I'd had to leave California in a big hurry. The police were after me and this psycho guy from Sacramento was after me for revenge. I'd scammed him good but in the course of the job I messed up his perfect little life and he lost someone he loved. It's fair to say he wasn't psycho before I came along. It is also fair to say he hasn't discovered the $123,000.00 missing from his IRA account yet or he'd really be pissed.
Too bad.
So here I am in London after buying myself a trip here from Mexico City and I had to get a job. There isn't a lot of work here for a 21 year old girl with not much experience in legitimate work so after a couple of weeks I accepted a position as the au pair or nanny for a very proper British gentleman and his three little girls.
Stuart, a good looking forty year old gentleman, is the department head for some obscure health related section in the Home Office. His wife Victoria, once equally good looking, mostly did volunteer work for children's charities before she died. They really seemed the picture of a lovely couple at one time.
I settled into my room (a full apartment, really) and set about my duties with preparing the girls for school each day, dropping them off, picking them up, and then doing the odd chores in between. Then, most nights, I played mommy to the girls and found myself loving them after only a few weeks.
In all of this time I barely got to know my employers. I knew Victoria had wanted more children, and so did Stuart, but Victoria's failed bout with ovarian cancer had ruled out Stuart ever having a son.
One Saturday I was off on my morning walk and returned to find Stuart waiting for me at the kitchen door.
"Christie," he said,"we have to talk. I've made us some tea and I'd like your presence in the upstairs salon."
I sensed the serious nature of his request and feebly replied, "Yes, sir." as I followed him up the stairs to the salon off the master bedroom.
We sat and he poured me a cup of tea in that peculiarly elegant manner that the British have mastered over the centuries. Despite the gravity of Stuart's tone, I found it quite charming.
"Christie, do you know what I do for the Home Office?"
I looked up from my tea. "Not really, sir. I know it to be medical or something like that."
"Hmmph!" he looked at his own tea before setting it down. "I am in charge of performing the background investigations on doctors who are accused of certain crimes. Now, being as that this as my avocation would you conclude that I know all about you, too?"
He didn't even look at me to watch me turn white with fear.
"Drink your tea, Christie, before it gets cold."
I sipped at the tea while he got up and walked across the room to look out at the gardens below.
"I sent the girls to the grandmother at the Devonshire house for the weekend so that you and I would be able to discuss this matter in better detail, so please do not concern yourself about them as we proceed. Understood?"
I almost sputtered into my tea. "Yes, sir...understood."
"Good girl." He sat down. "Now onto this business in California: says here you are wanted for theft, fraud, impersonation, and felony flight to avoid prosecution. And I know it is all true having seen your bank balance, which, by the way, is now zeroed out. The bank manager and I attended Eton together and old Reggie was happy to hand your funds over to me upon my simple request. I dare say your running days are now over."
Shit. I make it all the way across the Atlantic Ocean just to get fucked over in England. I couldn't stop the tears once they'd started.
"Are those tears of remorse? How lovely. Christie, when I did your background investigation I was both shocked and pleased at what I'd found. Would you care to know why?"
I looked up at him and just nodded and sniffled. It must have been the shock of it all because I was just starting to feel numb from it all.
"Right. I was shocked because of the responsible young woman you are with my girls. And then I was pleased at the opportunity that you present me with."
He reached over and poured more tea into the empty cup I clutched in my hands.
"I need to make a proposal to you that includes a choice. First, do you wish for me to turn you over to the authorities for extradition?"
I felt the tears rise up again. I trembled as I croaked out my response. "No, sir, I don't."