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A fascination, almost.
She had been so beautiful.
Seriously beautiful.
Her eyes had been a different blue form her son’s, almost violet, and her lips had always pressed into a slight smile whenever Alicia saw her in the village. And, although the locals had so visibly disapproved of her, somehow Signora Schininà had looked down her nose at them.
And then there were the parcels...
Even after Ragno had left the parcels had kept coming each month, with no explanation nor any note. The final one had arrived yesterday. It had spooked Alicia a little, to know it must have been sent just before she died. And Signora Schininà had remembered her birthday, for apart from other provisions there had been a little gold compact mirror inside.
It was beautiful. On it, a drawing of a woman with long curls who was looking down. There was an engraving that Alicia couldn’t read, but it was a true gift and she knew she would treasure it—especially now.
Stepping out of the relative cool of the building, she felt the vicious heat slam into her. The sky had a coral hue, and out towards the ocean there was a still, heavy mass of dirty red cloud making its slow approach.
As she took the path towards the village two nuns approached her, their habits billowing. ‘Sisters,’ Alicia greeted them respectfully.
‘Alicia...’ Sister Catherine returned the greeting. ‘You are going to the funeral, then?’
‘Yes,’ Alicia said, and held up the basket she carried in an oddly defiant gesture. ‘I baked.’
No one else had.
‘I have prayed for her soul and I shall go now and light a candle,’ Sister Catherine said. ‘Hopefully the storm will hold off.’
Sister Angelique stood still, and Alicia knew she would not waste either a candle or idle words on Signora Schininà. Her disapproval was evident.
She wasn’t the only one.
The funeral would be a very quiet affair.
None of the local women were friends with Signora Schininà, and certainly neither their husbands nor their sons knew her!
Nor the men who sat at the bar this midday, as Alicia walked by in the oppressive heat.
The village was quiet, and so too the little square outside the church. Usually for a funeral there would be cars lining the streets either side. People would come from outside towns and villages to pay their respects. But today there were just a couple of expensive cars.
One Alicia knew to belong to the doctor who had found her... The other...
Alicia was nervous to see her old friend again. He had left a few years back, and in truth things had become a little awkward between them before he had gone.
No more swims in the river...
They would lie beside it talking sometimes, but it had simply caused trouble if Alicia was off the convent’s grounds for any length of time, and aside from that the ease of their conversations had gone.
Today must be hard for him.
Alicia received just a small stipend for her work at the convent, but she had spent as much as she could afford on some peonies. Not just to thank Signora Schininà for the parcels, but also because she couldn’t stand the thought of an empty grave...
‘Alicia.’ The priest greeted her.
‘Father.’
Alicia looked around and saw just how small the gathering was—herself, the good doctor, and a couple of attractive ladies Alicia presumed to be from the House of No Bees, as she and Beatrice had called it in the weeks before she’d left.
‘Should I go in...?’ She gestured to the church.
‘It’s a graveside service,’ the priest divulged, looking less than pleased. ‘Signora Schininà was very specific in her wishes regarding today. I have chosen to honour them.’
