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It had been two months since Ileana had first encountered Rebecca de Winter. They were mutuals on the internet, with both of them being interested in 1930s fashion and architecture. While Ileana had never spoken to the woman in person, Rebecca from their conversations seemed genial, sociable, even…attractive. So, when Rebecca did invite her on a cold February morning, Ileana didn’t think twice before agreeing. She couldn’t wait to see the glorious Manderly her pal kept talking of, and perhaps they could develop a friendship?
Manderly was every bit as splendid as Rebecca had said. The housekeeper, though, did appear intimidating. She was an old lady, but neatly dressed and bore the face of a strict teacher from a school. On learning who Ileana was, she expressionlessly let her in and suggested she greet the lord of the estate first.
As soon as she walked inside the castle, she was instantly set face to face with Maxim de Winter standing on the staircase. He was in his forties, and she admitted, rather handsome. His demeanor, however, was no less rigid than the housekeeper.
‘Good afternoon.’
Ileana bowed her head due to the formal nature with which he greeted her. ‘Good afternoon, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you.’
A kind smile crossed Maxim’s face. The girl was roughly two decades younger than him, and very pretty, with sweet blue eyes and fair hair.
‘I do not believe that I’ve seen you before…young lady.’
‘Ileana Fernsby, sir. I was invited here by your wife, Mrs. de Winter. We know each other through the internet.’
Something changed in him hearing that. ‘So you are Rebe…Mrs. de Winter’s friend?’
Ileana was confused. Why was this man calling his wife “Mrs. de Winter”? Nonetheless, she replied, ‘You can say. This is the first time we’re seeing each other in real life, though.’
Maxim’s lip twitched. He curtly said, ‘I see. But why did she call you?’
‘Just to meet her.’
He gave her a hard look. ‘Very well. Come to the drawing room.’
--
In the drawing-room, Maxim sat on the couch and gave Ileana a seat before him. He curiously looked at her. ‘So, how did you get to know my wife?’
‘We met online some months ago. She told me how wonderful your estate is and how I must visit it.’
‘So you have known her for months and this is the first time you both are meeting in person. But I’m hearing about you just now. Why is that?’
Ileana was taken aback by his almost accusatory tone. ‘Why, I thought that she had told you.’
Maxim broadened his shoulders, his gaze turning cold. ‘How did you both make contact?’
‘We were mutuals on Tumblr. Both of us liked vintage fashion and architecture, so she sent me recommendations for clothes and make-up. Slowly we started to tell each other about ourselves.’
His suspicions were confirmed. People may use Tumblr to correspond, but it was a relatively new platform. The chances of his wife, who was not young, using it were zero. ‘And how old are you?’
She looked around, blushing. ‘Twenty-one.’
This was it. At once he got to his feet. ‘Do not lie to me! Tell me who you are!’
She trembled, afraid and startled. ‘I-I’m telling the truth! I’m Ileana and I’m twenty-one. I’m just a student.’
Maxim stepped towards her, no longer behaving like a gentleman. His body vibrated with fury. ‘Lies!’ he shouted. All lies!’
‘Believe me! Why would I lie? You can talk to Mrs. de Winter. She called me.’
Grabbing her by the shoulders, he violently shook her. ‘I know her better than anyone! I know how she lies and deceives. You are either her lover or someone she hired to make me jealous.’
Ileana screamed, ‘Leave me, please! I’m not her lover. I’m a girl and just a friend!’
He was not having it. Harshly, he pushed the girl on the floor. She whimpered as her body hit the ground. ‘It hurts, please!’
He leaned over her like a predator ready to pounce. ‘Don’t lie to me, you little harlot! Why did my wife invite you? What did she tell you about me?’
‘She just told me that you were her husband, that’s all!’ she sobbed. ‘Maybe you should ask her.
He remained standing over her, still enraged, but slightly calmer now. Perhaps Rebecca could have some answers.
‘I will ask her. And I’m positive that I’ll discover that you were lying,’ he said, straightening his clothes. He walked to the door before giving her a last order. ‘Stay here.’
--
Maxim went up the corridors in search for his wife. He had tolerated her antics for years, but this was the limit. He wasn’t going to let her bring in lovers to Manderly right under his nose and make them lie to him.
There was a voice from one of the rooms. She was on the phone, speaking, albeit at a low volume. He cautiously took a step forward, hoping to hear what she was saying.
Rebecca laughed, ‘Oh, you naughty Jack! Alright, I should leave now. There’s this new chick I’ve called here. Oh, yes…she’s naïve, young, foolish- perfect for me.’
Maxim’s heart skipped a beat. He knew that Rebecca had taken multiple lovers, men and women, but this was much worse than he’d anticipated. She was using this girl, tricking her like all the times she had tricked him. Having heard enough, he inconspicuously returned downstairs.
Back in the drawing room, Ileana was still crying on the floor. When she noticed him, she dried her eyes. ‘Well, what did Mrs de Winter say?’
Feeling guilt for how he had treated her earlier, he now spoke kindlier. ‘It turns out that she was using you to attract a new lover. I thought you were her next affair, when it was all a trick.’
She couldn’t believe her ears. ‘She brought me to make me her lover? And this is not the first time she has done it?’
Maxim nodded solemnly. ‘I did not mean to yell at you. I’m sorry.’
Ileana was yet hesitant to trust him. ‘It’s ok. I…should go then, shouldn’t I?’
‘Actually, I would like to ask for your help. My wife is currently on the phone. Will you help me know for certain whether she is being faithful or not?’
She was confused at the strange request, but then saw his eyes boring into hers. Something about that look made her want to stay. ‘I’ll be glad to help.’
---
It turned out that Rebecca was talking to the housekeeper now. Maxim and Ileana stood beside the door, listening ardently.
The housekeeper said, ‘But isn’t that chick stupid? To come all the way from London to Manderly without even knowing you well?’
‘She is,’ said Rebecca. ‘I just hope that Maxim doesn’t stop her for too long.’
Maxim whispered, ‘She thinks that you’re here. We must make her believe otherwise.’
‘But how?’ asked Ileana.
He considered some options, then smiled at the girl. ‘Follow me to my bedroom, and I shall tell you.’
‘Your…bedroom?’ she asked in a low voice. He said nothing, just took her by the hand into the passageway. ‘Don’t worry. It’s not for anything inappropriate. I’m going to show you something.’
They entered his bedroom. It was large and decorated with expensive furniture. Walking to a cabinet, he opened several drawers before taking out a key from one of them. ‘See,’ he said, showing her the key. ‘I have a plan, but it shall involve a little deception on our part. Are you game?’
Ileana was unsure, but agreed. ‘Yes.’
Impressed by her willingness to help, he opened the door to the wardrobe, revealing a small staircase leading downwards. ‘Follow me,’ he said, stepping inside. He waited for her to come in as well, then closed the door.
Their steps creaked with each step. After a few minutes, they reached the basement. There was no light to illuminate the surroundings, but the sunlight from the cellar doors helped them prevent tripping.
Maxim was still friendly and charming, but his expression had become mysterious now, almost seeming sinister in the near-darkness. Adjusting his eyes, he led her through what appeared to be a large, old wine cellar. They hid between shelves of expensive bottles.
‘We shall lay here for a while and await my wife.’
‘Are you sure that she will meet her lover here?’
‘Her plan was to leave you after a while and return to Jack. But we have surprised her by taking you away from the house, so she’ll likely assume that I forced you to go and proceed with her secret meeting.’
Ileana was getting a bit nervous now, but she liked Maxim’s presence. His confidence was reassuring, although his remarks were rather odd.
‘You’re quite clever.’
He laughed softly. ‘I simply have a lot of experience with her nature. You must have dealt with similar matters before.’
‘Actually…no.’
He raised his brows. ‘If you haven’t, how come my wife’s flirtation didn’t faze you?’ She looked down. ‘I…didn’t know that she was flirting with me. I assumed her to be much closer to my age. In fact, I was rather surprised when I saw you, no offense.’
‘None taken. I think she cooked up a plan to lure you while hiding her true intentions. You seem to be innocent and easily deceived.’
‘I suppose.’
He smiled, beginning to have struck a chord with this girl. The fact that she had come across Rebecca and not suspected her was fascinating. She was so different from his wife, so less experienced, so much purer.
‘I know that my actions earlier hurt you, but you must forgive me. I took you as one of the lovers Rebecca used to deceive me. I see now that it was far from the truth.’
‘Alright,’ she replied, still not having forgiven Maxim but not wanting to start an argument.
Suddenly, there were footsteps upstairs. Rebecca’s voice echoed in the basement. ‘Oh, Jack. I thought that the chick would meet me today, but it looks like she ghosted me. I’m sorry for the delay.’
A man responded. ‘I’m disappointed, love. But it’s alright. At least we’re here now, and the best thing is that the wretched husband of yours is nowhere to be found!’
‘That’s right. I’m starting to wonder if he took the girl away.’
‘As if de Winter would get a college girl interested in him,’ Jack mocked.
Ileana looked at Maxim, who put a finger on her lips. ‘Let’s listen to them. I think this is going to become interesting.’
She stretched her ears to listen to the conversation. Rebecca’s tone had become tender and sweet now. They continued saying romantic things to each other until there was a sound of Rebecca giggling. Jack was kissing her. The scene became awkward. Maxim scratched his forehead to pass time, while Ileana frowned. The footsteps kept coming closer, until there was a thud. Jack fell on the table beside them, with Rebecca on top of him.
Noticing that they weren’t alone, Jack widened his eyes. Rebecca turned around in shock. ‘You were spying on us?’ She reached into her pocket and took out a small pistol!
Maxim tried playing cool. ‘What an impressive weapon, my dear. Have you started training with a gun now?’
‘You bastard,’ Rebecca muttered angrily, pointing the gun at him.
‘Is it loaded?’ he said casually.
Ileana begged for Rebecca to spare him, but the woman seemed ready to kill. She pulled the safety of the gun, and Ileana let out a gasp. In a moment, Maxim grabbed Ileana and ducked under a table.
Rebecca was furious. ‘You can’t escape, Maxim!’ she shouted and began firing shots under the table. Panic fueled Ileana as she tried her best to dodge the bullets, some nearly hitting her shoulders. For reasons unknown, she grabbed Maxim’s hand. He was caught off guard but didn’t free it from her grasp.
The chaos had caused Jack to tumble from the table and become puzzled as Rebecca blindly fired. In a desperate attempt to escape, he grabbed hold of whatever thing was near him. Unfortunately, that thing was Ileana’s waist.
She gave out a scream, overturning the table. Rebecca tripped on her sandal and hit her back on the floor. The heavy table flipped on Jack, trapping him, while the gun flew over the room and landed right in Maxim’s hands.
He was amazed. Ileana was quite the courageous girl, toppling the table at the right time and managing to disarm Rebecca.
Ileana, meanwhile, had no clue of what just happened. She stood there, stupefied.
Having no other choice, Rebecca darted towards her. Ileana tried to run, but she managed to get to her throat. ‘I’ll strangle her, Maxim!’ she threatened, giving her neck a squeeze.
Maxim’s anger once more rose to the surface. He lifted the gun. ‘Let go of the girl, Rebecca, or I’ll shoot you!’ he said in a manner that made it clear that he wasn’t joking.
Rebecca huffed, knowing that she was playing a losing game. She released her grip on Ileana’s neck, and before the latter could compose herself, there was a bang!
Ileana thought that the bullet would hit her, but luckily it didn’t. She turned around. Rebecca dropped on top of Jack, shot to death by Maxim. Jack’s mouth was panting heavily for air, suffocated by both the table and Rebecca’s corpse.
Ileana immediately tried pulling him out. Maxim helped her remove the table, but it was too late. Jack’s body lay motionless on the ground.
Everything had occurred too quickly for her to process. She stayed still. Maxim was in a similar dazed state, looking at the blood flowing out of Rebecca’s chest. ‘We’re lucky to be alive. Are you alright?’
Ileana nodded quietly. The blood scared her, and she was starting to regret being involved in this plan. Unsure of what to do, she hugged him. He liked the warmth of her embrace, and placed his hands on her back. ‘It’s over now, my dear. You’re safe. There’s nothing to be scared of.’
‘B-but the bodies?’
He took a deep breath. ‘They died because of their own fault. We did what we could to defend ourselves. They will not come back. The only thing that matters is that we’re still alive.’
Her blue eyes turned up. Giving a smile, he kissed her forehead. ‘I had to get rid of this place anyway.’
--
After the events of that afternoon, the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers was fired. No one ever saw of Rebecca and Jack. The police assumed that they’d eloped from the text messages on their phones, and Maxim accepted this explanation. His marriage to Rebecca was a total failure, but if there was something positive about it, it was that her numerous affairs had allowed him to find the true love of his life.
Ileana was the woman he should have married from the very beginning. She understood him better than anyone and was willing to forgive him for his flaws. For her part, she was disappointed in Rebecca, but happy that the incident had led her to a better man.
Having married a year later, they now live in London in peace. The memories of the first Mrs. de Winter have been deliberately forgotten, just like the maintenance of Manderley’s basement.