January 11, 1784 (New Moon)
Ah, now my path is clear--I know what I must do!

I have spent an emotional afternoon with Snr. Gandt in his temporary rooms at Contessa Courants simple home. (How kind she is to let him stay while he recovers from his wounds.) Mercury first listened very kindly to the story of my sisters abduction, offered me a glass of prosecco, and told me he would do anything within his power to help me free my sister.

Unfortunately, he does not have much power here in Venezia and is feeling very hurt and discouraged. Apparently he learned from Conte Foscari, Elenas grandfather, who now lives at La Malcontenta on the Brenta canal, that Elena is quite safe and has escaped to parts unknown to avoid certain people who are chasing her. Mercury was very hurt and angry for having been kept in the dark about all this until now. He kept pacing around the room (I thought for a minute he was going to upset the tea tray!), raging about the fact that he had been played for a fool. As reward for his pains, he said, he had been beaten up and left for dead by some ruffians after Mercurys searching in vain for Elena at a convent where she last disappeared. (I do wonder what game she is playing.)

I realized there was no hope of getting information from Mercury on Elenas whereabouts, so I told him about the letter from the chief of the sbirri saying that it was also important to me that I acquire this information. I gave him a wink - we now have a common purpose, though for different reasons. Both of us are willing (god forgive me) to tell the police where Elena could be found--to betray her! My reason is to get my sister out of prison, and Mercurys is simply for revengealthough through his tirade he still showed some hesitation. Finally he admitted that he also wished he could be compensated in some way for all he had expended and endured during his search.

(At one point in our discussions he had the audacity to suggest that an evening with me, exercising my courtesans skills, might soften the pain of the blows to his pride. He was quite persuasive in his attentions to me but I quickly put those thoughts out of his head.) I decided to tell him about the reward, and admitted to him that I would split with him the 10,000 ducati - something that might serve his longer term interests far better than a night with me! It didnt take him long to accept.

Our first actions, we finally agreed at the end of a very long evening, would be to talk to people who might know where Elena could be found. I am acquainted with a few gentlemen who share similar interests and confidences with the dreaded Snr. Cristofolo. (I will see what pillow talk will uncover.) Mercury, for his part, will talk with with Saturnine, the secretary of Conte Filipe Foscari who also might know where Elena might be hiding.

It was almost dark, the sun setting leaving a warm glow in the evening sky when I left Mercury to his own devices, desires and angry thoughts. He is a tortured soul!
We will meet again in a week to compare our discoveries.

Now, I must write a few letters