Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief when she peeked into Brandon’s room. Though the colors of the furnishings varied from Shrek-green to aqua, and there were several large stuffed wild animals strewn about, at least it somewhat resembled a child’s room.
After the whorehouse bedroom and the jungle bedroom, Charlotte wasn’t quite sure what to expect when Emily opened the third door. “This one belongs to our daughter, Amanda,” Emily said.
Charlotte laughed. “I take it that Amanda likes pink.”
Emily laughed with her. “Not just pink. She insisted on hot pink, and, unfortunately, the bedspread and drapes had to be satin.”
“A room fit for a princess,” Charlotte murmured.
“Oh, believe me, Amanda is anything but a princess. Around here we call her Demanda.”
Emily’s tone was dripping with sarcasm. Then she laughed. To Charlotte’s ears, the laughter sounded forced, which made her wonder if Amanda was a problem child.
When Emily paused at the last door near the end of the hallway, she said, “This is my mother-in-law’s suite.” She raised her hand to knock, but before she could do so, the door swung open.
A heavyset elderly lady with snow-white hair stuck her head through the opening and said, “I thought I heard voices out here.”
“Charlotte, this is Sophia, my mother-in-law. Mama, this is Charlotte, our new maid.”
Sophia narrowed her eyes and gave Charlotte the once-over. “She’s older than the other one. Does Robert know that you hired someone new?”
Emily nodded. “Yes, Mama. Don’t you remember? Jennifer had a family emergency she had to take care of, and didn’t know when she would be able to return to work.”
Sophia waved her hand. “Yes, yes, of course I remember. I’m not as addle-brained as some people around here think I am. As for what’s her name—the other maid—that girl wouldn’t know work if it bit her on the butt.”
“Mama!”
“Well, it’s true, and you and I both know it.”
“Ah—yes—well, I was just showing Charlotte around before she begins cleaning.”
Sophia opened the door wider and motioned for them to come inside. “Bring her in and get it over with,” she grumbled. “I want to get dressed, and I’m hungry. With all of those men in and out, a body has to dress before they can even eat breakfast around here.”
Though her manner was a bit coarse and she was clearly irritated, Charlotte decided that she liked Sophia anyway. Now there was a woman with spunk, she thought.
Out of all of the bedrooms, Sophia’s looked the most normal. Though primarily royal blue, Charlotte could clearly tell that Sophia had put her own decorating touches on her room. Unlike the sterile atmosphere of the other bedrooms, Sophia had added little personal touches here and there: some throw pillows, an overstuffed easy chair facing a wall-mounted plasma TV, doilies, and several framed photographs. When Charlotte spotted the crochet hook and yarn on the side table next to the chair, she figured that Sophia had probably crocheted the doilies herself.
The final bedroom was a guestroom, the colors primarily purple and gold. “This one we call the LSU room,” Emily told Charlotte, motioning toward a small collection of LSU pendants hanging on the wall. “You know, purple and gold? LSU colors?”
Charlotte tilted her head to one side. “You went to LSU?”
Emily shook her head. “LSU is Robert’s alma mater.”
A few minutes later they walked into the kitchen to find a short, muscular man with salt-and-pepper-hair and a ruddy complexion filling a travel mug with coffee. “Just getting a refill, Ms. Rossi.”
Emily nodded and smiled. “Anytime, Gus. And by the way, this is Charlotte LaRue. She’ll be cleaning for us during the next four days.” Emily turned to Charlotte. “Gus is another of our guardian angels.”
Stains of scarlet darkened Gus’s already-ruddy complexion. With a gruff “Nice to meet’cha,” he hurried from the room.
As soon as he left, Emily laughed. “Gus is a sweetheart. I just love teasing him. All total, there are six men who work around the house full-time,” Emily continued. “You’ve already met Mark and Gino—which reminds me. All of the men live out back in the old carriage house. Three years ago Robert had it renovated so the men would have somewhere to bunk. If you get caught up around here today, maybe you could clean it as well tomorrow.”
If Charlotte remembered right, it had been just about three years since Robert’s father had been murdered, which meant that there was a good possibility that his father’s murder was the reason for all of the bodyguards. But were the bodyguards strictly for show, an attempt to make people think there really was an outside threat, or had Robert Rossi’s claims of innocence been true?
Chapter
3
Even knowing that she would probably have to straighten the kitchen again before she left, Charlotte decided to clean it first. She had just finished scrubbing down the stove-top and the oven when Sophia Rossi entered the room.
“Oh, phooey,” Sophia grumbled. When Charlotte turned, Sophia made a sweeping motion with her hand. “I was hoping to fix my breakfast before you started cleaning.”
Charlotte smiled. “That’s okay. I can begin dusting the parlor while you have breakfast.”
Sophia nodded. “That’s very kind of you. More than I can say for that other maid. Why, that one wouldn’t give you the time of day.” She paused, narrowed her eyes, and tilted her head to one side. “Are you a believer?”
Surprised by the abrupt change of subject and not quite sure exactly what the older lady meant, Charlotte said, “If you mean am I Christian, then yes—yes, I am.”
Sophia beamed. “That’s wonderful!” She launched herself at Charlotte, and before Charlotte realized what she intended, the older lady threw her arms around her for a surprisingly strong hug. “Now I’m not alone,” Sophia whispered, releasing Charlotte.
“Mama, what are you doing?”
Sophia whirled around to face Emily. “Nothing, dear.” Looking a bit flustered, Sophia smoothed the skirt of her dress. “Just getting a bite of breakfast.”
Emily sighed. “Now don’t go pestering Charlotte. She’s got a lot of work to do.”
“I wasn’t bothering her,” Sophia replied with a petulant expression. She turned back to Charlotte. “Was I?” she demanded, a pleading look in her eyes.
Charlotte smiled and shook her head. “No, not at all.” Still a bit flustered herself after Sophia’s spontaneous affectionate gesture and unwilling to get caught in the middle of the two women, Charlotte said, “Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I think I’ll begin dusting in the parlor while Sophia has her breakfast.”
Charlotte had just finished dusting the double parlor and was ready to begin on the dining room when Emily walked into the room.
“Just wanted to let you know that Mama has finished breakfast now, in case you want to clean in the kitchen. And, Charlotte”—Emily lowered her gaze to the floor for a moment—“I overheard what Mama was saying to you earlier.” She raised her head. “I don’t know quite how to say this, but Robert’s mother can be a bit fanatic about things, if you know what I mean. She’s harmless, but ever since Papa Roberto was murdered, she hasn’t been the same.”
“I understand,” Charlotte said.
Emily sighed. “Poor thing. It wasn’t long afterward—after his death—that she claimed she’d had a religious epiphany. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a believer too.