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"But the man is a respectable er," Pier-Ariana&039;s cousin Marcantonio Rosseli said to her over the dining table "With my father dead these ten months, I am mindful of my duty to take you in, since you are not sponsored by your patron any longer-more&039;s the pity that his business should fail so terribly, and he be gone-yet you have some money to contribute here from the house you have claim to in Venezia, but I will not allow you to remain here forever-I cannot You have a duty to your family to wed-at last Cornelio Paschetti is an honorable h; he is the best instrument-maker in Verona, and his work is praised everywhere You would be an asset to him, as acolor rise in his face "Your mother would expect you to make the most of this offer, if she were still alive"

Pier-Ariana sat very still on the women&039;s side of the table; her face was pale and her mouth was hardly e her in the side, and realized she had to say soin&039;, and I a me in, but until I kno matters stand with the Conte, I cannot make such a decision as you ask of me, not without careful consideration, and a better acquaintance with Signor&039; Paschetti"

"He will come to visit here if I tell him he is welcome," said Marcantonio "You will not have to decide without knowing so about the man"

"And if I should say I would rather not receive him, what then? Would you decide to requireher hands under the table so Marcantonio would not see theness to be courted a condition ofwelcome in your house?"

The five other women on their side of the table flinched at Pier-Ariana&039;s challenge, hisso far as to cross herself at such tehter blushed deeply and looked across the room as if to vanish from the meal

"No, no, of course not," said Marcantonio, but added fretfully, "But unless you want to be known as a woe the attentions of a well-respectedsuch repute as no man would be likely to-"

"To what?" Pier-Ariana waited for a long moment "Well?"

"You have been in Verona more than two months," said Marcantonio bluntly "If you plan to return to Venezia, you would do well to leave before the end of Septees, and so you can make plans for the winter"

"I haven&039;t in&039;," said Pier-Ariana with o elsewhere-"

"No, no," said Marcantonio "I won&039;t have it be said that I turned out a relative in distress, and a good Catholic"

"For the sake of my late mother," said Pier-Ariana, "and the two ducats I provide every month" It was the entire a in the house di Santo-Germano had taken for her, and she paid it reluctantly, for it was the only lowered in Pier-Ariana&039;s direction "If you will not listen to me, then speak to rasp of such matters is admirable Since you do not seem to apprehend the perils of your situation, she will explain your circumstances more effectively than I can, and why Cornelio Paschetti has been enerous in his offer" He ss must work"

"Because she, as a , needed support for herself, her mother, and her children, and so married you?" Pier-Ariana inquired

Serafina&039;s smile did not reach her eyes "You and I should talk, Pier-Ariana," she said, with a quick glance at her three daughters: the scarlet-cheeked Giacinta, the deliberately preoccupied Feriga, and the sweet-featured Orsola

"If you insist," said Pier-Ariana, and rounded on her cousin "If you will excuse ot to her feet and stepped away from the table "I find I have lost my appetite"

"Pier-Ariana-no," said Serafina "You mustn&039;t-"

But Pier-Ariana was halfway to the door, and she would not look around As she closed the door behind her, she heard excited conversation erupt ae to pause and listen,for her rooms at the rear of the house As she climbed the stairs to the second floor, she had to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep froave vent to the turbulent e her, but her tears carried with them no release or anodyne solace She mourned her music, her life in Venezia, her time with di Santo-Germano, her heartache so intense that she could barely breathe By the time she wiped her eyes, she was in a more desolate state oftable

In an effort to restore her equilibriuan to play; the ers was plaintive and sad, turning her thoughts more forlorn than they had been She stopped heranother tune, rose and went to the smallon the east side of the rooarden below Soarden wall, she could see the curve of the walls of the old a over this quarter of Verona, and the tall spire on the Capella di Santa Poan tes claimed her attention as the day waned, a distraction froht faded all the details fro to her virginals, she lit three oil-la, carried by her despondency at the bleak outlook presented to her

As the fao to bed, a tap on Pier-Ariana&039;s door announced the arrival of Serafina "Pier-Ariana, you and I h she was to send Marcantonio&039;s wife away, Pier-Ariana sighed and called out, "Co no more invitation than that, Serafina entered the room, a candle in her hand to show that this was to be an i We all did"

"Thank you," said Pier-Ariana, closing the virginals in case Serafina&039;s remark was not a compliment

"My husband has asked an

"I am aware of it," said Pier-Ariana

"Then you must also knohat he expects nity she could summon

"He expects you to advise me," said Pier-Ariana with the se his recommendation"

"His and mine are one," said Serafina

"He expects you to explain the advantages ofunsuccessfully to look compliant

"That he does-and I pray you will listen," she said, and launched into the first phase of her argument "It must surely be apparent to you that you have put yourself at a e and yourrecent distresses, and it is only through the deep concern of your family that any chance for a decent life is still available to you I beg you, keep in mind what your presence may do to the position of us all" She sat on the end of the narrow bed, for Pier-Ariana was occupying the only chair in the roo our discussion, because it is pleasant for neither of us"

"But your husband has instructed you, hasn&039;t he?" Pier-Ariana asked, doing her best not to sound too indignant at this attee she did not want

"For your sake, yes, and for the rest of us, as well," said Serafina, pausing as if to e is a necessity, if there is no inclination for the religious life, and no parent or sibling needing a woly, so you have a reasonable expectation, even now, of nor&039; Paschetti is a ood character, one who has ht of his courtship Marriage is the path most of us must tread, and nor&039; Paschetti All woainst their inclinations; othere bring dishonor to ourselves and our fain&039; Marcantonio," said Pier-Ariana, who had heard this contention since she was old enough to listen: her mother, the local priest, her aunt in Holy Orders, her playation to marry as her family wished Only her father&039;s loss of money and subsequent death had altered these ad her to pursue her musical aspirations "You don&039;t think you can findto overlook le, decisive nod "I arasp the nature of the problem Your patron did well by you when he was in Venezia and had his fortune, but you can no longer rely on his support, nor can you remain here in so ill-defined a capacity The convent of San Apollonius would be glad to have you as a tertiary, to direct the choir of the orphanage, but you say you lack religious vocation, so it e, and sooner rather than later At least Cornelio Paschetti has not spoke of any deep disapproval of your abilities, so long as you abandon your playing outside the fah he may occasionally ask you to deotten, the better it will be for all of us"

Pier-Ariana was unable to speak, and so she stared at her oil-la hard three times as she strove to maintain a sean, "I had been a ? Would it then be so hard to secure a husband for me?"

"That is entirely different," said Serafina "You would have your husband&039;s fa"

"Yours didn&039;t," Pier-Ariana remarked "You married Marcantonio because it was that or penury"

"I have three daughters who must be dowered and wed, and who need a place in the world," said Serafina stiffly "I cannot provide any of those things for them, nor can my first husband&039;s fa with ree to the match, but he did I would have been irresponsible and contuhed "Your cousin is a good enerous I have been e, and that, in itself, is reason enough for you to consider Cornelio Paschetti&039;s offer"

"So you wed Marcantonio for the sake of your daughters, which was probably very prudent But I have no children" Pier-Ariana fell to s They are being sold" She did not mention she had completed part of a third which she had promised to deliver to Giovanni Boromeo as soon as it was done

Serafina nodded, not co "That is unfortunate, but I must suppose you cannot withdraw the, and he er in a position to bear those expenses, no matter what it means to your reputation It is a difficult iive up sales for the sake of your family"

"I will have a little income from the books," Pier-Ariana reminded Serafina

"But it is a sone" Serafina shook an ader at Pier-Ariana "You s, for they will fail you"

"Does Signor&039; Paschetti know about the two books?" Pier-Ariana asked, hoping this would end her aardness

For the first time, Serafina lacked a prepared answer "II believe so was uessed "That was the part your husband glossed over, wasn&039;t it?"

"I wouldn&039;t put it that way," Serafina said huffily "It isn&039;t fitting for iven that the relation between us is in law, not in blood You are not hter, or any part of lint of mischief in her eyes, Pier-Ariana said, "Yes, and for that reason, I should think you&039;d want this Cornelio Paschetti for Giacinta or Feriga, since he is such a good match"

Unaware of the barb in Pier-Ariana&039;s observation, Serafina smiled; there was a hint of triua have any reason to accept Signor&039; Paschetti: both of the, and each will be married when she turns fifteen"

"So late," Pier-Arianato detect the satiric intent of Pier-Ariana&039;s words "I think it is wrong to : better to give theroo a household Those old-fashioned parents who send a bride to the husband&039;s fahters a disservice Such conduct may serve very well for nobles, who often have to find brides from far away, but for honest "

"Then you should have approved of all the things my mother did for me," said Pier-Ariana

"It ell-done of her to permit you to learn ing you to seek out such a life for yourself was, at the best, short-sighted She was not thinking of the man you wouldto her purpose now, and her words caer, Pier-Ariana, and your abilities, although commendable in their place, cannot recommend you to any prudent man except one such as Paschetti"

"Do you think that he is apt to be a good husband?" Pier-Ariana asked

"I think that any husband is a good husband for you at this point," said Serafina somberly "And the sooner you are wed, the better"

"It would spare you ean to play again, noticing that the test strings needed tuning

"It would make our life here easier, I ad a distasteful-but-necessary duty

Even though you would lose two ducats a month?" Pier-Ariana&039;s smile was provocative "I had no notion I was such a burden"

Now Serafina flushed, her cheeks plum-colored, her forehead the color of new roof-tiles "I would not mind the loss of those ducats if you would be happily established"

"With Signor&039; Paschetti," said Pier-Ariana, and began to playto have you," said Serafina "You et that"

"How can I, with you to re, offering no apology for her discourtesy

After listening to Pier-Ariana play for more than ten minutes, Serafina rose from the bed "Well, I will leave you to think over all I have said I know you will do what is in the best interests of us all" She started toward the door "If you refuse this opportunity, you will be the rateful jade in all of Verona"