline laughed and winked. “Oh, you know you loved having someone your own age to talk to when Mother was not paying attention to our studies.” She stood as the pot on the stove began to bubble, the popping of the liquid audible even from their spots at the table. Vertiline pulled three mugs and a ladle out of a cabinet near the stove. She scooped the hot cocoa into the mugs. She brought them to the table, handing them to each girl, respectively. “Be careful, I do not want either of you to get burned.”

Gia sniffed the liquid warily, unsure of the dark substance in front of her. It was steaming and still slightly bubbling from its time on the stovetop. She took a hesitant sip, her eyes widening as the beverage hit her taste buds. “Wow!” she exclaimed, taking a bigger sip.

“I am glad you like it,” Vertiline said, smiling. “It is one of my favorite treats to warm me up when the nights are chilled.”

“Thank you for making it for me.”

Vertiline shrugged. “It is not a problem at all.” She shifted her back so that her hand was facing the
hallway behind her. “Lucie, your room is at the very end of the hall, on the right. Gia, yours is right across from hers. Eugene and my bedroom is upstairs, if you should need anything.” She picked up her mug of hot cocoa and kissed Lucie and Gia each on the head. “I am going to retire for the night. Enjoy your hot cocoa, ladies.” She disappeared down the hall and up the steps to her room.