One evening, in a quiet town called Haselburg in the Sicilian Empire, seventeen-year-old Anneliese stood by the window, watching the wind scatter dry leaves across the path. The breeze danced through the trees, swaying the branches gently. A soft chill brushed against her skin, making her shiver slightly.
When she looked up, dark clouds rolled across the sky. It's going to rain, she thought.
She headed downstairs and stepped into the backyard to collect the clothes left out to dry. As she reached for the sheets, a cold raindrop landed on her cheek. She began to move quickly, her hands gathering the fabric just as she heard her mother's voice from inside the house.
"Ann, it's going to rain heavily — come inside, dear!"
"Yes, Mamma! Coming," she called back.
Stepping in through the back door, Ann placed the clothes on the table and began folding them one by one.
Her older sister, Adlina, entered the room and joined her. "Ann, did Papa say when he'll be home today?" she asked, helping with the folding.
"He said he'd be back before dinner," Ann replied, glancing up, "but with this weather, I think he might stay at Uncle James' house tonight."
"Dinner is ready!" their mother called from the kitchen. "Let's wait a little while for your father — he might already be on his way."
An hour passed.
"Maybe Papa decided to stay at Uncle's because of the heavy rain," Adlina said, checking the clock.
"Hmm," Althea acknowledged with a nod and served dinner.
While eating, the girls told their mother about the new antique shop that had opened recently in the bazaar.
"When we visited the shop, Mr. Herondale said he needed a helper," Ann said. "He asked if I'd be interested in working there. I told him I'd let him know by the end of the week. What do you think, Mamma? Should I take the job?"
Althea smiled knowingly — her daughter's love for old, beautiful things was no secret.
"Yes, of course. If that's what you want."
A wide smile lit up Ann's face.
After dinner, the sisters helped their mother with the evening chores. When Althea headed to lock the front door, she called out: "Girls, don't forget to lock the back and terrace doors!"
"I'll get the back door!" Adlina called.
"Then I'll lock the terrace!" Ann replied, heading up the stairs.
Wishing their mother good night, the girls retreated to their room. Adlina flopped onto the bed, while Ann crossed to the window-side table.
"You know," Adlina said, grinning, "I'm excited about you working at Mr. Herondale's. Now I'll have an excuse to visit every day — and Matthew will finally fall in love with me!"
Ann chuckled, knowing how smitten her sister was with the shop owner's son.
While Adlina curled up to sleep, Ann decided to read for a while. She sat at the wooden table near the window, candlelight flickering beside her as she flipped through her book.
Two hours later, she looked at the clock, realizing it was far past bedtime. She closed the book, placed it neatly on the table, and walked to her bed. Blowing out the candle near the nightstand, she lay down, unaware of the storm, waitingforher...