The Housemaid
by Freida McFadden
Contents
Chapter 19
Overview
The morning after the violent fight, Nina is oddly amiable yet frazzled, sporting a bandaged hand, while Andrew appears fine. Nina confirms Broadway plans Andrew initiated. Millie’s attempt to seduce Enzo backfires, and he urgently warns her to leave the house, escalating the sense of danger.
Summary
Morning brings a jarring contrast: Nina acts pleasant but scattered, with a blood-specked bandage on her right hand. She asks Millie for her usual heavy breakfast and eats messily. Millie relays Andrew’s request to buy two Showdown tickets; Nina warmly agrees and suggests a date a week from Sunday.
Andrew comes downstairs, alive and well, gently teases Nina about egg on her blouse, kisses her, and leaves for work. The brief display of affection both reassures and unsettles Millie, who privately longs for Andrew and the life Nina leads.
Later, the doorbell rings. Enzo arrives carrying a heavy package addressed from Evelyn Winchester and sets it on the dining table. Millie, restless and seeking distraction, offers him water and awkwardly tries to initiate a romantic encounter despite the language barrier.
When Millie touches Enzo’s chest, he recoils angrily, scolds her in rapid Italian, and anxiously glances toward the stairwell. At the door he haltingly warns, “You get out, Millie. It’s dangerous,” before hurrying away, leaving Millie rattled by the explicit warning and the house’s mounting sense of threat.
Who Appears
- MillieMaid and narrator; cooks breakfast, envies Andrew, tries to seduce Enzo, receives his stark danger warning.
- Nina WinchesterErratic wife; bandaged hand, frazzled yet sweet, overeats, agrees to Broadway tickets, affectionate with Andrew.
- Andrew WinchesterHusband; appears fine after the fight, affectionate with Nina, leaves for work; Showdown plan proceeds.
- EnzoWorker around the property with limited English; delivers a package, rejects Millie’s advance, warns her the house is dangerous.