The Pawn novel · Chapter 19 of 24

Chapter 19: A Seat at the Table

I had my jeans and sweater on in the time it took the lantern to cross the next field.

Cosimo reached for his shirt.

"No," I said. "Stay in here, and bolt the door behind me."

"Nerina."

"If he sees you, he'll have you shot on the porch, and three rifles will be here in five minutes."

I pressed my hand against his chest.

"You told me you came to let me choose. Let me choose."

He looked at me for a long moment.

Then he nodded once, and I went out into the cold and heard the bolt slide home.

Pellegrino stopped at the foot of the porch steps with his lantern raised.

He wore his coat over the cardigan, and his reading glasses hung from a cord at his neck.

He looked like a grandfather who had come out to see about a noise.

"Lucio said you had gone to bed," he said mildly.

"Lucio lies badly."

"He does. He gets it from his mother."

He looked at the cottage window, where a lamp burned low.

"My driver saw a man walking up the south road."

"Yes."

"Is he in there?"

I made myself laugh.

It came out light and a little tired, which was what I wanted.

"He's in there, Papa. Asleep, I hope. I brought him here for you."

His eyebrows rose.

"For me."

"You said Saturday at the dock. Midnight. A rifle on the roof."

I came down one step.

"Do you know what I thought, when you said it?"

"Tell me."

"I thought, what a waste."

He said nothing, and I kept going, because I could see he was listening.

"You wanted me to know where I came from. You want your son to know."

"You want the men on both sides of the river to see what you have."

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