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Jordan decided not to mention the fact that the contessa had insisted she ain "To use an American expression, Tiff, I’m afraid that I consider the contessa to be an absolutesliain

"Well, you tend to be so honest?I thought that I’d be honest, too," Jordan said

Tiff snor?if I’m able to talk to him, and invite him over, may I use you as bait?"

The term Tiff used disturbed Jordan "Bait?"

"Well, if I’ a dinner?or a lunch, breakfast, or even drinks?and that you’re coet hi about hioing to ply him with oysters and liquor Did you know, oysters do have an effect?"

Jordan laughed out loud, setting down her glass "Tiff?you’re horrible!"

"Yes, I suppose so, but honest, at least, as you’ve said May I use your name in my pursuit?"

"Sure"

"Great! Thank you Itoo close to Anna Maria’s ball or anything like that Hey, I prohost tour Want to hear my favorite story?"

"I’d love to"

"Once, I think it was during the sixteen hundreds, the youngest daughter of the house, a beauty, fell in love with the wrong fellow Her uncle had been elected doge at the time, and this felloas the son of a rival politician"

"Sounds like Ro The two fall in love, and there’s a ru man can’t just disappear, so you knohat happens?"

"What?"

"He supposedly falls off the balcony and breaks his neck"

"How terrible So now he haunts the house?"

"Of course Unfortunately," Tiff said with a sigh, "I’ve never seen hihter is certain her family caused the accident So she decides to kill herself as well and juet to see hi the place as a pair"

Tiff shook her head "Nope! The daughter jumps off the balcony?but hits the canal She ondolier She marries the fellow, and they move to Ro?"

"Sure?except for the original young hter was in love with"

"Oh, well, there can’t be a happy ending for everyone!" Tiff said "There’s ive you more history"

The palazzo was beautiful, with the inal owner e room had been converted into a bath with a h to accommodate several people, a shoith s, andarea, a breakfast table by a , and a huge bed covered in rich leeful "Nowif I can only get the young blood in here that I want to seduce "

"Well, then, I hope you get it," Jordan said and glanced at her watch "Thanks for the breakfast, Tiff, and the tour The place is really wonderful It should definitely do"

"Thanks I hope so I s Of course, I have help here, but only every otherI’m actually quite a fine cook, and I’ve always been detailed, organized, and neat Anal, even!" she admitted with a s her out On the streets again, Jordan was surprised to realize that she laughed each tiht about Tiff’s brash honesty Tiff was indeed so back, she felt again just how

And by day, there were no shadows

Ragnor sat at an outside table in St Mark’s Square, watching

The day was cool, and last night’s snow had vanished as if it had never been The sun was out, the bandstand was quiet for thefroht, he wasn’t the only person wearing dark glasses He’d always been fond of shades anyway, ever since he’d gotten his first pair They were great when you wished to see, but didn’t want your thoughts seen in return

He’d never been particularly fond of costu one by day He sat in his long, black leather cape with a black turtleneck beneath it Black boots kept his feet warht

And the color of his coffee It was good He liked this particular cafe because they did brew large, strong cups of what they called Ah he kne A Over the years, however, he’d acquired a taste for heavy, rich roasts, and this place brewed thee point He could see froth erected by order of Napoleon Bonaparte, and gazing in the opposite direction, he could see those co fro in fro, and dotting the area, everywhere, wereclientele Children loved the work; butterflies drawn on cheeks in vivid color, cat faces, kiss faces, diahed the value of eons were everywhere Vendors sold little bags of corn to be thrown to the birds, heedless of the fact that they tended to inhabit the Square for whatever tidbits of food could be found

It was an interesting place for people-watching As always, during Carnevale, those ere especially stunning, odd, or unusual paraded around in their costu by the pillars, faces bland as they met camera after camera There were those who came only to watch, who oohed and aahed over a perfor display in a shop