Chapter Ninety-Nine
Jane and Benedict Astor forced us to change into fancy clothes for the dinner party. I expected an extravagant party with at least fifty guests from what she made us wear.
My dress was a dusty blue fitted satin gown, accentuating all my curves. It also had a deep cleavage, which left little to the imagination around my chest area. Desmond would have taken delight in ripping it off me if we were still together.
In such a slinky dress, I was about to flirt with another man. I was in that stage of post-breakup, where a part of me still felt committed to Desmond. Additionally, the last thing I wanted to do was give the impression that I was seeking attention or trying too hard to appear promiscuous.
Someone knocked at my door as I unsuccessfully tried to find an angle from which my evening gown would look less provocative.
“Who is it?” I asked, expecting it to be that creep, Mr. Astor. I suspected him to have something to do with the selection of my figure-hugging dress with a slutty neckline.
“Your sister,” said Mia. “It’s safe to open the door. I have only brought Derrick with me.” Thank God my siblings had come to see me. There was so much I needed to share with them. I dropped my tensed shoulders and reached for the door handle.
When I opened the door, they rushed into the room, and Mia bolted it from the inside.
“Did he do or say something inappropriate to you?” Mia mirrored maternal concern.
“No. That’s what I was expecting from him, but he didn’t do anything of that sort,” I answered, folding my arms over my chest to hide my overly exposed cleavage.
“Why are you dressed like you’re about to walk the red carpet in Hollywood?” Derrick asked.
“This gown was chosen for me.” I tucked my hair behind my ear in embarrassment. It was certainly not the time to be dolled up. I noticed my siblings’ attire. As compared to mine, Mia’s dress was nunlike. The Astors had chosen dull Victorian clothes for them.
“They have picked favorites. I am not sure why they are treating me differently.”
“Wait a minute.” Derrick squinted his eyes. “It’s creepy, but I think I saw Mr. Astor carrying a similar dress downstairs. He was sniffing and caressing it. I am not sure if it was the same color because there is no useless space in my brain to store fashion pictures.”
I grimaced at the thought of Mr. Astor doing all that to the gown on my body. “Benedict is at least a hundred shades of crazy and creepy. I have something to share with both of you, but first, I want to hear your thoughts about how they act and why we didn’t find any Satan’s temple in the mansion.”
Mia went first. “It’s awkward how hard they are trying to make them seem not guilty of our misery. They may have shown us all the rooms, but we didn’t see a basement. That’s usually where people hide their darkest secrets.”
“Exactly my thoughts!” I high-fived Mia for seeing right through their clever schemes.
“Don’t take this the wrong way.” Derrick coughed. “Mr. Astor could be a creep for sniffing women’s clothes, but should we completely throw away the possibility that they may not have anything to do with Satan and magic?”
“Not again, Derrick,” I grunted. “I am begging you not to trust them just because they called witchcraft a truth for only ignorant fools. Besides, I can now give you the proof that they are guilty as fuck.”
“How? Did you find the basement?” Mia asked with hope.
“I found something much better,” I told them all about my brief yet significant interaction with the maid. In the end, I showed them my palm where Lily’s inked message was still intact. “See. It’s all here. She wants to meet me on the second floor, and the good news is that’s where we shall be staying tonight. I asked Benedict about our rooms, and he told me about it.”
“I knew it,” Mia chimed in. “That poor maid was serving us tea with trembling fingers. We should help her escape this horror house.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Derrick. “Let’s talk to her as soon as possible. We’ll get a chance after dinner when everyone retires to their respective bedrooms.”
“No.” I shook my head in disagreement. "The Astors aren’t fools. Tonight, there is another guest expected who will also be staying on the second floor."
“Who?” Mia and Derrick questioned simultaneously.
“Benedict Astor’s nephew. I have heard many praises of him. He even offered to set me up with him to distract my mind from Mr. Demetri,” I answered.
Mia rolled her eyes. “Sure, devil’s spawn is exactly what you need as your new boyfriend. You did the right thing by turning down his offer, Cass.”
“I didn’t say no to him because we need to gain his trust,” I said, hiding the main reason. “Spending some time with their nephew will prove well for us. They will have someone guard the second floor all night. We need to find a chance somewhere during the dinner to talk to the maid. Since I’ll be busy with Benedict’s nephew, one of you needs to go see Lily.”
“I’ll do it,” Mia volunteered enthusiastically. “The maid will have an easier time opening up to a woman. Also, our aunt and uncle are the least interested in me. It can work.”
“Hopefully,” I spoke under my breath.
Violent knocking at the door made me almost jump out of my skin.
“Who is it?” Mia bravely asked.
“Benedict Astor,” came the reply. I trapped my tongue between my teeth and covered my mouth. Were we talking too loud? Had he heard us?
“We’re coming. Give us a moment,” Derrick said.
“Oh, so your brother is in there, too. I thought you girls were helping each other with your dresses. I hope you three aren’t conspiring against us.”
“Be decent and give us more time to finish it,” I gave him a double-meaning response.
Benedict chuckled like the maniac he was. “Boy, didn’t I tell you how great Cassidy is? Her looks are even more impressive than her wits.”
Our uncle had company. Was he talking to his nephew?
Mia grabbed my hand and took a picture of the message. “I’ll show this to Lily when I see her,” she spoke in the faintest voice. “Now, go open the door and distract the wolves.”