Page 51 of Tear of Destiny
“Oh, then it’s time for me to introduce you two. She’s a delightful young lady, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my granddaughter,” he adds with a wink. “Claire is very special,and she’ll achieve great things. We all agree on that. We’re very proud of her, and when you talk to her, you’ll find that she’s a charming person too.”
I nod drily and picture her at Ayden’s side. Yeah, she’s clearly very special…
“Mr. Cunningham,” a tall man calls out. “May I borrow you for a moment?”
He nods and excuses himself. “I’ll talk to you again later.”
“You don’t look good,” Alessandro observes. “Is it because of Claire? You went so pale when he started talking about her.” He tilts his head and studies my face. “Hmm, then I guess your encounter with her didn’t go too well.”
“I’m fine,” I say, walking away from him because I can’t stand still any longer. I wish I could leave this party. I just want to go back to school and crawl into bed.
“Teresa, wait. I won’t mention her name again, I promise.”
I ignore him and hurry away. As I do, I almost collide with a young woman talking on her phone.
“It sucks that you didn’t want to come. Now I have to hang around here on my own, bored out of my mind.”
She lets out a quiet exclamation of fright when I almost collide with her, pulling myself up just in time. She gives me a startled look and says into the phone, “No, it’s okay. Someone almost ran into me. I guess I was a little distracted,” she continues in a coquettish voice, turning away from me. “What do you say we meet up tomorrow? I won’t be in town much longer. Unless my plan starts to take shape in the meantime… Come on, Ayden. I miss you, and I want to enjoy my last few days here. I can’t do that without you.”
My heart contracts. I hate the fact that those few words hit me so hard. Why won’t this burning feeling in my chest go away?
“Want to go somewhere more private?” Alessandro asks beside me. Apparently, he witnessed all that and is trying to divert myattention to other things.
“That could be taken the wrong way,” I reply, unable to suppress a smirk at his ambiguous choice of words.
He looks disconcerted and scratches the back of his head. “True. I just thought maybe you could use a change of scene. I could give you a tour, what do you say? There’s plenty to see and marvel at in the Fabrici house. And you could learn more about the Council and the Tempes on the way.”
I frown and look at him doubtfully. “You want to reveal the family secrets to an outsider like me?”
He shrugs. “I’m the black sheep of the family. I have a reputation to uphold.”
I shake my head and follow him across the room. He’s certainly aroused my curiosity.
Chapter 21
We walk along a corridor that’s in no way inferior to the entrance area in terms of its pomp and splendor. The floor is covered in expensive-looking carpet that completely muffles our footsteps. Here too, I see statues and objects such as chalices, vases, and sculptures standing on elegant pieces of furniture.
“You must have to employ a whole battalion of cleaning staff to keep all this stuff spotless,” I say.
Alessandro turns around with an amused expression. “My parents are passionate collectors. I guess it runs in the family. You’ll be amazed at the kinds of things we have here.”
I raise my eyebrows and follow Alessandro up a flight of stairs. “Sounds mysterious. What kinds of things do you collect? Dusty suits of armor from Europe? Do you have the Amber Room stashed away in here somewhere? Or the Ark of the Covenant?”
“You’re thinking along the wrong lines,” he says with a wink. “You’re forgetting that our family has sat on the Council for generations. We’re solely devoted to the key carrying world, so that’s what holds the most significance for us.”
This actually sounds interesting. “And you’re sure your familywon’t kill you if you show these things to a stranger?”
“Sure, probably. But I like you. You’re different. And anyway, you have a gift and that makes you valuable to the Council. I figure it’s only right for you to find out more about the Council and its history. Maybe then you’ll feel more inclined to work with us. That would be a positive outcome, wouldn’t you say?”
I hope he’s just teasing me and doesn’t seriously mean that. I can’t imagine anything that would make me enthusiastic about working with the Council. So I just say, “I’m intrigued.”
We turn into another long corridor. I’ve already lost my sense of direction. Everywhere I look I see grandiose objects, gold and silver, and valuable works of art. We finally reach a set of double doors. They’re made of pale wood with etched panes, but I can’t see anything through the milky glass. Even here, the ever-present gold adornments haven’t been neglected.
Alessandro turns to me again. I see a look of excited anticipation in his eyes. He opens the doors, and I step into a room lined on all sides with high, dark shelves. They’re filled with countless books, some of them huge old tomes. But other objects are stored here too: I see a small silver floor clock, porcelain figurines, curved, rusty-looking knives, and old coins in small boxes.
At first, I can’t make any sense of it all, but then my eyes are drawn to the four glass cases in the middle of the room. In one of them is a gem-studded necklace. It consists of a number of chains and is beautifully made. It’s illuminated by a spotlight above it, which makes the stones sparkle.
In the next case is a white shirt that looks really old. I can’t tell what kind of fabric it’s made of. When I look closer, I notice delicate patterns woven into it. I imagine the tailor’s skills were really put to the test when making this.