Chapter 3

Once inside, the old woman Mortola herded Dafne through the house like she was some confused sheep being prodded along by its new owner. She didn't speak directly to Dafne but muttered irritably to herself. Dafne had no desire to talk to the woman either especially since she was the cause of her grumbling. Mortola gave herself the airs of a martyr, treating Dafne though she was burden that had been forced upon her. Dafne found her dislike of her growing with each second spent in her company.

To distract herself from the unpleasantness of Mortola, she tried to take in her surroundings. But Mortola hurried her along at such a brisk pace that she only caught quick glimpses of each dark room they passed through. Finally she was shoved through a doorway and found herself in a large old-fashioned kitchen. In the fireplace, the coals were still hot from the remnants of a fire not long deceased. She turned to Mortola and saw she was holding a heavy set of a brass keys.

"You'll sleep here tonight," she told her sharply, "I'll figure out what to do with you in the morning. If you have any sense, you'll sleep near the fireplace. Otherwise, you may freeze."

Without so much as a goodnight, she stormed out of the kitchen. The door slammed behind her and Dafne heard the click of lock then footsteps trailing off into silence. Dafne was now alone. But her solitude was no more comforting to her than being with the likes of Mortola and Basta. Alone with her thoughts, Dafne was engulfed with a terrible sense of desperation. She rushed to the door and jiggled the knob only to have it produce a hollow, rattling sound. Frustrated, she beat her fists on the wooden panel in front of her. She looked around, searching for an alternate means of escape. She found none. There were windows but they were too small for a person to fit through. She was shut in. She would not be able to leave this room until the door was unlocked.

With this in mind, she postponed her plans to escape and concentrated on finding a way to arm herself. All the cooking utensils had been cleared away and she wandered over to a set of drawers. She supposed that the knives had been put inside but when she went to open it, she discovered that like the door, it had also been locked. Defeated, Dafne retreated to the fireplace. She found a poker but it was attached to an iron ring secured to the wall. The chain on the poker only had enough length to reach into the fireplace. Dafne couldn't wield it as a weapon.

Dafne stoked the coals before settling down on the floor. The floor was still warm and she curled up on it, trying to soak up its heat. However, it wasn't long before the room grew cold, swallowing up any remaining warmth. Dafne pulled herself more tightly into a ball, but could not prevent the cold from spreading over her unprotected back. As she lay there, she became aware of weary she was. Her limbs were sore from where she had been touched. It was approaching morning and she had slept since the previous night. Trying not to dwell on her discomfort, Dafne closed her eyes and willed herself to fall asleep. It came, mercifully, and soon she was lost in her own dreams. At least there, she could be free of this awful place.

She woke up the sound of the sound of rustling coals. She unfurled her body and sat up, stretching. Sleeping on the hard floor had caused her body to stiffen. As she propped herself up, she caught sight of the woman leaning over the fireplace. She was wearing a blue cotton dress and her hair was dark blonde. She had her back to Dafne so she couldn't see her face. Dafne watched her, unsure of what to do.

Who was this woman? Had Mortola sent her? Did this mean the door was now open? Dafne shivered. She was so cold. The woman turned and looked at her. She smiled. It was kind smile that Dafne hadn't expected. The woman beckoned her forward, moving aside so Dafne could see the birth of a fire growing amongst the coals. Dafne crawled closer to the fireplace, hungry for the heat to warm her body. She smiled back at the woman, gratefully,

"Thank you."

The woman nodded but didn't speak. She was a little older than Dafne but she was beautiful. Dafne suspected from her attire and her tending of the fire that she must be a maidservant. But this woman appeared more self-possessed than servile in the way she held herself. She stood upright with her head held high in the way Dafne thought a heroine would. She reached into the pocket of her dress and produced a strip of paper and a pencil. She scribbled down some script then held it out to Dafne. Dafne accepted it, fascinated. It read:

You're welcome. You felt so cold when I came in. I'm Resa. I'm mute.

Dafne looked up from the note in surprise. She had never met anyone without the ability to speak. It seemed unfair that while Basta and Mortola used their voices to express their cruelty, this woman - Resa - who had shown her compassion, could only communicate by writing it down on paper. Dafne returned the message to her.

"I'm Dafne," she said, feeling that Resa was the first person she had met in this village that she wanted to introduce herself to.

Resa smiled again.

"Did Mortola send you?" Dafne regretted having to ask.

Resa nodded her head, her expression full of sympathy. She wrote something else and passed it to Dafne,

I know the way you came to be here. I'm sorry. Most women are brought here against their will.

"Did Basta bring you here too?" Dafne asked. Somehow she couldn't imagine Resa being kidnapped in same way she had been. She could not see her cowering before Basta. Suddenly she felt ashamed for being so easily victimised by him.

Resa shook her head and held out her hand for the paper. Dafne had just handed it over when Mortola burst into the room. Dafne froze in alarmed surprise. Her eyes darted over to Resa to see that her face was composed, having managed to pocket both paper and pencil. As for Mortola, she looked furious. Her eyes were fixed on Resa and her expression held something greater than disdain for the woman. Dafne recognised it as hatred. For some reason, Mortola hated Resa.

"I told you to bring the girl. You may be Capricorn's favourite for the time being but that doesn't give you right to do as you please," snapped Mortola and her words were full of venom, "You." She turned on Dafne, "Get up. Capricorn wants to see you."

Dafne opened her mouth, though she didn't know quite what she was about to say. Then she felt something on her arm. It was Resa, her touch was gentle but her hand was rough. Dafne looked at her face. It seemed to say: Don't worry. Dafne stood up felt Resa's hand slip into her own. Then they began to walk. They walked to the door where Mortola waited for them with a sneer on her face. She whirled around and strode off with the two women following behind.

"You will be silent unless you're spoken to," Mortola told Dafne as she led them back through the house, "Capricorn will not tolerate any smart-talk. That's why he likes Resa so much. Because she can't say anything at all."

Dafne gripped Resa's hand protectively. Resa smiled.

Capricorn wasn't waiting for them in the house but in the adjacent church. But despite its outward appearance, the inside of the building resembled more of a mess hall than the interior of a church. Two long tables took up the main space of the room. Where pulpit should have been, there was a man reclining in an armchair. Dafne drew in her breath at the sight of him. This man must be Capricorn. He was a tall man, his frame was emancipated and his skin and hair were pale. He was dressed in a red suit and to wear such a vibrant colour made him appear all the more colourless.

Basta stood by his side, looking pleased. As they approached the two men, Mortola scowled in his direction. Basta smirked, now showing no signs of being daunted by her. Dafne suspected that this had something to do with why she had been brought to Capricorn prior to Mortola's inspection. She recalled how angry Mortola had been when she had come into the kitchen. She had thought her fury had been aimed at Resa but now it seemed more likely that Basta had been the cause.

If Capricorn was privy to the conflict between the two, he ignored it. His attention was concentrated on the two women whom Mortola had hastened to stand before him. His eyes flickered from Resa to Dafne. As he did, he smiled. It was a self-satisfied smile that made Dafne uncomfortable. Then he spoke,

"So this is our latest acquisition," he said, articulating his words, "Basta told me you were pretty."

So Basta had gotten his audience with Capricorn after all, Dafne thought. He had done it without Mortola's approval, using her as a pawn. He must have dangled the knowledge of her presence in front of Capricorn like a lure, embellishing her appearance to arouse the man's interest. Basta had been clever. By going straight to Capricorn, he would have also ensured that he was only one to receive the credit for her capture. But Dafne only cared about the fact that she had been used. Used by Basta so he could promote himself. Used by him in order to spite Mortola. In her anger, without thinking, a retort bubbled from her mouth,

"I think Basta would tell all sorts of lies," she said, surprised by her own boldness.

But to her annoyance, Basta seemed to find her outburst humorous. It also appeared to have amused Capricorn. The two men shared a glance before Capricorn turned back to Dafne,

"How perceptive of you," he said, "Basta is a liar, though he knows better than to ever lie to me. After all, I am the one who taught him to lie in first place. But if you disagree, then I suppose I should inspect you for myself."

Dafne instantly regretted opening her mouth. Coming into close contact with Capricorn was the last thing that she wanted to do. Basta had used a knife to threaten her but Capricorn's presence alone was enough to terrify her. She was afraid of going near him but also fearful of angering him by not complying. In her uncertainty, she looked to Resa,

"Suddenly shy, are we?" she heard Capricorn say, "Bring Resa with you, if you like. You seem to be already attached."

This produced a chuckle from Basta but Dafne ignored it. She was waiting for Resa's response. The woman nodded her head but her wistful expression suggested her decision wasn't based on her own volition. Still clasping Dafne's hand, she moved forward. Dafne did the same.

Dafne came within an arm's length of Capricorn. She learnt this when he reached out and cupped her face with his hand without even rising from his chair. His touch was firm; almost cruel in the way he dug his fingers into her skin. All the while his opaque eyes bored into her and she wished for nothing more than to be free of him. But he seemed to enjoy the way she quailed under his fingertips and prolonged her suffering.

"Yes, you are pretty," he said finally, "Not as lovely as my Resa but still."

He withdrew his hand from Dafne's face and nestled his fingers in Resa's ash-blonde hair. Resa didn't flinch or try to disengage him. Dafne squeezed her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Basta. His gaze was focused on Resa. There was a look of longing on his face. Dafne was surprised by the tenderness of his expression. Did Basta have feelings for Resa? Although she had only known Resa for a brief time, she knew her good nature was the complete opposite of Basta's. It seemed impossible that she would return the feelings of an otherwise brutal man.

"Though you do seem to compliment each other," Capricorn was musing, "One is dark and the other one is fair."

Dafne knew that he was referring to her when he said "dark". She had the dark hair and tanned skin typical of many Italian girls. Meanwhile Resa possessed a Nordic beauty with her blonde hair and blue eyes. However, she could make the same comparison of Basta and his master. Like her, Basta's skin was brown from the sun while Capricorn had the pallidness of someone who had only been exposed to dark rooms.

"Not so fair anymore," came Mortola's voice. Dafne had come to forget she was there, "Her hair's growing dark."

Capricorn removed his hand from Resa's hair, frowning. He looked slightly irritated.

"Yes. It is a pity,"

Mortola stepped forward and in doing so asserted her presence,

"So the new girl pleases you?" she asked Capricorn grudgingly. He looked over at Dafne for one last time before replying,

"Yes, she is sufficient. Basta told me that she is already a maid so she won't need to be trained. Have Resa show her around. It would be a shame to break them up."

That was how Dafne became Capricorn's maidservant.

To Be Continued…