Starling (146 page)

“Life is fleeting, ephemeral.
One day, when our work is
complete, that will change.”

ass stood in front of her dressing table mirror while
Narissa fussed with her dress. The sleeves were too
loose, the skirts not long enough. Even the cuffs weren’t
quite right. Narissa gathered the material at Cass’s left
wrist and pinned it so it held snug against her skin. She dropped that

Cass sighed. “It’s not that big of a tragedy if the dress doesn’t fit
quite right, is it?”
“Signorina Cassandra. It’s your wedding day. Don’t you want everything to be perfect?” Wrinkles formed in Narissa’s heavy brow as
she secured the second cuff.
Cass could feel the itchy pins rubbing against her flesh. “I’m marrying Luca,” she said. “That’s perfect enough for me.”
There had been no time to have a new dress made, so Cass was
actually wearing Signora da Peraga’s wedding dress. It was pale blue
with a sloped neckline that was embroidered with silver and adorned
with tiny sapphires. The cuffs and collar were made out of fine ivory
lace, but they gaped a bit too much for Narissa’s taste. It looked noth