The Plague Doctor's Daughter

29. Giovanna

Giovanna's resolve wavered. Matteo had risked not only his reputation, but also his well-being in helping her tonight. And she hadn't even acknowledged it. In fact, she'd done quite the opposite by forsaking all decorum when she'd left him in favor of her own dignity. And for what? Nothing had happened in the gondola. She'd merely rested her eyes. He hadn't deserved her ill-mannered rebuttal.

"Matteo!" she yelled, stepping out from behind the column.

He did not appear to hear and continued to hurry along.

A mix of panic and anticipation bubbled inside Giovanna, like a rising crescendo in one of Master Monteverdi's a capellas. She needed to catch him.

"Matteo!" she shouted once more as she ran out of the arcade's confines, not stopping until she was just an arm's length away. "I must—" she began, swallowing the rest of the words along with a mouthful of rain when the figure turned to acknowledge her presence.

Giovanna recoiled. It wasn't him. Instead of Matteo's handsome face, the mask of a grotesque demon stared back at her. She vehemently shook her head."Oh. You are not who I was looking for," she said, backing away before the stranger thankfully continued on his way.

"Is it me you seek?"

The question came from behind her, and Giovanna spun around. A small distance away, Matteo stood like a dramatically positioned statue with his cloak billowing around his legs and one hand held against his chest. The cold rain washing over his uncovered head didn't bother him. He could have been carved from marble; only the mischievous grin on his face bathed in the moonlight betrayed his realness.

Giovanna blinked rapidly to throw the water off her lashes. She hadn't missed him, after all.

She walked toward him, every step warming her from the inside as she closed in on the source of the proverbial flames. But something was wrong. As he slowly advanced, it became apparent that he was struggling, each step a chore. The slump in his shoulders and the limp in his walk were more pronounced that before, and Giovanna feared that his fall earlier had done more damage than she'd recognized.

"Are you in much pain? Do you need assistance?" she asked, running the last span to close the gap between them.

He didn't answer, instead looking at her with silent amusement as the previous smile still played on his lips.

Giovanna was never good at such games, and she was always the first to look away. But this time, she forced herself to stay focused. If she had changed her mind about running away, she needed to make her vacillation worthwhile.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you for risking everything tonight. I am truly appreciative."

Her heartfelt pronouncement was met with laughter. "You thought it best to extend your gratitude right here? Right now?" he asked with another chuckle, throwing his head back and extending his arm, the upturned palm catching the rain.

Giovanna shrugged. "Better now than never," she said with a coy puck of her own lips. Frivolity suited him, and it was easy to follow the lead.

But apparently exhaustion played with Matteo's mood just as much as it did with hers, and he quickly turned serious. "Thanks and good-bye: was that your plan? Did you intend to end our search now?" he asked, dropping his arm and with it, his cheery demeanor. "Surely one failure doesn't curtail your quest for justice?"

She had no such intentions. In fact, Giovanna had not even thought about how to proceed, making his assumption of her willingness to give up so easily sting that much more. Tears clouded her eyes.

"No, of course not. But it is late—"

He grabbed her hand as she was about to turn away. "Forgive me. I am not thinking straight, it seems. As you say, it is late and I should have simply said 'you are most welcome.'"

Giovanna relished his touch, even through the gloves. How could she fault him for overreacting when she had just done the same?

With a sniffle, she nodded. "It appears we are both acting out of impulse. Rest shall do us well," she said, already dreading parting ways again as she reached into her pocket for her mask. While tonight she wasn't impersonating her father, she'd brought the plain Volta to minimize the chance of recognition while breaking curfew. But as she pulled the contoured leather out, it slipped through her fingers and fell at her feet.

Ever the gentleman, Matteo acted first. Bending at the waist, he only got half way before he stopped. "Ow," he groaned, slowly righting himself again.

Giovanna quickly picked up the mask and stepped closer. "You are hurting," she said with sympathetic derision. One of the worst things a patient could ever do was be untruthful to a physician, yet his need to appear invincible was admirable.

Matteo winced. "A bit, yes. But only when I breathe or move," he added with a laugh, which caused more pain that resulted in added squirming.

Giovanna carefully looped her arm around his back. "You need to return home at once," she said, already guiding him toward the family's palazzo.

"Can you not stay?" he asked as he hobbled beside her.

She looked over at him. "For what purpose? I cannot treat you for my supplies are all at home."

"For now I will take a thorough examination to certify that I will live and perhaps the extended pleasure of your company," he said.

The offer was tempting and for several paces, Giovanna said nothing as she thought it over. Her father had shown much improvement during the day, having conversed and eaten multiple times while she had gone about her work. Her absence for the rest of the night would be unnoticed and therefore, the least of her worries.

Matteo's intentions were another matter, yet she had attended to him before and he'd behaved honorably. Not risking the perilous trip across the city was a bonus. Which left just one obstacle.

"How will you get me inside undetected? Surely you don't want anyone to see—"

"There is a back entrance," he cut her off, having an answer at the ready. "It is how I left earlier this evening, and it will keep our comings and goings only between us."

"I suppose I have no arguments, then," Giovanna said, attempting to sound less enthusiastic than how she really felt. "If this is truly what you wish."

"It is," he said, stopping at the base of the basilica's clock tower. "And here we are."

Giovanna had walked under the stone arch hundreds of times, yet never before had she noticed the door embedded in one side. She stepped back to allow Matteo to unlock it, then watched as he pulled the wooden panel open.

He held out his hand. "The corridor is narrow and dark. I will lead you to my chambers, but you'll have to trust me. Ready?"