“Okay, dinner’s started.” I sailed into the kitchen after depositing the first course in the butler’s pantry, which Uncle Theo would serve with Maddie. “Can I please,pleaserun to my room and grab a Dramamine?”
Mrs. Sanderson let out an exasperated snarl. With her head thrown back like that, it was an invitation to jab her voice box.
I resisted the urge.
“If youmust!” she pouted. “But be quick, girl. We need to turn the parlor and make sure the lounge is set for the gentlemen.”
“They won’t be done eating for at least an hour, if not longer,” Franky pointed out, jumping to my defense. “Plus, Cathy can help run dishes to the pantry.”
Mrs. Sanderson gave me a look of pure disgust. “Hurry!”
I shot Franky a grateful smile and took off.
The side yard was unlit, because heaven forbid lights take away from the ambience of the carefully manicured Tuscan night of the backyard. My eyes quickly adjusted, and I hiked up the ridiculous uniform to give my legs their full stretch across the gravel path that wound back to the staff housing.
The numbers of the keypad lit under my touch. I gulped down air, promising myself to be more active when I had time to train. I hated running, but it was never a bad thing for a girl like me to be fast. Johnny Law, gross men, or even rivals needed to have a second think if they decided to chase me.
Dashing to my room, I pulled my suitcase from the closet, peeled back the secret lining, and snatched the stolen watch. Then it was back outside and running full speed to the garage.
AJ was nowhere around.
The sporty little European speedster was mercifully unlocked, and I slid onto the cool leather seat of the Aston Martin. My fingers danced over the wheel.
Just a moment to catch my breath.
I leaned back, imagining the car thrumming under my touch. Damn. Someday I was going to own something like this. It would be difficult to keep the raging black stallion under the speed limit. I could just see it, driving up and down the west coast without a care in the world.
With a long sigh, I tucked the watch into the nook at the front of the center console. It wasn’t visible back there. Dominico wouldn’t immediately find it—if he found it at all. Either way, it didn’t matter. The stolen goods were out of my possession, and I could claim ignorance as to the watch’s whereabouts.
I was safe.
I took one more delicious inhale of cool leather and bid the fine interior goodbye. The moment I was back in the kitchen, the housekeeper’s voice snapped like the crack of a whip.
“Go freshen up the beige powder room, Magnolia.”
I wanted to snap right back that it was Rae. But since my uncle took to calling me by my Christened name, it was a logical leap that she would too.
Taking a slotted bucket filled with supplies, I trudged down the hall, around the corner, and three doors down. The space was immaculate. The incense stick perfumed the air with spicy eastern scents, and despite the lack of color, the space was luxurious enough to create the illusion of exotic grandeur.
I looked around, double checking the trash and fluffing the towels. No cleaning necessary. There weren’t even spots in the toilet.
Since Sanderson wasn’t expecting me back for a few minutes, I made faces in the mirror. I stretched my mouth into a horrific grin, trying to replicate a clown from a Haunted House. Without my signature palette of makeup, I looked…plain. There were already lines creasing beside my eyes. A deeper indent ran parallel to my left brow, which just so happened to be the one I arched.
To a girl who liked to play with face paints, bare skin was nothing short of spooktacular.
A fist rapped lightly on the door.
Gasping, I surged backward. “Just a minute!”
“Oh, sorry. Take your time.”
It washim.
I bit the side of my gloved finger and began to hyperventilate. He might not have noticed such a low born peasant standing with a bowed head amongst her peers. But even if I kept my face down, there was no way he wouldn’t look at me this time.
I shifted back and forth.
We couldn’t meet. Not like this.
