Whispers of Refuge Box Set

CHAPTER 14-2

Juliette laid her glasses on her nightstand and pressed her throbbing temples. It had been a long day. She knew Benjamin was right to send the men outside away, but she hated the idea of refusing anyone who might genuinely be in need. She took deep breaths, telling herself that the young men were nothing but riff-raff, probably coming up to the expat neighborhoods to see if anyone was foolish enough to keep a window or car door unlocked, not refugees from across the border looking for shelter. Still, they might need help. Should Juliette have ordered Benjamin to open the door? What if they were hungry? At the very least, she could have given them some of the spending money she always kept squirreled away. Roger refused to give cash out at the door; it would only cause more headaches down the road, he insisted. But sometimes a few wads of bills found their way out of the Sterns’ house, nevertheless. Juliette rolled her neck in slow circles, rubbing her shoulders to ease the tension. At the very least, she didn’t plan to tell Roger about the visitors. Benjamin would probably mention them tomorrow, but if he forgot, there was no reason to give her husband an additional cause for stress.

She heard footsteps on the stairs and saw Eve flit past the open door. The girl’s bare feet fell soft as velvet on the carpet. Eve glanced up for just a moment and caught Juliette’s eye. She looked down, the barest trace of a blush coloring her face. “Everything all right?” Juliette asked.

Eve bit her nail and stood in the doorway. “I was just getting ready for bed.” She sounded the same way Juliette’s daughter did when she made up excuses for coming home late from a school dance. “But would you like me to make you tea?”

Juliette studied her quizzically. “I don’t need anything. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t too shook up. From those guys downstairs, I mean.”

Eve let out a tiny giggle. “I’ve been working here long enough to not get worried.”

Juliette put her glasses back on to study Eve’s features better. “Well, then I guess it’s time for bed, isn’t it?”

Eve’s tense shoulders relaxed. “If you’re sure you don’t need tea. Good-night,” she sang out, a little faster than etiquette demanded. Once Juliette heard her light footsteps recede down the hallway, she shut her bedroom door and headed straight to her walk-in closet. If she ever deserved a treat, it was tonight. Where was her stash? She wasn’t afraid her house staff would steal from her, but she certainly didn’t want to feel compelled to share, nor did she care to have everyone realize just how deeply her habit ran. Juliette’s hands trembled as she rummaged through old journals and boxes of books that never made it onto the shelves in the den. She needed to calm down.

“There it is.” Ever since sending Kennedy off to Harvard, Juliette had started talking to herself. She heard her daughter’s voice in her head, teasing her for her late-night cravings. “You’re going to split that with me, aren’t you?”

Juliette opened up the white-chocolate Godiva bar. It was almost a full pound. Of course there would be enough to share if Kennedy were still here. Juliette sat on her bed, breaking off dainty bites of bliss and wondering what Roger would do if he knew she was eating chocolate alone on their Egyptian cotton sheets. She thought about the nights she and Kennedy stayed up in bed while Roger worked late. They watched classic black-and-white films together, laughing at the wimpy heroines and swooning mockingly over the characters’ love interests. Juliette hadn’t watched a single movie since Kennedy returned to the States.

Her hands were steadier now. She looked at the bar, easily large enough for two to split, and heard rustling from the next room over. Eve was still up. She called the young housekeeper in.

“Yes, ma’am? Did you decide to have some more tea after all?”

“No, thank you.” Juliette held out half of the chocolate bar. “I just thought you might like some of this.”