Free Chiara – Revenge and Triumph by Gian Bordin Page A

same time and suddenly everybody was arguing and shouting. It took Lorenzo a minute to restore calm. "Let Pietro speak," he repeated several times.
    "It’s true what Anna said. It isn’t right that she always has to do the most dangerous task of all. She’s always terribly upset before every show, and she said that she would only do it until a replacement could be found. You’ve never treated her fairly. You only give her minor roles."
    "Pietro, don’t forget Anna is with us because of you," remarked Lorenzo.
    "But you don’t appreciate her talent, and Maria and Alda always get the leading roles."
    "I thought we were discussing whether Chiara does bring enough value," intervened Carlo, "and not if Anna should have bigger roles. We’ve talked about this before and said she would get them."
    "But you’ve never given her any, and we’ve been with you for more than two years already."
    "Pah, Pietro, you always find something to complain about."
    "Let’s not trade insults now," interrupted Lorenzo. "As Carlo said, the issue right now is Chiara. We can deal with Anna’s roles later on."
    There was silence for a moment.
    "Pietro is though right about Anna. We said it would only be temporary, and after all this time she’s still afraid of Pepe’s knives every time she has to stand there," said Antonia and then added with a chuckle: "Besides, Chiara does a wonderful job with my shoulders. I agree to have her."
    Alda promptly said: "I’m for taking her in."
    "So am I," followed Pepe.
    "I’ll have her, but only if she becomes the target," said Pietro, putting great emphasis on the last few words.
    Lorenzo looked at Carlo and Giovanni, sitting next to each other.
    "I’m still concerned that we’re courting trouble, but if everybody else agrees, I’ll go along," said Carlo, followed by Giovanni’s "So do I."
    "Maria."
    She nodded.
    "I share Carlo’s concern, but won’t raise any objections," remarked Lorenzo with a slight frown. "But we shall follow the usual practice that Chiara has to prove herself first for a month before she becomes a full member of our troupe with all its rights." He turned to her and shook her hand. "Congratulations, Chiara."
    "Thank you, Messere ," she replied, bursting into tears.
    "Smile, child, smile and let’s drop the formality. I’m Lorenzo for you now."
    She shook hands with everybody, thanking them repeatedly, while tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. When last she faced Alda, she fell into her arms, crying and laughing at the same time.
    Lorenzo ordered more wine and the troupe broke up into small groups. Antonia waved Alda and Chiara over to her.
    "Alda, Chiara can share our room? And you better find a long skirt for her, so she doesn’t attract all that attention, and her tunic needs washing too."
    Alda nodded. "Yes, I think I’ve a suitable skirt in our clothes chest, though I may have to lengthen it a hand width or so."
    "I thought you had." She shuffled away, calling over her shoulder: "I’m tired. Chiara, come up to our room with me. But first I need to empty my bladder. It’s through there." She pointed to a narrow corridor.
    "Yes, go Chiara. You look exhausted."
    Reluctantly, she followed Antonia through the corridor to a second courtyard with an outhouse. She was of two minds. On the one hand she would have liked to stay with Alda and the others, on the other she wanted to lie down, close her eyes, and simply drift into sleep, knowing she would not have to worry about tomorrow.
    Their room was on the first level, up an outside staircase. It had barely enough space for two bunks. Chiara helped Antonia remove her outer robe, and then they both lay under the same coarse wool blanket on a straw mattress which was barely wide enough for two people. She hoped that it was not infested by fleas, but was too tired to check, drifting off almost immediately. The last thing she vaguely remembered was Antonia’s murmur: "So you stabbed the man in his good eye, didn’t you. You’re