My classroom was on the first floor, a small study-looking room with two large desks, bookcases, windows overlooking the garden, and a fireplace. I met four days a week there with Tadeas, a quiet man with a thicker Russian accent than Andros. It took me a few weeks to understand everything he said. And yet he never angered. Despite my lack of formal education, Tadeas’s patience was unmatched as he worked to assess my knowledge level and began my studies.
The days we didn’t meet, I was left with assignments.
I’d never been much for school, but with him it was different.
I couldn’t hide in the back of the classroom or work on my invisibility. With his oversight, I was the star pupil. There truly seemed to be little he didn’t know. Philosophy and history were his passion. While we worked on other subjects such as algebra and geometry, his stories were my favorite. I could sit and listen to him for hours. Even my baby seemed comforted by his deep, resonating tone. Together we’d be lulled into the world of long ago, learning without even realizing it.
Irina was different altogether.
She was older, probably closer to Miss Warner’s age. Yet she was nothing like the woman with the crop. Irina was both stern and tolerant. It was a welcome dichotomy as she instructed me on my new life. From manners for dining and entertaining to dressing and boundaries within the large home, she was knowledgeable in all things. Irina oversaw my everything. She ordered my clothes, oversaw my hygiene, and monitored my nutrition.
I never asked Irina or Tadeas if they knew the circumstance of my arrival in Andros Ivanov’s home. They never asked me if I wanted to stay. The subject was carefully avoided on all sides. It was as if I appeared one day and became their responsibility.
That didn’t mean to insinuate that I never interacted with Andros.
I did.
Some mornings I’d be summoned to the dining room or the patio to eat breakfast in his presence. Other times, we would dine together. As time passed, I would wonder why he’d bought me and brought me to Detroit. Rarely did he enter my suite. When he did, it was to oversee the progress on the nursery.
I knew he had his own suite, yet even a month after my arrival, I’d not seen it.
He’d been honest about wanting my healing.
Each night slumbering in a soft, clean large bed followed by days filled with hygiene, nutrition, walks in the garden, and education, all combined to facilitate my improved health. I wasn’t alone. My baby grew too, moving more, kicking, and pushing the limits of its surroundings.
While Irina tended to my needs upon arrival and each week after, I was also visited by Dr. Katov. Thankfully, Irina accompanied me in each visit, translating his questions and my answers. Unlike doctors of my past, Dr. Katov was professional and thorough. He explained through Irina that I needed nutrition and rest above all else. When hungry, I should eat. When tired, I should sleep. As Andros had stated, my new job was to provide for the baby within me.
My internment within the cell house had caused me to miss the end of winter and all of springtime. The days now were long and hot. Humidity hung in the air and the walls limited the summer breezes within the garden. I didn’t mind the heat. It was better than staying inside. Along with craving foods and baths, it was sunshine I longed for.
With my health records incomplete, Dr. Katov figured my due date to be late August to early September. He reassured me that first babies often arrive late and that was all right. The longer my little one stayed safely inside me, the better for his or her health.
One afternoon near the end of July, Irina informed me that I’d be dining with Mr. Ivanov. To everyone around me, he was Mr. Ivanov. Only I spoke to him as Andros. It wasn’t a huge deal, but in some way, it added to my sense of worth.
Andros looked up from some papers as I stepped out onto the patio. Irina and I had chosen a blue sundress. Since my arrival, not only had my stomach grown, appearing as a beach ball beneath my clothes, but also my breasts. Truly, I was stunned that my skin could continue to stretch, accommodating my child.
“Good evening,” he said, his dark eyes scanning over my body.
It wasn’t uncommon, and while he’d seen me nude in Chicago, he’d never approached the subject since arriving in his home.
“Good evening, Andros,” I said as I sat. “Are you in town for long?”
I’d learned that he traveled often. There was something about having him present that set my mind at ease, even when I didn’t see him. I felt no unease around either Irina or Tadeas. It was the others who frequented the house, walked the halls, and occasionally entered the study that was my classroom. Though I didn’t understand their language, the way they looked at me brought a chill to my skin.
Even with my body covered, their glares gave me the feeling of the men in the senator’s study. It was as if they were seeing me on that small pedestal.
“I will be gone for a few days,” he said as people moved around us, bringing platters of food to the table and refilling our glasses of water. “That’s why I wanted to see you. How are you feeling?”
“Better every day.”
He nodded as he lifted his glass. “Tell me about the child.”
It was nice to have someone who cared. “Dr. Katov says everything is on schedule.”
“And you? What is it like?”
“A miracle that we’re here, that I have food like this…” I nodded toward the table. “Thank you.”
“The baby.”
“Kicks a lot, especially before I go to bed at night. It’s funny how it makes my stomach move.”
Andros smiled. “I’d like to see.”
The warmth from the summer night evaporated, yet despite the way I’d been welcomed to his home, I knew my place. “Of course, Andros.”
The subject wasn’t brought up again until near the end of our meal.
“When do you see and feel the movements?”
“Usually,” I said, “after I take a bath. I do that before sleep.” The truth was that I often bathed multiple times a day. At a minimum, I’d take a shower upon rising and a bath before sleeping.
“Madeline, I’ve been patient and you’ve done as I said. You are radiant, such as the sayings predict. I’ve spoken with Dr. Katov and Irina. I can see you and how your body has changed. It’s time I see it for myself without the restriction of covering.”
I wasn’t certain why his proclamation was upsetting me. I knew our agreement from the night he purchased me. Lifting my gaze, I met his. “Do you want me to come to you or will you come to me?”
His lips curled upward. “Eight-thirty I’ll be at your suite.” He stood and came closer, running his finger over my cheek. “Madeline, your willingness pleases me.”
I inhaled as his touch lingered. “I agreed to this.”
“To belonging to me,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Say it.”
“I agreed to belong to you.”
“And are you lacking in anything?” he asked.
“No.”
“Have I fulfilled your expectation?”
“Surpassed,” I answered honestly.
“Be ready for my visit.”
“I will.”
When I returned to my suite, the clock read a little after seven in the evening. I chose not to allow my thoughts to linger on what he would want or what he would do. In reality, he’d only asked about the baby and the changes to my body. I chose not to overthink.