AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But why would you work for a man who’s trying to take everything away from us?” Elaine asked. Carmen knew that sooner or later these questions would pop up, questioning the legitimacy of what she had done.
Lily nodded by her side. “I believe you, Carmen.” She turned to the rest of the women and said, “I’ve known her for years. Together we escaped a very bad man before we found refuge in the city. I know whatever she did is for the good of us, even though it may not feel that way.”
“Having said that, I feel it is still suspicious about the duke’s intentions,” Lily continued.
“I trust no man,” one of the women spoke up. More murmurs followed her statement, mostly in agreement.
“I don’t trust him either,” Carmen said. “But under his employment, maybe I’ll be able to change our fate.”
“You think he will change his mind?” Elaine said.
Carmen knew that she didn’t want to give them false hope. “I can’t say that he will.”
“We can still fix it,” Lily said. “Besides, we need the income that Carmen’s salary can bring in for us.”
“She’s right,” Queenie said, nodding. “We have more mouths to feed now, and since the music hall will not be opened, we must look for alternate sources of income.”
Carmen gave her a small smile. She knew that none of the women were happy that she was going to work for the Duke, the man who had actively harmed, them, but at least they supported her decision. “It’s decided then,” she said.
She felt relieved when she walked out of the hall. She walked upstairs to the now abandoned wing of the newly constructed music hall. Everything was dark and desolate now that the workers had left. The room still smelled like new paint and turpentine from where the workers were coloring the stage and the hardwood flooring. Her hand brushed the side of the tall wooden board that would serve as one of the two stage doors and sighed. These were temporary measures to serve till they could raise more money for better stage equipment. When she closed her eyes, she could already hear the echo of voices as they applauded their performance off the stage.
“Is something worrying you?” a voice said behind her. She turned around to see Lily climbing up the platform to the stage. Beyond her lay the old leather seats in rows that extended upwards. Sunlight streamed through the windows, offering the only source of light in the dark, cavernous space.
Lily waltzed in the middle of the stage as if with an invisible partner. “I wish to dance here,” she said. “Dance and sing in front of people as you play on your piano. Remember when it was just you and me and we only had happy music to keep us happy?”
Carmen nodded. They had been alone, but it was simpler times. For once she didn’t have the weight of responsibility of so many people on her.
She felt tears prickling at the corner of her eyes. She hadn’t cried since she had heard the news. She sat down on her haunches and put her hands over her face. Her stomach knotted painfully at the implication of everything that had happened today as she finally let her mind catch up. Without the money she required to track her daughter, she would never find her again.
“Are you all right, Carmen?” Lily asked, her voice tight with worry. She pulled her into an embrace and held her there. Carmen shuddered against her.
“Do you think I will ever find her again?” she asked.
Lily nodded. She knew Carmen so well that she didn’t even have to elaborate. “You will. We had a plan, remember?”
“It feels difficult to imagine that when everything is falling apart around you,” Carmen said with a sigh. “Our plan is dust now.”
“Then we shall begin anew. You know what the letter said. He gave away the baby to another family,” Lily said. “Who in turn gave her up to be adopted.”
Carmen shuddered even though Lily hadn’t taken his name. He loomed like a dark shadow threatening to extinguish every light from their lives. She hadn’t thought about him in years. He was her living nightmare, a darkness that clung to her very skin and she couldn’t wash it away even if she tried to. It was a miracle that they had managed to escape him, but she felt as if she never really left him behind.
“Are you worried about him?” Lily asked.
Carmen nodded. “We haven’t heard from him in years.” She had been careful to hide her identity so that he would not be able to track her down. But there was always awhat if.
“He’s not here,” Lily said. “For all we know he might be dead. We know what happened that night.”
Carmen knew that but the fear would never go away, not really. He had left a dark imprint on her very soul. Lily had been caught up with him in the same manner she had. He had groomed many more girls like them, but then one fateful night, Carmen found the courage to fight back…
She squeezed her eyes, not thinking about that night when everything had fallen apart. “He has no hold on us anymore,” she said, more to convince her than anything else.
“He doesn’t.” Lily nodded and squeezed her hand. Carmen looked up at her friend gratefully. It was because of her that she had managed to survive, because after losing her baby, she had almost given up on life too. “We will get through this too.”
She had her courage, and she had her will, and she would see the opening of the music hall at every cost.
* * *
Jaxon Maguire stood at the basin cleaning the blood off his fingers with a washcloth. He felt no remorse for what he had done. In fact, he was almost giddy with excitement. He finally had a clue about where she had gone.
