76

There had been parties every night at the Borgia palace, raucous parties, attended by both mortals and immortals. Some of the mortals were clearly regulars and were there to enjoy the sex and be fed upon. There were others though that Soren had brought in, who weren’t there of their own choosing. Unfortunately, those mortals never left, at least they never left alive. The festivities would always begin at midnight when the many friends of the Borgia gathered for a night of debauchery that would last until dawn. Soren reveled in the orgy of flesh, sex, and blood, but for the most part, Rodrigo sat next to her, both of them on grand thrones, watching the night's entertainment. On occasion, Rodrigo would throw himself into the orgy, always asking if she'd like to join him. She would shake her head no, and he would only laugh and say she had no idea what she was missing. Once he was done, he would return to the throne beside her, kissing her hard before wiping the blood from his lips.

She had lost track of the days and was wondering if she’d ever see home again, when, one night, Giada entered her suite and told her master said it was time for her to return home. Giada started packing up her things. Dona was both elated and afraid. She knew Mario and Marie had both been killed, and she could only hope it had been done quickly, but knowing Soren that was probably too much to hope for. Rodrigo had told her he’d send Giada and Tarleton back with her. She didn’t know them well. They had been helpful to her here, but she’d grown up with Mario and Marie, she’d known them all her life. Dona helped to gather her few things to take back to her villa when Tarleton entered her suite as well. She decided not to ask about Rodrigo, thinking, perhaps, she could leave without having to say goodbye when he appeared at her door.

Walking inside, he stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his face burrowing into her neck. "Do not fret, my pet. Giada and Tarleton have been given their instructions. You will see me soon, for I will not be able to be separated from you long."

Spinning her in his arms, he kissed her long and hard, a moan escaping his throat. Breaking the kiss, he looked into her eyes, "You are mine, my pet, all mine." He gave her no chance to respond and walked out of the room.

Giada ordered Tarleton to carry the bags downstairs. "Come along, mistress, there is no time to dally, master wishes you to be gone."

Dona was all too happy to comply. Rodrigo had left as quickly as he’d come, and she didn’t even have time to answer him. She looked around the room one last time, her richly appointed prison cell, and was eager to be gone. "Of course, I am ready."

She followed Tarleton; still not sure she could navigate the labyrinth of hallways to the front entrance. He loaded her things into the trunk while the driver held the door open for her and she climbed into the back seat. She sighed with relief, and then Giada slid into the seat next to her, as Tarleton sat up front next to the driver. Dona was hoping she wouldn’t need to keep up a conversation on the trip home. She feigned a yawn, and laid her head back on the seat, closing her eyes. The ride back was a quiet one.

She did manage to drift in and out of a light sleep as she listened to the light banter between the servants and the driver. After the three-hour drive, they pulled up in front of her villa. She woke when the car stopped, and she looked at the refurbished facade. A lump formed in her throat as she thought about the horrors that had probably taken place inside. The driver opened her door and she stepped out, followed by Giada. Tarleton gathered her few bags from the trunk, and they walked to the main door as the driver pulled away. Dona entered the access code to the house, and she heard the door unlatch. She pushed it open and stepped into a nightmare. It was clear there had been a struggle from the start, as there was furniture over-turned in the foyer. Dona held her hand over her mouth as she followed the trail of destruction into the parlor and saw the blood splatter on the walls and furniture, and the large pool of dried blood on the rug. She didn’t know which of her servants met their end here. There were charred bones in the fireplace, topped with a single skull, where Soren had clearly disposed of both of their bodies. Dona wanted to cry but was well aware both Giada and Tarleton were standing right behind her. "I need to have this cleaned up. The bones removed and buried in the gardens. I don't want to see any evidence of this when you are done."

Tarleton and Giada stood behind her, neither of them disturbed by the sight of the bones stacked in the fireplace. They were used to much worse in their service to the Borgia. Giada stepped forward as Tarleton carried the bags to the upper level. "Pay no mind, mistress, we know how to clean up such things. Go to your suite, rest, and when you wake, all will be back to normal. Tarleton and I will see to our rooms. Go on, to bed with you."

Dona nodded, fighting back her tears when she turned and left Giada to take care of the mess. She headed up the stairs and into her room, again discovering signs of a struggle and the rope suspended from the ceiling, the over-turned chair, the blood pooled on the floor beneath it. The sheets on her bed were blood-stained and in complete disarray, but there was a clear indentation, a perfect outline of Soren, where he had lain, stretched out, to watch her die. It was clear now to Dona, that it was Mario's blood she’d seen downstairs and Marie's blood that was here in her bedroom. She felt dizzy, reaching out to steady herself on the dresser, and noticed the dead flowers in the vase filled with dark, clotted blood. She looked up at the mirror and saw the message Soren had left to taunt her. She felt her stomach turn and feared she might throw up as Tarleton looked on, seemingly unfazed by the carnage. "I can't stay in this room now."

Tarleton shrugged. "Mistress, it is just blood, nothing that cannot be cleaned and burned. You must understand master wishes you only to have the best. It was obvious these two servants were mediocre in their service to you. You will see a difference now that Giada and I are attending to your needs. It will be cleaned in no time."

Dona couldn’t believe her ears! "I’ll move to another room. Please remove that bedding and burn it as well. I will take the bedroom down the hall."

She couldn’t bear the thought of Soren lying on her bed and wanted anything that had touched him removed from the house. She turned and walked, almost trance-like, to one of the spare bedrooms, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. Marie and Mario had stayed with her when all the other staff had abandoned her, and they had paid for their loyalty with their lives. She leaned her back against the door and silently sobbed, as she listened to the sounds of Giada and Tarleton, working efficiently to clean away all evidence of her butler and her maid ever living here.

Giada had joined Tarleton upstairs and sighed. "Our new mistress is prissy and soft. Soren always makes a mess, usually much worse than this. Strip the room, we will burn it all. Empty the fireplace, throw the contents on the rug and drag it outside, burn it, along with the linens inside her room. Remember what master told us, she is to be watched closely and we are to report everything. He wants to know where she goes, who she sees. I will see to her now, give her a sleeping potion and she will sleep until next sundown."

Giada made her way to the spare bedroom and didn’t knock before entering. She found the mistress sobbing on the bed. "Do not fret, my lady, it is just linens and rugs. These things can be replaced, just as your servants were replaced. I will let master know what was destroyed, and he will see to it promptly. I will fix you a sleeping powder to help you sleep. Get undressed, I will return with it."

Dona was appalled at her callousness. She referred to her servants as if they were things to be replaced, like rugs and linens! Dona sat on the side of the bed, more than happy to take something that would make her sleep so she could escape this nightmare. “Would you bring me a fresh gown, Giada? My clothes are in the other bedroom."

Giada stood with her hands on her hips. "Let me make something clear to you, my lady. I am not here to grant your every wish. If you want something from another room, I expect you to get it yourself. I have to make the potion, so you sleep and do not bother Tarleton and me while we clean up this small hovel you call a home." She huffed and walked out of the room.

Tarleton overheard the conversation, found a nightdress in the dresser, and took it to his new mistress. "Forgive her, mistress, she is angry she is not inside the palace any longer. She feels it is a punishment to be sent away. The Borgia treats us well. We are not used to this abandoned countryside."

Dona was stunned to be spoken to in that manner! Giada had always been so helpful when she’d taken care of her in Rome. It was clear, now, the tables had turned. Dona accepted the gown and went to the bathroom to change her clothes in private. She knew it would do no good to complain to Rodrigo about Giada's behavior. Rodrigo had made it clear they 'had their instructions’. She had no doubt her every move would be relayed to him daily. She returned to the bedroom and pulled down the blankets from the bed. When Giada returned, she handed her a chalice. Dona looked hard at Giada, wondering if the maid was going to poison her, and Dona was startled to find the idea wasn’t unappealing. At least it would be an escape. She drank down the potion without question, almost hoping she’d never wake again.