The temptation of my brother-in-law

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Four

Alicia’s POV

The tea service was set on a silver tray. Fine china. Delicate cups with hand-painted flowers. A small pot of honey. Fresh lemon slices arranged on a porcelain dish.

I carried it carefully through the corridor to the sitting room where Signora Moretti spent her afternoons. The tray felt familiar in my hands. I’d done this before. Hundreds of times at the Blackwood mansion.

Serving Pa Wood his afternoon tea. Making sure everything was perfect. The right temperature. The right presentation. Everything precise.

Old habits.

I knocked softly on the door.

"Come in."

Signora Moretti sat by the window, a book open in her lap. Afternoon sunlight caught the silver in her hair, making her look almost ethereal.

I set the tray on the table beside her and began arranging everything. Cup first. Saucer beneath it. Spoon positioned at exactly three o’clock. The pot at a comfortable reaching distance.

"Would you like me to pour, Signora?"

"Please."