her own future. She promises to think about it, but has not so far
come back to him. Thus Antonio is caught by surprise when, fresh
and lovely as the dawn, she walks into his room one morning. ‘So
this is where you hide,’ she says, her eyes widening in wonder as
she surveys the table completely covered with papers, the littered
room and the bed, apparently left unmade or changed in ages. She
does not like the smell in here, and no wonder. In one corner,
beside a bowl of rotting apples, sit a couple of beakers and a plate
covered in mould. Piles of unwashed clothes lie stiffening at the
foot of the bed. Mouse droppings have joined the small
accumulations of breadcrumbs shoved aside between piles of
paper. Paolina opens the shutters, welcoming in daylight and wafts
of fresh air. Without a word, she begins clearing up. Dirty clothes
she gathers together in one place, and scraps and leftovers of old
food are swept into a basket. She labours the whole morning and
gradually Antonio’s living quarters are transformed into a habitable
space. Empty inkpots are washed and refilled. Pens are rinsed and
sharpened, and sheets of manuscript paper cut and placed ready in
neat piles. It is exactly as if Giambattista Vivaldi had been through
the place, setting everything in order.
‘Fifty ducats per month, to be paid in advance.’ Paolina
states her terms at the end of the day, setting down beside the bed
a basket of freshly laundered linen.
Antonio looks up. ‘That’s a very great deal of money, my
lady,’ he laughs.
‘There is a very great deal to do. And trust me, I’m capable
of a good deal more than washing underwear. Don’t forget; I did
my father’s bookkeeping for years,’ she glances at him, her
expression serious, and holds out for scrutiny his ledger, empty of
entries. It is the first time Paolina has mentioned her father.
‘Agreed,’ replies Antonio. ‘Consider yourself appointed.’
Vivaldi now gets to know a completely different Paolina. The
household chores seem to get done effortlessly, and very soon she
has time to get to work on Vivaldi’s administrative affairs. Long
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