nod. Some sort of prearranged signal. I tensed.
“They understand your frustration,” said Lord Ascoli soothingly. “And therefore shall only require Lady Gabriella in exchange for Lord Fortino.” By his tone you would have thought he was offering a case of Turkish apricots in exchange for a case of plain old apples. Like it was a huge favor, taking me off Marcello’s hands.
It took one look at Paratore to make my stomach turn. He was grinning.
“We could have demanded all three of the Ladies Betarrini,” said Lord Barbato, casting an eye toward my mom. That put Dad over the edge. He took a step forward, his face hardening. “But we knew that would have been too much,” Barbato went on. “We are reasonable people. Don’t forget, we were once your friends.”
Yeah, those days are seriously over.
“We recognize that it is a great sacrifice to give us Lady Gabriella,” he continued with a nod in my direction, “which is precisely what is required to consider this exchange at all. Firenze’s people will not abide by us merely giving you Lord Fortino. An eye for an eye, you know.”
“You’ve literally taken an eye and more,” Marcello ground out. “Even one of these fine women is far too great a price in exchange for what remains of my brother, and you know it.”
“Take your brother home, where he can breathe his last in Siena,” urged Lord Greco.
“His last,” Paratore echoed in a whisper, tracing the edge of his goblet.
“To take him home, ” Marcello said to Greco, “I’d have to take him to Castello Forelli.”
Lord Barbato hesitated. “We are prepared to offer you Castello Forelli as well as Lord Fortino in exchange for Lady Gabriella.”
Marcello stilled.
Seriously? In exchange for me? I groaned, inwardly. These guys want me bad. Far more than we expected.Not that I was flattered. There was only one reason they wanted me—to humiliate Marcello and Siena. And any way you cut it, that couldn’t be good news.
Marcello flicked his fingers away. “Keep Castello Forelli. I now have a much finer home in the palazzo vacated by the traitor.”
Way to go! Throw ’ em off—make ’em think we don’t care about Castello Forelli.
Lord Barbato leaned forward on the table, hands clasped before him. “It is clear to us that you have great feelings for Lady Gabriella.”
Marcello studied him for a moment, then glanced back at me and offered his hand. I looked down at him and slipped my fingers into his. “’Tis no secret that the lady holds my heart,” he said to them.
“So is it that you fear that Lady Gabriella will be tortured as your brother has been?”
“That is but part of my trepidation about releasing her to you, but yes.” He was milking the conversation, drawing them out, getting us closer to nightfall, closer to the point when we’d have a chance to make a run for it.
“We are noblemen,” Paratore said, waving in either direction along the table. “She shall be treated with respect.”
I almost laughed out loud. It took everything in me to pretend I was every inch a medieval lady who knew her place.
“I released her from a cage the last time I was in Firenze,” Marcello bit out, returning his focus to them. “Your noblemen left her to die in it—you, Lord Barbato, and you, Lord Greco—without water and food. She suffered through nights in the cold. Untold humiliation. You believe I will take you at your word when you tell me she shall be treated with respect?”
The Fiorentini were silent for a moment.
“There is a perfect solution,” Lord Barbato said carefully.
“And what is that?”
Barbato glanced down the table at Rodolfo. “Lord Greco has generously offered to take Lady Gabriella’s hand in marriage.”
We froze. All except Dad. “ Scusa un’attimo —” he demanded, striding forward. Now, see here…
“ Ben!” Mom called.
But it was too late. I groaned inwardly; Dad had tolerated the fake potential prisoner exchange deal, but once we
“They understand your frustration,” said Lord Ascoli soothingly. “And therefore shall only require Lady Gabriella in exchange for Lord Fortino.” By his tone you would have thought he was offering a case of Turkish apricots in exchange for a case of plain old apples. Like it was a huge favor, taking me off Marcello’s hands.
It took one look at Paratore to make my stomach turn. He was grinning.
“We could have demanded all three of the Ladies Betarrini,” said Lord Barbato, casting an eye toward my mom. That put Dad over the edge. He took a step forward, his face hardening. “But we knew that would have been too much,” Barbato went on. “We are reasonable people. Don’t forget, we were once your friends.”
Yeah, those days are seriously over.
“We recognize that it is a great sacrifice to give us Lady Gabriella,” he continued with a nod in my direction, “which is precisely what is required to consider this exchange at all. Firenze’s people will not abide by us merely giving you Lord Fortino. An eye for an eye, you know.”
“You’ve literally taken an eye and more,” Marcello ground out. “Even one of these fine women is far too great a price in exchange for what remains of my brother, and you know it.”
“Take your brother home, where he can breathe his last in Siena,” urged Lord Greco.
“His last,” Paratore echoed in a whisper, tracing the edge of his goblet.
“To take him home, ” Marcello said to Greco, “I’d have to take him to Castello Forelli.”
Lord Barbato hesitated. “We are prepared to offer you Castello Forelli as well as Lord Fortino in exchange for Lady Gabriella.”
Marcello stilled.
Seriously? In exchange for me? I groaned, inwardly. These guys want me bad. Far more than we expected.Not that I was flattered. There was only one reason they wanted me—to humiliate Marcello and Siena. And any way you cut it, that couldn’t be good news.
Marcello flicked his fingers away. “Keep Castello Forelli. I now have a much finer home in the palazzo vacated by the traitor.”
Way to go! Throw ’ em off—make ’em think we don’t care about Castello Forelli.
Lord Barbato leaned forward on the table, hands clasped before him. “It is clear to us that you have great feelings for Lady Gabriella.”
Marcello studied him for a moment, then glanced back at me and offered his hand. I looked down at him and slipped my fingers into his. “’Tis no secret that the lady holds my heart,” he said to them.
“So is it that you fear that Lady Gabriella will be tortured as your brother has been?”
“That is but part of my trepidation about releasing her to you, but yes.” He was milking the conversation, drawing them out, getting us closer to nightfall, closer to the point when we’d have a chance to make a run for it.
“We are noblemen,” Paratore said, waving in either direction along the table. “She shall be treated with respect.”
I almost laughed out loud. It took everything in me to pretend I was every inch a medieval lady who knew her place.
“I released her from a cage the last time I was in Firenze,” Marcello bit out, returning his focus to them. “Your noblemen left her to die in it—you, Lord Barbato, and you, Lord Greco—without water and food. She suffered through nights in the cold. Untold humiliation. You believe I will take you at your word when you tell me she shall be treated with respect?”
The Fiorentini were silent for a moment.
“There is a perfect solution,” Lord Barbato said carefully.
“And what is that?”
Barbato glanced down the table at Rodolfo. “Lord Greco has generously offered to take Lady Gabriella’s hand in marriage.”
We froze. All except Dad. “ Scusa un’attimo —” he demanded, striding forward. Now, see here…
“ Ben!” Mom called.
But it was too late. I groaned inwardly; Dad had tolerated the fake potential prisoner exchange deal, but once we
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