Kathleen Tessaro - The Perfume Collector

‘Where is she? When did she say she would be back?’

‘Who?’ Rita shot her a look. ‘You mean that whore? Oh, you’ll never see her again, missy. I told you she was no good but you didn’t want to listen, did you?’

‘But she’s coming back for me. She said she would take me with her.’

Rita shook her head. ‘She’s checked out. First thing this morning with that Hun. That’s the only reason I’m cleaning this early. And what happens? I open the door and find you spread out on the bed like a corpse.’

‘No.’ Tears ran down Eva’s cheeks and chin. ‘I’m… I’m ruined!’

‘Well, if you want to swim with the sharks you’re going to get bit,’ Rita sighed. ‘And there’s no need to be dramatic. You’re not the first girl in the world to make a mistake. Now, get up.’

Rita undressed Eva and put her into the bath. Then she rolled up the sleeves of her uniform and bathed her, as gently as a baby.

‘She’s sick, ma’am.’

Mrs Ronald narrowed her eyes and searched Sis’s face. ‘Really. What kind of sick?’

‘She’s throwing up, ma’am. Some sort of fever, I think.’

‘I hope this isn’t the result of any alcoholic drink, Cecily?’

‘No, ma’am. I think, although I couldn’t say for certain, that she’s got some sort of influenza.’

‘Influenza,’ Mrs Ronald repeated, sucking hard on her back teeth.

‘Or maybe she ate something that didn’t agree with her.’

‘Isn’t that interesting. Especially as you all eat in the canteen together. I’ve had no other reports.’

‘With all due respect, ma’am, she is foreign. They eat things no one else would touch.’

Mrs Ronald sighed. It was almost impossible to tell when Sis was lying; she was clever. It served her right for hiring a clever girl in the first place.

‘I’d be happy, ma’am, to clean her rooms in addition to my own,’ Sis offered.

Mrs Ronald leaned back in her chair, folding her hands together in her lap. ‘Would you now? Perhaps we should call a doctor for Miss Dorsey?’

Sis didn’t flinch. ‘As I said, ma’am, I can’t say for certain, but to me it looks like something that may well pass in a couple of days.’

‘That’s a lot of work, even if it is only a couple of days.’

Sis straightened. ‘She’d do the same for me, ma’am.’

‘Would she?’

For the first time, Sis dared to look Mrs Ronald in the eye. ‘Yes, ma’am, I believe she would.’

It was almost the end of October when Mr Lambert finally returned.

Eva caught a glimpse of him as he was riding the elevator one morning. She was dusting the light fixtures in the hallway when the doors opened and another patron got off. They were about to close again when he recognized her. ‘Oh, hello, it’s you!’ He jammed his hand between the doors and bounded off. ‘What have you done to your hair?’

His suit was badly in need of a press, his collar grey and frayed, but his eyes were just as blue as she’d remembered; his smile instantly disarming. She made herself concentrate on dusting.

‘So, you’re still here.’ His voice was low, conspiratorial.

‘Yes. I’m still here.’ Then she added, against her better judgement, ‘Did you enjoy Niagara Falls, sir?’

‘Niagara Falls?’ His brow furrowed as if he had no idea of what she was talking about. ‘I can’t say I did. Place with all the water, isn’t it?’

And the Laughing Blonde, she thought. But instead she just nodded. ‘That’s what they say.’

‘Yes, well, it’s been a busy summer. I’ve been all over the East Coast so it’s hard to remember.’

‘Must be.’ She moved a little further down the hallway.

‘Well, here’s the thing,’ he said, strolling up behind her, hands in his pockets. ‘I’ve been thinking of you quite a lot. Of your many admirable qualities.’

She glanced at him sideways. ‘Have you?’

‘And I have a small favour to ask of you. Well, a proposition really. You know,’ he leaned casually against the wall, ‘I’d like to discuss it with you sometime, only not here. It’s a private matter. Nothing one would talk about in a public hallway. You understand.’

‘Of course, sir.’

‘I’m in room 701. So, what do you say?’ He smiled charmingly. ‘Come and see me, say, in an hour?’

‘I’m not sure I have time,’ she said quietly.

‘Of course. Well, I mean. You know where I am, so you can come when you like.’

She continued to avoid his eyes; gave a little shrug. ‘I’ll think about it, sir.’

Mr Lambert blinked, as if suddenly seeing her for the first time. She’d changed. Her face was different; there was a shift in her demeanour and tone. He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped.

The little maid was off, heading down the hallway.

He stood, more than a little surprised, watching as she walked away.

Two days later, at the end of her shift, Sis came down to Eva’s floor with a message.

‘I’ve got someone asking after you,’ she informed her, hand on hip.

‘Who?’

Sis leaned up against the counter, watching as Eva washed out dirty glasses in the tiny room-service kitchen. ‘Mr Lambert, of all people.’

Eva kept her eyes down. ‘Really.’

‘Humm. Why’s he asking after you?’

‘I don’t know,’ she shrugged. ‘He was on my floor for a while. Maybe he misses the way I change the sheets.’

‘Maybe he does.’

Eva looked up. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Evidently, you’ve caught his eye.’

‘I doubt it. Actually,’ she gave Sis a look, ‘I believe he favours blondes.’ Eva scrubbed the glasses hard, running them under hot water.

‘That haircut makes you look fast. I’m only saying this as your friend. You’ve filled out, your hair’s as short as a chorus girl’s and now I’ve got grown men asking me where you are. What am I supposed to think?’

‘You’re supposed to think more of me.’

Sis frowned, bit her lower lip. ‘When are you going to come to confession again? You haven’t been for ages.’

Eva wiped down the counter. ‘I’ve nothing to confess.’

‘What about Mass?’

‘No, thank you.’

‘Do you want to end up in hell?’

Eva folded up the towel. ‘Is it any different from this?’

Sis opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. She tried another tack.

‘Has he… I mean,’ she lowered her voice, ‘did he try to touch you? That’s happened to me. Men get grabby when they’re away from home. And they seem to think you’re included in the price of the room.’

‘He’s never laid a finger on me.’

Sis sighed, shook her head. ‘Well, he wants to see you.’

Eva took off her apron, turned off the lights. ‘Thank you.’

‘Well?’ Sis followed her out into the hallway. ‘Are you going to go?’

‘I don’t know. I’m certainly not going now.’

‘But what if he complains? What if Mrs Ronald hears about it?’

Eva stopped. ‘I don’t understand. What do you want me to do? Go or not go?’

‘I don’t know! If you don’t go you could get in trouble. But I mean, why? Why is he asking for you?’

‘How do I know? People are strange.’ Eva headed down the hall towards the back stairs. ‘Why did that old woman want you to sing her to sleep?’

Sis caught up with her up. ‘I told you he was a communist, didn’t I?’

‘Yes.’

‘Leave the door open. Do you hear me? Go, but make sure you leave the door open. That way, if he makes a lunge for you, you have an exit.’

‘I told you, I may not even go.’

Sis sighed heavily as they climbed up the stairs. Eva could hear the tears begin to catch in her throat. ‘You used to tell me everything.’