The silence was eerie. She walked to the windows that looked out onto the Chateau de la Muette and beyond it, to the Bois de Boulogne. She could understand how Elena would choose to live here, but did not fathom how the concierge could have seen Elena this evening, unless he had been paid to tell visitors that they’d just missed her.
She felt her heart pounding as she entered a smaller room, a ladies’ parlor no doubt. Waiting for her eyes to adjust to the low light, she saw a series of prints on the wall, reproductions of works by a French painter Serafina was familiar with, Jacques-Louis David. She was admiring them when she thought she heard something move. An animal? She waited, listening. Nothing but her imagination. She found gas jets on the walls and after some fumbling, turned on a few jets and saw a desk with a lamp in the corner of the room. On top of it was an appointment book. She turned a few of the pages, but it was unused. After she opened the middle drawer she stopped. There was a definite scratching sound coming from somewhere in back of her. An animal. Concentrating on breathing slowly, she took one step, then another and another. The drapes had not been drawn, and the glow from the street lamps lent the rooms a ghostly light. She made her way through to the dining room and had just entered the kitchen when she heard the scratching noise again.
Hearing the blood thrumming in her ears and hoping she hadn’t heard mice, she looked down and stood still. A sweet looking kitten was lying on the floor next to something else, a bowl. She bent down and stroked its fur and heard the animal purr, almost as loud as her heart was pounding. She lifted bowl and peered inside. It must have contained water. “Poor little thing, mice must be scarce here and you’ve had no water in a while.”
Elena was many things, but she would never starve a kitten. She filled the bowl with water from the slate sink and the thirsty feline slurped and drank.
“Well, we’ll have to do something about you, won’t we? She felt the animal’s bones through its fur, but remembered that she had a job to do before she could care for it.
She walked back to the ladies’ parlor and began riffling through the desk drawer where she found an address book, some envelopes, scraps of paper, and a note pad with writing. She held up the address book and found the same scrawl on every page, addresses written everywhere, scribbled into all the margins and filling all the lines. On the last page was a small calendar. She held the book closer to the lamp, but it was hard to read Elena’s script, so she slipped the book, the envelopes, the wad of paper and notepad into her pocket and began walking through the rest of the rooms, wondering where she’d find the set of stairs leading to the second floor. Hearing a soft tapping she felt a presence, and the kitten pranced into the room, stopping to rub itself against every piece of furniture. Pawing her skirt, the animal looked up with such pleading eyes before he wound himself in between her legs and scratched at her petticoat. Unless Elena suddenly appeared, Serafina would have to find a way to take the mouser with her. She couldn’t leave it to starve to death here. Gesuzza would take care of it until she found a home for the sweet creature. She picked up the kitten and walked into the rear of the house when she heard a loud banging on the door.
Her heart slammed into her throat. The kitten jumped from her arms and took off.
More pounding on the door.
“Help!”
Serafina ran to the front and opened the door.
A maid in black uniform and white apron and cap was doubled over and holding her stomach. Definitely with child. And about to deliver, too, judging by the pool of wet by the woman’s feet. The young woman braced herself on the wall. “Oh… my. Help me, please… I saw you pass by in the lift. I thought you must be Elena. You can’t tell Madame. She mustn’t know.” The maid cried out.
“Don’t worry. Don’t talk,” Serafina said. We’ve got to get you inside.” The maid had trouble walking but she leaned on Serafina and together they made it to one of the bedrooms.
“Where’s Elena?” the woman asked.
Serafina said nothing. She tore the spread off and lowered the bedding, undid the woman’s outer garments, and helped her out of her undergarments. After covering her with a blanket, she positioned her on one knee and told her to lean on the side of the bed. Serafina put an ear to the girl’s stomach and took a look.
“It won’t be long. This isn’t your first, is it?”
The girl shook her head. “Only once, that’s all it was. Just once. With Honore, and where is he now?” She wailed, hung her head.
Serafina wiped the young woman’s forehead. “I’m a midwife, but I don’t have my satchel with me. Not to worry, we’ll manage just fine.”
She ran to the kitchen and boiled some water. She filled a bowl with the steaming liquid. The woman was screaming as Serafina carried the water and towels back into the room.
“Now do as I say, breathe slowly, breathe in, out, pant a little like this.” She wet a towel and wiped the woman’s brow.
“Where do you work?”
“Downstairs. For Madame Gruenfeld, she doesn’t know, she must never find out.”
“Where is she now?”
“On holiday. Comes back next week. I must keep my job.”
“You’re the only one?”
She nodded.
“What about your family? Do they know?”
She shook her head, moaned. “My father would kill me.”
“Do you live with them?”
She shook her head.
Serafina took another look. “Your name?”
“Mimette.”
“Call me Donna Fina. Everyone does. When the pains come, start pushing.”
“You are from here?”
Serafina shook her head. “Breathe, Mimette, like this.” Serafina panted to show her and the maid did as she was told.
She cried out. “I saw you go up in the lift.” She panted. “I thought you were Elena.”
Serafina wiped the maid’s brow. “You know Elena?”
“She’s been helping me, but she’s away. Elena asked to me watch over Papillon while she’s away.”
With the canniness of animals, the kitten came into the room and jumped up on the bed.
“Papillon, in my pain, I forgot about you today, please forgive me.” Mimette screamed.
“When will she return?”
The maid shook her head. “Don’t know. In the south.”
“Where?”
“Don’t know!” She cried out.
“When did you last see her?”
No time. Baby crowning.
Serafina looked around. There was a small desk on the other side of the room and she found a scissors and some string.
“Now we’re all set.”
“It’s coming. I feel it.”
Serafina ran to her side. “Breathe.” Serafina looked again. “Now push. Hard. Harder.”
Mimette gave a low, long grunt.
“Almost there, almost. Push again. Harder. You can do it!”
It went on like this.
“One more time. Here it comes.” Serafina caught the baby who started to wail. “You have a little girl.”
Exhausted, Mimette lay down on the rug. “Another girl.” Smiling, she took the baby in her arms.
After Serafina tied two knots in the string, she wrapped it around the umbilical cord, cut it, and bundled the after birth in newspaper. She cleaned the baby and handed her to Mimette.
“Not your first.”
But Mimette was sleeping so she lay the baby next to her and shut the door.
As she was walking toward the ladies’ parlor she heard the front door open and slam shut.
Serafina froze. “Who is it?” she said aloud, surprised at the tremor in her voice.
No answer. Instead, footsteps came closer, louder, heavier. More than one person?
She heard a click. Then she heard a loud bang, saw a flash of light, and was thrown to the ground. She felt a searing pain, nothing more.