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Pollux stood and bowed stiffly.

Sebastianus inclined his head. “Look after my friend.”

Klaudia hugged and kissed Don and Pollux, and then Don wrapped his arms around me. “Use it for something good,” he whispered.

I nodded into his huge chest.

And then the two men were gone: quick, heavy footsteps on the narrow staircase, a word to Tosca, and out into the frosty street.

Sebastianus, Klaudia, and I stood for a minute in the quiet room, which seemed strangely lifeless without the men’s vibrant presence. Fear gripped me. Please, great Goddess, watch over them.

“All right,” Klaudia said. “The next step begins.”

Sebastianus pulled me toward him. “You will meet me at Caligine, in the passageway near the kitchens, at the eighth hour.”

“I will,” I said. “The door down to the laundry is small, made of wood, with a metal latch. You would hardly notice it.”

He clung to me. “Don’t be late. I won’t want to linger in the passageway.”

“I’ll be there.”

He kissed me, and then he was gone, with the thump of his walking stick audible as he descended the stairs.

Klaudia and I began our preparations.

AT SEVEN HOURS after midday, Klaudia and I arrived at the entrance to Casa Caligine in a carriage she had hired. For the first time in my life, I wore the makeup and attire of a full courtesan. Through a contact that Tosca had at Casa Aeris, she had helped us secure the glittering paint she and Klaudia used to decorate my eyes and lips. With their help, I had braided my hair in a passable recreation of the elaborate coils worn at the pleasure house. Tosca had dressed me in a gauzy, ivory-colored garment with gold thread running through it. I tried to pay her for the dress, but she insisted it was a spare, rejected by the dresser at Casa Stella.

“It is the least I can do for you,” Tosca insisted, “after the time you spent helping me with my accounts. What a nice surprise you’ll be for him.”

Klaudia and I exchanged a glance. It had seemed too difficult to explain what was really happening, so we allowed the woman to believe that I was arraying myself in splendor to delight my patron at a special dinner.

I dipped a small curtsy to Tosca. “Thank you.”

We made our way out into the street, a beaming Tosca waving after us.

I STEPPED OUT of the carriage in front of the heavy door and burning torches, assuming a confidence I didn’t feel. Klaudia took my hand and together we strode past the door wardens and into the entrance hall. I kept my eyes on the floor. Klaudia greeted the porter by name, and he admitted us with hardly a glance at me, bowing to Klaudia as we passed. She swept us up the grand staircase to the large, comfortable rooms on the second floor, where I had never been before.

The room Sebastianus had reserved for himself had a lovely view of the mountains through hazy glass windows. It contained a large, canopied bed, a small writing table, a washbasin. A vase of lilacs brightened the simple hearth.

I sat on the bed, trying to calm my nerves. “All right. We’re inside. Halfway there.”

She nodded.

“I’ve never even seen these rooms before.” I ran my finger along the bedpost, carved with ornate flowers.

She looked thoughtful. “It’s strange to be back here with you now that I know you so well.”

I went to the window and looked out at the sweeping mountain range. “Being back here makes me think about Kyra. She deserved to have so much more life.”

“She did.”

I trailed my finger along the thick glass. “I’ve been thinking that I want to do something to change things here. Women everywhere have so few options, and this city in particular is filled with discarded women. I want to make a difference here.”

She squeezed my shoulder. “If anyone can make a difference here, it’s you.”

I got to my feet and gave her a long hug.

“I’d better go,” she said. “I will meet you on the Carrac road. Be careful, Anna. If anything goes wrong, run and hide. Survive. We will find you.”