Homecoming
Our arrival to the Galli estate was both a relief and filled me with dread. I realized that the outdoors now filled me with dread; every unknown sound was a threat and every shadow brought me a shaking, sweating sensation that would have put the hairs on my neck on alert if they ever managed to lay down. The lines of the estate were rounder than I’d seen with De Santis and Greco, but Galli was a younger family by noble standards, and their property showed its youth in various ways. As we arrived, we saw two dozen children of various ages running about the lawns, trailed by a team of minders and servants. The older ones made note of our arrival with a shrewdness I envied. Born to this world, they had every advantage I lacked with only Tiziano’s teaching. I saw Tiago watching the children longingly, but he made no move to join them. His injured arm was in a sling now and he shifted the cloth on his neck uncomfortably; it was humid today. A branch in the road of approach directed my