Carpathian 00 - The Scarletti Curse

likely it was a living person behind the evil at the palazzo, not a spirit.

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    Sophie had entered the kitchen before Nicoletta, and one of the guards had gone ahead also. She wandered in behind them and looked up in time to see the guard drinking from a cup and placing it carefully back in place at the table. He moved away, not looking at her, to stand against the wall.
    Nicoletta greeted Bernado. He was acting strangely, too, almost guilty. For a moment, when she sat down across from Sophie at the little table, she was afraid to eat, afraid the food was tainted. She touched the cup the guard had sipped from and replaced. She looked at him, then back at the cup.
    Realization dawned. She glanced at Bernado, who was suddenly very busy with his preparations.
    Celeste, his assistant, was stirring something in a large bowl quite vigorously. Only Sophie seemed normal, chattering away to everyone as she ate quickly, grateful for Bernado's cooking and for Maria Pia's scolding absence.
    Nicoletta pushed the food around on her plate. She glanced at the guard again. "The don gave you orders to taste everything I eat and drink." She made it a statement, but her dark eyes were steady on the guard's face, compelling him to answer.
    He tried to look away, then glanced helplessly at the other guard, clearly looking for aid. He cleared his throat. "Yes, signorina. It is one of my duties."
    She drummed her fingers on the table. "So if the food was tainted, you would become ill." Exasperated, she looked toward Bernado for help, but the cook steadfastly refused to look at her. He was busily checking Celeste's work. "I doubt tainted food would act that quickly. In any case, I would not want you ill because someone wanted to harm me."
    The soldier shrugged. "It is a common practice, signorina. It is done for all members of the household."
    "The don has his food tasted?" It seemed out of character for Don Scarletti to allow another to take risks on his behalf. The image of him standing with his arms out, away from his sides, as the killer attempted to assassinate him near the caves crept unbidden into her mind.
    The guard exchanged another rather sheepish look with his partner and then with the cook. A slow smile curved Nicoletta's soft mouth. "You do not have to answer. I think I understand." They could not speak of their "conspiracy" behind the don's back. It was obvious they were attempting to protect the don despite the fact that he would never allow them to endanger themselves by tasting his food. "But, of course, I do not want you ever taking such a risk on my behalf again. I mean it. I will speak to the don and have him rescind the order. There is no need, nor would I want the responsibility should one of you become ill. I do understand your need to protect… him." She glanced again at the wide-eyed child, who was distracted by Bernado's latest offerings. "Well, you know who I mean. But I am not of the same position he is." She said the last a little lamely. The two guards were grinning at each other and looking pointedly at her bare feet. They were not about to listen to her orders over their don's.
    Nicoletta gave up, determined to have a talk with Don Scarletti at the first opportunity. While the guards were busy eating their own breakfast some distance away, Nicoletta teased Sophie, distracting her quickly from the earlier conversation. Deliberately she wiggled her eyebrows and made whispered, outrageous references to the passageway and the grand adventure they were certain to have together.
    Neither guard had been on duty the night before, so they did not realize Sophie had not spent the entire night in Nicoletta's bedchamber. Nicoletta was thankful she didn't have to provide explanations as to how the child had gotten there.
    Sophie leaned close to her as they finished their food. "What of Signorina Sigmora? Perhaps she will catch us and look like this." The child turned her face into a severe scowl. It was such a fair Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    representation of Maria Pia's fierce disapproval that Nicoletta, the two guards, Bernado, and Celeste burst out laughing.
    Nicoletta caught the child's hand to lead her from the kitchen and hastily waved her thanks to the cook and his assistant. "You are getting too good at that, Sophie. One of these times, Maria Pia will catch you, and then we will both be