The Golden Spoon: a Novel by Jessa Maxwell

Author:Jessa Maxwell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 2023-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

LOTTIE

I can’t stop staring at the photo. Trying to make sense of it. My mother and Richard Grafton smiling, pressed close together. She’s wearing the dress I remember, the one I only ever saw on a hanger in her closet but never on her body. I can recall the color of the fabric, baby blue, and the feel of the damask, the stiffness and slight sheen. It’s incredible to be seeing her in it. The bodice is fitted and the skirt flairs out jauntily. Her legs are bare, shapely. Her feet clad in heels. High heels! I try to remember my mother ever wearing high heels, but all I can picture are the clunky soles of her work shoes. They look beautiful. So happy.

“Now care to tell me what you are doing up here? And what’s this about your mother?” Pradyumna raises an eyebrow at me. I was so stunned by the photograph I’d almost forgotten he was in the room with me.

“I’m…” I stop short. I’ve been caught, it’s true, but I can’t afford to be exposed. What if Betsy finds out and doesn’t understand? What if she sends me home? Fear grips at my heart. I’ve finally made it here. I can’t bear to think of losing this chance. God knows I won’t ever get another opportunity to come to Grafton.

“Oh, your face. You’re terrified. Lottie, relax. Please. I’m not going to rat you out if that’s what you’re worried about,” he says, leaning back in the bed across from me. “You think I care about any of this? I’m mostly impressed that you managed to sneak in here after me like some sort of assassin.”

I exhale. I believe him. He seems honest, if a bit odd. Can I really trust him, though? Can I tell him the whole story? It might be safer to let him in on the secret than risk him taking offense. What choice do I really have? He already knows too much.

“My mother was a maid here at Grafton.”

“That’s an amazing coincidence.” Pradyumna considers this a moment. Then he sits bolt upright, planting his feet on the ground. “I’m an idiot. It’s not a coincidence, is it?”

I give my head a tiny shake.

“I knew it! I knew there was something going on with you!” He is grinning as though he’s just won a bet.

“I lived here as a child. In this room, actually. I slept where you’re sitting now. My mother was right here.” I pat the bed I’m on, feeling something stir in my chest.

Pradyumna looks around the room, taking in the information.

“It’s incredibly lucky you got chosen. You know how hard it is to get onto Bake Week, don’t you? The odds are like one in a million,” Pradyumna says.

“It wasn’t my first time applying.” I feel myself starting to relax. I hadn’t done anything wrong, after all, hadn’t committed a crime or anything. I did get chosen for the show. “Once Betsy started Bake Week and I read she was filming it here, I realized this was my chance.

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