She shook her head. ‘I didn’t mean that.’

‘Did you mean to shame me at Mass earlier?’

Luna felt her cheeks fire up.

Her father turned, his eyes narrowed. ‘I had the displeasure of hearing your name uttered as I stood conversing after Mass.’

So the gossip-mongers had not wasted any time. Luna put down the book she held.

‘Signore Palagio made a complaint against you.’

Luna knew it had been too much to hope the incident had passed without any accompanying gossip. Yet of all the men to have overheard the exchange in the cathedral, she felt deeply unlucky that it had been Signore Palagio. Of course he’d take the news to her father; he was considering her sister for his son after all. ‘Forgive me, Papa.’ She wished he’d get down off the stool. ‘In my defence, I was provoked.’

‘Beyond the point of common sense it seems. Did you lose your wit?’

Luna stared up at him. ‘I did not, sir,’ she replied firmly, wondering if Signore Palagio had actually seen the incident or if he’d only heard about it through the talk of others. She had no hope of convincing her father if the gossipers had taken her outburst to their truthless lips and spun it into something much worse than what had actually happened.

‘It is a woman’s burden to be overrun by her emotions.’ His voice had shifted to a more conciliatory tone. ‘But I am disappointed, Leonarda, by your irrational antics. You used to be so sensible.’ He paused and stepped down from the stool. ‘Now I go to rest but you must stay and put all these books that will remain back onto the shelves.’

He raised his eyebrows as he turned back to her, one hand on the door. ‘Be careful on the stool.’

Luna listened to her father’s heavy step as he walked away. She took in the scene of disarray before her. Books were strewn across the table and some had fallen to the floor again. Her father’s selection of volumes to keep were dangerously balanced on the lowest shelf. It would take her until well after nightfall to rearrange it all. She stood in front of the stool as though facing down an opponent in battle rather than a simple wooden step. Her father knew how much harder it was for her to balance and she understood this was her punishment. She would not show weakness; that had been implicit in his warning.