Chapter 76

6:30 p.m. Tuesday

"Did I tell you?" Rita asked as Anne and Camille took in the landscaping around the house. For Camille, it was like a dream. The thought of living in a beautiful house in a nice neighborhood had been something she'd put away long before.

"It certainly beats a home built 170 years ago," Anne said.

"Wait until you see the inside," Rita said enthusiastically. "It's beautiful. It has a perfect room for Evan to set up an office and it has a finished apartment over the garage that would be great for when Andy comes home from college. I haven't been inside since we were looking last year."

Rita looked to the ground and her face turned sorrowful.

"I'll be honest: Regan and Robert liked this place more than the one we bought," she continued. "I insisted we needed something ... more expensive. I wanted to show everyone exactly how much money we ... I ... had. They talked me into looking at this one but I'd already made up my mind. It was arrogance in its purest form."

Anne laughed and put her hand on Rita's shoulder.

"Which is why Evan and I live in a 22-room monument that should have been razed decades ago," she said. "Our family desires to show all and sundry that we have long-forgotten ties to a monarchy that should have been torn down with the manor house."

"And it's why Andy and I lived with the cockroaches in the slums," Camille commiserated. "Arrogance comes in many forms. At least you have a viable claim to your success. Evan inherited his title and I found it easier to revel in squalor than to lift a telephone to ask for help."

"The point is," Anne cut in, "that we all see the flaws in our beliefs. Evan has long fought first his father and then me to break away from the traditions and mores. I will admit, I clung fiercely to the past for as long as I could. I wanted to be remembered as Sir Elliot Allen's daughter and Earl Andrew Duffield's wife. I wanted Evan to participate in all the courtly rituals. After he returned to England, I believe I paraded every eligible daughter of the peerage – and a few eligible sons, because I wasn't certain – in front of him.

"In part, I wanted him to find the happiness that I knew he'd left in California. But I also wanted him to take a spouse for selfish purposes. I wanted to return to the days when we hosted lavish parties at the manor. I wanted be a Grand Dame on the circuit. Once he took the earldom, he sat me down and told me it was time to stop. He would do what he could to facilitate my desires so long as they didn't affect him. If I wanted a London apartment, he would pay for it. If I wanted to live on the Continent, he would arrange it. If I wanted to have parties at the manor, he would make plans to be elsewhere. He told me that he had always viewed the aristocracy as a bunch of self-entitled nitwits; he wanted no part of them when he was a child and he wanted no part of them now. Then he asked me why I'd want to spend time with them, given that I've always been treated as an outsider.

"I took a few days to consider how I wished to spend the rest of my life. That's when I decided I wanted to operate a childcare center. It gave me something all my own and it gave me a purpose that my life had lacked since Evan departed for America."

"It seems Andy has inherited more than Evan's looks," Rita replied. "I can't recall a time I was angrier than when he upbraided me in my own home."

She held up a hand so Anne and Camille wouldn't come to Andy's defense.

"In hindsight, I came to realize that I instigated the confrontation," she said. "It wasn't until much later that I really considered his assessment of my character. It was then that I understood that my husband and daughter thought the exact same thing about me. It was a humbling experience. When I was in my 20s, I didn't really set out to become some ... tycoon. When Regan was a baby, my main goal in life was to be a good mother and a good wife. I failed at both of those pursuits. I enjoy having more money than sense but I would give it away if I could have the same sort of relationship with Regan as you two have with your sons."

"I would wager that the relationship you see is far different than the one we actually have," Anne said. "In my instance, I live at Evan's munificence. My business does not make money; it never has and it never will. If it weren't for him, I would be living in a box somewhere."

"Perhaps we could share?" Camille replied with a smile. "The same is true with Andy. He and I, we ... we grew up together almost. Again, looking back, I see that I put too much on him too young. He didn't get the chance to be a real teenager. The past year it's been more like we're roommates than mother and son. Yes, there is a closeness – a bond, I suppose – but the traditional boundaries are blurred from time to time."

"Maybe neither of your relationships would be classified as 'traditional'," Rita said with a shrug. "But there is love there – and respect. Evan and Andy, they would do anything for their mothers. Regan? I'm still worried that she will turn 18 and push me completely out of her life."

"A year ago, I think she might have," Camille said bluntly. "Now? I don't think so. I think she finally understands that you made sacrifices for her. Were they the same that Anne or I made? Probably not. But they were sacrifices just the same."

"Well, if she does, at least I'll be able to see her from time to time if you move here," Rita said. "The back of our property borders this one. She might tell me to go to hell – and I couldn't really blame her. But she's going to hold onto Andy. Of everything I'm sure of, that's at the top."

Joy was waiting in the parking lot – alone, to Andy's disappointment – at the golf clubhouse.

She thanked him when she got in and then cursed as soon as he pulled out onto the highway.

"Shit!" she exclaimed. "Do you have any money?"

"Some," Andy told her.

"There is a store in about a mile," Joy said. "Can you stop for a minute?"

Andy dutifully pulled into the convenience store and handed Joy his wallet. He waited in the parking lot. She came to the driver's side when she exited. She carried a paper bag – because plastic bags had been banned in the state the year before. She extracted a bottle of water – which had been banned years before across the bay. In their area, they were just taxed heavily. He started to wonder how much Joy had spent, particularly when she opened the container and, rather than take a drink, poured the water into her hand.

"How does it look?" she asked after she had slapped her hand to the crotch of her red shorts.

"What?" Andy asked as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"Does it look like I, you know, started?" she inquired.

"How would I know that?" Andy asked incredulously. He had studiously avoided looking at Joy's pussy – despite the fact the shorts she wore covered far more of her than he was used to.

"Yeah, good point," she said. She was trying to look between her legs and failing miserably. "Does it look like I might have peed my pants?"

Andy sighed and glanced between Joy's legs.

"Yeah, I guess it does," Andy answered.

"Good enough," Joy replied. She picked up a towel that she'd carried with her and wrapped it around her waist before sitting down in Regan's car.

Andy was still befuddled when he returned to the highway and headed to the school. Joy spent most of the few minutes contemplating her plan. She was pretty sure she knew where Renee kept everything hidden but there was really no way for her to know. She decided she would do what she could.

"Are you sure you're OK with taking some of this crap with you?" she asked as they pulled into the school.

"It'll be fine," Andy replied. "I've thought about it. I'll just burn what I can at work. The rest I'll just dump somewhere."

"Just be careful!" Joy said. "I'd rather take the heat than have something happen to you. My life won't be worth shit either way but at least I'm the only one screwed over."

"It'll be fine," Andy said again. "Just don't get caught bringing it out."

Joy nodded then leaned over to kiss Andy on the cheek.

"Thank you!" she said. "I mean it. If you ever need anything, you just call me. Promise?"

"Sure," Andy said, although he doubted that he would take her up on the offer. She wrapped the towel around her waist tightly as she headed up to her dorm. The grounds were almost empty and it took Andy a moment to realize that it was dinner time for the girls. He hoped that would let Joy accomplish her mission without detection.

Indeed, Joy made it to her floor without anyone seeing her and she was unlocking the door to her room when a voice came from behind her in the hallway.

"Miss Dalrymple?" the administrator who had visited them at the course asked to gain Joy's attention. Joy put on her best "embarrassed" look before she turned around.

"Hello, Miss Pace," she said, clutching the towel tighter.

"I thought you were playing golf," Jillian Pace stated as she walked down the hallway to where Joy still stood.

"I was but... ," Joy began, glancing down at the towel she held, "I had ... an issue so I came back."

"An issue?" Miss Pace asked, also glancing at the towel. "Did you split your pants?"

"Uh, no, Ma'am," Joy replied, feigning chagrin. "I ... I forgot to pack ... uh, feminine hygiene products."

She opened the towel slightly so the administrator could see the wetness on her shorts before glancing to her opened door.

"Ah," Jillian Pace said, looking away. "I see."

"Can I ... fix things, please?" Joy asked. "It's a bit uncomfortable to stand here having a conversation like this."

"Of course," the administrator said, frowning slightly. She started to follow Joy into the room but Joy stopped her.

"I have been taking care of things like this on my own for a few years now," Joy said. "If you will excuse me."

"Of course," the administrator said. One of C-B's steadfast rules was that no school official was to enter a student's room without an invitation unless authorized by the headmistress. The administrator stepped back into the hallway and Joy closed the door firmly.

"Shit," Joy muttered. She knew the nosy official would be waiting in the hallway. That would limit the number of times she could flush the toilet without alerting everyone that something was up.

She opened Renee's bottom drawer and pulled out a wooden box from behind a stack of clothing. The box was locked but the key was stuffed into one of Renee's socks. It took Joy a moment to find it but she carried both into the bathroom with her, along with a fresh pair of shorts and panties.

She cursed her trembling hands as she struggled to fit the tiny key into a lock that was barely any bigger. After all, she had been a risk taker all her life. She had always been the one to push boundaries. But now, she was scared that Jillian Pace would push through the door at any moment.

She finally got the lid open and let out a small sigh of relief. The box was almost empty. Joy figured it was because the school year was almost over but she didn't give it much thought. Her main concern was limiting Andy's culpability. She dumped two bags of pills into the toilet and topped off the bowl with a brown powder.

Joy had smoked weed before. She had taken Ecstasy and painkillers. She had snorted coke. But she had always drawn the line at needles. By the time she flushed – and watched carefully to ensure that everything went down – all she was left with were a pair of hypodermics that appeared to have been used several times and a bent and weathered spoon.

"Fuck," she muttered. She had no doubt that Ms. Pace was waiting in the hallway so she looked around for something to conceal the paraphernalia. She pulled out two tampons and pushed the cotton out of the opening. She hated to even touch the things but she finally snapped the needle off and shoved the broken portions into the empty plastic container. She put the plastic back into its paper wrapper and set them on the vanity while she slid her shorts and panties to the ground.

"What the fuck am I going to do with that?" she wondered as she looked at the spoon and the bags that had once held drugs. Her mind raced and she came to a quick decision. She grabbed one of the sandwich bags that used to hold pills. The spoon and two empty bags went into the third bag. She folded it up as tightly as she could and pressed it close to her pussy as she pulled a fresh set of panties upward.

She wouldn't be able to wear shorts without her hiding spot being evident. She walked back out and rummaged around for a skirt with pockets. She needed the tampons to be visible to allay Jillian Pace's inspection. She found a tan skirt that she hadn't worn in a couple of years. It had pockets on the side and it was ugly as sin but she dutifully slid into it.

She collected the tampon wrappers and slid them into a pocket, ensuring that the tops were visible to the naked eye. Walking with a spoon next to her twat wasn't very comfortable but Joy figured she might be able to explain her gait by saying that the moisture had caused chafing. She wasn't about to shove that baggy inside of her.