Starling Quotes

“Luca da Peraga. Her wings. Her heart.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“But reasons to live are different from reasons not to die.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“You’re going to wreck everything,” she hissed. “People are staring. Someone might recognize me.” Obviously, even the wig and cosmetics weren’t helping if Falco had recognized her in a matter of minutes.
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Mi dispiace, starling. I didn’t mean to get carried away, but I thought you were dead.” He took hold of her lacy sleeve. “Come with me. Let’s find a place where we can talk.”
The way he said talk made Cass’s insides melt again.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Luca doesn’t care what I think about science or religion or vampires. He accepts me as I am. With you, I always felt like you wanted to change me. We spoke so long ago of Michel de Montaigne, of how marriage was like a gilded cage. But Montaigne was wrong. Marriage can set you free of the cage if you find the right person.” She looked pleadingly at Falco, praying he would understand. “Luca da Peraga is the right man for me.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“She couldn’t substitute Falco for Luca. She couldn’t substitute a series of reckless romantic moments for a life with someone honest and true.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Finally, to you, the reader, for taking this journey with Cassandra and me. Always remember, you were meant to fly.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“As she began to tuck the unruly locks of hair back into the elaborately braided hairdo Narissa had insisted upon, she noticed a piece of folded parchment tucked in the edge of her mirror.
Her brow furrowed as she folded back the edge. She knew as soon as she saw the sketch of a starling whom the message was from. Falco hadn’t stayed for the wedding, but he’d left her one final message.
Congratulations, starling. You were meant to fly.
Smiling slightly, she slipped the note inside the dressing table’s top drawer. Then she turned toward the doorway, toward the portego, where her husband awaited her.
Luca da Peraga. Her wings. Her heart.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Signorina Cassandra, there is too much darkness in the world for you to personally apologize for all of it. Go forth instead with your new husband and make light.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Bortolo released her arm, and Cass took her position across from Luca, with the priest standing in between. She couldn’t resist lifting one hand to stroke the faint hint of beard showing on his cheeks. “Bongiorno,” she whispered.
“Bongiorno.” He took her hands in his own and squeezed them. “In case I forget to tell you later, this has been the best day of my life.”
“So far.” Cass grinned.
The priest cleared his throat.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Falco was vibrant, exciting, and unusual. The passionate way that he had touched her had made her whole body come alive for the first time.
But he wasn’t the man who loved her just as she was. He wasn’t the man who made her want to be a better person.
That man awaited her in the garden.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“I didn’t come here to ruin your wedding, Cassandra.” Falco smiled crookedly. “When I saw you with Luca, it looked to me as if you were where you were supposed to be. I suppose I just had to lay eyes on you one last time to be certain, you understand?”
“Oh, Falco.” Cass dropped his hands and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I will never forget you,” she murmured.
“Nor I, you,” Falco said after they had broken apart. “I’m returning to Florence, but I truly hope our paths cross again.” He turned to leave, but then stopped. “Tell Luca that he’d better take good care of you. If he hurts you, I’ll come back for him.” He winked. “I’ll come back for both of you.”
Cass watched his form retreat. As he turned into the hallway, she called out to him. “Falco.”
He glanced back. “Yes?”
“You can stay if you like,” she said. “For the wedding.”
Falco smiled slightly. “I feel as if I’ve overstayed my welcome as it is.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“We spoke so long ago of Michel de Montaigne, of how marriage was like a gilded cage. But Montaigne was wrong. Marriage can set you free of the cage if you find the right person.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“I just needed you to know how I felt--I didn’t want you to make any rash decisions--”
“Rash decisions? I suppose I have made a few of those.” Cass took Falco’s hands in her own. “You are--” Her voice cracked, and for a moment she feared she might cry. Inhale. Exhale. She searched for the right word. “Dazzling,” she said. Her lips slanted into a smile. “Knowing you has been magical.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“How did you--”
“Get inside?” He spun around once, and Cass realized he was wearing the blue-and-silver livery of the Querini estate. “You act as if I’ve never done this before.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Turning from the dressing table, Cass went to her armoire. Inside, behind all of the neatly folded gowns, was the picture of her that Falco had painted. She pulled it out and carried it over to her bed. As she sat beside it, her fingers tracing the paint’s uneven texture, her heart remembered each moment of the night the painting had been started. The girl on the canvas was a stranger. She looked young and innocent. Delirious with joy. Her eyes were filled with light.
“Those were the days, weren’t they?”
That voice.
Could it be?
With her heart trembling and her breath lodged in her throat like a stone, Cass lifted her eyes.
It was.
“Falco,” she breathed.
His bruises from being beaten at de Gradi’s workshop had healed. He looked a little thinner than Cass had remembered, but otherwise the same as the day they had met. Smiling fondly down at the painting, he said, “I’m glad that you kept it.”
“How did you--”
“Get inside?” He spun around once, and Cass realized he was wearing the blue-and-silver livery of the Querini estate. “You act as if I’ve never done this before.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

““Life is fleeting, ephemeral.
One day, when our work is
complete, that will change.”

-THE BOOK OF THE ETERNAL ROSE”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“The boy was gripping a lantern in his right hand. Perhaps he had taken it from the butler’s office. He might have looked awkward, but he moved like a cat. Cristian didn’t even sense him approach.
The boy raised the lantern high above his head. Cristian fumbled with the lock on the door, his shaking left hand trying to work the mechanism while his right arm held the dagger to Flora’s throat.
The boy took a step.
Then another.
He was almost within reach.
The door swung open. Cristian started to turn.
“Now!” Cass screamed.
The boy slammed the lantern hard against Cristian’s skull, and Cass heard the same crunching sound she’d heard when she’d hit him with the fireplace poker. He slumped to the ground, unconscious. The dagger fell to the floor with a clatter. Flora landed on her hands and knees, shaking and sobbing.
Luca thundered down the servants’ stairs, skidding to a stop as he witnessed the chaos. Bortolo and Narissa were right behind him. “Cass, what happened?” Luca asked.
The servants were weeping. The boy who had knocked out Cristian looked a bit dazed himself. The lantern hung limply from his right hand.
“He saved us.” Cass gestured at the boy.
Luca only then recognized the crumpled form on the floor. “Cristian,” he said. Turning to Narissa, he added, “Send for the Town Guard immediately.”
Narissa hurried toward the front of the house. Cristian groaned, his eyelids fluttering. Flora stumbled back from him, one hand clutching her throat.
Luca placed the sole of his boot on Cristian’s neck. “Someone get some rope,” he barked. Turning to the sandy-haired boy, he asked, “Who are you?”
“Matteo Querini.” The boy set the lantern on the kitchen counter and frowned at Cristian. “Where I come from, a man does not hold a blade to a lady’s throat.” He turned to Cass. “Signorina Caravello, I presume? I’m here to assume control of the estate. Sorry. I was a bit delayed in my arrival.”
“On the contrary.” Cass dipped into a shallow curtsy. “I’d say you arrived just in time.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Narissa was standing in the garden with Giuseppe, making grand sweeping gestures with her arms. Cass imagined her demanding rosebushes trimmed into the shapes of angels. Or perhaps she wanted the elderly gardener to stand on a ladder and pour buckets of water down into a basin to mimic a waterfall for the occasion.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“As she passed through the wrought-iron gate, she found herself walking the same path she had walking the night she went to bid good-bye to Liviana. The night she had found Mariabella’s body and met Falco. The night her whole life had changed forever.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“I’m going to get a bit of fresh air, if that’s all right.”
Luca nodded. “I came to tell you I’ve arranged a surprise for us later today, but go on. I’ll find you when it’s time.”
“Luca.” Cass shook her head. “You have already given me so much. What is it?”
His brown eyes glowed like copper coins as they reflected the scattered daylight. “If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”
Smiling to herself, Cass shook her head. She’d had more than enough surprises for the rest of her life, but she supposed she could handle one more, especially if it made Luca so happy.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Is this a ladies-only gathering?” Luca’s voice was light. He loitered in the hallway until Cass waved him in.
“I was just leaving.” Feliciana curtsied and then headed for the door.
“I needed a moment,” Cass said. “A break from all of the planning.”
“Will you share it with me?” Luca closed the door behind him. “Narissa has just inquired as to what color ribbons I mean to wear on my hat and shoes so she can make certain your jewelry is properly coordinated.”
“Santo cielo. What do you suppose she’ll say if I tell her I’m not planning to wear any jewelry?”
He chuckled. “I think that would be completely unacceptable.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

““Behold the transformative powers
Of love and vengeance.”

-THE BOOK OF THE ETERNAL ROSE”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“The necklace is for you either way. I just--I’ve been meaning to ask you, but I wanted to wait until things had calmed down.” Luca’s shoulders slumped a little as he looked down at the grass.
He was taking her hesitation as a rejection. Cass tried to tell him yes, but what came out of her mouth was a mixture of a squeak and a whisper. She nodded her head rapidly, doing her best to fight back her tears.
“I understand if you still aren’t ready.” Luca was talking to a patch of dead marigolds. He hadn’t even seen her nod.
Cass cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes,” she said. This time she was slightly audible. She sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with her gloved hand. “I want to marry you. I’d like that very much.”
He looked up, and Cass saw a million things reflected in his eyes--bronze sculptures, fields of wheat, wooden ships, glittering gold palazzos. The whole world. It was out there waiting for her, and she wanted to experience it with Luca.
“You’d like that very much,” he repeated, as if he wasn’t quite sure he’d heard her right. Or perhaps he just couldn’t reconcile her answer with the tears streaming down her cheeks.
Cass giggled. It came out as part laugh, part sob. “I love you,” she said. “When you first returned to Venice, you were a stranger. But now I can’t imagine being without you. I’m sorry I had to drive you away to recognize that what I want most in the world is to hold you close.”
Bending down, Luca leaned his forehead against hers. Cass let her eyelids fall closed. His hair whispered across her skin as he kissed away her tears. His mouth touched each eyelid and then found her lips. He pressed one of her hands to his chest and reached out with his other to trace the curve of her cheek. His kiss was warm and sweet, with the promise of wonderful things to come.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“He produced a small box from his pocket and flipped open the lid. A brilliant pendant lay nestled on a bed of velvet.
At first Cass thought it was the lily necklace that Belladonna had stolen from her at Angelo de Gradi’s workshop. But as she looked more closely, she saw that this pendant was slightly different; the petals were larger, and the diamond in the center had a pinkish hue.
“I had another one made,” Luca said. He took the necklace from her and undid the clasp. Holding the delicate silver chain out toward her neck, he said, “May I?”
“Of course.” She trapped a few tendrils of flyaway hair with her hand and held them back while Luca fastened the necklace. The lily sat right in the hollow of her throat, exactly as its predecessor had.
Luca leaned back to consider his work. One side of his mouth twitched like he was trying but couldn’t quite muster up a smile. “There’s something else,” he said.
“This is more than enough,” Cass said. It was so like him to inundate her with presents because he felt guilty for what she had endured. But she didn’t need presents. That was one thing her parents had never seemed to understand either--that what she needed was just to be surrounded by the people she loved.
“Will you marry me?” Luca blurted out, his face going red. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his breeches, but not before Cass noticed they were shaking.
She raised a hand to the pendant and could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Luca squeezed her hand again. With his other hand, he reached up to stroke her hair, and Cass felt a warmth move through her. He touched her as if she were breakable, but he didn’t treat her that way anymore. The old Luca da Peraga would have never let his fiancée hide among courtesans and train with a dagger. Admittedly, Cass was hoping she would never need to do either of those things again, but still it meant something to her that Luca had given her the time and space to make her own decisions.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Luca appeared from around the front of the villa. Smiling slightly, he crossed the garden in a few long strides and sat next to her on the bench. He seemed completely healed, both from the wound on his shoulder and th scrapes he’d gotten at Palazzo Dubois. The last remaining evidence of the fight, a bruise on his jawbone, had turned from purple to brownish yellow.
Cass reached up to touch it. She still couldn’t believe they’d infiltrated Joseph Dubois’s home, stolen the Book of the Eternal Rose, and escaped with only a few minor injuries to show for it. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it,” she said.
A gust of wind sent a bouquet of fallen leaves spinning through the air. Luca wrapped his hand around hers, and their fingers naturally twined together. “I promised I would, Cass.”
Her lips curled upward. Luca had only just started calling her Cass, but she liked it. it made her think that he had finally relaxed around her, that the person he was being was his true self.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

““One’s destiny is held
within one’s free will.”

-THE BOOK OF THE ETERNAL ROSE”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Narissa opened Villa Querini’s door with a dour grimace, muttering under her breath about useless butlers. The lines in her face melted away when she saw Cass and Feliciana standing there. She hugged them against her stout frame and then leaned back and gave them a long look.
“You both look thin,” she said. “And what on earth did you do to your hair?” She flipped the hood of Feliciana’s cloak down around her shoulders and studied the cropped hair beneath.
“It was the nuns,” Feliciana explained. “I concealed myself in a convent for a couple of weeks.”
Narissa guffawed. “You? At a convent? Now, that’s a story I’ll need a little wine to stomach.”
“Precisely,” Feliciana agreed. “I needed quite a bit of wine just to survive there.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“You’re worrying again, aren’t you?” Luca said. Cass had been sitting on a bench in Octavia’s garden, watching the roses shed their petals with each brisk breeze. She hadn’t even heard him approach. He handed her a rolled piece of vellum, its red wax stamp broken across the middle.
“What is it?” she asked eagerly. She unrolled the vellum and began to read. It was from His Holiness, the pope, and started out with a lengthy paragraph about what the Bible says regarding heresy. Cass’s eyes began to glaze over.
“Skip to the bottom,” Luca said with a grin. “To the part where we’re both given a full papal pardon.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling

“Luca slept in the portego with a small band of men from Mezzanotte Island. As much as Cass wanted him with her, she knew he was probably flogging himself for his single moment of impropriety.”
― Fiona Paul, Starling