Chapter Five

Mariaisabella's sleep is naturally awoken by a sweet yawn. The woman gets out of her bed and walks over to the closet of her aunt's clothes. She puts on her custom-made corset and dresses in a comfortable blouse. The blouse should fit Mariaisabella easily, but the woman is thinner due to years of stress and abuse.

It has been a week since Mariaisabella and her daughters ran away from Stronzo Cattivo. No news has been spreading about their escape, but Mariaisabella is sure that the horseman has returned to the castle in Rome. The home is located on the outskirts of Milan. So it will take about five days (including breaks) to finally arrive at their destination. She also made sure to go through the forest to prevent being followed.

Mariaisabella leaves the room with an upbeat attitude. She skips down the stairs and smiles when she sees her daughters. They are all sitting together and eating without the usual tension from their father. Comfortable in their new attire and without hesitation, they wave at their mother.

They all eat breakfast of nice bread from the local bakery and homemade soup. Unlike in the castle, Mariaisabella enjoys the meal as she can finally eat with her children again. Once they are finished with breakfast, the mother grabs the attention of her daughters.

"Let us resume our work on this house. Today is our last day. After that, we will bring water from the well to clean ourselves," Mariaisabella instructs. Their children nod and get to work.

They spend the next three hours cleaning and scrubbing the remaining grime, mold, and dirt. They also make sure that every dish, bookshelf, and window is clean. By the time the job is done, they are all black with soot and dust.

"Let's go to the well and take some water and take a bath," Mariaisabella says. They then each get a wooden pail and march to the local well. During their journey, the locals from the nearby village wave hello to the four women. Some even remember Mariaisabella from when she was a little girl.

The distance to the well is quite long. By the time they see it, the sun is already setting on the horizon. This also means that there is not a lot of people collecting water. However, upon arriving at the well, they see four men struggling with a big basin of water.

Mariaisabella decides to go and see if they need any assistance.

"Are you alright?" The oldest of the group looks up from Mariaisabella's question and blushes when he sees her.

"No, one of our wheels broke and the sun is setting. Can you help us?" The man begs. Mariaisabella pauses before recognition floods through Mariaisabella's eyes. The woman is flooded with memories as she sees her childhood friend.

"Emerenziano?" Mariaisabella inquires. Her voice makes the older man smile as he also recognizes her.

"Mariaisabella! My friend. How have you been?" He asks, ignoring the fact that he has been caught in such a predicament.

"I am doing well. My daughters and I are living here now," Mariaisabella responds. The man smiles and points to the three young men.

"That's fantastic, I have been staying on the farm. and now I have three strong sons," Mariaisabella smiles as she waves to the three men with brown eyes, auburn hair, and sun-kissed skin.

"Let us assist you all. We are sorry about the broken wheel," Mariaisabella insists. Emerenziano's pleas are cut short when the mother whistles.

"All right, girls. Go next to each boy and push," All three nod and stands next to each man. Once Mariaisabella stands next to the tallest son they all start pushing.

While they are pushing the heavy basin, Mariaisabella decides to make small talk.

"Nice to meet you, kind man. As you know, my name is Mariaisabella. These are my daughters Mariaisabelle, Maria, and Mary," Mariaisabella introduces. The eldest son smiles at her and begins introducing himself.

"My name is Emerenzian Stanzolio. You already know my father, Emerenziano. These are my brothers are Emeren and Emery," Mariaisabella smiles at him and keeps pushing, not knowing what to say. For an unknown reason, he made her feel odd.

It all took them a good forty minutes to reach their destination. After arriving at a barn, all three girls look around in curiosity. Mariaisabella still remembers this farm from when she would play with Emerenziano.

The barn was fit to size about forty animals, next to the building was a small one-story house. Mariaisabella smiles as more memories flood through her.

They all drag the basin to the front of the house, then they all walked inside.

"Thank you so much for helping me and my children, Mariaisabella. Since it will be dark soon, you and your daughter can stay for the night," Mariaisabella sigh with relief. She doesn't want to endanger her daughters by going home on a cold night. If that means that she had to sleep with her childhood friend and his children, then so be it.

But first, they all need to clean themselves and go to sleep. Luckily, the water wasn't for them. It is for the farm animals. They already have a boiler that is full of heated water, so Mariaisabella and her daughters finally get to bathe away their filth.

After their bath, all of them go to sleep. Mariaisabella offers to sleep on the floor, but Emerenziano insists that she sleeps on his bed. Not wanting to cause a scene, she obliges.

Before going to sleep and dreaming of the fields, Mariaisabella smiles about how she met her childhood friend again.

If only she knows that they will become closer.