Lured into Lies by Melanie Martins

Chapter 28

TheNetherlands, December 5, 2020

Emma Hasenfratz

A intense noise wakes me up. I can’t really pinpoint what it is or where it is coming from, but it’s loud enough to make me grab my iPhone, trying to check what time it is. Fuck; no battery. I don’t see why I spent so much money on a stupid phone that can’t last twenty-four hours without charging. I lean slightly forward, sitting on the mattress. Jeez, my head is totally dizzy, and I feel so freaking drained and sleepy. I look around, but it’s still pretty dark in here. I remember there was a lamp not too far away from where I am. Ah! Here it is. Turning on the light, I find myself in the same red room with boudoir decor like yesterday, but without Yara by my side. Fuck, did she really leave me alone? What a fucking bitch! And I have no idea what time it is or where I am. Standing up on my two feet is a challenge in itself, but I drag myself across the room where I pick my clothes and wear them back. Then I reach the door and turn the handle to exit. Walking out, I find the dance floor, which is the main hall in front of me, this time though, totally empty, and with only one short woman, already vacuuming the floor. Well, at least now I know where the defying noise was coming from. I try to call her, but she doesn’t react—she might not be able to hear me. So I approach her and poke her shoulder, forcing her stop her task.

“What time is it?” I ask, pointing on my wrist like I have an invisible watch. Understanding my sign, the woman stops the vacuum cleaner, takes her phone from her apron, and says, “One o’clock.”

WHAT! The wedding starts in ninety minutes! Shit. Why did Yara let me sleep here? And worse than that, why did she leave me without saying a word? Damn it. What a bitch she can be. Is this some sort of revenge? No idea, but I’m pretty sure she did it so that I miss the ceremony. Too bad, I won’t give her that joy. I go outside, and to my biggest surprise, I’m literally in the middle of nowhere, hectares of fields covered with snow and no sign of life on the horizon. Jeez, it’s freezing out there! I rush back inside, toward the cleaning lady and ask her, “How did you get here? Do you have a car? I need to go to Dieren, the city, um, to the Van Dieren’s estate.”

She looks at me with a WTF face. “I’m working now.”

“What’s your name?” I ask, putting on a nicer tone.

“Lou.”

“Lou?” I repeat.

She nods at me.

“Alright, Lou. Listen, I’ve got a wedding to attend, and I’m late, like super late.” Seeing Lou squinting her eyes at me in confusion, I take my wallet and show her a note of two hundred euros. “Can you take me to Dieren city?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Thank God money is a universal language. She drops the vacuum cleaner, goes to take her coat and gloves, and we both walk outside to the parking spot where I find an old tiny Volkswagen parked there.

She must be joking. “Is this your car?”

Lou nods at me. “Most people in Amsterdam have bikes. This is modern, small, and good.”

As I glance around, I see nothing but land and small scattered houses far away. I’m not gonna knock on the door of some stranger to try my luck for a better car, I’m already late enough. “Alright, if you say so.”

“I drive,” Lou says, seeing how I was about to open the door of the driver seat. Not that I did it intentionally, but I’ve got the feeling I’d go much faster if she’d let me drive.

Once I get in, my first instinct is to look for an iPhone charger, and then for the button that can warm my seat but alas, I don’t find either.

“It’s so cold inside, where do I warm the seat?”

“Um, here.” She presses a button that sends lukewarm air across the car. And in that moment I realize I will keep freezing my ass off until I arrive. “To Dieren, yes?”

“Yes.” And right after she turns on the engine, I ask, “How long does it take to get there?”

“Um, one hour.”

“One hour?” Damn, I’m gonna freeze in here and arrive late as fuck! I try to find another button to bring some real heat into the car, but fortunately, she does it for me. “This?”

Finally the lukewarm air turns into a proper heater that can melt ice in a second. “Oh gosh, yes,” I say, my hands already in front of it to warm them up. “Please try to make it in half an hour.”

“There’s a lot of radars around,” Lou points out as we leave the parking lot.

“I’ll pay the tickets, no worries.”

“But I could lose my license,” she says.

“I can pay for a new one.”

“And my car? What if they take it?” she continues.

“I will also pay for a new car.”

“Oh, okay then.” We get onto the main road, and Lou speeds up like she is in Fast & the Furious.

“Yess!” I exclaim with joy. “Thank you, Lou.”

Looking out of the window, I wonder how far we are from Amsterdam and pretty much any city. There’s not a single soul around, only fields covered with snow. But the day is bright and sunny. Petra got really lucky, the pictures will be magical. Damn, I can’t believe I missed the brunch, I hope she won’t be mad at me for that. I mean, the ceremony and reception at De Haar are the most important anyway.

“What’s the name of the manor I was in?” I ask Lou.

She doesn’t answer immediately; in fact she seems rather unwilling to speak.

“Lou?” She gives a quick glance at me. “What’s the name of that manor we were at?”

“I don’t know,” she tells me. And I sense this is bullshit. “I’m just paid to go and clean, I don’t know the name.”

And now I’ve got the feeling that maybe she is telling the truth. I’d have to ask Yara later today.

Thirty minutes and a few tickets later, Lou finally drops me at the Van Dieren’s estate. Needless to say, we got really lucky to only have got some radars and not actual cops. I give her three notes of two hundred euros to pay the fines plus another two hundred for the drive, and leave the car in a hurry to get inside.

“Ms. Hasenfratz, what a surprise!” Stuart greets as he opens me the door.

“You’ve got no idea…” Stepping into the hallway, I rush toward the stairs, and ask, “Is Petra still here?”

“She’s leaving in twenty minutes,” I hear him saying from behind me.

Fuck! I knock a few times on her bedroom door, and after hearing her voice, I fling the door wide open.

“Where were you?” Petra asks, turning to me as Clarissa stands beside her, bug-eyed.

“Wow!” I gape, my eyes glued on her.

“And you aren’t even ready?” Now she sounds really annoyed and worried. “We’re leaving in twenty minutes!”

“You look freaking amazing in this dress,” I say regardless of her rebukes. “Like, this is perfection, honestly.”

But Petra is having none of it. “Where the fuck were you?”

“My iPhone died, and I didn’t wake up.”

“Clarissa went to your bedroom, and it was empty.” Despite her observation, I don’t reply. I’m still looking at her gown, simple and elegant, with long sleeves and a round neck. “You were out again? The night before my wedding?”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect to get here so late.” I walk toward her, now admiring her chignon and natural makeup. “Happy birthday, by the way.” And I press my lips against her cheek, catching her Jasmine perfume.

Petra gives me a bright grin in return. “Thanks.”

“Did you sleep well?” I ask, aiming to change the subject of the discussion.

“No,” she tells me bluntly. “And you?”

“Neither did I.” We smile at each other, and trying to ease her mood, I say, “Anyway, the makeup is pretty well done. You look wonderful.”

She turns, checking herself quickly in the mirror. “Thanks. Clarissa did it; she’s very talented, isn’t she?”

As I notice the uneasiness in her posture, I can’t help but ask, “And how are you feeling?”

“I took two Xanax; I should be alright.”

“I’m not talking about your agoraphobia,” I say. “I’m talking about you. Are you okay?” Petra glances briefly at Clarissa, reminding me of her presence.

Looking at her, I say, “Can you leave us for just a second, please?”

Once Clarissa goes outside and the door clicks shut, Petra exhales deeply and decides to confide to me. “I’m just a bit anxious and stressed.” She pauses for a beat, pondering her next words. “I hope Mom won’t do anything to sabotage the day.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Margaret has got everything under control.” Based on what Yara told me, there will be security at every corner of the castle. “Look, anything you need, I’ll be right beside you, okay? If you need to run away at the last minute, I can make it happen.”

We burst into laugher, but I mean it.

“Thank you, Emma.” She brings me into her arms and squeezes me tight. “Thank you for being my best friend.”

“Oh, I’m sending you the bill at the end of the month. I’m not doing this for free,” I tease back.

Suddenly, we hear a few knocks on the door, and I assume it must be Clarissa to call us to go down. After Petra shouting to come in, to my surprise though, it’s not the lady’s maid but Roy that my eyes alight on.

“Oh, Mr. Van Gatt,” I say as he walks in, already all dressed up in a tux.

“Good to see you, Emma.” He then looks at his daughter, but doesn’t even greet her or smile at her. Are they still mad at each other? The fact that they are both standing here without saying a word is really awkward. “Um, the car is waiting downstairs…”

“I’ll be there in a moment.” Petra doesn’t even say hi to him either. Jeez, I wonder what’s up between the two. It’s not like they have had the best relationship, but damn, it’s her wedding day. Can’t he show her some love and support?

“Alright, I’m gonna go and get ready,” I tell Petra, hoping it will give them some time to talk. “See you later.” And I leave the room, closing the door behind me.