“Study?”
He raises his eyes, and I shrug.
“Piano, needlework and painting to name a few pastimes. We were not permitted to have friends, communication with the outside world or chats with the staff. The only people I could engage with were my father, my sisters and her.”
“Her? I take it you are referring to your stepmother.”
I nod, reluctant to dwell on that woman.
“To be honest, she did us a favor when he died by sending us away. It was as if we had the keys to our cell, and we ran and never looked back. It was an experience we had spoken about for many years, and yet boarding school wasn’t quite the dream we envisioned.”
“In what way?”
“Ineveryway.”
I think back on the hell that goes by the name of Canton House Academy and shake my head.
“The other girls were mean, rude and made our lives hell, and because we were inexperienced in life, we had no ammunition to defend ourselves. We were the academy joke. Everyone bullied us, and once again, the only safeplace was when we were locked in our room at night and it was just the three of us.”
“You were locked in your room!”
His face is like thunder, and I nod. “Apparently, our stepmother requested it. In fact, she requested a lot of things that probably didn’t help, and we were singled out because of it. No sports, no social clubs and a strict diet. We weren’t allowed to join in because she made the rules that the academy followed after a huge donation.”
“It’s no wonder you ran, but why a convent?”
“Because the world is a scary place to live when you are ill-equipped to deal with it. Sister Agatha was kind, welcoming, and the convent felt like the safest place in the world. Why wouldn’t we want to stay?”
“I guess.”
He stops as the attendant arrives with a tray of food that smells delicious. My attention diverts to the most amazing dishes of salad, meats, vegetables and a basket of assorted bread. She fills my glass with crystal water and sets a bottle of wine on the table in the middle, handing me some silverware and a crisp white napkin.
“If you require anything else, please call.”
Her smile is warm, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, but I’m grateful for her attention.
“Thank you so much.”
She smiles as she moves away, and Julius nods toward the food.
“Eat as much or as little as you want. Nobody will judge you here.”
I’m surprised because it had already crossed my mind that I couldn’t possibly manage everything, and it’s a sin to waste food. However, there is far too much for two people, and I smile softly and, feeling bold, stare right into his eyes.
“Then it’s a good job there are two of us. I hope you are hungry, Mr. Ravera, because it would really help me out if you were.”
He grins, and my heart leaps a mile as his eyes flash as he lifts his silverware.
“I kind of relish a challenge, baby girl, in every way possible.”
As I lift my silverware, my heart thumps inside me because, for the first time in my life, I am dining with a man who isn’t my father, and I’m surprised by my reaction. I should be horrified, worried and fearful, but the only emotion I’m experiencing right now is excitement.
7
JULIUS
It’s unusual for me to dine with a woman I’m not fucking. Even more to tread carefully and consider her needs above mine. Rose makes it easy, though. If anything, it’s as natural as breathing, and she is a cut above my usual companions, anyway. Usually they possess an air of having seen and done it all, and they probably have. Conniving, searching for opportunity and desperate to live the easy life.
Rose already has it all, and I’m not just talking about the billions she will inherit. I’m talking about her beauty, both outwardly and within her. Convent living worked well for her because she has an inner peace that shines from her beautiful blue eyes as she gazes across the table at me, already aware that I am no match for her. She is too good for me, and I’m good with that.
