Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

LIZZIE

I didn't stop watching out the back window till we were on the M40 out of Staffordshire. Finally, I leaned back into the plush leather cushions and stared at the passing landscape. Bright green hilltops, rolling fields of barley and oats lined with dark leafy trees, and piles of rocks and slate boundary markers passed before my sightless eyes.

I felt… numb.

You would think my mind would be a chaotic mess of memories, emotions, and recriminations. Instead, it was unfocused and almost calm.

As if I had been drained of all emotion. Leaving Richard had emptied my world of oxygen and light. I was a rag doll with no bones and a frozen gaze.

It wasn't until we crossed into the outskirts of London hours later that I stirred once more to life. Paying close attention to every turn the driver made as he wound his way through the crowded streets. I knew this could still be a trap. Part of me expected Richard to have secretly instructed the driver to take me back to the asylum.

I couldn't wrap my mind around the idea he had simply let me walk out the door… not my Richard.

My Richard.

Was he still mine?

Had he ever been?

I knew I was his… mind, body, and soul… but I could not claim the same about him.

He remained as much of an enigma to me as the first moment I had met him—and something shrouded even that in mists and mystery, as if there were a dense cloud over my memories of our time together.

Outside there was a cacophony of noise as clamoring crowds of people scurried about, running in and out of featureless grey buildings. It was strange how I had gotten used to the peace of the English countryside. I had filled my days with reading, drawing, and horseback riding instead of endless chatter, internet scrolling, and stress. Covering my ears, I pressed my hands against my head and rocked back and forth trying to block out all the horns, shouts, and sounds of modern life.

The car slowed. We were near the British museum. I was almost home to the tiny little flat I shared with Jane. I wasn't sure if I could trust Jane, but I had no choice; she was my only friend in London. Our shared flat, my only home.

Then the driver turned right instead of left.

Alarmed, I leaned forward and banged on the tinted glass divider that separated me from the driver. The window rolled smoothly down.

"Where are we going?"

"Miss?"

"Where are we going?" I shouted in a panic; leaning over, I tried the door handle.

It was locked.

"Unlock this door," I demanded as I continued to yank on the handle.

"Miss, I can't, we're still moving."

"Where are you taking me?" I shouted once more.

"My instructions were to take you to your home."

"My home is off Fleet Street."

"Those weren't my instructions."

Icy fear gripped me. I knew it. I knew Richard wouldn't just let me go. This was just another one of his games. A way to torture me by letting me think I was safe once I reached London. This was just his way of showing me I wasn't safe anywhere, not from him.

The car stopped before a tall, imposing building with a neo-Egyptian, art deco vibe.

A dull thrum echoed over the silent interior of the car as the doors unlocked.

The driver got out of the car and swiftly opened the door for me. Hitching up my now hopelessly wrinkled taffeta skirts, I stepped out.

Gesturing toward the series of black tinted doors that made up the front facade of the building, the driver said, "Your friend is waiting for you in flat 8C on the eighth floor."

My friend?

Jane?

Or was it Richard?

I hesitated, strangely not wanting to leave the familiarity of the car. This must be what a captive felt like when they were first coaxed away from their cage. The barred interior might have been horrific, but at least it was familiar. A sick, twisted comfort as opposed to the unknown.

Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I knew, deep down, I had no choice but to play this out. I was a pawn in Richard's twisted game. I could try to make a run for it down the street, but I knew he would only find another way to manipulate me into doing his bidding. I might as well obey the rules of my game piece and enter the building. It was, after all, what Richard wanted of me.

Clenching my stomach to stop my body from trembling, I took a few steps forward. Several people cast strange looks at me as they passed, before quickly forgetting all about me and my odd Victorian attire as they continued on with their lives.

The glass door swung open and a tall gentleman impeccably dressed in a Dolce & Gabbana black cashmere polo and double-pleated trousers stepped through.

My heart stopped as I willed my eyes to look up past his shoulders… into a pair of lackluster brown eyes.

It wasn't Richard.

My traitorous heart sank.

Forcing the feeling away, I shyly nodded my thanks as he held the door open. Crossing over the threshold, I felt the clammy chill of air conditioning as I walked into the spacious lobby. The interior was very modern. Decorated with black wrought-iron and accents of white and yellow.

A slim woman with white-blonde hair pulled relentlessly back into a tight bun at her nape descended the black spiral staircase to the right. Her eyes traced my appearance from head to toe. Her lips tightened with disapproval before she asked in sharp, clipped tones, "May I help you?"

Self-consciously grabbing the knotted ends of my hair and twisting them into order over my shoulder, I cleared my throat before saying, "I'm here to see a friend in flat 8C."

Without taking her cold, grey eyes off me, she raised one unnaturally thin arm and gestured to the right. "The lifts are over there. Press in the code 461 to gain access to the eighth floor."

Smoothing the front of my bodice down with my right hand, I forgot I was still clutching the letter opener from my altercation with Richard. The woman's narrow, pencil-drawn eyebrow raised as her eyes caught sight of the sharp, tarnished object.

Defiantly tilting my chin up, I breezed past her. Unfortunately, I ruined the effect when I stumbled over my too-long skirts. Feeling my cheeks burn, I squeezed my eyes shut as I waited for the lift doors to open. The moment they did, I clambered inside.

It took several tries for my shaking fingers to punch in the correct code. Each time I entered the wrong number sequence, I expected to hear an alarm sound as the interior of the elevator flashed with red strobe lights and some robotic voice boomed ‘intruder, intruder.'

Finally, the small chamber vibrated as the elevator moved upward.

Twisting the fabric of my dress between my nervous hands, I tentatively walked out of the elevator and down the softly lit hallway as I scanned the eighth floor looking for flat C. After turning a corner, I spotted it.

I raised my arm to knock.

Then lowered it.

Leaning forward, I pressed my ear to the cold black metal door but could hear nothing.

Taking a deep breath, I once more raised my arm and knocked. At first, I knocked too faintly and after waiting a few moments, I pounded my fist against the door.

The light under the door shifted as someone approached.

Was that the heavy footfall of Richard?

I couldn't tell.

My head swam as I held my breath.

The scratch of metal against metal sounded as a latch was drawn free.

The doorknob turned.

As the door swung open, a flood of light blinded me from the windows and shrouded a figure in shadow.

The moment my eyes adjusted, I cried out before falling into their waiting arms.