High above them a hawk circled. Luna watched it swoop and dip elegantly then drop suddenly with the precision of the hunter. Its cry was high-pitched and plaintive and carried in the air like a siren’s call. Ahead of them, the professor made fast progress across the hills. His assistant had not left her side but by her dipped head and determined pace, Luna let him know she did not want to converse. Before too long she saw the villa rise in the distance and the way became flatter so that she walked even faster through the first drops of rain. She was keen to get back to the house and the privacy of her chamber.

By the time they hurried through the doors, they were wet through. Elisabetta chastised her husband and fretted over what such a drenching would do to her guests’ health. She sent Luna immediately to her room and ordered up hot soup and warm water for her to wash. Luna went gladly and after cleaning her hands and face, she climbed into bed to rest for the afternoon. Had it not been for the appearance of the professor and his assistant, she would never have walked so quickly and now her whole body ached. She fell asleep to the sounds of muffled voices in the rooms below and dreamt of a secret room down a hidden corridor where she watched two people deep in conversation, though she didn’t know who they were or of what they spoke and she could not join them.

Luna woke as late as the lighting of the candles. It was dark and the dream lingered. She lay and listened to the household’s evening activity: pots clanging in the kitchen, footsteps hurrying through the corridors, and farther away, horses’ hooves stamping as they settled in their stables for the night. She didn’t want to rise, still tired from the morning’s walk, but she dragged herself up and put on her one dress, which had dried whilst she slept and now smelt faintly of the fire. Meeting the professor’s student had reminded her how easily men judged her sex and with that came memories she didn’t want. As she prepared to go downstairs for dinner, Luna set her mind to planning her departure. The professor had already warned her against travelling the roads during the worst of winter and her hosts expected her to join them for the Christmas celebrations. She would resume her journey after the feast of the Epiphany and arrive at the convent with the new year. She wrote a brief note to Livia, requesting that she join her at the Novara estate once the season’s festivities were over. She gave it to one of the servants to send before joining her hosts at the table with Nicolaus, where they were already enjoying the evening meal.

‘I have slept long,’ she said as she sat.