Page 65 of Little Deer
I want to go after her, insist that she let me in, let me help, but caution overrides it. She’s already feeling overwhelmed and unsure, and while I have a small victory, that doesn’t mean I’ve won the battle. One wrong step and she’ll slip through my fingers.
Instead, I focus on getting my body under control. Not an easy task with the taste of her still filling my mouth, but somehow I manage it. Finally, I force myself up off the bed, heading for the bathroom to check on her and Soren, but stop when I hear a sharp rap on the door.
I move to open it, looking surprised when I see my father standing there. I open the door wider, inviting him in. He looks around, brow arched. “Where’s Lucy?”
“Soren needed a diaper change, so she’s in the bathroom with him.”
Papa nods, watching me carefully. There’s nothing any of us have been able to hide from him. He’s one of the most astute men I’ve ever met. Him and Aurelio, I think, are cut from the same cloth. “She is the one you choose, yes?” he asks me in Italian. Probably just in case Lucy might overhear us.
See, astute?
I nod. “We’re figuring it out. She’s skittish, and she’s terrified of what it will mean for the baby.”
“A wise thing considering the nature of her life before now. You will need to be careful with her. She’s strong, but she’s not thinking only for herself now. That changes a woman’s perspective and how she approaches things.” There’s a quick flash of something in his eyes, and I know he’s thinking of our mother. Even now, all these years later, he’s still in love with her, despite everything. It boggles my mind, and I’ve never understood it until now, but I suppose a love that deep never truly goes away, even after a betrayal that deep and cutting.
It’s one of my biggest worries about Lucy and me. What if we get to the end of this entire situation and she realizes that I’m not worth it? That she’s not willing to give anything up to be with me?
“We’re going to take this slow. I think she is going to be good for me, Papa.”
“She will be.” There’s pure confidence in his voice. “The two of you suit. Just like Alessio and Sienna, and Lazaro and Amara. I want nothing more than you all to be happy and settled down with women that you love dearly. And you’ve all chosen women that will do well. There will be bumps and hurdles, but we will get through them. Lucy may be the hardest to convince, but if anyone can do it, it’s you.”
I appreciate his confidence; it boosts my own.
I give him a grateful smile. “What did you find out from that woman, Janice?”
His smile drops, and his eyes darken. “Nico is getting a hard lesson in not ignoring the goings on of your staff. The woman, once everything around here started happening, searched out any staff members from the other families to offer a way in if they wanted it. Some kind of revenge on Sofia, but also wanting to ensure that her boyfriend had favorable positions as well.”
“She’s dead?”
He nods. “She and one other staff member, a gardner, both worked to let the men onto the grounds and into the house. Nico’s ordered all staff to be questioned, other than Sofia. Who is taking this hard. She feels that she should have known, caught it before it could have happened this way.”
I frown. “Why? She can’t be everywhere at once.”
“You know Sofia. She likes to be in control, and she takes any betrayal under her watch as something personal. Especially since this woman was her staff.”
Yeah, that sounds like her. “I’ll speak with her.” I give him a joking smile. “I always was able to get her out of those moods back home.”
Papa smirks. “I doubt that you’ll be the one to get through to her this time.” The implication is clear.
I scowl. “That fucker isn’t good enough for her.”
“Maybe not, but he is the one that she turned to when she needed comfort, not us. It is hard to see the woman I view as a daughter turn to someone else, but the longer I’m here, the more I understand her choice. Even if she argues that there is nothing permanent that will end up between them.”
I snort. “She really is clueless then.”
He doesn’t answer, just smiles. “We’ll see how things go. Now, the other thing we were able to find out from the traitors is that they got the two men up to the north end through aback stairway that the staff use. Nico forgot it existed as his mother apparently only ever wanted it used when they were entertaining. It’s not on any blueprints either.”
“But that’s not the hidden entrance and exit they’re talking about?”
“No. This is something else. I was coming to get you so that we can get to work tonight on finding it, but if you wish to stay with Lucy for now, then I understand.”
“Everything okay?” Lucy’s voice suddenly asks, making us turn to look at her in surprise.
Hell, I didn’t even hear her. She’s holding Soren in the crook of her arm, who is now wide awake and staring at us with an owlish expression.
“Hello,cara mia,” Papa says warmly. “Everything is fine. Massimo has told you that we are looking for a secret entrance in and out of the house in the north wing? We are going to be looking for it, but he mentioned you were talking and I don’t mean to interrupt.”
I watch her in amusement as her face flushes, but she manages not to look away. Instead, she says, “Ah, no, we hadn’t gotten to that part of the discussion. There’s another hidden thing in this house? I guess I’m not surprised.” She looks at me. “If you need to go and do that, that’s fine. Soren is probably going to want to sleep again shortly anyway.”
