The Stargazer Read Online Free PDF

ancient Venetian patrician family, and decided to settle in Venice. He immediately recognized a market for English lumber in Europe for the construction of everything from buildings to warships, and went to work setting up a company. He named it Arboretti —little trees—after this cargo, and left it at his death to his six grandsons.
    Seventy years after its foundation, the name was more commonly thought of as a parody of the unusual height of the six men who oversaw the vastly successful venture. It was spoken with reverence among groups of merchants all over the world, and the tall young men who ran the company were routinely consulted by others more than twice their age. But it was with women that most of the Arboretti really found favor. Handsome and wealthy, they cut a wide swath through the female inhabitants of Europe, leaving expensive gifts and broken hearts in their wake.
    From what the other Arboretti understood, L. N. was the worst of the lot. In every court in Christendom there was a beautiful woman still pining for her “beloved Lucien,” “ carissimo Luciano,” or “ cher Luc.” The Arboretti followed the exploits of their enigmatic cousin avidly, jokingly keeping accounts of his conquests in love alongside accounts of the profits yielded by his information. How he had time to both conquer hearts and collect vital data remained a mystery to them, but they had learned to accept it without question. Indeed, they were forced to, for their grandfather’s will had stipulated that in all things the earl of Danford, whom Walsingham had himself raised after the death of his youngest daughter, should have the final say.
    So when L. N. instructed his cousins to halt a shipment of gunpowder and cannon shot to England and instead ship a cargo of ruined grain, they could only shake their heads and follow orders.
    “But we’ve heard nothing of these pirates he says are threatening our cargo,” Miles objected skeptically, pushing aside the lock of hair that perennially dangled in front of his eyes. “I promised that gunpowder to the lord chamberlain myself just two months ago for his battles in the Highlands, and I can’t say he’ll be pleased to get a bushel of rotten grain and rats instead.”
    “He could try feeding that to the northern rebels,” Tristan offered from the end of the table. “Might kill them faster than fighting and would put less of a strain on the Royal Exchequer.” He shook his dark head, his jade-green eyes light with mirth. “S’teeth, it’s a fine idea…”
    Tristan’s raillery was interrupted by a long shriek from a distant part of the palazzo. Silence fell at the table and all heads turned toward Ian, who was rapidly leaving his chair.
    “That sounds distinctly like my charming betrothed. If you will just excuse me for a moment…”
    “After him!” Crispin exclaimed as Ian left the room. “It has been ages since anything exciting happened in this house and I, for one, don’t want to miss it.”
    “ AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH ,” Bianca screamed hysterically. She had spent a restless night tossing and turning in the huge bed, pursued by the sensation of being watched. Opening her eyes, she was confronted by a grisly tusked monster leering over her. “Get away, get away! Help, help, help!”
    The creature’s hand covered her mouth. “ Sshhh . Hush little one,” said a soothing male voice in her ear. “Ian will have our heads if we set you to screaming like that.”
    Bianca twisted her neck around to face the voice and saw that it emanated not from the mouth of a hideous beast but from a normal-looking older man, with a round face and smiling eyes. Next to him stood another man of about the same age wearing a slightly more serious expression. From the hand of the lively one dangled a carnival mask painted to look like a wild boar. He held it up for her to look at, removing his hand from her mouth.
    “Ian told us you were expecting ogres, so we decided we would oblige. And