Page 13 of No Escape

“You told him…you were horny.”

“What?” I stared at him in horror. “No way I said that. Is that really what that means?”

“That’sreallywhat that means.” Slash laughed again. “No wonder he told me to enjoy myself.”

“Ugh! I’m never speaking Italian unless you’re around.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Your Italian has improved quite a bit. Mistakes are a part of learning a new language.”

A voice spoke behind us. “Benvenuto.” The man who’d been waiting at the dock, holding a large lantern and wearing a gray trench coat, greeted us. He looked to be about sixty years old with a nicely trimmed mustache and shock of gray hair. “Welcome to Castrum Augustus. My name is Lorenzo Conte, and I’m Mr. Zachetti’s butler. Shall we get your luggage into the van? The castle, as you can see from here, is just a short distance, but it’s quite cool out here with the wind blowing.”

We introduced ourselves before helping him pile our stuff into the van. I watched him stagger a bit with one of Mom’s suitcases, but with a little help from Slash, he got it inside the van and somehow managed to close the back.

Mom and Dad had already seated themselves in the van, and Slash helped me in before climbing in behind me and closing the door.

“We’re quite pleased you’ve arrived at last,” Lorenzo said as we drove away from the dock. His English was tinged with a British accent. “You’re the final guests. I was dismayed to hear about your travel delay but hope we have allowed sufficient time for you to change clothing and refresh yourselves before dinner is served promptly at seven o’clock in the dining room.”

I glanced at my watch. I needed a lot more than forty minutes to repair my appearance, as well as mentally prepare myself for meeting my in-laws and the rest of the guests, but I wasn’t going to get it. A panicked glance at Slash confirmed he knew what I was thinking.

He patted my knee in sympathy. “Grazie,” Slash told him. “We’ll make it work.”

Chapter Seven

Lexi Carmichael

My first impression of the castle was that it wasn’t exactly a castle. Instead, it was more like a mansion built atop the ruins of an ancient castle.

As we pulled up onto a circular stone driveway, I stared in awe. The new part of the castle was made of cream-colored stones built directly onto the gray stone foundation that had once been the original castle structure. The architect appeared to have followed the original design, building a mansion that mimicked a real castle with impressive turrets, large windows ringed with stone arches, and impressive balconies guarded by delicate iron railings. The castle was unmistakably Italian, with red terra cotta tiles perched on the roof. Two enormous, arched wooden doors were decorated with Christmas wreaths woven with red and gold ribbons and dotted with silver balls.

“Wow,” I murmured as I exited the car. If the castle looked this stunning in the dark, I couldn’t imagine how it would look in the daylight.

“Impressive,” Slash said. I hadn’t realized he had come to stand beside me. He slipped his hand in mine, and for a moment we marveled at it.

“Lexi, this place is beautiful,” Mom said from behind me. “What a lovely idea to come here.”

“It’ll undoubtedly be an adventure,” Dad said, also admiring the view. “Good job.”

We helped Lorenzo unpack the van and followed him through one of the gigantic wooden doors and into the foyer. The inside didn’t disappoint. Two gorgeous rose-colored marble staircases with elaborately carved handrails led to the next level and flanked a large open space. A huge iron chandelier, possibly original to the castle, hung down from the second floor and held actual lit candles.

To the right of the entrance stood a gigantic Christmas tree, dripping in white lights, satin ribbons, and huge pear-shaped crystals. But the Nativity scene caught my interest. Someone had created an entire mini village with an inn, running water, working lights, intricate backdrops, and a plethora of people and animal figurines. The engineering and design were so sophisticated, the geek in me immediately activated.

I walked over to examine it, and Slash followed. “This is extraordinary,” I breathed. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

“We Italians take ourpresepiquite seriously,” he said with a smile. “It’s your Nativity scenes, as you call it.Presepemeans crib. The crib will remain empty until Christmas Eve, when the baby is placed in it to great fanfare. But I agree with you, this one’s exquisite.”

I wanted to stay and figure out how the architect had done everything, but Lorenzo ushered us toward the area between the two staircases, near a large rectangular table with a pink marble top. Atop the table was a rustic Christmas centerpiece made of pinecones, gourds, and fir boughs, mixed in with red, white, and gold candles, all of which flickered from the draft of the open door behind us.

“That’s the butler’s table,” Slash said softly. “It holds things that a butler might need, I suppose.”

Perhaps it was normal for a castle to have a butler, but I didn’t even know what a butler did. “This castle is mind-blowing.”

Even my mom was speechless, and that’s saying something. My dad looked around the room, whistling at the view.

“I’m so pleased you approve of the seasonal decor,” Lorenzo said. “Mr. Zachetti spares no expense. Now, behind the staircase to your right is a small elevator that will assist you with getting your luggage to the second floor.”

As we started to shuffle that way with our luggage, my mom asked Lorenzo a question. “Mr. Conte, you speak English so well. Where did you learn it?”

He seemed pleased, as well a little embarrassed by her compliment. “That’s kind of you to say,signora. I studied several languages in London. I also speak French, German, and Spanish. Mr. Zachetti often has guests from diverse locations and prefers to have a butler who can appropriately and efficiently respond to the needs of everyone.”

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