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He seemed to be wearing a wide-brimmed beret, the style favored by artists, looking tall and gentle.
Seeing that the young girl seemed to not understand his words, the man paused and reconsidered before asking again in Latin.
"Are you a guest from France?"
Hedy stepped back a little, finally managing to understand what he was asking.
"I... escaped here," she thought carefully for an appropriate excuse. "Excuse me, is anyone here looking for a maid?"
Although she had grown accustomed to a life of retirement, suddenly finding herself in this strange place, she needed to find work to survive.
"A maid?" The man was taken aback for a moment, then his expression brightened. "I happen to need a maid. Would you be willing to come?"
He was currently in a bit of trouble and needed a woman around.
The young man, fearing she might refuse, quickly added, "I have no one else in the house. Occasionally, I have guests—I'm not interested in women, I won't harm you."
Because the young man spoke so quickly, Hedy barely understood half of what he said.
As she hesitated, the young man offered a price.
"Two soldi a day, is that acceptable?"
Before Hedy could respond, her stomach let out a growl.
"Come on," he smiled. "My house is not far from here."
This situation was eerily similar to her escape years ago.
In her past life, when Hedy was nineteen, she had fled from the arms dealer's estate all the way to England. While staying with a friend of her father’s, she saw the opening of a movie with the MGM lion, and on a whim, she went to America alone, found an agent, and self-recommended to get into the industry.
She had always been a woman of strong will.
And she had never been afraid of men.
Even at the very beginning, she had walked alone into Austria’s largest film studio, and within just three days, she had convinced them to accept her, rising from an extra to the leading lady.
The young man seemed to be an artist, as even the living room had an easel and paint, with a half-completed painting of the Madonna and Child resting against the wall. It appeared he had only roughly sketched it and left it unfinished.
It was now midday, and the man swiftly prepared a pot of pasta, casually sprinkling some mushroom sauce and basil leaves on top, serving her a bowl as well.
He pointed to the black bread on the table, signaling that she could help herself later.
Both of them were not particularly fluent in Latin, so their conversation was a bit awkward and slow.
"What is your name?"
Hedy instinctively wanted to answer "Hedy Lamarr," but the words almost stopped in her throat.
That surname had been given to her by the wife of MGM's boss, who had helped her adopt it on the deck.
Lamarr meant "sea," and it had become her new identity.
Her real name had once been Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler.
Suddenly, she remembered her father's surname, her old name, and many forgotten memories.
Now, living again, everything about her was no longer tied to MGM.
