Pretty Things

Vanessa hates Ashley now. She is a liar and a phony, and she cannot believe that she allowed herself to think that Ashley was better than her.

The narrative flashes back to the events leading up to Vanessa’s discovery that Nina is Ashley. After their heart-to-heart in the library, Vanessa feels too insecure to visit Ashley and Michael. She opens her bedroom’s armoire doors so that she does not have to see herself in the mirror. In a pile of sweaters, she finds her mom’s diary.

Her mom writes that Stonehaven will kill her. She thinks that William is having an affair with the secretary and she thinks Nina is a bad influence on Benny—though she blames his faults on herself. She writes about her medication and mental health. She notes the pot incident with Benny, and then she writes about the blackmail letter from Lily Ross. She is humiliated, so she kills herself.

Vanessa blames Lily and Nina for Judith’s suicide and her family’s problems. She is angry, but she remembers a quote from Ashley’s home page about the harm of anger and feels bad.

When Ashley goes to get groceries, Michael knocks on Vanessa’s back door. She shows him around the home, and Michael examines gold-and-mother-of-pearl pistols that either belonged to Theodore Roosevelt or Franklin D. Roosevelt. The wind roars and Michael quotes a line about wind from William Shakespeare’s play As You Like It (1623).

Michael tells Vanessa that his parents died in a car crash when he was young. He thinks that he and Vanessa are similar. She asks about the castle, but he dodges the question and playfully lunges at her with a sword from the sword display. He realizes he scared her and apologizes—he used to fence.

Vanessa feels Michael’s heat and wonders why he, an Irish aristocrat, is with Ashley, a middle-class American. Ashley returns, and Vanessa goes to help her with the groceries. Michael puts two fingers to his eyes and tells Vanessa that he sees her.

Vanessa feels bad about her flirtatious interaction with Michael—she does not want to steal Ashley’s boyfriend. To make it up to her, she takes her and Michael on a hike. Vanessa notices Ashley’s shortness of breath and unsteady steps. She starts to meditate, and Vanessa takes a picture. Ashley grabs her phone and deletes it. Vanessa cannot remember the last time she was with someone who did not want to be in a photo.

Vanessa remembers the photo she posted of Ashley doing yoga a few days before. She should probably delete it before Ashley notices. She opens Instagram. The photo has over 18,000 likes and 70 comments. Benny (BennyBananas username) leaves a comment: Why is Vanessa hanging out with Nina Ross without him?

Vanessa calls Benny. She says it is not Nina, it is a woman from Portland. Benny sends her a pic from an early camera phone. Vanessa sees the resemblance but maintains doubt. She does not understand why Ashley would lie, or why Nina would want to return to Stonehaven.

Vanessa sees Michael and Ashley kissing and fondling each other. Ashley sees Vanessa watching but does not stop. Ashley would stop, so Vanessa knows that Ashley is actually Nina. She wants to confront Nina, but she realizes that she has more power not letting Nina know. She feels sorry for Michael—Nina is conning him, too. She wants to take everything that Nina has and rescue Michael from her. That night, she sleeps with a pistol under her pillow.

As Vanessa prepares a dinner party for Ashley and Michael, she imagines Ashley’s neck on the cutting board and shoving her head into the lit burners on the huge stone. When Michael and Ashley arrive, Vanessa is cordial, but she puts Visine—enough to make her sick, not enough to induce a coma—in Ashley’s drink.

With Ashley sick in the bathroom, Vanessa quizzes Michael about Ashley and her mom. She shows him her room and wonders if Michael is fantasizing about her. As she is about to tell him about Ashley’s con, he leaves to check on her.

The next morning, Benny texts Vanessa: Is the woman Nina? Vanessa replies that she did not have time to ask. Feeling better, Ashley returns and tells Vanessa about the marriage. Vanessa is livid but hides her rage and agrees to put the ring in the empty safe.

Until now, Vanessa did not bother to mention that she is broke. Her and Benny’s trust is almost gone due to the cost of his psychiatric care and her Instagram lifestyle. Due to the 2008 financial crisis, the company lost a lot of value. As for Stonehaven, it costs six figures to maintain the estate. Renting out the caretaker’s cottage solved two issues: loneliness and pennilessness.

Ashley asks about Victor, and Vanessa tries not to be vulnerable around her, but she ends up divulging the details of their breakup, and Ashley shocks her when she says, “[f]uck them.” Vanessa realizes these words belong to Nina, not Ashley.

At another dinner, Vanessa wears a floor-length green chiffon dress that got 22,000 likes on Instagram (a record). Ashley gets a call from her mom. Alone with Michael, Vanessa tells him that there is a spark between them. Michael admits that they have chemistry, but he is engaged. Vanessa tells him: Ashley is someone else. Before Vanessa can explain, Ashley returns with news: Her mom is in the hospital, and she has to visit her.

Over text, Vanessa tells Benny that Ashley is Nina, but Nina left. Benny wants to find her in Portland, and Vanessa tells him to drop her. Benny calls, but Vanessa does not pick up. Instead, she goes to the cottage. She tells Michael that Ashley Smith is Nina Ross. They kiss—Michael belongs to her now.

Vanessa likes to watch Lachlan/Michael. He has a face from a Jane Austen or Brontë novel—she can’t decide (she should have paid attention in literature class). Her grandma, Katherine, would hate how Lachlan lies on silk couches with his shoes, leaves his beers on the mahogany table, and puts his cigarettes out on the bone china, but Vanessa loves it. She does not post on Instagram—Michael hides her phone—but she does not care. She does not need the approval of her online followers or the reader: Michael has the only opinion that counts.

Michael suggests traveling to Ireland. She can meet his aunts and see the castle. The couple has so much in common: dead parents, troubled siblings, and both their families lost their money—though Michael still does not know that Vanessa is broke.

The couple develops a daily routine: coffee and sex in the morning, then Michael works on his book while Vanessa sketches outfits; they eat dinner, drink cocktails, have more sex, then watch a movie before bed.

Michael must return to Portland to retrieve his belongings. He has to tell the school administrators he will not be back to teach in the fall and deal with Ashley. Ashley and Michael shared a credit card and a bank account, and Ashley spent all their money. He hesitantly asks Vanessa to borrow money, and she says she will get him added to her credit card and her bank accounts as soon as possible. She asks if Michael will see Ashley/Nina. Michael says no. Their relationship was a lie, and he wants nothing to do with her. Besides, mutual friends say that she left Portland.

Ashley/Nina also took their car, so Vanessa buys him a new ride: a silver BMW SUV. Michael hits the road, and Vanessa, alone, starts to feel insecure. Benny calls, and Vanessa tells him about her marriage to Michael. He calls his sister an idiot—she married a man she knows nothing about.

Vanessa attributes Benny’s negativity to his mental health, but his criticism prompts her to look up Michael online. There are countless Michael O’Briens, and she finds his LinkedIn profile and website. The O’Briens had a castle, but there are 11 possible noble O’Briens. He does not have social media, but Vanessa knew that already. She feels fragile, but Michael comes home. He calls her a savior and silences Vanessa’s doubt.

Michael spends a lot of time writing on his laptop. One night, she goes into his study. She wants to read his work, but he will not let her—though he let Ashley read his work. She’s jealous, and they fight. Later, Michael lets her read some of his work. Vanessa does not think it is good—not on the level of the poetry he quoted in the bedroom—but maybe his style is too postmodern for her.

The next morning, with Michael’s words rolling around her head, Vanessa tries to find him, but he went to get paper. His laptop is in the kitchen, and she opens it. The screen is locked. She cannot guess the passwords. She does not know his mom’s maiden name or the name of his pets from childhood. Vanessa tells herself that names do not mean anything. She wills herself to trust Michael and closes his laptop.

Christmastime is here, and Michael finds an ax and chops down a Christmas tree. Rummaging through the house, he finds ornaments. Vanessa is perturbed—she does not understand why Michael is exploring her home without her knowledge.

Vanessa has bad news: They must spend Christmas with Benny at the Orson Institute. He will not come to Stonehaven—he hates it. Michael asks whether Benny will inherit the estate if something happens to Vanessa. Vanessa says yes—unless she changes the trustee. Michael brings up Benny’s mental health and his wish to burn Stonehaven. Vanessa says that Benny is the only family she has. Michael says he’s her family.

As Vanessa and Michael prepare to visit Benny, Michael gets the flu. Vanessa is suspicious and offers to stay, but Michael insists that she goes. At the Orson Institute, the authorities tell Vanessa that Benny tried to escape. He stole a nurse’s car keys and drove to the gate before they caught him. He was going to Oregon to see Nina.

Vanessa tells Benny that Nina is toxic. Benny says that Nina is the one girl he has loved. Vanessa tells him about the affair between her mom and their dad, but Benny knew about that. He says that Nina is not Lily. Nina helped him; she was his friend. She did not give him weed—he gave her weed. Vanessa counters that Nina faked her identity and stole money from Michael. Benny wonders if she is sure about Michael’s story.

Back at Stonehaven, Michael is in a bad mood. He sits in front of a fire in the library, wearing a scarf and a wool hat. He is cold and has the heat at 80 degrees. Vanessa considers the heating bill, and Michael wants to replace the 60-year-old furnace. Vanessa tells him that it will be expensive, and they fight about money. Michael says sorry—he is just upset because he was alone during the holidays.

Vanessa reminds herself that there are problems with every relationship. She wonders why she cannot tell him about her depleted wealth. She sees the new BMW that she bought him and gets in. She turns on the radio and hears rap—she is confused because she thought that Michael only listened to jazz and classical music. She reviews the destinations on the GPS and discovers that Michael was not in Oregon, but Los Angeles.

Vanessa notices Michael driving to the general store to buy newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times. She asks Michael why he was in Los Angeles. Michael scolds her for spying on him and says that the car probably came from Los Angeles—the address is the dealership. Vanessa stays suspicious, but she chooses to believe him.

For New Year’s Eve, they go to a family-style restaurant in Tahoe City. In the car, Vanessa sees that the GPS history is gone, but she memorized the address and looked it up on Google Maps; it was not a BMW dealership but a tiny bungalow in East Los Angeles. At the restaurant, Michael sings and dances and buys people drinks. The bill is over $2,000. Michael uses Vanessa’s credit card. He says he had to cancel his card because of Ashley/Nina.

While Michael gets the car in the snow, the wife of a venture capitalist takes Vanessa’s hand and examines her ring. She tells her that it is a fake—a superb fake, but not an heirloom.

While Michael stays on the phone for days, supposedly trying to find Nina and his money, Vanessa gets sick. Michael gives her tea and tells her that a private investigator thinks Nina is in Paris. A lawyer says that they should kidnap her and bring her back to America so he can press charges. Vanessa is uneasy about the plan, but Michael reminds her that she knocked out Nina by putting Visine in her drink.

The private investigator and lawyer cost money, so Michael needs to borrow $120,000. Vanessa confesses that she does not have that kind of money. Michael thinks she is joking. When he realizes that she is serious, he says that she should sell the house and valuables—they are worth millions. Vanessa says maybe, but not to get back at Nina. She tells Michael to get the money from his trust, and, upset, Michael goes for a drive.

After their fight, Michael is amicable, but in bed, listening to him snore, Vanessa wonders why she wants Michael. She cannot tell if she loves him, or whether she just wants to hurt Nina. She looks up lines from his book on Google: They link to a lesbian love story by an MFA student. The lines from his poem that he recited to her are by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

Vanessa confronts Michael about his lies, and he says that he wrote the poem—he does not read Neruda. Michael says that her behavior worries him, and that maybe she needs to see a psychiatrist.

In the bathroom of her bedroom, Vanessa calls the police: She thinks her husband is a fraud. The detective laughs—the accusation is common. He tells her to get a divorce or kick him out. When he asks for her name, she hangs up. She does not want another Liebling scandal. She then calls Benny. He tells her she is a bit unthinking but not “crazy.”

Michael has an answer for everything. He is gaslighting Vanessa. She wants to stay in bed but does not want to let Michael win. She cannot pretend everything is fine. She realizes that she is pregnant and did not get a prenuptial agreement. Michael could take everything and leave Vanessa and the baby with nothing. The only person who can help her is Nina, so she drives to Los Angeles.