She felt bad for not speaking up and hurting the pretty lady’s feelings but then lowered her eyes with a soft sigh there was nothing she could do about it and the Witch was watching her closely so she remained silent. From Heathrow Airport they caught the sleeper train to Scotland and the Witch put her in a small bed with a tiny window shutting the curtain she said simply.‘Stay here until I come and get you. Go to sleep and when you wake we will be almost home’She left her alone in the dark and Alcina trembled with fear, the blackness was all-consuming wrapping itself around her small body, she could not breathe and began to panic. Little whimpering sounds came from her lips and she began to struggle for breath as the panic attack gripped her she hated the dark it had always terrified her and then a guardian angel rescued her. The Train Guard had heard the soft whimpers coming from one of his beds and he sensed something was very wrong as the sounds grew strangled so he opened the c
She pulled her from her grandfather's arms and gave her a vicious little shake glaring into the child’s eyes trying to intimidate her. Alcina gritted her teeth refusing to react to this nasty woman, she was not stupid and understood where the power lay. She would do as the witch said for now to protect herself but her love would be reserved for her ’ Nonno e Nonna’ [Grandfather and Grandmother] giving her Aunt a small smile she said quietly in perfect English,‘Yes, Aunt Annabella.’Annabella frowned at the perfect English but then nodded her approval her Mother must have taught her,‘Excellent. I’m glad we understand each other now come with me and I will show you to your room’Without waiting to see if her parents approved she grabbed the little girl by her hand and led her up the wide staircase and then down endless dimly lit corridors before stopping outside a large door,‘I think this is rather appropriate’
She bent the little girl over her chair and spanked her hard using the wooden spoon that had been on the table as part of a decoration. It hurt like hell but Annabella did not know of the Moretti strength of will and was stunned to see the child did not cry.‘Take her to her room and let her starve, a few days of only bread and water will sharpen her appetite’She snarled at the maid who gently took Alcina’s hand and led her back up the staircase and stayed to help her undress,‘Come on let me help you Child’She whispered rubbing in the arnica cream to help her poor little ass heal,‘Poor kid, I’ve a feeling your brute of an Aunt will have me using this by the bucketful lass, she sure has it in for you.’The maid was so gentle and kind helping her into bed and bringing her a large mug of cocoa and biscuits so she did not go to sleep on an empty stomach that Alcina allowed her to comfort her. She needed the gentle hugs and soft kisses the maid gave her as it was the start of a pattern
Such wise words from such a young child they thought but those brief visits kept Alcina strong in her darkest moments. She hated her Aunt and every time she cried herself to sleep as her tummy growled in hunger and her little backside smarted from another spanking she vowed one day she would get her revenge.As she grew older and grew to big for a spanking Annabella would make her hold her hand out and hit it hard with a ruler then she would be made to repeat her ‘mistake’ until she got it right without thinking. She devised a ‘cross country’ run for the little girl saying she needed to toughen up to the British weather as she always seemed to have a cough and a cold. It never crossed her selfish mind that the reason for that was she kept the poor little girl hungry and freezing, saying it was character building and no good ever came of spoiling a child. Alcina was made to run the ‘cross country’ at least once a week and Annabella always waited for the worse day when the rain was at i
Her Grand parents more than made up for Annabella’s miserly ways, they bought her all the latest toys, dolls that walked and sang Disney songs, stuffed toys to cuddle in her lonely bed and pretty fashionable clothes they insisted she wore when she visited with them. They provided the thick warm winter coats and boots she needed to survive the Scottish winters, if it had been left to Annabella she would have been forced to wear hand me downs from her own wardrobe. She insisted the servants cut down her old clothes for the little girl saying she was not going to waste her money on a child who would outgrow clothes far to fast. It was a good job she never went anywhere but the castle in those first few years she looked like a little old fashioned waif in that dreadful clothing. Her Aunt would sit alone in the formal Dining Room at mealtimes being waited on by her servants. She refused to allow her niece to eat with her saying she could not abide having an uncouth wretch spoil her meal
‘Nonna qual è il problema? [Grandmother, what is the matter?]Without even realising she had done so she spoke in the soft loving tones of her Mother language and the elderly lady put her arms around her and held her tightly.Mi dispiace mio caro bambino ma tuo nonno è morto‘ [I'm sorry my dear child but your Grandfather has passed away]She told her automatically replying to her in Sicilian and crying quietly, frightened and confused by her grandmother's obvious distress she did not understand what ‘passed away’ meant. She did her best to comfort her Grandmother but it was some time before she discovered that it meant her Grandfather had died peacefully in his sleep that night. He had been a few weeks short of his 82nd birthday and his weak heart had just stopped working while he slept there was nothing anyone could have done.Alcina did not leave her grandmother's side for the next couple of days, it seemed to give the old lady comfort having the child with her so for the time being
The media though had no interest in the wizened old Aunt, they had discovered Alcina's story and ran it that morning without Annabella’s permission. Fortunately, they did not have the whole story, they knew nothing of her Mafia background and that kept her safe, the story they ran was all about her being the next Duchess. Many people at the funeral commented on her strength of will as Alcina held herself rigid and composed with no emotion on her young face. She held her head up facing those who spoke to her with a poise beyond her eight years she was polite and endearing shaking their hands and speaking in her cute Latin/English accent. Unfortunately, Annabella saw it as a deliberate slight to her, she was the grieving daughter for goodness sake not that little brat. She got more and more angry watching people go up to the pretty child and give her their condolences completely ignoring her. When the service at the graveyard ended she was so furious at this perceived lack of respect fo
She had almost dozed off when her Aunt suddenly jumped to her feet startling her so much she fell off her chair. Annabella was enraged,‘What is the meaning of this? How dare you say such things, it is all lies’ She was pacing the room angrily,‘I am truly sorry to be the bearer of such news Annabella but all the documents are legal, they have been scrutinised by the very best Lawyers, and the DNA tests are conclusive. The sworn affidavits from your parents as well as your real birth certificate also confirm it. You are adopted, they did not think they could have their children and when Lady Maria came along it was a wonderful surprise. It meant they had a blood heir, and of course that passed to her daughter on their deaths’‘I will fight this, that little bitch is not stealing my inheritance. I will tie this Will up in every court I can and she will not get a penny.’