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coverlet to anchor her to safety.
    She felt a stirring in her mind, a warmth. She was losing her resistance, helplessly drowning in the seduction of his eyes. In her lap, Sophie squirmed, already worn out by the brief activity. From somewhere down the hall, Nicoletta heard a door close with a soft thud. For some reason the sound seemed sinister in the gloom of the nursery. It was enough to break the spell. With a supreme effort she pulled her gaze away from his and looked around the chamber, blinking rapidly to bring the room into focus. It felt as if she were waking from a dream. The flame from one small candle gave off so little light, every corner seemed filled with shadows.
    Nicoletta sighed softly. As high as the ceilings were, as large and spacious as the palazzo was, as ornate and luxurious, she preferred the outdoors, the sea and the mountains, the small huts. There was something very wrong in this house; she could feel it. And the don was much more dangerous than anyone had thought. She turned her attention to the child, slipping her into the bed beside her, fussing as she tucked the coverlet around her. She was aware of Don Scarletti towering over her in frustration, but she steadfastly refused to look up again. She held her breath as he turned on his heel without another word and strode from the room.

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    The moment the don left them alone, Maria Pia collapsed on the bed with them in relief, conversing in whispers. "I never saw such a brazen thing," she admitted, "the way he touched you, made so free with you. The man must be heathen. I have heard the rumors, but I did not believe them."
    "I saw a shrine to the Madonna in the great hall," Nicoletta disputed, for some reason feeling the need to defend him. "If he is truly without God, he would not have such a thing in his home. And he often meets with the village priest and elders."
    "The old man, his grandfather—he is a heathen, that is certain. May the good Virgin protect us from such a man." Maria Pia was solemn. "Look at his home. Did you see the creatures in every alcove? The ancient dons worshiped many gods and built this palazzo in defiance of the Holy Church. They held back the armies of the invaders, some say with the power of many demons behind them, but this palazzo is indeed cursed. For years there have been rumors of murders, assassinations. Once, an invading army trapped the famiglia Scarletti here in the palazzo. When the soldiers breached the castle walls, the family had simply disappeared, and most of the invaders died horrible deaths. A few days later, the famiglia returned as if the invasion had never happened." Shuddering, she held her crucifix in both hands and kissed it several times. "We will leave this place at first light. The bambina is much better and will surely live. Someone here must be capable of giving her her medicaments."
    Nicoletta tucked Sophie beneath the coverlet the child had restlessly kicked off herself. She coaxed the child to drink the medicine-laced water, smiling when the little girl clutched her hand. "Perhaps it would be best to continue this conversation when we are alone," she advised quietly. She leaned back and closed her eyes tiredly. Her calf was sore, burning and throbbing, already swelling. If she hadn't been so tired, she would have mixed a potion for herself. But first she wanted to sleep; and then she wanted to leave the palazzo and get back to her own world, where she could breathe more easily.
    "Nicoletta, the don is dangerous," Maria Pia announced softly. "You have too much compassion in you.
    You are very young. There is something wrong in this house. I do not like the way he looked at you."
    Nicoletta smiled without opening her eyes. "Ti voglio bene." She affectionately told the older woman she loved her. "Do not worry for me. You have done so all my life. I will not see the don again. I love living, Maria Pia. I do not want to