Carpathian 00 - The Scarletti Curse

small villaggio, they could not afford to feed and shelter his troops. And what of the other young women, with handsome soldiers about? It was a dangerous situation. No one had expected the don to leave behind a regiment of guards.
    "Do not worry. I will provide all their rations and supplies, and my men will have strict orders. Still, it may be prudent to keep the young women close to their homes," Giovanni suggested silkily, a clear warning that he would not be thwarted.
    Nicoletta moved away from him, unashamedly retreating behind Maria Pia. She listened to Don Scarletti's voice, its note of authority fanning the embers of resistance deep within her into a full-fledged fire. His guards would not hold her. She would not go to the terrible Palazzo delta Morte. The elders might ignore the long line of mysterious deaths there, but she would not. She would never forget that terrible day they had returned her mother's body. She stayed very still in the corner of the room, all the while plotting her escape.
    Long after the officials and Don Scarletti had gone, Nicoletta remained standing by the window, peering out at the blanket of fog. Maria Pia thrust a cup of steaming hot tea into her hands. "You look as if you might collapse," she said gently. "You should go to bed and rest. Things will look better when you are not so tired."
    "Will they?" Nicoletta asked bitterly. "He has changed my life for all time."
    Maria Pia patted her shoulder gently. "He is no heathen. He is marrying you in the Holy Church," she tried to reassure her young charge.
    "I do not see him as a good or holy man, Maria Pia. He is following the dictates of the Church, but for diplomacy, not for any other reason. But you are correct—I am very tired, and I need to rest." She placed the cup down carefully and began to rummage through cupboards.
    Maria Pia watched her in silence as she stuffed a worn shawl and blanket into her medical satchel, adding bread and cheese as if preparing for a long journey. Nicoletta kissed the older woman gently and wrapped her arms around her, clinging for a long time in silence. They blew out the candles together and lay down in their beds. Maria Pia fell asleep with tears running down her face, knowing that when she awoke, Nicoletta would be gone. She didn't try to talk the young woman out of it—she knew her admonitions would be useless—but the penalty for such defiance would be death. If Nicoletta made good her escape, Maria Pia would never see her again. And if she were caught… Either way, she would never see her beloved Nicoletta again.
    Nicoletta lay quietly, her mind working on her plans. If she moved around too much, she would be more easily followed. It would be better to find a hiding place and stay quiet for a few days until the initial furor over her departure died down. At first, everyone would be out looking, and she would hardly escape notice if she was on the move. Better to hide and wait awhile. She had complete faith that she could slip past the guards. They would never expect her to run, and certainly not at night, when wild animals hunted their supper. Not when the superstitious feared the dark shadows and the legendary monsters roaming the hills. She could only pray to the good Madonna that her desperate act would bring no harm to the faithful and innocent Maria Pia.
    Nicoletta lay in the warmth of the hut while the wind howled and moaned outside and the fog thickened Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    into a heavy soup. She waited until Maria Pia was in a deep sleep. The guards would be warming themselves by their campfires, perhaps looking directly into the flames, temporarily dimming their vision.
    She took care to dress in dark gray. Not so dark the fog would reveal her, nor so light the darkness would give her up. She deftly braided her hair and wrapped her traveling shawl tightly around her.
    Clutching her bag, she slipped out the door, a slim shadow merging quickly with the night. At once she melted into the fog.
    Nicoletta moved swiftly and silently through the village, carefully avoiding the clusters of soldiers hunkering by their fires. Her bare feet unerringly found the narrow trail leading higher up into the mountains. She would go up the coastline before heading for the far side of the hills, away from the palazzo. There, she knew about a network of caves that curved deep down into the earth. Few people were aware of their existence, and