6. Solenne #2
“I was raised for this. I know these families, these customs, this world. I could run this household with my eyes closed. I could give him everything he needs.” Her smile sharpens. “Everything you can’t.”
I stay where I am. She can say what she likes about knowing these families. She wasn’t there when he chose mine.
“You’ve been waiting a long time for this, haven’t you?
Watching from the sidelines while he fell in love with someone else.
Building your case, making yourself indispensable to his mother, positioning yourself for the moment he realizes he made a mistake.
” I let my voice go soft, almost sympathetic.
“It must be exhausting. Wanting something that badly and never quite getting it.”
Ginevra’s composure cracks. Just for a second, something ugly flashes across her face.
“You don’t know anything about what I want.”
“I know you’re not going to get it. Not from him.”
“We’ll see.”
A sound at the doorway makes us both turn. Delfina is standing there, her face drawn, one hand braced against the frame.
“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Her eyes move between us, taking in the tension, the positioning, the barely contained hostility. “But I couldn’t help overhearing. Signorina Solano, the bracelet… Teresa didn’t take it. I’ve known that girl since she was born. She’s not a thief.”
“This doesn’t concern you.” Ginevra’s voice has gone sharp again, stripped of all its previous polish.
“It concerns everyone in this household. That girl’s reputation, her livelihood. You can’t destroy someone’s life over something you’re not even sure happened.”
“I’m sure.”
“You have no right to call her a thief.”
The word hangs in the air. Ginevra goes very still.
“What did you say?”
“I said you have no right.” Delfina steps into the room, her chin lifted despite the tremor in her hands. “I don’t know why, and I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish. But that bracelet wasn’t stolen by Teresa, and I won’t stand by while you ruin her.”
Ginevra moves before I can react.
She crosses the space between them in three quick strides and shoves Delfina hard, both hands against her shoulders.
The older woman stumbles backward, her hand catching the doorframe, her hip striking the edge of a side table.
She doesn’t fall, but only barely, her other hand grabbing the table for support.
“Delfina!” I’m moving toward her, but Ginevra is already reaching past me, reaching toward Delfina again, her face twisted with something between fury and panic.
I don’t think. I put myself between them and push.
My palms strike her shoulders. She staggers back, one heel skidding on the polished floor, and reaches for the arm of a chair. Her fingers miss it.
She goes down.
Her heel strikes the marble with a crack, followed by the heavy thud of her fall. She screams, high and sharp, her hands going to her ankle, her face contorting in what looks like genuine pain.
“My ankle! She pushed me!”
I’m still standing between her and Delfina, my heart pounding, trying to process what just happened. Behind me, I can hear Delfina breathing hard, steadying herself against the table.
“Are you all right?” I turn to check on her, keeping one eye on Ginevra.
“I’m fine. Bruised, nothing more.” Delfina’s voice is shaky but firm. “You should…”
Costanza appears in the open doorway before Delfina finishes speaking. She must have been nearby. She takes in the scene and comes straight toward Ginevra. Behind her, two members of the household staff hover in the doorway, their faces shocked.
“What happened here?”
“She attacked me!” Ginevra is sobbing now, tears streaming down her face, her ankle cradled in her hands. “I was just talking to her and she pushed me!”
“She pushed Delfina first.” My voice comes out steadier than I feel. “I was protecting…”
“I saw nothing of the kind.” Costanza kneels beside Ginevra, her hands gentle on the younger woman’s shoulders. “Someone call for a doctor. Immediately.”
“Costanza, listen to me. She shoved Delfina, I saw it, I was standing right there…”
“Enough.” Costanza raises her voice over mine. “I think we’ve all seen enough. You two.” She gestures to the staff in the doorway. “Help Signorina Solano onto the sofa. Carefully. And call the doctor.”
The staff move to comply, lifting Ginevra between them while she whimpers and clutches her ankle. As they pass me, Ginevra’s eyes meet mine. Through the tears, through the performance of pain, I see something cold and satisfied.
“Delfina.” Costanza turns to the older woman, who is still leaning against the table. “Are you injured?”
“I’m fine, Donna Costanza. But I must tell you…”
“You will wait in the kitchen. I’ll speak with you later.”
“The Signora is telling the truth. Signorina Solano pushed me first. I was only…”
“I said enough.” Costanza’s voice has dropped to something quiet and dangerous. “Delfina, wait in the kitchen. Solenne, come with me. The others can stay with Ginevra.”
Delfina catches my eye as she leaves, her expression a mixture of apology and warning. I nod slightly, hoping she understands that I don’t blame her.
Costanza leads me to the study, closing the door before she faces me.
“Sit.”
I don’t sit.
“What happened in that room…”
“What happened in that room is that you attacked a guest in my home.” Costanza’s voice is perfectly controlled, but her eyes are blazing. “A woman I have known since she was a child. A woman who has done nothing but show kindness to this family.”
“She pushed Delfina. She shoved an old woman hard enough to bruise her. I was protecting…”
“You were protecting no one. You were settling a score.” Costanza moves behind the desk, putting the furniture between us like a barrier. “I’ve watched you since you arrived here. The resentment, the defiance, the constant need to challenge every arrangement I make. You think I don’t see it?”
“I think you see exactly what you want to see. Which is apparently a world where I don’t exist.”
“You exist.” The word sounds like an accusation. “You exist as a complication, an embarrassment, a problem my son is too soft-hearted to solve. But I am not soft-hearted, Solenne. I have run this household for decades. I know how to deal with problems.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s a statement of fact.” She moves the telephone closer to her without picking it up. “The staff witnessed you standing over Ginevra. They heard her scream. They saw her injury. Whatever story you tell, whatever Delfina says she saw, the household knows what happened.”
“Delfina will tell the truth.”
“Will she?” Costanza’s smile is thin and cold. “Delfina has worked in this house for forty years. Her room is here. Her life is here. If I dismiss her, where will she go?”
I look at the telephone.
“You wouldn’t.”