10-22-2013, 09:54 PM
"It's not ancient, boy. Just the parchment. There was a scriptorium in that last town, and they let me have some parchment that had been used by the apprentice scribes and then scraped clean a few times. It's exactly the type of parchment on which a village priest would write a recommendation for two orphans." Nazario pulled himself up with dignity. Obviously these children didn't appreciate the artistry of their profession. A proper swindle required elegance and style. He watched their retreating backs for a few moments, then wandered toward the poorer part of town where there were people he knew who would have all the latest rumors.
Marisa's spirits rose with every step they took away from their perfidious patron. She'd never admitted it to Marzio, but the slimy con man terrified her. She was always afraid he would stop finding them profitable and hand them over to the Inquisition. She found herself trembling whenever they passed a Dominican cloister. But now... they were going to spend an entire winter away from Nazario, and perhaps they'd have permanent positions! She might never have to see him again! She felt as if she were dancing as they worked their way deeper into the city.
Dancing, however, is notoriously hard on shoes, and Marisa's fell apart irreparably this time. Her spirits sunk even lower than before with such a quick deflation, and she felt tears pricking her eyelids until Marzio began to joke. Her laughter was a bit strained, but it drove away the tears and she shook her head. "No. I'll wear my good shoes. We're almost there, so it shouldn't matter that the soles are so thin... and besides, we'll both make a good impression that way."
Rallying her tattered optimism, Marisa perched briefly on the lip of a fountain to change shoes, bundling the old ones with her clothes in case something could be salvaged from them later. Then, since no one seemed to be paying attention to them, she also wet the corner of a kerchief and removed the dust of travel from her hands and face the best she could. Refreshed, she stood and smiled at Marzio. "Do you have any ideas how to find the right house?"
Alfonso frowned at the girl, trying to find a way to respond that wouldn't set her screaming again. He was relieved of that quandary by the arrival of the cook. With swift steps that redoubtable woman crossed the kitchen and slapped the kitchen girl sharply. "That will be enough of that, Gia Capello! Who are you to judge your betters? Of course they tithe, everyone does! And if they lived like saints in a hermitage where would that leave you? Out on the streets, or slaving away in an inn somewhere, most likely!"
The cook looked around the room and scowled at the other kitchen girls. "What are you all doing standing around for? Idle hands do the devil's work, and I left orders! Chop those vegetables finer, and make an extra cake. The priest will be here soon, and I'll not be ashamed of what's set in front of him."
Abashed, most of the girls went back to their interrupted work, forgetting for the moment about ghosts and demons. No dark spirit had ever caused trouble in the kitchen, and most of the girls were certain that was because it wouldn't dare cross the cook. She folded her arms and watched their renewed industry with grudging approval before turning back to the unrepentant Gia. "As for you, leave if you want. But believe you me, you'll leave without a character, and if anyone asks about you I'll tell them exactly what you are. I'll tell how you lingered around that feckless valet Ovidio whenever you got the chance, and that as soon as he left you wanted to leave, too! And I'll tell them how quick you were to drag Lady Isoltte and Lord Luciano through the mud after they'd fed you and clothed you all these years."
Alfonso faded back into the hallway with an amused smile. He doubted any of the kitchen girls would leave after that tirade, not even Gia. They knew perfectly well how hard it was to find positions like theirs, and the Gabriellis were generous. The servants here were well-fed and well-clothed on top of their pay and housing, and the pay was even better recently, to encourage them to stay despite the haunting.
Unfortunately, not all of the household could be appeased by creature comforts. Flora's leaving, and Lorena... And of course Ovidio is gone... but if I can get a girl for housework and a boy to run errands, I can promote servants I already know...
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