Lair of the Lion

reverence.
    In the bureau she discovered intimate items carefully folded, with flower petals strewn throughout each drawer to keep them freshly scented. Isabella sat on the edge of her bed, holding the garments in her hands. Had they been made for her? How could such a thing be? Perhaps she had been given another young woman's room. She looked around the enormous bedchamber once more.
    It didn't contain the personal accessories she would expect to find in someone's private chambers. She found herself shivering. All at once the beautiful gowns seemed a bit sinister, as if Don DeMarco, knowing she was coming, had devised his own disreputable plans for her. Francesca said the news of her imminent arrival had traveled well ahead of her, yet the elusive don had not sent out an escort. None of it made sense to her.
    How had Francesca managed to come into her room despite the locked door? Mulling over the puzzle, Isabella dressed slowly in the plainest gown she could find, feeling she had no choice. She couldn't very well go to meet the don without a stitch of clothing on. She knew that many castelli and the great palazzi had secret passageways and hidden rooms.
    That had to be the answer to Francesca's abrupt arrival and departure. She took a few minutes to examine the marble walls. She could find no evidence of an opening in any of them. She even examined the large hearth, but it seemed solid enough.
    Her breath caught in her throat when she heard a key turn in the lock of her door and it was pushed open. Sarina smiled at her. She was carrying a tray. "I thought you would be awake and quite hungry by now, signorina. You didn't eat at all last night."
    Isabella glared at her. "You put something in the tea." She backed away from the older woman until a wall brought her up short.
    "The Master wanted you to sleep through the night. His pets can be frightening if you are not used to their noise. Besides, you were so tired from your journey, I think you would have fallen asleep even without aid. And I explained last night that you could not roam freely throughout the palazzo. It's not always safe," Sarina said, repeating her warning of the night before. She didn't seem in the least remorseful.
    The food smelled wonderful, and Isabella's empty stomach rumbled, but she stared at the tray suspiciously. "I told you last night that my errand is urgent. I must see the don immediately. Has he agreed to an audience?"
    "Later today. He is nocturnal and rarely sees anyone in the morning hours unless it is a dire emergency," Sarina answered calmly. She placed the tray on the small table in front of the fire.
    "But it is an emergency," Isabella said desperately. Nocturnal? She turned the strange concept over and over in her mind, trying to make sense of it.

    "It isn't to him," Sarina pointed out. "He will not change his mind, signorina, so you may as well eat now while you have the chance. The food is excellent and without any herb to aid you to sleep." When Isabella continued to stare at her, she sighed softly. "Come, piccola, you'll need your strength for what lies ahead."
    Isabella crossed the room reluctantly to stand beside the chair. "I couldn't find my clothes, so I put on one of the gowns I found in the wardrobe, signora. I trust I did not do anything wrong."
    "No, the Master provided clothes for you, as he knew yours had been ruined on your journey. Sit, signorina, and eat. I'll tend your hair for you. You have such beautiful hair. My daughter would have been about your age. We lost her in an accident." There was a tightness to her voice, and although the older woman was behind the chair where Isabella had seated herself, she knew the housekeeper had made the sign of the cross.
    At least they all weren't devil-worshipers in this valley. Isabella sighed with relief. "I'm so sorry for your loss, signora. I can only imagine how terrible it would be to lose a child, but mia madre died of the fever when I was but six, and mio padre was carried home from a hunting accident. I only have mio fratello now. And I do not wish to lose him, too."
    She didn't add that both she and Lucca believed her father's hunting accident, which subsequently caused his death, had been no accident but a serious bid by their neighbor, Don Rivellio, to begin the takeover of their lands.
    "You met mio sposo, Betto, last night on your arrival. He stabled your horse for you. The animal was very tired. He is a good man, and should you need anything, he will aid