Gentleman in the Shadows

by Karen Sommers

  She meandered through the rest of the garden, thinking of the past; and the day she found the first hidden room.

  Shayna had been playing outside in the spring-fresh air with a boy who came with his father to visit. While their fathers talked business, the two youngsters began a wonderful round of hide-and-seek. Soon, the game moved indoors, and Shayna ventured into her father’s office. Knowing she would be in serious trouble if she was caught in there, she slid into the foot well of his large desk. The boy, Luca, entered and found her at once, both of them giggling.

  Leonardo’s voice echoed down the hallway and Shayna panicked. Not only would she be in hot water, but also Luca would get a beating. When she leaped out from her hiding spot, she tripped on the rug and fell into the wall at a sideways angle. There was a loud, hollow click as the panel slid to the side.

  Grabbing Luca’s arm, Shayna said, “Shh. Follow me. We’ll be in trouble if they catch us in here.” She yanked him into the pitch-dark room and pushed the thin plank shut.

  “What is this room? I don’t want to be in here. I’ll take a few lashes instead.” Luca reached for the board, opening it a crack before Shayna pulled him down beside her.

  “Please. You don’t know what my mother will do to me if I cause Father trouble while he is talking business. She doesn’t like me much anyway. Please don’t say a word. Please.” She held her breath.

  As her father’s voice neared the door, Luca surrendered to her request, and pushed the panel closed again as the men entered the office.

  Shayna recalled how terrified she was of being discovered in the forbidden, hidden space. And how, after pulling a strange boy into it with her, she thought about it and realized her mother would beat her for it if she found out.

  Her heart thudded so hard and loud she was certain her father would hear it from his desk. Gingerly, silently she scooted backward a centimeter at a time until she sat with her back to the far wall several feet away.

  Luca followed suit, and they hid in the dark until their fathers were finished and outside the house once again.

  Confident it was safe to exit, they crept from the darkened space but didn’t leave the office until they had lit a candle and stepped behind the panel again to examine the room. In the winking orange light, they uncovered a small, windowless room containing a small square table and two chairs.

  Laughing, they ran out of the house like two fiends on the lam for their lives.

  Shayna wondered what had become of Luca. She had been eight when they discovered the secret room together. She distinctly recalled playing indoors with Luca several times over the following twelve months, they were always and forever on a quest to find more hidden passages and rooms in her home. They had been rewarded with a few finds. It was an ancient castle full of secrets and mysteries.

  Luca and his father ceased their sporadic visits at the end of the year. Never thinking to ask her father about who they were to her family, Shayna did as most children do; she became busy with being a child and soon forgot about Luca.

  In the years since, she hadn’t thought of him often. The only times he crossed her mind were when she thought of the concealed room in the office, or when she passed the hidden door to a secret tunnel which led to another part of the property where a house once stood.

  With her excursion at an end, she strolled back to her room. She missed being a child. She had mostly good memories of her childhood even though Alexandria had been as predictable as the wind and her mother had shown disdain for her youngest.

  Shayna lifted her mattress and pushed the little square of paper as far under as she could reach. At dinner, which she planned on taking in her room, as had become her custom since losing her father, she would ask for Maria’s help.

  Dinner had once been a special time of day for the family, spending most evening meals with each other at the table. For the last few years, Alexandria and Gianni cried off sitting in the dining room with Leonardo and Shayna. They were always under the weather, or stating the solitude helped their digestion, or didn’t want to take supper at all.

  Excuses to remain separated from Shayna and her father, she knew, but it still stung, and she refused to go sit with them now. Every evening, they sat at the table, demanding everything to be set and done by the staff as if the Queen were seated with them. The few times she joined them, their high-handedness with the servants twisted her insides and made her blood boil. Each time, she had left without finishing the food, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, and heat rising to her neck and face.

  Shayna took a book to the large padded window seat and stretched out to read for a while. She still didn’t feel quite back to normal from the effects of the wine and didn’t wish to push her luck. The late afternoon sun warmed her and, dimmed a bit by its angle, was perfect for reading.

  Chapter 5

  Apparently, the afternoon sunlight had been perfect for napping, too. Shayna woke to the sound of knocking at her door. Sitting, she rubbed at her eyes, and peered out the window, wondering how long she had slept. The sun was westering, but not set yet.

  The knock sounded again. This time, a little louder, and followed by Maria’s voice.

  “Miss, are you in there? Dinner is near to being served.” The handle rattled.

  “Yes. I’m here. Come in.” After placing her book on the cushions, she stood, stretching slowly, and noting all the little aches from her neck to her ankles. She never wanted another drop of wine.

  Maria entered. “Did you take some air as I suggested?” She moved to the basin and set down her pail of fresh water. Picking up the porcelain bowl, she went to the smallest window, pushed it open, and dumped the water out.

  “Yes. It helped. I’ve been asleep for quite some time, though and I suspect I won’t get a wink tonight because of it. I was only going to read.” She grinned, pointed to the book, and shrugged.

  “Good. Sleep speeds recovery. Cook says dinner will be served in fifteen minutes. Would you like to sit at the table with your sister and mother this evening?” After wiping the basin and setting it back on the stand, she filled it with fresh water and placed a freshly laundered cloth beside it.

  “I’m not quite ready to join them. Please bring dinner to my room.” Unable to meet Maria’s gaze, she trained her eyes on the window seat and struggled to smother the irritation bubbling up inside. Since her father’s death, she had avoided her mother and sister, preferring her books and solitude to their snobbery and biting remarks.

  “If you don’t mind my saying so, Miss, people act in strange ways only when we don’t understand their motivations.” She arched her dark brows and pursed her lips.

  “Their motives were quite clear over the last few years, Maria. They didn’t want to join me and my father at dinner. They would have rather sat in their rooms alone than to be with us.” It amazed Shayna that she was still so sensitive over the matter.

  “Yes, Miss. But you are older now. Wiser, too. You should ask why they chose to act the way they did. It’s time you asked why about many things, I think.” Her voice was soft and motherly and her eyes as guileless as always.

  “Thank you.” Shayna could manage no more. Their actions had vexed her while Father was still alive and angered her more since he was gone.

  “I’ll bring your dinner shortly.” Maria closed the door softly as she left.

  Why the change in the maid’s attitude toward Alexandria and Gianni, she wondered? Why would she care if Shayna were was angry with them or not? She knew they were impossible to get along with.

  Shayna washed up and chose her evening clothes, laying the dress on her bed. Could there be a good reason for their actions? She could think of none. But there must be something to it for her maid to speak about it in such a way.

  Shayna pulled the list from under her mattress and placed it on her dressing table, meaning to ask for help with it when Maria returned.

  When a knock sounded announcing the woman’s return, Shayna moved to open the d
oor for her maid. Maria carried the large tray inside, stepping gingerly to keep from sloshing the water out of the glass, and set the salver on the small table in front of the windows. “There you are, Miss. It should stay warm while we get you dressed.” She was smiling again.

  “Thank you. I’ve chosen my outfit.”

  Holding up her arms once Maria had finished loosening the ties of her current gown, Shayna asked, “Would you help me with a list when we’re done?” The dress came off in one swift motion. Maria was graceful and quick with clothes. Others struggled to remove dresses which were fitted at the waist, and Shayna was no exception. With her wine-induced aches and pains, she was grateful for the speed and dexterity of her maid.

  “Of course, Miss. What kind of list do you need to make?” She hauled the looser dress over Shayna’s head and tugged it into place as fast as she had removed the last.

  “I need to shorten one I already have. It’s the people invited to the party last evening.” She spun to face away from Maria, so the maid could fasten the tiny buttons on the back of the dress.

  “Alright, I can help you do that.” She finished the buttons and motioned for Shayna to sit at the dressing table. “But first, it’s time to tidy up your hair.”

  Shayna pulled the paper to her as she sat on the padded stool. She held a piece of tailor’s chalk from the drawer in one hand, and the list in the other. With the pins removed, her hair fell to her shoulders in loose curls, framing her face, and she wondered why she must always wear it pinned and pulled.

  “I’ll read out the names and you tell me whether the person was here last night,” she said.

  “Yes, Ma’am.” While giving answers, Maria worked with Shayna’s hair.

  As she removed the covers from the dinner plates, she continued to say yes regarding every man. Never did she give a hint of uncertainty.

  “You’re certain you saw all those men at the party last night? They were out mingling with the others?” Shayna looked over the paper. All the names had been checked off.

  “Yes.” She faced Shayna again, and tilted her head to the side as if thinking. After a moment, her eyes lit up. After stacking the lids on the side of the table, she gestured toward the door. “Flavio could go over it with you, as well; I’m sure he saw them as he carried the drink trays through.”

  “No. If you say you saw them mixing with other attendees, I believe you.” Sighing, she folded the list and slid it under her dinner tray.

  “Why did you need to know about those men, if I may ask?” Maria stood in the center of the large room, hands clasped in front of her.

  Would telling her maid perhaps burst the bubble of intrigue surrounding her unexpected encounter? Even if she did, that wasn’t her worst fear. If Maria told Mother some uninvited guest had been watching Shayna from the shadows, there would be hell to pay. She would assign a security escort to shadow her every move; she wouldn’t be allowed to even walk through the garden unattended.

  Maria had been more of a mother figure over the years than her real mother. She trusted the woman implicitly. Thinking it over for a moment, she nodded. She might know him.

  “There was a man at the party last night who is not on the list of invited guests.” Nibbling at her thumbnail, she couldn’t hold eye contact and dropped her gaze to her meal. The warm aroma of sweet, slow-cooked meat and vegetables mingled with the smell of the tart cherry dessert and her belly rumbled.

  “Really? Who was it? How did he get in? Benicio oversaw the front door and his men were stationed at the gates.” She took a step forward, eyes wide, and began wringing her hands.

  “I don’t know who he was, or how he got past Benicio’s guard, but he did.” Shayna put a roasted carrot in her mouth, savoring the seasonings from the hearty broth.

  “What did he look like, Miss? Did he bother you?” Maria moved to Shayna’s side. She gripped cleaning cloth in her fists hard enough to turn her knuckles white.

  “I’m not sure what he looked like; he remained hidden in shadows.” She dropped her gaze and grinned. “He bothered me for sure, but not as you’re thinking. He didn’t lay a hand on me, or say anything untoward, only complimented my beauty. He knew me.” She looked up at Maria. “He was so familiar, but I can’t think where or when I met him.”

  “Someone should know he sneaked in. I should inform Benicio immediately.” She spun on her heel, dangling the rag from one hand.

  Shayna grabbed her arm and stood with panic rising in her throat. “No. Please don’t tell anyone. The man meant no harm. He left by the large west field. Probably it’s the way he entered as well. There is no wall or gate or guard there.”

  “Because there’s never been need for those things. The place is full of thorns, brambles, scrub brush, and has been impassable since I was young. Longer. My mother and grandmother warned me about the west woods when I was a child. This man could be dangerous, especially if he comes and goes through the dense forest. Nothing good can come from there, Miss.” Maria’s expression belied her anxiety.

  Shayna pleaded with her eyes. “Please, don’t tell anyone. He might come back. If you alert Benicio, he’ll put guards there and I might never learn the true identity of this mysterious man.”

  Maria studied Shayna’s face. Then she gasped, her eyes widened, and she said, “Oh.” She shook her head once and waggled a warning finger. “No, Miss, this is not romantic; it’s dangerous. I see the look in your eyes. Let it go. If he was being so charming, why did he hide his identity?”

  “It is romantic. I promise he was harmless.” Her gaze drifted toward the high, painted ceiling, but she didn’t see the heavenly fresco with its vibrant colors. She saw the flutter of a black cloak in a field of tall grass. Her voice took on a dreamy quality. “The way he moved...so strong, graceful, and fast. He was an educated man from the way he spoke.” She pulled her attention back to her maid, hardening her tone. “More than most of the drunken buffoons who were here last night. Carlos posed more of a threat than this gentleman did.” She cocked an eyebrow.

  Maria clicked her tongue and shook her head, but she was smiling; a tiny smile full of secret knowledge which all females gain concerning romance. Just past the childhood fantasies of knights in shining armor riding in to save the day, and the damsel in distress, lies the truth. A young woman’s heart can be stolen in a brief, solitary, forbidden encounter, and she doesn’t even have to see the man’s face. The love from such an interlude doesn’t take time to grow, because it isn’t planted. It is thrust into her soul, fully formed, large enough to blot out the sun and overtakes her life, leaving her obsessed with the object of her newfound passion.

  “Miss, I know what you are feeling. It has been a few days since I was so young,” she chuckled, rolled her eyes, and continued, “but I have not forgotten the infatuation only attainable by a girl your age.” She patted Shayna’s hand and drew her into an embrace. “I’ll keep your secret for a while. I’ll ask the staff if they saw this man lurking about in the shadows.”

  “He wasn’t lurking; merely not socializing.” She returned the hug, tightening her hold on the woman for a moment longer. “Thank you.” She held Maria at arms’ length and beamed. “This means so much to me.” She let her hands drop to her sides.

  “Yes, Miss. Yes.” She left Shayna standing in the middle of the room, and closed the door as she disappeared into the hallway.

  She walked to the window. The sun had dipped so the rays of light came across the land at a severe

  angle and every object cast a long shadow. Lighting a lamp, Shayna carried it to the small table and sat to her dinner and thoughts of the man in the shadows.

  Would she ever learn his identity? What if it turned out he was a scoundrel, or he was a dangerous villain hiding in the woods, as Maria had suggested? Would a ruffian or miscreant risk detection by showing up at a gala? What outlaw wore such enticing cologne?

  “One with good taste.” She said. She giggled, pressing her hand to her lips to muffle the sound.
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  What if he’s a prince come to sweep her off her feet and carry her to his palace to live contentedly ever after, she wondered. The sight of her reflection, dreamy-eyed and smiling, stopped her tittering. Princes and heroes belonged in storybooks; they were ideas, and she wasn’t in love with a character in a fanciful tale. The experience was surreal, but the man had been flesh-and-blood; he was real.

  What-ifs were plentiful. She could drive herself mad with too many of them. The sun descended, touching the treetops with crimson. She would go there tomorrow, to the other side of the woods, and see who lived there. Would she find him? In the daylight, with no shadows to mask his face, would she recognize him? She had to find out.

  With most of her dinner finished and her discontent belly at ease again, she paced the room and let her mind ramble. Thoughts of her upcoming adventure damped her appetite, and she didn’t touch dessert. As the evening light dimmed into dusk, she set out to return the list. After replacing it, she proceeded downstairs and out a side door to find her stable hand, Tommi.

  He was at the back of the castle with a few servants. As Shayna approached, their talk and laughter stopped. The men, sitting on the ground, shot to their feet, snatched their hats off, and regarded her with stealthy glances. When she smiled and motioned for them to relax, none did. Past experiences with Gianni and Alexandria kept the male servants on-edge, and often sent the females running away in tears. But she had never treated them badly, and it pained her to witness their fear and dread in her presence.

  She asked Tommi to have her horse and an escort ready by nine the following morning to go to market. He agreed, and Shayna went back inside, leaving them to their enjoyment.

  Chapter 6

  The next morning, Shayna rose early, avoiding her mother and sister and the questions they would certainly ask about her riding out so prematurely. Tommi had the horses saddled and waiting when Shayna reached the stables. Dimitri, Shayna’s escort for the trip, sat on a stool outside the doors.