“You can say that again.”
She pours some tea into a bone china cup that rests on a matching saucer, and it strikes me how very British this is. Charming even.
“Tell me about your life so far, Tiffany. I hope you don’t mind, but Malik told me you fled boarding school to hide out in a convent. It sounds an intriguing story.”
“I suppose, but the reality wasn’t so great if I’m honest.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She appears so kind and genuine, and quite honestly, with only Joseph to talk to, I am craving some female company, other than Mrs. Harrington, of course.
“We were running away from our stepmother who wasn’t really, but she preferred us to address her that way.”
Eliza pulls a face. “Stepmothers suck.”
She offers me a chocolate eclair.
“Boarding school was no better. We were bullied by both the students and the staff, and it soon became clear we didn’t fit in.”
“That sucks too.”
“It did, but I had my sisters, so it was easier.”
“Lucky you. I have three brothers, and if you think your husband is bad, times him by three.”
“I’ll stick to my sisters; perhaps my upbringing wasn’t that bad after all.”
We share a genuine smile, and Eliza pours some more tea from the pot as I continue.
“When our father died, we were at school and the headmistress told us. We were left with Morgan as our guardian and knew we had only one chance to get away. Life at home was guarded, and it didn’t bode well for our return and Alice had learned the Order of The Holy Mother of God wasn’t far away, so one weekend, we slipped out and never looked back.”
“You were very brave.”
She sighs and shakes her head in pity.
“You did the right thing. I had a similar situation. My stepmother was exactly like yours, and when my father passed, I ran rather than face her.”
“Where did you go?”
I note the flicker of distaste pass across her face and she shivers. “I took a job as a nanny with a very cruel man. He was deranged, and I swapped one prison for another. It suited me at the time because he was a far better proposition than my stepmother, and I shielded both me and the baby from the dark forces at play.”
“What happened?”
“One day a man arrived, somehow getting past the guards and arranged for me and the baby to escape. He provided a safe place for me and assured me that the baby would be cared for and safe and returned to his parents.”
“He stole a baby?”
I’m horrified, and Eliza nods sadly. “His mother was also a prisoner in the home I shared, but I was never permitted to meet her. She was kept like a dog in the cellar and only brought out when he required her presence.”
Suddenly, my predicament doesn’t sound that bad, and I’m almost afraid to ask.
“What happened to her?”
“It was a happy ending if you’re worried about that. Frankie returned to his parents, and she was saved. Massimo, on the other hand, well, things ended rather badly for him.”
“And your stepmother, what happened to her?”
I’m stunned by the expression of deep satisfaction on Eliza’s face as she whispers, “I shot the crazy bitch on the same step she shot my mother.”
