shapely feminine
shapely feminine fingers. The knife hilt, Kat noticed, was fashioned like a dragon’s head with little chips of clear red stone for eyes. Eyes seemed everywhere tonight. She hoped none of them had followed her here.
The packet was slit, and the hooded woman gave a little crow of unpleasant glee . . . before hastily sweeping the vials back into the packet. Not for the first time Kat wondered what they were doing in this business. It had started with letters to and from the Jewish community. After all, her great-grandfather had been a Jew, even if he’d married out of the faith and the family were good Petrine Christians now. Somehow needs had driven things to this. When she’d been a child she’d often gone to meet the Strega with Grandpapa. She suspected that Grandpapa had been halfway to being a convert. But they’d been a different community then. Gentler.
The woman motioned her henchman forward. He reached inside his cloak and produced . . . money. That was always a relief. Kat knew she could get killed instead. Silently, he counted out ducats.
Kat slipped them into a washleather pouch, and slipped the pouch between her breasts.
Obviously, her pleasure in receiving the cargo had loosed the woman’s tongue. “You deliver to many?”
Kat shook her head. “I really don’t think I should say.”
“Understood. But I will make it worth a great deal, a very great deal indeed, to know of one man. Ten times your fee, if you tell me where I can find him. His name is Marina. Dottore Luciano Marina. This is how he looks.”
The woman flicked a handful of powder into the air and an image appeared therein. The man had an arrogant tilt to his head, but a kindly face. There was a wiry youthfulness about the face, which didn’t match the eyes. The eyes looked as if they’d seen a lot.
Kat remembered it well. He had been a great figure
The packet was slit, and the hooded woman gave a little crow of unpleasant glee . . . before hastily sweeping the vials back into the packet. Not for the first time Kat wondered what they were doing in this business. It had started with letters to and from the Jewish community. After all, her great-grandfather had been a Jew, even if he’d married out of the faith and the family were good Petrine Christians now. Somehow needs had driven things to this. When she’d been a child she’d often gone to meet the Strega with Grandpapa. She suspected that Grandpapa had been halfway to being a convert. But they’d been a different community then. Gentler.
The woman motioned her henchman forward. He reached inside his cloak and produced . . . money. That was always a relief. Kat knew she could get killed instead. Silently, he counted out ducats.
Kat slipped them into a washleather pouch, and slipped the pouch between her breasts.
Obviously, her pleasure in receiving the cargo had loosed the woman’s tongue. “You deliver to many?”
Kat shook her head. “I really don’t think I should say.”
“Understood. But I will make it worth a great deal, a very great deal indeed, to know of one man. Ten times your fee, if you tell me where I can find him. His name is Marina. Dottore Luciano Marina. This is how he looks.”
The woman flicked a handful of powder into the air and an image appeared therein. The man had an arrogant tilt to his head, but a kindly face. There was a wiry youthfulness about the face, which didn’t match the eyes. The eyes looked as if they’d seen a lot.
Kat remembered it well. He had been a great figure