Miss Lizzie Read Online Free PDF

head.
    He winced with impatience, then lifted one of the wooden chairs, spun it around, and sat down on it next to me, his arms folded along the chair’s back. “Okay. What is it?”
    She looked from William to me. “The two of you think you’re very clever, don’t you?”
    William looked at me, I looked at him. He grinned and said to her, “Well, Audrey, I guess we do.”
    â€œYou two have had things your way for a long time now. Daddy’s little darlings. Daddy’s little angels. Well, I know a thing or two about you, about both of you, that Daddy doesn’t know.”
    Mrs. Mortimer cleared her throat. “I really ought to go now, Audrey. I’ve got so much—”
    â€œYou stay there, Esther. I want you to see what a wonderful pair of brats I’ve got here.”
    William was still smiling, confident he could handle whatever she was about to offer.
    But it was to me that she turned first. “Do you think I haven’t seen you sneaking over to that awful woman’s house? Do you think I don’t know what you’re doing?” From her housecoat pocket she pulled a pack of playing cards and slapped it onto the table. She reached in and pulled out another pack, slapped that beside the first. “How do you think your father’s going to like it when he hears that you’ve been gambling with a murderer ?”
    I was so surprised at how wrong she had got it that I burst out laughing. “Gambling? That’s crazy!”
    At my laughter, my stepmother’s face had closed like a fist. “Crazy? You think it’s crazy? What’re the cards for, missy? What’re you doing when you sneak over there to see that woman?”
    I shook my head, petulant. “I don’t sneak over there.”
    â€œNo?” Her upper lip curled with scorn. “Then why haven’t you told your father about it? Why the big secret?”
    Unerringly, she had located a pocket of guilt, and prodded it. I switched from defense to attack: “You took those out of my dresser. You had no right—”
    â€œDon’t you tell me about my rights, missy. This is my house and it’s my responsibility to watch you two.” She leaned forward. “They say she smokes too. Does she give you cigarettes?”
    â€œNo!”
    â€œAnd they say she’s not right, she’s not normal. Does she touch you? Do you let her touch you?”
    My anger had become confusion. “ What ?”
    Her face was twisted. “Do you take your clothes off, do you—”
    Angry, William said, “Stop it, Audrey, goddammit. Leave her alone.”
    â€œOh no,” she said, rounding on him, pointing a finger at his face. “Oh no you don’t. You don’t tell me what to do. You think I don’t know about you ? You think I haven’t seen you and that cheap little Grady slut? Grabbing and groping at each other out on the lawn like animals ?”
    William flushed, his face turning bright red. I did not know (and do not, to this day) whether it was fury or embarrassment.
    My stepmother’s eyes were narrow slits. “Are you giving it to her yet? Are you sticking it in her? You must be, or you wouldn’t need these .” From her other pocket she pulled a small cardboard package and flipped it onto the table. Although I did not know it then, what the package held, of course, was prophylactics.
    William said, “God damn you, Audrey.”
    She laughed—a hard, dry, bitter cackle. “Curse me. Go ahead, you curse me. Your father will hear about that too. He’ll hear about all this. His little angels. His little darlings. He’s going to learn what you’re really like.”
    Through clenched teeth, William said, “You’re a rotten bitch.”
    â€œDon’t you dare ,” she said, standing up and moving around the table, toward him, “don’t you dare call me that, you sneaky