Chapter 5 #2
Duncan led them up a servants’ staircase.
Ascending behind the tall footman, Marco noted the moment they reached the third floor, where his chambers were situated.
He had been placed in the deceased baroness’s rooms, which were well appointed for a gentleman.
He wondered whether the marks of their former female occupant had been removed, for the colors and furnishings were entirely suitable for his use.
The footman continued onward, climbing to the attic level and guiding them along a long corridor.
One side appeared to house the servants’ quarters, while the other consisted of storage rooms. Duncan led them to the end of the passage, where he opened a window that overlooked the roof.
Pointing outward, he indicated the walkways and ladders required to traverse the building safely.
Leaning out, Marco observed stone-faced gods watching the surrounding neighborhood from their pedestals, interspersed along the low parapet that skirted the roofline.
The roof itself was cluttered with chimneys sending smoke into the chilled sky, decorative turrets, and the domes of cupolas that admitted light to the floors below.
Marco inspected the window for any sign that might indicate deliberate access, but it was well used, and there was no reliable means of determining whether someone had passed through it within the past hour.
Angelo waited without comment, though he could not help but be perplexed by this unusual errand.
Thanking the servant, the two brothers gingerly climbed through the window and made their way toward the side of the building where Romulus loomed.
Reaching the towering statue, Marco examined the now-empty pedestal near the god’s feet where the urn had once stood.
He then moved carefully to its twin, studying it for comparison.
Uncomfortable with heights, he took care not to glance over the parapet at the three-story drop below, to say nothing of the basement level, which was enough to make him feel faint merely to contemplate.
Angelo leaned forward to peer downward, his perplexity dissolving as understanding dawned.
“Were you below when it fell?”
Marco nodded. “It was a narrow escape.”
“Was it deliberate?”
Returning to the empty pedestal, Marco took his time before answering.
“The urns are secured only by their weight, unlike the statue, which is both cemented and dowelled into the roof. If one were choosing a weapon, this would be the obvious one. And here, near the edge … you see the chipping? It suggests the urn was forced outward.”
Angelo crouched to examine it more closely. “There is a small gouge here where it was set. It looks as though a lever was used. A pry bar, perhaps? The mark is fresh.”
Marco raked his fingers through his hair with a quiet hiss. “So you agree. Someone is trying to kill me?”
“It seems too great a … coincidenza?”
“Coincidence.”
“Sì! Two near deaths in two days. It is too much.”
“We should return home.”
“I wish to remain. I believe this island holds promise.”
“You understand that if someone seeks my death so that Simon may inherit, they may well attempt yours also.”
Angelo shrugged. “Then we must find him and put an end to it. There is no alternative. One cannot leave a murderer at liberty.”
“Is that your prudence speaking or your desire to open a pharmacy?”
His brother smiled, his youthful face alight with the optimism for which he was known. “One does not … precludere?”
“Preclude.”
“One does not preclude the other. We are embarked upon an adventure, and our aim is to corner a dangerous criminal. We cannot abandon our new family to such risk. Uncle John is ill, and Molly is under our protection with Simon departing. He may already have left.” They had settled on addressing the much older baron as uncle, but owing to their proximity in age to Simon and Nicholas, their two younger uncles had insisted upon the use of their given names.
Marco frowned, thinking of Molly. Indeed, he could hardly desert her to such criminal intent. There could be no leaving England until the culprit was unearthed and prevented from doing further harm.
Reluctantly, he acknowledged that their uncle Simon had entrusted them with the safety of the household.
Having heard the particulars of the baroness’s actions, he understood Simon’s urgency in removing Lady Campbell from the vicinity.
The falling urn only confirmed that Simon had not been overcautious.
His bride might well become a target due to her perceived inferiority of birth, not inferior in Marco’s estimation but in the eyes of anyone still devoted to the baroness’s memory.
Having been introduced to her the day before, he could attest that Lady Campbell was an enchanting and intelligent woman, far superior to the more arrogant sons of nobility he had encountered in Florence.
Yet the late baroness had not viewed matters in that light.
Angelo interrupted his thoughts with an unexpected question. “Do you know why Sebastian and Lorenzo accompanied us?”
“No. Do you?”
His brother shook his head. “They behave strangely. I interrupted yet another argument concerning the woman and the painting.”
“I cannot say for certain, but I suspect this woman has something to do with why Sebastian never returned home. In Florence, I glimpsed something in his eyes. Our tall friend is haunted by his past. Perhaps he nurses a wounded heart.”
“He is always in such good spirits. It is difficult to imagine him pining after a woman.”
“You forget how he was when he first arrived in Florence. He chased skirts like a demon. He made me fear for his very soul … to say nothing of his health. Thankfully, his excesses waned after a few months.”
“It must be a remarkable woman to capture his affections.”
“Our friend possesses a generous heart, in keeping with the rest of him.”
Angelo chuckled, then grew sober once more. “What do we do next? How are we to investigate … this?”
He gestured toward the bare pedestal, drawing Marco’s attention back to the threat that had shadowed him since his arrival upon English soil.
“I do not know. For now, we wait for Nicholas to finish those journals. In the meantime, we must remain vigilant. We must assume that whoever intends me harm may make an attempt against you, too.”
“They have failed twice, and they will fail again. Fortune favors us, brother.”
“Perhaps but swift judgment and quick reflexes will be essential. Mamma will consign me to the deepest circles of Dante’s hell if I allow anything to happen to you.”