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I nodded, anxiety constricting my throat.

In another moment, I was alone in the empty chamber.

I sat on the edge of the bed in the silent room as the minutes passed. The sun began to set over the mountains. It streamed through the windows in a beam that hit the wooden floorboards. Dust motes rose into the air. People moved along the corridor outside, and I heard the quick step of guests, the occasional tramp of a booted foot. The scent of lilacs filled the small space. It seemed like time itself had stopped. Eventually, I heard the little water clock near the washbasin chime a quarter to the hour. The evening’s activities would be well underway, the hallways crowded. With luck, no one would notice one more beautiful, painted woman.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The corridor was empty. I stepped out, trying to imitate the graceful movements I remembered seeing during my apprenticeship. For the next few minutes, I was a courtesan of Casa Caligine, and I needed to behave like one.

A guest was ascending as I reached the stone staircase, a stocky man with a clean-shaven face and round cheeks. When he saw me, he smiled with a dimpled grin. “Hello there, darling. Have I seen you here before?”

I put a hand gently on his arm. “Sir, I’m late for dinner. Perhaps I will see you later?”

He ran his thumb along my collarbone. I forced myself not to recoil. “I certainly hope so. In fact, wait for me here. I’ll only be in my room a moment.”

I bent into a deep curtsy, but the second he was out of sight around the corner, I fled down the stairs.

I reached the lower landing without any further interaction. A trickle of guests and courtesans flowed down the stairs toward the parlors and terraces. No one paid any particular attention to me.

The first floor was nearly empty. I paused to get my bearings. I was only a short distance from the passageway where the door to the laundry room was located.

A figure dashed quickly into the hall from the opposite direction. To my surprise, it was Valentina. She wore a silky green dress that showed off her delicate shoulders and neck, and her ginger hair was coiled high, sparkling with jewels. The swirls of paint around her tired eyes seemed so garish. How had I ever thought they looked elegant?

I didn’t have time to navigate a conversation with my former mentor. My heart pounded. I changed course quickly as though I were headed for the grand terrace.

To my dismay, I heard her running after me. When she caught up, she grabbed my arm. “Let me walk in with you so I’m not the only one joining dinner late.” She peered at my face. “Who is— Anna? What in the world are you doing here? You left.” She took a step back, face incredulous. “You left very dramatically.”

My palms began to sweat. Heat rushed to my temples. “I—I came back. I was sent back, actually.”

“The Archidux sent you back? But he is here as well. I just saw him at dinner last night.”

“Yes, that’s what happened.” I tried to think on my feet. “He brought me back with him. He grew tired of me.”

“But I heard he cleared all your debts.” She squinted at me, trying to work it out. “Why would you come back here, of all places?”

Before I could think of a reply, her eyes lit up with a new revelation. “You know who else is here? Clemens Fabius. It seems that everyone involved has returned to the scene of the incident.”

“The incident?”

“Your dramatic departure. People talked of nothing else for weeks.”

I forced myself to breathe slowly. “There’s no need to tell Clemens Fabius that I’m here. Please, Valentina—”

Her face hardened. “You think you’re in a position to ask me to help you? Did you know that Clemens Fabius left immediately after you refused him? Apparently, he lost his enthusiasm for courtesans completely. I had to start all over again, and I still have not found a patron. And you expect me to keep your return a secret? Perhaps he will finally pay me some attention if I’m the one who tells him you are here.”

I felt no anger toward her at all, only a deep sympathy. I leaned closer and said quietly, “Valentina, you don’t have to stay here any longer. There’s a safe place you can go.”

At that moment, I heard footfalls in the passageway behind me, along with a telltale tapping that I knew could only be Sebastianus’s walking stick.

“Is that the Archidux behind you?” Valentina said suspiciously.

I turned to see a courteous smile frozen on his handsome, chiseled face. “Good evening.” Sebastianus inclined his head in a small bow.

I could sense Valentina’s mind whirring like a set of gears.

“This is a strange coincidence,” she said slowly.

Two unexpected things happened. Flavia, the laundress, came around a corner, pushing a wheeled cart overloaded with dirty linens. She looked just as I remembered her: broad, lined face, white hair in a braided bun. At the same time, at the far end of the hall, we heard the tramp of heavy boots on stone and saw a flash of dark blue wool. Soldiers.

Sebastianus stiffened. He stepped back around the corner.