City, La Luminosa would be ready for it.
Chapter Six
Bianca forced herself to walk slowly as she and Marco headed through the secret passages towards Master di Lombardiâs secret workshop. Their talk with Duchess Catriona had been reassuring, but Biancaâs mind was still racing off in all directions.
âWhat if the Duchess is wrong?â she said. âWhat if letting the Baron into La Luminosa is a terrible plan? What if we lose track of him? What if this was exactly what Edita was betting on?â
âI think we should trust her,â Marco said, gently but firmly. âThereâs no point dwelling on what could go wrong so much that you donât prepare for it.â
âBut, what if  â¦Â ?â Bianca said, and Marco gave her a faux-stern look. âI know, but Duchess Catrionaâs expecting my mother to take back the throne. What if she canât do it on her own? What if she needs our help?â
An even worse possibility lurked at the back of Biancaâs mind, too horrible to voice, even to Marco. What if Catriona waited too long and Edita captured Biancaâs mother first? What if she  â¦Â ?
Bianca rubbed her eyes, trying to banish the image of Duchess Edita presiding over an Oscuritan execution.
âLook,â Marco said, âletâs follow Captain Raphaeliâs example â go with it, but be prepared to act if we have to.â
âYeah, youâre right.â Bianca shook off the horrible vision and smiled at Marco. âThanks.â
A young womanâs voice echoed down the passage, stopping Bianca in her tracks.
âAll right, letâs put the spare springs down over there for the moment. Then we can get at whatever this is  â¦Â â
That was Luciaâs voice. And a second later, Bianca heard a chorus of other young voices answering her.
âWhatâs she doing in here?â she said, but she realised it was a stupid thing to say as soon as sheâd said it. All the apprentices knew about the secret workshop now. It was the only way.
Marco looked a bit sheepish, but shook his head. âWhat could I do? We need all the help we can get.â
âOf course,â said Bianca, waving her hand as if to brush the last few moments away. âI didnât mean it like that.â But she knew that wasnât quite true.
They rounded a corner and found the door to the secret workshop propped open. Beyond it, the workshop seemed to be swarming with people. Bianca stood in the doorway, chewing her lip. She knew sheâd allowed the other apprentices into the workshop, but that was a matter of life and death â she hadnât quite realised how sheâd feel when she saw Lucia and Ezio and Gabriella strolling between the inventions and workbenches, giving appraising looks to her grandfatherâs secret projects. Her face flushed with irritation as Lucia picked up an ornately etched brass egg the size of her fist and tapped it on the workbench beside her, as if she could crack it open.
Marco gave Lucia a small salute as he ran over to where Sebastiano was still tinkering with the strange domed Vehicle for Travelling Underneath the Canal Surface. Bianca took a deep breath and tried to make herself smile. Despite Marcoâs very reasonable argument, she wished sheâd never let the apprentices in. It was selfish to want to keep it for herself, but that was how she felt.
Cosimo sighed. âItâs going to take us a long time to solve all the mysteries of this place,â he said, and Bianca looked down at the floor, hoping he wouldnât read the disappointment on her face. She felt silly for it â what if something here could help her mother, or save La Luminosa? â but she did not like the idea of Cosimo and Lucia solving all the mysteries her grandfather had left behind.
âHow did it go with the Baron?â Lucia asked, coming over to them with the brass egg still in
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