Chapter 1
Edith Smith woke up early. Walking around the neighborhood, she made sure she enjoyed every minute of it. All of her stuff had been packed, and in a few hours, she would leave Italy.
Had everything worked perfectly, she would have been still working for the Adami family as their au-pair. But they dismissed her earlier than planned because she had “breached their privacy”.
First of all, she didn’t. Second of all, it couldn’t be called “a breach of privacy” if they did it in an open space. How could she avoid seeing them?
Now, take your mind out of the gutter. It’s not what you think. What Edith saw was the couple arguing in the dining room—that was awfully close to her room.
They had been doing that for sometimes and usually, Edith would stay in her room and pretend she didn’t hear anything. But that night, the baby monitor alerted her about the couple’s kid throwing tantrum in his room. Probably he was awoken by all the shouting.
To get to the baby, Edith had to cross the dining room. The battlefield. So she walked out of her room and into the dining space. A glimpse of embarrassment flit across the couple’s faces when they saw her.
The following morning, Mr. Adami knocked at her door and asked her to follow him to the living room. The wife had been waiting for them there. The baby was asleep in his room.
Edith thought the couple would give her some stern-talking. She didn’t expect to be fired because of something so trivial. Most couples fight, so what was with them acting all mortified?
But the funnier part is they thought she mocked them. Edith remembered she raised the baby monitor when she walked past them that night. It was her way of saying “Don’t mind me. I’m just going to get to the baby”. She thought it would be awkward to really say those words verbally.
Well, her intention didn’t translate well. The couple thought she was an ass and they asked her to leave soon. The Adami couple might have only done that because they took their frustration on her. Poor Edith, but life is not fair. Especially for broke people.
A year before, during her college graduation, her college mate told her about the job. The employers wanted an au-pair who could speak English and Italian, since their English was limited and they wanted their son to be bilingual. Edith had studied in Florence for four years, so the friend thought she would be a good candidate for the job.
A few days after sending her application, Edith was invited for an interview at the Adamis’ house. Roberto Adami owned a big shoe company, while his wife, Anastasia Adami, run a successful media company. Both of them were very busy, but they always had time for each other. They looked like a happy couple, except during the last three months Edith lived in their home.
Although she could hear them fighting from her room, Edith couldn’t make out what they were fighting about. And honestly, she didn’t want to leave just yet. She hadn’t seen much of Europe and she felt there was so much to explore.
She would need more money to add to her saving so she could fund her next adventure. The money she got from her working as an au-pair was just enough for living and taking a short weekend trip to nearby destinations.
It was not her being ungrateful or what. But you only live once, you know. She wasn’t sure if things would be better back home. When she came to Europe, she really was looking forward to build her future there. But after some failed job applications, going home was her only option.
Thinking about a crushed dream, apparently, made her feel hungry. Edith walked toward her favorite bakery in the corner of the street.
She had been a frequent since she moved in to the town. The owner, Mario, was a friendly man in his late 40s. Mario swore to only make his bread from freshly ground wheat, not store-bought flour or any other types of flour.
A bell rang when Edith entered the store. Mario turned his head toward the door and smiled.
“Buongiorno, Edith!”
He rushed to hug her.
“Tania told me about your termination. I’m very sad,” he said.
Tania was Edith’s friend whom she met at this bakery. She worked at the flower shop. They would usually meet on the weekend and had a breakfast together.
“I’ll be fine. You look busy today.”
“Just like any other day,” he said, patting her shoulder gently. “What do you want to have? Sourdough, like usual?”
“I want baguette.”
Mario shouted her order. A moment later, a staff came running with a loaf of baguette in hand.
“So you’re going back to America?” he said, handing the baked good to her. “When?”
Edith handed the money and took the bread from him. It was still hot.
“I’ll leave this noon.”
Mario led her away from the counter so she wouldn’t block other customers. When they were far enough from everyone, he talked again.
“You don’t wait for Tania to return from her vacation? She’s in Sicily, yes?”
“Yes. She’s visiting her grandma.”
“So you don’t wait for her?”
“I’ve texted her about my plan.”
Mario rubbed his forehead. His eyes looked at a space above Edith’s head.
“I met a lady tourist yesterday. We talked a bit and I think she mentioned she was looking for a nanny for her nephew. I mean, if you’re interested. She’ll be here in a moment to pick up a birthday cake she ordered for her friend.”
“A tourist from?”
The bell rang.
“Ah, there she is!” Mario rushed to hug a woman who had just entered his shop. The woman flinched, as if unfamiliar with the gesture. “We’ve been waiting for you. Please, sit down.”
Mario sat across her and started to talk animatedly. She looked overwhelmed by Mario’s friendliness, but as she noticed Edith watching, she reined in her emotions and maintained a cool front.
“I’ll be right back!”
Mario disappeared into the kitchen. Edith sat at a nearby table, thinking the way she could approach the tourist without scaring her. She would glance at her, then smiled when their eyes met. The tourist was dressed elegantly. She had brown hair and was probably in her 30s. Her nails were short and coated nude pink. She might work at a multinational company as a personal assistant or a secretary.
“Here is your cake!” Mario returned with the woman’s order. Her back turned toward Edith, but she could still hear him talking. “Beautiful, right? Please check the name. Correct? Okay.”
As the woman stood up, Edith grabbed Mario’s arm.
“The job?”
Mario slapped his forehead, then turned to the tourist. He whispered in her ear and the lady nodded.
“Here she is!” she said as he pulled Edith closer. “Your future employee.”
“Edith.”
The tourist gingerly shook her outstretched hand.
“Marina,” the tourist replied. “Follow me.”
“Good luck!” said Mario.
Leaving Mario’s bakery, Edith and the lady walked to an old hotel. Edith wondered why Marina would pick a venue that had a pre-historic vibe instead of a sleek, modern establishment. She couldn’t tell if she was a cheapskate or an eccentric. Or an eccentric cheapskate.
“I wonder if there’s rat in there,” she burst out asking.
Marina fixed a glare on her.
“It’s a clean hotel.”
“Right.”
They entered the room number 15. Several suitcases lay on the floor. Edith took a seat while Marina began to cut the cake with a plastic knife it came with. She handed a slice to Edith.
“I thought you ordered it for your friend?”
“It was for my boss, but she had to leave last night. I stayed to pack up all her stuff.”
“She’s not from Italy?”
“We’re both from Grillan, but she’s in London currently. She’s spent most of her time there, running her late husband’s business. I’ll have to go there too, once I send all her stuff back home.”
“Where is Grillan?”
“Oh, you don’t know? It’s a small kingdom close to Sicily. I thought young people should know more about Geography. But, ah! You’re not from here, aren’t you?”
“I’m American,” replied Edith. “But I’ve been here since I was in college.”
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from. As long as you’re willing to learn, everything else can be arranged,” replied Marina. “This job will ask a lot from you, but the payment will definitely suffice. It’s more than what a nanny is usually paid here or elsewhere.”
Marina pushed an unsigned cheque toward her. Edith silently read the amount written on it. Holy sheep! Those are a lot of zeros! But she tried to keep her cool.
Mimicking Marina’s calm, she reined in her excitement and gave her a solemn nod.
“You don’t come to Florence just to look for a nanny, do you?”
Marina put the cheque back to her handbag.
“Of course not! We came here because my boss had a meeting with her business partner. Yesterday, Mario talked about his kids, which reminded me that my boss was tasked with looking for a nanny for her cousin’s son.”
“Why don’t you hire a local nanny?”
Marina sighed.
“The current state of our kingdom is… complicated. The Crown Regent prefers to hire someone with a neutral political background. Hiring local talents has a certain risk. He wants to keep his son safe.”
“Crown Regent? Are we talking about… royalty?”
“That’s right. You’re going to be hired to take care of the little prince,” she said with a reassuring smile. “I thought I’ve mentioned we lived in a kingdom?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t clear that the client… I mean, my client would be a royalty. Holy—”
Edith stopped herself before she cursed. Marina patted her shoulder, smiling.
“Will I be in danger?”
“We’ll arrange security detail for you and the little prince. You only need to worry about his needs.” Marina watched Edith as she licked the cake frosting from her fingers. “You may have to learn your ways around the court too, but we can help you with that. What do you think?”
Edith thought deeply as she munched the cake. Deep down, she was nervous about this job offer. It sounded too good to be true. How could she be that lucky to land a job as a prince’s nanny? What if it was just a lie?
“Do you wish me to just believe in everything you said?”
Marina opened her compact and began reapplying her lipstick.
“Reality doesn’t require your trust,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what you believe in. You can take this job and come with me, or you can think I’m some kind of malevolent being that—”
“You could be a kidnapper.”
“And what would I gain from kidnapping you? You don’t look like you worth that much, anyway.”
“Harsh, but okay.”
“Do you have other plans? Better job offers?”
Edith thought about her only option, which was going back to Florida. She would have to live with her mean aunt, Amelia. At least, until she got a new job.
God, how she hated that woman.
Aunt Amelia raised Edith since she was eight. Edith’s parents got divorced and both ran out of the town. First, it was her dad. Then, her mom took a flight as well. She pretended to visit Aunt Amelia that weekend, but then sneaked out and leave Edith at the aunt’s house.
Amelia didn’t like children, but she took Edith anyway. She did it out of pity. Surely, she was never ready for the lifestyle change. She became bitter and took it on Edith. For her whole life, Edith only wished she could someday leave her aunt’s house and never look back.
“What’s your previous job?” asked Marina.
“I’ve only been an au-pair since I graduated college.”
“Other jobs you had before? I thought American teens worked at fast food restaurants or mowed the lawn? Something like that?”
“Oh, I did some babysitting back then.”
Marina nodded. Her eyes took in Edith’s facial expressions.
“Then you’ve done this kind of job for some time,” she said. “You have enough experience for handling kids. I bet you like kids, too.”
“Don’t you?”
“It’s complicated.”
She rose from her seat, then moved toward the window. Her eyes wistful. Then she dropped her gaze to the floor.
“But we’re not talking about me right now,” she said as she moved across the room. She pulled her luggage closer to the door. “I’ve to leave soon. You can go home now if you’re not interested. I’ll find another candidate who—”
“I’m interested!”
“You do?” Marina looked at her suspiciously. “What made you changed your mind?”
“I think I’m now convinced that you’re not a kidnapper.”
Marina snorted. “You’re not funny.”
