Page 14 of The Royal Governess
His eyes narrowed. “Expectations?”
“What do you want Gregorio to get out of this?”
Marco’s eyes turned as expressionless as the castle walls. “Ms. Newhart, I thought I made myself clear. Gregorio must attend Harvard University in the United States. He must pass the entrance exam so that he studies there.”
His inflexibility stunned me. Not just an Ivy League college, but Harvard. Part of success is adapting to the environment around you. I needed this job and no matter what, I would succeed. So I had to adapt. My daughter’s future was at stake. Maybe not Harvard but I did want Lexi to get into a good school. “I see.”
I would have to email Mary Carmichael in the guidance department at Providence High School about Harvard requirements, as well as doing my own online research.
My mind cranking ahead, I almost missed his next question. “Sorry, what did you just say?”
He drew closer until he towered over me. “So, you know Brad Pitt…right?”
4
What was he talking about? “No. Of course not.” The words had a sharper edge than I’d intended. Eyes shuttering, Marco pulled back.
Great. Now I’d offended him. Not a good idea to insult your boss on the first day of work. “I mean, why do you ask?”
He tossed his head as if this were of no consequence. “You come from his town. Pittsburgh. No?” Back to puzzlement again.
Hmm. Tricky. “I don’t think Brad Pitt lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I think I would know about that.”
Then it hit me. “In America, our names do not indicate where we were born, where we live. Not like Catherine of Aragon. Not Like Marco Giovanni...” Here I blundered through a butchered version of his name. When he flinched, I stopped.
“Di Napolitano,” he offered, those brown eyes soft as suede. “I see.” But his puzzled frown remained.
Thank goodness at that moment Gregorio appeared in the doorway.
“Are you ready for the day?” Marco asked with gusto.
Gregorio nodded. “Yes, sir. I guess.”
Sir? And he guessed? Such enthusiasm. You would've thought that I was about to run him through with a sword. Although there weren't any in the nursery, plenty of them patterned the walls.
The tension between them made me sad. Oh, sure, I’d felt the same with Lexi many times. But seeing it here with my student? No, this felt worse than sad.
Time to take care of business. “I shipped a box of books ahead. Mostly teaching supplies and anthologies.” And they’d cost a fortune to send. Had they found their way to the island?
Marco was playing with the map, seeing if he could ease it down. “I wondered what that box was. The staff brought it to me. I thought the box had clothing or something like that. The type of things women have.”
Dismissal tinged his words. “Yes, things like research books and valuable anthologies.”
“Research.” He turned and the map ripped away in his hand. Frustrated, he tossed it on the nearest desk. “I will have it brought up.”
“Fine.” I turned toward my pupil. How I hoped he didn’t have the same attitude as his father. “So, I’ll see you here tomorrow, Gregorio. Okay?”
“Tomorrow?” Was that disappointment clouding Gregorio’s face? The unexpected ego boost made me feel great. But I needed to get my feet on the ground first.
“Tomorrow it is then.” And with that, Marco shepherded his son from the room. I was left to study the dust motes floating on the air. Would he allow us access to wi-fi and would our phones be returned?
I didn’t want to get our hopes up. Or Lexi’s.
After they’d left, I did some more poking around upstairs but there was nothing much to see. Finally, I took the elevator to the second floor, enjoying every minute of it. I found Lexi in her room. Somehow she’d found her way down to the kitchen and snared some food. My daughter had always been resourceful. Seated in one of the chairs, she was pulling on her boots.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Going riding. Remember when you told me this place had a stable?”
