Beast Of Italy

Chapter Six

Nothing else mattered. Julius neither saw nor heard anything but the woman standing in the dining room. He stood watching her for a long while, until she made to turn around. His feet suddenly coming alive, he swiftly shifted to the side of the wall, hiding himself from her. His heart pounded loudly in his chest as he hurriedly made his way back through the paths he had taken.

Julius didn't go back to the dining area that evening, until his mother arrived to force him out of the study. Still, he sat at dinner barely eating and completely distracted by the memory of the a few minutes ago.

"May I speak with you, Julius?" Pausing from moving his fork back and forth his plate, he lifted his eyes to her and rose a brow. She placed her fork on the plate. "I would like to suggest that I help you find a wife."

Unsurprised that his mother wasn't giving up on the topic, "How so, mother?" He tried to sound uninterested but he already had several emotions running through his veins, emotions that were aroused by the new maid. He unfortunately found as he sat there, that was interested or at least his body was interested even if the very notion was insane for no woman would agree to sharing his bed.

"I have spoken to some members of the aristocracy," She lifted her fork once more and poked a pea. Lifting it up slowly, Julius found that he was getting anxious. If the women of the ton were anything like the maid, then he had no objections for his attraction to her was borne out of his seclusion from society, was it not? Why else would he find a raggedy maid whose face he had failed to even see, attractive?

What did she even look like? Forgetting his mother's presence in the room, he thought of the honey skinned maid. He wanted to see her face, desperately.

"Do as you please, mother. Arrange a meeting with the new maid tonight, I would like to know who it is you have hired. " Picking up his fork, his hands trembled from excitement. He however wished his mother hadn't noticed and if she had, he wished she attributed it to the irregular movements of his muscles rather than his excitement about meeting a maid.

♠♠♠

Ira was nervous as she made her way to the parlor that evening. The second Lady Talbot instructed her to meet with Lord Talbot, fear settled in the depths of her belly. She was so afraid, she forgot her promise to Miranda and gave Rey a dose of her mother's remedy to help him sleep.

After placing him on the bed, she turned sharply and made her way to the parlour.

The door stood wide open, an indication that he was expecting her. Still, she made a fist and pounded softly on the door. When he didn't respond, she took a frightened step in, uncertain of his presence.

Pulling to a halt suddenly, her eyes came to rest of him seated silently on what appeared to be a very comfortable gray sofa. She knew he was aware of her presence, yet, he remained seated as if oblivious to her. Knowing she couldn't speak without being spoken to, she stood silently before him for several seconds.

The longer she stood, the harder it became to remain standing. Her trembling fingers reached up just in time to keep the scarf around her shoulders in place, her eyes immediately darting to the floor for fear he would catch her staring. After a while, she lifted her eyes up to find his eyes planted on his glass of whiskey that had remained the same quantity for the duration of time she stood before him.

Scarred fingers clutched his glass, twirling the drink back and forth and causing her to fear it would spill from its confinement in his glass to the floors.

"Name?" His low growl caused a cold shiver to wash over her. Tightening her hold on the scarf, her eyes settled on the part of his neck that had been left exposed by his shirt collar, to find the reason for his terrible voice; the burn scars that mutilated his neck.