“Oh,” I whispered. “I’m…I’m sorry this happened to you.”
She nodded and frowned down at the fabric in concentration. “It’s over. He suffered for what he did. That’s my consolation.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that. Clearing my throat, I asked, “When was that?”
“Twenty-two months ago. I used to live in San Diego. I worked as a seamstress there too, but I didn’t have my own shop. Mr. Romano told me he needed a seamstress and bought the shop for me. I have worked for him and the Camorra ever since. I also work for other people, but his demands always come first.”
I nodded. “Did you and him…?”
Francoise’s eyes grew wide with horror. “No. Oh no. I’m done with men. I have my cats and my work. That’s all I need, thank you very much. Your husband is very devoted to you.”
I let out a small laugh. Devotion… that was one way to put it.
When I returned home in the late afternoon, Nestore wasn’t there yet. I hovered in the creepy entrance hall, my gaze drawn to the corridor that led down to the basement. My father must be in there. Maybe others, too.
I wanted to speak to my father. I wasn’t even sure why. But I needed a clean break and a final conversation with the man who should have loved me but never did. It seemed like a necessary step toward closure.
I took a few hesitant steps toward the door to the steep staircase, my heart pounding in my chest.
“I wouldn’t do this if I were you,” Niccolo warned.
I whirled around and found him standing a few steps behind me. Of course, I was never alone in this place. Nestore wouldn’t give me another chance to run.
“Are you spying on me?” I asked with a scowl.
“I am, and I’m telling you that you should stay out of the basement. Nestore’s trust in you is fragile, and a visit with your old man wouldn’t help.”
“I don’t want to help him or anything. I just want to see him for closure.”
“Your father is a master at manipulation. You think a conversation with him will really give you closure?”
Probably not, but I needed to at least try. “Why does Nestore keep him alive?”
Niccolo’s expression tightened. “I don’t know. He doesn’t share his innermost thoughts with me. Maybe he would with you, if you stopped breaking his heart.”
After my conversation with Niccolo, I moved up to the primary bedroom. I felt restless. This place kept my mind in an uproar. The shadows seemed to whisper the horrors from the past. Everything was dark. The windows never let enough light into the big rooms.
I changed into the new red dress. It had a plunging neckline and a high slit. I wanted to appear seductive and bold, not like the girl who couldn’t handle a pit fight and who didn’t know how to please a man. I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to prove myself. Nestore had forced me to marry him. He had searched for me for more than two years. He obviously wanted me, yet what I had seen today and the knowledge that he hadn’t waited for me made me nervous.
On my way to the dining room, I stopped in the library. It was the only room where I didn’t feel quite as haunted. I picked upa book about roses and garden design before I moved into the dining room. Maybe one day I could plant my own flower beds and create bouquets that would brighten these forlorn halls.
The moment I entered the room, a young maid, maybe my age, stepped in with a pleasant smile. “Do you want to take your dinner now?”
I shook my head. “No, I’ll wait for my husband.”
Uncertainty flashed across her face, and she parted her lips as if to argue, then snapped them shut. She nervously tucked a nonexistent strand behind her ear. Her hair was slicked back in a tight bun without a single loose hair.
“What is it? You can say what you want.”
She looked around nervously, almost as if she worried the walls would attack her. Considering the number of trophies on this wall, mostly animal bone this time, I couldn’t blame her.
“It’s just that the Master doesn’t usually eat.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “He must eat. He’s human.”
She let out a nervous giggle. “He usually eats dinner up in his room. We put it in front of his door and take away the empty dishes later.”
Almost as if he still were a prisoner. My belly clenched at the thought.
