Awakened and Other Enchanted Tales by Pamela Sherwood

Author:Pamela Sherwood [Sherwood, Pamela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: And Other Enchanted Tales
Publisher: Blue Castle Publishing
Published: 2015-03-04T05:00:00+00:00

The day after Alessandro’s departure an equerry clad in the Talverino livery delivered a basket of blood-red roses to Monna Chiara as she sat with the other ladies in the Duchess’s garden. “From Don Alessandro,” he informed them, bowing with a flourish.

Mirabella watched intently as Alessandro’s wife paid the equerry, then buried her face in the blooms, her friends fluttering and cooing like the palace doves.

“Red roses, for eternal passion!” breathed the youngest and silliest lady.

Monna Leonora sighed enviously. “My Valerio never sent me anything so beautiful! You are the most fortunate of wives!”

Monna Chiara blushed, then twitched the attached note from the basket’s handle. “My lord says he had these from Count Talverino’s own garden!”

“And everyone knows his garden is the finest in Corrina,” Mirabella put in hastily, lest anyone should notice and comment on her silence. “Is not that so, Mistress Gionna?” she inquired of the little artificer, who was seated some distance away, tinkering with a clockwork bird.

Startled, the pale girl looked up from her labors. “Oh, indeed. The very finest.” She glanced vaguely at the basket of roses. “You should put those in water, my lady, before they wither.”

Mirabella smothered a smile, a few of the younger ladies tittered. Monna Chiara merely beamed. “Of course, I’ll have it seen to directly.” She fastened one of the best blossoms to her bodice, then beckoned to her maid. “Take these to my chamber and place them in a vase beside my bed. I would have my lord’s gift very near.”

Mirabella dropped her eyes to her embroidery, fighting to quell her rising excitement. All was going as it should, and arraying her newest servant in Talverino colors had been a particular stroke of genius. Time and Monna Chiara’s vanity will surely do the rest!

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