White Lilies

                                      White Lilies

The silence of the room roared at him. He looked around, the lilac paint had begun to peel off. The mahogany Queen’s bed still had periwinkle sheets tightly tucked around the corners, the flower patterns fading away. The nightstand beside the bed still had the fused-out lamp.

He sat down, leaning on the bed frame. He stared straight ahead, at the painting that hung. The lilies in the painting seemed to sway gently when the window was pushed open by a gush of wind.

He leaned back his head and was engulfed by the memories that floated around the room.

Adeline Bélanger.

That was her name.

He was struck by cupid’s arrow the first time he laid her eyes on her.

                                                               ***

It was the beginning of spring.

He and his father had just sat down for dinner, there was a loud knock on the door.

Sixteen-year-old Carlton Richardson looked up, Senior Richardson cleared his throat. He nodded at his butler.

“It’s okay James, I’ll get it”. His father pushed the chair and left to get the door.

Carlton could hear few muffled voices. He came to the room, with her by his side.

“Everyone, this is Adeline Bélanger, and her father. They will be staying with us for a while”.

Adeline Bélanger.

She stood there, like an angel descending from Eden. He shit as white and soft as the first November snowflake. She wore her auburn hair like a crown, lush and shiny. Her brown doe eyes looked directly at him, warming him from inside. Her Pouty lips almost taunting him to come and taste them.

He stopped.

What a sinister thought to have, he mentally scolded himself.

Carlton got up, shook her hand and her father’s. He was a tall man in his late forties. After exchanging few pleasantries, they all sat down for dinner.

After they were finished, Senior Harrison asked Carlton to help Adeline to the Guest room, He and things to discuss with her father.

Carlton grabbed her suitcase and her upstairs to the guest room.

“This is your room, Miss Bélanger”, he said carrying the suitcase inside.

She started to look around.

“Hope you enjoy the stay”.

Adeline took a step closer to the boy, her perfume weaving a cloud around him.

“Please call me Adeline”, she said raising her hand tracing his face with her finger.

His heart began to race, he took a step back. Adeline quirked up her eyebrows. She looked at him with amusement as the boy wished her goodnight and scurried out.

She looked around, again, the room was warm lilac. She flopped to the bed, lying on her back arms spread wide.

Hmm, she could get used to this luxury.

                                                                 ***

Two weeks had passed.

Adeline Bélanger was getting acquainted with the house and the helps.

And Carlton loves looking at her.

Every day he would come from school, she would be sitting on the patio in one of her gorgeous dresses, with their maid Rosanna. Rosanna would whisper something in her ear and she would burst into laughter. The air filled with the tinkling of her laugh.

Oh, the music to his ears.

That night he locked his father’s study door behind him, his father still had his nose buried deep in books. On his way, he saw Rosanna holding a cup.

“Miss Bélanger has a sore throat, so she asked me for ginger tea”.

“Here give it to me, I am going to my room. And her room is just down the hall”.

She handed him a cup and walked downstairs to the servant’s quarter.

He walked to her room and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” a soft voice said from inside.

He opened the door.

Adeline was in her bed, blanket up to her chin, leaning against the headboard, resting her head on a thoroughly fluffed pillow. As soon as she saw him, his eyes lit up.

“Oh it’s you”, she said throwing away the blanket and getting up from the bed.

His eyes widened. He could see her supple skin beneath the flimsy nightgown. 

“Rosanna said you weren’t feeling well, here”, he said putting the cup on the nightstand.

“That’s sweet of you”, she said in her breezy voice.

“You need anything else “, he asked.

“Oh, nothing more. Why don’t you sit here”, she said sitting on her bed. 

“I am sorry ma’am I should go”, he said trying to avoid her eyes.

“Oh don’t be such a spoilsport, come here,” she said patting the space beside her.

He gingerly sat beside her, maintaining a respectable space between them.

She scooted closer.

He clasped his hands nervously over his thigh.

Her knee was touching his.

He cleared his throat as she leaned closer, lips by his ear.

“What do you really want, Carlton.”

“I am sor-rry?” he stammered.

“ Oh come on, I have seen you looking at me. And I know when a man looks at me with want, desire. I can feel their burning lust.”

Carlton gulped, his mouth feeling dry as if he had swallowed a sack of sand.

His breathing quickened. She got closer, placing her leg over his, leaning her body over his. He felt the warmth of her body sending a ripple of desire over him.

“You are very pretty,” he said softly.

“That I am,” she said letting out a sweet laugh that sounded like wind chimes on a breezy day.

Before he could get a hold of himself he launched himself at her, taking her mouth, nibbling down her lower lip.

The sweet, sweet taste of nectar.

She slipped her tongue in his mouth, grabbed him by his hair, and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

Everything around the dissolved, it was just them bound in intimate passion.

                                                              ***

Days passed into weeks then months. The stolen glances turned into sneaky kisses. They would sneak into her room, away from the prying eyes of the housemaids and his clueless father. Thus began their surreptitious tryst.

                                                                ***

“You know, what I miss the most.”

His father was out and his summer vacation had just begun. It was bright noon. They had snuck into her room, after a passionate rendezvous, they laid there. She was wearing one of her sheer nightgowns and he had covered his bare body with the blanket. He had one arm carelessly wrapped around her waist and the other under his head. He could smell the rose from her hair, as she laid her head on his chest tucked under his chin.

“Hmm?” he asked.

“Lilies. The smell of lilies.”

“I thought you like roses.”

“Everyone likes rose.”

“Hmm, they do. So does my father.”

“I know,” she paused.

“When I was a kid my mother had a small flower stall. We had bouquets of all kinds of flowers, roses, tulips, carnation, gardenia. But lilies were my favorite. The stall was the world of my mother and mine. But things were difficult. There were long cold hungry nights, money was hard to come by. But the lilies kept me afloat, kept me moving. Looking at the soft white petals gave me hope. Every time a lily caught the light under the lamp, it would burst into rays of joy. It got me through some tough nights, Then-” She stopped.

“Then?” he prompted.

“Then a man came to our life. Things got better. And here I am. With you.” That got her a smile.

“You know what?” she said turning raising her head slightly, placing her palm on his chest, looking at his cool blue eyes.

“When I die, I want to be buried under a field of lilies.” Then she kissed him full on his mouth.

“No gloomy thoughts,” he said against her mouth. Everything around them melted, as they were lost in each other.

                                                                ***

The vacation went in a frenzy. He spent every stolen moment with Adeline, away from the prying eyes of the house. Other times he spent in his room painting for his beloved.

                                                               ***

The vacation was ending. He had finished painting. He was excited, he couldn’t wait to see her eyes light up. His father had left for a week that evening, which meant he had Adeline all for himself without sneaking around. 

They had dinner, Carlton hurried to his room and grabbed the now framed painting, and rushed to Adeline’s room.

He sat on the bed, hugging the frame. He heard footsteps, he eagerly waited, eyes glued to the door. But he heard voices.

Oh no.

Carlton still holding the painting he rushed to her closet and squatted inside, shutting the door lightly. He could still see from a small crack.

Adeline entered the room with her father in tow. He shut the door behind him. Adeline sat on the edge of the bed and her father stood over her, hands on his hips.

Carlton could see her radiating face in the dimly lit room.

“So?” her father asked.

“He proposed”, she squealed thrusting her hand at his face showing a big rock on her ring finger.

His eyes widened, his clutch tightened around the frame. He forgot to breathe. Frozen, he just sat and watched.

Her father grabbed her hand and examined the diamond.

“So Frederick Richardson did finally propose.”

Icy water started to run through Carlton’s vein.

“Yes, he did. And he said he would make it official after he comes back home.”

“Oh Adeline, finally everything is finally falling into places,” he grabbed her by the waist and gave her a twirl.

Not a very fatherly move, he thought with a frown.

“Oh Addy, all of this will be ours soon.”

“Everything,” she exclaimed.

“I hope you won’t double-cross me”, her father’s voice got chilly.”You owe me that.”

The air around them got frosty.

“I don’t owe you anything,” she sneered. “If it weren’t for me selling myself off to men, you would have nothing. I put the food on your table. It not for me, your wife and children would be starving, homeless somewhere on the street.”

“If I hadn’t rescued you would be rotting in that pesky flower stall. And-”

“That was no rescue. I was just thirteen when you lured me with hopes of a beautiful life, a comfortable life.”

 “Now I am giving you that, aren’t. I arranged for you to go to the ball, I arranged your meeting with Richardson. And he proposed. You’ll be living here for your entire life, in this estate.”

He pulled her, ravaged her lips. She was kissing him back.

She pulled back. “But I can’t stay married to the old geezer.”

“Don’t worry darlin’ old people drop dead from heart attack all the time.”

“Hmm, I like that,” she smiled against his mouth, tracing his lips with her tongue. “And that son.”

“Oh honey, I know all about your secret meetings, He’s smitten with you. Just convince him about this marriage, have him on his toes. Keep him around, toy with him all you want. Maybe, the young heir goes for horseriding, he has a small accident on the ravines.”

“Hmm,” she frowned. “I like that lamb.”

“Too bad then, I don’t like sharing my mo-”

“Our money,” she cut him off.

“Yes, our money. And for now, I gotta leave. Gotta go back to the missus and the kids.”

“You go back to your family. And don’t forget to bring that darned rose perfume, the old man loves it.”

He left after giving her a long kiss.

                                                             ***

Carlton waited, frozen, not knowing what to do. She was going to ruin everything. He slowly pushed the door open, and walked over to the bed. The lamp was still switched on. 

Even in the faint light, she glowed. How could someone look so innocent and be so vile and cruel? How could he have fallen into her web of lies? He felt disgusted with himself. She was planning to murder his father and him. She was the devil’s spawn.

Tears started to rain down his eyes.

He bent down and kissed those luscious lips. One last time.

Adeline woke up startled, but as she saw Carlton standing over her.

She gave him a faint smile.

“Oh, it’s you.”

“I don’t like horses, Adeline.”

Her eyes widened.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you know exactly what I mean, you wretched vixen,” he spat the words out in disgust.

Before she could say anything, he grabbed a pillow from her head side, and covered her face, and pressed hard.

Adeline thrashed her legs, arms flailing. She clawed his hands, but the young boy overpowered her.

Carlton held the pillow, crying.

This woman was his first love, and she has ripped his heart out. But her betrayal stung, as anger boiled inside him.

“Why Adeline? I loved you. Your smile, your laughter, your little jokes. The way you twirl your hair with your fingers. The way you bite your lip. We had such a beautiful thing between us, but.YOU.HAD TO POISON IT.”

She stopped moving.

Completely still.

He removed the pillow, her face looked pasty against the satin pillowcase. She had stopped breathing. 

He crawled into a ball and cried. He cried till the wells of his eyes dried out.

He slowly got up. He couldn’t leave a dead body lying there, He had to act quick. He couldn’t let someone find a woman dead in their family name, all the scandals it would cause. But she couldn’t bury her body or dump her in the lake. He couldn’t risk anyone to find her. Ever.

He wasn’t going to her tarnish the Richardson name.

He took a deep breath.

She could never leave this room.

He got up, to his room to get a toolbox. He pulled out nails prying two planks. He tiptoed down the pantry and looked for salt. He found few small sacs of salt, thank god for pickling season. He carried few bags a,d walked back to her room.

He carried her lifeless body and gently put her behind the wall. He tore the bags of salt and started to pour over the body, he didn’t want her stench reeking over this room. 

He hammered the nails over the plank. Loud thudding disrupted the tranquility of the night. He knew no one would hear him, the servants’ quarter was far away from the room.

He raised his hand and struck the board shut one more time.

                                                                ***

“Daddy?”

A little brown-haired girl popped in the door.

“Yes sweetie,” Carlton asked, looking at his five-year-old daughter. Seeing his little girl, his eyes brightened.

“Mommy said dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll be there. Now run along.”The little girl ran to call her older brothers to eat.

   ***

He picked up the second plank, before placing it in place he looked down. He looked at the woman he had loved so passionately. Her beautiful face was now covered with salt. He sighed.

He adjusted the plank and nailed it tight shut. It was almost sunrise.

Blush of pink started to appear on the horizon. Everyone would be leaving for church soon and they won't be back until noon. By then, he would have made it seem like Adeline had left the house. He wrote a note.

“Dear Frederick,

I was elated when you gave me the ring. Now that I have a night to sleep on it, I don’t think I want to get on with it. I am still young, I have an entire world to explore. I don’t think I can stay in one house as a housewife. I am sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. 

Please send my belongings with my father.

Adeline.”

He folded the note and placed it on the nightstand, hoping Rosanna would find it.

As he was about to leave, he looked at the wall, the emptiness of the wall gnawed at him. He found a long nail and hammered it on the wall, the plank that held Adeline’s body.

He took the painting that was still in the closet and hung it.

                                                                       ***

“Daddy.”

His oldest screamed from downstairs.

“In a minute,” he hollered back.

He got up and headed towards the door. Before closing the door he looked back, glancing around the room. Her laughter still rung around the wall, air filled with roses.

His eyes fell on the painting. An ode to his love. An orange vase with three lilies.

Buried under white lilies.

“Just like you wanted.”