swirling blue-and-white striped dome. The building was set up on a higher plane than everything else around it, and a wide marble staircase swept clean of snow led up to the lavishly carved front doors.
When the carriage halted in front of the steps, Sebastian was uncertain what to do. After all, Commander Vittorio had left the door unlocked and there was no one blocking the door. But if they were to attempt an escape, where would they go? And if they were caught, he was certain that whatever cordiality Vittorio had shown him would vanish. His mother seemed content to sit and wait, so he did the same.
A few moments later, Commander Vittorio reappeared with another respectful bow. He opened the door and held out his white-gloved hand to Sebastian’s mother.
“If you will allow me, Lady Portinari.”
With surprising confidence, Sebastian’s mother took his hand and let him help her out of the carriage and up the steps toward the great front doors. Not sure what else to do, Sebastian followed.
Upon crossing the threshold, Sebastian found himself in a wide foyer at the foot of a sweeping staircase. The inside of the manor was strangely familiar. It took Sebastian a moment to realize that while it was far more opulent than his own home, with gorgeous oil paintings hanging from every wall, lush carpets cushioning the polished stone floors, and ornately shaped brass oil lamps mounted on the walls, the overall aesthetic was very similar to the one his mother had given their own home. Of course, he realized, this was the sort of environment she’d grown up in, so naturally she had tried to replicate it as best she could with the limited resources available to her.
“Ah, there you are at last!”
A short, plump lady of perhaps middle years stood at the top of the stairs. She wore a pale blue gown that left her round shoulders bare and showed perhaps a bit more cleavage than Sebastian was accustomed to seeing.
“Lady Inessa Odoyevtseva Prozorova.” The commander removed his hat and bowed deeply to her. “May I present to you Lady Irina Turgenev Portinari and her son, Sebastian Turgenev Portinari.”
“Pishposh, you silly walrus,” said Lady Prozorova. “It might be twenty years since I’ve seen her, but I’d recognize the grace and beauty of Lady Irina Turgenev anywhere.”
“Ah, so you are acquainted,” said Commander Vittorio without a trace of surprise. “How wonderful.”
“Darling Irina, it’s been ages!” Lady Prozorova stretched out her hands as she moved grandly down the staircase. “I don’t mind telling you, I’ve been beside myself with worry!”
To Sebastian’s amazement, his mother’s face suddenly lit up as brightly as Lady Prozorova’s. “My darling Inessa, it’s so lovely to see you again!”
She stepped forward to meet Lady Prozorova at the bottom of the steps, where they clasped their hands together and kissed each other’s cheeks.
“I must confess, dearest Inessa, it has been a difficult time for my son and I,” said the woman who Sebastian was still fairly certain was his mother. He had never seen her behave like this. She had always been a calm, quiet presence in his life, but now she acted as bright and gay as a noblewoman from a romance novel. Was it an act for Lady Prozorova’s benefit? For Commander Vittorio? Or had she been hiding this side of herself for his entire life?
“Ah yes, your son!” Lady Prozorova nodded toward Sebastian with as much gravity as she seemed able to muster, which wasn’t a great deal. “I hear he’s an astonishing prodigy.”
“Oh yes, I’m quite proud, of course,” said Sebastian’s mother without a trace of the humility she had shown throughout his life.
“Dear ladies,” said Vittorio. “While you two get reacquainted, perhaps I might have a word in private with young Sebastian.” He inclined his head to Sebastian’s mother. “With your permission, of course, Lady Portinari.”
There was a flicker of doubt in Sebastian’s mother’s eye, and she hesitated.
“Please, Mother, may I?” asked Sebastian, somewhat surprising himself. He wasn’t quite sure why he was asking. Perhaps he was so disturbed by his mother’s abrupt change in demeanor that he needed time away from her to process it. But he also felt somehow he must face whatever the commander had in store for him with courage.
Sebastian’s mother seemed as surprised by his request as he had been to give it, but quickly recovered. “Naturally I consent. Commander, you’ve been such a kind host thus far. I trust you will remain that way.”
“You have my word, Lady