Georgiana and Giovanni’s tempestuous romance during The Beast Curse.

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His first evening in Calatini, Giovanni settled in the forward seat of the Varkhoran embassy’s finest carriage with his mottled-brown draklizard Striker on his right shoulder and his bronze-hilted saber on his left hip like always. Not letting himself touch his saber, he forced himself to remain relaxed and still while offering Ambassador and Mrs. Rossi both across from him the bland smile Father had taught him to use at court. He said in a light voice that revealed nothing of his request’s true importance, “After you introduce me to King Devon and Queen Kiera at tonight’s rout party, you should introduce me to all their councilors and their royal witch.”

He scrutinized the older Varkhoran couple, who’d lived in Calatini for over four decades, to determine if they’d heard gossip from contacts back home. But neither reacted to his mention of Calatini’s royal witch, so Father telling everyone about his daughter’s success here, which had so scandalized the Varkhoran court, had yet to reach the faraway Rossis. Fortunate. Giuliettanna, his much older sister who’d fled Varkhora twenty-one years ago and was now Calatini’s illustrious royal witch, was the sole person he was interested in meeting tonight, yet she’d no inkling of his arrival, and she might leave if she did given how she’d disappeared so completely.

Giovanni swallowed a sigh. He’d never have found Giuliettanna at all if not for the self-renewing continual kin spell he’d cast with Mother’s help nine years ago. To his and their parents’ joy, his kin spell had finally located Giuliettanna just after this Plantfete, so he’d decided to travel to Calatini to heal the divide unbalancing their family. But his kin spell had suddenly quit working last month despite multiple attempts to reactivate it. Had Giuliettanna noticed his spell and disappeared again? Or had something worse happened? He and his parents would be devastated if his sister had died.

His tone as servile as his wife’s overnice smile, Ambassador Rossi inclined his head and replied, “I’ll gladly introduce you to the councilors who attend tonight, Lord Sabine, although I’m afraid Lady Juliet shall be impossible. A month ago, she left with the Duke of Oakmoor, one of Calatini’s councilors, to help him handle a private royal matter.”

Giovanni nearly frowned. So his kin spell had failed right when his sister and the duke left on their royal quest. That, not her death, doubtless explained its failure. Thank the Goddess. Please let Giuliettanna remain unscathed while handling that private royal matter with the Duke of Oakmoor.

He tensed, making Striker shift on his shoulder. Yet why must his sister’s companion be the Duke of Oakmoor? From the scrying Mother had done of the Calatinian court after they’d finally located Giuliettanna, the Duke of Oakmoor was the greatest rakehell in Ormas. Not that the suave duke would ever manage to seduce Giuliettanna considering their well-known dislike which had lasted for over a decade. But still.

Giovanni exhaled. And due to his long-lost sister’s royal quest, he’d not get to meet her tonight. Then once she returned at last, she might disappear again if she heard her younger brother was around. He gritted another bland smile for Ambassador and Mrs. Rossi. “When introducing me, please don’t mention that my father is the Duke of Appenninos and my cousins are King Alessandro and Queen Aurora.” That should delay Giuliettanna from realizing he was her brother since the gossip would likely focus on him being Varkhoran rather than his name and powerful relations.

Ambassador Rossi scowled. “But since you’ve no courtesy title, the Calatinians shall assume you’re a mere baron, not one of the most prominent heirs in Varkhora.”

Giovanni shrugged and smoothed his beard. It might be pleasant to be considered an ordinary lord for once. “My visit to Calatini isn’t an official one, and I don’t wish to intimidate Calatinian court.”

His wife’s pursed lips revealing her echoing disapproval, Ambassador Rossi muttered, “As you wish, Lord Sabine.”

At the Duke and Duchess of Linwick’s rout party, Ambassador Rossi escorted Giovanni straight to King Devon and Queen Kiera after greeting the Linwicks. Mrs. Rossi didn’t join them because “proper” Varkhoran ladies left politics and business to their male relatives, remaining ever demure and subservient. Giovanni swallowed another sigh. So insipid. ‘Twas probably why he’d never found a lady he could desire marrying. Yet as Father’s heir, ’twas his duty to marry. Perhaps one day he’d meet a strong lady like Mother or Giuliettanna that he could love. Although he might be even older than Father had been when he’d finally met Mother. Not ideal.

His greeting with Calatini’s king and queen went well. King Devon and Queen Kiera were warm yet obviously curious about why a Varkhoran lord was visiting a kingdom where women were equals, a state of affairs that upset most Varkhorans. Ambassador Rossi, for instance, treated the queen with formal civility, but he addressed most of his comments to the king. Yet despite their curiosity, King Devon and Queen Kiera graciously accepted Giovanni’s evasions about his reasons for visiting, although no doubt royal agents would be investigating him shortly. Opportune that no one in Calatini knew his true purpose for visiting. And to ensure the king and queen didn’t suspect anything, he carefully didn’t mention their royal witch even though he burned to know more about his sister’s life from those closest to her.

After they’d left King Devon and Queen Kiera, Ambassador Rossi introduced him to the eleven councilors attending the rout party as well as the countess acting for the Duke of Oakmoor during his absence. The introductions to the lords proceeded smoothly, yet the introductions to the three ladies were awkward at best, particularly Lady Ducharme who was Calatini’s Minister of Defense. Since none of the ladies were royal, Ambassador Rossi didn’t bother to cloak his disapproval—he barely glanced at the influential ladies, and his voice was stiff and almost cold when he addressed them. A shame that Ambassador Rossi still couldn’t accept women as equals even though he’d lived in Calatini for decades. Giovanni concealed a frown. Surely their ambassador’s prejudice wasn’t helping relations between Varkhora and Calatini. When he returned home, he must speak with King Alessandro and Queen Aurora about replacing Ambassador Rossi. Although finding another ambassador who didn’t share Ambassador Rossi’s prejudice might be difficult.

The final councilor Ambassador Rossi introduced Giovanni to was the elderly Duke of Osbourne, who was accompanied by his striking youngest daughter. As Giovanni greeted the duke, his gaze kept drifting to Lady Georgiana Laurent. Around his age, Lady Georgiana was gorgeous with exquisite alabaster skin, lustrous near-black hair, and rich brown eyes. And although she wore a demure smile, her chin was firm, and her gaze direct. His heart quickened. A strong lady who shrewdly concealed it with feminine modesty. One who didn’t approve of him from how her eyes faintly narrowed as she scrutinized him. Why?

Once they’d finished exchanging greetings, Giovanni warmly smiled at Lady Georgiana. She was the perfect puzzle to occupy him until Giuliettanna returned. “Would you do me the honor of dancing with me later this evening, Lady Georgiana?”

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Coming soon!