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Evie went mad with excitement. “Mommy!” She rushed for Mrs. Walden and threw her arms around her. Mrs. Walden’s smile was difficult to read. Was she pleased to see her children? Or was she acting pleased in front of the brothers?
She terrifies me,Rose thought now.
Rose had to assume Evie’s sandy exterior wasn’t entirely pleasing for Mrs. Walden, who always dressed immaculately. She watched Mrs. Walden do her best to brush the sand from her dress. She had no success.
But all at once, the four “adults” were on the beach with them. Mrs. Walden gathered her children in a line so that they could greet the brothers properly. They all knew them, but not well.
“You’ve grown like a bean!” Zachery said to Hogarth.
Hogarth beamed proudly.
“When was the last time you saw them?” Mrs. Walden asked.
“It must have been last summer,” Zachary said. “The barbecue?”
“That’s right,” Mrs. Walden said, clasping her hands. She flinched when she caught Rose’s eye. “I nearly forgot. This is our new babysitter, Rose. She’s from Mississippi.”
“Mississippi!” Zachary’s eyebrows went straight up.
“We thought it would be nice to introduce the children to different sorts of people,” Mrs. Walden said.
Rose stung with resentment.I’m a different sort of person. I’m poor. I’m an experiment for them.
But then she reminded herself of where she stood now: this gorgeous landscape, the frothing ocean, the delicious food she ate all day long.This is an experiment for me, too.
“How do you like it up here?” Zachary asked.
“It’s beautiful,” Rose answered.
“Quite different, no?” Zachary said.
Rose smiled wider and turned her attention to Zachary’s brother, who’d remained quiet. There was a strange intensity behind his eyes, an anger Rose guessed was related to the fire. His dark hair hung in glossy curls, and his large hands were in his pockets. He was maybe six-two or six-three and towered above his brother. Rose guessed he was slightly older.
“My name is Zachary,” Zachary said, sticking his hand out, “and this is my brother, Oren.”
Rose hadn’t expected such a wealthy man to want to shake her hand. It was clear they’d come to the beach to meet the children, not the help. But she slid her handinto his and was surprised to find his grip firm and respectful.
Oren didn’t stick out his hand to shake. But he caught her eye and gazed so intently that Rose’s eyes filled with tears. She refused to look away. It turned into a game shortly after, with Rose eventually losing when Mrs. Walden asked her a question about Hogarth’s lessons. Rose explained everything that had happened at tennis lessons, sparing details that made Hogarth look worse at tennis than Mrs. Walden wanted to believe. Rose already knew that being rich meant keeping some things to yourself. It was all about image.
“Who wants a cocktail?” Mrs. Walden suggested, clasping her hands together.
“We never turn down a good cocktail,” Zachary answered. “What about it, Rose? Will you be joining us?”
Rose took a breath. Mrs. Walden’s face transformed. One second, it belonged to abeautiful and very good hostess,and the next, it belonged to aviolent monster.But soon, she smiled and said, “What a wonderful idea. Yes, Rose. Why don’t you join us after you put the children to bed? I imagine you have all sorts of stories from Mississippi to share.”
“We’ve never been there,” Zachary affirmed. “We’d love to know more.”
It felt nonsensical that Zachary wanted Rose to spend time with them. Rose tried to figure out his selfish reasons as she ran through her chores that night: reading two stories to Evie and Hamilton, making sure Kate brushed her teeth, and listening to Hogarth practice his Frenchdialect as he drifted off. Ultimately, she decided that Zachary was the kind of rich person who wanted to manipulate situations and see how far his power could go.
But Rose was curious.
Rose’s heart pounded. She returned to her bedroom to see if she had anything appropriate to wear but discovered nothing but a boring black dress she’d bought secondhand during a spontaneous trip to Jackson last year with her cousin. She’d spent no more than seven dollars on it and knew Mrs. Walden would see all the way through it, right down to its cheap details and bad stitching. But it was all Rose had. She buttoned it to her chin and brushed her hair, remembering the fire and ache behind Oren’s eyes.Oren hadn’t said a word.She wondered if he was mute. Or perhaps something had happened in the fire. Something that had affected his mental state so sensationally that he could no longer bring himself to say anything at all.
Rose discovered Mr. and Mrs. Walden with Zachary and Oren in the lounge. A vinyl turned and turned on the record player, and the speakers crackled with The Doors. The four of them were in separate chairs—Mrs. Walden on the chaise lounge, Mr. Walden in a black leather chair, Zachary on an identical leather chair directly opposite, and Oren all by himself on the sofa. The spot beside him was all there was available. Rose’s blood pressure spiked at the idea of sitting so close to him. She’d have preferred Zachary, who seemed so kind, so eager.
Rose remembered Mr. and Mrs. Walden’s sharp questions that first night. Had they thought Oren was involved in the fire somehow? That he’d caused it?
“Good evening!” Zachary was on his feet to greet her.
