Chapter Five

Everything was red. It was too red. A woman screamed in agony. A baby started to cry.

Mama!

I sat bolt upright, gasping. I was soaked in cold sweat and I was shaking. My hair was plastered to my face and my legs were tangled in a mess of the covers of the bed. It took several moments before I managed to stop shaking and my breathing was regular.

The sun was just beginning to rise, so I only got a few hours of sleep. I climbed out of the bed and splashed my face with water from the basin. After toweling my face and neck, I got dressed.

Sure enough, as I peered in Angelo’s room, he was asleep on the bed. His room was very much like mine; only his bed linen and drapes were a soft, cream color they looked like it belonged to angels.

 I silently closed the door and continued down the hall. It was empty, save for me, and my footsteps echoed quietly off the domed walls and ceiling. Taking the stairs slowly, I found the front hall empty also. Since it was lighter than the night before, I looked around.

It was bright and airy, very much unlike something I expected the Duke to have. Huge double doors stood open slightly. It led to a grand hall. Most likely used for dancing and parties. Another door led to a much small room with a grand table, probably used for smaller meals.

Under the curve of the stairs, a door was half hidden in a shadow. Curious, I went to it and tested the knob. It turned and I pushed it open. A bright, circular room welcomed me. Tall windows allowed light inside between tall bookshelves, filled with pages and pages of knowledge and stories. Even the desks and tables were stacked with books and papers and parchment. I breathed deeply; it smelled like leather, old paper and flowers. I traced the spines of the books with my fingertips, disturbing the dust that collected there.

Heavy footfalls broke through my trace as Boswell appeared in the room. “Ah, Luciana there you are. Breakfast will be served soon.”

I nodded and let my hand fall to my side.

Boswell breathed in deeply. “I love this room. No one ever comes here ever, so I like to think of it as my own little place. Do you like to read?”

“I can’t read.” I said bluntly, but not meanly.

“Oh,” he said. “Reading is a wonderful thing. It opens new worlds for you, and imagination soars….”

He seemed lost in his own daze and I asked quietly, almost embarrassed. “Will…you teach me? I mean not just me, me and Angelo. I think Angelo would like to learn, I mean he is a smart boy-“

“I would love to,” he said kindly. “But let’s eat first, huh Angel?”

Angel. Both Nicholas and Boswell have been calling me that. I frowned and opened my mouth to ask why, but he was already in the doorway, waiting for me. I didn’t say anything, but gawked as he led me into the small dining hall.

The table was filled with delicious smelling pastries, tempting looking fruit and mouth-watering eggs and meat. I breathed deeply and my stomach gurgled impatiently. Angelo was already sitting at the table, looking like the happiest boy alive. I took the seat next to Angelo, right across from Nicholas. I didn’t hesitate to take one of everything and start in.

Nicholas snickered at us and snorted like a pig.

I pretended to ignore him, but when he looked away I bent my fork back and shot the piece of jelly-covered bread. It hit his cheek and stuck. Angelo and I burst into laughter. Nicholas stiffly peeled it off his face and threw it back. It missed me and instead, hit my brother’s forehead. Nicholas threw his head back and laughed. I laughed to, at the look on Angelo’s face.

I managed to calm down enough to help clean him off, even though I was still giggling.

He glared at me after another short burst of giggles.

“Don’t give me that look,” I said. “You thought it was funny when I hit Nicholas.”

Angelo’s look turned suddenly mischievous. “Maybe it would be even funnier if that happened to you.”

“Don’t even think about it you little diable.” I said jokingly. He laughed as I poked him in his side.

“You’d better eat up; you’re both as thin as sticks.” Boswell said, sitting next to Nicholas. “Plus we have a long walk ahead of us.”

I gave them both a questioning look. Nicholas explained. “We’re going to see the Baroness’s castle, to get a lay out. You know.”

“Of course,” I muttered, picking at the food on my plate.

 

After breakfast, I went to my room because I had left my dagger in the wardrobe. Opening the doors, I found clothing that hadn’t been there before. They were mostly dresses, royal blue, deep purple, earthy green. A silk white nightgown, carefully embroidered with crystal beads. At the site of it, I wrinkled my nose.

There were two black things. One was a soft, simple dress with wide sleeves and a low neckline. The next thing surprised me. It was black trousers with boots that almost reached the knee. The tunic looked like regular boys clothes, but it looked like it was made for a woman. I pulled out the shirt and studied it carefully.

“Luci! Look, I’m a nobleman!” Angelo cried. He was also wearing new clothes that looked much finer than we’d ever be able to afford. Well, maybe after my pay I could.

He spun around and beamed at me. I smiled. “Watch out, Angelo. The little girls will be chasing after you.”

He wrinkled his nose and said a clearly audible: “Eww!”

I shook my head as he ran down the hall. Closing the door, I pulled out the rest of the outfit Boswell had given me.

Nicholas’s head looked up at me as I descended the stairs some time later. I noticed his eyes widen and he coughed. Boswell spoke up. “Very nice, Luciana.”

I had never really considered myself beautiful, or even pretty. I only worried about Angelo and our next money source. Often Pierre and others have called me ‘the beautiful thief’. I never thought anything of it. Until now, I’ve never really felt self-conscious. The new tunic I was wearing was defiantly hugged my body.

Nicholas coughed again as he received a quick nudge from Boswell. “Yes, you look…very nice Angel.”

I had reached the bottom of the stairs. “Why do you call me that?”

Nicholas looked up, his cheeks turning a shade of pink. “Angel?”

“Yes. Why?”

He gave me a surprised look. “That is what everyone calls you. The Angel of Night.”

It was my turn to give him a surprised look.

“Your talents as a thief are well known across Paris. Possibly beyond the city limits. They say you move like a cat in the night, you fly easily over rooftops like a winged creature. They call you the best one out there, Ange de la Nuit.”

Boswell added. “It’s true. That is why the Duke wanted you for this job.”

I shook my head. “I never thought I’d go this far…I only stole to live, not for greed.”

Nicholas stepped forward. “No one has ever asked to choose their destinies, they only live it.”

I stared at him. He was closer than he’d ever been before, but I only saw his icy blue eyes. Was I imagining, or did I see an old pain behind that gaze?

Boswell interrupted us. “Shall we go now?”

Nicholas tore his gaze from mine and stepped away. “Yes, let’s go.”

The city streets were crowded with people, rich and poor alike. The sun glistened off the river’s surface, creating a hot and blinding reflection. We followed the river, pushing through the crowd as I held tight to Angelo’s wrist. Eventually though, the crowds thinned out and we could move more freely. I let go of Angelo’s wrist.

Nicholas nodded at the dagger sheathed at my belt. “Is that what you use as a weapon?”

“What?”

So quick that I didn’t see it coming, he snatched the dagger from my belt and tested the tip. “This wouldn’t be very good offense –or protection-if you are put into that type of situation.”

I held my hand out for the dagger, which he did give back. “I don’t plan on using it to attack someone. I only use it on Pierre and it works just fine on him.”

Nicholas chuckled, “Yes, he is a horrid man, but a short sword even would be better than that little stick. I’m going to teach you how to use it too.”

“How very kind of you,” I muttered, somewhat sarcastically.

By that time, we had reached the Notre Dame. As we passed by, Angelo stared upward at the very top of the cathedral. Nicholas leaned down and said. “They say a hunchback lives up there. He’s so ugly that he can’t leave the sanctuary of the church.”

Angelo’s eyes widened, but he crossed his arms. “No there’s not.”

“Yes there is. Who do you think rings the bells every day?”

 Angelo swallowed, but kept looking up at the bell towers.

 We continued to the much more exquisite mansions of Paris. It didn’t take long for us to reach the biggest one-second biggest next to the royal palace. “Here we are,” Boswell announced. “Le château de la baronne.”

 “He wants us to get into that?” I gasped.

A tall iron gate bared the way of the grand castle. A stone wall surrounded the rest of the grounds, which were many. Guards dressed in royal red stood guard by the grand doorway and inside the gate. Servant rushed around, obeying the orders of their superiors. There were people everywhere. It was four stories tall, and huge with large gardens, front and back. It was defiantly the biggest challenge I was ever put with.

Angelo said quietly. “You’re not going in there, are you Luci?”

 

Reviews

[Kelley]

A taste of the good life and they might even learn to read......smiles

I found two mistakes this time.........

"Another door led to a much small room with a grand table, probably used for small meals."
Should be........

"Another door led to a much small room with a grand table, probably used for smaller meals."

And

"Nicholas's head looked up at me as I descended the stairs so time later."

should be......

""Nicholas's head looked up at me as I descended the stairs some time later."

So far I love this story and I'm off to the next page.

Kelley