Starling (22 page)

done was treat her like an adult and let her make her own decision.
“Yes, well, how it was or wasn’t is no longer of consequence,” Feliciana said. “My sister is dead.” Her eyes flicked up at Palazzo Viaro
and then back at Cass.
Cass followed her gaze. “Where are you headed?” she asked,
feeling another raindrop tap against her skin. “We should seek shelter before the storm hits.” Also, Cass didn’t know how long it would
take Cristian to discover that someone had been inside his morbid
shrine. She didn’t want to be loitering outside Palazzo Viaro when he
did.
“I was running some errands,” Feliciana said. “What about you?
Looking for more trouble?”
“I was at the market earlier,” Cass said. “Listening to gossip about
vampires and trying to decide if Luca and I should stay in hiding
here in Venice or return to Florence.”
Feliciana’s eyes again went hard behind her veil. “It’s so fortunate
that both you and your betrothed made it out alive. He is still your
betrothed, I assume?”
“Of course.” Cass lowered her gaze to the ground. She saw things
through Feliciana’s eyes. Cass had made enemies of the Order. She’d
broken Luca out of prison and had seemingly not suffered at all. But
Siena had done nothing to anger Joseph Dubois or anyone else. She
had simply played the faithful handmaid to her mistress and died for
it. “I’ll understand if you hate me,” she whispered.
“I don’t hate you,” Feliciana said, her expression softening
slightly. “Perhaps if I could hear the whole story, from you, my heart
might begin to heal. Come with me?”
Cass wasn’t sure the whole story would do anything but upset Feliciana further, but she followed her to a dingy restaurant a few
blocks beyond the Conjurer’s Bridge.
The place was mostly empty, the handful of other patrons barely
registering the presence of two cloaked serving girls. They paid for a
platter of bread and cheese and two goblets of ale. Cass sat silently,
wishing she could think of something pleasant to say. Finally she
asked, “What made you come home?” It seemed impossible that
news of Siena’s death would have traveled to Florence so quickly.
Feliciana let out a huge sigh, and her voice became heavy. “I knew
it was hopeless, but when I got my fool sister’s message about your
plan, I prayed there was some way I could make it back here in time
to stop her.”
“Siena wrote to you?” Cass was surprised. Not because Siena had
written her sister, but because she hadn’t told Cass about it.
“Yes. Signora Cavazza read the letter to me and then helped arrange passage immediately. She wanted to return home with me, but
there was speculation that she’s with child, so her father and Marco
insisted she not travel.”
“Mada is pregnant? That’s wonderful,” Cass said. The news
should have made her feel something more—would have, in another
life. In her former life. But the way things were now, she simply felt
numb. “So did you return to Venice all alone then?”
Feliciana’s eyes narrowed, and the corners of her mouth twitched
as she nibbled at another bite of cheese. “Your friend Falco accompanied me, actually. He didn’t tell you? Surely the two of you have
been in contact since you’re so
close.
”
“I’ve been in hiding, actually.” Cass tried to keep her voice level.
So Falco had returned to Venice as well. Had he come to save Cass