Chapter 4: The Night the House Split in Two
Mrs. Keller didn't take us through the main hall. She led me and Sofia out the side door off the kitchen, down the narrow service path that ran along the white wall toward the garage apartment. The air was cool and I could hear the chandeliers humming faintly through the glass of the French doors behind us, but inside the main house everything had gone quiet except for the low sound of Bianca's voice and Alessandro's shorter replies.
The apartment was small — a bedroom, a kitchenette, a bathroom with a chipped tile by the sink. It smelled like laundry detergent. Mrs. Keller turned on the light and checked the window locks while I sat Sofia on the edge of the bed and unwrapped the damp cloth from my wrist. The abrasion had darkened to a raw pink, with a thin line where the edge of the glove had cut in.
"Keep it clean tonight," Mrs. Keller said, handing me a box of bandages from the cabinet. She kept her voice low, like Sofia wasn't supposed to hear everything. "He said you don't answer if she knocks. You call me. My room is on two."
I nodded. "Thank you."
She looked at me a second longer, then at Sofia, who was swinging her legs and watching us both. "He meant what he said. Your job is with him, not her."
After she left, I locked the door and pulled the curtain. Sofia asked if we were sleeping here tonight. I told her yes, just tonight, because Mr. Vitale needed the main house quiet. She accepted that and asked for her blue blanket, which I'd left in the hamper in the maid's quarters. I told her we'd get it in the morning.
Up at the house, I could see a light go on in the upstairs hallway. A shadow moved past the tall windows — Bianca, pacing. Then Alessandro's taller shape crossed the same window, slower.
Around nine, my phone buzzed. It was Mrs. Keller: "He is speaking with her upstairs now. Stay put."
I didn't hear shouting. That was worse. I heard a door close firmly, then another, then footsteps down the marble stairs. I stood by the curtain and listened to the house split into two territories without anyone announcing it. Upstairs, Bianca was gathering something; I heard a suitcase wheel catch on the runner, a soft curse. In the kitchen, a chair scraped — Alessandro still at the island where we'd left him.
Twenty minutes later, Alessandro called me. His voice was even. "Mrs. Keller will stay on call tonight. Bianca will not be in the main house after ten. She'll be in the guest wing over the east garage if she stays at all. I have informed the house manager that the wedding is canceled. He will notify catering and the planner in the morning. No one will ask you about it. If anyone does, you tell them to talk to me."
"Okay," I said.
"Is Sofia settled?" he asked.
"She's lying down," I said. I looked over — Sofia was curled on her side, eyes open, listening.
"Lock the door. We'll meet at seven-thirty in the kitchen. Bring your wrist uncovered so I can have Mrs. Keller look at it properly."
When I hung up, Sofia whispered, "Is the pretty lady leaving?"
"She's sleeping somewhere else tonight," I said.
May you like
She thought about that. "Good."
I sat on the floor with my back against the bed and listened to the mansion settle. Somewhere above, a door closed one final time, and the light in the hallway went out. The house had been one house that morning. Now it had a line down the middle, and we were on the quiet side of it.
