The Scarletti Curse Read Free Page A

looked powerful
and entirely capable of easily disposing of two peasant women. Much to
Nicoletta's disgust, Maria Pia crossed herself a second time.
    "Dio!
God, woman, answer me!" he demanded, his white teeth
snapping together like those of a hungry wolf.
    "Signorina Sigmora, do we have the plague?"
    Maria Pia glanced very briefly at Nicoletta, who shook her head slightly and
moved once more to the child, quickly resuming the demeanor of a frightened
servant girl. She was well versed in the role, using it as often as needed. She
didn't look again at the man, focusing her attention instead on the little
girl. Saving her would be a fight; the child was nearly gone. Nicoletta
stripped off the coverlet and bedding, taking grim pleasure in opening the door
and hurtling the items into the hall where the haughty manservant and
whimpering aristocrats lurked.
    "We need hot water," she said, without lifting her eyes to him.
"Lots of hot water, clean rags, and fresh bedding at once. And send two
servants to help wash this room immediately. The healer must have these things
now if the
bambina
is to live." Her voice was thin and reedy, a
quality also well practiced. Scurrying back inside, she ignored the man leaning
against the wall and threw open the window. The wind howled into the room,
making the curtains dance macabrely and the fire leap and roar. The cold sea
air immediately rushed inside, and the temperature in the room dropped almost
instantly while the mist pushed out the terrible odor.
    The child was shivering, sweat running down her body. Nicoletta stripped her
of her soiled clothing, smoothing back her hair. Maria Pia leaned in close that
they might consult. "Are you certain it is not the Black Death?
He
is ill also." The older woman whispered the words into Nicoletta's ear.
    "I need to know what food they shared." Nicoletta's lips barely
moved. Her hands were gentle on the child's distended abdomen.
    "Good sir," Maria Pia asked, "did you and the child partake
of a meal together? I must know if you two shared anything to eat or
drink."
    The man was shivering almost uncontrollably. He clenched his teeth to keep
them from chattering. "You are certain of what you are doing, letting in
the cold this way?"
    "We must bring the fever down quickly. Both of you are far too hot. And
the room reeks of sickness. It is not good. Come, come, girl, hurry now."
Maria Pia did not like the way the don's black, piercing eyes took in
Nicoletta's graceful, soothing hands as they moved over the child. Deliberately
she shoved herself in front of the younger woman, pretending to examine the
patient. "Well, Don Scarletti? Did you two partake of the same
comestibles?"
    "We shared a portion of soup. Sophie could not finish it. I helped
her." The words revealed far more of the man than he might have thought.
    Nicoletta glanced at him; she couldn't help herself. He was
il demonio,
the demon, his family under a terrible curse. He was arrogant and aloof, cold
and unyielding, his neighbors terrified of crossing him, yet he had shared a
bowl of soup with a child, perhaps to prevent her from being punished for
failing to finish her meal. It was the first nice thing she had ever heard
about him, their dictator, their don, the man who held the power of life and
death over her people.
    Maria Pia coughed to get her attention. Nicoletta quickly resumed her
charade as shy, inconsequential apprentice to the healer Signora Sigmora,
hunching as she closed the window and straightened the curtains. Two servants
peeked in timidly with buckets of hot water and armloads of rags. The taller
male servant behind them carried fresh coverlets folded in his arms. None of
them entered the room but lingered out in the hall. Nicoletta had little
patience with them and took the water and rags rather abruptly, setting them
down before whisking the coverlets out of the third manservant's hands. With
her foot she forcefully slammed the door closed on them, hoping it hit them
right in