“A bloody fortune in reproduced Sicilian tarì? Yes, it is.” Ruby smiled. “And rather expertly reproduced if I say so myself.”
“Let me take it up to Tenzin,” he said. “Let her know we’re going out.”
Ruby was strolling along the entry hall, examining the marbles. “So you’ve got a mummy too, eh?”
“A mummy?” Ben resisted the urge to break into hysterical laughter. “No, not exactly.”
He hoisted the briefcase and climbed the stairs to the second level, knocking before he pushed the door open.
Tenzin was stretched out on a thick Persian rug at the end of the pòrtego, the grand entry hall on the main floor of the house. She was on her back, reading a book in front of the arched floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the front of the house. During the day, they were covered with a heavy red velvet drape, but at night they reflected the lights glittering across the canal.
The rest of the pòrtego was sparsely furnished and looked more like a gallery than a room. The terrazzo floors were a soft gold color and the walls were covered in a red Venetian plaster, but the ceilings were the tallest in the house, which meant they were the most comfortable for Tenzin, who preferred flying to walking when possible.
Ben tapped on the door again and she waved him in.
“Ruby’s here,” she said, putting the book on the ground.
He walked over and set the briefcase down next to her. “Yep.”
Tenzin grinned. “She brought the coins.”
“Is this the part where I pour them over you in a river of gold while you laugh maniacally? Because I’m going to be honest, this bag is heavy and I’m wondering how comfortable that would be.”
“No, no, no.” She rolled over and grabbed the briefcase. “Ah,” she said, peering inside. “Lovely.”
It wasn’t a river, but when Tenzin poured out the perfectly reproduced tarì over the rich wool of the Persian rug, Ben had to admit…
It was hot.
She spread them with her hands, a small sea of intricately etched gold coins scattering over the red, blue, and ochre of the rug. Ben knelt next to her and picked one up. The patina looked identical to the examples he’d seen online. Even to his experienced eye, the coins looked hundreds of years old.
“Amazing,” he said.
“Come on,” Tenzin said, pushing the coins into a pile. “It’s not enough for a bed, but you can use it for a pillow.”
He laughed. “A pillow?”
“Just…” She stood and pushed him down to the rug. “Do it. Everyone should lie on a big pile of gold at least once in their life, Benjamin.”
“Did you read that on a motivational poster somewhere?”
“No, but maybe someone should make one with that on it. I find gold very motivating.”
Ben lay down on the rug and put his head on the pile of gold coins, staring at the ceiling. The beams had been painted with tiny decorative elements in red and lapis blue. The rug was soft at his back. And the pile of gold coins…
Tenzin lay down next to him. “It isn’t very comfortable, is it?”
“No.” He picked up a coin and flipped it in the air. “Sleeping on gold does have a certain appeal though.”
“Yes.” Tenzin scooped a handful and let the coins run through her fingers. “Gold always does.”
The cool metal warmed to his neck as he lay on it. “I think that’s what it is,” he murmured.
“What?”
“The gold. It’s… warm. It’s precious metal, but it’s not cold. Diamonds are hard and cold. Platinum always feels mechanical to me. But gold…” He picked up a coin and balanced it on his nose. “Never tarnishes. It doesn’t break; it bends. It’s warm. More human than other precious metals or gems.”
He turned to see her watching him with a smile flirting at the corner of her mouth. “What?”
Tenzin said, “I’ve always wondered when you’d find it. It’s an honor to be here when you did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your one true love.” Tenzin laughed and rolled away when he grabbed for her. “Should I leave you alone?”
“Shut up.”
“Wait, I can’t leave you alone. Your one true love needs to go in the safe.” She flipped a coin at him, and he caught it just before it hit his face. “Kiss your true love good-bye, Benjamin.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You’re the one philosophizing about gold.”
He filled a hand with the coins and let them pour out onto the rug again, delighting in the soft sound. “Do you blame me?”
“Me?” She rolled to her knees. “Never.” Tenzin flipped a coin up, caught it, and kissed it before she tossed it in the bag. “Not when I’m guilty of the same thing. Like recognizes like, my Benjamin.”
He tossed coin after coin in the leather satchel, listening to each one clink. “Ruby is still here. Wants to go out for a drink and some ice cream. You want to join us?”
She wouldn’t want to join them.
“No”—Tenzin confirmed his suspicion—“just be careful with her. Oscar is very possessive.”
“Yeah, I got that.” He frowned. “Everything all right there?”
“It’s none of my business.” Tenzin shrugged. “The girl doesn’t appear to be unhappy.”