The Turn of The Key

After waiting until the next morning, Rowan writes the second part of the letter, admitting to Mr. Wrexham that she thought about scrapping the first part and starting again. However, she decided instead to keep going to get her story out without interruption. She explains that she can be held in prison for up to 140 days before her trial, but she knows another woman who has been waiting for ten months. In any case, it’s giving her time to think about everything and piece together the events. She reveals the murder victim to be a girl, insisting again that she is not responsible for her death—which means the real murderer remains at large. She begs Mr. Wrexham to help her and calls him her “only hope” (10).

In a second, longer letter dated September 12, 2017, Rowan begins by expressing her disappointment that she hasn’t heard back from Mr. Wrexham—although it’s only been three days. She’d hoped the case’s publicity might have bestowed on her a “certain twisted celebrity” (11), piquing Mr. Wrexham’s curiosity. She mostly worries that she didn’t explain herself correctly in the first letter, so she wants to use this next letter as an opportunity to add depth to her story. She insists that initially, she felt she wasn’t like the other girls in the prison, who looked guilty. There are other reasons she stood out: she’s English, “visibly middle-class” (12), and has never been to prison before. At first, the environment was difficult to acclimate to—until one day, she realized the hardened, pale woman she sees in the bathroom mirror is her own reflection.

She wants to start her story from the beginning, to better convince Mr. Wrexham. It begins with a job ad for a nanny position posted online by Sandra and Bill Elincourt of Heatherbrae House in Carn Bridge, Scotland. The salary is “stupidly generous” (16)—which should have been a “warning signal” (16)—and the timing is right. Rowan’s flatmate just left for a few months, and she finds that she has become lonely. She also didn’t get the promotion at Little Nippers daycare, where she works with her flatmate. Although the police would later fixate on money as the reason she took the job, she explains to Mr. Wrexham that it wasn’t the “real reason” (18)—which he is most likely aware of because it received a lot of attention in the papers.

Rowan receives an email response from Sandra Elincourt, who invites her for an interview. Sandra explains in the email that there are “various superstitions” (20) regarding the house, which is in a remote location, and four nannies have quit in just over a year. The situation is the reason for the generous salary, and she is looking for someone who will commit to working for “the long term” (20). Rowan, who does not consider herself to be ambitious, celebrates the small victory excitedly. Looking back, she says, “should have known it was too good to be true” (21).

In a continuation of the September 12 letter, Rowan tells Mr. Wrexham that she took the train to Scotland with “butterflies” (22) in her stomach because she has never before put herself “on the line” (22) like this. She desperately wants the job, and as the train approaches Carn Bridge, she feels a sense of hope—like she is coming home. When she departs the train, she finds herself alone on the platform and shivering from the cold air even though it is June. A man approaches her and says her name—which is finally revealed to the reader—and introduces himself as Jack Grant. He explains that he works at Heatherbrae House, and Sandra asked him to pick her up. As they walk to the car, Jack describes his job for the Elincourts as “odd-job man” (25). He pushes the key fob for a black Tesla, whose doors open “like bat wings” (26). He describes Bill Elincourt as being into technology, which provides Rowan with a clue about her employer. She tells Jack she’ll sit up front with him and they head to the house.

As Jack and Rowan approach the house, Rowan realizes how rich her employers are. The house is on a vast stretch of land and, as they approach, Rowan thinks she sees a flash of something scarlet in the trees but isn’t certain. The house exudes luxury and comfort. The lush rose bushes and light shimmering from within the house seem almost too perfect and are a sharp contrast to Rowan’s bland suburban upbringing. However, Rowan notices the door has no keyhole, which she finds unsettling. There’s also no knocker, but she suddenly detects a motion-sensitive device hidden in a wall panel that must have announced her presence.

Sandra’s voice appears out of nowhere and tells her she’s changing and will be right down. Sandra soon emerges from the front door with Hero and Claude—two barking black Labradors. After Jack brings Rowan’s bag from the car and departs, Sandra refers to him and their other employee, Jean, as “absolute rocks” (31)—which, she adds, makes the “whole nanny business” (31) harder to understand. Rowan then emphasizes to Mr. Wrexham that she does not believe in the supernatural, but she thought about the situation on the way to Scotland and concluded that there must be something going on to make four nannies quit in less than a year. As to what exactly that something is, she is not yet certain.

Once inside the house, Rowan observes that it’s not big or ostentatious, but the interior is luxurious and conveys a sense of wealth. She considers it to be perfect. Sandra returns from putting the dogs in another room and properly introduces herself, shaking Rowan’s hand. She tells her the youngest children—8-year-old Maddie, 5-year-old Ellie, and the baby, Petra—are all in bed, and the oldest, 14-year-old Rhiannon, is at boarding school. She adds that her husband, Bill, is working and won’t be there either. She further explains that she and Bill head an architecture firm and having so many nannies leave has been difficult for both of them. They are both away frequently on business and need a nanny to start immediately. Rowan responds that she could probably start in two weeks or less.

Sandra shows Rowan to the nanny’s room, which is on the third floor. Sandra uses her phone to turn on the lights in the room, explaining to Rowan that it’s “a smart house” (38). Everything, including heating, lighting, curtains, and music can be controlled from a cell phone or panel on the wall. There is a voice command option, but Sandra says she finds it “a bit creepy” (39). Rowan silently agrees. When Sandra leaves, she examines the room. She looks out the window and sees only darkness. The secluded location of the house makes her shiver. The interior of the room is a blend of Victorian and modern. There is also a walk-in closet and bathroom with a rainwater shower and marbled tile. Rowan decides she not only wants the job, but she wants to live in the house and be a part of the Elincourt family. She looks in the bathroom mirror and sees a “hungry desperation” (41) in her eyes that makes her uncomfortable. She suddenly takes off her cheap necklace, an “R” on a chain, deciding that it somehow doesn’t work in the house—even though she’s worn it nearly every day since she received it on her first birthday.

Rowan goes downstairs and enters the kitchen, feeling, she says, like she’s “stepped into another world” (43). The kitchen has a high glass ceiling and concrete floor. There’s a breakfast bar and free-standing stove, where she finds Sandra cooking. She offers Rowan beef casserole, apologizing for not having much else to eat. She walks over to the refrigerator, presses a button, and commands “Happy” to “order potatoes” (44). Happy (the computer system) replies it’s putting potatoes on the shopping list. Sandra then invites Rowan to sit and eat. She asks Rowan if she’d like to start the interview. Rowan responds that she would.

Sandra first tells Rowan she’s checked her references, and her previous employers spoke highly of her. As Rowan requested, Sandra had not contacted Little Nippers—since Rowan didn’t want them to know she was searching for another job. Rowan explains that she manages the baby room there but finds that she misses nannying with a family. She has hesitated to make the switch because of the change in pay, but the job at the Elincourts’ may be the opportunity she desires. She adds to her rehearsed speech that she also wants to leave London. Sandra agrees sympathetically, telling Rowan she and Bill wanted the same thing. They found Heatherbrae House and decided to invest in it even though it was in disrepair. They spent two years fixing it up, rebuilding much of it from scratch.

Sandra then asks Rowan why she wanted to be a nanny, which catches Rowan off-guard. She did not expect the question, and she suddenly finds herself thinking about how she never measured up to her parents’ expectations. She answers simply that she likes children, quickly adding that she’s not ready for them herself. Sandra looks relieved and continues with several other questions, to which Rowan responds with rehearsed answers. For her final question, Sandra asks Rowan where she sees herself in a year. Rowan tells Sandra that she sees herself there—at Heatherbrae House. From Sandra’s grin, Rowan knows she nailed her response.

Rowan and Sandra continue to talk and drink wine for an hour. At a certain point, Rowan stops Sandra from pouring her more wine, if only to prevent herself from saying something she might regret. Sandra notices that it’s getting late and tells Rowan she can meet the children in the morning before her train comes. Although she tells Rowan she doesn’t have to be up at six when the children wake up, Rowan decides to set her alarm for that time. She makes her way to her room, stopping on the second floor to check on the baby. After tucking the baby in, she heads to her room and tries to figure out how to close the curtains. She remembers that they’re automatic and studies the panel on the wall. After pressing a few buttons she recalls Sandra commanding the curtain to close, so she does the same. It works, and she next tries to figure out the lights. She manages to turn them all off except for one, which she ends up unplugging. She can’t find her phone charger but manages to find one in the bedside table drawer. As she plugs in her phone, a child’s drawing falls out of the drawer. It contains stick figures and a house, with the face of another figure looking out of a window. Rowan finds it disconcerting, then flips it over to find a note addressed to “the new nanny” (56). It’s from Katya, who Rowan remembers was the last nanny that worked there. It advises the reader to “please be” (56), then suddenly cuts off. Rowan thinks that the last word might be “careful,” which along with the drawing leaves her feeling unsettled.

When Rowan’s alarm goes off at six the next morning, she hears the children already awake downstairs. She commands the curtains to open and takes in the beautiful view of rolling hills, valleys, forests, and mountains. She stares for a few minutes at Jack Grant outside, then realizes her stare is becoming voyeuristic. Downstairs, Rowan finds Sandra, the girls, and Petra—who throws porridge at her. Rowan reacts with, she says, “a wave of absolute fury” (63) because she has no clean clothes. Sandra apologizes and Rowan laughs off the situation. She goes to the utility room to clean up and get a mop. As she takes her top off to clean it, Jack Grant walks in from the other door. He stutters then runs out, blushing. Rowan returns to Sandra, debating whether to say something about what happened but loses her nerve.

Sandra formally introduces Rowan to the children. Ellie, the younger child, is friendlier than Maddie. Sandra sends them upstairs to get dressed and turns on an iPad video image of the rooms to make sure they’re doing as they’re told. Maddie appears to slam the door and Sandra scolds her from the iPad. Rowan tells her she’s impressed with the iPad’s surveillance, but the word “Stalkerish” comes to her mind (67). Sandra adds that the entire house is wired for surveillance. Sandra proceeds to give Rowan a tour of the house while the girls get dressed. The house’s blend of old and new is unappealing to Rowan, and she finds it disconcerting. Sandra shows her to a room at the back of the house made of glass. Rowan cryptically emphasizes in her letter to Mr. Wrexham that he needs to have a detailed sense of the house’s layout so he can understand what happened.

Rowan spends the morning playing with the children, even getting Maddie to laugh. Sandra tells her she’ll be hearing from them soon. As she’s heading to the car, Maddie runs out and hugs her. She squeezes tight and won’t let go. She tells Rowan not to come to the house because it isn’t safe, and the ghosts won’t like it. She runs off, and Rowan is left feeling unsettled. Jack takes her to the station.

At the station, Rowan and Jack shake hands. She says she’s sorry she didn’t get to meet Bill or Jean, the other employee. Jack explains that Jean is fifty and only comes in the morning, as she spends the rest of the time in the village, caring for her father with Alzheimer’s. Rowan is surprised that she feels a sense of relief upon hearing that Jean is not another young woman. When Rowan gets back to London, she waits anxiously to hear from Sandra. The next day, while on a break at work, she checks her voicemail and finds a message from Sandra, offering her the job. Her co-worker Janine asks her what’s going on when she catches Rowan doing a celebratory dance. Rowan tells her she got a new job, to which Janine remarks that Rowan is just jealous since Janine was the one who got the promotion at work. Rowan accepts one of Janine’s cigarettes, thinking she may have a point. She had expected to get the promotion and be made head of the baby room and was shocked when Janine got it instead. Rowan responds by bragging about her new job’s high salary and the fact that it’s residential. She quickly puts the cigarette out and calls Sandra to accept the job.

Rowan gives her boss notice that day and succeeds in negotiating her final day at Little Nippers two weeks earlier than expected. She spends the next few days getting ready for her new employment, shrugging off Maddie’s warning about ghosts. She dismisses Maddie’s fears as stories made up by the previous nannies, who may not have spoken English well and perhaps struggled with homesickness. Rowan is familiar with such situations, having had to cover for au pairs who quit suddenly, leaving parents in a bind. Rowan tells Mr. Wrexham she now looks back on her smugness about the situation with regret, and wishes she’d taken it seriously because she turned out to be, she says, “very, very wrong” (82).

Rowan finds herself back at Carn Bridge less than three weeks later. Jack picks her up, joking about her excessive luggage, and they head back to Heatherbrae. Sandra hugs her when she arrives and introduces her to Bill, who shakes her hand. As she follows Sandra and Bill into the house, she tucks her necklace into her shirt. Bill starts asking questions about her qualifications and complains about problems with finding good help. Rowan finds him infuriating because he seems to take his privilege for granted. She decides that he’s selfish and self-centered. Perhaps sensing Rowan’s anger, Sandra finally cuts in and gives Rowan instructions in a binder as well as a food menu for the week and a credit card. She makes sure Rowan has downloaded the Happy app to control the house and tells her Rhiannon will be home next week. She then hesitantly adds that she and Bill will be leaving tomorrow, which shocks Rowan. Although Rowan confidently reassures Sandra it’s fine, she has mixed feelings. She’s overwhelmed by the thought of being left alone with children she barely knows but also thinks it might make the job easier.

Sandra offers to help Rowan get Maddie and Ellie to bed. They find the girls in the TV room and bring them upstairs. Ellie protests when Sandra offers to have Rowan read her a bedtime story, insisting she wants a story from Sandra. Rowan heads to Maddie and Ellie’s bedroom and sits on the edge of Maddie’s bed. Maddie says nothing as she enters the room and gets into bed, turning her back to the wall. After Sandra reads a story, she tucks the girls in as Rowan watches, and they leave the room. As Rowan is closing the door to the dark room, she thinks she sees two eyes glaring at her.