The Thief Lord

"Very funny!" Barbarossa said, and with a look of disgust picked a cat hair off the pants Bo had given him. "What if she's really stingy? Her money won't be of any use. And she definitely won't be allowed to send me to school. Ernesto Barbarossa is not going to sit among a bunch of screaming, snotty-nosed brats who can't tell A from B. What if Aunt Esther doesn't understand that?"

"Then," Hornet said, with a sweet-as-honey smile, "we will have to find a bed for you with the Merciful Sisters."

"You can go and ask them," said Ida, "because I would like you and Prosper to pick something up for me from the sisters."

"Pick something up? What?" Barbarossa asked, now deeply suspicious.

But Ida put a finger to her lips. "That is a secret," she said. "But you'll find out soon enough, Barbarino."

51 Esther

Esther came alone. She walked straight past the cafe where Prosper was sitting with the others, and had no idea who was watching her through the window. Victor had chased all the children out of the house as soon as the hand on Ida's kitchen clock had struck three. All except for Barbarossa.

"Who are you looking at?" Hornet asked Prosper when she noticed him staring through the window.

"She really came," Prosper answered without taking his eyes off Esther.

"Your aunt?" Full of curiosity, Hornet leaned over Prosper's shoulder. "That's her?" Prosper nodded.

"Who?" asked Bo, his mouth full of ice cream. He was having the same sundae as Riccio, only he was already finishing his second.

"Nobody," Prosper muttered. He watched Esther walk toward Ida's house. She was wearing rubber boots and her umbrella dripped with rain.

"I imagined her to be completely different," Hornet whispered into Prosper's ear. "Taller -- and sort of more sinister."

"Hey, don't you like your ice cream, Prop?" Riccio asked. He licked some chocolate ice cream from his nose. "Can I eat it?"

"Leave him alone, Riccio," Hornet answered for him.

When Esther rang the bell to Ida's house, a round, surly-looking nun opened the door and silently signaled Esther to follow her. Ida had begged Lucia for nearly an hour until her housekeeper finally put on the nun's habit, and now she looked very impressive. Lucia marched the visitor toward what was usually the pantry and laundry room. Lucia's ironing board, the water bottles, and the large stock of flour had all vanished. Instead, there was now a desk -- which Victor had dragged down from the attic with a great deal of cursing and swearing -- together with a few simple chairs and a large candelabra. The whitewashed walls were adorned with a picture of the Madonna and Child that usually hung in Ida's kitchen.

"Signora Hartlieb, I presume?" Ida rose from behind her desk as Lucia showed Esther into the room.

Next to Ida stood Victor, no beard, no disguise, simply the Victor Esther knew. Ida, however, was wearing the dark habit of the Merciful Sisters like Lucia. "Please tell Signora Spavento that the habits have to be back before tonight," the nun had whispered to Prosper after she had passed the clothes through a hatch in the orphanage's gate. She had looked guilty, as if she was committing a serious crime. But she would do anything for the kind and generous Signora Spavento.

"Please have a seat, Signora Hartlieb," Ida said, pointing sternly at the dusty chairs as Esther came in. "Your husband couldn't come?"

"No, he is unavoidably detained on business. After all, we are leaving the day after tomorrow."

Victor watched Esther sit down. She straightened her skirt over her knees, and looked uneasily around the bare room. When she noticed him, Victor gave a polite nod.

"You already know Signor Getz," Ida said after sitting down behind her desk again. "I asked him to come since the police informed me that he had been in charge of the search for your nephews. He has also been a loyal friend to the convent for quite some time."

Esther looked at Victor as if she wasn't sure whether his being there was good or bad for her. Then she turned back toward Ida.

"Why did you ask me here?" she asked, straightening her skirt again.

"Well, that should be perfectly obvious," Ida answered with exaggerated patience. "We have to look after many children, whereas the money at our disposal is limited, very limited. So if, as in the case of your nephews, we do find out that there are relatives ..."

"I am not prepared to look after them again!" Esther interrupted her brusquely. "I was prepared to, but the little one..." She fiddled nervously with her earlobes, "...I'm sure Signor Getz has already told you what we've been through with Bo. He might have fooled you with his angelic face, but I've been cured -- thoroughly. He is stubborn, moody, and bites like a little dog. Anyway..." she took a deep breath, "... I am sorry, but not even for the sake of my late sister would I be ready to take him in again. And there is nobody else in our family who would take one of the boys. So if you could keep them both here...after all, they so desperately wanted to come to this city...the family would agree to give what little money their mother left behind to the orphanage."

Ida nodded. With a deep breath she folded her hands on the desk. "This is all very unfortunate, Signora Hartlieb." Suddenly, Ida glanced at the door.

Victor had of course also heard it: steps approaching down the corridor, perfectly according to plan. There was a knock. Esther Hartlieb turned around.

"Yes?" Ida called.

The door opened, and Lucia pushed Barbarossa into the room.

"The new boy is having problems again, Sister!" Lucia announced. She looked at the redhead as if she were handling a hairy spider or some other distasteful animal.

"I will deal with it," Ida answered, and Lucia gruffly left the room.

Barbarossa stood by the door, looking very small and forlorn. Noticing Esther's curious look, he gave her a timid smile.

"Please excuse me, Signora Hartlieb," said Ida, "but this boy has only come to us recently and he is having a lot of trouble with the other children. So they teased you again, Ernesto?"

Barbarossa nodded, casting a quick sideways glance at Esther. Then he started to sob, quietly at first, and then more and more violently. "Do you have a handkerchief for me, Mother Ida?" he sniveled. "They took my books away from me."

"Oh no!" Ida reached into her black habit, but Esther was quicker. Smiling shyly, she handed Barbarossa her lace-embroidered handkerchief.

"Grazie, Signora," he replied, dabbing the tears from his long lashes.

Victor looked sideways at Esther, noticing that she couldn't take her eyes off the little redhead.

"Go and see Sister Caterina, Ernesto," Ida instructed him, "and tell her from me to take the books back from the boys. She should also send them to their rooms as a punishment."

Barbarossa nodded and sniffed delicately into Esther's handkerchief. Then he walked hesitantly toward the door.

"Mother Ida?" he queried as he put his hand on the doorknob. "May I ask when we will finally go on that excursion to the Accademia Museum? I would so much like to see Titian's paintings again."

My god, Victor thought. The redbeard is really laying it on rather thick. Esther's enraptured look, however, quickly set him straight.