Dethridge had been silent. He rarely heard Luciano talk of the past, which was so far in the future, full of machines that the Elizabethan could hardly imagine. He gave the boy one of his bear-hugs. 'Thenne lerne it thou shalt,' was all he said.

And so their lessons had begun, with Cesare brought in on the secret. They started with a saddle, although Luciano was keen to progress to bareback riding and emulate Cesare's grace and skill.

'Don't try to run before you can walk,' warned Cesare.

'I'd settle for being able to trot!' gasped Luciano, bouncing up and down on the back of the gentle brown mare, Dondola, that they had chosen for him.

'Worrye notte,' said Dethridge. 'We'll make a horseman of you yet.'

Georgia didn't know what to do when she left school that afternoon. She didn't want to go home since Russell was likely to be there, but since his vile accusations she was worried about calling in at the antique shop. She had been wondering how he knew about her visits to Mr Goldsmith. But in the end she reasoned that Russell couldn't both be at home and lurking around outside the antique shop, so she went to see the old man after all.

He was in the middle of selling a pair of green vases to a tweedy woman when Georgia turned up so she waited, flicking through some old copies of Country Life on a round marble table in the corner. Mr Goldsmith was in a very good humour as he stashed ten-pound notes into his till. It was the first sale he had made for days.

'You're looking better, my dear,' he said.

'I'm fine,' said Georgia. 'The doctor said it was just tiredness.'

'And did you find your horse?' he asked.

'Russell had it,' said Georgia grimly. 'They made him give it back, but he'd broken the wings off. Look.'

She took the mended horse out of her pocket and unwrapped it. Mr Goldsmith inspected the wings.

'Someone made a good job of mending that,' he said.

'My mum,' said Georgia. But she couldn't tell him that she wouldn't know if the horse was really as good as new until she'd tried stravagating with it.

'You were right about your stepbrother then?' asked Mr Goldsmith. 'What did your parents do about it?'

'Nothing!' said Georgia bitterly. 'It's me that's in trouble, not him.'

'What are you in trouble for?' he asked.

Georgia hesitated. 'It doesn't matter,' she said. 'I came in really to tell you that the horse is back and that I'm going away for a while. I think our parents want to keep Russell and me apart for a bit.'

'I shall miss your visits,' said Mr Goldsmith, 'but that sounds like a good plan.'

'Yes,' said Georgia. 'And I'm going to ride a real horse my friend's in Devon.'

Rodolfo had one of his mirrors trained on the Great Ca.n.a.l. It followed a mandola sculled by his brother and carrying the young di Chimici and his cousin. He smiled as he saw the young people's heads lean close together as Gaetano pointed out sights to Francesca.

'It's going well, isn't it?' said a voice behind him.

He turned to Arianna, the smile now for her. 'I didn't hear you. I must be getting old.'

Arianna, who had come through the secret pa.s.sage, put her hand on Rodolfo's shoulder. 'Never,' she said. 'They look happy, don't they?'

'It's a dangerous game you're playing,' said Rodolfo.

'Me?' said Arianna, wide-eyed. 'What could be more natural than for the Principe to spend time with his only family-member in Bellezza?'

Rodolfo raised one eyebrow. 'You know, you become more like your mother every day.'

And Arianna wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or not.

Georgia lay clutching the mended horse and thinking of Remora, not daring to fall asleep. She was terrified that she would not be able to stravagate. But as she felt herself beginning to drift off, she made a solemn promise 'If I get back to Remora, I'll do what Falco wants as soon as possible, before Russell can get at the talisman again.'

When Georgia opened her eyes, she saw the sunlight shining through gaps in the roof tiles on to the golden dust of the Ram's hayloft. She heard the horses' hooves sc.r.a.ping on the stone floor underneath her and the chomp of their mouths in their mangers. She was back!

She looked in wonderment at the little horse in her hand. It was so tiny and vulnerable and yet Russell's attack hadn't taken away any of its power.

Georgia brushed bits of straw off her coa.r.s.e Reman clothes and flung herself down the ladder and into Paolo's house, desperate to find out how much time had pa.s.sed since her last visit and what had happened while she had been away.

But there seemed to be no one at home. Georgia felt disappointed and let down. She had never arrived to find the house empty before.

She sat at the scrubbed kitchen table feeling totally at a loss. Where were Luciano and Dethridge and the others? And then she heard a noise from the corner. The twins were asleep in a large wooden crib on rockers and one of them was making baby noises. Teresa at least must be somewhere near. Georgia leapt to her feet and ran out to the backyard. Teresa was placidly feeding the chickens, helped by the three little girls, who squealed in mock terror every time a hen pecked near their toes.

She looked up when Georgia came out into the yard and smiled. Again Georgia felt a tightening of her chest as she always did when she contemplated Cesare's family. No matter that she wouldn't have wanted five younger siblings; it was just something in the way they all accepted one another, took each other for granted. It produced an atmosphere that was always absent from Georgia's home.

She wondered what Teresa thought of her. Did she know that Georgia was a girl? Or that she was a Stravagante? Georgia wasn't even sure that Teresa knew her own husband was one of that brotherhood. She was always welcoming and hospitable to Georgia, treating her as another guest along with Luciano and Doctor Dethridge, even though she had not met Georgia until after the Stravaganti had arrived from Bellezza.

'Good morning, Giorgio,' she said now, deftly keeping the rooster away from the children and making sure that all the hens got a fair share. 'Did you sleep late?'

'Good morning,' said Georgia. 'I must have lost track of time. Tell me, what day is it today?'

Teresa looked at her rather curiously. 'It is Thursday,' she said.

So two days had pa.s.sed in Remora, exactly the same as in her own world. The gateway had remained stable. Georgia had realised early on that the day she had in Remora was the same day of the week as she had just experienced in her own world. She had packed eight days into four since her first stravagation; no wonder she had been exhausted! But now she couldn't wait to find out what had happened in Remora on Tuesday and Wednesday.

'Where are all the others?' she asked casually now.

'Down at the racetrack,' said Teresa, smiling. 'You won't find Cesare anywhere else much until the Stellata is over.'

Or Luciano? thought Georgia, but before she could ask, she heard horses returning.

'There they are now,' said Teresa, her eyes lighting up. 'They'll be hungry.'

Quickly she scattered the rest of the seed and began shepherding the little girls into the house. Georgia picked up Marta and held Emilia's hand. Teresa gave her a grateful smile. But once indoors, she said, 'Go to them, if you like. I can manage here.'

Georgia ran to the stable and b.u.mped into Luciano coming out. He was flushed and laughing. Then he saw her and delight spread across his face. 'Georgia!' he cried, catching both her arms. 'Thank goodness you're back.'

Georgia jumped as if his touch had been red hot. Then she relaxed and smiled back. 'I'm so sorry I didn't come before. The first night I was too tired and then my stepbrother broke the talisman. I didn't think I'd ever be able to get back.'

Suddenly she felt like dancing for joy in the cobbled stableyard. She was back in Remora, Russell hadn't been able to spoil the most important thing in her life, and Luciano was pleased to see her. Then she saw the happiness drain from his face. The others, coming out of the stable, had the same expression. A quick smile at the sight of her, followed by some deep sadness waiting to be revealed.

'What?' said Georgia, alarmed.

'Merla has gone,' said Luciano quietly. 'We think she's been taken.'

Later that day Paolo asked Georgia if she was feeling less tired.

'Yes thanks,' she said. 'But that wasn't why I didn't come sooner. My stepbrother stole the talisman and broke it.'

Paolo was shocked. 'Does he know what it is for?'

'No,' said Georgia. 'He's just destructive for the sake of it. He knew the horse was precious to me so he did it to upset me.'

'He is sick in the mind?' asked Paolo.

'You could say that,' said Georgia. 'He's a pain to live with, whatever he is.'

Paolo was thoughtful. Georgia could see he was trying to understand how a family member could behave in such a way. She knew that Cesare would never be mean to his little half-siblings like that.

'He makes you unhappy,' said Paolo. 'Perhaps that is why the talisman found you. Luciano was sick in body but you are unhappy in your mind. It makes you sensitive to our needs.'

'Perhaps,' said Georgia.

Paolo took her hand. 'Remember that nothing lasts for ever,' he said. 'The bad things as well as the good.'

Falco had returned to the lonely life he had been leading before Gaetano had come whirling back into it. He had nothing to do but roam the palace alone, hoping for visits from Luciano and Georgia, the fascinating alien from another world. He would read in the library until his body became too stiff and then set off on his painful travels round the great palace. Several times he sensed that he was not entirely alone. He felt watched and sometimes if he turned quickly enough, he was sure he caught a glimpse of blue. He began to feel haunted.

And yet in another way, he felt that he himself was the ghost. Now that he had decided to leave Talia for ever, he felt like a phantom in his own home, drifting from room to room, invisible. If he spent many more days like this, he began to feel that he would become gradually more and more transparent until it would be too late to stravagate he would already be too insubstantial to cast a shadow in either world.

His reverie was interrupted by the jangling of the doorbell and he was delighted to see that both young Stravaganti had come to visit him.

'Falco!' said Georgia, as soon as they were alone and she had explained why she hadn't come sooner. 'Luciano told me his idea. Are you willing to try a test-flight?'

'Anything,' said Falco. 'I think I shall go mad if we don't do something soon.'

'Then let's do it tonight,' said Georgia. 'Come back with me when I leave here.'

'What about a talisman?' asked Luciano.

'I've thought about that,' said Georgia. 'What about my eyebrow ring?'

Both boys liked that idea. It was something from the other world but it wasn't something extra for Georgia to bring, it was made of silver and it was small enough for Falco to hold it in his hand unnoticed.

'But why tonight?' asked Luciano. 'You haven't got anything prepared at the other end.'

'I know,' said Georgia. 'But he doesn't have to stay all day I mean all night. If I can smuggle him out of my room, he can come to school with me for a few hours and see how he likes it.'

'Go to school with you?' said Luciano, his mind boggling at the image of pale, crippled Falco in the cheerful chaos of Barnsbury Comprehensive. 'What will he wear? He won't be able to get into any cla.s.ses. And what if his sticks don't travel with him? He won't be able to walk.'

Georgia frowned. It was true; this needed more planning.

'We could wait one more night. Then it would be Sat.u.r.day when we get back. I'll find him something to wear. And I could find some sticks. I think we've got some in our umbrella stand. But we can't wait any longer than that for the trial. I'm going to Devon on Sunday and I can't take him there. I'd never be able to explain him to my friend Alice.'

'So when can we do the real thing?' asked Falco anxiously.

'Not till I get back,' said Georgia firmly. 'I'm not even sure if I'll be able to stravagate from Devon. What do you think, Luciano?'

'I don't know,' said Luciano. 'Rodolfo thought I wouldn't be able to stravagate from Venice to Bellezza, but I didn't try. I think it was because I was out of England. Rodolfo thinks the gateway only works from England to Talia, because of Doctor Dethridge. But I don't know if you have to be in London.'

'Is Devon in another country?' asked Falco and Georgia realised how much she was going to have to help him when he did eventually 'translate' to her world.

'A Falco is not just for Christmas but for life,' she said ruefully as she got into the carriage with Luciano to drive back to Remora.

'You're right there,' said Luciano. 'Are you sure you want to go through with this? He's going to be pretty dependent on you maybe for years.'

'It depends what the social services do with him, doesn't it?' said Georgia. 'They'll have to put him in foster care to start with if we're lucky, it'll be my mum who deals with that. But they'll try to get him adopted eventually. He's only thirteen. Still, yes, I think unless he goes somewhere far away from London, Falco is going to need me for a long time.'

They looked at one another, taking in just how much what they were planning was going to involve. On the journey out, they had talked obsessively about Merla and Luciano had told Georgia every detail of the fruitless search. But now the problem of Falco dominated their thoughts and their words.

For the first time since she had come to Remora, Georgia was looking forward to getting back home; she had a lot to organise.

Chapter 16.

First Flight It was a good job that on the last day of term, Barnsbury Comprehensive finished at lunchtime. Not much work was done in the morning either, as students luxuriated in the prospect of seven weeks of freedom. About half had holidays in the sun to look forward to; the others were just happy to antic.i.p.ate days of idleness in an English summer, even those with long reading lists for their A-levels.

All the talk of summer plans made Georgia think about her own. She had the coming fortnight with Alice in Devon and immediately after that she had decided to help Falco 'translate'. She was supposed to be going to France with Ralph and Maura in late August without Russell, thank goodness. In fact the great bonus of the summer for her was that Russell would be working at Tesco's for the first five weeks, then going to Greece with his mates for a fortnight.

Now she ticked off days on her fingers; the Stellata was going to be held on the fifteenth of August. That much she knew. 'It is always then,' Paolo had told her. 'The Day of the Lady, though our friends the Manoush would say the Day of the G.o.ddess.' That was a Friday and she really wanted to see it, even though there could be problems, because it happened at about seven in the evening, as shadows began to fall.

The French holiday was due to start the weekend after the Stellata. Georgia was grateful to Ralph's work; he was re-wiring an old house and there was no chance to get away till that was finished. The holiday details had been sorted out only recently, because Maura had nagged until Ralph had agreed a date and then she had booked a cancellation one week in the Languedoc, because he said he couldn't manage longer away. But if it had been a week earlier, Georgia wouldn't have been able to get to the race.

Georgia spent the afternoon in her room preparing for the trial stravagation they were planning for that night. She tried hard to remember Falco's size. He was slight for a thirteen-year-old, but she thought he could get away with an old T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms of hers. And his feet were small; he could fit into a pair of her trainers. He wouldn't look very smart but at least he shouldn't attract too much attention, apart from his walking, of course.

Georgia had snaffled two walking sticks from the umbrella-stand, spreading out the many umbrellas, bicycle pumps and even an old plastic sword of Russell's to conceal their absence. But they didn't look much like anything that would be given to a young boy. Crutches would be better, but Georgia had no idea how to get hold of a pair. She hid the sticks at the back of her cupboard.

That left the difficult question of underwear. Georgia had no idea what Talians wore under their day clothes and didn't really want to ask. She always found herself wearing whatever she had on at night under her Remoran boy's clothes in fact she had taken to wearing very light tops and pants at night so that she shouldn't be too hot in the Reman sunshine.

But she could hardly offer Falco a pair of her pants. There was nothing for it; she would have to steal a pair of Russell's boxers. This was a difficult and delicate operation since Russell was at home. Twice, when she went to the airing cupboard, he was lolling about in his doorway and she had to pretend to be getting towels or underwear of her own.

He gazed at her in open contempt. 'What are you faffing about with, now?' he asked, the second time.

'I'm packing for Devon,' said Georgia icily. 'As if it's any of your business.'

'Ah, yes,' said Russell. 'The new friend. Another horse freak. You can both have fun spreading your legs across some stallion.'