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Looking up froinals, Pier-Ariana Salier sh the door of her music room that occupied half of the floor between the street level and the top floor of her narrow house; it ilight, the last of sunset fading fro streamers, just visible out the narros in the all The gathering darkness softened her features and robbed her red-blond hair of fire, sinking her turquoise eyes in shadows and sreen of her French square-necked and puffed-sleeved robe d&039;Italienne was uimpe all but invisible; only her necklace of pearls-and-aquaht and giving it form

Di Santo-Germano returned her ss on the instrus for pitch "The drones are a little flat," he res

"They often are," she said, playing a bit of a plaintive la from time to time She knew the words were by Lorenzo de&039; Medici-the one the Fiorenzani had called il Magnifico-and that they had specialto di Santo-Germano; that struck her as odd, since the Fiorenzan poet-banker and uncle of the reigning Pope Clemente had been dead for nearly forty years, but there were a nus about her patron, as she had co of hisfor one of her own songs "I have been trying to find a way to develop the main theme that isn&039;t too obvious, but I haven&039;t found it yet"

One of her four household servants ca; he proceeded to touch this to the wicks of the hanging oil-laht Then he bowed and left the two alone, heading for the kitchen and his evening meal of fish soup and bread

When the chitarrone was in tune, di Santo-Ger, but so Pier-Ariana had never heard before, in a mode hich she was not familiar:

"West lies the abode of sunset,

The place of day&039;s end, and life&039;s;

West lies the real, of darkness;

West lies the hoo ard, ho," Pier-Ariana said when di Santo-Germano fell silent "It&039;s not Italian, is it? You translated it froypt," said di Santo-Ger the centuries he had served in the Te

"Most unusual," she said, wanting to say sos I&039;ve never heard"

"And you invent songs no one but you has ever heard before, a far an to play the chitarrone again, its long neck and angled peg-box held easily against his shoulder, allowing the drone-strings to huan the Plum Blossoo; its recurring three-note phrases,

"Will you, oh, will you please tell one?"

as heartbreaking as any popular ballad of knightly romance

"I like that I don&039;t know the inals

"It is not precisely a mode It has only five tones, each a whole step apart; it isn&039;t often heard in the West, but it is everywhere in the East, along with others," he said, and demonstrated it on the chitarrone

She copied it on the keyboard "It doesn&039;t seem very versatile," she remarked when she had played it a few times

"The Chinese don&039;t find it so," said di Santo-Germano "But it is what they are accustomed to hear, as you are accustomed to modes"

Pier-Ariana&039;s smile widened "And you offer all you have heard, to enhance my music"

"I offer it for whatever use you may want to make of it, even if it is only to entertain you at the end of a very wars and saline-and-doublet in black daaline sleeves turned back and fastened with ruby brooches at the shoulder to show the silver-satin lining and his dark-red silken doublet sleeves beneath artfully slashed to reveal his white camisa and its cuffs of short ruffles On his chest, his pectoral, a black sapphire disk with raised silver wings, depended fros were black silk, his thick-soled black shoes were ornaer; the appearance he presented was elegantly for to sustainon the keys

He bent down and kissed her brow "And you give me more than music, carina"

Her blush deepened "Di Santo-Ger to say, so she ran off several frages of the book of your songs this lier Arcibaldo Tedeschi" He said this as if it had no particular significance, and gave her a soft look when she uttered a squeak of excitement and shot up froes correct?" She spoke too rapidly for hiave a little bounce "I saw no errors, but you must examine them yourself, and tell me if they are correct It is your work and you deserve it to be accurate" He smoothed her hair back froo to the press, I will arrange for a matron to accompany you"

She nodded twice "Oh, yes, thank you I would love to see how it looks Mille, razie" She wrapped her arood to me"

"It will take another two months before the volues to be htly, "By then, you should be used to the notion of your songs being available all through the Repubblica Veneziana"

"And the Papal States?" she asked eagerly

"If booksellers order the books, then there, or anywhere else, even the New World, in time, and from there, all around the world" He found her enthusias, and so he added, "Be tranquil Your work is excellent, Pier-Ariana It will be well-received"

She frowned at once "But if it is not, what then?"

"The work speaks for itself Anyone who dislikes it only shows he has a poor ear and pedestrian taste," said di Santo-Germano "Do not be daunted by the opinions of others; you haven&039;t been so far Very feomen ever attempt the sort of life you have chosen for yourself You did not let the disapproval of others stop you before-do not do so now You will knoell you have been received by how often you hear your songs sung"

Very slowly she nodded "I suppose you&039;re right," she allowed "But if you find many who dislike my work, ill you do?"

"I will assume our opinions are different, and our tastes in htly on the upper lip

"You will not beco his heart

"No I may listen to the opinions of others, but I a, and I put my trust in what moves me Believe this, Pier-Ariana" He held her close until the fear faded frohed shakily "I&039;," he said "But I think there is no reason for it"

"You have to say that," she remarked, her face tense

"It may seeain "You mustn&039;t succumb to doubts now, carina"

"But that is all I have now: doubts, great masses of doubts" Now that she admitted it, she very nearly collapsed "I don&039;t knohat to say to you, di Santo-Germano You have been stalwart in your support, and II aree, but that-"

She atteood toI could possibly ask for, and rateful, but-"

He interrupted her, keeping his voice steady and gentle so that she would not be dejected by what he said "Spareto deserve it It pleases me to do this for you, and it pleases s"

"In fact, you are satisfying yourself by beingfroation

"Yes, I aratitude?" She stared at hiratitude can be poisonous; it forces you to be beneath ree that I am fortunate to be rich, and that I am in a position to help you advance your work, to our rateful It erodes all other feelings" He held but his hand to her "Thank ladly But do not eratitude"

She stared at hiood," he approved

"You are a strange ner Not that I e" She paused to remove the stopper and pour herself a cup of straw-colored wine frolass bottle "As I recall, you don&039;t drink wine Do you?"

"No, I do not," he said, watching her drink

"You are like those who follow Mohammed, then?" She took a sip of the wine and looked at hi herself to ask "I follow no King and serve no known gods I have told you this when I offered e"

"You also said you are an exile" She drank again, holding the base of the cup tightly

"I ae&039;s "

She shook her head "That is so sad, being an exile"

"Not sad," he corrected her gently "I have grown used to it over the years"

"How can anyone grow used to such a state?" she asked, and finished her wine

"One can accustoh; not all of theinals, starting to play a festive dance o, before the Black Death came to Provence