Feehan, Christine - The Scarletti Curse (16 page)

"I know you," Portia said, letting her breath out slowly, her gaze
narrowing slightly as she took in the man's elegant coat wrapped so tightly
around the visitor. "You are the apprentice to the village healer. What in
the world are you doing here?" There was a wealth of contempt in her
voice. Her fingers were clutching Vincente's arm so hard, her knuckles were
white.

Nicoletta lifted her chin, her dark eyes flashing. "I believe the don
can answer that better than I can, Donna Scarletti." She kept her voice
low and even but not subservient. "Perhaps you should address the question
to him." She avoided looking at the guards or at the don's brother.

The older woman's face hardened perceptibly. "How dare you?" she
hissed. "The don shall hear of your insubordination and have you flogged!
You will be thrown out of the palazzo along with this oaf of a guard!" She
looked up at Vincente. "They are obviously lovers, these two. This guard
has no such orders. He is hiding and protecting the girl because he does not
want to be discovered." She turned back to Nicoletta. "Is that it?
Are you two lovers? I do not think Don Scarletti will allow such behavior in
his home. Vincente, make them tell the truth."

"I am very tired, Donna Scarletti. If your inquisition is finished, I
should like to return to my bed," Nicoletta announced, hoping the don
would
have her thrown out of the palazzo. It would be the answer to her prayers.

Portia turned crimson at being dismissed by a lowly peasant in front of the
guards. "I will have you flogged myself!" she announced, reaching for
Nicoletta's arm with every intention of pulling her out of the room.

The second guard stepped quickly between the two women. "I am sorry,
Donna Scarletti, but I must ask you not to touch the signorina. I cannot allow
you to harm her. Our orders are quite clear." He spoke softly, his posture
was firm and protective, his face a mask of determination.

"Portia, have a care," Vincente cautioned. "I owe this woman
much for helping little Sophie. And, it is obvious Giovanni has brought her
here. Perhaps he is ill again."

"We would know if he was." Portia dropped her arm to her side,
then stepped back with a little cry of dismay. She stared at Nicoletta incredulously,
the truth suddenly dawning on her. She backed up farther, her cry rising even
louder. "You must tell me that Giovanni did not go through with that
ridiculous threat to take a bride from the
villaggi.
It was only a jest,
a dare, if you like. He cannot have taken the wager this far." The last
turned into a dramatic wail of despair. "Oh, this is so like him to punish
us for imagined indiscretions."

She lifted her chin, and her eyes were flat and cold. "I will not allow
such a perversion signorina. The don with a little baggage! Oooh! You may as
well pack your things and return to your
villaggio
immediately, now,
tonight. I forbid this unholy union. Vincente! You must forbid it also."

Nicoletta smiled serenely. She looked over Portia's shoulder as she
addressed her. "I shall be more than happy to oblige you, Donna Scarletti.
If you would state your objections to Don Scarletti and make him see reason, I
will be forever in your debt."

Portia turned to see whom Nicoletta was looking at so challengingly. She
gasped when she saw the don's elegant frame draped lazily against the wall. One
black eyebrow was arched at Nicoletta, his mouth curved in a mocking smile.

"Giovanni, this girl cannot possibly be telling the truth!" Portia
exclaimed.

"What has she claimed, Portia, other than that she will leave if you
convince me of my mistake? What is this wager you are prattling on about? I
know of no wager, no dare, no jest. I did not state my intention to wed because
my marriage is no one's business but mine and my bride's."

Portia let out another dramatic cry, both hands clasped over her heart as if
she were suffering greatly. "You cannot be serious, Giovanni. You
cannot!"

"Go to bed, Portia." Giovanni sounded exasperated. "You will
wake young Sophie, and she will not be separated from Nicoletta if she hears
that her friend has returned to us."

"That is so, Portia. It has taken me some time to get my daughter to
sleep this night. All she talks of is the healer's apprentice. I do not want
her to awaken," Vincente backed his brother. "It would be best if you
waited until the morn to sort this out."

"What of
my
daughter, Margerita?" Portia demanded.
"This news will kill her." She glared at Nicoletta as if it was all
her fault. "This will kill her! What do you expect her to do,
Giovanni?" Tears glittered in Portia's eyes.

"I expect Margerita to welcome Nicoletta into our home and be her
friend, as I expect you to do." The iron in his voice warned that his
patience had come to an end. "Go to bed, Portia, and do not threaten my
personal guards. They take orders from me, not from the women of the
household." He glanced at his brother. "Or anyone else for that
matter."

"How can you speak to me so in front of that peasant girl?" Portia
cried. "Vincente, do you hear him? After all I have done!" she
sobbed, pressing a hand to her mouth. "After all I have done!"

Vincente smiled at Nicoletta, shrugged helplessly, and circled Portia
Scarletti's waist with his arm. "Come, Portia, I will escort you to your
chamber."

Giovanni watched them go down the candlelit hall before turning to
Nicoletta. He stepped close to her, his body crowding hers, making her feel
small and vulnerable. His hand cupped her chin, tipping it up so that she was
forced to look at him. "Did Portia hurt you with her thoughtless
words?" His voice brushed over her skin like a gentle caress. "She is
used to being the mistress of the palazzo and guards her position jealously.
But it does not matter what she thinks."

Nicoletta's eyes were alive with pride. "Every one of your friends and
relations and associates will think the same thing. Do you not see how this is
wrong and how it cannot be?"

His thumb found her lower lip, stroking it back and forth, sending heat
spiraling through her body. He was staring intently at her mouth, and he was so
close, she couldn't breathe. Still, she couldn't have moved if her life
depended on it, mesmerized as she was by his dark eyes and compelling voice, by
his touch. "I have no friends,
piccola,
and I have never cared for
the opinion of others."

Behind Nicoletta, Maria Pia cleared her throat noisily. She took her new
role of chaperone quite seriously. She reached for Nicoletta, slowly pulling
her back into the room.

Giovanni's white teeth flashed at her, a rueful, almost boyish smile as
Maria Pia closed the door firmly in his face.

Nicoletta dreamed of the don—dark, erotic dreams that set her heart pounding
and her blood coursing through her body like slow, fiery, molten lava. The
dreams were shocking, filled with images and feelings she had never thought of,
hands touching her bare skin, his mouth moving over hers. Her body and his, hot
and twisting in the bedclothes, tangled together in sweat and a terrible need.
Toward dawn her dreams were invaded by strange, clawed creatures grasping at
her bare skin, tearing at her, dragging her into the sea to drown her. She
cried out for the don, reached for him, begging him to save her, but he watched
her with impassive, staring eyes and a small mocking smile on his perfectly
sculpted lips. Behind him was the palazzo, with its hulking grace and wide,
staring windows like terrible, empty eyes, watching, watching, as she was
dragged into the murky waters. She awoke strangling, choking, gasping for
breath, her heart pounding in alarm.

She lay in the gray gloom, staring around her in a kind of shock. The fire
was out, and it was cold and drafty in the great chamber. This terrible place
was to be her home. Her prison. She could barely breathe with the thought of
being cooped up indoors. Already her mountains were calling, her plants and the
birds. She needed them the way she needed air to breathe.

A slight noise caught her attention, much like the scratch of a rat in a
wall. She rolled over to stare at the carvings at the head of her bed. The
scratching stopped for a moment, then began again, a little louder and much
more persistent. The more she examined the marble, the more it appeared as if
the serpents and sea creatures were undulating, moving.

She frowned and stood up in her nightshift, rubbing her arms as she studied
the carvings and mural closely. They
were
moving! This was no optical
illusion. The wall was splitting apart, one section swinging toward her!
Nicoletta backed away from the bed until she came up against the wall on the
other side of the room. Jumping nervously to the side, she glanced behind her
to ensure that that wall remained intact. When she looked back, a little head
was peeking around the thick marble at her.

"Sophie!" Nicoletta breathed in relief. Her legs were suddenly so
weak, she sat down abruptly. "You frightened me. What are you doing?"

The child put a finger to her lips and looked around the bedchamber
cautiously before she came all the way in, swinging the hidden door closed. At
once it was a seamless marble wall again. Nicoletta moved across the room to
examine it. "I should have known there was a reason for these strange
carvings." She ran her hand over the sea serpents. The opening was so
cleverly woven into the carvings, it was impossible to find, even when she knew
it was there and was looking for it. The walls were incredibly thick, easy
enough to conceal the rumored hidden passageways through the palazzo.

Nicoletta looked at the little girl and smiled. "I am Nicoletta. Do you
remember me?"

Sophie nodded her head so adamantly that her hair flew about. "You
saved me. You made my stomach stop hurting, and you held me when the bad voices
came."

"You were very sick," Nicoletta admitted. "Are you feeling
all right now?"

Sophie nodded again, casting several nervous looks at Maria Pia.

"Where does this hidden passage lead?" Nicoletta asked, curious.

Sophie pressed her little body against the wall. "I am not supposed to
be in this room," she confided. "And Papa told me never to use the passage.
I
am not even supposed to know about it. He said never to tell anyone
and never to go in." Her wide eyes touched on Maria Pia again, who was
still sleeping." She lowered her voice even more. "He says there are
i
fantasmi
in the passageway. He said it was dangerous to go in."

Nicoletta raised an eyebrow. Ghosts? Ghouls? "Your
padre
told
you this?"

Sophie nodded solemnly. "He has not made me go back to that other room
yet. Zio Gino said I could stay in the nursery, even though Zia Portia thinks I
am far too old." Her large, dark eyes were very wide. "I heard them
arguing about it. Zia Portia thinks I want my papa's attention. I heard her say
I need discipline." She shivered. "But I did not lie. You heard the
voices, too. I know you did.
I fantasmi,
the ghosts. I tried to tell Zio
Gino you heard them, too but I know he did not believe me. No one else can hear
them. Once I had Papa and Zio Gino listen with me, but the voices did not come.
You can tell him I did not lie. Zia Portia says I am a liar. I do not tell
stories, but Papa believes her." She shrugged her thin shoulders.

"Zia Portia does not like me much, you know, because I am just like
mia
madre."
She tried to look strong, but Nicoletta could see the pain in
her eyes. Sophie's little hands twisted together, and she looked very forlorn.

"Your
madre
must have been very beautiful, Sophie, because you
certainly are," Nicoletta said softly. She sat on the bed and patted the
spot beside her. "Come visit with me." The child was obviously
starved for attention, hungry for any affection, and Nicoletta's compassionate
heart went out to her. "How did you know I was here? And how did you brave
i fantasmi
to sneak past the guard?" She sounded conspiratorial and
admiring.

Sophie immediately smiled, looking self-important as she skirted around the
cot where Maria Pia slept beside the fire and perched on the edge of the bed.
"It is dark in the passage, but I light a candle and carry it.
I
fantasmi
will not come out during the day. Only at night. Never use that
way at night."

Nicoletta nodded. "I understand. Where does the passage go? Does it
lead outside?" She sounded more hopeful than she intended, and the child
shook her head, her eyes wide with alarm.

"You cannot go around in the passage. There are spiders and rats and
terrible things. The spider webs are very thick and sticky. I only go between
the nursery and this room and…" She trailed off, looking disconcerted.
"It is a bad place."

'Thank you for telling me," Nicoletta said solemnly. "I certainly
would not want to meet
i fantasmi
or spiders and rats. Is everyone else
still asleep?"

"Zia Portia and Margerita sleep very late." Sophie again looked
impressively self-important as she imparted the information about the
household. "No one dares disturb them. Do not talk loudly or laugh, or
they will get very angry. But Bernado is in the kitchen early, and he will fix
special treats for you if you ask him. He is nice," she confided.

"And what is Don Giovanni Scarletti like?" Nicoletta prompted
shamelessly.

The child sighed. "Everyone does what Zio Gino says. Even Papa.
Margerita acts silly around him and always giggles whenever he comes near
her." Sophie rolled her eyes. "She says I am an ugly little
peasant."

Nicoletta's eyebrows shot up. "She does not say such a thing in front
of your papa or Don Scarletti, does she?" she guessed shrewdly.

The child's eyes grew large, and she shook her head. "And then there is
Zio Antonello, Papa and Zio Gino's middle brother. He does not talk much at
all, but Margerita giggles around him, too. She also acts very silly around my
papa."