This gift from the Council of the Ten caused a lot of trouble in our house. I guess, Ricardo would have drowned the dangerous creature in the Orfano Channel at once, but that could be regarded as a great disrespect to the senators. So he had to obey.

Keeping paurozo in a cage was absolutely unacceptable – I was dead against that and finally brother ordered the servants to build a kind of a stone shelter at the end of the terrace and attached a long strong chain to one of the columns. I bet, Fabrizio wasn`t really excited about that idea, but he only shrugged and said nothing to show that an old bird like him had seen even worse than that.

Next day we were awoken by piercing screams of the maids. It turned out that our “pet” could easily climb the stone walls. A scullery maid almost had a stroke when she saw a terrible monster on her windowsill. Ricardo managed to calm everyone down by promising to put bars on the windows. Aunt Assunta in her typical dramatical manner said that stone howler was a punishment for our sins.

“Well, it will make a great guard dog, don`t you think?” I tried to smile but Ricardo didn`t share my sense of humour.

“I'm afraid this guard wilzl get rid us of our servants first," he said.

Donna Assunta didn't say a word with her thin lips pressed tight. In her opinion, any action by the Council was infallible, so we only had to accept the honour. However, she never set foot on the terrace again, which made me really happy. I immediately ordered to bring there a chair for me to rest. Really, I preferred an eerie company of the sea monster to my aunt`s constant control. I wondered if Pulcino could accompany me, but the moment he saw paurozo, that stupid bird fell into the water, squealed and disappeared into thin air. The rocky howler gave him a chilling gaze from behind the rocks, and then turned its eyes on me. Somehow she managed to melt the dazzling yesterday`s fury into a slowly smouldering hatred. She lurked, waiting for me to come nearer. Just one hard push to break that ridiculous chain, rip our throats and escape into the green water of the canal – I could read that intention on its ugly, lumpy forehead even without making a mental contact with it. In fact, I felt uncomfortable even to touch paurozo`s dark sense.

My lonely sitting around on the terrace wasn`t a waste of time, though. I was the first to see a big luxurious gondola approaching our quay. The passengers were three women in velvet embroidered robes. They were all wearing their masks, but I could recognize opulent figure of Joanna Sacchetti, her daughter's golden curls, and signora Bianca's mermaid profile. It seemed that after my visit to don Arsago's house, the ladies decided that our mourning was not that strict and allowed us to receive guests.

A long shadow fell on the terrace. That was Assunta, of course, wrapped in her usual black garments from top to toe. When she saw Joanna Sacchetti, her lips twisted as if the incarnate Virtue meet an unrepentant sinner.

“Assunta, darling!”

Donna Sacchetti opened the arms as soon as she got out of the boat with the help of a gondolier and servants. She didn't pay the slightest attention to my aunt`s strict grimace as she was sure that it couldn't be related to her in any way. Joanna's naive self-confidence was truly amazing.

“Don`t be so sad. Beatrice is looking at us from heaven, and in remembrance of her we should take care of her daughter instead of grieving. You look so much like her, dear," she smiled at me.

Beatrice Granacci was a little energetic lady, blond and blue-eyed. I was born brown-eyed with a mane of chestnut-brown hair, but some people have quite a peculiar idea about resemblance.

***

“You had visited her before she died, hadn`t you? What did she look like?” I asked Joanna while accompanying her inside.

“Her death came like a bolt from the blue to us. When I received the news..." my voice broke and that wasn't acting. Donna Sacchetti sobbed and patted me on the shoulder.

“Oh, my girl, nobody expected such a terrible end! Beatrice was very worried about you, she talked about you all the time. I guess she had her presentiment. And all these worries were too much for her weak heart. I wish I had convinced her to come back to Venetta! We shouldn't have left her alone...”

They definitely shouldn't. I suspected that donna Granacci`s death wasn`t caused by a "weak heart" as it was officially diagnosed. Probably the true reason was a complication in the form of a glass of poison. No one could find any evidence now, though, especially being under constant surveillance by that old evil crone Assunta. But one thing I was sure of: Beatrice Granacci was fiercely against Julia`s marriage with Enrique Arsago, so her death was definitely at someone else`s hand.

I soaked my eyes with a handkerchief while trying to shove the folded scroll deeper into my sleeve. When I first came there, I began to make a list of possible suspects every time aunt Assunta wasn`t by my side. The list was already really impressive. And during that dinner at don Arsago`s I could meet some candidates face to face. Now one of the candidates was standing right in front of me - what a lucky day!

Paurozo kept staring at us as we were leaving the terrace. Ines was silent and lifeless like a sleepwalker wоken up in the middle of her deep dream. Bianca hesitated for a moment and I could see her glance at the corner with paurozo`s stone shelter. There was a pity in girl`s eyes before she entered the room, and that surprised e a little bit. Maybe I was wrong about that cold mermaid beauty.