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A clop of hooves made us all turn to the alley, and a moment later Ferox flew into the courtyard. He was hitched to a four-wheel carriage with a driver’s box and a seat behind large enough for two. The horse parked himself close by and pawed at the ground as Tully hopped down from the box.
Ben offered me his hand and a smile. “Shall we?”
I accepted his offer and he helped me into the carriage, followed by Serena. Ben climbed onto the box and lay the reins in his lap before he smiled down at the trio who stood close by. “A good day to you all, and Tully, we’ll be back before sunset.” His servant bowed his head.
“Enjoy yourselves!” Marjorie shouted as we rolled out of the courtyard.
“And say ‘hello’ to Aria for us!” Mary added.
Ben waved his hand to acknowledge them before we disappeared around the corner and into the alley. We soon found ourselves on the main road and I couldn’t help but gaze at all the different people that traveled to and from the Plaza.
“I believe I read in the papers that you haven’t lived here long,” Serena spoke up.
I sheepishly smiled at her. “Is it that obvious?”
She chuckled. “Very much so, but that makes it more exciting to be with you. Being with you is seeing the city through fresh eyes.”
I snorted. “Lady Trent would certainly agree with the ‘fresh’ part.” Serena’s face fell a little, as did my heart. I set my hand atop one of hers. “I hope I didn’t get you into too much trouble back there.”
Serena shook off her melancholy and smiled at me. “No. That is, I suppose I would have left sooner or later.”
My heart sank. “You think that’s what she’s done?”
“If she hasn’t done so, she soon will have the members voting on it,” she confirmed.
I furrowed my brow for a moment before an idea struck me that made me shoot up. “Well, we’ll make our own club. Just you and me.”
She blinked at me. “Should we?”
I draped my arm over her shoulders and grinned at her. “Why not? Maybe we can get the spinster sisters to join us. They seem spry enough.”
Serena broke into laughter and I joined her. Ben twisted around to partially face us. “You two appear to be very entertained.”
“We’re just plotting our way to the top of the literary food chain,” I informed him.
His eyes twinkled. “Any way I could help?”
“You wouldn’t happen to own a newspaper along with a villa, would you?”
“Unfortunately, no. My family prefers to keep out of the paper business in every way possible.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Then how do you know that Aria lady?”
“Her father and mine were both avid horsemen,” Ben explained as a gentle smile slipped onto his lips. “They would ride together swapping the latest gossip. My mother would always tease them about being nothing better than old women. Aria took up the family business when her father passed on two years ago.”
“That couldn’t have been an easy thing to do,” I mused.
Ben chuckled. “Aria is nothing if not stubborn, and she has not let any obstacles get in the way of producing a rather good newspaper, as far as they go.”
By this time Ferox’s quick hooves had taken us to the far side of the plaza where larger shops occupied much of the streets. The horse stopped us in front of a two-floor brick building with a hundred-foot-wide front.
“We’re here,” Ben announced as he hopped down.
He helped Serena and me out of the carriage, and I tilted my head back and inspected the shop. The wooden sign was cracked and the paint on the front wall was chipped. The door was stained by time and weather, and the window was so filthy I couldn’t see inside. A canvas had stretched over the narrow sidewalk, but was now a few tatters of a rotten wooden frame.
I turned to Ben as he, too, looked over the dire front. “Is your friend still in business?”
He nodded. “Yes, but only barely. The ‘good Lady Trent’ wrote an article two years ago accusing her of running an inferior printing business, and the results are as you see them.”
