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“Again,” Dante said, as soon as she finished.
Mamma chuckled, and Dante’s cheek rested against her dress, which felt scratchy because it wasbrocade, a word she taught him. She loved to teach him words, and he loved to learn them. Dante wanted to learn every word inThe Song of Roland.
Mamma read the line again, then closed the book. “Bedtime.”
“Mamma, isn’t that one of the best bits?”
“Yes.” Mamma set the book aside. “Why do you like it?”
“I can picture it in my mind.”
“So can I.” Mamma smiled, and Dante thought his mother was even more beautiful than Aude, Oliver’s sister in the book.
“Mamma, Count Roland and Oliver are best friends. Will I have a best friend?”
“Yes, someday.”
Dante recited, “ ‘Roland is fierce and Oliver is wise, and both for valor may bear away the prize.’ ”
“Bravo, Dante.” Mamma beamed, which made Dante feel as remarkable as the sun rising at night.
“Mamma, I think Count Roland is brave, but he’s too proud. Oliver tells him to blow the horn for Charlemagne, but he doesn’t listen.”
“That’s true. So, who do you like better, Count Roland or Oliver?”
“Oliver. I’m more like Oliver, I’mwise. Count Roland istoobold and fierce.”
“I agree.” Mamma smiled, brushing back his hair.
Dante kept his eyes closed, staying in his mind because it made him happy to be sitting in Mamma’s lap again, telling her the best bits andhearing her sayI agree. He didn’t think there was any better sound in the world.
I agree
I agree
I agree
Dante covered his ears, keeping her words inside his head.
Until he fell asleep.
CHAPTER FOUR
Gaetano Catalano stepped into his well-appointed foyer, taking off his straw hat and hanging it on the rack. His sons were playing in the living room, and the delicious aroma of fried eggplant wafted from the kitchen. He looked forward to a wonderful lunch with his family before he had to return to the office. Gaetano was a lawyer at one of the finest firms in Palermo, which catered to an aristocratic clientele.
But his wife, Maria, was hurrying toward him, a frown creasing her forehead and clouding her warm brown eyes. A lovely woman, she had a fine nose and lips set on an elegantly long face. Her hair was dark and shining, and she wore a double braid around her head. Today she wore a dress in a blood-orange hue, coral earrings, and a gold crucifix he had given her.
“Darling, I have bad news.” Maria lowered her voice. “There’s been a kidnapping. A boy was taken at the festival.”
“Oh no,” Gaetano said, horrified. “Who was it, do you know?”
“No. He was on the Quattro Canti, so his family must be important.”
“It happened on the Quattro Canti? That’s an outrage!” Gaetano realized the kidnapping must’ve been why the meeting had been called tonight. He had gotten the notice about it earlier today, via secret courier.
“That’s only a few blocks from where we were. It’s so awful.” Maria’s dark eyes glistened. “They say he’s young, five or six.”
“Has there been a ransom demand?”
