“Anyone I know?”
“They didn’t give me any names. It wasn’t about the names, really. It was about my keeping an eye on you, as I just said, and reporting on what you were doing and whether you were secretly seeing a man.”
A chill sweeps my back.
My jaw locks as I think of all the things that could’ve reached Sylvia’s ears.
Things that no one should know about me.
“What did you tell them?” I ask as if waiting for a death sentence pronouncement.
A soft smile curls her lips.
“Nothing. I told her nothing. There was nothing to tell.”
I read her eyes.
She didn’t reveal the biggest secret of all? My crush on the man who could change everything for me?
I’m surprised he was not part of the Montalcino meetup.
Although if I know anything about him, his dislike for my family might be bigger than mine.
“She got the same story every other week. You were seeing no one. And that was that.”
I remain quiet.
A dark shadow slides over her eyes as her gaze trails down.
“Later that evening, Giorgio arrived, accompanied by the other guests. Flavia attended the event without her husband. Soon after eating dinner, I retreated to my room. I didn’t feel comfortable sitting at the table with my employer. After spending the entire day traveling and the evening with your grandmother, I quickly fell asleep. Sleeping in a bed that is not my own has always been problematic for me, and that night was no exception. I jerked out of my sleep at around eleven as if a hand pulled me out of the drowsy state. The shrimp I ate earlier, although delicious and well done, had given me heartburn. I spent a few minutes looking for medication before I poured myself a glass of water, pulled on a robe, and, barefoot, I walked onto the terrace. It was a cold night, but I needed the crisp air to sharpen my focus.”
She stares blankly at the floor as she goes on.
“Soon after, I slipped into a chair and looked up at the stars. Before long, footsteps traveled down the alleyway in the backyard. Although my chair was tucked in a dark corner, myfirst impulse was to rise and return to my room. I quickly realized that the two people pulling to a stop under my balcony could hear me, and starting a dialogue with them was the last thing I wanted to do. So I froze in my seat, my hand stiff around my glass of water.”
A few moments pass.
“Sylvia was talking to Flavia, and her voice was different than anything I’d heard before. I never considered them close or Flavia particularly sharp, but my impression of Bianca’s sister was about to change. She spoke as if she were in the loop. They were chatting about you being groomed for a new role. Some of the words got lost in the wicked wind blowing that night. But it eventually became clear that they were talking about your marriage and considering different options. They thought several men could be potentially great for you, and they weren’t talking about the Sandoval brothers or that psychopath from Napoli. I don’t think so.”
She rubs a hand over her forehead, her fingers tense.
“I think they dropped their names tonight because they wanted a reaction from you. They baited you and also got into your head. Made you think about these men and get used to the idea that marriage is unavoidable. They’re telling you it’s time to get a husband. I think they know exactly who they want for you.”
“Who do you think that is?”
She shrugs.
“I don’t know. They mentioned names I'd heard from other people before. Older men. Filthy rich men. Men who lost their wives in dubious circumstances.”
I mull over her words, my lips dry, my chest heavy.
My special night has morphed from my first night of freedom into my first night of war.
“But why? Why are they so determined to marry me away? So, now I’m not even a good fit for one of the upcomingyoungsters? They want me to warm some old asshole’s balls? Who are these old men to them? I don’t understand.”
She bites her lip in frustration as she muses over a good answer.
“I think Giorgio has the answer.”
