Page 4 of Business Temptations

He chuckled as he tore into the protein bar.

There was a small shuffling sound and Matteo pictured the sprite sitting down outside the doorway. “Why is Mr. Daniels so mad at you?” the girl asked.

Matteo had asked himself that question repeatedly over the past few weeks. “I don’t know.”

Another long silence, then the girl said, “I think we should find out,” she whispered. “I’m going to sneak into the headmaster’s office and see what I can learn. I’ll be right back!”

Matteo tried to swallow the waxy sawdust masquerading as healthy protein, but he’d taken too large of a bite of the bar and, before he could speak again, the small footsteps had faded away.

He wished that the girl would come back. Matteo hated to admit it, but the girl was the first friendly voice he’d heard since coming to this place. If he could get word to his mother about what was happening, she would figure out how to get him home. But would she dare go against his father’s edict? The Marquesso Ricardo del Campo was a vicious, evil man. Matteo hated that he shared the old man’s last name and vowed to somehow change it as soon as an opportunity arose. Matteo might be illegitimate, but Ricardo was the one who had cheated on his wife. It wasn’t Matteo’s fault that his mother, Camilla, hadn’t wanted the old man’s attentions.

At least, that’s the story his mother had told him. But Matteo’s mother always added a soft touch to his hair and a smile as she said, “But I never regretted having you, Matteo. You are the light of my life.”

Not much of a “light” at the moment, he thought, and sighed.

A few minutes later, the small steps came back. “I couldn’t find anything!” the girl whispered. “But I brought this. I thought you might want to read.”

Matteo watched as a book appeared under the doorway. It was a thick book and barely fit, but the girl shoved hard and the book made it through. “You’ll need this too,” and a small flashlight appeared.

“Thank you,” he replied, taking the book gratefully. As he looked down at the title, he chuckled. “A story about fairies?” he teased.

“I like fairy stories,” she argued. “They’re fun.”

Matteo opened the book and started reading, assuming that the small girl would run away again. But he heard a small voice say, “It’s more fun if you read it out loud.” The voice was just a whisper and it came directly under the door. He imagined the girl lying on her stomach as she tried to see what was going on.

Matteo chuckled, charmed by the girl’s idea. He turned back to the first page and started reading. “Madeline was born in the year twenty-thirty-two,” the story began. He read until the sun faded, and then he turned on the flashlight, reading for at least another hour.

“It’s time for you to be in bed,” he told the girl.

“Just one more chapter?” she pleaded.

He laughed softly but started sliding the book under the doorway. “Tomorrow night.”

“But what if you’re not punished tomorrow?” asked the worried voice.

That was a good question. The girl had helped him in ways she probably didn’t even understand. There was no way he was going to repay her thoughtfulness by leaving the story in the middle.

He thought quickly and came up with a solution. “If I’m not punished again, why don’t you meet me behind the abbey tomorrow after the dinner bell?” he suggested. “We could read back there until it’s too dark.”

“Okay!” he heard the excitement coloring her tone. “Don’t get in trouble tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay,” he vowed, and hoped that he could keep his promise. However, Matteo realized determination alone couldn’t keep him out of this attic prison. It seemed the headmaster was purposely finding arbitrary reasons to punish him.

Matteo was “freed” at the same time the following morning. But this time, he didn’t see a small girl with blond curls racing towards him and he had to tamp down a spurt of disappointment. The girl was cute, but she probably had to be at school early in the morning.

He arrived in time for his first class and opened his backpack. Then froze. Inside his pack was another breakfast sandwich. He looked around, wondering if anyone had noticed the forbidden food. But everyone seemed to be concentrating on the reading assignment that had been written on the board.

Matteo stuffed the sandwich down deeper into his backpack. He’d eat it in between classes, he thought as he pulled out the textbook for class. He didn’t need to read through the assignment. He’d read this chapter several days ago. None of the other kids wanted to be friends with him, so Matteo spent most of his time in the library reading ahead on his assignments. As the school pariah, he didn’t have much to do with his time, other than study.

Four years until graduation, he thought as he opened the textbook to a chapter he hadn’t read and began skimming through the text. No, not four years. Three years, seven months, and eight days until he’d be released from this school. Maybe he could convince his father to pay for summer school classes. Then he could finish faster. Plus, there would be fewer students here during the summer. Fewer tormentors.

Yes, Matteo silently determined to look into that possibility.

Nine hours later, he lugged his book bag to the other side of the school’s abbey. It was a massive stone structure that was vaguely reminiscent of the churches in Spain, although the architecture was most likely copied from the English monasteries. Still, he missed his home country, and especially the warmth and the solidness of his village, despite the occasional cruelty of the village kids. So being here, surrounded by something that was nearly similar to his home, felt good, like a breath of home.

And he felt even better when a small, blond girl raced around the corner, with a book tucked under her arm.

“You’re here!” she gasped, skidding to a halt on the soft grass.

---