have a prodigious memory too.”
I made a noncommittal movement with my head. “It serves.”
“That is a great gift,” he said, as if he were granting me
a rare concession. “But even with your powers of memory, Brother, certain
things are best forgotten. That scene in the tavern, for instance. A woman who
believes I slighted her sister or some such thing. Women do not take well to
feeling scorned, you know. It can quite turn their wits. They will say terrible
things in their fury.”
“I barely recall it,” I said.
He gave me a sliver of a smile. “Good. It’s just that I
thought you went out after her.”
“No, Brother,” I said, composing my expression into one of
perfect sincerity. “I had been unwell. I went out because I felt sick and
needed air.”
He was watching me carefully, I knew. “Well, I hope your
health is improved,” he said, in a lighter tone. “We had better not be late for
Prime. They also say you show a particular aptitude for your Hebrew studies,”
he added, as I turned toward the path. I stopped, remembering his insult to
Maria. Was he insinuating something? “A surprising aptitude,” he repeated. “Almost
a natural fluency, apparently. Is there Hebrew blood in your family, Fra
Giordano?”
“No.” I regarded him with a steady eye. “My family has
lived in Nola for generations. You may make any enquiries you wish.”
“Oh, I have,” he said, with a pleasant smile. “Your father
is a soldier, is he not? And a soldier for hire at that — not even an officer.”
He sounded regretful. “Still — with the right patronage, a young man with your
rare abilities might achieve great things in the Dominican order. You were
fortunate to be admitted to San Domenico. Without your place here, I fear your
exceptional talents would go to waste.” His eyes skated over me from head to
foot as he spoke, as if he were trying to detect whether I was concealing
anything.
“I do consider myself fortunate, Brother.” I lowered my
gaze to demonstrate deference.
“You might prove it by showing a little less disregard for
the rules,” he said. I jerked my head up and stared at him, indignant. He laughed
and stretched his arm out to pull down a branch of the tree above us. “No doubt
you think me a hypocrite for saying so. But here one has to earn the right to a
degree of flexibility. You are very cocksure for a friar who has barely taken
his vows. Not my words, Brother, but those of others who have noted your
tendency to pick and choose when to honor the vow of obedience. And I do not
believe you have the learning to challenge the authority of Holy Scripture in
the way you do. I offer this as a friendly warning. But you should be aware
that they are keeping a close eye on you.” He snapped off the twig in his hands
and stood there, twirling it between his fingers.
I walked away. I did not know if there was any truth in his
words, but the warning itself was not to be ignored. Donato was certainly
watching me, and he wanted to be sure I knew he could break my future as easily
as that branch. When I reached the far side of the gardens I glanced back to
see him under the trees, searching the ground and kicking at the grass with the
toe of his calf-leather shoes.
*
* *
As soon as I was alone in my cell for silent prayer, I
opened the locket. The clasp sprung with a satisfying click, to reveal a
miniature portrait of a dark-haired woman. It was cheaply rendered; the paint
blurred in places so that it was hard to make out her features, though I
assumed it must be the girls’ mother. I turned the locket over in my hand,
perplexed as to why Maria should have been so afraid of losing it. I pictured
again the flash of panic in her eyes, the desperate catch in her voice. Perhaps
it was more valuable than she admitted, or it was all the sisters had to
remember their mother. But I could see that the back of the golden oval was
deep and rounded, though the portrait it contained was flat. It looked
I made a noncommittal movement with my head. “It serves.”
“That is a great gift,” he said, as if he were granting me
a rare concession. “But even with your powers of memory, Brother, certain
things are best forgotten. That scene in the tavern, for instance. A woman who
believes I slighted her sister or some such thing. Women do not take well to
feeling scorned, you know. It can quite turn their wits. They will say terrible
things in their fury.”
“I barely recall it,” I said.
He gave me a sliver of a smile. “Good. It’s just that I
thought you went out after her.”
“No, Brother,” I said, composing my expression into one of
perfect sincerity. “I had been unwell. I went out because I felt sick and
needed air.”
He was watching me carefully, I knew. “Well, I hope your
health is improved,” he said, in a lighter tone. “We had better not be late for
Prime. They also say you show a particular aptitude for your Hebrew studies,”
he added, as I turned toward the path. I stopped, remembering his insult to
Maria. Was he insinuating something? “A surprising aptitude,” he repeated. “Almost
a natural fluency, apparently. Is there Hebrew blood in your family, Fra
Giordano?”
“No.” I regarded him with a steady eye. “My family has
lived in Nola for generations. You may make any enquiries you wish.”
“Oh, I have,” he said, with a pleasant smile. “Your father
is a soldier, is he not? And a soldier for hire at that — not even an officer.”
He sounded regretful. “Still — with the right patronage, a young man with your
rare abilities might achieve great things in the Dominican order. You were
fortunate to be admitted to San Domenico. Without your place here, I fear your
exceptional talents would go to waste.” His eyes skated over me from head to
foot as he spoke, as if he were trying to detect whether I was concealing
anything.
“I do consider myself fortunate, Brother.” I lowered my
gaze to demonstrate deference.
“You might prove it by showing a little less disregard for
the rules,” he said. I jerked my head up and stared at him, indignant. He laughed
and stretched his arm out to pull down a branch of the tree above us. “No doubt
you think me a hypocrite for saying so. But here one has to earn the right to a
degree of flexibility. You are very cocksure for a friar who has barely taken
his vows. Not my words, Brother, but those of others who have noted your
tendency to pick and choose when to honor the vow of obedience. And I do not
believe you have the learning to challenge the authority of Holy Scripture in
the way you do. I offer this as a friendly warning. But you should be aware
that they are keeping a close eye on you.” He snapped off the twig in his hands
and stood there, twirling it between his fingers.
I walked away. I did not know if there was any truth in his
words, but the warning itself was not to be ignored. Donato was certainly
watching me, and he wanted to be sure I knew he could break my future as easily
as that branch. When I reached the far side of the gardens I glanced back to
see him under the trees, searching the ground and kicking at the grass with the
toe of his calf-leather shoes.
*
* *
As soon as I was alone in my cell for silent prayer, I
opened the locket. The clasp sprung with a satisfying click, to reveal a
miniature portrait of a dark-haired woman. It was cheaply rendered; the paint
blurred in places so that it was hard to make out her features, though I
assumed it must be the girls’ mother. I turned the locket over in my hand,
perplexed as to why Maria should have been so afraid of losing it. I pictured
again the flash of panic in her eyes, the desperate catch in her voice. Perhaps
it was more valuable than she admitted, or it was all the sisters had to
remember their mother. But I could see that the back of the golden oval was
deep and rounded, though the portrait it contained was flat. It looked
Similar Books
