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She made her way around the side of the villa, back to the servants’ entrance at the rear At least here she felt more at ease The housekeeper—whose name, she had been informed over breakfast, when she had tentatively made her way down to the kitchen once Benji had surfaced, was Maria—at least seeh, in a sort of rough-edged way that Magda suspected was her custo a very soft heart

‘Milk,’ pronounced Maria now, as Magda entered the huge kitchen, ‘for the bambino’

Benji toddled cheerfully over to her, expressing confidence in being welcomed by this new person in his life that was a away to him in Italian, Maria sat hi of creamy milk

‘Latte,’ she inforreedily, and repeated the word several times

‘La’,’ replied Benji, and beamed at her expectantly ‘Mo’?’

‘He da diffidently ‘U her brain for what she had read in her Italian phrasebook

‘Ancora,’ corrected Maria, refilling Benji’s ood boy Even with no father’ Her black eyes rested on Magda, and then softened ‘But you love your baood woman’

Unaccountably, the rough kindness da’s eyes prick with tears The housekeeperof crea Benji’s

‘Drink,’ she said again, to both of them

To her surprise, Magda found the rest of the day actually enjoyable Maria took her under her wing, reat fuss of Benji, which he openly adored Fetching his toys froda settled in the vast kitchen at one end of the table while Maria got on with the task of serving lunch—presu to a terse announcement by Giuseppe as he looked into the kitchen at so froathered that Rafaello’s cousin was no favourite below stairs Rafaello, too, had gone, roaring off in his car, the noise of his departure causing Maria’s lips to tighten oda, however, could only be relieved

It washere in the servants’ quarters After all, she reasoned, it here she naturally belonged

After lunch ca pool Set in a sheltered walled garden, the water shi, tottered eagerly towards it