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They all assumed there must have been another man for her to have run out on Sylvester, or that she had been sleeping with all and sundry in her years away.
Let them think what they choose, Antonietta told herself as she paid.
But as she picked up her bag she saw that it was Sylvester’s aunt who was taunting her.
Antonietta said nothing. She just did her best to leave with her head held high—or not quite high, but nor was she head down and fleeing as she had previously. She was determined not to let the incident ruin her day.
But it was about to get worse.
Her parents were walking arm in arm towards her, and both were startled when they saw her.
‘Mamma!’ Antonietta called.
But together they looked away and crossed to the other side of the street. For Antonietta it was a new version of hell. That they should cross the road to avoid her was not only painful and humiliating, it made her angry too, and hurt words tumbled out.
‘I tried to tell you, Mamma!’
Her voice was strangled then, but the words were true, for shehadtried to reveal her fears about Sylvester to her mother. Antonietta watched as Tulia Ricci’s shoulders stiffened. She stopped walking, and slowly turned around.
‘YouknowI tried to tell you.’
‘Antonietta.’ Her father spoke then. ‘What are you doing back here?’
And as she saw his cold expression she wondered the very same thing.
It was Antonietta who walked off, refusing to cry.
Even at the hotel she felt an anger building that was unfamiliar to her.
But her shift would start soon, and Antonietta decided she could not think about her family situationanddo her work, so she fought to set it aside. Tonight she would examine it. Tonight she would sit down and decide whether to stay long enough to complete her training, to give them a chance for a Christmas reunion, but she would not think of it now.
She changed quickly into her uniform and then, with her heart fluttering in her chest and her breath coming too shallow and too fast, she crossed the monastery grounds.
Antonietta was usually a full fifteen minutes early for work, but so shaken was she by the morning’s events that she got there only just in time.
‘Thereyou are!’ Francesca said by way of greeting. ‘Signor Dupont has requested that his suite be serviced at midday, when he is out.’
Antonietta nodded and made her way up to the suite. After knocking and getting no answer, she let herself in. There was the scent of him in the air, but not his presence, and she was relieved to be alone and not have to make small talk. She set to work, ticking things off her list, trying to banish all thoughts of this morning.
Except Antonietta could not.
As she smoothed the sheets on the bed all she could see was the sight of her parents, crossing the street to avoid her. She plumped the pillow but found she was crushing it between her hands as the tears started to come thick and fast.
And they wereangrytears!
She had come here to make amends.
To say sorry to her parents for not marrying a man who had treated her less than gently. A man who had tried to force her to dothatmore than once.
She had held on to her anger for so long, but it was more than seeping out now, and she buried her face in the pillow and let out a muffled scream.
‘Agh!’
It felt good.
So good that she did it again.
‘Agh!’
