Read Online Belladonna by Fiona Paul - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Fiona Paul
Tags: love_sf
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end of summer. They left yesterday at daybreak. You just missed her.”
How convenient. Hortensa Zanotta had given false testimony and then immediately fled the city. And to Florence of all places, where Luca believed the Book of the Eternal Rose to be. Could it be a coincidence? Or was everything somehow connected?
Cass nodded at the servant, and then she and Siena returned to the gondola. Giuseppe made quick work of rowing them through the network of smaller canals to Palazzo da Peraga. The whole place looked a little worn, as if even the servants were neglecting it. The shutters were fastened tightly and the mooring post was in bad need of a repainting.
It had been years since Cass had last visited Luca’s family home. Back then, her parents would always speak quietly to his parents in the study while she and Luca were either abandoned in the portego or ushered out into the tiny courtyard to “play.” For Luca this usually meant time to read. Sometimes he would pick out a book for Cass too. Then they would sit curled up in garden chairs for hours. Cass had found it dull, and even a little rude, that Luca spent so much time reading around her. Now she thought perhaps it had just been his shyness that kept him from speaking more.
The girls exited the gondola, and Cass stepped up to Palazzo da Peraga’s door and rapped sharply. Siena stood next to her, worry manifested in her posture, in the way she kept threading and unthreading her fingers.
Cass knew it should bother her—really bother her—that Siena was in love with Luca, especially if she was going to continue serving her after Cass and Luca got married. But right now, Cass was just grateful to have such a staunch ally.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Siena asked.
“A key.” Cass didn’t explain further, that the key unlocked her family tomb. She was still struggling to wrap her mind around that fact. Surely her parents hadn’t been members of any Order that included Joseph Dubois, but then how had her mother come into possession of the documents Dubois was so desperate to acquire?
The da Peragas’ butler, a tall lanky man with silvery hair and piercing brown eyes, opened the door. Though she had been just a child when she had last visited, he recognized Cass immediately. “Signorinas, do come in,” he said.
“Signore,” Cass said, trying to recall the man’s name, but failing. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”
Two men were sitting in the portego, sorting through stacks of crumbling parchment.
The butler noticed Cass staring. “They’re looking through the estate’s finances. We are trying everything we can to help Signor da Peraga during this difficult time.” The butler stumbled over the last couple of words.
“Do you believe he is innocent?” Cass said.
“Of course,” the butler said, looking shocked. “But sometimes it isn’t the truth that matters. It’s what other people think is true.” He sighed. “What can I do for you, Signorina?”
“I was hoping to look around,” she said. She tried to make her voice wistful, as if she were merely interested in acquiring a few tokens to remind her of her fiancé. She didn’t want to tell the men she had spoken to Luca earlier. They would not approve of her bribing the Palazzo Ducale jailer.
“Go ahead. The soldiers came to search the place this morning. We’ve done our best to return everything to its place.”
Cass’s stomach tightened. So the soldiers had been here. She could only hope they had not discovered the key.
Siena trailed behind her as Cass pushed open the thick wooden door to the study. It swung inward, creaking on its rusted hinges. She went immediately to the fireplace. Kneeling on the tile floor, she peered up into the darkness of the chimney. She reached a gloved hand into the flue. Soot rained down, blackening her glove and making her cough. She examined the entire fireplace, running her hands across the bricks, wondering if
How convenient. Hortensa Zanotta had given false testimony and then immediately fled the city. And to Florence of all places, where Luca believed the Book of the Eternal Rose to be. Could it be a coincidence? Or was everything somehow connected?
Cass nodded at the servant, and then she and Siena returned to the gondola. Giuseppe made quick work of rowing them through the network of smaller canals to Palazzo da Peraga. The whole place looked a little worn, as if even the servants were neglecting it. The shutters were fastened tightly and the mooring post was in bad need of a repainting.
It had been years since Cass had last visited Luca’s family home. Back then, her parents would always speak quietly to his parents in the study while she and Luca were either abandoned in the portego or ushered out into the tiny courtyard to “play.” For Luca this usually meant time to read. Sometimes he would pick out a book for Cass too. Then they would sit curled up in garden chairs for hours. Cass had found it dull, and even a little rude, that Luca spent so much time reading around her. Now she thought perhaps it had just been his shyness that kept him from speaking more.
The girls exited the gondola, and Cass stepped up to Palazzo da Peraga’s door and rapped sharply. Siena stood next to her, worry manifested in her posture, in the way she kept threading and unthreading her fingers.
Cass knew it should bother her—really bother her—that Siena was in love with Luca, especially if she was going to continue serving her after Cass and Luca got married. But right now, Cass was just grateful to have such a staunch ally.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Siena asked.
“A key.” Cass didn’t explain further, that the key unlocked her family tomb. She was still struggling to wrap her mind around that fact. Surely her parents hadn’t been members of any Order that included Joseph Dubois, but then how had her mother come into possession of the documents Dubois was so desperate to acquire?
The da Peragas’ butler, a tall lanky man with silvery hair and piercing brown eyes, opened the door. Though she had been just a child when she had last visited, he recognized Cass immediately. “Signorinas, do come in,” he said.
“Signore,” Cass said, trying to recall the man’s name, but failing. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”
Two men were sitting in the portego, sorting through stacks of crumbling parchment.
The butler noticed Cass staring. “They’re looking through the estate’s finances. We are trying everything we can to help Signor da Peraga during this difficult time.” The butler stumbled over the last couple of words.
“Do you believe he is innocent?” Cass said.
“Of course,” the butler said, looking shocked. “But sometimes it isn’t the truth that matters. It’s what other people think is true.” He sighed. “What can I do for you, Signorina?”
“I was hoping to look around,” she said. She tried to make her voice wistful, as if she were merely interested in acquiring a few tokens to remind her of her fiancé. She didn’t want to tell the men she had spoken to Luca earlier. They would not approve of her bribing the Palazzo Ducale jailer.
“Go ahead. The soldiers came to search the place this morning. We’ve done our best to return everything to its place.”
Cass’s stomach tightened. So the soldiers had been here. She could only hope they had not discovered the key.
Siena trailed behind her as Cass pushed open the thick wooden door to the study. It swung inward, creaking on its rusted hinges. She went immediately to the fireplace. Kneeling on the tile floor, she peered up into the darkness of the chimney. She reached a gloved hand into the flue. Soot rained down, blackening her glove and making her cough. She examined the entire fireplace, running her hands across the bricks, wondering if
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