Daughter of Light by V. C. Andrews Page A

lamp. Although there was a mirrored dressing table with a cover of clear glass, there was also a long mirror on what I imagined was the closet door, two chairs, one of which was wicker, and a footstool. In the far right corner was a writing desk. The walls were papered with a small pattern of flowers in soft colors, and there was a large plain green woven rag rug. On the left was a bureau.
    “That’s Abigail Adams,” Mrs. Winston said, nodding at a painting over the bureau.
    Both she and Mrs. McGruder were obviously waiting for me to say something that would reveal how impressed I was.
    “This is a beautiful and very comfortable-looking room,” I said.
    “And immaculate,” Mrs. McGruder added.
    “Why don’t you settle in?” Mrs. Winston said. “I’m going to make a phone call for you right away.”
    “Phone call for me?”
    “I’m calling my nephew Ken Dolan. He owns Dolan Plumbing Supply and is always looking for qualified help. I’m sure he’ll grant you an interview, maybe today,” she said.
    “That’s very kind of you, Mrs. Winston.”
    “Yes, well,” she said, glancing at Mrs. McGruder, “you can call me Amelia.”
    “Thank you.”
    “Mrs. McGruder is not as fond of her given name and likes to remain Mrs. McGruder.”
    “Oh?”
    “Hortense,” she said disdainfully. “My brothers had a good time with that, as you can imagine.” She rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.
    “Now, as to the rules,” Mrs. Winston said, cutting discussion short. “Obviously, we don’t tolerate any smoking in the house or on our grounds.”
    “I don’t smoke,” I said.
    “Good. Hopefully, you’ll keep to that. It goes without saying that drugs and alcohol are off-limits as well. We do serve wine at dinner, and we do from time to time provide after-dinner brandy and a homemade elderberry wine. I don’t think it will do you any harm to partake despite your age. We do that mainly on holidays or other special occasions, but no alcohol is permitted in any of the bedrooms.”
    I nodded.
    “We expect you will respect the furniture and the linen and towels we provide. Everything is replaced daily, but how you keep your room tells us pretty quickly how much you respect it. As to comings and goings . . . you’ll be provided with your own front-door key, of course. We’re not here to supervise anyone. We just ask that you take care to move about quietly after eleven. There are no overnight guests permitted,” she concluded, and pressed her lips together quickly, as if to keep any other reference to such a thing from slipping out.
    “You two are the only ones I know here,” I said.
    “For now,” she instantly retorted. “Any young ladyas pretty as you will soon have a trail of young men coming to the door. We permit socializing in the living room during decent hours, of course, and you can offer anyone tea or coffee and biscuits during the visit if we know about it in advance.”
    She took a deep breath and looked around the room with the expectation that I would follow her gaze.
    “As you see, there is no television or radio in your room,” she continued, “nor is there a telephone. This is what I meant when I said we run a very quiet rooming house. There is, of course, a television set in the den downstairs. So, unless you have any questions . . .”
    “No, everything is wonderful,” I said.
    She smiled. “Mrs. McGruder will bring your towels and washcloths shortly. As we said, you’re sharing a bathroom on this side with Naomi Addison.”
    “She’ll be surprised,” Mrs. McGruder muttered. “She’s had it all to herself up to now. That’s a woman who is used to her own personal comfort and not used to sharing anything except her troubles and unhappiness.”
    “Yes, well, I’m sure you will not monopolize the bathroom, nor will she,” Mrs. Winston said firmly. “As in any good rooming house, we are all dependent upon everyone else, respecting everyone else, Mrs. Addison