Free Double Take by Melody Carlson Page B

straight as if at attention.
    “You are all right?” A short, stout, dark-haired woman in a neat gray dress looked curiously at her.
    “Yes.” Anna nodded, trying to get her bearings. This must be the housekeeper. What was her name?
    The woman came closer now, peering curiously with dark brows furrowed. “You are all right ?” she repeated, a bit more firmly this time.
    “Yes.” Anna forced a smile. “I am fine.”
    The woman still looked troubled. Or maybe she was suspicious.
    “I need to get ready for my date,” Anna said in what she hoped sounded like Madison. She headed toward the left hallway. She knew Madison’s bedroom was down that hallway and her mother’s room was down the opposite hallway. But there were two doors in the left hallway. Anna glanced over her shoulder to see the housekeeper still watching her. Wanting to escape those dark, prying eyes, Anna nervously opened the first door but was dismayed to discover it was not a bedroom. It was a small bathroom—the powder room. Even so, she went inside, closing the door behind her. As ridiculous as it seemed, she thought perhaps she could pretend that was where she’d meant to go.
    Anna’s heart pounded as she turned on the shiny silver water faucet, allowing the water to go to waste down the sink, which looked like a giant glass bowl. This was her sad effort to appear to be using this pretty powder room. She had a feeling the housekeeper—what was her name?—was out there waiting for Anna to emerge for further questioning. After all her hard work, Anna could not believe she was about to be found out by the housekeeper. Perhaps she was on the phone right now, calling Madison’s mother and alerting her to the intruder trying to pass herself off as Madison Van Buren. Worse yet, perhaps she was calling the police!

7
    To Anna’s relief, the housekeeper, Nadya (whose name she discovered by searching her notes), was nowhere to be seen when Anna finally exited the powder room. This time Anna went straight for the other door, but as soon as she went in, she thought she’d made another mistake. Because this room, on first impression, didn’t look like a bedroom. At least not like any bedroom Anna had ever seen. Then she noticed there was indeed a bed—a big, beautiful bed with soft blue and gold bedding that looked fit for a queen. Not that Anna had ever met a queen, but she’d read about one once. This room seemed prepared for royalty. Was it possible that Madison was actually a princess?
    Anna walked slowly across the large room, going directly to the big window. With wide eyes, she looked out to see a scene that resembled the night sky—only it was brighter and flashing and a bit frightening. She gasped to see all the lights and colors and shapes. She finally reached for the thick soft curtains, pulled them shut, and stepped back to catch her breath. It was just too much!
    Turning away, she continued to take in the room, studying the details of luxurious furnishings, beautiful lamps, big mirrors, thick rugs. Everything was so fancy, she couldn’t imagine how anyone actually lived here. She was afraid to touch anything. When she finally put her hand on the silky bedding, she jumped at three quick knocks on the bedroom door.
    “Miss Madison?” called the housekeeper’s voice from the hallway.
    “Yes?”
    “You need my help?”
    Anna glanced around, wondering what she could possibly need help with when everything in this room looked perfectly immaculate. Unless the housekeeper could give her some fashion advice, which seemed unlikely.
    “No thank you, Nadya,” Anna called out. “I am fine.” Quit sounding so “prim and proper,” as Garret put it , she warned herself as she removed the short boots that were starting to hurt her feet. Talk like Madison. Otherwise everyone is going to be suspicious.
    Anna noticed what she assumed was a television. Oh, she’d seen a television before, in a store, but it had been small and boxy whereas this