City of Stars (15 page)

‘Thenne we moste hope hir meddlinge is for oure goode,' said Dethridge.

*

Luciano was not surprised that Georgia didn't turn up in Remora the next day; after all, he had advised her to take a break. But Falco was clearly disappointed when the Bellezzan Stravagante arrived at the Papal palace on his own.

‘There are things we can discuss without Georgia being here,' Luciano said gently.

But Falco only nodded and Luciano thought he saw him brush away a tear. Here was a development. Was Falco's wish to be translated to the modern world being influenced by a desire to be near Georgia? It was too delicate an area to probe straightaway. Luciano decided to go ahead with the practical details and worry about this new problem later.

‘There are arrangements to be made at both ends,' he said in a businesslike way. ‘Georgia can sort things out about your new life and bring you a talisman. But you need to plan how you are going to leave here. You understand that if you stravagate to my old world and stay there overnight, your body will appear asleep here during the day?'

‘Yes,' said Falco, ‘you said. And if I stay away, it will look as if I have the
Morte Vivenda
. Until one day I shall actually die here. How long do you think that will take?'

Luciano shook his head. It amazed him how calmly this thirteen-year-old could talk about his fate.

‘I really don't know. For me it was a matter of weeks, but as I told you, I was being kept alive artificially. It might be only days. The point is, there should be some sort of reason. We don't want your father to suspect what will really have happened.'

‘I shall ask to go back to Santa Fina,' said Falco. ‘I can say it's because Gaetano has gone to Bellezza and I want to go back to the summer palace until the race. It will be easier to escape from up there; the servants aren't as vigilant as my father.'

‘But there still has to be a reason,' pressed Luciano.

‘I've thought about that, too,' said Falco. ‘I think the easiest thing would be if I pretended to try to kill myself.'

*

Luciano was thoughtful on his way back to the Ram. But all thoughts of Falco were driven out of his head when he saw the carriage drawn up outside the stables. William Dethridge was leaning out of the window waving to him.

‘Haste ye, yonge Lucian. Word has come from Saint Fyne. The marvele has flown awaye!'

*

Gaetano went back to the Duchessa's palazzo for a grand dinner that night. He was guest of honour, seated at her right, while Rodolfo was on her other side. But the young di Chimici was astonished to find that his other neighbour was his cousin Francesca.

‘Greetings, cousin,' she said, smiling at his obvious surprise. ‘Didn't you know I am a Bellezzan citizen now?'

Gaetano was completely nonplussed. He had heard the rumours about Francesca but hadn't expected to meet her in the city. She was more lovely even than he remembered her, with her glossy black hair and sparkling dark eyes. He took her proffered hand and kissed it, summoning all his courtesy to ask after her health. She was dressed in red taffeta, which rustled as she spoke. Gaetano felt as if he had drunk deep of the red Bellezzan wine, even though his glass was still untouched.

‘I see you are enjoying your family reunion,' said a musical, mocking voice behind him and Gaetano realised, to his horror, that he had turned his back on the Duchessa.

‘Forgive me, your Grace,' he said, turning swiftly back to his host and blushing to the roots of his hair. ‘I was indeed surprised to see my cousin here – so much so that my manners have deserted me. I trust I find you well?'

‘Never better,' said the Duchessa and she smiled at him with genuine amusement.

At that moment Gaetano had the astonishing thought that this beautiful young girl knew all about him and his boyhood romance with Francesca and that she was deliberately throwing them together. But why would she do that? To test his resolve? To remind him that marriage was supposed to be about love? He looked past her to see Rodolfo regarding him with the same expression. These two were a dangerous pair, he decided.

For the rest of the banquet, Gaetano devoted himself to the Duchessa, although always aware of the rustling beside him and the sound of Francesca's laugh as she flirted with her other neighbour. Behind his courtly words, his mind raced. Was Francesca married? And if so, where was her husband? Gaetano was pretty sure that it wasn't the man on her other side, who appeared to be quite young. He found it very hard to concentrate on what he was here for.

Tomorrow he was to have a private audience with the Duchessa, at which he must formally make his proposal to her. They both knew the purpose of his visit and he wondered what the outcome would be. Was he expected to declare undying love? He could just imagine the quizzical look she would give him. The Duke had given him no guidance on how to woo her.

When the Duchessa rose from her seat, the rest of the company stood too. She led them into another room, where musicians were already playing and clusters of little chairs were arranged around low tables. She asked Gaetano to excuse her while she had some words with the admiral of the Bellezzan fleet and he was alone. Francesca was sitting at a little table across the room and he found himself drawn to sit beside her. There could surely be no objection to his sitting with his cousin? Especially when there was no one else there he knew.

‘So what are you saying?' said Ralph. ‘Russell has stolen some toy of yours? That's a bit pathetic, isn't it?'

Georgia ground her teeth. ‘It's not a toy,' she explained again, trying to keep cool. ‘It's an ornament which I saved up to buy from an antique shop.'

‘It doesn't really matter what it is,' said Maura, using her let's-be-scrupulously-fair voice. ‘Ralph, I'm sure you agree that Russell should respect other people's belongings.'

The four of them were sitting round the kitchen table that Wednesday evening. Georgia had requested a family meeting and Maura had immediately realised that something was seriously wrong. Family meetings were rare events, held only when an important decision had to be made or conveyed.

‘Who says I took her stupid horse?' said Russell truculently. ‘Why would I? She probably just put it somewhere and forgot it.'

Ralph immediately switched sides.

‘Georgia says you took it,' he said acidly. ‘And she seems to think you did it to annoy her.'

Russell shrugged. Bad move. It annoyed both parents.

‘Well, did you?' asked Ralph.

There was a silence. Georgia held her breath. If Russell denied it, could she possibly ask to have his room searched? Would Ralph go along with that? He seemed to be backing her up now, but she knew how quickly adults could veer from one side to another during a dispute. What happened next could determine her whole future in Remora.

Roderigo was beside himself with guilt. The flying horse had been entrusted to his care and now she had gone. He brought Diego out to tell the story of her disappearance again to the two distinguished visitors from Bellezza. The Horsemaster's boy from the Ram was already in Santa Fina, scouring the neighbourhood for any trace of the black filly.

‘The lunge snagged on a tree,' said Diego, looking haggard. He had given his account several times and did genuinely believe that he had witnessed an accident. But he had a nagging discomfort at the back of his mind, knowing that he had not kept the flying horse the secret she was meant to be.

‘It was last night,' he continued. ‘I had her out for exercise as usual and was flying her on the lunge. Then it caught on a tall tree at the edge of the paddock and it broke. She was away before I could do anything about it.'

‘I have men out searching everywhere,' said the wretched Roderigo. ‘Surely we shall soon have her back. She will fly home to where her mother is.'

‘If no one else finds her first,' said Luciano.

‘We moste goe to the mothire,' said Dethridge, and the two Stravaganti went into the stables to visit Starlight. She was standing very still in her stall.

‘She is not eating,' said Roderigo, shaking his head.

Dethridge went over to the grey mare and fondled her ear, whispering into it. Starlight tossed her head and looked as if she understood what he was telling her.

‘It was just a joke,' muttered Russell grumpily. ‘I was going to give it back.'

‘Go and fetch it immediately,' said Ralph sternly.

While Russell was out of the room, Ralph apologised to Georgia. He was obviously hugely relieved that his son had owned up. But not as relieved as Georgia was. At that moment she felt willing to forgive Russell anything, as long as he returned his talisman to her.

That feeling changed as soon as she saw what he was holding in his hand when he came back into the room.

‘I'm sorry,' he said, feigning contrition. ‘It seems to have got a bit damaged.'

The little Etruscan horse lay in the palm of his hand with both its wings snapped off beside it.

Gaetano's all-important meeting with the young Duchessa took place not in her state rooms at the Ducal palace but in her father's roof garden. The Regent's manservant, Alfredo, showed the young di Chimici up into what appeared to be a marvellous floating garden high above the city. Gaetano saw immediately that the terraces and paths stretched into a distance further away than should have been physically possible. But his awe was tempered by the fact that the Stravagante did not appear to be anywhere there. At least his audience with the Duchessa would be private.