Luna pulled a book from a pile on one of the shelves. She recognised it from its slender spine. It was a tall, thin text and the pages stiff; it had not been read often. This was the list of astronomical predictions that her father had had prepared for him using the detailed data in the Alfonsine Tables. The book’s perfect condition made her wonder how long it had been since Papa had indulged his enthusiasm for the science—another reason for her to remind him of its pleasures. She was disappointed not to find an eclipse listed until February of the next calendar year.

She tidied the room with vigour, replacing the dirty poultices into the bowl, rearranging the ledgers neatly and gathering the quills to be sharpened. Even without an eclipse, she hoped Papa would be impressed by her understanding of the Sacrobosco. She might also learn from the other book by the Greek mathematician that she’d kept—the Greeks offered much knowledge of mathematics, which was the basis for predictions in astronomy. The Sand Reckoner might offer her an insight into her papa’s views as a younger man, as it had helped her father’s rise from cloth maker to member of the Platonic Academy. Perhaps it could help change how men of import viewed her too.

*

It was late in the day when Margherita Palagio arrived. Luna and Maria sat in the main hall as they’d been told to do and listened to the voices of their mother and her guest grow loud as they approached from the staircase. Luna looked up at the ceiling high above painted with a scene of angels and clouds surrounding the baby Jesus held within his mother’s embrace and silently prayed to Mother Mary for self-composure. Any who stood beneath the fresco understood its import; the Fusili family were within reach of the heavens. An arrangement of chairs had been placed near the windows that looked out across the piazza so that the shaft of sunlight might offer a pleasant backdrop to the conversation. A table laid with plates of sweets and fruits sat in the centre of the chairs.

Luna smoothed her skirts and stood so their guest would not see how she hung on her crutch for support. Maria jumped up when she saw her sister rise. They dropped into a curtsey when the door opened and Mamma Lucrezia led a tall and slender woman through. Mistress Palagio was older than her step-mamma but the sag in her cheek was covered with a powder of an unnatural colour that gave the effect of brightness. She nodded in acknowledgement of the two girls, then sat, and Mamma Lucrezia called for refreshments.

‘I am so glad that you found the time to visit with us. I have missed your company.’

Luna heard the unsubtle flattery in her step-mamma’s tone. Their guest smiled and nodded, then sipped her wine.