The Sorceress (2 page)

“If you don't want the part-time work I'm offering, please let me know so I can hire another driver,” Catherine said, coolly.

Embarrassed, George looked at the floor. A few seconds later, after seeming to get his bearings, he looked up. “Ms. Provost, I…I can't afford—”

“Okay, then,” she cut him off. “Thank you for your service, George. My accountant will put your final paycheck in the mail.”

“My final paycheck?” George repeated. Offended, he glanced around at the faces of his co-workers, expecting them to be shocked and indignant enough about the injustice to help him plead his case. He didn't get any support. With their own jobs on the line, Lizzy, Carmen, and Jen all kept their eyes focused on the boss, refusing to meet George's gaze.

As much as she hated working as a nanny for Catherine Provost and her horrible little son, Jen needed the pay and the roof over her head until she could sort out her disordered life. Jen mustered a sad smile for George. It was the best she could do.

Catherine caught the quick flicker of a smile and apparently didn't approve of it. “Jen, your presence is not necessary. You can go upstairs and attend to Ethan.”

Like a scolded schoolgirl, Jen felt her cheeks flush with shame. She made a discreet nod and slinked away. Catherine, so smartly dressed and sophisticated, made Jen feel like a hick. She'd lived in the big city of Philadelphia for three years, but hailing from rural, Centerville, Pennsylvania, Jen couldn't quite shake her country bumpkin-ness.

Feeling pathetic, she made her way slowly up the staircase.
At least I still have a job,
she thought, trying to make herself feel better. But the reminder did not perk her up. Though she would be broke and homeless for a while, getting fired would have forced her to find a better job with normal hours.

Straining, she tried to eavesdrop, wondering if Lizzy or Carmen was also getting the ax, but Catherine's voice became a distant low drone and Jen couldn't make out her words.

Jen wondered what it must feel like to be able to boss people around. Catherine had run the city of Philadelphia and it was expected that she soon would be the second in command of our nation.

Catherine Provost, former mayor of Philadelphia, had been one of the most popular mayors in the city's history. Unfortunately, the governorship she coveted was not available at the conclusion of her mayoral term. Out of the blue, she'd been selected by her party's presidential candidate to be his running mate.

According to rumors, no one was more surprised than Catherine's husband, Senator Daniel Provost from Pennsylvania. The gossip among the staff was that Catherine had stolen the VP nomination right from under her spouse's nose. The senator had been considered the front runner for the second in command position.

“Hey, buddy,” she said to Ethan Provost, her five-year-old charge. Ethan was a weird little kid—nonverbal and uncommunicative. Not only that, the kid was creepy. From the second she'd met him, she'd wanted to ask her agency for a transfer, but she was trying to tough it out. If she bailed on a high power couple like the Provosts, she wasn't likely to get another assignment.

Oddly, when Catherine introduced Jen to her son, she merely stated that he didn't talk, as if that was the extent of his problems. But two days ago, the vice presidential candidate made a public announcement that she and Senator Provost's beloved son, Ethan, had been diagnosed as autistic.

Catherine never gave Jen a personal update on Ethan's condition. Like the rest of America, Jen found out the little guy was
disabled from a breaking news report on CNN. That report provoked a wave of sympathy and respect for Catherine Provost, the courageous mother of a disabled child. So far, the press was honoring her plea to leave her son out of politics.

But unlike her fellow citizens, Jen had no pity for Catherine. The woman was cold-blooded and calculating. Catherine didn't have a clue what was wrong with her son but, being on the national stage, she needed an excuse for his lack of social skills. Someone must have owed her a favor because she obtained a speedy diagnosis of the disorder soon after she discovered she was being vetted.

It wasn't that Jen didn't believe Ethan was autistic. He certainly exhibited some of the symptoms she'd heard about, but she wondered why his mom had waited so long to find out what was wrong with him. Denial? A fear of knowing the truth?

Jen was not fond of Ethan. She wanted to like him, but his revulsion toward affection and his silent stubbornness made him unappealing. It didn't help that he had this weird look—a really big, adult-sized head with mean, beady eyes, and a wizened little body that resembled that of an elderly man. Other than his height, there was nothing childlike about Ethan.

Ethan was much smaller than the average five-year-old. He was frail and sickly looking. His light brown skin had an unhealthy pallor and there were dark circles under his beady eyes. Good thing his mom didn't send him to kindergarten; he'd definitely be a target for the other kids. Then again…having that creepy, sinister aura around him might work to his advantage and keep bullies at bay.

Ethan had serious emotional issues. He couldn't tolerate interacting with kids. The cacophony of a schoolyard would make him nuts. He required a quiet and calm setting.

She set out his clothes and personal items and he dressed himself most of the time. She ran his bath water, but she dared not attempt to scrub him down. He didn't like being touched.

Getting him to the toilet was a freakin' nightmare. If Jen didn't grab him and physically carry him to the bathroom, he'd pee in his pants, or so his mother claimed. So far, he hadn't had a toileting accident and Jen prayed he never would. Not on her watch. And if a miracle came her way, her watch would not be much longer.

“Your mom's been selected to run for vice president. How ya feel about that?” Jen asked, knowing he wouldn't respond. “I think it's cool,” she answered herself. “If she wins, she'll be the first female vice president.” Jen took a deep breath and added enthusiastically, “And she's the first African-American to run for that office.”
Shame the first African American female vice presidential candidate is such a snooty bitch!”

Unsuitable for the campaign trail, Ethan was being hidden from public view and sequestered at home.

Ethan sat behind a tiny desk, staring intently at his computer monitor, little fingers rapidly clicking the mouse, bringing up multiple images of bridges onto the screen: Covered bridges, wooden foot bridges, enormous concrete and steel bridges—every kind of bridge imaginable were the only things that seemed to matter to the child. He was obviously intelligent. She'd heard from other staff members that he'd taught himself how to operate the computer and navigate the internet back when he was only three years old.

Jen checked the time. “Ten more minutes, buddy, and then it's time to go to the potty.” She sure hoped the kid didn't stiffen his body in defiance and go rigid on her like he was prone to do when he was pulled away from his computer. The going-rigid
routine was appalling enough, but sometimes his eyes rolled into the back of his head, making the experience totally unnerving.

Without uttering one word, the scrawny kid could cause Jen to work up a hell of a sweat. When he wasn't ready to move, he'd swing his head around wildly, using it like a medieval weapon. Jen knew firsthand that when his big head connected, it was as hard and as painful as getting hit with a spiked ball. All the ducking and dodging Jen had to do to get Ethan to the bathroom was exhausting.

Catherine suddenly appeared in the doorway. Jen made a startled sound. Amused by Jen's reaction, Catherine smiled smugly. “Your agency sent a courier over with a ton of paperwork. You'll need to sign an addendum to your confidentiality agreement; a new work agreement now that you'll be pretty much unsupervised. You'll also need to complete some forms that allow you to act on my behalf, in the event of an emergency.”

Catherine stared at Jen, holding her in a cold, penetrating gaze.

Uncomfortable, Jen looked away. She hadn't noticed before that Catherine and her son had the same beady eyes.

“Okay,” Jen mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers. She bit the inside of her bottom lip to keep it from quivering. The woman emanated power and authority. Being in her presence made Jen nervous as hell.

“I'll be in my office,” Catherine said. She looked down at her watch and then glared at Jen, obviously waiting for a response.

“Okay,” Jen said for the second time.

“Is your vocabulary as challenged as it seems?” Catherine gave Jen a contemptuous look.

“Uh…no.” Jen laughed and began to fidget awkwardly. She felt so belittled. But being as on edge as she was, she couldn't manage a complete sentence.

Catherine ran impatient fingers through her thick, well-behaved hair, and then left Ethan's bedroom. Not once did she even look in her son's direction. He didn't turn around and look at her, either. What a weird relationship between mother and son.

Jen stood next to Ethan and peered at the monitor. “What's with the bridges?” she asked as she slipped her hands beneath his skinny arms and lifted him up.

Refusing to be bothered with walking, Ethan kept his knees bent and his torso erect, as if he were still sitting in the chair. Holding him in that bizarre position, Jen transported Ethan to the bathroom. Luckily, the kid didn't try to beat her up with his head.

Jen tapped on the polished oak door.

“Come in,” Catherine said sharply.

Entering Catherine's office, Jen wiped clammy palms over her hips. It reminded her of being called to the principal's office. No; worse. She was experiencing the same trepidation she'd felt when she was summoned to her college counselor's office, knowing she was about to be booted off campus. The lecture she'd been given on the university's low tolerance for cheating was lengthy and humiliating. It concluded that she'd forfeited her scholarship and was expected to hand over her student ID, pack her bags, and get off campus.

Instead of telling her parents she'd been kicked out of school, Jen pretended that she had to hang in Philly for summer classes. But here she was, a live-in nanny, winging it, without any future plans.

Without giving Jen so much as a glance, Catherine kept her head bent, her eyes fixed on the heap of papers on her desk, perusing
page after page, and shaking her head in annoyance. She pursed her lips and frowned at the paperwork, making it clear that she felt overburdened by the heap of tedious forms.

Catherine didn't bother to offer Jen a seat. Scowling, she continued rustling through papers, letting Jen stand there shifting from foot to foot, and running jittery fingers through her frizzy red hair.

After what seemed like ten minutes or more, the VP candidate finally acknowledged Jen. “Sign these.” She handed Jen a stack of papers.

Jen held the pile and began reading the top page.

Impatient, Catherine exhaled. “Just sign the bottom of each page. It's all standard confidentiality lingo.”

“Okay—” Jen caught herself. “All right.” She carefully affixed her signature to a ton of papers, hoping her beautiful penmanship made up for her inability to engage in witty banter

Next Catherine handed her a thick binder. “I've detailed your daily assignments. Ethan will flourish in a structured environment. Please don't deviate from his daily routine. I want you to follow my guidelines to the letter. Story time, playtime, music hour…it's all in there. Go to page four.” Catherine gestured, impatiently.

Jen quickly found the page.

“Anything that goes on inside this house is absolutely confidential.”

Jen shot a look at Catherine and back down at the binder. “Is this the addendum?”

“If you'll allow me to finish—”

“Sorry.” Back to one-word responses.

“I have to protect my son's right to privacy. The press has ways of getting their hands on recordings…” She drew in a breath.

“And so, in lieu of a nanny cam, you and I are going to use the honor system.”

Great!
Jen wanted to shout, but restraining herself, she merely nodded.

“I want you to fill out the comment sections next to each activity. Provide detailed commentary on Ethan's responses to the stimulation you offer throughout the day.”

“Sure. I can do that.”

“I was going to suggest you fax the reports daily, but I don't want my handlers to have access to such sensitive information. So…” Catherine touched her finger to her forehead, drifting off in thought.

Jen studied the page with her assignments as Catherine pondered to fax or not to fax. The activities were a joke. Catherine knew Ethan would have nothing to do with childish games. When would the woman get it through her head…Ethan was not interested in anything except gazing at bridges.

“Keep everything in a folder. Senator Provost can hand deliver your comments when he campaigns with me.”

“Okay,” Jen muttered. Smiling sheepishly, she offered an apologetic shrug.

“You'll be happy to know you're getting a pay increase.”

“Thank you,” Jen said sincerely, but she didn't dare ask how much. She supposed she'd find out when she got her next paycheck.

“The agency will send you copies of the forms you sign.”

Okay
was on the tip of Jen's tongue, but she nodded instead, giving the distinct impression that hanging around silent Ethan was extremely contagious.

“Is there anything else, Jen?”

“No, not at all,” she replied with an uncomfortable smile.

God, she hated it when she behaved like an idiot, but Catherine unnerved her.

“Then, you're excused.”

Jen turned.

“Oh, there's something I've been meaning to speak to you about,” Catherine added.

Very cautiously, Jen turned back around. Judging by Catherine's somber tone, she was about to impart unpleasant news.