The Great Austen Adventure by Tabb Tomi

Author:Tabb, Tomi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2023-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

Twelve

A Fresh Start in Florence

Two hours had passed since the incident. All of the restless energy from earlier had disappeared. Internally, Sabrina was emotionally drained and mentally exhausted. Her attempts to cat nap had been in vain. Her eyes twitched. A dull throb radiated through her prefrontal cortex.

She settled instead for resting her head against the cool glass of the train’s window. Passing through the tunnel, the lighting went from pitch black to bright flashes of orange. She rubbed her temples.

“Do you still have a headache?” Nora sat across from her, typing away on her laptop computer. She peeked at Sabrina from over her screen. “I can walk down to the dining car and ask for some hot chocolate or maybe some wine. We have to get your body to somehow relax.”

Sabrina shook her head. “Thanks, but no. I’m fine. I just need a hot bath and a quality night’s sleep.”

Nora has been itching to talk about what happened. If we’re going to talk about it, let’s get this over with. All I want to do when we arrive in Florence is to forget all about Mom, Dad, and Lorenzo. A fresh start in a new city.

“Are you really fine? Or are you just saying that to appease me?” Nora pinched her lips together. “Growing up with two younger siblings, I’m nearly fluent in reading body language.”

“The latter of the two,” Sabina said flatly.

Nora huffed. “I’ve never been more ashamed to be related to Lorenzo. He may be an adult, but he still has the emotional capacity of a young boy. I’m ashamed of his ignorance.”

“Nice Northanger Abbey reference, and I won’t disagree with you on that count.” Sabrina sat up straight, the muscles in her neck stiff from being in the same position for too long.

“You don’t have to answer this, but if you don’t mind, who’s Maggie?”

“My perfect older sister.”

“Ah,” Nora said.

“I’ve lived in her shadow my entire life.”

The train entered another tunnel, and the lights flickered. The wheels on the train clattered. Nora stayed quiet.

“Now it’s my turn to ask you . . . back in Riomaggiore, one moment, Lorenzo was a dreamy Mr. Knightley-like gentleman, and the next, he went into self-preservation mode. Help me understand.” Sabrina rubbed the tender space between her shoulder blades and her head. “Who was that woman in the piazza?”

Nora slowly closed her laptop and folded her hands on top of the device, giving Sabrina her full and undivided attention. “My brother has had exactly two serious girlfriends. One when we were in secondary school and the second when he was attending university. Both times, the relationship ended badly.”

Nora sighed. “Growing up, it was difficult for my siblings and I to make friends. Part of being a royal means that we had to be mindful of who we could trust. There were so many kids who would use us for personal gain. Lorenzo had a more difficult time than either myself or Lucia.”

Sabrina frowned. “And teenagers being teenagers . . . it was all about seeing who could be the first one to, uh .

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