Addicted To Greed (4 page)

“You’ve
become a lady and fulfilled your late mothers wishes
Felicity. May I take this moment to congratulate you my dear?
Bessie bring the champagne, we must toast this occasion in
style.”
“I am indeed indebted to you Madame. May I take this
opportunity to thank you for all you have done on my behalf?”

“Nonsense
, your dear mother and I wouldn’t have had it any
other way. I think it’s about time for you to know more about
your mother, would agree?”

Felicity tried to hide her excitement by biting the inside of her
mouth.
“It would be a complete honour Madame.”

“Your mother was by
far the most beautiful, elegant, and
gracious female escort I had working for me. She was in
demand from many French and European noble men to
accompany them, whether it was on a trip, business function, a
night at the opera and so on. On rare occasions your mother
would accompany these gentlemen around the world excursions
and wealthy vacations. I discovered Adrianna as a waitress in a
wine bar I often used to visit. She was just seventeen at the
time, strikingly beautiful and tall and would often wait my table.
One evening I gave her my business card and explained I
offered a discreet service to only gentleman and often noble men
around the world and if she would be interested in my business
venture to give me a call, or to drop by my house at a time that
would suit us both. Your mother smiled and accepted the card,
several weeks later she arrived on my doorstep in a horrible state
of hysteria, bruised and beaten severely, I hardly recognised her
with her swollen eyes and lips. Once I invited her in and
managed to calm her down she explained her situation to me the
best she could. I had my private doctor examine her and sedate
her as she was inconsolable and in fear of her own life. I had
Bessie set up a room on the upper level of the house, attend to
every one of her needs and nurse her back to health, it took a
number of weeks before she eventually felt better, however she
was hiding a few fractured ribs and it was difficult for her to get
around and be active until six weeks had passed and she
ventured down the stair cases all by herself and sought me out to
thank me for my hospitality. It was extremely unusual for me to
take someone in off the streets, the girls I had working for me
were all highly educated and often came from moderately rich
households, but your mother became my only exception to my
strict rules. I immediately warmed to her; she was young and
extremely vulnerable. Your mother’s story is one I’ll never
forget, apparently before she got the job in the wine bar your
mother shared a room with a number of undesirable girls that
used to walk the streets at night offering their services to
anybody who had a buck desperate to often feed their drug
habits. Your mother was under the impression that she had
moved to a better neighborhood and soon regretted her decision;
unfortunately it was too late for her to change her mind. One of
the girls introduced her to a guy called Lenny, little did she
know he was the local pimp often beating the girls to go on the
streets and to give him his percentage of their earnings, in return
he would look after them if they encountered any rough handed
men, sell them their drugs and generate more work for them. As
soon as he laid eyes on your mother all his Christmases came at
once, blonde, leggy, pretty not the type he usually had working
for him, she was something else, the potential to earn him more
money than the skinny deadbeats. And I must say what
happened to your mother next was inexcusable. Would you like
me to carry on dear?”

Felicity nodded on in approval, blinking back the tears, holding
her breath in anticipation to hear the Madame out without
vomiting. She wouldn’t dare to interrupt the Madame in the
event of missing anything that related to her dear mother. This
was the first time the Madame had confided in her about her
mother’s past, and she was keen to know if the Madame would
reveal who her father was.

“Lenny went on to drug your mother while she was asleep
,
injecting her with heroin, in the hope that she would become
another stupid junkie who had to rely on him for her drugs. He
soon got his wish much to your poor mother’s horror; she
became hooked after her first injection as most addicts do. He
then gave her his heavy hand and had her walking the streets a
few days later. What Lenny wasn’t aware of was that your
mother then went onto to meet a client who would in effect save
her or so she thought from the evil clutches of Lenny and for a
month or so he did. Your mother planned her escape well while
the girls were asleep and Lenny was playing cards with his so
called associates, she sneaked out to her lover who was actually
the owner of the wine bar I found your mother working in that
was a good half an hour’s drive away from her old
neighborhood. Your mother soon cleaned herself up kicked the
drug habit and started to wait tables, her lover Arthur had set her
free and showed her a new life and she was forever in his debt
until the night the ruthless Lenny caught up with them. Lenny
shot Arthur in the head dead and dragged your mother back to
her old lodgings. Your mother made several unsuccessful
attempts to escape again and the third attempt is when I found
your mother on my doorstep much to your poor mother’s relief I
may add. I know this is a lot for you to take in Felicity and has
probably come as a great shock to you. I appreciate if you need
time to digest this new information. Your mother begged me to
tell you the truth before she died as she wanted to deter you
from leading such a horrible existence. I reluctantly agreed and
gave your mother my word I would.”

Felicity was sipping the champagne wide eyed and eager for the
Madame to reveal all she knew, she had questions that only the
Madame could answer. After several hours of talking with the
Madame with her revelations about her mother, the Madame
quietly excused herself instructing Bessie to take her to her
quarters.

Felicity finally had some answers, her mother died of a long
battle with cancer and had been brought up in an orphanage
since she was just two days old, she hadn’t know her parents,
they abandoned her in a fancy crib outside the orphanage
according to the nuns who took her in and looked after her until
the age of sixteen. Felicity began to sob inconsolably, she was
in shock she had no idea her poor mother led such a horrible
existence before she met the Madame who then turned her
miserable existence into something far more glamorous.

Bessie returned with what looked like a floral decorated shoe
box.
“Madame Clemenceau instructed me to give you this. Welcome
home my dear; it’s good to have you back.”

“Thank
s Bessie. Could you bring more champagne please?”
“Yes of course dear. Can I fix you a bite to eat?”
“No thanks just the champagne, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Felicity began to open the box with care realising it was quite
old; gently untying the beautiful red ribbon, on top of a stack of
neat pile of photos there was a sealed envelope with her name on
it in her mother’s calligraphic hand writing. Slowly opening the
envelope it revealed what looked like a two paged letter:

My Dearest Felicity,

You are the most precious beautiful gift a mother could ask for.
I love you with all my heart and I am very proud you have
grown into a wonderful young woman. No doubt the lovely
generous Clemenceau has passed this onto you. I do hope you
can find the time to read it and allow me to explain the choices I
made in life and in time you can come to understand them.
I had a relatively happy childhood in the orphanage with the
nuns, they often bestowed lots of love and affection on us all in
our time there, I was sad to leave when I turned sixteen,
however I was young and ambitious and keen to get into the big
wide world and become independent and successful at whatever
I choose to do as a career. Unfortunately I got acquainted with
the wrong kind of people who had very few goals in life except
to feed their drug habit by whatever form they could. I was
young and naïve living in the orphanage all my life and it hadn’t
prepared me for the real world...

I walked the streets as a prostitute for a while in order to make
a living, earn a franc, it was downgrading and stripped me of all
my worthy morals I once had, I certainly wouldn’t recommend
it. That’s when I turned to Madame Clemenceau for help. It is
by far the best decision I made in my life and one in which I
don’t regret. I daresay I wouldn’t be here writing this to you
now if Clemenceau hadn’t turned my miserable existence in to a
very glamorous, wealthy one, and I am indeed in debited to her
for this.

When I knew I wouldn’t be around for you anymore because of
this painfully excruciating disease, I confided in Clemenceau
and asked that she care for you as you are aware I have no
other family other than the Madame. She gave me her word she
would as she had with me. Clemenceau became the mother I
never had, taking me under her wing protecting me from the
undesirable people from my past. I know you’ll have a bright
and happy future whatever you decide to do and I wish you
success in both your career and private life.

It is with the deepest regret that I can’t be with you, but please
don’t forget how much I love you and always will.
Momie

Felicity re-read the letter several times before she placed it back
into the envelope, she wouldn’t let herself be ruled by more
grieving, there was a time and a place and this wasn’t either of
them.

At breakfast the next morning Felicity joined the Madame, they
both exchanged their morning pleasantries.

“Madame may I take this opportunity to thank you
for confiding
in me regarding my mother, it is now my wish to follow into her
career.”

“Nonsense
, Felicity my dear, your mother would never approve
of this and I daresay she would be turning in her grave if she
could hear you now.”

“It’s
not nonsense Madame, if this career was good enough for
my mother than it shall be more than good enough for me.
Besides my minds made up and I all ask is that you can teach me
all I need to know?”
“You could choose anything you’d like as a career. I was
hoping after finishing school that you could enroll in to
university, you have endless choices you can do whatever your
young heart desires, travel around the world, or engage in
charity work.”

The Madame was secretly pleased with her choice, but hid it
well, she had to be sure this is what Felicity really wanted to do
before she could embark on passing and teaching everything she
had once learned.

“My heart desires this Madame, if you can’t be my mentor than
I shall have to look for someone else, either way I’ll pursue it!”

“Listen why don’t you go on vacation for several weeks, give it
some more thought and if you decide upon your return that’s
what you really want than I shall accept your decision and will
become your mentor. How’s this sound?”

“Really Madame
, that’s fabulous. I thought I could visit Monika
my friend from finishing school as she’s having an engagement
party over in New York next week, I’d hate to miss it!”

“Very well as long as you accept Monsieur Fredrik to
accompany you and be at your disposal as and when you
require?”

“Oh Madame
, no, please, he’s such an old bore. Why does he
have to come along, he will only cramp my style?”
“Yes, Felicity its conditional so don’t forget it. I couldn’t bear
the thought of you in a completely different country alone; it
would not rest well on my dear old conscience.”

Felicity reluctantly agreed.
♣

New York was fascinating, Felicity fell in love with the different
kinds of old and new skyscrapers, The Woolworths Building
was her favorite, the oldest by far with its neo gothic style it
reminded her of the old European gothic cathedrals she had seen
in many of her mother’s books. How she longed to travel and
see them all one day.

Monika lived with her parents in Scarsdale in a large newly built
Tuscan inspired villa designed by a European architect, new to
the states; the architects name went completely over Felicity’s
head; however she was informed that he would be attending the
engagement party, much to her delight.

“Welcome my dearest friend; I’m so glad you could make it!”

“I wouldn’t miss your wonderful engagement party for the
world; although the Madame insisted before my departure that
the awfully dull Monsieur Fredrik accompany me I’m afraid.
I’ve booked in to The Hiltons Times Square on 42
^nd
street, so
I’m not too far away.”

They air kissed one another and Monika took her by the hand to
give her a guided tour of the house.
Felicity couldn’t help but notice the abundance of French doors
with splendid views to nature providing views of the lush
landscaping and beautiful perennial gardens. Mediterranean
influence was everywhere you turned in this building from the
detailed exterior light fixtures and wrought iron gate, to the patio
and presentation center staircase with wrought iron balustrades
and the private decks in the private quarters. Each room was
generously sized to accommodate large gatherings however still
intimate enough for everyday living.

“This house is absolutely delightful
. I couldn’t have chosen a
better place for my engagement party if I were to ever get
engaged. You’re so lucky Monika!”

“It was my parent’s choice, this is their third property
investment built in the last year, which they actually want to
make into a home much to my pleasure. I grow increasingly
bored moving around all the time and love the idea of residing
here for the next several months or so. Daddies having the very
talented architect who designed this house design Richard and
me our own fabulous Tuscan inspired villa in lower Manhattan,
I can’t wait. Anyway enough about me tell me Felicity is there a
special man in your life at the moment?”