Malcolm Marsh – Author

Casanova – One Girl too Many ( Excerpt 6 )

I sent Francesca back upstairs to select some clothes for the other prisoners, I couldn’t return them to their families, naked or in rags, it just wouldn’t do at all. I released them and calmed them down as best I could. I informed them that Francesca would be returning shortly with clean clothing for them as I would be returning them to their homes within the hour. I stressed to them that they must all tell their Fathers that their rescuer was Signor Giacomo Casanova.

When Francesca returned I asked her where the Lupino’s kept their wealth, and could she get at it, She answered yes! to both questions. She led me upstairs to a strong room, which she opened with a key. I asked her for three silver coins, which she handed me, I explained that her poison had rendered them unconscious but not dead, with this silver I would finish the job.

I instructed Francesca to fetch the girls and get each of them to carry a bag of gold ducato’s to the front entrance of the Pallazzo, my carriage would be waiting, as would my man, Lorenzo. I explained to Francesca that this money would buy her a home in Padua, which was where I intended taking her as soon as I had dealt with the Lupino’s.

I walked through to the hall, it was as she had described it to me, they were all unconscious. I lifted the head of the younger son and forced the coin down his throat, I then repeated the process with the elder son. When it came to the Father he stirred a little, but I managed to get him to swallow the coin without waking him.

The one sure way of killing a Werewolf is a silver bullet, but I had thought of a better way of killing these vile creatures. I intended to burn the Pallazzo to the ground and as the temperature rose the silver would melt and destroy them.

I set alight the curtains and tapestries and anything else that would burn, then ran down the stairs and set everything combustible on fire too. I just managed to get out the front doors before it all went up in flames.

Everyone was safely loaded in my carriage, I Instructed Leonardo to deliver the girls to there homes, one at a time. Then to take the road to Padua, where we would be sojourning a little while as the guests of Signorina Francesca Lupino. But as they say that is a story for another day, and Venice was a trifle warm for me at the moment. A nice outing to Padua seemed just perfect!