Page 54 of The Red Queen

A sharp knock at the door heralded the arrival of Mrs. Capelli, who bustled in to announce that Giovanni would not be joining Desi for their evening meal as he would be attending a meeting in the city.

“Why didn’t he come to tell me himself?” Desi asked with a frown. Giovanni looked for any excuse to be with Desi. He rarely sent servants to speak on his behalf.

“Signore Savino is a busy man. He does not have time to cater to his young fiancé.” The words were spoken coldly. The older woman stooped to pick up the dress Desi had left on the floor. She clucked her tongue and shook her head, giving the dress a shake and replacing it in the garment bag Desi had flung across the bottom of her bed. “This was very expensive, Signora, you must be more careful.”

Donada was watching from her position on the balcony, her eyebrow raised.

“What I do with my purchases is none of your business,” Desi said sharply. “Where is the Signore? I would like to speak to him.”

“I am afraid that is impossible. The Signore has left for his meeting already.” Mrs. Capelli did nothing to hide the satisfaction in her voice.

Desi got a grip on her temper, reminding herself of what Donada had just said to her. She decided it wasn’t in the best interests of her future self to murder the housekeeper… in front of a witness.

Mrs. Capelli had been a total bitch to Desi from the moment she arrived in Giovanni’s household. The housekeeper ruled the roost, and she didn’t want interference. Desi had hoped showing the other woman she had no intention of interfering with the already smooth-running household would work, but she’d been there for six weeks already, and the other woman refused to soften.

Well, if she couldn’t murder Mrs. Capelli… yet… she would do the next best thing. Refuse to play the older woman’s game.

Desi reached for the phone on her vanity.

Giovanni had given it to her two weeks earlier. A gift to show that he was beginning to trust her. All the numbers she would need were programmed in: Giovanni, Vitto, Donada, Mrs. Capelli, Tomas, Dino.

Desi called Giovanni’s phone and he picked up on the first ring.

“Desi,mia bella Regina.” The way he said the words in his deep baritone, calling her his queen, sent a shiver down Desi’s spine and spread warmth through her belly. Memories assailed her of the way he’d used his mouth on her the night before, bringing her to climax over and over.

“Gio.” Her voice was breathless, and she turned her back on the room, not wanting the others to hear the intimacy that existed between Desi and Giovanni. “I wanted to hear your voice.”

“It is my pleasure to give you what you want. What would you like me to say?”

“Why did you leave without saying goodbye?” She hoped she didn’t sound whiny.

“You were in the city shopping, were you not?” he asked, confused.

“I was not.” Desi turned to narrow her eyes at Mrs. Capelli, who was busy tidying the blankets on Desi’s bed. “I haven’t left the house today.”

There was silence for a moment, then Giovanni said, “There must have been a misunderstanding. Mrs. Capelli informed me that you had left immediately after our breakfast. I thought it was you who had left without saying goodbye.”

The warmth in her belly spread to her chest as she caught the note of disappointment in his voice. He’d been equally disturbed when he thought he’d missed her.

“Si, a misunderstanding.” Desi stepped toward Mrs. Cappelli, her eyes hard. “I will ensure it won’t happen again.”

He chuckled. “Don’t be too hard on my housekeeper,bella. She has many things to remember and perhaps got confused as to which day you would be in the city.”

Not fucking likely, Desi thought.

Mrs. Capelli forgot nothing. She was an unpleasant shadow who had spent years lurking in Giovanni’s mausoleum of a house. Now, there was happiness within the walls once again. Things were changing, becoming lighter, and Mrs. Capelli couldn’t stand it. She was losing control of the domain that had been hers for the past thirty years.

“I will be gentle,” she assured him. “Have a good meeting, Gio. I’ll see you later.”

“Count on it,bella.”

Desi set the phone down gently on her vanity, then opened the drawer and reached beneath her makeup and hair accessories. She pulled out the butcher knife she’d gotten from the kitchen.

She stalked toward the other woman, who was staring at her with wide, fearful eyes.

“Whoa, Desi.” Donada stepped into the bedroom from the balcony, watching the scene anxiously. “What are you going to do?”

Desi gripped Mrs. Cappelli by the throat and turned her, slamming her into the wall behind them and holding the knife up to eye level. “You,” she snarled, venom dripping from the word, “are trying to sabotage me.”

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