Free Commedia della Morte by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro Page A

realize.” He stepped back from her. “That, and your son is jealous of my attentions to you, I think.”
    She sighed. “Enee is young, but trying to be my protector and guardian. Don’t think ill of him.”
    “I’ll try not to, but I had best let you have some time with him; I don’t want to encourage his rancor. As you say, he is young, and he has an exaggerated sense of his maturity.” He took her hand and kissed it. “Best go out by the terrace door and through the garden. Your troupe will be wanting to see you.”
    “So they will,” she said with a small, artistic sigh. “This has been a most astonishing hour.”
    “That it has,” he told her with warmth in his dark eyes.
    “I’m thankful to you for all you’ve done for me.” She made a little curtsy. “Shall you want an account of our first rehearsal, since you won’t attend?”
    “Only if there’s something you need me to address with the Universita,” he replied, and reached for his coat, pulling it on as he walked beside her to the door of the withdrawing room.
    “I trust your knowledge, and your good sense. You need not give me constant details of what transpires.” He adjusted his neck-cloth and collar, then opened the door for her. “I look forward to seeing you perform, Photine; you and all your troupe.”
    She gave him her most melting smile. “It will be a joy to play a classic again.”
    “Then I am delighted to have helped bring this about.” He gave her a long, steady look. “You must tell me if the site is not to your liking.”
    “I will, but I have no doubt that all will be—” She stopped herself. “Time enough tomorrow for such talk. Now, I must hie myself back to my players so that we may read through our parts again before we have supper. You have a most generous cook, you know.” Glancing at the sconces, she said, “A pity the mirrors are so small and deeply beveled. I can’t see enough of my reflection to be certain my hair is in order.”
    “It isn’t, quite,” said da San-Germain, opening the door for her. “But there is a breeze that can account for it.”
    “Ha! If you believe that, you don’t know how actors think,” she said, and with a roguish wink, she was gone.
    Da San-Germain bowed his head, listening to her departing footsteps and trying to discern how much of what they had shared was intimacy and how much was superb performance.
    *   *   *
    Text of a memorandum from Vivien Zacharie Charlot, Deputy Secretary of Public Safety of Lyon, to Jean-Claude Sauvier, Deputy for Public Safety of Dijon, carried by Revolutionary Guard couriers and delivered three days after it was written.
    To Jean-Claude Sauvier, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety of Dijon, the fraternal greetings of Deputy Secretary for Public Safety of Lyon, Vivien Zacharie Charlot, on this, the 2 nd day of August, 1792,
    All hail the glorious Revolution!
    My dear Deputy Secretary Sauvier,
    It has come to the attention of our Revolutionary Court here in Lyon that many of the regional Revolutionary Courts have become overwhelmed with carrying out the people’s business and can no longer mete out justice in a timely way. I am writing to you and to several other regional Revolutionary Courts to inform you that we at Lyon have the capacity to handle many more cases of suspicions that there may be those holding reactionary opinions, or protecting members of the nobility who deserve to be brought before the people to answer for their crimes, or those who have taken in the clergy in the misguided belief that these superstitious frauds will gain them access to heaven. We have thus far uncovered four groups who have harbored aristocrats, claiming that these enemies of the people were not exploiters and criminals, but sound landlords, worthy of respect and protection. They have paid the price for their stubbornness and folly.
    If you have in your custody any who might fall within these categories, or who have demonstrated other criminal