Page 14 of Beautiful Deception

“All right. I can respect that. But you should know, Viktor, I am not a patient woman. If you want my hand, you’ll need to work fast for it. I have other men interested in marrying me.”

“I don’t like competition,” I warn her. “And I don’t play games. Never lie to me and I’ll never lie to you.”

“Of course.” She takes another sip of her wine, leaving a red stain behind on the rim.

Inessa

The large gothic house stands imposing before me. It’s so big, it casts a shadow over the long driveway. I’m thirty minutes outside of the city and yet, I feel like I’ve entered into a completely new world.

This is it: my first day starting my new job as a maid in Viktor Smirnov’s house.

I can do this.

I stop my hands from trembling as I knock on the door. It creaks open. Of course the door creaks. As if it couldn’t get even scarier.

A middle aged woman stands before me. “Yes?”

“I’m Inessa… Roberts.” I cannot forget my fake last name. “I’m here for the maid position.”

“Right. Mr. Smirnov told me you were coming. I’m Mrs. Green, the new housekeeper. We’re both starting today.”

That makes me feel a little bit better.

The inside of the house isn’t any less imposing that the outside. Dark furniture. Dark walls. It’s more like a tomb in here than an actual house.

“Wow. Viktor does like dark colors.”

“Mr. Smirnov,” she says in a stern voice. “He told me to call him that and it’s the same for you. We’re to show a great man like him respect.”

“Of course,” I stutter. Already, I’m messing up. I cannot keep slipping.

Mrs. Green softens slightly. “It was a mistake. One that will not happen again. Now, let me show you around the house.”

It’s so large, I could get lost in here. The size of the kitchen alone is almost bigger than the house I grew up in. There are six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, which seems silly to me but I don’t question it. Rich people and their tastes.

I’ve known many rich people – Elena included. Her house growing up was so grand and beautiful.

But I’ve never known riches for myself. This kind of money is so out of my depth.I’mout of my depth here.

“Mr. Smirnov gave me instructions. You are to keep each bathroom clean every day, even if no one has used it. You will vacuum and sweep the floors every day. You will cook dinner every night. I will cook with you. Mr. Smirnov expects grand meals that will need at least two people to make them. You will do the laundry and make sure every bed is made. This place must feel like a hotel in its finery.”

I almost fall to the ground knowing I’ll have to do so much. I’m not sure my body will be able to handle it but at three hundred dollars a day, I cannot complain. It’s more money than I would ever be able to make at some other job.

“Mrs. Green, this is your first day. How do you know so much?”

“I came here at five this morning and Mr. Smirnov debriefed me. He told me to make sure you were prepared in your duties. He wants this house to be spit-spot clean by the time he comes home.”

“And… what time does he come home by?”

“He told me six pm tonight. We’ll need to have dinner ready by then. A pot roast and green bean casserole and stuffed potatoes. It will take over an hour to make. In the meantime, you need to get started on the bathrooms. Lunch will be at noon every day. I will make that. You’ll have thirty minutes to eat, then resume your duties.”

I hurry to follow after her as we walk around the house. She’s fast footed. “Mrs. Green, what if I get everything done for the day early?”

“Then you may have alone time. In here.” She shows me to a bedroom. “This is yours. Where you’ll sleep. You can use the bathroom across the hall.”

“I thought I’d be staying in servants quarters.”

“Child, this isn’t the 1800s. You’ll be living in the house, same as I. Now, one last thing I need to tell you: Mr. Smirnov wants to speak to you tonight. He didn’t tell me why. But be prepared.”

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