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Olivia chuckled, then sighed, her mind straying to Christian and that horrified look on his face before he left. She wondered where he was now and how his mother was doing.
Elena and Alina exchanged looks, and Alina stood up from her chair. “I’ll be right back. I have to go to the bathroom,” she said.
“Do you need me to show you where it is?” Olivia asked.
Alina looked at her mother before responding. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been here with Uncle Andrei before.”
Olivia nodded, a little embarrassed. “Yes, of course. It’s your family’s castle after all.”
After Alina left, Elena talked about taking Olivia on a trip to the neighboring village.
“I feel much better today, and I’d love to take you. It has a beautiful town center. I think a day trip over there would do you some good. There will be no bears, I promise.” She grinned and Olivia smiled. The last time she’d tried leaving the castle, she’d ended up in the middle of an abandoned, creepy village, fending off an angry bear. A trip to a real village—with people and away from the woods—would be nice.
“That sounds wonderful,” Olivia said, lifting a glass of water to her lips. “I wouldn’t mind getting out of this castle. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, but it’s so far away from people and—”
“And let me guess,” Elena said, leaning toward her. “Mihai?”
Olivia lowered her gaze to her plate. Her eggs and bread were untouched.
Elena let out a loud laugh. “Don’t feel bad. You are not the first person intimidated by him.”
Olivia looked up at her, feeling suddenly relieved. “No?”
“Of course not! I mean look at him. Those weird clothes and the way he grunts and growls. I’m always telling him to stop sounding like an animal; it scares people.”
Olivia smiled. “I’m sorry for even bringing it up.”
“Oh, please don’t. I’m glad you did so I can put your nerves at ease. I have known Mihai since childhood. He is as trustworthy as he is scary looking. You will get used to his ways. But he’s good to have around. People have already started talking about Andrei’s American heiress. You don’t want unwelcome visitors up here. Mihai will keep you safe.”
Olivia frowned. “I’m sorry for doubting him.”
“Please don’t. It’s not like he’s as handsome as Christian,” Elena said and let out a cackle. Olivia blushed.
A few minutes of silence followed while they ate, then Olivia remembered something. “Could we wait for Christian’s call before we go to the village. I want to know how his mother is doing and if he needs anything.”
“Of course, my dear. We can all wait together.”
“Thanks.”
“He is a wonderful man, isn’t he?” Elena said.
“Christian?” Olivia felt her insides stir at the thought of the night before. She managed a smile and a nod. “Yes, he’s . . . incredible.”
***
Alina peeked over her shoulder several times before turning around a corner, down the hall, and up the stairs. She mistakenly opened the doors to several other rooms until she finally found Olivia’s room and entered it. She knew her mother would keep Olivia at that table until she found what she came for.
That is the thing about mother,she thought as she admired the room—the lavish bed and drapes—she talks too much.
“Such a big place.” Alina let her fingers run over the furniture on her way over to the bed. Her eyes strayed to the fireplace, and she smiled with longing.
The bed looked soft, and she was tempted to lay in it and pretend that this was her life, that this was how she woke up every day: wrapped in silk and soft linen, a warm breakfast waiting for her.
She’s so lucky, she thought without a hint of spite. Although she liked Olivia, she couldn’t help but feel jealous of someone who had so much. She pushed the thought away and focused on the task at hand.
She looked around for Olivia’s belongings. She found her bag and lifted it onto the bed, pausing to listen for any sound. The hall outside was quiet, so she continued, carefully unzipping the bag and going through the items. What she was looking for wasn’t there. Her eyes wandered the room and found the cellphone on the nightstand. She walked over and held it up, rubbing the black plastic casing with her thumb. She took the phone and was about to slip it into her small purse when her eyes fell on something shiny on the nightstand next to the lamp. She paused and narrowed her eyes. It was some kind of necklace with a locket attached to it. She picked it up and placed the locket on her palm and stroked the edges. She’d seen it before. She closed her eyes and tried to remember. “Yes!” She opened her eyes again and snapped her fingers. Olivia had shown it to Elena, talking about a picture of her parents inside it.
She pushed on the small button and the locket clicked and opened. She stared at the picture of that happy family for a long time before closing the locket again.I’ll take this instead,she thought to herself and placed the phone on the nightstand where the locket was.
