Page 36 of The One
Giulia looks up from stirring her pot, her eyes studying me knowingly.
“Then I’d be happy for you to help me cook lunch for everybody. We’ve got more men here than usual, and they’re all hungry.”
She wipes her hands on her apron and points to a covered plate on the kitchen table. “But first, have some breakfast. I made you scrambled eggs.”
Gratefully, I sit down, the warmth of the kitchen easing more of my tension.
“After you’ve finished,” she continues, “would you mind taking the tray of food to the girl again? My feet aren’t what they used to be, and I’d be glad not to make the trek all the way to the other side of the house.”
I swallow my bite of eggs, trying to keep my face neutral.
Merda.
I had hoped she wouldn’t ask me to do that again. But of course, it makes sense. If no men are allowed near the girl, it leaves me as the obvious choice.
“No problem,” I say, forcing a smile. “I’m happy to help in any way I can.”
My voice is steady, but inwardly I’m already bracing for another uncomfortable encounter.
I have so many questions about that girl.
“Who is she?” I ask quietly, hoping I’m not overstepping.
But if I serve her every day, shouldn’t I know?
Is she dangerous? Is that why she’s locked away?
I glance at Giulia, waiting for a response. She puts down the spoon she was holding, her usual warmth vanishing like the sun disappearing behind a cloud. Her face tightens, and the air between us shifts. I feel like I’ve touched on something forbidden, something I wasn’t meant to ask.
“Don’t engage with her,” she eventually replies. The warning in her tone is unmistakable, her voice firm.
It hints at a different side of the sweet housekeeper who hums while she bakes and fills the air around her with welcoming warmth. She has a steely backbone. Why that surprises me, I’m not sure.
If she, of all people, sees this girl as a threat, there has to be something real behind it. Something serious. This girl must really be trouble.
But why?
What has she done?
She seemed so normal, albeit anxious and desperate. Admittedly, I’ve only seen her once, and it was brief.
There was nothing about her that screamed danger. Just someone lost in her own worries. If they sent me to her, she can’t be that bad, right? Giulia wouldn’t knowingly put me in danger.
Her next words, though, have icy shivers running down my spine.
“That girl. She’s the devil’s spawn.”
Chapter Thirteen
Mariella
“Will you please talk to me,” the girl who’s wearing different colored leggings and shirt today pleads as soon as I enter the room.
I freeze in the doorway, fingers tightening around the tray until my knuckles ache. Giulia’s warning is still ringing loud and clear in my mind.
“Don’t engage with her,”not beyond delivering food and clearing it away.
What could be so bad about this girl that Giulia would call her the devil’s spawn?
