Chapter 17
Author's Note: Woo more reposted chapters yay. See I'm finally getting 'round to it folks. Thanks to everyone who's motivating me by reviewing: Ziliverina, Skyridge, Fletcher and Patches of the Fallen. Hey Sky, yeah I can see how you thought that, Dafne just seems older because she acts more mature than Basta puddin' for the most part.
The next day started ordinarily enough for Dafne. That was until a familiar figure appeared at the kitchen door.
"Resa!" Dafne cried, abandoning her sweeping to come fling her arms around her.
The women held each other, content in each other's embrace after being so long apart. Neither noticed Mortola appear behind them.
"Enough happy reunion," the old woman sneered, wrenching the two apart, "There's work to be done and I know better than to leave you together so you can continue your scheming."
Dafne glanced at Resa. The woman met her gaze and smiled. It was the same spirited smile which had heartened Dafne before and did again.
"With Resa so happily recovered," Mortola went on sarcastically, "She'll go back to her old duties which means," she turned her glare on her Dafne, "you're off to the church."
The atmosphere in the church was, if possible, more boisterous than usual. There was a lot of discussion going on between the men and Dafne soon realised they were all talking about the same thing. They were talking about a farm and fire. Dafne had no doubt that the farm in question belonged to Signor Laterza.
Her thoughts turned to Silvio and the frightful task Capricorn had assigned him. Neither he nor Basta turned up for breakfast. Dafne prayed Basta would choose to disregard Capricorn's order and have someone else light the fires. If Silvio lit them and the flames killed anybody, the boy would become a murderer. The fire would strip away all Silvio's innocence. The thought distressed Dafne greatly. The boy she cared about being a murderer.
Mortola was waiting for Dafne back at the kitchen with a sour expression on her face,
"Capricorn wants to see you."
As they ascended the staircase, Mortola leaned in, "I don't know what he sees in such an unworthy girl as you," she hissed, "But enjoy it while you can. You certainly aren't worthy of the favour he's shown you. In any case, he'll tire of you soon enough. I've seen countless girls come and go, Capricorn lost interest in all of them."
They were now in the hall. As they approached, the door to Capricorn's bedroom opened and Resa stepped out. Seeing Dafne, her expression turned quizzical but they would have no time to converse with Mortola present.
"Quit dawdling and get back to kitchen!" she barked at Resa. The other woman obeyed but as she passed, deliberately leaned over to brush against Dafne to offer at least some brief friendly contact.
Mortola stopped to glare after the woman's retreating form.
"Your little friend might think she's untouchable," she said to Dafne, her voice grating with menace, "But mark my words, her time is running out. She's nothing more than a trouble-maker and it's only a matter of time before she makes another mistake," she smiled a horrible smile, "When she does, I'll see that she gets the punishment she deserves."
Capricorn was standing at the window when they entered, hands clasped behind his back. Mortola pushed Dafne into the centre of the room.
"I've bought the girl as you asked," she announced.
Capricorn didn't turn but said, "Good. Leave us."
Mortola seemed to twitch at such prompt dismissal but she bowed, gave Dafne a final glower and strode out.
At the sound of the door closing, Capricorn turned away from the window. He smiled lazily,
"I hope you're ready for our lesson."
Dafne regarded him uncertainly. It made sense that this was the reason for her summons but she hadn't even considered how she was going to go about teaching Capricorn to read. Not that he was going to take that for an answer.
"I suppose we could start with the alphabet."
"You're the teacher," Capricorn said, "Come."
There was antiquated writing desk waiting on the far side of the room. Dafne had never seen it before. Perhaps it had been moved from another part of the house, having belonged to the previous owner. On the desk sat a stack of blank sheets and a fountain pen. Accompanying the desk was a chair with furnished cushioning. Capricorn settled himself in it, leaving Dafne to stand awkwardly at his side.
"Well?" he prompted.
Dafne picked up the pen, took a deep breath and began with A.
To Dafne's relief, Capricorn proved to be promising student. He showed good memory when he came to differentiating between letters and their sounds. Perhaps the unpleasant task of teaching him wouldn't take that long.
"There's one more thing I want you show me," said Capricorn, "I want you to write my name."
Dafne did as he asked and wrote Capricorn in large letters.
Capricorn starred at it intently, "So that's what it looks like," he murmured.
There was a knock on the door and Resa came in bearing what looked to be Capricorn's lunch. Capricorn hailed her over immediately.
"Look Resa," he said, "It's my name. I know you can read it."
Resa's face froze for a moment but she quickly masked it with a smile.
"And I know you can write it too," Capricorn went on, "Be a dear and show me."
Resa's eyes flew to Dafne momentarily as she took up the pen to scribble Capricorn's request in her usual deft fashion.
Capricorn ran his fingers over it before placing his hand over Resa's while it still clutched the pen.
"And to think that you kept this ability from me this whole time," he said, "I'm not a man who likes secrets, Resa," he dug his fingers sharply into Resa's flesh, her expression hardened but she didn't flinch, "So let's hope that this is the last one from you, for your sake."
He released her hand and as he did, the pen fell from Resa's grip to clunk on the desk.
"You understand, my dear?"
Resa nodded solemnly.
"Good woman," Capricorn said, satisfied, and reached up to brush the hair framing her face, "Now that's sorted, take your friend back the kitchen," he glanced at Dafne, "We're done for the day."
"I'm sorry," Dafne said to Resa once they were alone in the hallway, "I accidently told him you could write."
Resa mouthed something.
"Mortola? No she doesn't know. I don't think Capricorn will tell her."
Resa looked relieved. She scrambled for a scrap of paper to jot down: Tell me everything.
Dafne decided to omit telling Resa about Capricorn strangling her. It was too painful to talk about and she wanted to forget it had happened more than anything. But she would tell Resa the rest.
"Well I stole Basta's knife to kill Capricorn," Dafne laughed bitterly at Resa's amazement, "Obviously that didn't work. Basta stopped me at the last moment. He asked Capricorn if I could be his maid, can you believe that?"
Resa scowled. Dafne shrugged wearily.
"But then Capricorn found out I could read which is why I'm suddenly an English teacher."
Resa moved to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Suddenly Dafne felt close to tears,
"Oh Resa, it's my fault. If Silvio hadn't shown up because of me, we would have made it. You'd be with your family right now instead stuck back here."
Resa bought her face close to Dafne's and shook her head firmly. She pointed to her leg and then made a winding pattern with her hand.
Snake.
She quickly wrote something down and passed it to Dafne.
We'll find another way, it said.
This was to be last opportunity for Resa and Dafne to speak alone that day. Mortola was livid when she saw them walk into the kitchen together and went out of her way to keep them separated. Even when they were in same room, they were ordered to work on opposite ends. That night, Orlanda pulled Resa aside as the maids filed into their respective bedrooms.
"You've had a room change," she said, "Mortola's orders."
Bereft of Resa's company, Dafne was left wondering on the likelihood of a second escape. If they continued to be kept away from each other, there would be no way of coordinating another attempt. This must have been obvious to Mortola. Dafne lay in bed, eyes wide open in the dark. She also had another matter on her mind. Outside, she heard voices and the roar of car engines. The men were heading out. Was Silvio amongst them? She clenched her eyes shut, praying that he wasn't.
Later that night Dafne awoke to the sounds of the men returning. A chorus of shouting, car honking and gunshots filled the air. She was not the only one stirred by the celebratory ruckus as groans filled the room.
"For God's sake," that was Agnese.
"They must have burnt that farm down good and proper, the way they're carrying on," whispered Marianna.
Just outside their window came slurred voices,
"Hey girls, come out and play!"
"Yeah, girlies, we'll show you a goood time!"
"We know you're in there, you little hussies!"
This was followed by hysterical laughter then the smash of glass followed by more laughter.
"Bloody idiots," growled Agnese.
Dafne heard a sob and immediately knew its source.
"Vanetta?"
It was still dark but the girl's bed was next to her own. Dafne only needed to stumble a few steps in the right direction to reach her.
"Don't cry, Netta," she whispered, "It's alright."
"Dafne?" said Vanetta, her voice as tremulous as her shaking body, "What if it's my family they killed? What if they're all dead?"
She started weeping again. Dafne rubbed her back soothingly.
"You mustn't think that," she told her, "I'm sure your family are alive and safe."
"How do you know that?" asked the girl with a loud sniff.
How do I know that? Dafne thought. I don't.
CRACK! Dafne felt Vanetta's body tense at the sound of the gunshot.
"Ignazio's out there," Vanetta said, her voice rising in distress, "What if they find them?"
"Of course they won't find him," Dafne said, "He's a smart cat, remember? Too smart for those blockheads."
This seemed to buoy the girl's spirits and she managed a small giggle.
"Yes," she said, full of pride, "I think Ignazio is one of the smartest cats that ever lived."
"That's right," Dafne said, stroking the girl's head, "Try to sleep, Netta. Don't worry, okay?"
"Can you stay with me, Dafne?"
"Of course I will."
Dafne settled in beside the girl and in the act of comforting found comfort herself. Lying next to Vanetta, feeling the warm of another human body, a person with whom she shared a solidarity, sleep seemed to come a bit easier.
Early morning came and so did Orlanda, pounding on the door.
There was an addition to the breakfast party that morning. It was Mortola herself. She marched imperiously at the group's head like a general.
When they reached the church, Perla leaned in towards Dafne,
"Brace yourself," she muttered.
Dafne didn't have time to ask what meant but she understood the moment she stepped inside.
Inside was chaos. It usually was chaos but this time on a much larger scale. Pews and chairs had been turned over. Littering the holy room were crumpled cans and cigarette butts, empty bottles and the glass remains of those which had been smashed. Then there were the men. Men slumped in every position in the room, face down on the table, lying on the floor. Dafne starred in shock.
Mortola, meanwhile, surveyed the scene with contempt.
"Smarten yourselves up," she commanded, striding through it all, "Clean up this filth. Capricorn will be here soon."
To Dafne's surprise, the men did as she said and pitched in. Whether they were reluctant to cross Mortola or motivated by the mention of their master, she didn't know.
After some time, the place looked presentable enough for Mortola to allow the maids to serve breakfast. The food had already gone cold which could have been part of Mortola's punishment. There was no sign of Silvio or Basta which was incredibly unsettling. Where else could they be?
The one man who arrived as predicted was Capricorn. He swept into the church with Resa in tow. He was met with cheers like a conquering hero as he made his way to take his seat at the head of the congregation. Capricorn's armchair had been the only thing in the place to have gone untouched by the revellers. Joining him on either side were Mortola and Resa. Having to share this position obviously angered Mortola greatly. She looked like she would love nothing better than to strangle Resa on the spot. Resa, on the other hand, ignored Mortola's glares completely.
Capricorn raised his hand and the men fell silent.
"My men," he said, his voice was soft but it carried over the entire room, "It came to my attention recently that a certain farmer thought he was above paying tribute," Capricorn shook his head at what seemed like the folly of the poor man as the crowd booed, "So let me ask you, where is this farmer now?"
The room erupted into a din as the men answered.
"WE KILLED HIM!"
"MADE HIM BURN!"
"BURNED HIS FARM!"
"KILLED HIS FAMILY!"
"BURNED 'EM ALL!"
Capricorn again held up his hand for silence.
"Good. That's what I want to hear. Let that be a lesson to all the others. Nobody crosses Capricorn and his men. Nobody."
This was met by more cheers.
Capricorn settled back in his chair, languishing in his lackeys' clamour. Then after a moment, he frowned,
"Where is Basta?" he asked the crowd, "I don't see him here today."
"I can answer that, my lord."
It was Cockerell. He came rushing up to stand eagerly before him.
"Well?" said Capricorn impatiently.
Cockerell's head bobbed, "Right, so we were standing outside the farm all ready. Then out of nowhere, someone inside sticks a gun out the window and fires."
Cockerell paused dramatically as if waiting for comment. Capricorn starred impassively, saying nothing.
"Er, anyway, so it ended up hitting one of the boys. It didn't drop him dead but he was screaming and bleeding and Basta insisted he take him to hospital."
Dafne's heart seemed to fly into her throat. Silvio, she knew it had to be, Silvio had been shot.
"So Basta left?" said Capricorn, showing no concern other than displeasure about Basta leaving his post.
Cockerell seemed to biting back a smile,
"Yeah, left me to take over you could say. Anyway the old man starts off, yelling on about how we should leave before we all take a bullet," Cockerell sniggered, "I showed him, when his house went up in smoke he weren't so cocky. Not with his sons lying dead on the floor with bullets in 'em, ha ha."
Other men joined in on the laughter. Dafne felt dizzy. They were monstrous. This was murder and they were treating it like a joke.
Capricorn meanwhile was nodding approvingly,
"A fitting end, indeed. How ironic that a man demanding the return of his daughter would end up losing the rest of his children through his own stupidity along with his life."
He turned to Mortola,
"Is the girl with us now?"
"No, she's back at the kitchen."
Capricorn frowned,
"What a shame. I would have liked to break the news to her now."
"I can have someone fetch her," Mortola suggested eagerly.
Capricorn waved her off and rose to his feet,
"No, have her bought to me later. I have another matter to attend to."
He inclined his head at Dafne as he passed,
"Come, it's time for our lesson."
Dafne was at a loss over what to teach Capricorn next. The success of the first lesson had been something of a fluke. She had also not expected daily tutelage. It wasn't just that either. Here was a man who had just orchestrated murder. By teaching him, she felt somehow complicit. Knowledge was power after all and she was feeding his. But if she refused, it would be her life on the line.
Despite everything, she wanted to survive. She feared Capricorn's brand of death. So she pushed aside her moral repugnance, deciding that the next course should be applying the phonetics of letters to whole words. This turned out to be easier said than done. Capricorn insisted on picking the words.
Morbid and uncommon words.
Capricorn was frowning, "It doesn't look right. Kay en eye eff ee. Ka nee fee."
"The k is silent," Dafne said, "So you don't pronounce it. Nn-ife."
"What's the point of having it there then?" demanded Capricorn.
Dafne sighed, "I don't know. Some words are just like that."
Capricorn snatched the pen from her and blacked out the K agitatedly,
"It doesn't make any sense. You're not explaining it properly."
"Well I'm not exactly qualified," Dafne reminded him, "I'm doing my best."
Capricorn eyed her scornfully.
"Anyway, it's complicated," she added placatingly, "You're doing well."
Capricorn's mouth twisted into a smile, "Well, at least you're smart enough to flatter me."
"Would you like to move on the next word?" Dafne asked, hoping this was a sign that he was ready to let the matter go.
Capricorn rubbed his chin, contemplating.
"You choose," he said finally.
Dafne brightened, relieved to be placed back in control.
C A T, she wrote.
Capricorn studied it, "Cee ay tee. Cee at," he turned to Dafne, "Cat?"
"That's right."
Capricorn made a scoffing noise,
"Well, that was easy."
The whole lesson would have been easy if you had let me choose the words in the first place, Dafne wanted to say. But she would not have dared.
She had just written the next word (S A T) when there was a knock on the door.
"Go open it," Capricorn told her, not looking up from page, "Es ay tee."
Dafne hurried to the door. It was Basta. He was in the middle of raking his hand through his hair. Both starred at each in surprise. Then Basta's face changed, it looked pained. He looked guilty.
"Little mouse," he murmured.
Basta was usually an alert looking person. But right now, his whole body seemed to slump. There were dark circles under his eyes.
Dafne fought the urge to grab him by the collar: Where is Silvio?
"Ah Basta," came Capricorn's voice, "How good of you to finally make an appearance."
Basta's body seemed to rise up only to sigh back into its slump. He strode past Dafne over to his master, head bowed.
"I apologise for not reporting sooner. I just got back from the hospital. One of the boys was..."
"Yes, yes, I heard the story," Capricorn cut over him in a bored tone, "Dafne, come back here."
Dafne returned to her post. Capricorn tapped the paper.
"The word is sat, isn't it?"
"Yes," Dafne said but this break-through seemed less important to her now that Basta was here. He was the one person who could tell her Silvio's fate.
Capricorn turned to Basta smugly, "See Basta, I'm learning to read. It's quite easy to pick it up. At least for me."
Dafne said nothing. Let him brag, she wasn't foolish enough to challenge him on it.
Basta smiled weakly, "That's good."
Capricorn tilted his head, his face hardening, "Yes, it is good. But you know what isn't good, Basta. What I don't find good."
Basta didn't answer. Dafne could tell from Capricorn's tone that it was better for him that he didn't.
"What I don't find good," Capricorn went on, his voice dripping with displeasure, "Is that my second in command thinks that he can just take off in the middle of an operation."
"The boy was shot," protested Basta, "He would have bled to death if I hadn't..."
So he lived? Dafne thought hopefully.
"I don't care if a boy dies!" Capricorn shouted, pounding his fist on the table, "I care that a job gets done properly," he stabbed a finger at Basta, "I entrusted that responsibility to you."
Basta had wilted even more under Capricorn's tirade. He stood looking down at the ground like a reprimanded child unable to meet his parent's angry gaze. Capricorn sat back in his chair,
"Fortunately for you, my orders were carried in spite of your absence."
Basta lifted his head, "I promise it won't happen again," he said fervently.
"You had better hope it doesn't," said Capricorn, inspecting his nails, "Otherwise I'll be forced to consider a replacement. Do I make myself clear?"
Basta's head nodded desperately, "Yes, yes. I understand."
"Good," said Capricorn, "Now get out of my sight."
Basta didn't linger. He bowed and stalked out. If he had been a dog, his tail would have been lodged firmly between his legs. Dafne watched him go frustratedly. She needed to talk to him but how? It was Capricorn who extended her an opening.
"You can go too," he told her, "I've lost the concentration. Have Mortola sent Resa up with lunch... Oh and Dafne," he added as she was reaching for the handle, "Tell Mortola, I want to see the Laterza girl as well."
Basta was halfway down the hall by time Dafne shut the door behind her. She raced after him,
"Basta!"
He turned. She had so much she wanted to say to him but once she got there, she forgot all of it. She slapped him across the face instead. He starred at her shock. The sound of the slap seemed to ring in the air.
"I asked for your help and you let him get shot!" she cried, "How could you let that happen!"
Basta recovered from her attack with a strike of his own. He seized her arms and forced her back against the wall, pinning her there.
"Don't you dare do that again," he snarled at her, "What do you take me for? Do you think I'm just going to let you do that?"
"You deserve it!" Dafne spat, "You deserve it for everything you..." Basta muffled her with a hand over her mouth.
"Shut up, just shut up for a moment and listen to me."
Dafne had no choice, he was muting her himself. But she could still glare and struggle.
"Stop squirming too," he ordered, tightening his grip, "That's better. First off, let me say that you're being very ungrateful. Yes, the boy was shot," he sighed, "But he wanted to be there and if it feels better to blame me than the stubborn idiot himself, go ahead. But I'm the one who took him hospital and saved his life and took the grief for it. And the last thing I don't need right now is you on your high horses telling me off."
He let her go. Dafne slumped against the wall, rubbing the places where he had grabbed her.
"So he's alive?" she said softly.
Basta was leaning back against the opposite wall, arms folded. He shook his head in wonderment.
"You really care about this brat, don't you?" he said, "Even after everything."
"Yes," she replied, "I do."
Basta pushed himself off the wall,
"Then he's lucky. Even more lucky that the bullet hit his arm instead of somewhere else. He's going to be fine, little mouse."
Relief swept over her. She sunk down the wall to rest on the floor.
"That's good. That's really good."
Basta stood over her,
"You should have asked how he was in the first place," he chided, "This conversation would have been a lot more pleasant."
"He was still shot," Dafne argued.
"He's alive," Basta countered, "What more could you want?"
"For him to leave this place with me and Resa too."
Basta gave a groan of exasperation,
"You already tried that and look where it got you," he said sternly, "You need to just accept your place here, little mouse."
Dafne shook her head,
"I can't do that. I can't be a prisoner for the rest of my life."
Basta bent down in front of her,
"There are ways for women to be more free around here," he told her, "If you were my maid, I'd let do as you please, provided you didn't run away of course. Wouldn't you like that? You could see Silvio whenever you wanted."
Such personal liberty sounded tempting but Dafne knew better. A prison was still a prison, however long the chain binding the prisoner.
"I'd still be a slave. Your slave."
Basta held up his hands,
"Alright you would," he conceded, "But you would be much better off than you are now. Anyway, slave sounds so dramatic. You would only be cleaning my house. It's not going to be that much trouble."
"That's beside the point," Dafne sighed, "In any case, it's not up to me. It's Capricorn you should be trying to convince."
"I know that. But maybe if you made it clear to him that you're willing, he might..."
"You think he's going to listen to me?" Dafne said incredulously.
"I'm saying it might help is all," Basta replied, sounding defensive.
"Let's say it does, and it makes Silvio happy and I get a bit more freedom," Dafne said, "Is that really all you want out this? Nothing for yourself?"
Basta pouted,
"Don't you trust my good intentions, little mouse?"
"Do I have any reason to?"
Basta shrugged, "That's for you to decide. I'm not going to get down on knees and beg you to believe I'm a good person. What's your alternative? To stay in a house with a woman who you know definitely wants to kill you? Isn't it worth taking a chance?"
Dafne eyed him sceptically,
"On the man who kidnapped me, amongst other things?"
"I'm also the man who's offering to help you."
"For nothing in exchange?"
Basta tilted his head to one side, biting his lip thoughtfully,
"I wouldn't say that exactly. I wouldn't mind the company... No, not that kind of company," he added after seeing Dafne's appalled expression, "Your mind is in the gutter, little mouse. I just meant someone I could talk to."
Maybe if you didn't go around threatening people you would have more friends, Dafne thought.
"I wouldn't think it's worth going to all this trouble just to have me to talk to," she said.
But Basta didn't agree,
"I think it is. You're different from the others, little mouse. That's one thing I've noticed about you. You listen when I talk."
"Only because you're threatening me with bodily harm."
He shook his head,
"No, that's not true. You listen. Remember when I told you about that girl who was bitten by the snake? The one I took to hospital?"
"Yes. Agnese's friend."
He smiled,
"See? You listen. You're listening right now. You could have left but you're sitting here talking to me."
Dafne sighed, "I suppose I am."
Basta reached out and took her hand. She tensed. His hold was only gentle but it was still unnerving. The gesture felt far too intimate. She could feel his thumb brushing against her skin.
"You'll like being my maid," he was saying, "We'll have a good time. You and I will be friends. What do you say, little mouse?"
Dafne didn't know what to say. She just wanted him to let go but was afraid of pulling away. She knew how volatile he was.
"We'll see," she said as delicately as she could, "We'll see what Capricorn says. But I have to get back to the kitchen now."
Basta seemed intensely focused on their hands. Dafne thought he may not have been listening to her.
Then he sighed and said,
"Yes, you should get back."
But instead of letting go of her hand, he used his hold to lift her to her feet. They stood there in awkward silence.
"Um, I need my hand back."
Basta's hand sprung away so quickly it like he had received an electric shock.
"I'll see you later, little mouse," was the last thing he said before he took off in a hurry.
Dafne continued back to the kitchen feeling very confused. Why had he started acting so strange, grabbing her hand like that?
Well it's not like he hurt me, she tried to rationalise, but I don't know why he did that.
Was that him being friendly? That's what he had said, that they would be friends.
But could she?
Could she accept the friendship of a man who had been responsible for her ill fortune, to simply forget the wrongs he had done to her, to Resa?
She had once sworn that she would never forgive him and always hate him... now she wasn't sure of anything.
Damn you Basta, she thought, on top of everything, why must you make things more complicated?
To be continued...