Page 71 of Monster in Disguise

Does he not remember our encounter? My mind races, trying to come up with an explanation for his apparent amnesia.

"Why did you call me here?" I quickly change the subject in an attempt to divert attention away from my slip of the tongue.

"I wanted to talk to you about the governess matter," he says and pauses, catching on to my evasion tactics. "What were you sorry about? Did something happen?"

I hastily backtrack, hoping to avoid any further incrimination. "I meant this morning," I amend. "I'm sorry I spent so much money."

His expression softens as he immediately reassures me. "I told you to get whatever you need. You don't have to worry about money."

A pang of guilt hits me for lying. But if he doesn't remember... maybe it was all a mistake? Maybe he was asleep and didn't intend for it to happen? But that makes me feel even more guilty for intruding in his room in the first place.

"What about the governess then?" I steer the conversation back on track, eager to focus on something else. We spend the next few minutes discussing potential candidates and scheduling interviews.

"Today?" I ask hesitantly, caught off guard by the sudden urgency in his tone.

"I've been putting this off for too long," he admits with a heavy sigh. "I didn't realize how bad things were with Venezia before. She doesn't even know how to read."

My frown deepens at his revelation. "She doesn't know how to read?" I repeat, shocked by the news.

"No one showed an interest in her before... And she's fifteen. I never imagined the situation would be so bad," he confesses. "Assisi and Claudia should also benefit from it since they haven't exactly had a normal education."

"Yes. Claudia is still young, but Sisi... I'm worried about how she will adjust to living outside of the convent."

"I didn't know she disliked it in there so much..." He shakes his head. "If you'd like to be present for the interview, I have three candidates coming in a few hours."

I readily agree.

"Great. Meet me in," he looks at his watch, "two hours in the drawing room?"

I nod and go back to my room to change.

When I go down to the drawing room a while later, Marcello is already there, a newspaper on his lap.

"The first candidate should be here in ten minutes," he casually mentions when I take a seat next to him. He seems to be totally indifferent to me, and I curse myself for even contemplating that we could be something more. It doesn't help that now I know what his touch feels like, what his lips on mine can make me feel.

I let out a long sigh, telling myself to forget everything. It's just not meant to be.

The first candidate comes in, and Marcello grills her on her experience. He does the same to the second and the third candidate, and we ultimately agree none of them would fit.

"Why is this so hard?" He groans when we get a small break before the last person is supposed to come in.

"I can't believe how snobbish they were," I'm already frustrated with the process. They'd all scoffed at the fact that Venezia is fifteen with no formal education. Marcello had guidedthe interview so they could show their true colors, having already had an awful experience with Venezia's last governess.

Amelia announces that the last candidate is ready to come in. She looks to be around mid-thirties, definitely younger than the others before her. She takes a seat in front of us, and we proceed with the standard questions. Her answers are on point, and I give Marcello a slow nod. She even got the tricky questions right.

"One last thing," I add, wanting to be perfectly sure about this. "Since the three of them are in different age ranges and require different curriculums, how would you plan on making lessons cohesive so they also don't feel isolated?" I'm hoping some shared lessons would help them bond with each other. God knows, Venezia really needs it.

"Yes, of course. While perusing the job advertisement, I took the opportunity to draw up a mock schedule." She rummages through her dossier and stands up to hand us a sheet of paper. She goes directly to Marcello, however, whenIwas the one who asked the question. I try not to show my slight annoyance at this, but I feel better when Marcello shakes his head and motions towards me.

The woman's smile is tight as she hands me the schedule. I look carefully, liking what I'm seeing. The shared time would be during art and etiquette classes. The plan is detailed enough that I can get a feeling of what she would teach them.

"Very well." I share a look with Marcello and he agrees.

"When can you start?" He asks, and she beams.

"Anytime."

"Even tomorrow?"

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