Replacement Baby (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Rose walked down
the lane until she found a park bench under a large shade tree. She sat down to think of what she should do next. Then she remembered how Rodney had scribbled down her name as “Mrs. Rodney Martin” at the London hotel the week before. She also recalled seeing an address next to the name.
It must have been his address,
she realized.

Standing up, Rose walked in the direction of the hotel. The day was breezy, so she tied the ribbons on her hat tighter so it would not blow off her head.

After asking for directions twice, Rose found herself in front of the tall hotel entrance. Dozens of people were entering and exiting the lobby. She took a deep breath and pushed open the glass double doors, stepping inside.

Inside the lobby, Rose was quick to find the front desk and approached it. Certain that she could mimic a British accent after her time in London, she decided to try it.

“Hello, sir?” she said with her fake accent. “I am looking for a registry of visitors to this hotel.”

The man politely smiled. “You may look in our guest registry book.” He set the registry book on the marble counter in front of her.

Rose flipped through the pages of the book until she spotted the name that Rodney had used to register for the hotel room,
Mrs. Rodney Martin
. There was indeed an address beside it, and Rose asked the clerk for a pen and paper. She copied it down, folded it, and slipped it into her purse. Then she straightened her hat and hailed a cab outside the hotel.

Rose slowly repeated the address she had jotted on the small paper to the cab driver. He stared off thoughtfully for a moment. Then he pulled out a wrinkled, folded map.

“Yes, right, I believe I know where it’s at,” he mumbled. Then he sped off, turning onto a main road.

After several miles, he turned onto a series of side streets. Rose slid down the smooth back seat as the car twisted and turned. She reached up to touch her hat, making sure it was still in place. She grabbed onto the seat in front of her as they sped around a particularly sharp turn.

“Bexley, here we are,” the man said. “The place is near here, but I think it would be best if you walk the rest of the way. Too many people walking around here. Market day, I think.”

Rose nodded and handed the man the cab fare. Then she stepped out and glanced around at the red brick buildings. She looked again at the paper and then at the nearest road sign. She read Rodney’s address. Walking for several minutes, Rose spotted the street name that he had put down as his address.

Rose walked along a row of neat houses, which all looked similar. She finally found the house number that was on her piece of paper and approached it, relieved for her long search to be over.

She raised her hand to knock, hoping that this was indeed the correct house.
Gosh, I really hope this is it,
Rose silently hoped.
I’m ready to find Rodney and stop this search. It would also be really embarrassing if I went to the wrong house.

At the exact moment before Rose’s fist hit the wood of the door, she heard a woman’s voice speaking in a loud voice on the other side. She blushed a bright crimson, embarrassed that she must have actually gone to the wrong house.
It’s a good thing I didn’t knock
. She quickly turned around to leave.

“Have you checked with the police station today?” asked the female voice. It sounded familiar. Rose paused.

“I’m heading out there in a few minutes,” replied a male voice. This voice actually sounded like Rodney. Rose brightened at the sound of her boyfriend’s voice and turned around to face the door, ready to see him.
So this is the right house after all!
Rose thought with relief.

“You’d better get over to the police fast. We need to know if she’s shown up anywhere yet. Mr. Fontaine is already losing patience with you because you let Lisa get away.” The female voice spoke in an angry tone.

Rose’s eyes grew wide and her hand flew to her mouth.
They are talking about me. But who is Mr. Fontaine?

“I’m going,” Rodney replied with annoyance. “I’m as frustrated as you are. I had her. I was about to take her to you. Then we would have been done with Lisa,
finally
.”

Rose was confused at what was being said, and her heart began pounding.
Done with me? Who were they going to take me to?
Her head was spinning wildly.

The female voice sounded oddly like Mother.
But of course, it wouldn’t be her,
Rose reasoned.

The door began to open and the talking continued. Frantically, Rose ducked to the side of the house behind a shrub. She crouched down silently and peeked through the leaves and branches.

Rose heard footsteps and saw Rodney walk down the walkway. He stopped to turn toward another figure, a tall woman wearing a dark sweater and black trousers. Rose could only see the woman from the back.

“Don’t remind me again about how you let her slip through your fingers,” the female voice spoke. “You have gotten on Mr. Fontaine’s last nerve, Rodney. You’d better watch your back.”

Rose gasped. The female speaking
was
Mother. Rose clamped her hand over her own mouth.

“Tell him to be patient,” Rodney replied. “I almost had her. If it wasn’t for that irritating Douglass family, she would have been taken care of. I’m
certain
that she saw those missing ads after the Douglass’ went to Scotland Yard about her not coming home. I had her believing with certainty that they were out to get her, or at least that Lionel was. He is the one she is best friends with, you know. So she must have seen the posters and skipped town.”

“And you being the idiot that you are didn’t leave her any way to contact you,” Mother said scornfully.

“I don’t even want to hear it from you,” Rodney replied with annoyance. “I didn’t want her showing up at my house, asking questions. What if she saw
you
here? What if she caught us together? It would break her little heart,” he said, this time with sarcasm.

“Please, don’t remind me that she is in love with you,” Mother told him. “It’s sickening. Disgusting.”

“Well, the feelings aren’t mutual, so you have no reason to worry,” Rodney replied.

“Oh, I’m not worried,” Mother said. “I have
you
wrapped around my finger. But I still think it was a ridiculous idea in the first place. What were you
thinking,
acting like her boyfriend?”

“My plan was brilliant,” Rodney replied matter-of-factly. “You’re in denial, but it was. She lapped up every word I said. I was her first love. You tried to ruin it all when you told me not to kiss her. She was getting suspicious when all we did was dance and hold hands. She’s not bright, but she isn’t
that
stupid. If I had been able to do what was needed to keep up my act, I could have delivered her to Fontaine on a silver platter within a couple weeks. Instead, I had to drag it out, all over your stupid jealousy. I keep telling her that I wanted to ‘take things slow.’”

“You disgust me,” Mother replied.

“I should have let things play out, and just not told you,” Rodney replied. “I kept having to turn down her advances. If she were not so naïve and inexperienced, my cover might have actually been blown. She would have figured something was wrong after a while.”

“I would have killed you if you had gotten physical with her, Rodney,” Mother snapped at him. “And I would have tortured you before I killed you.”

“You get so envious, my love,” Rodney said sweetly, his tone suddenly changed. “Of course it all would have been part of my act. Do you really think I would choose a teenage kid over
you
?”

What is he saying?
Rose asked herself, her heart pounding.
Is he dating…
Mother
? How can it be?

“I would hope not,” Mother replied, her voice stern.

Rose began to hear kissing noises. She glanced up to see Rodney and Mother embracing one another, their lips locked. Rose felt disgusted. A sickness filled her stomach.
I was in love with a guy who is dating Mother?
She felt both betrayed and nauseous at the same time.

Soon, the kissing stopped. “But you still could have left her some sort of contact information. That was an idiotic move. I’m sure that she would love to contact you, her only true friend,” Mother said with an equal amount of annoyance and sarcasm in her voice. “But now she’s gone, lost in the abyss somewhere out there. She’s missing in a city of eight million people.”

“If we find her, we find her,” Rodney said. “But between you and me, there are more important matters at hand. We are wasting time and energy on a stupid teenager. If she hasn’t gone to the police about you kidnapping her yet, do you think she will now?”

“And what if she decides to report me one day, out of revenge?” Mother asked, her voice scornful. “Mr. Fontaine is worried. He would rather take her out now than risk her going to the police.”

“Revenge? Really? She’s a mouse. She doesn’t care about revenge,” said Rodney in a matter-of-fact voice.

“Still,” Mother said. “What if she had convinced of those Douglass people to report me over her suspicions? Then suddenly I would be at the center of an investigation. And if they were examining me over kidnapping, who knows what else they may find?”

“Jewelry. Lots and lots of jewelry,” Rodney laughed eerily. “But you worry too much. You’re paranoid. She wouldn’t squeal.” The way Rodney spoke to Mother was in a belittling tone.

Jewelry? What are they hiding?
Rose wondered, her mind overflowing. She tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she overheard the words that Mother and Rodney were saying to each other.

“Worst mistake of my life, taking that girl,” Mother said bitterly. “She’s turned out to be nothing but trouble. Nothing but a burden. But my own baby Lisa died, so I had to replace her so the neighbors wouldn’t get suspicious.”

Rose had been listening, wide eyed. She already felt sick. But the words that Mother just said were like a stab in her heart.
Nothing but trouble. Nothing but a burden.
Tears filled her eyes and she angrily wiped them away with the back of her hand.
I was a replacement for a dead baby? That explains the photo of the dark haired baby with my name scribbled on the back. I was a replacement baby for this cruel woman. Nothing but a replacement. Nothing but trouble. Nothing but a burden.

Rose realized she was shaking. She crawled away and stood up when she was out of sight.
Rodney was working with Mother all along. Rodney, who seemed so cute and funny and perfect. He’s nothing but evil, pure evil. I thought that I was falling in love with him, but instead, he’s in love with
Mother
. He’s in love with a woman twice his age.
Rose’s head was spinning as she stopped by a large bush. Feeling even sicker, she threw up into the bush. She clumsily wiped her mouth on her arm and continued walking.

At least I know Lionel did nothing wrong,
Rose realized.
The Douglass family is truly searching for me. They’re worried about me. That’s why they contacted the police. That’s why there are posters all over town with my name and picture of them. They miss me. Maybe they even love me, just a little bit. The Douglass family really are the only true friends I have anymore.

Out of breath, Rose finally stopped walking. She leaned down to catch her breath. Then she spotted a covered bench for a bus stop.
I’ll take the bus to the Tube station,
she decided.
I’ll take the Tube back to Lionel and his family. I can find refuge with them. I’ll tell them everything. I’ll be honest. For the first time in my life, I’ll be completely and utterly honest with everyone.

Dropping down onto the bench with a thud, Rose sucked in her breath. Her pounding heart felt like a drum inside her head.
I hate you, Rodney.
She angrily repeated the words over and over again in her mind.
You can burn in hell for all I care. You betrayed me. What a dirty liar.

Several people walked by the bus stop, but Rose felt safe behind the disguise of her sunglasses and hat. She sat as stone faced as she could on the bench, trying not to draw attention to herself. She was upset, but she hoped she was able to hide it. The bus seemed to be taking forever to arrive.

Rose heard lone footsteps after a lull in passersby. She glanced to the side to see
Mother.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Mother walked by
the bus stop bench at a slow pace. Rose looked down and she could see the shadow from the brim of her hat covering her face. She felt Mother’s eyes on her, so she pressed her sunglasses up her nose and slouched down. Mother seemed to pause and then pass by. Rose did not look up for several minutes, and when she did there was no sign of Mother. Nervous, she continued to keep her head down. Her heart was pounding until she heard the sound of the bus motor in the distance. When the large vehicle stopped, she dashed onto it, paid her fare, and sat down in an empty corner of the busy bus. She glanced around, and was glad to find that the bus was full of strangers. There was no sign of Rodney or Mother.

As the bus drove away, Rose peered out the window. Mother was nowhere in sight, and no one else had boarded the bus with her. She felt a wave of relief wash over her.
I’m just being paranoid. What are the odds that she would be on this very same bus?

Out of nowhere, Rose began to feel angry at herself.
I wish I had the courage to confront Mother. Why am I such a stupid coward? Why am I so afraid of that woman? She can’t hurt me. She can’t hurt me anymore. I’m eighteen and I don’t live under her roof. I’m not under her power any longer.
Rose got lost in her thoughts as she rode across London to find the first Tube station she recognized. From there, she could find a train to Lionel’s stop. Each block the bus drove down brought her closer and closer to the Douglass home, her place of refuge once more.

Rose finally spotted the name of a familiar station up ahead, so she gathered her purse and small bag and hopped off with a few other people. Then Rose took the elevator down to the tracks. She rode the train to the station that was closest to the Douglass home. She began to feel ill in her stomach from nervousness as the train swayed.

What if they don’t welcome me back into their home?
Rose fretted as the train rode along through the dark tunnel.
I did just disappear at my own will. What if Mrs. Douglass doesn’t even want me to work for her anymore? I abandoned my job when I left. I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t ask me back to work for her again. If that is the case, I’ll need to find a new job and a new place to live.

The more Rose thought about what she had done in leaving suddenly, the more ashamed she felt.
How can I face them now? How can I tell them that I believed some guy’s lies and just left? Those missing person posters… they really and truly were worried about me. They cared about me. A family cares about me.

Still nervous that she might bump into Mother or Rodney somewhere, Rose kept her disguise secured as she exited the train with over a dozen other people. She climbed the stairs back up to the ground level. Stopping to catch her breath, she walked through the exit to the street. The sunshine shone on her face and smiled as she saw the familiar surroundings all around her. Rose spotted the tearoom where she and Julie often had tea and lunch, the bookshop where she and Lionel occasionally went to read, and the park where the three of them frequently went for afternoon strolls. Then there was the small grocery store where Mrs. Douglass sometimes sent Rose to pick up a few things, and the stationary store where Mr. Douglass purchased his favorite pens. She half expected to see Lionel and Julie taking a walk down the street, greeting her with smiling faces. Lionel would give her a quiet hug and Julie would chatter endlessly about how much they had missed her and how worried they had been.

At least I hope they’ll be glad to see me,
Rose thought as she tried to push away her stress and anxiety.
What if Julie hates me? What if Lionel won’t speak to me? What if Mr. and Mrs. Douglass don’t want me in their house anymore? I wouldn’t blame them. Not any of them. They probably won’t trust me after this. I’ll have no place to go, and no friends in London.
All of the worrying had made her stomach sick. She stopped at a trash can and leaned her head over, worried that she might vomit.

After a minute, Rose felt better and she lifted up her head. She was dizzy, though, so she sat down hard on a bench and leaned her head back to look at the sky. It was a sunny day and the sky was baby blue, and bright with light. A fluffy cloud floated by.
I can do this,
Rose told herself.
I need to march up to their house and tell them I’m sorry. I need to be honest. If they know how sorry I am and what happened, hopefully they’ll forgive me. I care about the Douglass family. I really do. I don’t think I even realized how much I cared about them until now. Mr. and Mrs. Douglass treat me like their daughter. Julie is like a sister to me. Lionel is… well, I guess he’s like a brother.

Taking a deep breath, Rose slowly stood up from the bench. Feeling less dizzy, she began to walk. She was almost to the street where they lived. Thoughts swirled around in her head.
Will they be understanding? Will they forgive me?

Rose spotted their street sign up ahead. She recognized the tall, white house on the corner, which belonged to neighbors of the Douglass family.
I need to be positive.
Rose took another deep breath.
I’m going to be positive. They are going to be happy to see me. And I’m excited to see them,
Rose realized.
I’m going to see my friends, my second family.

Rose’s pace quickened as she turned onto the street where the Douglass family lived. She ripped off her hat and tore off her sunglasses. Suddenly overcome with emotion, tears began streaming down her face. A strong sense of relief swept over her as she thought of going back to this familiar place with familiar people. She wiped her face and looked down at her hand. Black mascara covered her palm, which was wet with tears.

“No crying, no crying,” Rose whispered to herself. “This is ridiculous. I shouldn’t be crying over this.”

Snatching a T-shirt out of the bag that hung on her shoulder, Rose patted her face dry. Then she stuffed the shirt back into the bag.

“I don’t need to let them see me cry,” Rose mumbled to herself. “No tears. No more crying.”

As Rose walked, the street seemed endless. What was normally a short walk seemed to go on for forever. Then she spotted it, standing regal and tall in the distance. It was the Douglass home.

A single tear trickled down Rose’s face, but this time she made no attempt to brush it away.

“I’m home,” she whispered. “I’m finally home.”