Chapter 34
The winter dragged on, wet and dreary. I tried to hold on to my memories of Parnese: the golden light shining from the south, the smell of blossoms wafting through the graceful arches of open windows, the way the air was not a chilly enemy but a warm friend.
Alas, despite my best efforts, Parnese was fading. Compared to the drizzle and gray skies of Raine, it seemed far away indeed. I feared that in another year or two, my childhood home would be nothing more than a wispy dream.
“Mama,” I said one evening after dinner, as we were preparing to exit the dining room, “might we not return to Parnese for a visit sometime?”
She was quiet a moment, her beautiful face pensive. Then she shook her head and gave me a smile, the corners of her mouth tight.
“Don’t be foolish, Rose. This
