Page 6 of Zenith
I decided I liked the gruff Mr. Gibbons well enough, though I dreaded to see his bad side if this was his way of showing his appreciation. Things always went smoothly when the terms were spoken clearly and given upfront. Then I knew what was required of me and could perform my duties as needed—and he’d done just that.
Adele leaned against the bar with a laugh. “That’s Mr. Gibbons,” she said. “He’s very abrupt, but he tells you exactly what he means. You wouldn’t know it, but he likes you, Jane.”
“I believe you,” I said, grimacing. The exchange caused me to think of an even more difficult man who showed his affection in much the same manner.
Rivers winked at me, and I changed my expression to a smile. I now had something to occupy my time with, and I was determined to extend two days a week to at least five. It was a start, and that was all I could hope for right now. I would take it.
“We must toast your success,” he declared, picking up his beer and holding it aloft. “To Jane and living the life of adventure…now with added finance!”
Picking up my pint glass, I clinked it against his and drank as Adele watched me with renewed curiosity. No doubt, tomorrow I would be questioned thoroughly, and I should have my story in order. There was no need to worry these people with the circumstances of my arrival. Edward certainly did not want to physically harm me, but I still did not want a single thing to do with his emotional torment. The less I spoke of him, the faster his memory would fade, or at least, I hoped it would.
Settling by the bar, I sipped at my beer, listening to the sounds of the pub around me. I was a master of new beginnings and hoped this one would fare better than the last.
* * *
Iwent backto The Gossiping Shrew the next night and was immediately handed a cloth and a tray.
My first tasks were to bus tables, scrub clean glasses and dishes, and be on hand with the mop and bucket. I knew this was Mr. Gibbons’s way of testing my resolve, so I accepted without complaint. If I could handle the lowest of tasks without making a scene, then I would prove myself to be a good employee and worthy of keeping around.
Adele took me under her wing from the moment I stepped through the door. Her forthrightness was unsettling since I was such a private kind of person, and she had no trouble telling me what had brought her to the United Kingdom from her native Paris.
With all the flourishes she could manage, she told me of her mother’s life as a dancer in Montmartre and her moonlighting as an escort. She didn’t know who her father was—it was down to a fifty-fifty chance between a wealthy Italian businessman and a poor artist who sold his paintings to tourists in the shadow of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica—but it didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. To her, life was a romantic journey, no matter what she did. Her mother had neglected her in favor of the company of the rich men who kept her mama dressed in silks as Adele grew up, and when Adele was old enough, she ran away to find her own place in the world. Her current adventures had led her to work at this particular pub until she had enough money saved to journey again.
When she asked after my story, she was satisfied with the version of events I had told Rivers. She commiserated over my attack and immediately offered her services and experience in my own adventure. She was very outrageous, and her overexcitement tended to exhaust me, but I was glad for her friendship. Surely, if I had to weather my heartache alone in these first days, I would suffer greatly. Having a friend or two was a welcome comfort.
To my surprise, Rivers came in at six p.m.? after he closed up his studio and spent most of the night drinking and keeping us company. I suspected he’d come to look out for me after the story of my stabbing and subsequent uprooting from Thornfield—and he’d expressed his deep concern the night I’d arrived—but he needn’t have worried himself. I was an expert in caring for my well-being. I was aware Adele watched him watching me and waited for her imminent words of warning. ????????
The moment he vacated his stool and went to the bathroom, she accosted me.
“Have I done something wrong?” I asked as she pulled me into the back of the bar where we couldn’t be seen.
“Are you sure nothing is happening with you and Rivers?” she asked. “He is quite attentive.”
“He expressed interest when we first met,” I admitted. “But I let him down. I don’t like him romantically.”
“All men are the same,” she said with a concerned frown. “They come, they take, they leave. Rivers is an expert.”
“But I’m not interested in starting a romance,” I replied. “I needed a place to stay for a while, and he was kind enough to offer.”
Adele raised her eyebrows, signaling she wasn’t convinced. I didn’t know for sure if it was my motives or his that she had an issue with, but she didn’t explain.
“If you say it is so,” she declared. “Just make sure he doesn’t demand payment for services rendered. Men like him always attempt to sneak in a clause even when there is no contract.”
I nodded and turned back to the bar, continuing my cleaning duties.
“He loves a pretty woman, Jane, and I saw the way he was looking at you. In all the time I’ve known John Rivers, he has not helped anyone find employment.”
I paused, my brow furrowing.
“Just be careful,” Adele went on. “That is all I’m trying to say.”
“I’m not afraid of Rivers and his wandering eye,” I said, discarding the cloth into the sink. “I am not as meek as I may appear.”
If my abrupt comment offended Adele, she didn’t show it, she merely smiled. “I like you, Jane. You listen, you learn, and you seem very strong considering your ordeal.”
“You can see all of that after knowing me a few hours?”
“To get by in this world, you need to be able to discern motives,” she explained. “People lie, cheat, and will rob you blind if given half the chance, but I can see you already understand this. There is more to your story than meets the eye.” She smiled as I began to pale, wondering what I had done to give myself away. “You’ve nothing to fear from me, and I certainly won’t tell anyone I have a suspicion. I know a thing or two about secrets. All I want to say is be careful about who you tell them to.”
My heartbeat began to steady, but I was still uncertain about trusting Adele’s motives for approaching like this at all.
“In other words, do not tell Rivers?” I asked, neither confirming nor denying her accusation. I doubted her motives were dark—although, I didn’t really know her—and there was no way she could know of my fortune or Edward Rochester and his mad ex-wife.
Adele laughed and declared, “I knew my feeling about you was right, Jane. Tread lightly.”
Returning to the bar, I spotted Rivers. He’d returned to his stool while we were talking in the back, and he smiled when our gazes crossed. I’d already learned a hard lesson about trust, so Adele didn’t have to warn me so I could understand it.
My secrets would remain mine and mine alone. No matter what.
Beware the greed of humankind.
