The Valley of Decision
Authorship not stated
You are Odo, nine, fostered on a farm near Pontesordo, sharing crusts with the foundling Momola in a chapel that knows you better than your mother does. An abate's carriage arrives at dusk to announce your father's death and carry you toward the ducal palace at Pianura, and you leave Momola only a promise and a wooden saint hidden behind an altar stone. Your mother, Donna Laura, greets you between dances, calling your muddy shoes unfit for her carpets before a sealed order sends you off before dawn.
Read The Valley of DecisionChapters
- The Carriage from PianuraPontesordo Chapel