Hannah
Megan, are you awake?
Hannah
OMG, please answer!
Megan
Shouldn’t YOU be asleep by now?
Megan
Especially with your big day tomorrow?
Hannah
Megan, there’s a dead bird in my bed!
Hannah sends Megan a photo of the bird.
Megan
That looks like a crow, or a raven.
Hannah
Megan I’m freaking out!
Megan
Yeah, no kidding—someone just put a DEAD BIRD in your bed!
Megan
Who would do that??
Hannah
Unless that housekeeper, Bernadette, did this!
Hannah
She doesn’t like me!!
Megan
OMG the one who left the rug out for you to trip over?
Hannah
I thought you said that wasn’t her!
Hannah
That it was just carelessness!!
Megan
Well, now I’m starting to wonder…
Hannah
Yeah, and Lucinda warned me about her.
Megan
Whoa, back up. Who’s Lucinda?
Hannah
She’s Virginia Pynchon’s granddaughter.
Hannah
She came by to introduce herself to me tonight.
Hannah
She’s been really helpful already, telling me all the ins and outs.
Hannah
And warning me about Bernadette.
Hannah
Megan, I have so much more to tell you…
Hannah
But I need to get to sleep!
Hannah
And this bird is in my bed!!!
Hannah
I don’t want to touch it.
Hannah
Its dead eye is staring at me…
Megan
It’s ok, you can do this.
Megan
Find a towel or something so you don’t have to touch it with your hand.
Megan
Then throw it in the garbage.
Megan
You can even put another towel or piece of your clothing over the spot where it was.
Megan
And don’t forget to catch me up on the deets!
After throwing away the dead bird, Hannah has a restless night.
She gets up a little before 8 a.m., dresses, and finds her way to the dining room.
And there is no food to be seen.
Bernadette
Breakfast is over.
Bernadette
For future reference, food is served between 7 and 8.
Hannah is too tired and overwhelmed to protest.
She walks down the hall to a lush, lovely conservatory.
She steps inside, trying to ignore her growling stomach,
And sees Tyler and Lucinda behind a large flowering plant,
Before Hannah can slip out, Tyler calls to her.
Tyler
Hannah! You must have finished breakfast before us this morning.
Tyler
I was just telling Lucinda about our earlier encounter.
Tyler
On the road, that is.
Lucinda
You clearly made quite an impression.
Tyler
Well, just to set the record straight.
Tyler
The accident was my fault.
Tyler
Hannah had the right of way.
Hannah
Well, I’m just glad it wasn’t more serious.
Once again, Hannah finds herself tongue-tied.
Why can’t she crack a joke?
It must be her empty stomach.
That man who’s meant for Lucinda.
Tyler
Won’t you join us, Hannah?
Hannah
No, I should get ready for my meeting with Ms. Pynchon.
Lucinda
You’ll do fine, Hannah.
Lucinda
Remember, she’s a human being just like you.
Hannah returns to her room, her stomach growling.
Perspiration starts to run down her forehead.
She wipes it off with a towel,
But realizes that it’s the towel she used to throw away the dead bird.
Hannah
Calm down, Hannah.
Hannah
Remember, Virginia Pynchon is a human being just like you.
At 8:55, there is a knock at the door.
Hannah opens it to find the housekeeper in front of her.
Bernadette
Ms. Pynchon will see you now in the drawing room.
Bernadette
I will escort you.
Hannah
Before we go, Bernadette, I wanted to show you something.
She picks up the wastebasket and shows its contents to Bernadette.
Hannah
Last night, I found this dead bird in my bed.
Hannah watches Bernadette for any sign of guilt.
Bernadette’s face twitches a bit, but otherwise, it is utterly stoic.
Hannah
Do you know how it could have gotten there?
Bernadette
I will make sure the maid collects it.
Hannah
Thank you. And can you please have the sheets changed?
Hannah feels a burst of anger at Bernadette’s lack of emotion,
But then she remembers what Lucinda said the night before.
There has been tragedy in Bernadette’s past.
Hannah
Bernadette…are you all right?
Bernadette stares impassively into the distance.
Bernadette
I will take you to see Ms. Pynchon now.
The two of them walk down the hall and down the stairs.
There is no sound except for the creaking of the floor.
At the end of a long hall, Bernadette opens a heavy wooden door.
She gestures for Hannah to go inside.
At the end of the massive, book-lined room a woman’s back is to her.
The woman turns around and approaches Hannah.
And Hannah feels a horrified jolt.
