Free City of Swords by Mary Hoffman

Laura.

    The di Chimici were leaving Fortezza in a jangle of harness. Princesses Carolina and Lucia, light-hearted with relief about the Signoria’s decision, had come to the main gate in the walls to bid their noble kinsmen farewell. It was more of a wrench to part with Bianca but she had to go back with her husband to Volana.
    The Grand Duke was impressive in purple and silver brocade, with a small silver fillet round his brows standing in for the heavy grand-ducal crown. His more modest brother hung back behind him but got the warmer hand-clasp from their cousin Lucia.
    ‘Goodbye, Lucia,’ said Gaetano. ‘I hope all goes smoothly from now on but if you are ever in danger, get a message to me. And remember that Guido Parola is a good man in a tight spot.’
    ‘I’ll remember, cousin,’ said the Princess, smiling.
    She and her mother had a long embrace with Bianca.
    ‘We shall miss you most of all, sister,’ said Lucia.
    ‘Come, Filippo, Alfonso,’ said Fabrizio. ‘Part of our journey lies on the same road.’
    And quite a cavalcade set out from the city, cheered by a few loyal Fortezzans.
    ‘That’s that then,’ said Princess Carolina. ‘At last our lives can return to normal. Or at least find a new kind of normal, since your papa has left us.’
    From the top of the walls, a rusty-haired young man watched the departing princes.
    ‘They don’t think there is any reason to stay,’ he said to a soldier at his side.
    ‘And what do you think, sire?’ said the soldier.
    ‘I think they have made a mistake,’ said Ludo.

    Laura took her friends’ advice. She had a deep bath on Sunday night, then went to bed, putting the silver paperknife on her chest of drawers so that she would not be tempted to stravagate. She was asleep before the milky drink her mother had brought her had gone cold.
    She woke fully refreshed in body after a nine-hour sleep. But after she had stretched and yawned, luxuriating in how rested she felt, her brain kicked in to disturb the feeling of well-being.
    She had left Fabio without telling him she wouldn’t be back next night – or possibly ever. The city had decided on its ruler, but Laura was sure that wasn’t the end of the story. And maybe now Ludo had left to go somewhere else and she had missed her only chance to say goodbye.
    Thinking about Ludo just made her miserable. He was the only boy she had ever liked apart from Isabel’s twin, Charlie. And he wasn’t a boy; he was a man of nearly twenty-five. Seven or eight years older than her. She could just imagine what her parents would say if she told them she was going out with a man in his mid-twenties. They would be bound to think the worst.
    And yet her father was seven years older than her mother. Lots of people got married with an even bigger age gap than that.
    Married! What was she thinking? She had met Ludo only twice, and you couldn’t marry or even go out with someone who lived in another universe, could you?
    You could change universes, said a little voice in her head. Nick did. No , thought Laura. This is madness.
    She showered ferociously, turning the pressure and heat up as high as she could bear it, even though she was still clean from her bath.
    Wrapped in a big, comforting towel, she sat in the armchair in her room and looked at the little knife. Could she really not go back to Talia? It seemed that it would mean only pain whether she turned her back on Fortezza or not.
    And Laura knew about pain.
    But suppose this thing with Ludo was her only chance to meet someone she liked who liked her too? It was so unfair. Tears started to seep from under her eyelids.
    Laura looked at the paperknife and with a fingertip tested its disconcertingly sharp blade. She felt an overwhelming urge to slide it across her skin. But although she knew she was going to succumb to her secret habit, Laura somehow didn’t want to involve the Talian knife. She had the weirdest feeling that if she did, Fabio would know.
    She set the