Page 41 of Never Tell Secrets

I showered and fixed myself up before returning to the closet. Once, I would have balked at the idea of taking any gift from Alfie. Now, we were way past that. Taking an outfit changed nothing when he was already a part of my being.

I prepared myself for an extravagant closet, for the vast array of Prada and Chanel that I was sure would be waiting. But opening the closet door, I found…nothing? I picked the next door, and the next and the next. Nothing. All empty. There was a chest of drawers. I opened the first drawer and finally found underwear and socks, neatly laid out. The next drawer, plain jeans, and beneath that, t-shirts and jumpers. Pretty, but basic. I couldn’t help but notice the clothes were inexpensive as far as Alfie’s usual price tags went.

I dressed quickly in jeans and a pale blue t-shirt. I was tying the laces on a pair of tennis shoes when I heard a strange scuffling on the other side of the door. Was Alfie spying on me? I went to the door, turning the key quietly. The scuffling continued and with a jerk I swung the door wide. I screamed in surprise and the woman staring back at me returned the favour.

I screamed again and jumped back just as the older woman did the same thing. The tea tray she was holding flew out of her hands and I reached for it, scalding myself in the process.

“Oh fuck!” I hissed, frantically shaking boiling water off my hands.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! Wait right there.” The woman disappeared into my bathroom and returned a moment later with a hand cloth soaked in cold water. She wrapped my scalded hands. “Are you alright?”

“Sure. Third degree burns but I’m fine.” I tore my gaze from my stinging hands to take in this woman. “Who are you?” She was in good shape, only a little plump around the middle. Soft lines in her face showed her to be in her fifties maybe, her hair was a soft grey. She wore a plain, button down dress and an easy look in her eyes. In short, she was the last kind of person I expected to find wandering around Alfie Tell’s mansion.

“I’m Ada, the unofficial Lady of the House. I suppose the official Lady of the House would be you now!” She smiled wide,her smile only growing wider as she caught my stunned gaze.Ada?Where did I know that name? “Oh, I'm sorry,” she laughed, a sweet, good-natured sound, “I didn’t mean to overstep myself. Come on, let's get you to the kitchen so I can take a proper look at those hands. I’ll deal with the mess later.”

An arm came around me and I had no choice but to walk with her. She peppered me with questions along the way. Had I slept alright? Was I hungry? How did I like my coffee? I tried to be polite, despite my confusion.

She took me through a series of back passages that I assumed were service stairways until I found myself in a sleek, industrial looking kitchen.

“Audacious, isn't it? It’s supposed to be used for serving dinner parties but in almost twelve years we’ve never had one. So, I use it as my laboratory instead.” She grinned, and I could tell she wasn’t exaggerating. There was evidence of experiments everywhere. Various ingredients and kitchen appliances I couldn’t begin to name were neatly arranged on every surface. I could tell Ada spent a lot of time here.

“Here, let's get your hands under some cold water.” She led me to a sink and I sighed as the water felt heavenly on my skin. She turned my hands over, checking the pinkened skin. “Good, it looks like you’re going to be just fine, I’ll just get the—” She cut off mid-turn and screamed again. I spun to find Elliot standing on the other side of the island, watching us.

“Make some noise will you!” she scolded, throwing a dish towel at him, “You aren’t on some stealth mission in my kitchen.”

“Watch your tone, woman.” He gave her a heated look that she held and returned. All of a sudden I felt very uncomfortable, an intruder in an intimate moment. I was about to excuse myself when Elliot's gaze fell on my hands. “You’re hurt?”

Oh hell. I knew what would come next.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to—” But his phone was already in his hand. Great.

“I’m afraid I do.” No sooner had he sent the text than his phone started ringing. “Alfie?” Elliot listened and then handed the phone to me.

“Are you alright?” He sounded concerned.

“I’m fine, I just spilled some tea on my hand.”

“Do you need a doctor?”

“No, I?—”

“I’m going to have Elliot take you to my doctor just in case.”

I rolled my eyes, aware of two watchful gazes on me. “Alfie, I’m fine, stop being crazy. Where are you, anyway?”

“My office, on a conference call.” He’d interrupted a business call for this?

“Shouldn’t you get back to it?”

“They’ll wait. I apologise I wasn’t there to introduce you to Ada. I presumed you’d still be asleep and I could introduce you later.” Why would he care about introducing me to his housekeeper? Then it clicked where I knew her name. His journals. She’d been his nanny. I felt like I’d just uncovered a whole new layer of Alfie Tell. It bothered me thinking about all those months we’d spent together, when I’d shared everything with him but he had kept so much about himself a secret.

“It’s alright,” I mumbled, not sure what else to say. Silence answered down the line. “So, can I go now or…?”

“Yes, of course. Elliot will drive you home when you’re ready.” We hung up and I found two pairs of eyes fixed on me. Ada had sidled her way around to Elliot’s side of the island, and I felt like I was under the watchful gaze of knowing parents. “So, you were Alfie’s nanny?”

“You said she was blunt.” Ada smiled up at Elliot before returning to me. “Yes, I was his nanny, now I’m his housekeeper. Now, breakfast?” Before I could answer, she set about making afresh set of tea things. Elliot took up a seat opposite me, his eyes fixed on Ada as she moved about the room. Were they an item?

“Is that how you two hooked up? By working for the Tells?”