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1) The Silver Devil by Teresa Denys

Prologue........................................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One..................................................................................................................................................... 2 Chapter Two................................................................................................................................................... 30 Chapter Three................................................................................................................................................ 60 Chapter Four.................................................................................................................................................. 86 Chapter Five................................................................................................................................................. 113 Chapter Six................................................................................................................................................... 142 Chapter Seven............................................................................................................................................. 177 Chapter ight............................................................................................................................................... 203 Chapter !ine................................................................................................................................................ 22" Chapter Ten................................................................................................................................................. 2#4 Chapter leven............................................................................................................................................. 27# Chapter Twelve............................................................................................................................................ 2"2

Prologue
The voice under my window was complaining of the heat. I must have been half-asleep when I heard it, for in the moment before my eyes opened, I thought I was back in my room at the Eagle. The thin, clear sound rising from the courtyard outside made me forget the stuffy chamber and the whisperings around

my bed; for an instant I was back in the little room over the inn sign, and the chatter of guests and servants was rising from below like flies disturbed in summer. I lay listeninghalf-e pecting to hear !elia bawl my namethen the tautening of my body disturbed the child so that it stirred again in my womb, and I groaned and opened my eyes. "t once reality came flooding back. It was dark here, despite the sunshine outside; torches had been burning for hours around the bed, and the heat was almost unbearable. #ying flat on my back, I could scarcely breatheno air penetrated the bed-curtains, and my hair clung to my wet forehead. The whispering all around me sounded like the mockery of a bree$e. "s the voices below died away, I could sense the eyes watching me, waiting for the child to come, and I longed for them to leave me alone. The scent of them, musk and amber and civet to mask the rottenness, was stifling. I closed my eyes to try to blot them from my mindto think of anything but their presence and the unendurable heat. . . .

Chapter One
It had been as hot as this the summer it began. "ll %idena stank. The fetid smell from the bay, where ships lay beached and their cargoes rotted for want of men to unload them, mingled with human sweat and filth in the dust-laden air. %lies and maggots bred, and the wind was sickly with the e pectation of plague. &en lay down in the streets and died, and their neighbors would not touch the bodies, not even to drag them out of the all-consuming sun. It was the sort of heat that breeds discontent in men's minds, that slows a man's blood and (uickens his temper so that the city simmers like a pot close to boiling. )ut I had scant leisure then to measure %idena's temper, for that year my brother, "ntonio, married !elia *anoli and my life began to change. There was little love in their marriage; they were as sharp with each other as they were with me, and they s(uabbled more like ill-matched business partners than like husband and wife. "ntonio saw only the glory of being landlord of so fine an inn as the Eagle; !elia saw only the work and the money her labors might fetch her. They only united in two thingsin their greed and in their dislike of me. "ntonio had always been ashamed of me. +hen I was a child, I sensed it long before I knew why, and !elia loathed me from the instant she set eyes on me. ,he had matched beneath her in marrying an innkeeper, and my very e istence irked her like an open sore. ,he was forever railing at me for my bastardy as though it were a witting crime; and, like "ntonio, she never wearied of telling me how lucky I was to have been given a

home after the way my mother used my foster father. -o drudgery of mine, no humiliation, could ever repay that kindness. "nd because all they said held a kernel of truth, I had to bear it in silence. I never knew who my father was. "t his coming, my mother had been long married to )attista .uardi, the keeper of an unkempt tavern under the city wall and a man too fond of his own wares to make a success of selling them. /er life with him had been a hard one, and I think that when "ntonio was born after many fruitless births and showed every sign of growing up like his father, she (uietly gave up hope of happiness. )ut however it was, when my father came and went in a single night and left her carrying a bastard child, nothing would make her tell his name. 0erhaps she never knew it. )attista tried all he knew to make her tellbeatings, cursings, even hauling her before the priestbut she never spoke of it to anyone. ,he carried me uncom-plainingly, and after I was born she sheltered me as well as she could from the worst of her husband's animosity. The priest had persuaded )attista to shelter the fruits of his wife's sin, and while I was very young, I thought his black looks were disappointment that I was not a boy. It was not until my mother died that I heard the word bastard for the first time. "ntonio took pains to e plain to me, before my mother's funeral was well over, that I could no longer e pect to be treated as a daughter of the house. +ith brutal simplicity he told me why I could claim no kinship with the man I called %ather. /e himself, he said roughly, was my half-brother and no more; if I did not want to feel his hand I was not to call him )rother from that hour. If I were humble and grateful and worked as hard as I could, I might stay on in the house otherwise he washed his hands of me. I was not ten years old then and had no idea what the words meantI only knew that my mother was dead and now I stood to lose the only home I had ever known. ,o, sobbing, I agreed to "ntonio's terms and set myself to be humble and grateful. It was hard, but not so hard as learning to accept that my very presence was a shame to my father and brotheror, as I must learn to say, stepfather and half-brother. I was taught swiftly that I could never e pect to be the e(ual of those who called themselves legitimate, and that if .od hated one sin above all others, it was that of ingratitudeor so "ntonio said. I kept my bargain, amply respecting the work, and did all I could to keep the s(ualid inn as clean as my mother had done. "t first )attista paid a woman to cook for us, but as he began to drink more and the money declined, that task, too, fell to me. There were nights when I dropped onto my straw pallet so worn out that not even his drunken snores could wake me.

The burden of his loathing was the hardest thing of all to bear, and as I grew older, the in1ustice of it made me angry and frightened. It seemed at times that all my life I was to be blamed for something that was not my fault. /e would watch me for hours at a time under scowling brows so that nervousness made me clumsy, and then the least fault was an e cuse for him to use his belt on me. 2nce, smarting from an une pected blow, I demanded to know why he should hate me so, and if I had not been fleeter footed than he, I think he would have killed me. &y mother had been dead for seven years when )attista broke his neck in a drunken brawl, and I felt nothing but a great relief when I knew he was dead. It was the ne t !hristmas, when the household came out of mourning, that "ntonio married !elia, the daughter of a prosperous vintner. It was generally held to be a good match!elia's shrewish tongue was said to have frightened as many wooers as were drawn by her rich dowry, but then "ntonio was no "donis, with his red fleshy face and drunkard's belly. -evertheless I was ama$ed. I knew his taste ran to plump, dark women, like the apothecary's sister in the ne t street; !elia was s(uare and sturdy, with a face to turn milk sour and hair that was a bright, unlikely butter yellow. )ut he seemed happy enough with his choice, and I understood why when he told me he had bought the Eagle with her marriage portion. The Eagle stood in the 3ia !roce in the center of the city, between the marketplace and the !athedral of ,an *omenico, and it was one of the most prosperous businesses in %idena. "ntonio, I thought, must have been more than willing to abide the gold of his wife's hair for the sake of the gold in her marriage chest. I never knew what arguments he used to persuade her that I should stay with them, unless he appealed to her thrift and won her consent with the bait of a servant who would work without wages; when the bridal couple left the old house and took possession of the Eagle, I went with them, duly grateful for my good fortune. )ut the change which spelled prosperity for the .uardi family fortunes was to have conse(uences for me that I did not dream of. The changes came thick and fast. !elia's hatred of me was causeless, a thing that neither of us could help, and she tormented me as a cat will chase a bird, for no reason. +e were barely installed in the 3ia !roce when the pattern of my days began to alter. I had thought I worked hard in the old house, but now my tasks multiplied past count. "ll day I was cleaning and scrubbing, scouring pans amid the stink of rancid cooking oil, or at work in the stillroom, out of sight of the Eagle's guests. "t first I did not reali$e what was happening. I was so grateful to rest at the end of the day's labors that I paid no heed to the way the other servants looked at me, nor did I

notice that they seldom spoke to me. It never entered my thoughts that I did not go among the guests as they did, that I was shut away from the general world like a leper. 2ne morning in spring, I was in the kitchen, polishing "ntonio's best platter and peering curiously at my reflection, bent and wavering in the hammered metal. It was a vague, pale shadow, with long black hair and (ueer gray eyeslike and yet unlike the image I remembered. I could not think what was different until my ga$e dropped and I saw my bare arm ne t to !elia's at my elbow. &y skin had grown as white as a cloistered nun's. +ithout thinking, I asked, 4!elia, why do I never go out54 ,he had been chopping meat with (uick, decisive movements, and the rhythmic clack of the knife hardly faltered when I spoke. +hen at last she paused, it was not at me she looked but at the platter in my hands. 4/ave you finished5 6ou have been long enough about it74 4-o, not yet. I . . .4 4Then stop chattering and do not waste my time74 4I want to know why I do not go out.4 I stood stubbornly still, the platter held in front of me like a shield. I had never defied her before, and my heart was beating fast as she put down the knife and turned to face me. In that moment I saw she had been half e pecting the (uestion; there was no trace of surprise in her face, only a kind of wary hostility. 4I do not know what you mean.4 /er voice was toneless. 46ou must know. I am not dreaming it74 I was almost stammering, but I struggled to speak steadily. 4The only time I leave the house is to go to &assI never thought of it before74 4"nd what makes you think of it now54 !elia's mouth was hard; she was watching me as though I were an enemy. In answer I held out my hands, red and raw but without a trace of sunburning. 4&y skin was as brown as yours when we first came hereI have not gone freely into the sun since you wedded "ntonio. )efore we lived here, I ran errands for our neighbors fetched wine to old man %racci . . .4 4That old sot74

4. . . but here I do not know who our neighbors are, and if any in the 3ia !roce know me, it is a wonder, for I never set eyes upon them. +e have lived here for months and . . .4 4-ot three months yet, be (uiet7 +hat should we do then5 /old a grand feast and invite the rich merchants in the 3ia !roce to come and pay court to our precious bastard sister54 The blood stung my cheeks with the humiliation I could never control. 4-o, I did not mean that. )ut I never go outside for all that. I might as well be in a nunnery.4 4The best place for you74 !elia spoke with sudden venom, and I was startled by the spite on her face. 48est assured that if one of the sisterhoods would have taken you without a fat dowry, you would have been chanting hymns by now. )ut we cannot s(uander good money on paying the nuns to take you, so here you stay until you find your way to the other sort7 "nd that will be soon enough, I warrant.4 4I would not go to a brothel, if that is what you mean.4 4,o you say, but blood will tell. 6our mother was a whore, and .od in heaven knows who your fine father may be. +e do our best, I and "ntonio, to keep you out of the bawdy house and get nothing but abuse for our pains. +ell, go out if you are so hot to gogo and stay out, and ply your trade in the stews, where you belong7 -ever say I mewed you up against your will74 I hardly heard the last of what she said; I was trembling with anger. 4&y mother was not a whore.4 42h, I cry you mercy74 !elia put her hands on her ample hips, her light eyes hard and bright. 4*o I wrong her spotless memory5 %or sure, she was a priceless piece of virtue, faithful and loving to her husbandthat is why you look so much like "ntonio that strangers think he keeps a drab74 The hatred in her eyes was terrifying. 4*o you think I do not hear the (uestions5 '*oesn't &istress .uardi care . . . 5' 'Is it true, so soon after the wedding . . . 5' I tell you, I have borne it long enough7 6ou keep out of sight as long as I bid you, my fine madam, and thank .od that I give you a roof over your headI will not let the rich folk know that we lodge a by-blow in the house74 4I will not stay here if you do not want me.4 &y voice was a dry whisper. 4I will find a place. . . .4 46ou do not leave this house74 /er hand caught my cheek in a stinging slap, and the platter fell to the ground. 4#a$y slut you may be, but I cannot spare a pair of hands. 6ou

would go soon enough if I let you, and leave me and your poor brother all unprovided. . . .4 I shook my head, half-blinded with tears, but she did not heed me. 4"nd you would go straight to the brothel, I know youyou are itching for a man. %ine talking that would be, "ntonio .uardi's sister selling herself in a whorehouse.4 4/alf-sister,4 I corrected bitterly, and she slapped me again. 4.et out of my sight, and (uickly7 0ick that up.4 ,he pointed with her foot at the fallen platter. 4"nd clean it properly. I will not have you whining to be let into the street like a bitch in heatthank the saints I do not tell "ntonio, or he would flog your backside raw74 ,haking more with anger than with fright, I picked up the platter and fled. I did not trust myself to speak, for my silence was not !hristian meekness but a temper so violent that if I opened my lips I might say something I would regret eternally. I fled into the scullery, and after one look at my face the chattering servingmaids fell silent and went diligently to work. It was not until I was safe in my bed at night that the tears came. "fter that I knew better than to complain for my liberty, and as the days wore on, I ceased to remember the lack of it. There was too much else to be done9 the bleaching of linen to be laid up in the big presses, the plucking of fowls and the curing of fish, and the endless sweeping and scrubbing. The other servants in the place saw well enough the dislike !elia bore me and would not risk her wrath by appearing friendlythere were days when no one spoke a word to me save "ntonio and !elia. Even the carriers, trying to banter with me when they came with the Eagle's provisions, had her sharp rebuke for their pains. Then, so gradually that I did not notice it at first, the carriers came less often, and the goods they brought up from the harbor grew poorer and more e pensive. +hen "ntonio cursed, the men said simply that there were fewer ships in the bay; they could not bring stuff that was not there. +hat did he e pect5 " hot summer, unrest throughout the land, and -aples rumored to be preparing for war . . . %idena's citi$ens were at first no more concerned than that. The duke had so many enemies that nearly every summer there was some warlike flurry that had to be put down. In winter, with the rivers in spate holding off 8omagna in the northwest and -aples in the south and western mountains curbing the pope, who had once ruled !abria and still gaped to retain it, and the tides surging against the Turkish pirates who haunted the eastern coast, !abria's people felt secure. Even now, when the rivers were fast shrinking to a sun-dried trickle and %idena made a fair mark for the king of -aples, the danger did not seem real. The days went by and the rumors took shape, and still the

city seemed not to care whether they were true or false; of more concern was the fact that the marches were burned brown and the wine harvest in grave danger. %resh food became more and more scarce, "ntonio's scowl grew blacker as trade declined, and still the invasion was only a sub1ect for idle gossip. Then suddenly, at the height of summer, the talk ceased. The citi$ens clustered in apprehension on street corners and under inn signs; the -eapolitan forces had surged northward in one dreadful sweep, pillaging and burning. -ews came that they had taken the town of "rriccio, only a few days' march distant, and at last the danger was more than an unlikely rumor. "lmost overnight, %idena became a city in terrorsoldiers and condottieri crowded its streets, tradesmen neglected their work, and farmers abandoned their crops for the safety of its grim walls. It had been a fortress for close on three hundred years, this city, a 8affaelle stronghold long before there were dukes in !abria. It was unthinkable that it should fall while the della 8affaelle themselves were at the pala$$o. I heard it time out of mind in those fear-filled daysfrom passersby in the street, from the topers who stayed talking in the innyard and never thought to look up. %rom that high, narrow room above the gateway, with coaches and horsemen rattling by under my very feet, I heard all the bustling sounds of the world thrown into confusion. "s for !elia, not even for the prospect of war would she rela her vigilance over me; when she saw how people were beginning to throng the inn, she took greater pains than ever to keep me out of sight. -ow my tasks were in the scullery or in the stillroom, or if all else failed, she would shut me in my room to do the sewing I hated. %or me, every hour of those days of uncertainty was crowded, and in a way I was grateful, for it left me little time to think. It was only at night as I tossed restlessly in the stuffy little attic room, listening to the creak of the Eagle sign as it swung to and fro outside my window, that my thoughts could run free, piecing together the meaningless scraps of conversation I heard and fighting the wall of despair which threatened to imprison me more surely than all !elia's stratagems. It was on one such night that I first heard )eniamino's voice. There was talk that the duke had called for troops to send against the invader, and certainly the streets were spilling over with soldiers, brawling, rioting, filling the taverns by night, but by day harsh guardians of the duke's peace who had orders to disperse any crowd and could hang any man they chose. "ntonio fawned to them, welcoming their custom; but it was out of fear, for always the old dread of the duke's men hushed men's voices and (uickened their steps when the black-clad riders passed.

)eniamino was a captain in the duke's army and came every night to the Eagle. I never knew his right nameonly that he was )eniamino, because that was what they shouted to bring him in again. "ll I ever really knew about him was the sound of his voice. It was an odd voicehusky, grating, with a slight lisping accentand at first I could not understand what he was saying. I strained my ears to the slurring, wine-soaked drawl rising out of the night, and at last I stole out of bed and across to the shuttered window to hear him better. -o one who has not heard it will believe how often drinking companions will choose an innyard to talk secrets. In their care not to be overheard in the taproom, they will stagger out into the night air and talk of state and politics in voices that anyone might hear. )eniamino's words came to me clearly as I knelt in the dark with my cheek pressed against the rough wooden shutter. /e was talking fluently of what he would do if he had command of the !abrian army, and his companion was trying to hush him, as though such free speech made him nervous. ,mall wonder, for among the plans of greater and more glorious battles to come 1ostled scraps of information about the wars now in hand. 42ld !arlo wants us to think we're fighting -aples,4 )eniamino said and giggled. 4"s if s not common knowledge that -aples is :ing 0hilip's footboy and will stab at his bidding74 4;uiet7 ',not safe to talk of it.4 /is companion sounded uneasy. 4I knowthe duke will have my tongue. "nd my eyes, and everything else too, belike, he is so tender of the duchess's reputation. +ell, he would have a hot wife after those two cold cows he wedded first, and see where his lust has brought him74 40eace, for .od's sake7 +e will both hang74 4"s well hang as have to die in such a cause, I say.4 There was a tinge of recklessness in )eniamino's tone. 4+hat, be killed in resolving old !arlo's household strifesbecause &adam .ratiana seeks in other men's beds what the old lecher can no longer give her himself54 There was a scuffle, as though the other man 1erked away. 4 '& goinggoing in. I willwill not hear you.4 4+hat's there to fear5 I speak what you know already *uke !arlo took a ,panish bride with the face of a parrot and the habits of a goat to comfort his royal bed. "nd when he found out what tricks she was playing him, as half !abria knew long since4

4,peak softer7 The guards . . .4 4he scolded her so roundly, and in public too, that she set her kinsman 0hilip's lapdog of -aples to get her revenge with this war.4 46ou are raving. +hat revenge could sh'have by setting -aples at our throats54 )eniamino giggled again. 42h, #uigi7 #uigi, you know as well as I7 .ratiana wants her widowhood and treasure to pay for her foiningshe could never come by it else. It takes a plain wench to cool old !arlo; he's hot enough for any woman who is but young and fresh.4 +ith a noise like a grunt of fear #uigi pulled himself from )eniamino's grasp, and I heard his unsteady footsteps pattering back towards the taproom. )eniamino chuckled and then, with a sigh, followed him slowly and carefully. I stayed still in the dark, my own dis(uiet forgotten. In my inmost heart I had always believed the teachings of the !hurch, that war was the instrument of .od; the deaths that followed in its train were part of /is will, and to fear any battle was a sign of a want of faith. That a war could be rooted in men's own actions and fought for selfish and petty ends not worth a drop of any soldier's blood seemed to me then like a glimpse into an undreamed-of abyss. The ne t day I hardly noticed how hard I worked or what was said to me. &y mind was too full of what I had learned, and all day I lived with the desperate hope that somehow I might learn more. !elia must have thought me blockish, for I moved through the day's tasks with a stolid patience that no gibe of hers could spark into retort. That night )eniamino was back with a new drinking companion and a fresh piece of news. The duke was preparing to go with his troops to drive out the invaders. 4Taking his sons,4 )eniamino said. 4)oth sons. Two. *ukes and little dukes all over the battlefield.4 4,andra's not a duke.4 )eniamino's friend was nearly as drunk as he was. 4/e's a bastard.4 4/e's a glorious bastard. " real e perienced soldier. I love him. ',worth ten of his fancy brother.4 4,sh74 ', *omenico that's heir to the throne. "nd got command of the right flank.4 4/e got it because he's a della 8affaelle. ,how him an enemy1ust oneand you won't see him for dust. I swear he only agreed to come so's he'd be near the handsome soldiers.4

4-o.4 There was a sudden note of fear in the other man's voice. 4/e does not run, )eniamino. I served under him in .enoa when old !arlo sent us out against the /apsburgs, and he's afraid of nothing.4 4If he had a good second-in-command4 4/e would have none. I tell you . . .4 4-o. *on't tell me of him.4 )eniamino was breathing heavily. 4+ith any luck he'll be killed, and my blessings on the ,panisher who can do it.4 4That's treasonous talk. /ow has young *omenico served you ill54 There was a pause, then )eniamino whispered something I could not hear. I caught only the words 4my little brother4 and then the other man spoke again, owlish and considering. 4I always heard he was one for a wench. In the guardroom they say any woman is good enough for himoncesame as his father and brother.4 )eniamino made a gagging sound. 4I care not; he can take a toad to bed with him if he will. )ut I say he is no fit soldier7 !arlo's mad to risk so many men under an untried general. Thank the saints I serve on the left, under good old ,andro7 /e'll see his soldiers through. It's a crime he's not the heir when he's five years older than that . . . brother of his.4 4 ', a bastard,4 his friend observed wisely, 4can't succeed.4 4/e would if that silver devil died.4 )eniamino turned. 4!ome on, I want to drink bad luck to *omenico. 0erhaps he'll be killed before his men are all slaughtered.4 Two days after that, )eniamino was gone with the rest of *uke !arlo's army, leaving %idena yawning empty of the soldiers who had hurried like black ants through the fever-hot streets. Those who were left went about their business with heavy hearts, and now and again I heard the duchess's name on someone's tongue like a curse. Those were the waiting days, the hot days, when %idena brooded as though it awaited some monstrous birth, and everyone was at once impatient and fearful. The city was cloaked in an uneasy (uiet. *ays passed without news from the border, and rumors began to bu$$ again like angry mos(uitoes; but now "ntonio cared little, for the citi$ens came flocking in day after day to e change the latest tidings and drink to the duke's success. /is sullen look was gone nowif !abria was on the brink of disaster, it was not his concern, so long as he made money.

It was a week later that news came; I was helping !elia in the kitchen when, midway through the morning, the couriers came galloping in at the southern gates of the city and cried the news through the streets. "ll we heard was the noise of hooves and a confused shouting; then a roar went up from the street outside, and "ntonio went running out of doors like a madman. !elia and I ran after him to the door, united for once in a common astonishment. In the street "ntonio was fighting his way through the crowd, his bulk forcing a passage towards the rider on the sweating chestnut horse. The man had drawn rein perforcethe crowd had grown too thick for him to moveand the press of yelling people was beginning to alarm the horse, who was fretting and shifting uneasily. The rider was shouting, but not a word of what he said could be heard above the din. "ntonio's fat hand closed on the horse's bridleI saw the rider glance down, his hand going to the hilt of his sword, but then "ntonio screamed something above the noise and tugged the horse's head around. The man sat still in the saddle as the beast began to turn, taking no notice now of the mob's (uestions, only ducking his head as he rode under the Eagle's gateway. 4;uick, wife74 "ntonio's voice was hoarse with e citement. 4,ome wine for *uke !arlo's messenger74 !elia turned to me. 4*o as he says7 "nd bid the servants be readyif all these follow him to hear his news, our fortunes are made74 I turned and ran with my head ringing from her impatient cuff. " 1ug of the best wine from the cellar and one of the new cupsand then I was in the taproom, gasping out orders for the potboys, and !elia was snatching the things from my hands to pour for the duke's messenger. The room was filling, more people crowding in at every moment, and I reali$ed suddenly that I had been forgotten. I let myself be thrust back against the wall by the 1ostling crowd, praying that amid so many I could stay here unnoticed. !elia's eyes were only for the messenger, who had downed his wine in one gulp and was holding out his cup to be refilled. +ithout his helmet he looked far less forbidding; a young man with bright blue eyes in a face shining with sweat, pleased with the attention he was getting. "s he drank again, I noticed the tapsters moving among the crowd, serving as best they could, so that even those who had come in from curiosity were having to pay to stay. %ifty pairs of eyes at least followed the motion of the man's arm as he put down the cup and wiped his mouth; then someone called, 4+hat's the news54

"t once the babel broke out afresh, every man clamoring for the latest tidings without waiting to hear them told. "ntonio roared, 4,ilence, and let him speak74 and as the messenger rose to his feet, the shouting died away to an an ious muttering. 4+hat of *uke !arlo's army54 someone shouted. 4It was a great victory.4 The young man smiled around at the shout that greeted his words. 4The enemy is driven back towards -aples, and our soldiers are on their way home again.4 4*id they give battle54 4+hen did it happen54 4/as the duke regained "rriccio54 4/e will have done by this.4 The messenger looked at the last speaker. 4/e met with the enemy in the hills between "rriccio and !astle %ucino and so routed them that I doubt they will wait in "rriccio for his coming.4 4!astle %ucino74 !elia shrieked. 4The duke's own summer garrison7 )ut that is only two days' march from here74 The young man grinned. 46ou need not fear. The enemy is safely driven back. They got no further than five leagues north of "rriccio, and we were at their backs by then. The duke went beyond them and then turned short, meaning to fall upon their rear guard.4 There was a murmur; some of the older men disliked the strategy, but the greater part were as breathless with impatience as I was. 4+hat happened54 The (uestion came from a do$en throats. 4It was where the road to !astle %ucino runs downhill and winds into the ,ant' "ngelo pass. +e followed them so stealthily that they had no warning. The duke divided the army and placed himself and his men on the left and his son the lord *omenico and his forces on the right. They were to wait above and mop up the fliers after the lord )astardmy lord "lessandrohad led a charge down the center.4 /e paused and took a gulp of wine. The whole room was hushed, waiting. 4It looked as though it would work at first. #ord ,andra's men came over the brow of the nearest hill and straight into the enemy's rear guard. They split and fled downhill, and it looked like a rout until one of those damned ,paniards rallied his men, and they took a stand among the rocks at the mouth of the pass. It brought #ord ,andra's men up

short, because the pass was narrow and steep 1ust there, and the ,paniards could not be swept away by another charge from before or behind.4 "ntonio moistened his lips. 4+hat did the lord )astard do54 4*rove his men forward in any case. They were being slaughtered like prime cattle. Three hundred men and more dead, they say, but I came away before they were numbered.4 I thought of )eniamino's tipsy faith in his commander and hoped that it had survived the fighting. !elia threw up her hands. 4/oly &ary, what a dreadful thing7 /ow can you call that a victory5'' The messenger's grim face lightened. 4It was so, in the end. The enemy was making sport with our men for so long that at last they would not rally for a fresh assault; they said it was hopeless and would not budge for all the )astard's curses. +e thought we were all lostthe ,panish were three times our numberbut then the right wing started to move.4 4The right wing74 I did not reali$e I had spoken until I heard my own voice. The messenger glanced round. 46es, without waiting for the duke's order. #ord *omenico charged his horse straight down on the enemy at the very mouth of the pass. The ground is so steep there, it is a miracle that he and the horse were not killed. )ut he slid most of the way in a hail of dust and stones and went for the enemy flank. "s soon as his men saw it could be done, they charged down too, and the ,panish broke and fled. +ith horsemen dropping out of the sky like cannonballs, I dare swear they had had enough.4 "t that moment I caught !elia's eye and cursed my careless tongue. If only she would look away from me for an instant, I might be able to slip back to the kitchen in safety but 1ust as I began to draw back, the messenger took up his tale again, and I stood still, spellbound. 4They clawed their way up the other side of the pass, most of them, and ran straight into *uke !arlo's men. ,ome escaped to the north, but by then #ord ,andro was so choleric about his own part in the battle and being rescued by his own younger brother that he purged his anger by chasing the stragglers.4 /e tossed the last of the wine down his throat. 4I heard they chopped a man down as he hid in someone's vineyard, and #ord ,andro laughed and said the blood would make the vintage richer.4 I shivered, less at the 1est than at the crowd's ghoulish appreciation of it.

!elia said, 4"nd now5 *o the troops come back here with the duke or return to their garrisons5'' The man shook his head. 4I do not know. The battle was scarcely over when I came awaythe duke sent si of us in haste to bring the news to the duchess, so that she would know he was safe.4 8emembering all I had heard, I could not forbear smiling more like the duke had sent the message to discomfort his detested wife and smash her hopes of revenge. -ow the messenger was taking his leave; he had to make speed to the pala$$o, he said, and proclaim the news as he went. -ow was the time for me to be gone if I were to escape retribution. "s softly as I could, I edged around the wall towards the nearest door; I could escape through it into the yard, and from there I could reach the kitchen. The click of the latch was drowned in the sound of farewells as I slipped outside and closed the door behind me. 2ut in the street the shouting had died down, but one or two loiterers still waited by the gateway for news. I flinched from the curious stares and was about to run towards the kitchen door when a hand gripped my elbow from behind. I twisted (uickly in the sticky grasp to find myself facing not "ntonio, but a total stranger. "s soon as he spoke, I recogni$ed his voice; he was one of the city merchants, a regular customer who cared more for the courtesans who traded in the Eagle than for "ntonio's wine. I had often heard !elia complain of how little &essire #u$$ato spent in an evening. /is ha$el eyes were glistening as he stared at me, and he was pursing his lips as though I were a sweetmeat he fancied. 4+here are you going, wench5 The way to the street is through that gate yonder.4 4I know.4 I tried to free myself from his grip. 4I work in the kitchens here.4 4*o you so5 +hy have I not seen you before, then5 I come here often, and I would not forget a wench like you.4 4I do not come down to wait upon the guests.4 4They wait upon you above stairs, is that it54 The merchant's eyes gleamed. 4To think that fat oaf .uardi never told me7 +ell, that is soon remedied. /old out your hand.4 I put my free hand behind my back, and he laughed. 4-o need for this coyness7 "sk your master if I am not liberal enough when a wench is kind. /old out your hand, and then we can go into the stables yonder and do our business.4

/e was fumbling with his purse as he spoke, and I tried desperately to 1erk away from him. The coins spilled, and he looked up with the smile gone from his face. 4+hat, are you too proud for me5 I have dealt with your kind before, with your nun's faces and your harlot's tricks to raise your price. !ome on.4 /is smile now was a sort of grimace. 4I shall not hurt you, and there will be a silver piece for you after.4 /e was trying to press the money into my palm as I struggled, panic-stricken. Then another hand, s(uare and red, caught my shoulder and pulled me sharply around. 4+hat are you doing here after I forbade you54 !elia's face was flushed, her lips tight and her eyes glittering. 46ou impudent slut74 4This girl,4 the merchant interposed, 4was importuning me for money. I understood you kept a virtuous house, mistress.4 !elia shot him a swift look, but if she saw the satisfaction behind the assumed outrage she did not heed it. 4I cannot be hearkening after every wench in the place, messire. +hat did she say to you54 The pouting lips primmed. 4I cannot say what she offered me for my money. I was hurrying home to tell my wife the tidings when she ran after me and hung on my arm . . .4 4-o74 ,omehow I found my voice. 4/e is lying. It was he who caught me. . . .4 4+hat is all this54 "ntonio's voice broke in. 4%elicia, what do you here5 +hat has happened, wife54 I tried to speak, but !elia said curtly, 4/old your tongue,4 and I listened to the merchant telling his tale again; by now it bore so little resemblance to the truth that I could not recogni$e myself in his words. !elia watched me all the time, the spite in her face intensifying with every word. +hen he had done, she said, 4+e shall see her punished, never fear.4 4"nd well she deserves it.4 The merchant glanced at me. 4It is such strumpets as these that bring a house into ill repute.4 4+e will teach her better behavior.4 "ntonio looked black. 4.o in, girl, and stay in your room until I come to you74 +ithout a word I turned and ran across the yard, into the inn and up the stairs to the attic. %rom the window I could see the little group down below in the sunlight; "ntonio and !elia still soothing &essire #u$$ato, he settling his gown and preparing to depart. "

few words more and then he strolled towards the gateway with a malicious backward glance at the other two. I saw them discussing which of them was to go inside and attend to the guests; then they looked around, startled, as the messenger came hurrying out of the taproom to mount his horse again, with the throng at his heels. In a moment the yard was full of milling people, and it was only when I heard footsteps on the stairs that I turned (uickly from the window. They stood together 1ust inside the door, their faces hard and unforgiving. "ntonio was sweating with the heat, his shirt clinging to his fat back; his hands, the thumbs dug into the wide belt encircling his paunch, were twitching like the skin on a cow's back. !elia stood arms akimbo, her broad face frighteningly aflame with pure hate. 4I warned you, "ntonio.4 There was a note of triumph in her voice. 4I told you she would prove no better than a harlot. 0erhaps now you will credit what I say.4 4That man . . .4I was stammering, hardly able to form the words. 4/e was lying. I never asked him for money. /e said what he did because I would not go with him.4 4" pretty tale7 "re we to take your word sooner than that of one of our most valued customers54 46es, it is true74 !elia's lips sneered. 43ery likelywhen a man with his money can find fifty fairer on any street corner7 +as it your maiden modesty made you deny him or fear of being discovered54 4I . . . I am frightened of being touched.4 I looked imploringly at "ntonio. 46ou know I am telling the truth.4 /e hesitated, and !elia turned on me. 4-o matter if you areyou disobeyed me, you little slut, and that is enough to get you a beating. If you had not been where you had no business, that worm #u$$ato would never have seen you. )esides, I don't doubt you would have gone with him if I had not come when I did.4 ,ickened, I said no, but she swept on. 4"ll these months we have fed you, housed you, clothed you even, and this is our thanks, you ungrateful little bitch7 There are few enough new wedded couples who would give a home to a penniless, nameless slut like you, let alone treat you so kindly74

4+hy keep me, then54 +isdom and my vows of patience alike forgotten, I turned to face her. %or a moment her eyes were astonished, then they hardened. /er lips were tight. 4I know my !hristian duty well enough.4 4)ut you do not want me here. +hy . . .4 4"sk him.4 ,he 1erked her head contemptuously at "ntonio. 4/e was the one who would keep you.4 4)e silent, woman74 "ntonio roared. 4It is not your business.4 42h, is it not5 Then let me tell you . . .4 4,he can take her punishment for being disobedient7 -aught else matters.4 "ntonio's face was purple. 4/ere, I will teach her conduct74 " blow from his hamlike hand sent me reeling back; I came up against the edge of the bed and stood, swaying, waiting for the ne t. )ut to my astonishment it did not come there was only the slam of the door and the sound of !elia's voice raised in protest on the stairs. ,hakily, I sat down on the bed. I knew why "ntonio felt bound to keep me and why he had believed my story rather than &essire #u$$ato'she knew that my fear of men was real and not feigned, and in the furtive glance he had given me I could read the memory that still troubled his conscience. /e had never forgotten the night seven years after my mother died when my stepfather tried to force his way into my bed, and he had had to drag him off. /e knew well enough how frightened I had been then and how for years afterwards I could never bear to sleep in the dark. %or once, not even !elia's venom would make him punish me for a trespass he knew I would never commit. %or three days I stayed in my room, and no one came near me but !elia. ,he would not speak to me nor answer any of my (uestions, but I could see a gloating look in her eyes as though to see me shut up gave her pleasure. ,he brought me food every daynot muchand stuff for sewing, for not even when I was penned up in disgrace would she waste a pair of hands. In those days I spent the daylight hours interminably sewing, and the darkness with no occupation but my own thoughts, for now I was not allowed even a candle. There was no news of the duke's army; at least no one spoke of it in my hearing, and I began to think that there must have been a second battle and all our soldiers slain on their way back to %idena. )ut on the fourth day I heard the ostlers talking. 4Tomorrow, is it5 /e has not stirred himself to bring his army home.4

4+hy should he hurry when he has the victory5 /e has spoils enough and prisoners enough to hamper him, for all I hear.'' The first lad grunted. 4"t least he will not stay in the field before the city when he comes. "t his age he will be eager for his own bed.4 4"ye, and his loving wife, too.4 There was an e plosion of laughter, hastily muffled. 4*id you hear he means to hale her after him in his triumph and make her give thanks with him for his victory over her kinsman54 4Trust old !arlo. /e'll tame that spiteful harridan yet.4 Their laughter faded as they separated to their work, and I stitched furiously as I pondered their words. To me the news was like the fresh chapter of a child's fairy tale; none of these great folk were any more real to me then than the knights and dragons my mother used to tell of, but their doings peopled my loneliness. " little while after, I heard "ntonio below, talking of the triumphal procession which would pass our very door. /e was a made man, he boasted; he could rent places at the windows overlooking the street and be rich in a day. I thought of the duchess .ratiana and wondered how she would brook this public re1oicing over her country's defeat; even whether she grieved for the men who had died because of the breach between her and her husband. )ut now, looking back, I know that she would never even have thought of anything so petty. *uke !arlo made such leisurely way northwards that he arrived not the ne t day but the one after, and then he rode hastily through the city to reach the pala$$o in secret. 8umor had it that he was ever a mountebank, a crowd pleaser, and did not mean to spoil the effect of his appearance in the great procession by being too much seen. )y now I no longer gave !elia the satisfaction of asking when I might go freeI schooled myself to an enforced content, refusing to beg for my liberty, and lived on the scraps of news heard from my window to nourish my starving spirit. It was from a friend of !elia's own, a woman who sold fruit in the market, that I learned of the #ord "lessandro's return to the city. /e was untroubled by his father's caution and wound a circuitous path through the marketplace, basking in the applause of the citi$ens. !elia had come out to the gateway, her e pression truculent, but she stayed, interested in spite of herself by what the woman had to say. 4. . . no, not haughty at all, and with as pleasant a smile as you could wish to see7 /e made his horse step so carefully, you would think he feared to frighten the children

but they pressed about him, and one he lifted up and set him on the horse before himI wonder he does not wed himself; he would make so good a father74 4%or all I hear,4 !elia said sourly, 4he would not be contented with one woman.4 4"nd why should he be5 /e is young yet, surely.4 4%our-and-thirty or thereabouts,4 !elia supplied blightingly. 4+ell, there is still plenty of time. -o doubt he means to marry for love.4 The woman sighed. 4/e was kissing his hand to the maids in the marketplaceclapping the men on the shoulderand some of the pretty wenches, he kissed their hands as though they had been duchesses7 /e would have kissed mine, too, but that there was a great tall fellow in front of me who would not stir out of the way, so he bowed to me instead.'' 4!ourt manners74 !elia snorted, but she sounded envious. 4/e meant nothing by it, I swear, but mischief to those young women.4 4-ow there you wrong him, &istress .uardi, I dare be sworn you do. /e meant no mischief; it was the overflow of his good heart.4 !elia abandoned the point. 4+hat does he look like, close54 42h, handsome and cheerfulhe favors the old duke's family. ,hort like *uke !arlo and dark as he was when he was young, but with a s(uare sort of face like a bo . "nd he has blue eyes, and they never came from the 8affaelle side.4 46ou sound half in love with him,4 !elia said scornfully. 4"ll %idena is, &istress .uardi. I give you my word7 -o one who saw him can talk of aught else, he was so merry and courteous.4 6et he can have had little cause to be merry, I thought. %idena so resounded with #ord "lessandro's popular return that the people had forgotten the less than glorious part their idol had played in the battle, forgotten the soldiers who had followed him to their deaths, and had seen only the smile of victory on the )astard's face. To them he was the flower of !abria, the hope of his house, and the pride of %idena; the duke's heir and his nobles rode in unregarded while the citi$ens were lost in admiration of the general who had cost the state so many lives. ,o eager were they to show their approval that they were up at dawn on the day of the duke's triumph to cheer for the lord ,andro. The voices in the street woke me, and in the fast-growing light I rose and hurried into my old black dress. I was sure that today, of all days, !elia must relent. The city was keeping holiday, and even the port would lie idle today while the duke rode to the cathedral to give thanks to .od for his victory over the ,panish. It was unthinkable that

I should stay cribbed up in my bare, stuffy room while the sounds of re1oicing were beginning to echo against lath and plaster. I wanted to pace the floor in my impatience, but it was too cramped; instead, I sat down to wait, with what patience I could muster, for the sound of !elia's tread upon the stairs. I thought I must be dreaming when I heard her voice below, in the yard. ,he cannot, I thought feverishly, she cannot have forgotten me. !elia's best gown stood out vividly among the crowd down below in the sunlight, purple glinting with gold thread; and her voice sounded clearly above the hubbub. 4. . . not enough brains to reserve one window in the whole house for your wife, you moneygrubbing, fat-brained oaf7 +ell, now you can pay )arilli's boy what I promised him for saving us places on the steps of ,an *omenico, and see how you like that74 /er denunciation was swallowed up in the surrounding noise as the two of them vanished into the crowd. 0oor "ntonio, I thought. /e never thinks beyond his own immediate gain; and then I remembered, with a sickening feeling, what their departure meant to my hopes. I was not to go free. I must spend this day like every other, doing penance for a fault that was not mineand fasting, I remembered wryly, until !elia returns and thinks of sending me something to eat. I turned away from the window, measuring the time. The duke would come to the cathedral at noon and pass here a little before; it might be that "ntonio and !elia wouid return then, but it was far more likely that they would wait, fearing to lose their dearly bought places in the crowd, until the procession had passed again on its way back to the pala$$o. +hichever they did, the day for which I had harbored such hopes stretched emptily before me. Then, suddenly, I laughed aloud, and the sound rang back oddly from the plaster walls. I am as foolish as "ntonio, I thought, moping because I cannot see the procession. <nless I want a silk-hung balcony and a gallant to fan me while I ga$e, I cannot be better than where I am7 It had not occurred to me that I should be able to see the triumphs from my own window until this moment. -or to "ntonio, I guessed, or I should have been swiftly ousted. )ut now I had only to throw the shutters wide and perch on the narrow wooden sill and I would have a better view over the crowded 3ia !roce than any down below. The bolts were stubborn, and my fingertips were white with effort as I pushed at them; then, with a sudden scrape, they slid back and I swung the shutters wide.

,unlight flooded the stuffy little room, catching the dust motes so that they turned to floating specks of gold in its shafts; the heat of the burnished blue sky was reflected back from the peeling walls opposite, scorching me as I looked out with a new sense of freedom. The crowds below were being thrust out of the roadway by mounted spearmen, driven back into gateways and under houses' eaves. The curses and threats of the horsemen mingled with the protests of the victims, and presently the roadway yawned white and empty while 1ostling masses of humanity pressed and sweated in the shadows on either side. The crowds edged forward a little as the horsemen passed, but no one was bold enough to step back into the road again. I could see people clustered at every window the whole length of the 3ia !roce women in bright silks like clusters of flowers, chattering men, and bored children. It was like a carnival, I thought, not like a sober ceremony of thanksgiving at all, and I smiled at the strangeness of it. The lengthy time of waiting was an enchantment to me; watching the street below, I forgot everything else, even my own empty belly. "t the end of the 3ia !roce, surmounting its long steep slope, I could see the !athedral of ,an *omenico, its very stones seeming to tremble and swim in the heat. The bells were beginning a 1ubilant carillon, and the sound welled down the packed street and out over the citydrowning the cry of the gulls and the clamor of the people in the din of the duke of !abria's triumph. The noise in the street was gradually growing louder. The soldiers moved up and down, their voices hoarse against the sound of the bells, like sheepdogs with an unruly pack, and still the merciless sun beat down on the dust-whitened roadway. ,omething bright was moving through the marketplace at the foot of the hill, and a shout went up from those gathered there, spreading from mouth to mouth. The whole street was shouting, waving, and cheering in an ecstasy of satisfied impatience. I craned dangerously over the sill as the head of the procession seemed to heave itself painfully around and start down the 3ia !roce9 a glittering dropsical li$ard, moving blindly to the music of drums and trumpets which fought with the clangor of the bells. I did not know then that the courtiers moved so slowly to let the commons see and gape; it looked as though each step must be the last as the line came inching up the long, straight road. )ut slowly, ponderously, it was coming nearer. The gleams of brightness on the foremost rank showed as the sun on the armor of the palace guards. They marched on foot, ignoring the dust and heat; then came the common soldiers, their eyes searching

the crowd for familiar faces, newly pressed some of them, enough to glory in the city's welcome. Then, as the first rank of mounted courtiers drew level, I heard the note of the cheering change. It did not fall offrather, it increased in volumebut there was a 1eering note in it, a blend of wonder and scorn that scraped roughly from men's dusty throats. )ut for all the heed the nobles paid to the din, the echoing street might have been an empty field; they might have come from another world, of another kind, to those who had come to cheer them. %rom above now the street was like a crowded hothouse, opulent reds and purples and curdled greens spilling from the horses' backs like panniers of overripe fruit. These creatures were fantastic, as brilliant and outrageous as the flowers that blossom on carrion; I seemed to catch the scent of putrefaction as they passed, for they all looked dead, faces and hair and hands as white as mold. /ere and there someone's natural coloring escaped the fashionable leprosya woman's high-piled hair gleaming like a helmet of bron$e, a man's soot-black curlsbut all the rest looked like living corpses bedecked for a macabre dance of death, their li$ard eyes blinking gummily in the sunshine. I watched them with a feeling of revulsion as they paraded past, fidgeting and e claiming with impatience at the slowness of the cavalcade. -ow, as the procession moved on down the street, horses and men were becoming entangled and the whole line was moving in fits and starts, I could hear the thin, drawling voices raised in complaint above the cheers. Then, with a 1olt, the courtiers surged into motion and trotted forward as the obstruction ahead was cleared. )eyond them I could see a banner borne high above the rest9 a silver hawk on black, with a ruby-studded miter set above it. The crowd was suddenly hushed, and I knew that the tall figure in scarlet who rode after must be "rchbishop %rancesco della 8affaelle, the duke's uncle. I could remember my mother telling me the story, only half-understood, of how the duke's father and the pope had (uarreled and how the pope was only waiting for the archbishop to die before the whole state was e communicated for heresy. I had not really believed her, but I had accepted it, because she seemed so distressed, and the truth of it had not mattered when I was a child. )ut now, looking down on the legendary archbishop, I could see etched in his gaunt face the burden of all the souls that hung upon his life's thread. /e sat his horse proudly, straight as a ramrod. /e must have been past seventy then, but so haughty was his bearing that I did not think of his age. There was a martial glitter in his eyes beneath the tall miter, and the cadaverous face betrayed no pleasure; there was more of the 8affaelle prince in this forbidding man than the ,hepherd of .od. +hen he had passed, there was a sound among the people, like a sigh, and suddenly their shouts rose again.

The silver hawk impaled with the ,panish eagle meant nothing to me, but I guessed that the woman in the litter behind must be the duchess .ratiana. "ll I saw of her was a glimpse of a hook-nosed profile, a skirt heavy with gems, and a dark, clawlike hand waving now and then to the crowd. There was no way to tell how she was digesting her disgrace. &ore soldiers, line upon line, followed the litter, and at last I saw the only arms I knewthe silver hawk crowned for the *ukedom of !abria and flanked by two canting angels. %orgetting the sheer drop that yawned below me, I leaned out eagerly, and all along the street other heads craned, too. The procession eddied again, checked, and came to an untidy standstill. The duke and his followers had halted 1ust short of our very door; if I leaned out as far as I could, I would be able to see them. +ith a fast-beating heart I stretched from the window, feeling the sun on the back of my head, and looked beyond the black and silver banners. " burst of loud laughter startled me; a man in the street was pointing to the window of one of the houses opposite, where a group of women clustered, dressed in their best. The women were blushing and laughing and kissing their hands to him, and I watched them with the sort of envy I would feel for a bunch of bright butterflies. Then I looked down at the horseman who was bowing to them so ponderously and saw the gleam of gold about his head. )ut for that I would never have known him, for he was old. 8umor said that *uke !arlo was past his prime, but that he should look soolder than his uncle the archbishopwas somehow shocking. The thickset body was decked in ornate silver armor, mantled in scarlet and gold, and the fashion for that leper-pale fairness had led the duke into unclean e travagance. .old powder dusted his white hair to give an illusion of youth; paint mantled his heavy cheeks to the color of puff paste. /ard little eyes peered curiously upward while one podgy hand held the horse in check and the other gestured to the man on his left. The rider edged his horse nearer the duke's and bent his head to listen, and then he too looked up; fragments of sentences filled my head as though someone were whispering in my ear. 4,hort like *uke !arlo . . . dark as he was . . . but with a s(uare sort of face like a bo . "nd he has blue eyes. . . .4 )ut I was too far away to see the color of "lessandro della 8affaelle's eyes.

The duke must have made some comment on the chattering women, because his bastard son chuckled before he swerved away again, and I could see the sardonic amusement in his face even from my high window. &y hair had fallen forward and hung like a curtain over the sill so that I had to push it back to see more clearly; it was only as I impatiently tossed it back over my shoulder that I became conscious of the third rider, standing as still as a statue in the white dust of the roadway. /e sat on his horse unmoving, a somber black figure in startling contrast to the vivid colors about him, the sun da$$ling on his white gold hair. <nlike the duke and his bastard, there was no laughter in his face, and his eyes were not searching the housefronts for diversioninstead, he was staring intently straight up at my window. &y stomach convulsed and cramped in ine plicable panic. I wanted to make light of it, to laugh as the other women had done, but I could not. The rider's eyes were narrowed against the sun, and there was something about him that reminded me of a cat in front of a mousehole. +ith a rumble and the clinking of harness, the procession moved forward again, and I drew a long breath of relief as the tall rider spurred on alongside the duke. &y whole body was trembling; foolish girl, I told myself, there is nothing to fear. I had done nothing but catch the eye of one of the duke's men, and most likely he had not even seen me clearlythere was nothing in that to make me sick and frightened. )ut I slid down from the window and bolted the shutters, and when I heard the sounds of the procession returning, I shivered as though I had escaped by a hairsbreadth from some threat. It was early evening when !elia came back. I heard her voice in the courtyard, then her footsteps on the stairs, and then the door swung open, and she stood on the threshold, her hair tousled and her face fiery red with drinking. ,he glared down at me belligerently. 4+ell, you've played the fine lady long enough for one day. I come home to find the servants have all gone off to stand and gape outside the pala$$o in hope of getting scraps from the duke's feastthat is what comes of trusting them. 6ou'll have to come downstairs and helpthe world doesn't come to an end 1ust because a few great men are feeling pleased with themselves.4 I got up silently, and she stared at me. 4+hat is the matter with you5 /ave your wits gone at last5 6ou look like a mooncalf. +hat have you been doing all day5''

4-othing.4 I almost whispered it. 4There was nothing to do.4 4+ell, there will be no more of that for the rest of the day7 There are all the dishes to clean and the tables to scrubnone of the other servants has done a stroke of work while we were gone. 6ou will have your hands full enough, my girl.4 I winced from the phrase 4other servants,4 but it only confirmed what I had known already; I was nothing to !elia but a hired pair of hands that she had to lodge but would never acknowledge. I wondered whether I could remind her that I had had nothing to eat all day; then I thought, wiser not, perhaps I can get something while I pass through the kitchen. )etter half-choking on a pilfered crust of bread than having the salt side of !elia's tongue for asking more than she was prepared to give. +hile my hands were busy, my thoughts ran free, and I found them returning for the hundredth time to that strange little tableau in the streetthe three riders isolated in the midst of the noise and the gaudy, stirring cavalcade, two of them 1esting together like a couple of topers and the third sitting astride his horse like an image and staring up at me. I still could not rid myself of the sense of dread that swept over me whenever I thought of that deliberate, calculating ga$e. " slap brought my thoughts back to the present, and I looked around wildly at !elia. 4+ill you be content when you have worn a hole through my best 1ug54 There was suspicion in her face. 4+hat is the matter with you54 I mumbled something and bent my head over the pots. I could not e plain; even if it had not meant telling her of how I had sat in the sun and seen the procession in spite of her, I could not have said why the memory of something so trivial should prey on my thoughts. I felt like a criminal waiting to be arrested; every footfall set my heart pounding with a guilty fear. "ntonio came in presently, grumbling at the wickedness of the strayed servants and the folly of dukes who took bread out of honest men's mouths. 4If he had to make his living by feeding the beggars in this stinking city, he would not give bread away so lightly. /ow can I make any profit when half the population is out sniffing after the garbage from his supper54 40erhaps they will all come here later,4 I ventured. /e snorted. 46es, stuffed too full for aught we can sell themthey will all be surfeiting on veal and roast partridge and turn up their noses at the food in this house7 +e will be lucky if we have a do$en customers in the rest of the night74 /e strode off, fuming, and !elia followed him. I could hear her voice in the distance, berating him for letting the servants slip away; he should have stayed here, she said,

instead of coming with her to stand like a stock, when the man near her had proved to know more about the notables than he7 /e would have been more use staying at home, and now perhaps he would take her counsel another time7 "ntonio's rumbling reply was lost in a sound from the gateway. I tensed instinctively, my hands dangling unmoving in the greasy water as I listened, and I found myself holding my breath. #ate visitors, I told myself. &erchants, probably, come from a distance to see the duke's triumph and now looking for somewhere to stay out of the reach of their careful wives. +ell, they would have a lean night of it, for the courtesans were where the pickings were, waiting outside the gates of the 0ala$$o della 8affaelle. The soft clop of hooves and the 1ingle of harness passed under the gateway and into the yard. ,wiftly, I darted across the kitchen and peered out; riders, some half-do$en of them. I could see them distinctly in the light of the lampthe horses were too good for tradesmen, and yet the clothes were too plain for ordinary citi$ens. 2ne of them dismounted and walked towards the door of the taproom, and as I listened to the voices of the others, a chill of fear began to take possession of me. They were wearing dark cloaks and broad hats that hid their faces, and their whispers sounded furtive, like a conspiracy. 4In this place54 came softly. 4 ',light74 4It is a fool's errand.4 "nother voice, less muted, sounded full of indignation. 4+e have asked everywhere, doffed caps to the goodsirs for streets around, and still the answer is the samenone such in the house.4 2ne of the others murmured something, and I caught the words, 4a mistake.4 " light laugh trilled in answer. 4*o you dare think that, dear fellow5 2bey orders, and keep such thoughts locked between your teeth74 4/e is very sure,4 said another voice. 4/e is always sure. +hen the search proves fruitless he will say he never really believed what he spoke.4 I gripped the windowsill tightly, the rough wood hurting my wet hands. &y mind was suddenly full of remembered stories of the tyranny of the duke's guards, of the men and women who had vanished simply because they caught the attention of the royal guards. They said that the 8affaelle soldiers would first take a prisoner and then invent a crime. . ..

The riders were shifting, letting their horses take them towards the doorway. They were silent now, their grumbling stilled by a caution from the man who had spoken first. Then I saw "ntonio's bulky outline filling the lighted doorway and heard the clatter of riders' feet on the cobbles as they dismounted. The noise sounded like a knell. I did not stop to reasonlike a trapped animal, my one thought was to escape. It did not cross my mind that the cloaked riders could be anyone but soldiers sent after me. I was giddy and light-headed through lack of food, but I did not reali$e that then. 0anic took me to the door of the kitchen before I reali$ed I could not reach the stairs without crossing the long passage that ran the length of the house, the passage in which "ntonio was standing now, receiving his belated guests. I would have to go through the taproom, across the yard, and in at the side door to reach the back stairs. &y palms were wet with fright as I struggled to think clearly. I did not know how long the men would take to tell their errand; there was no time to be lost. I caught the sound of cultured voices raised in talk as I went back towards the other door, and I hesitated for seconds that stretched into eternities. It was hard to 1udge where the sound was coming from, but I prayed that "ntonio had gone with them into the dining parlor. I would have to trust that I could slip through the taproom unnoticed and escape to the safety of my room. I hesitated again with my hand on the latch of the taproom door, casting an uneasy glance over my shoulder, but all was (uiet. Then, hands clenched hard in the folds of my skirt, I pushed open the door and sped blindly across the room to the welcoming darkness beyond. " voice, soft and almost teasing, stopped me in my tracks. 4#ittle crow74 I spun around, staring incredulously at what had seemed to be an empty room; then a shadow moved beside the hearth, and I saw the man standing there. /e had been stripping the gauntlets from his hands and now stood as though he had fro$en at the sound of the opening door. &y first thought was that he was supernaturally tall9 I could not see his face, for his broad hat cast a shadow that hid his e pression. Then as he moved, the light caught him, and I saw his sensual mouth curve slowly in a smile of pure satisfaction. I clutched savagely at the coarse black stuff of my skirt, shaking as I stared back at him. If I had been afraid before, it was as nothing to the terror of seeing this tall stranger leaning la$ily against the fireplace in "ntonio's taproom. 4I thought no one was here.4 &y voice was a craven whisper.

4+hat was your haste54 /e straightened in one supple movement. 46ou look as though all the legions in hell were at your back. +hy were you running away54 I shook my head and spoke through dry lips. 4I must go back to my room. I ought not to have triedif "ntonio finds out4 4"ntonio is the fat landlord5 6our husband or your lover54 4&y kinsman.4 I dared not say brother. 4I lodge here with him and his wife, but he has forbidden me to trouble his guests.4 4" fair trouble.4 The man's eyes flickered over me in such a way that I blushed uncontrollably, and a mocking note entered his voice. 46et the noise of guests brings you creeping out to spy on them. "re you commonly disobedient54 &y voice seemed to die in my throat, for I had seen a silver-fair gleam of beard fringing the firm 1aw; this was the man I had seen riding alongside the duke, and I had run straight into his hands. /e was idly stripping the black gloves from his hands as he watched me, waiting for my answer. 2nce I had seen a caged leopard stand 1ust so, idly, and purr so, deep in its throat; and it had had the throat out of a man before anyone saw it spring. /e must have sensed my fear, for the la$iness drained from him and his eyes narrowed. 46ou are trembling,4 he said softly. &y lips parted, but no sound came; I was praying as I had never prayed before for the power of flight. /is presence seemed to drain all the strength from me as I stood pressed back against the door, held by his relentless ga$e like a bird before a snake. Then as he moved forward, I wrenched myself away from the door and backed away from him. If only I could reach the door that led into the yard . . . &y outstretched hand touched a chairback and I retreated behind the chair, putting what little barrier I could between us, and he smiled then as though he were really amused. I was retreating before him with agoni$ing slowness as he rounded the room towards me; I could notdared nottake my eyes from his, and I found my way by instinct and the blind groping of my fingers. It was when they touched the edge of the table that I knew I had mis1udged. I was being driven back against it like an animal at bay, my fingers moving frantically along it for some way of escape. )ut it stayed there, heavy and solid, biting into the backs of my thighs and cutting off my escape. I turned away now, trying to avoid that relentless stare. I felt suffocated, over-whelmed in his shadow, and unable to frame a word of protest.

+hen I felt his fingertips against my cheek, I flinched as I would have done from a brand. )ut he turned my face up to him as casually as he might have turned a rose to smell it, and unwarily I looked straight up into his eyes. I wondered if I was dreaming. They were black; so dark that they were unfathomable, and impossibly, horrifyingly dark in that fair face. I thought of #ucifer as I looked at him, of a demon's eyes in the face of a fallen angel. Then, as I watched, a strange light began to grow in themthe darkness was swallowed up in a brilliance that made them bla$e silver. I caught my breath, and the room, the house, the whole city, was suddenly breathless with waiting.

Chapter Two
The crash of the passage door flung back on its hinges was like a noise from another world. I hardly heard "ntonio's bellow of outrage; all I was aware of was the light touch of the stranger's fingers against my cheek. 4,anta &aria74 The oath escaped "ntonio before he could check it, and he made haste to repair his credit with a low bow. 46our pardon, e cellency. 6our noble companions are wondering where you are.4 4"re they so officious54 The dark eyes never left my face. 4.o and tell them, then.4 4They sent me to bring you to them, e cellency.4 The stranger swore softly. 4.od's death, will they set watches on me even here5 ,ay I will come soon.4 "ntonio bowed again. 46es, e cellency. )ut first I shall . . .4 4!arry my message, sirrah.4 It was only a whisper, but it sent "ntonio out of the room without a word. I was shivering as the door closed, and my voice sounded unsteady. 4/e is angryI must go. 0lease . . .4 4+hat is it you fear54 The even voice was faintly curious, the eyes narrowed and searching. &y ga$e fell before his, but his fingers caught my chin and forced my face up as he studied it silently. 4It must be the devil at least. +hat is your name54 The click of the latch saved me and "ntonio's voice. 46our companions say they attend your pleasure, e cellency.4

4I am indebted to them.4 There was an unpleasant curl to the man's lower lip. 4/ad I known your e cellency desired a private chamber, I would have given you the finest. There is one but a step upstairs. . . .4 4I will not trouble you. I did not desire uncommon entertainment; I came only to have some talk of business with you.4 4+ith me, e cellency54 I saw the peremptory 1erk of "ntonio's head towards the door, but I could not stir; now the tale of my folly would be unfolded, and I knew I must stay and defend myself. "ntonio scowled at me, then turned a look of obse(uiousness on the stranger. 4/ow can I serve your e cellency54 %or a moment the man's eyes dwelt on my face. Then he said softly, 4I heard latelyI do not know how trulythat this inn can boast a rarer wine than any in the duke's cellars.4 "ntonio bridled, his broad face flushing crimson. 4"las, sir, you have been misled7 It is true,4 he added hastily, 4that the Eagle's wines are of the first growth, but our store is for strength, not subtlety. I would not presume to rival the duke's vaults-I have not traded long in this part of the city, and I have no substance to spend on imported wine.4 4I said a rare one. 8are and foreign are not the same word. The tale, as I heard it, was that the wine was of recent vintage and made from the fairest grapesgrown in the vineyard of some friend of yours, or perhaps a kinsman.4 The dark ga$e held "ntonio's. 4&ight it be so5 I am some 1udge of wine and would pay well for the tasting.4 "ntonio looked as though he could hardly believe his ears; nor could I, for all my fears had been wasted. The stranger's visit had nothing to do with meit was my own folly which had made me suppose he remembered catching my eye in the middle of the procession. I wanted to laugh at my own stupidity. "ntonio said at last, 4It may be so, e cellency. )ut I have but the one flask, you understand, and my wife and I pri$e it greatly; it is a delicacy we would not sell on the open market.4 The man inclined his head. 4+e understand each other, I think.4 4!ertainly, e cellency. If we can but agree on the price . . .4 The stranger's smile was mocking now, and he spread his hands in a liberal gesture. "ntonio, his face fiery red with e citement, turned suddenly to me. 4%elicia, go to your room and go to bed.4 There was no anger in his voice now, only a greedy, preoccupied note. 4+e will talk later of why you intruded on our noble guest.4

+ith my knees trembling with relief, I turned to the door. The stranger's eyes widened, and he murmured, 4%elicia . . .4 almost under his breath. "s I closed the door behind me, I heard "ntonio say, 4I wonder how your e cellency knows of my wine. I have been to some trouble to keep it hid.4 4I am always the first to hear of any such. I take a pride in thesediscoveries.'' I did not stop to hear more. The into ication of reprieve sent me upstairs as light as a bird, half-laughing and half-crying. They had not come for me7 I had fashioned the whole nightmare myself, buiiding upon my fear of the tall man with the soft voice who turned my bones to water. +hy should si men come on so petty an errand5 +hat had possessed me, that I had not thought that these costly people might come and bargain for drink like other men5 "s long as "ntonio could be pacified, I was safe. I could concoct some tale to tell him, I thought as I reached my room again, but it did not really matter if he upbraided me or even beat me again9 I was safe. ,afe from the terror that threatened me while I was ga$ing into those nightmare black eyes, safe as though the strange events of this day had never been. I was sitting up in bed, still in my shift, when I heard the horsemen leaving and "ntonio's lumbering tread sounded on the stairs. " moment later the door opened, and his broad red face peered around it. 4"bed, are you5 .ood.4 /e came in with elaborate stealth, shutting the door behind him and standing the cup he carried on the floor while he lowered his ponderous bulk on to the end of the bed. It creaked, and I eyed him in ama$ement. /is tone was 1ocular, almost conciliatoryperhaps he had been drinking. 4I am glad you are not asleep. I want to talk to you.4 4+hat is it54 4-othing wrong, girl; no need to look like that7 /is e cellency told me he stayed you when you would have gone. I am not angry with you.4 I drew a (uick breath of relief, but I was pu$$led; there was no trace of wine on his breath. I said, 4I did not think he was there.4 4Then why did you go in54 The (uestion had an edge of "ntonio's usual sharpness. 4I thought I heard !elia call. I heard the horses arriving, and I was sure she wanted me.4

It was a poor lie but swiftly told, and he appeared to believe me. 4Then there is no more to say. 6ou were not to know he had gone into the taproom.4 4-o,4 I whispered softly. 4+hat were you talking of when I came54 4+hy, nothing.4 The blood stung my cheeks at the memory. 4/e asked who I was and what I did, no more.4 4*id he ask what kin you are to me54 4I would not tell him that. 6ou said . . .4 40eace, peace74 /is fat hand patted my shoulder. 4/e asked me who you were after you had gone. +hy did you not say directly that you are my sister54 4)ecause I am not directly your sister,4 I retorted with bitter simplicity. 40ooh74 "ntonio snorted and bridled, for all the world as though he had never bo ed my ears for daring to call him )rother. 46ou can speak of it when nobility (uestions you.4 4I did not think he was noble. /e was dressed like a soldier.4 /e snorted again. 46ou cannot 1udge a man's true station, girl7 *id you not see the whiteness of his hands5 -o one less than a lord could keep 'em so smooth. "nd that ring he wears never came from a gimcrack peddler. +e have been talking with nobility, I swear74 The prince of darkness, I thought absurdly. 4"nd he talked like a lord, all fine and haughty.4 /is eyes glittered resentfully. 4-o common soldier would give orders in such a style.4 4)ut if he were so great, he would have been at the duke's feast tonight,4 I pointed out. "ntonio waved the thought aside. 4)elike he did not choose to go or else left early. These court revels go on all night; they will not be half-done yet. )ut look4 /e picked up the cup from the floor. 4I have brought you some cordial to drink. !elia would have my blood if she knew of it, but it is my guess that you will not sleep without something in your belly. *rink it up, and I will take the cup so she will not know.4 The drink smelled bitter, and I did not really want it, but the tiny conspiracy against !elia warmed me. Emboldened, I took the cup in both hands and smiled at him.

4*id you make a good profit on your wine, )rother54 /e gaped for a moment and then went off into a roar of laughter as though I had said something witty. 46es,4 he gasped at last, 4an e cellent profita purse of silver, and all for one paltry flask of wine74 /e patted my shoulder. 4+hat a 1est if he does not like it the more fool he, for buying it untasted74 That e plained his good humor, I thought with relief. /e was never so happy as when he had beaten some rival in the way of bargain. If only the mood would last until morning . . . 4!ome on, girl.4 /is voice took on a tinge of its accustomed roughness. 4*rink your cordial and do not keep me here all night.4 /e levered himself to his feet and stood over me, looming beside the bed while I drank. The menacing shape reminded me of )attista, and I hurried to have him gone so that I hardly tasted the drink. The sharp tang of cloves was in my mouth as I lowered the cup and handed it back to him. 46ou drank that like a practiced toper7 #ie down now4his tone held an odd trace of relief4and go to sleep. I will tell !elia what has chanced in the morning.4 I nodded drowsily. I had thought I was too e cited to sleep, but the taste of the cordial was thick in my mouth, and my eyelids felt so heavy that all my crowding thoughts were suddenly unimportant. &y eyes were closing before "ntonio reached the door, and I could not make out whether the shadows that passed him and came towards the bed were real or part of the dream that came so swiftly. I woke in a room I had never seen before. I was lying on my back on a bed harder and narrower than my own, in darkness which threatened to close in on me. ,omewhere a torch burned, throwing flickers of gold on a ceiling that was ribbed like a stone cage, and two shadows were bending over me. I tried to lift my head, but pain went coursing so sharply through it that I groaned softly and closed my eyes again. 4,he's not dead.4 " man's voice spoke above me, sounding almost triumphant, and I wondered why he should care. 46ou may thank .od for it, my dear Tomasso.4 The second voice was musical and cultured. 4If she had died, we would none of us see old age. /e has asked for her fifty times since you brought her here.4

The first man gave a (uiet whistle. 4"mid so much7 The duchess in hysterics, the whole state in uproar, and he wants news of some fool of a girl74 4This one seems to be of importance. &ore than I guessed . . .4 The words faded thoughtfully. 4+ell, she's a pretty wench but not to my taste. Too starved-looking.4 46ou are here to guard her, my dear Tomasso, not to tumble her.4 The other spoke lightly and coldly. 4I advise you not to touch her, lest he hear of it. It is true, though.4 The brittle voice changed. 4,he is a fair piecegood enough to shorten a long night.4 4+hat would you know of that, 0iero54 Tomasso's voice was 1eering. 4Enough, my dear, believe me7 "nd yet I wonder what makes him ask so often.4 4Is he so impatient, then54 4 '/eart, we have had nothing but her ever since he saw her74 0iero's laugh was long and high, a meaningless trill. 4<ntil he found out who she was and how his hand could reach her, the whole place was like a bear garden. +e had to search the city streets to please him, and now I am deputed to be her overseer until he finds leisure to speak with her.4 I ought to care, I thought stupidly. They were talking about me, and what they said was important. )ut I could not care, could not even make myself understand; my mind was a 1umble of dream and reality. Their words were meaningless; I heard them, but their sense washed to and fro over me like waves above a drowned corpse. 4/ow long is that like to be54 4.od in /eaven knows. '0iero,' he said, 'my e cellent 0iero shall keep her close for me while this e igent lasts. I trust no other to render her to me safely.' '+hile this e igent lasts' affords no clues.4 Tomasso swore. 4"nd I have to coddle a sick wench in these vaults until he has leisure7 )y all the saints74 4/e will not ask for her yet,4 0iero warned. 4/e cannot, not until he has spoken with the duchess.4 4/e speak with that old beldam7 )ut he shuns her like the pestilence74

4/e cannot do so now, my dear. ,he has written him a fair letter, 'your gracing' him some score of times, begging that she may have private speech with him. /e cannot refuse her.4 4/e will not like it.4 Tomasso's grin sounded in his voice. 4+e know what .ratiana means by 'private speech.' 4 I tried to turn my head to look at him, but the movement made the sickness pound in my head again. It rose in my throat, choking me, and for a moment I thought I would vomit; then the nausea passed and I lay still again, sweating. 4I must have given her too strong a dose,4 Tomasso said gruffly. 4Indeed, I think you were too liberal.4 I felt a cool touch on my hot forehead. 46ou did not use your brain, as usual. 6ou gave a weak wench sufficient for a lusty soldierand she can have eaten little worth the name before she had the drug.4 4I could not know that74 4-o, but the duke will not think so.4 46ou know his mind, of course. . . .4 42f course, my dear Tomasso7 +ho else should know it, if I do not54 The sound of the duke's name transfi ed me like a spear thrust. <nbelievingly I forced my eyes open, trying to force my cloudy brain to work; the words made no sense, but they chilled me with fear. 4#ook,4 Tomasso said sharply. 4,he is awake.4 ,omeone bent over me, and I felt myself lifted and pillowed against a thin shoulder. 0iero's voice murmured, 4,uch eyes7 -ow I see why . . .4 Then he called sharply above my head, 4%etch some water, Tomasso, and give it her; then go and fetch the duke's leech, (uickly74 The water he held to my lips was the coolest, sweetest thing in the world. I would have gulped at it, but the cup was withdrawn. 4.ently, lady, gently.4 0iero sounded amused. ,till I could not see him clearly; he was only a voice and a pall of thick, cloying perfume. 4+here am I54 I could hardly believe that the harsh, thready whisper was my own.

46ou will know soon enough.4 I felt him tense. 4/ave you fetched that damned leech, Tomasso54 4/e's coming.4 4/e had better hurry. I would not give two pins for his lifeor for yours, my dearif this one should die on our hands.4 4It was not my fault, 0iero. 6ou will speak to the duke for me and tell him I meant the wench no harm. . . .4 )ewilderment and terror and a dim feeling of pity for Tomasso's obvious fear, all- were slipping away from me. To sleep was suddenly the most important thing in the world, and I slept. I had other dreams after that onefor a dream was how I remembered itbut they were always the same. I saw a face that was strange and yet familiar, a fair face with demon's eyes; I could not recall where I had seen it, and I half believed I had invented it out of my sickness. +hen I woke again, it was to darkness and dank air that stabbed my lungs, and a shadow beside my bed. " voice said, 4*o not try to move. 6ou have been very sick.4 I stared up at the sallow face above mine, more bewildered than frightened. 4+ho are you54 4I am %ather 3incen$o.4 The man spoke comfortingly, as though I should be reassured by the name, and I saw that he wore the robes of a =esuit priest. 4I have been tending you while the fever held you.4 I moistened my lips. 4It is not the plague54 4-ot the sort you mean, though it is plague enough. -o, daughter, you drank something which gave you a fever.4 I could only understand the last of what he said, but I nodded. It was not strange; many people were sick of a sudden in weather like this, when food and water were so (uickly tainted. "ntonio must have sent me to the common hospital to be nursed by the monkshe bore me hardly when I was in health and would never tend me while I was sick. 4/ow long have I been here54 4These two days past. *rink this.4 " cup was held to my lips. 4"nd do not spend your strength in (uestions; time enough for that when your mind is clear again.4

I drank and lay back. It did not matter that I did not know how I had come to this; pain still racked me, and I felt too spent to care. I had nothing to do but obey the solemn young priest, and I did so willingly. In my weakness I knew no past or future, only the present ease or present trouble of sleeping or wakingday and night were indistinguishable, for whenever I opened my eyes, the same torch flames pierced the same darkness and the priest was there. I was lying half in sleep when I heard voices close by, mingling with the broken snatches of dreaming which filled my thoughts. They came from outside the door, and as I listened, all sleep fled from me and I lay with straining ears, staring unseeing into the shadows above me. 4I cannot permit it. It is too soon. ,he is not half-recovered.4 There was a sharp note of an iety in %ather 3incen$o's normally level voice. The one that answered him was highpitched and resonant, the voice I had heard in my dream. 46ou belie your own skill, good %ather. &y spies tell me she is well enough now to be got from her bed, and the duke has been asking for her threescore times in an hour. I cannot defer the business any longer.4 4I beg you, persuade him to some other course. It is the devil's work /is .race will be at.4 4"nd what more fitting54 The other man laughed. 4I verily believe he is the devil himself. .ood %ather, resign yourself, and resign your charge to mehe will not be persuaded.4 4Then delay him. Tell him it will be better for his purpose to hold off for a space.4 4,o I have told him already at your re(uest and coined e cuses until my tongue is bankrupt. It will not serve; my lord's .race is grown impatient.4 There was a silence and then the man laughed, the meaningless trill I remembered. 4+hat, %ather, are you seeking to save her54 %ather 3incen$o's voice was bitter. 4That girl is innocent, my lord della ;uercia. ,he believes herself to be in the common hospital and thinks she is kept here but while she is sick; she knows nothing of how or why she came here.4 4Tomasso .alleotti's work.4 The man sounded amused. 4/e gave her too generous a dose of his sleeping draught-and he paid for it with his neck. "s soon as the duke heard that his pri$e was like to die, he had Tomasso hauled out and hanged.4 4*oes he care so much54 %ather 3incen$o asked sharply.

4Enough to have done with state affairs already7 /e has dismissed the council and ordered revels for this very night. "s for the duchess, it is a brave man who mentions herthey were alone together for half an hour, and now she is banished and gone.4 4%or what offense54 4+ho can tell54 I could hear the man's shrug in his tone. 4,he is gone, and there an end. -ow all /is .race's mind is bent upon this business, and I am sent to fetch your prisoner.4 &y heart was pounding violently. It seemed impossible that I could have been a prisoner all this while and had not known itbut it made sense of so much that had been meaningless before. The silence, the solitude, the single priest to nurse me9 now I noticed the bars that bound the heavy door and recogni$ed the dark room for what it was. I remembered the grim tales I had heard of the dungeons beneath the 0ala$$o della 8affaelle, where *uke !arlo lodged the prisoners who never saw the light of day. &y thoughts were circling, panic-stricken, when the priest spoke again. 4I will bring her to you.4 4I am much beholden to you.4 There was infinite irony in the smooth words. 40ray make haste, or truly I think the duke will come himself if you do not.4 "s the sandaled footsteps approached the door, I was out of bed, staring wildly around me, seeking for an escape that I knew was not there. %ather 3incen$o's voice came sharply from the doorway behind me. 4*aughter, what is the matter54 I said unsteadily, 4I heard you talking. 6ou lied to me.4 4+hat did you hear54 /e came towards me and caught my hands in his. 4That the duke sends for me. I have done nothingwhy does he keep me in prison for nothing54 I was almost stammering, and the =esuit gripped my restless hands and held them still. 4,oftly, lady. 6ou are no worse now than you were before you learned all thisyou need not fear for your life. The duke would not set me to cure you of your feveronly to have you killed. !onsider calmly, and you will see that it is so.4 4)ut why should he take me prisoner5 "nd why did you not tell me54 4I feared to raise this very storm by speaking. It would have gained you nothing and perhaps hindered your recoveryyou would not have learned the truth yet if I could have prevented it.4

I said through chattering teeth, 4I have the right to know what is intended towards me.4 46es.4 There was compassion in the priest's eyes. 4)ut knowing the duke's intent would not have altered it. !ome, daughter, have courage, and I will take you to /is .race's envoy.4 /e gently draped the dingy bedcover around my shoulders, and I lifted my head in a sudden spurt of pride as I went with him to the door. &y legs were unsteady, and I remember feeling annoyed by my slow progress, but at last I reached the massive door, and %ather 3incen$o pushed it open. The room beyond the door was wide and bare, seeming so bright for a moment my eyes were da$$led; then I saw a man standing against the opposite wall, as incongruous as a shining moth in a tomb. " small, spare, shapeless man in black brocaded with silver, his hair and beard bleached to the color of sun-whitened barley, his thin face a mask of paint. /e stood deliberately posed, one hand on his hip, the other stroking his beard; then he bowed with an ironic air that made an insult of the courtesy. 4#ady, good afternoon74 The sudden affected lightness stirred my memory9 this was the man who had complained in the courtyard of the Eagle the night I was taken. I said, 4Is it afternoon, sir5 The hours are so alike I cannot tell one from another.4 /e straightened swiftly, smiling, but his eyes were watchful. 4"ll that is at an end. I am sent by the duke to deliver you and to bid you welcome to his court.4 4I have tried /is .race's welcome.4 &y hands clenched in spite of myself. 4%arewell would please me better, sir.4 2ne eyebrow arched coolly. 4+ould you be gone before you know the reason you were brought here5 2n my honor, the duke intends you all love and friendship. /e bids you to his ban(uet.4 4"nd it was for that he imprisoned me5 6ou mock me, sir. I never knew a duke invite a tavem wench to share his supper.4 46ou do not know this duke, then.4 The murmur was mocking. 4I know enough.4 I glanced bitterly down at my filthy shift, half-hidden by the gray coverlet; at the thinness of my hands, grown paler since I had done so little work. /e followed my ga$e, and I noticed that the malicious intelligence of his heavy-lidded eyes contradicted the weakness of mouth and chin. /is lips curled in a faint, ironic smile.

4!ome, we are laggard. It wants two hours to supper, and by that time you must be made ready. The duke has given orders for your dressing. +e must not linger.4 I did not move. 4+hat does he mean to do with me54 4,hould I speak it before the priest54 /is eyes glinted, and laughter shook his voice. 42n my life, he means to use you well7 "nd use you thoroughly, or I do not know him.4 /e met my bewildered ga$e and sobered a little. 46ou are here awaiting his pleasure, lady.4 I whispered no, and the room spun before my eyes. ,omeone steadied me, and I could hear the man addressing %ather 3incen$o above my head. 4 ',light, you have been secret with her7 I did not dream she had not guessed it. Innocent indeed74 The priest paid him no heed. 4!an you stand, daughter54 I drew a deep breath and nodded, and the man came forward with a (uick, tripping step like a trotting pony, eyeing me up and down. 4%ather, she is a prodigy if she does not dissemble. 6ou should be glad, lady, that you are honored with the duke's notice and should not stand like a lightning-struck tree.4 4"m I to be over1oyed that such a tyrant would lie with me5 It is more like to drive me to despair74 &y hands were trembling, and I thrust them behind me. 46ou have pretty notions of women74 4+ell, well74 /is eyes widened. 4/ave I affronted virtue54 /is tone turned the word to a sneer, and I retorted, 4-o more than you meant to, sir.4 40erhaps a little more.4 /e was stroking his beard, his e pression thoughtful. 4&y pretty notions have not so far encountered such wrathful modesty. It may be I shall alter them a little.4 I did not heed him. 4+hy does the duke want me when he has never seen me54 4/e saw you once, it seems, and that once was enough.4 The man was looking at me strangely as I fought to control my rising tears. 4,ir, I . . .4 4#ady, for correctness, you should address me as 'my lord.' 0iero 2ttavio della ;uercia, first gentleman to the *uke of !abria, at your service.4

The sarcasm made me so angry that I forgot my fear for a moment. 4I beg your lordship's pardon. !an you tell me why your master should want me more than another54 0iero surveyed me slowly, insolently. 42h, lady, you cannot be so modest74 4I do not want your compliments74 &y voice almost broke. /e shrugged. 4/is .race is not the man to subdue the dictates of his fleshand, moreover, he is the duke. /e will have what he will have.4 4)ut there must be women who would account it an honor to do what he would force me to. +hy will he not take one of them54 4)ecause he soon tires of those who are too willing.4 There was an oddly brittle note in 0iero's voice. 4/e is surfeited with brood mares and must mount the unicorn.4 4/e cannot command my honor74 0iero smiled. 4*o not be too sure.4 4That . . . that white-haired lecher74 I was almost past speech. 4+ould you call it white54 he en(uired musingly. 4It would be more politic to call it gold. /e would mislike the imputation of old age if he heard it. *o you not think him handsome, lady54 I remembered the coarse, cruel drunkard's face, the gold-powdered hair, and shook my head. 0iero raised his eyebrows. 4Then you must study to find him so, for he dotes on admiration. There are few about the court who deny his beauty you must be hard to please.4 4I am not his sycophant74 4+ell, you may change your mind.4 0iero's ga$e seemed to travel beyond me as he spoke. 4/e is a kind of witch, and he will win you.4 In spite of myself, I was silenced by the ache in his voice that sounded almost like sorrow. Then, without meaning to, I burst out, 4&y lord, let me go7 6ou could tell the duke I escaped youhe would not care greatly4 /e laughed softly. 4/e would care enough to have my life for it7 /is .race is not gainsaid by man or woman.4 I turned away so that he should not see my tears, and his shapeless fingers caught my wrists and gripped them.

4+hy, lady, you are distracted74 The words were mock soothing, but 0iero's eyes were bright with some unnamed e citement. 46ou would be no better by reserving your virginity but in the name of maid-but once you part with it, you purchase wealth and honor beyond your dreams74 The blood scorched my cheeks. 4I am not for your market. ,ave your wit, my lord.4 /e flushed in his turn, but angrily. 4+ell, be a fool if you will7 I only advise you to sell while you can; if the duke should force his passage, you will get nothing by it, unless you breed by him.4 " cry of revulsion tore my throat, and I tried to twist away, but he held both my hands fast. /is color had risen; he was in the grip of some e citement that made him tremble, and his words came rapid and fevered. 4+hy should you not5 6ou do not look barren, and I will take my oath the duke has strength enough to bring you to it.4 4#et me go74 I could find no other words. 4+here5 )ack to the gutter, to your home5 +ho there will believe in your chastity5 )etter staya duke's whore is better than a common harlot or a beggar. )etter stay.4 There was a silence as I fought for words to deny him but could find none. +hat could I do if I were set free5 "ntonio would never have me in his house unless, like the other whores, I paid him rent. &y chastity was gone in the eyes of honest folk already. 0iero's hand touched my shoulder in what I thought for an instant was a caress. 4,o.4 It was an almost inarticulate sound of triumph. 4I will leave the lady to your mercies, %ather; call me when you have done.4 /e was gone in a whirl of silk and perfume, leaving %ather 3incen$o standing before me like a mute. I said with difficulty, 4+hat did he mean54 %or a moment I thought he would not answer. Then he said reluctantly, 4I am not only your physician but the duke's. I am bidden to ensure that no woman he lies with has any disease that could harm him. It is no more than a task I must do; you need not fear me.4 I flinched away from him. 4%ather, I give you my word . . .4

4I dare not take it. &any are sick who do not know it themselves, and the duke's health is the health of the whole state. )e still and trust me, and it will soon be over; but if you will not, I must have you held.4 The resistance drained from me on a long shuddering sigh. 4I will not fight you. +hat must I do54 /e did his work deftly and in silence while I stayed dumb with shame and humiliation. "s he had promised, it was over (uickly, but when he had done, I could not look at him. 4There is nothing to cure.4 /e sounded ashamed. 4I am sorry I had to do this thing, but I am sworn to obey the duke. I shall tell him.4 4I hope he rewards you well,4 I answered bitterly. 4#ady, pardon me for my office. 8emember that the prisoner forgives the hangman.4 The note of pain in his voice was so sharp that I nodded speechlessly and heard his (uick breath of relief. Then, with a swish of robes, he strode across the room to call 0iero. 4+hat, are you done already54 The courtier spoke from the doorway, his voice edged with sarcasm. 46ou have made short work74 "ll the color drained from %ather 3incen$o's face. /e said in a low voice, 4,he is clean enough to be corrupted. -ow let me pass.4 4"lways your servant, %ather.4 0iero stood aside and swept him a flourishing bow. /e laughed as the door closed and turned to me, his eyes fever-bright. 4&y congratulations, lady, for being all that the duke could desire. "lthough in truth,4 his lips twisted, 4he does not ask much7 "ny that is shaped for a woman and is less than wholly rotted will serve his turnso the priest can freshen her for him. )ut you are new enough, and fair enough, to hold him a little longer.4 /e studied me thoughtfully, his fingers stroking his beard in that habitual, irritating gesture. /e took > step towards me, and I flinched. 46ou must learn not to be so s(ueamish with /is .race,4 he remarked sardonically. 4/e is soon impatient with a cold wench.4 40erhaps he will tire the sooner and set me free.4 4+hy4he moved nearer still4where would you go, after he casts you off5 6ou were better to choose yourself a gallant who is close to the duke and live under his protection.

If you chose rightly, you would scarce know you had stepped lower than the topmost rung of the ladder.4 4" rare stratagem,4 I retorted, 4if I could find a man willing to take up the duke's neglected whore.4 46ou need not seek far.4 4+ho would be such a fool54 4I think I would, for once.4 /e was so close now that his body pressed against mine, and I twisted to escape him. )ut I was hard against the wall and could not thrust him away. /is face was only inches from mine, and I could see the paint grained in his skin; the traces of brown at the roots of his silvered curls, and the way his breath came (uickly between his parted lips. I reali$ed then that my struggles e cited him, and I stood still. 4Even if you were enough of a fool to take the duke's leavings,4 I answered angrily, 4I doubt I would take such a foolish offer.4 %or a moment I thought he would murder me, but then he laughed. 46ou will not have the choice, lady. 6ou will find I am dear to /is .race, dearer than twenty harlots; and when he begins to look sullenly upon you or ga$es on another woman and smiles, then I will beg you of him. /e is as like to take it as a favor that I will husk the grain that he has thrashed. It will not be long,4 he added as I made a little sound of disgust. 4/is .race is no more constant than the moon.4 4Then I wish his mind had changed when I lay sick,4 I said. 4The delay ought to have outrun his patience.4 46ou mistake.4 %or an instant there was something like tender reminiscence in 0iero's eyes. 4/e is a sort of child in thathe wants nothing so much as the thing that is withheld. "nd once he has it4he stepped away from me and shrugged elaborately 4he breaks it, like as not, or tosses it away unvalued.4 4/e is a monster,4 I whispered. 4" royal one.4 0iero's e citement was dying; he was once again the brisk and dapper courtier I had seen at first. 4!ome, we have debated long enoughyou must be dressed, and fitly. Time is precious.4

"s I hurried in 0iero's wake through a labyrinth of passages, those we met stared at me as though I were some freak from another country. Two guards flanked me, helping me when weakness made me stumble, but I would not let them support me; it seems strange that I should have striven for dignity at such a time, but my pride would not support such humiliation. I kept up as well as I could, half-blinded by the harsh alternations of fire and shadow and chilled to the bone by the howling drafts. The 0ala$$o della 8affaelle seemed to me the palace of a nightmare, a crannied warren of gray stone stretching into seeming infinity. )la$ing lights loomed up in the blackness of its sudden turns and vanished again as swiftly. "nd always before me was 0iero della ;uercia's hurrying back, his stride somewhere between haste and swaggering, the silver threads in his cloak gleaming in the torchlight. "t last, when I had lost all sense of direction and no longer knew how far we had come, he turned suddenly into a doorway and bowed me ahead of him into a high tapestried chamber. Two women were standing there, waiting. 4&adonna -iccolosa.4 0iero addressed the elder woman with a brus(ueness that carried me straight back to the Eagle. 4/ere is your charge. 6ou know your duties from the duke's secretary.4 The woman nodded. ,he was tall and forbidding, wearing severest black, with gray hair high-piled above a harsh-boned face. ,he was not young, but she stood erect and stiff; only her hands, veined and swollen-knuckled, betrayed her age. +hen she spoke, it was with a harsh, slow accent, in a voice devoid of all e pression. 4+e do, my lord.4 43ery well. The fashion of her dressing is to be as the duke pleasesnone of your nun's attire, remember.4 /e must dislike her, I thought, to treat her so rudely. /er lips thinned at his tone, but she answered him levelly enough. 4+e have had /is .race's commands. /e sent them himself.4 4*id he so54 0iero sounded startled. 4+hat was the order54 4#ombardy silk, and silver,4 she said grudgingly, and he gave a low whistle. 4)ut nothing else, 0iero74 The younger woman spoke for the first time, and I 1umped; her voice was as deep as a man's, husky and intriguing. 4That is some comfort, for he sent no 1ewels for her. /e will not waste his treasure on such a common wench.4 0iero surveyed her mockingly. 4+hat, are you 1ealous, &adonna &addalena5 /e has s(uandered enough upon you to maintain you for the rest of your daysnow you must give place.4

4-ot to that,4 she returned scathingly, glaring at him. ,uddenly I remembered where I had seen her before. ,he had ridden in the procession to the cathedral; I remembered noticing her because her hair, a lovely dark bron$e, was one of the few not bleached to fairness. It was dressed in two horns on her head in the 3enetian fashion, and her gowna wonderful thing of black and silver- threw its color into relief and showed off her delicate, faintly tawny skin. )ut it was the antagonism in her face that shocked me; as she glanced towards me, her enormous palegreen eyes were smoldering and her mouth was hard. ,he could not have been much older than I was, and I wondered why she should be 1ealous of that disgusting old man but then I noticed her 1ewels. They weighed down her thin fingers, circled her pliant neck, and lay across her breast like a hauberk of mail; diamonds, glittering like a web of fallen stars even in this grim place. Evidently &adonna &addalena coveted such favors. 0iero did not answer her, but his smile was malicious as he bowed. 4#adies, I take my leaveand you were best to use all haste. I will send someone to bring you to supper in good time.4 " click of his fingers to summon the waiting guards, and he was gone. It was &addalena who spoke first, breaking the oppressive silence. 4"nd we are to make that beautiful. &y .od74 The older woman frowned. 4&adam, we must waste no time on blasphemy.4 4+e need a hundred years for such a task.4 The green eyes surveyed me a moment longer; then she said, 4+ell, call the maids and let us begin.4 I hardly knew what went on for the ne t hour; I was too da$ed with shame even to raise my eyes. &addalena kept up a flow of scornful little comments on my plainness as I was bathed and dressed, but I barely heard them; my whole mind was slowly succumbing to overwhelming dread. %or the first time I was beginning to reali$e what submission to the duke's lust would mean. <ntil now my fears had been instinctive, a dread of the unknown, but now as I turned and returned, moving like a puppet to order, I had time to think. I remembered my stepfather kneeling by my bedside with his breeches gaping open, his hand dragging back the covers and his voice a threatening growl in my ears; I remembered &essire #u$$ato's wet, pouting mouth and greedy eyes. Then I thought of the man I had seen bowing in the street to those other women; I imagined the scrabblings of those podgy fingers, the kisses of that slack mouth, and nearly retched. 0erhaps, I thought, perhaps he is so old that he will be impotent, and then I shall be safe.

" sharp little push from &addalena brought me back to the present, and I turned as she directed. %or a moment, I thought I must curtsy to the fine lady who had entered unseen; then I reali$ed that I was looking at my own reflection in the great mirror on the wall. It seemed that court tailors knew no colors but silver and black, for I, too, was dressed in them. ,tiff black silk over a cloth of silver petticoat, a tight-laced stomacher crusted with silver thread, the embroidered skirts spread over a broad farthingale. The gown was cut low, as low as &addalena's, and my skin showed silver white against it. I stared, searching for some remembered feature from my reflection in "ntonio's pewter pans, and recogni$ed only the color of my eyes, that odd untinged gray like a gull's feathers. %or the rest, I might have been ga$ing at a stranger. /air black and shining as the silk of the gown, piled high on my head9 oval face, oval eyes wide, and cheeks colorless with apprehension. +ell, I thought, meeting the lurking misery and fright in my own eyes, there will be no more of that. The duke should have no weeping, cringing victimif I had to yield, I would yield with dignity. I took a step away from the mirror. The weight of the gown was so crushing that I was forced into the slow sursurrating walk of the other women, trailing its massy skirts to ease the burden; as I turned, I thought I glimpsed a flicker of compassion in -iccolosa's face, but in an instant her e pression was stony9 &addalena's held nothing but flaming antagonism. In that moment, my last impulse to beg for their help died. The candles flared wildly as the door burst open, and a gaunt gnome of a man, painted and trimmed like a whore, hurried over the threshold and bowed, eyeing me curiously. 4#adies, you are sent for to 1oin the duke.4 -iccolosa nodded grimly. 4+e are ready, &essire 3assari. Tell /is .race we are coming.4 4I will, lady.4 /e slanted a look at me under his eyelids. 4Is this the latest phoeni 54 46es.4 &addalena spoke sullenly. 4" sweet thing7 "nd she does not look unduly proud.4 There was meaning in his voice. 4I cannot abide a proud harlot.4 /er eyes bla$ed. 46ou would not have dared to speak so ten days since74 4-o, but ten days is a long time in the duke's affections. %ollow, my lady, or he will be growing impatient.4

&addalena glared, then turned to me. 4!ome, then. I wish you 1oy.4 ,he swept imperiously ahead, her wooden chopines clattering on the stone flags, and as I followed her, the two guards stepped from their station outside the door and fell into step behind me. They thought of everything, I thought; even this panic that makes me want to run and lose myself in this echoing ma$e. Their footsteps and &addalena's made the only sound as we went along; the pala$$o might have been empty. It was only as we reached a long, bare gallery of vaulted stone that the first sounds came to meet us; at first a whispering growing through the ringing footsteps, then swelling to the din a thousand magpies chattering. I glanced at -iccolosa, beside me, but her stern face showed no surprise. "t the end of the gallery were two great double doors, carved and chased, glittering as though with sweat in the harsh light. I did not know how apt the thought was until the doors opened and the heat and the noise engulfed me both together. It was like stepping into hell. )lackness yawned before me, a hall so vast that walls and roof were lost in shadow; facing me, a table curved in a half-circle of silver threatened to crush me like a crab's great claw. There were other tables behind it, rank upon rank, crowding the shadows; only in front of me there was emptiness, as I stood on the brink of what seemed a black fro$en lake that reflected the bla$e of the torches. %or a moment longer the raucous charter went on. Then heads began to turn, and I found myself confronted by row upon row of blanched, staring faces in a terrifying silence. I looked around me helplessly for the two women, but they had drawn back from the threshold, leaving me alone and absurd in the doorway. In that fro$en instant the court looked like the picture of an inferno from one of the painted )ibles in the cathedral. .one were the opulent colors of the duke's triumphal procession-everywhere black and silver gleamed with a lurid phosphorescence, turning the courtiers to giant insects under an uplifted stone, or li$ards disturbed by a sudden light. The silence grew deathly. Then, somewhere, someone tittered, and another voice took it up. In moments the whole assembly was rocking with 1eering laughter as I stood ridiculously before them. &y hands clenched uncontrollably; I had been prepared for any humiliation but the martyrdom of laughter. I stood with downcast eyes praying that somethinganything would divert the court's attention. Then I heard, swelling through the laughter, the music of drums and trumpets. It came from outside, beyond the huge, studded doors behind the silver table, and the eyes were turning away from me towards it. ,uddenly the whole chamber seemed to erupt in swinging patterns of brilliance and blackness as the court came to its feet. ,ervants ran

to the doors and flung them wide, and the music surged in unchecked, throbbing through me like a giant's pulse. I stood rooted to the spot, staring at the oncoming nobles, the brightness of their clothes and 1ewels hurting my eyes. I recogni$ed 0iero's slight, swaggering figure beside a tall, dark-haired courtier with a kindly face; and after them a short stocky man, walking defiantly out of time with the beat of the music. &y heart leapt to my mouth, but an instant later I reali$ed I was mistakenthe cropped black hair and s(uare, sardonic face belonged to "lessandro della 8affaelle, *uke !arlo's bastard son. /e must have been nearly fifteen years my senior. /e nodded to right and left, and for a moment his eyes seemed to rest on me down the length of the hall; then he stepped to one side and turned, looking back the way he had come like a dog awaiting its master. )y now the hall resounded with shrieking trumpets. %resh torches were borne in, and at last, moving slowly between the bowing ranks, came the *uke of !abria. "s he walked, his eyes never left my face. I must have swayed, but I did not fall. Even from where I stood I could read his e pression9 pure satisfaction, as though to see me there amused him. The trumpets ceased, and in silence he walked the length of the hall and paused by the silver table. In the whole vast assembly there was not a sound. Then his hand flew out in a swift, imperious gesture, and at once every man and woman dropped to one knee and lifted an arm in salute. I was left standing like a fool, staring into the eyes of the man who had come to the Eagle. I did not stop to reason how or why he was there. /e was waiting for me to kneel, late and confusedly; instead, I stayed stubbornly erect, meeting his ga$e about the courtiers' bent heads. They seemed to have been kneeling forever, but stili he waited, watching me. Then, suddenly, he laughed. It was shrill and a little malicious, but there was a note of genuine amusement in it. The commanding hand fell to his side, and the court rose with a great rustle. I felt the curious eyes fasten on me again like so many leeches. 46ou are welcome, lady.4 /e spoke softly, moving deliberately around the table towards me; the courtiers were as still as stringless puppets. /e stopped in front of me, and my breath caught suffocatingly in my throat. Then, with an absurd defiance stiffening my back as haughtily as his, I sank to the ground in a deep curtsy. The rustle of my skirts sounded as loud as a falling forest.

" white hand, heavy with rings, raised me. &y fingers trembled in his, uncontrollably, and I looked up into the eyes that had haunted my feverish dreams and saw them bla$ing with satisfaction. /e was toweringly tall and slender, every poise and motion a conscious beauty; doublet and breeches fitted him like a skin, turning him to a living, moving silver statue. *iamonds studded his hands and flashed in his earseven his hair glimmered as if with ,tardust. )ut all I saw in that first moment was the fiercely beautiful face, its proud profile, white skin, and the shapely, sensual mouth under the cropped and silken fair beard. The silver-gilt hair clustered in thick curls over the small, proud head; radiantly, blindingly fair, with a devil's dark eyes set in the face of an archangel. %or a long moment he looked down at me, his eyelids drooping and a faint, dis(uieting smile on his lips. I prayed he could not see my shaking hands or the sudden dryness of my lips; but he could, for there was a glimmer of laughter between his lashes. 4!ome.4 The word was no more than a breath, and I followed him to the head of the great table, too bemused even to fear. I was beginning to think that I must be caught up in some monstrous dream, that in a moment I would wake with the sights and sounds fading into dusk and silence in "ntonio's attic. )ut the silver table was solid beneath my fingers, and my awareness of the man beside me was almost a tangible thing. /e had seated me at the right of the duke's carved chair, and as he took his place in it, no one moved to prevent him. "round us the moth-pale heads were laid together, and the whispering began like a breaking sea. /e said softly, his narrowed eyes belying his light tone, 46ou look at me as though I were a ghost. "m I so monstrous54 4I thought the duke would be here.4 It was all I could say. 4The duke54 42ur duke. The *uke of !abria. /e sent for me.4 4/ow do you know he is not here54 I met the intent ga$e steadily enough. 4I have eyes.4 4"nd you would know the *uke of !abria if you saw him54 I nodded, certain now that he was baiting me. 4I saw him on his way to the cathedral. "nd though you sit in his place and take his homage, you are little like him.4

4" bold wench, this.4 /e spoke over my shoulder to the )astard, who sat on my other side, watching and listening. 4,he says to my face what no one else dares whisper behind my back. ,hall we make her know us better54 The )astard grinned. 4If you are bent on knowing her, )rother, it is a pity she should not know you74 )rother5 I thought. -o, surely the name must be a title of affection. -o two men so different could be close kin. "lessandro said relishingly, 4I must present my brother to you, lady. *omenico .iordano della 8affaelle, *uke of !abria and #ord of the &arches. These and sundry other weighty titles he has lately inherited from our lamented father, *uke !arlo. "nd he is said to favor his mother,4 he added wickedly. 4*o you mean the duke is dead54 ,andro lifted his wine cup in mock salute. 4/e is, lady. "nd now long live the new duke74 I shook my head in disbelief. 4+hen did he die54 4The night I had you brought here.4 It was the duke himself who spoke; he might have been referring to the death of a dog or a mule, he spoke so calmly. 42nly such a coil could have made me defer this business so long. +ere you not told of it54 I was silent, not daring to trust my voice. " half-forgotten phrase of )eniamino's was repeating itself in my head. That silver devil . . . silver devil . . . 4I wondered why 0iero called you cold.4 "musement (uivered in his voice. 4I did not find you so in your brother's house. *id you think that old ram, my father, wanted you54 I nodded dumbly, and he laughed. 4%aith, he would have done you little harm7 6ou need not fear I cannot bear my part more ably than he could.4 I found my tongue. 46our .race, your friend spoke truly; I will not yield willingly to you or any man.4 "lessandro whistled. 4There's for you, )rother74 *ark eyes studied me for a long moment, then the duke said softly, 4+e shall see.4

&y face flamed, and I turned sharply away to stare at the chattering nobles. They were glancing often at the high table, discussing each word and look. I had feared the father when I should have feared the sonall I had heard I had misconstrued, because I had not known of *uke !arlo's death and had not recogni$ed his son in the procession. -ow I understood 0iero della ;uercia's gibing comments and &addalena's 1ealousy. I did not dare look back at *omenico. ,prawled catlike in the silver chair, he was watching me; I could feel his eyes resting on my bare shoulders as actual as a touch. ,o the black and silver has a reason, I thought9 not 1ust a macabre fashion but court mourning, worn for *uke !arlo. ,ervants were threading their way between the tables with platters and dishes, the torches striking flickers of gold and angry red from the silver as they passed. ,omeone heaped my plate, and I looked at it with nauseaso much rich food after so long fasting threatened to turn my stomach. I averted my eyes (uickly and met *omenico's ga$e. /e was leaning back in his chair, watching me with a la$y possessiveness that terrified me suddenly. I gasped and started to rise to my feet. 4*rink some wine, lady.4 /is voice checked me. 46ou take your pleasure too sadly.4 4I do not take pleasure in this,4 I retorted breathlessly. 4True, it is trifling. )ut you shall know greater ones tonight.4 "lessandro was leaning forward, listening blatantly, and he grinned as he caught my eye. 4&y lord and brother, the lady blushes. 6ou had better tame your tongue.4 4,he is modest yet.4 The duke's tone was idle. 4I am making war on a scrupulous virginity.4 4Then parleying is a waste of time. 6ou had best resort to battery.4 4I will take your word. 6our generalship is famousfor the most part.4 The )astard's 1aw tightened for an instant, then he grinned. 4-o delaying, then7 If you are to fight, you will have no stomach for feeding, and a city starved by siege is soonest entered.4 I tensed, and the duke laughed. 4I can be patient a little longer. I have a mind4his voice was almost a purr4to give our stepmother duchess's diamonds to this lady. 0erhaps they will soften her heart a little.4 4Those74 I thought "lessandro would say more, but he checked himself. 4I did not think .ratiana would have given them back without blood.4

4They were the gift of our father, hence the state's. ,he gave them back when I bade her.4 "lessandro looked fascinated but forbore to press the (uestion. 4.ood, they will shine the brighter on this lady. They have hidden that old hag's wrinkles for too many years.4 4,o I thought. Ippolito . . .4 &iraculously, the man he addressed heard the murmur from his place beside 0iero and rose at once to bow at the *uke's shoulder. /e was dressed in black, with barely a trace of silver, and his dark face reminded me of a contented cat's. /e listened attentively to *omenico's la$y instructions, and as he hurried away, I watched him until he was swallowed up in shadows; anything rather than look at the duke. It was a relief when "lessandro claimed his attention. 4)rother, if you are in a bountiful humor, will you grant me a favor54 The duke looked a negligent (uery. 4That harlot &addalena %eroldi.4 The )astard's eyes were greedy. 4I have been wooing her these ten days past, but because she thinks you will return to her, she spurns me as roughly as a maid would do. If you showed her that her reign is over, she might be open to a fresh assaultso far I have had nothing but coldness and blows.4 4*oes your taste run to viragoes, then5 6ou will have little peace.4 4,he shall not have much either. 2nce I have bedded her, I'll tame her fury and leave her little time to trouble you. !ome, )rother.4 The blue eyes hardened. 46ou owe me a mistressmy last bedmate is banished by your means.4 I looked at the duke and saw his lips tighten. 4I am persuaded.4 /e smiled, but it was not pleasantly. 46ou shall have the bitch.4 I felt a pang for the woman who was being so casually disposed of and then a sudden dreadful apprehension. If he had meant what he said, this was how 0iero meant to ask for me; and when the time was right, no doubt I should be given 1ust as casually. )ut by then, I thought chillingly, it would matter little. I looked covertly at the tall figure sprawled in the shining chair. ,eeing him, I understood why so many of the court blanched hair and skin to an artificial fairness to seem like him; 0iero's pale curls and brocaded doublet were a travesty of this man's beauty.

/is head was turned away from me as he spoke to someone on his other side; then as I watched, he stretched, shifting his weight with the unconscious delight of a pampered cat. %or an instant the whole world went dark before my eyes. +hen the hall ceased its drunken reeling, I still sat, my eyes fi ed, my nails dug savagely into my palms. &ercifully, it seemed, I had not made a motion or a sound. I lifted da$ed eyes to 0iero's facehe, if he had seen, would be delighting in my confusion--but he too was watching the duke, and the naked desire in his face at that moment mirrored my own. I wondered ha$ily why he should say he wanted me. /is popin1ay manners and feminine tricks were recogni$able even to meyet the purpose in his face when he looked at me was real enough, too. Then the duke turned his head, and I looked down swiftly. I felt his ga$e on me, compelling me to look up, and fought his will doggedly; but at last, against my will, I raised my eyes to his. /e did not speak, for there was no need. I knew without words that I was not to sit for much longer making a pretense of eating to lengthen this 1oyless ban(uet. 46our .race.4 &addalena's deep voice interrupted my thoughts. 46ou asked for me54 The triumph on her face was painful. ,he did not know why she had been bidden; it was enough that he had asked for her. /e5nodded, his e pression unreadable. 4+e have a secret which concerns you, lady, that cannot be proclaimed throughout the court. !ome close and we will whisper.'' ,he darted me a 1ubilant look and went to him, bending her head to listen. I saw her give a little shiver of ecstasy as his bright hair brushed her cheek; then I turned away, trying not to hear his poisonous, sibilant murmur. /e spoke only a few words, and when he had done, she stared at him disbelievingly, her pointed face ashy pale. 46ou cannot do that to me, *omenico7 I will not be cast off on your brother after all we have been to each other74 46ou forget yourself.4 The duke's voice was bored. 4)e grateful that you are provided for, and do not speak so wildly.4 4*omenico, I beg you, listen. 6ou swore to me . . .4 /e seemed to be deaf to her low-toned beseeching, only the deepening lines of bored petulance about his mouth showing that he heard her. Then, as her tears threatened to choke her, he said indifferently, 4)rother ,andro, (uiet this whore.4

The )astard surged past me, pulling &addalena away and into his arms, his mouth covering hers avidly, his hand at the laces of her gown. ,he gave a cry, but no man moved to help her; on every face was the same cold curiosity. 2nly the duke ignored them, fastidiously smoothing his sleeve where &addalena had caught his arm and paying them no more heed than he would a couple of puppies tussling around his feet. /e did not even look up when ,andro dragged &addalena through the throng towards the shadowed doorway. )y now torches were beginning to gutter here and there, casting such pools of shadow that I did not notice the approach of the soberly clad Ippolito. /e seemed to appear from nowhere, bowing at *omenico's side. 4I have brought the duchess's 1ewels, 6our .race.4 4&y good Ippolito74 It was a purr. 4.ive them to me.4 "round us the talk fell silent as he lifted the casket's lid and drew out its contents. *iamonds hung from his fingers in a cascade of white fire as he rose to his feet, and I sat unmoving, spellbound by the bla$e in the black eyes watching me above the bla$e of the 1ewels. 4/ere, lady. +e give you these to signify the love and honor we intend towards you.4 The cold metal felt like fetters as it touched my skin, and I shivered under the brush of his fingers. The court's applause had a startled sound. 46our .race,4 I whispered as he sat down, 4I cannot wear them.4 4+hy not54 The (uestion was idle, but it made my blood run cold. 4I . . .4 I found inspiration in the blue white stone which lay between my breasts. 4I cannot bear the weight.4 0oire, devilish delight lit the black eyes. 4!ustom will make it easy. 6ou will learn to bear a greater weight than that.4 2ne or two heard him and laughed, but I was surprised to see on Ippolito's face a fleeting look of pity. %ighting down my dread, I stiffened proudly, and as I did so, the *uke's eyes smoldered suddenly. 4These public revels are for those who want no better. !ome, you and I will seek sweeter ones alone.4

)efore I could protest, he had risen, his grip crushing the print of his rings into the flesh of my wrist. /e waited an instant for silence and then spoke with an arrogant turn of his head to the sea of e pectant faces. 4+e would not have our absence cut short the feast, my lordswe commend you to your pleasures. %or our own part, we have business to dispatch which has been too long undone. "nd so, good night.4 " titter arose that he did not bother to check, and the court was on its feet and bowing. /e looked at the stooping backs with sheer infantile glee before his nod freed them; then he was leading me back towards the doors through which he had come, with torchbearers before and a line of nobles in our wake. The doors closed behind us on a burst of clamor in which, mercifully, I could distinguish no words. The antechamber was bitterly cold after the heat of the ban(ueting hail. *rafts swept through it, striking gouts of flame from the torches, and I shivered as the chill struck me. The duke's hand tightened on mine; involuntarily I looked up at him and saw his eyes bla$ing behind the slight smile which masked his beautiful face. &y hand 1erked, trying to pull away, but I could not get free; he only held me, watching me struggle against his imprisoning hold without a change in his e pression. )ehind me I could hear the dry rustle of brocades as the courtiers closed in, and I felt the heat of a torch at my back. 2ther hands gripped me, forcing me forward, and I cried out. 4-ot here, 0iero.4 *omenico's eyes held mine, but he spoke past me. 4#et the women have her, and then bring her to my chamber. *o it (uickly.4 There was a cheated murmur from the ring of men around me, and 0iero's hands fell away. I thought I glimpsed his face, startled and angry, his eyes hard with calculation; then I was being hurried away, across the antechamber and up the stairs to the tapestried room, where -iccolosa was waiting. ,he worked (uickly and e pertly, as though this were a task she had performed many times before, taking off the heavy silks and the great weight of diamonds and dressing me instead in a bedgown of white velvet, brushing my hair so that it hung smooth and shining past my waist, like the black veils of the ,isters of !harity in the 3ia !roce. I wanted to laugh at such a ludicrous resemblance. -iccolosa said, 46ou are ready54 and I nodded, wondering how many others she had made ready for the *uke of !abria's bed. ,he started to the door to call 0iero but stopped halfway and came back. ,ome emotion was struggling for e pression in her bony face as she stood there, almost awkwardly; then she patted my hand in (uick, embarrassed comfort and turned again to call.

0iero appeared in the doorway so (uickly that I knew he had been kicking his heels in the gallery outside. /is eyes ran over me with an appraisal that was a studied insult, but he only gestured in silence for me to follow him. The floor was icy under my bare feet. It was all I would allow myself to think of. I hardly noticed the guards closing in behind, cutting off my retreatit all seemed unreal, like a nightmare, the tramp of their feet echoing in my ears. *oors swung open ahead of us, and I caught a glimpse of softer candlelight. 0iero stood aside, sweeping a mocking bow. 46ou are at the duke's chamber, mistress.4 The taunt was so blatant that my strained nerves snapped, and I slapped his face, hardly knowing what I did. 4I may be worsted,4 I said furiously, nursing my stinging fingers, 4but I need not endure your insults74 /e stepped back, his shrill laugh bubbling as he touched the red mark on his cheek, but his eyes were wide, considering. 4,o you've claws54 /e sounded intrigued. 4+ait until the duke is tiredwe will see then how much you can endure.4 I swept haughtily past him, only to turn in sudden shameful panic as he started to close the doors on me. /e must have understood the movement, because he laughed then in real amusement. 4/ere, lady, you will lead a duchess's life-for tonight, at least. I wish you good night and good rest.4 The doors closed in my face. I stood still, staring at them as though they would dissolve under my eyes, as though the whole palace would dissolve and I would wake in my bed over the Eagle's gateway. I was still standing there when I reali$ed I was no longer alone. There was no sound, but my skin began to prickle, and when I turned, the duke was there, a silver silhouette against the black bed-curtains, stripped of clothes, of 1ewels, and of paint. 2nly a swathe of cloth of silver was draped about him, twisted about his hips and over one shoulder, and his skin looked unnaturally white in the candlelight. 4%elicia.4 It was a purr like a cat's in the silence of the room. I fought to keep my voice even. 46our .race.4 4*omenico. 6ou will forget court duty shortly.4 /e took a slow, prowling pace towards me, la$ily letting the silver cloth slide to the floor. In the light of the candles his flesh gleamed like alabaster, but this statue was warm and living, as graceful as a

leopard and as treacherous as murder. /is hips swung once, like a cat launching itself on a bird, and then he moved forward. There was no time to evade him, no time to resist. "lmost before I saw him move, he had caught me and lifted me, and then there was softness under me and his weight on top of me as I fell sprawling across the great bed. I tried to rise, but his mouth came down on mine in the first kiss I had ever known and forced my head back against the pillowing velvets. Instinctively, like an animal, I fought back, scratching and biting. This was less lovemaking than deliberate cruelty, all that grace and strength employed in the inflicting of pain. . . . It was like being mauled by a giant cat for sport, not for food. #ight glinted on the bright hair as the duke's head bent again to mine; there was no tenderness in his shadowed face, only a harsh, bla$ing e citement that made me catch my breath. 46our .race . . .4 It was a broken whisper. 4That is not my name.4 /is voice was low and breathless, full of teasing. I gasped, 40lease . . .4 and could not go on. 40lease54 /e laughed so that he shook me with it. 4*o you mean, please take me (uickly5 0lease, this5 2r this54 The velvet robe tore under his fingers and I felt his hands slide over my breasts, probing and caressing as I tried to arch away from their remorselessly sensual possession. The touch of his hands seemed to burn my skin. &y breath was coming in gasps like sobs as I struggled, braced in every nerve to resist the demand that tore at my thighs; then he gripped the scruff of my neck and held me, fingers spread across the back of my head, with my lips hard against his. /is kiss was urgent, like an invasion; then, as his mouth traced the hollow of my neck with (uick, fierce kisses, his weight came full upon me. I reali$ed that until that instant he had merely been playing with me. There was no escaping his insistence. /e stilled my desperate thrashing with almost insolent ease, forcing me against him, shocking me to breathtaking awareness of every muscle in his hard, smooth body. )lindly, I made one last effort to free myself, but his hands were plundering my body too ruthlessly. If I had not been resisting so hard, it might have been easier to bear. "s it was, he took me by brute force; I felt his greedy touch e ploring every inch of me, and the ne t moment I cried out, uncontrollably and in agony. It was intolerable, outrageous; it was

like being ripped apart; and as his passion smashed over me like a tidal wave, I lay imprisoned in his arms and wept.

Chapter Three
I do not know how long it was before I reali$ed he had left me. " white hand touched my cheek, and I opened my eyes and saw the blood thick under his fingernails. 4%elicia.4 There was no in(uiry in his voice; only a command I obeyed instinctively, looking up at him through a mist of tears. 46ou fight like ten devils, sweet, but I can have soldiers in my bed for that. !ome now, gently.4 )ut when he bent his head there was no gentleness in the touch of his lips but e pert sensuality, vicious appetite. /e knew how to gain a response and did so with a merciless science which left me gasping. +hen his head lifted, his eyes were bla$ing black lightning, but he smiled and touched my lips again, very lightly, with his own. 4Is it so hard to love me, %elicia54 In that instant I knew how easy it could be. This happens to every one of his women, I thought wildlyand his men, toohe bewitches all of them. I tensed myself against him. 4This is not love.4 4I will let the name go for the deed.4 /is voice was frighteningly soft. 4#et me go74 &y voice almost broke. /is head moved slightly in negation. 4I will listen when you beg me to stay with you.4 &y answer was smothered against his mouth. Every movement was pain, pain that he had inflicted; the coverlet underneath me was slimy with blood, and between my thighs was burning agony. 6et when he touched me again, I could not fight him, and my hands came up and stroked his moonlight hair. /e still hurt me, but his lovemaking was full of an infinitely more subtle, sensuous brutality, and his hands coa ed and clung, erasing the horror. #ittle sounds of anguish came from my throat as he held me, e ploring my body unhurriedly with eyes and lips and delicately seeking fingertips; then when his body slid smoothly to cover mine, the warm silken weight of him became my whole world. I lay on my back at last, staring up at the pale shadows moving in the mirror above the bed, long past weeping. 4I told you that your heart would soften a little.4

/e bent over me, shaken with laughter, and I ga$ed up at him in bitter wonder. 4-ow that you have shamed me, must you mock me, too54 4+here is the shame54 /is lips touched my throat. 46ou will have nothing but honor for this night's work. +hen I have done, you will wonder why your fears ever made you unkind.4 4I can never go home.4 I spoke unthinkingly to my reflection. 4&y brother would not have me in the house.4 4*o not think of seeking his charity yet,4 he said sharply. 46ou will go when I bid you, and not till then.4 I turned my head away tiredly, and his voice changed. 4+hat, stubborn still54 I knew the mockery in his eyes was malice, sardonic satisfaction in my body's betrayal of my protestations, but it made no difference. &y defiance was slackening into lassitude through sheer physical e haustion, yet he would not let me restlong after I was half-dead with tiredness, his desire kept me waking, so I wondered if by very will he could cheat sleep. +hen he fell asleep at last, I had lost all count of the hours. The candles had burned out long ago, and I lay listening to his (uiet breathing and watching a sliver of moonlight that had crept through the hangings; minute by minute it moved, creeping across the pillow to touch his sleeping face, and I stared down at him with an intentness I did not understand. /is head was pillowed on my hair, trapping me even in sleep; the haughty patrician mask was still there, but the long dark lashes fanned his cheeks like a child's, and the sensual mouth had rela ed in a (ueerly vulnerable curve. /e looked almost like a boy, but there was nothing adolescent in the sprawled beauty of his naked body. Then, as I watched, a crease of tension marred his smooth brow. /is head moved restlessly, and he began to shift and murmur in the grip of some nightmare. ,weat started out on his forehead and little animal sounds began to come from his throat; then he began to talk, and I reali$ed he was talking to his dream. 46ou will say I did not mean it.4 The urgent whisper was a travesty of his old autocratic command. 46ou must tell them you consentedit was your blasphemy as much as mine. Is this your merciful .od, who lets you burn in hell5 2r is it the devil who sends you to me so often54 There was a breathless silence. /is body arched and his head moved in panic-stricken denial, back and forth, back and forth on the black, silken pillow.

46ou lie. . . . 6ou are damned for what you did after. I only meant to silence you, to stop your eternal preaching. 6ou said you loved mewhy haunt me, then5 It was a boy's trick, I tell you. . . . I did not mean you to be dead. . . . #et me alone. . . . Tell them. . . . %or .od's love, close your eyes74 It was the scream of an animal, and the sheet ripped under his clawing fingers as he shuddered into wakefulness. /is eyes stared up into the darkness, wide and blank with terrorthen slowly their glare faded, and his hand groped across the bed as though to assure himself that this and not his dream was the reality. 4%elicia . . .4 /e spoke without looking at me. I remember feeling astonished that he should still remember my name. 46es, I am here.4 /is hand caught mine convulsively, dragging me close to him. In that moment I felt no fear; I had no thought for myself as he clung to me, his bright head buried in my breast. 4The same dream.4 It was the voice of a frightened child. 4"lways the samethe chapel and her body, and the stink of blood. ,he lies there staring at me, blaming meI swear I did not mean it. It is her fault, but she will not leave me alone. ,he says her .od will have /is vengeance on me, too. )ut /e cannot touch me. -ow I am duke I can buy absolution for a thousand such sins, and then the dreams will leave coming.4 /e was shivering, and I drew the bedcovers around his shoulders and listened. /e talked of blood he could not escape, a lake which spread towards him and would drown him if it reached him; and I cradled him, wondering what he had done that such a dream should haunt him. +hose was the blood, and who was the woman who had said she loved him; it was better not to ask. I waited until I thought he was asleep and then cautiously tried to free myself to relight one of the candles. )ut as soon as I moved, his grip tightened again, feverishly. 4I was going to bring you a light,4 I said gently. 4It will fright the dreams away.4 /e shook his head violently. 4-o, you must stay with me. . . . +hile you hold me I cannot see her eyes. I will make you the richest woman in the state if you do not leave me. . . .4 In a spasm of pity I took him and rocked him, soothing him with a string of soft inanities until the bated breath went out of him, and his body lay in a curve of unfolding grace like a falcon rela ed into captivity.

There was a silence; then I felt the brush of wet lashes against my skin as he opened his eyes. /is head lifted a little, and he said in a harsh whisper, 46ou will talk of this. 6ou will say I am brainsick and turn this folly to court gossip.4 I said no, but he did not seem to hear me. /is arms closed around me, his strength hurting my back, his cheek against my hair. 4I do not want to have you killed, %elicia. ,wear you will not speak.4 4I have said I will not. . . .4 4,wear it7 !ome.4 There was a note in his voice that shocked me. 4,wear for my humor's sake.4 I said unsteadily, 4I will not, in faith.4 /e drew a long breath. 40recious wench74 /is cheek rubbed my temple in a gesture that was close to tenderness, and then my gasp died under his lips, and the comfort he sought was not a child's comfort. I woke slowly to darkness and a warm, imprisoning weight. %or one drowsy moment I lay unremembering; then I stirred to stretch my limbs against what hampered them and let out a soft, sharp cry. Every muscle seemed to be on fire, and my flesh felt as though it had been scraped raw. )etween my thighs pain was raging like a bonfire and I shrank, outraged, from the touch of arms that closed around me. 46ou must rouse, my sweet.4 *omenico's voice in my ear was low and teasing. 4&y knaves will be in upon us shortly, and I would not have them see this sight.4 /is fingers ran the length of my back, idle and possessive, and as his hold slackened, I pulled myself away and sat up, biting my lips when the motion triggered little flames of pain. /e was watching my every movement with terrifying attention, and then suddenly he laughed. 4*o not regret your chastityit is sweeter to lose it than to keep it.4 4I could not choose.4 ,uddenly I felt cold9 cold and very calm. 4"m I free to go now54 The laughter left his face. 4+here54 4)ack to the city. 6ou can want no more of me now you have done your pleasure.4 4That is for me to decideI said you shall stay until I bid you go, and it is treason to disobey.4 4,tay where54 I demanded stupidly.

4/ere in the palace, to supply the office that you did last night. " prisoner is not ransomed so easily.4 The mockery in his voice did not touch his eyes; they were watchful beneath the heavy lids. I stared back at him uncomprehendingly. 4)ut why54 /is hps curved cynically. 46ou will learn soon enough.4 4)ut 6our .race . . .4 46our .race74 he mimicked. 4,o ceremonious74 4I am no greater now than I was yesterday.4 4-ot many will think so.4 /e lay back, watching me with a sort of la$y curiosity. 4To be the *uke of !abria's mistress is no slight honor.4 4-ot slight,4 I retorted recklessly, 4but something common.4 46ou shall be no common mistress.4 /is face was unreadable. 4)ut I shall not let you go before I choose. "nd you shall swear to be true to me.4 I said in simple astonishment, 46ou cannot command that7 6our fancy will sicken speedily enoughyou will have change, and then my constancy will be as irksome as &adonna &addalena's74 46et I command it.4 /is eyes were slitted and angry. 4+hy5 To satisfy your tyranny54 /is hand, vicelike in my hair, pulled me stooping over him. 4I do not trust any man or woman eitherto stand by what he says unless he swears to it.4 4I owe you no faith. I will not swear.4 4+hy, do you not love me54 The sudden, silken (uestion nearly made my heart stop beating; I would not meet *omenico's eyes, for somehow I dared not. "t last he said, 4*o you not, indeed54 /e spoke in an odd, stifled tone, his fingertips stroking my neck. 4Take heed you love no one else, then, or the man you choose shall pay for ithis hand if it touches you, his eyes if he looks too longor if his speech charms you, I shall take his tongue. There are other forfeits.4 /is hand slid from my throat to my breast. 4)ut beware my 1ealousy if I spare your oath, %elicia.4 4There is no such man,4 I said, and remembered 0iero della ;uercia.

4Then the court will be so much more populous. 6ou are a niggard with your vows, lady4he was drawing my head down to his4but more generous with your deeds; I think I will take my sureties the silent way.4 )efore I could answer, a pounding broke out some-where beyond the confines of the bed-curtains; the sound of someone hammering at the door. *omenico looked around sharply, all the amusement drained from his e pression. 4+ho's there54 40iero, 6our .race, and Ippolito.4 4"ttend me, then.4 I flinched and buried my face in the pillow as their footsteps crossed the floor and the bed-curtains rattled back; then as a single fierce blade of sunlight invaded the gloom, *omenico stirred and stretched lu uriously. 4+hat hour is it, Ippolito54 40ast nine, 6our .race. 6ou are after your usual time.4 4.o call my men.4 It was a rela ed and drowsy purr, and through the concealing veil of my hair, I saw the two men e change (uick, startled glances. It was 0iero who answered. 4They attend 6our .race in the ne t room.4 *omenico nodded, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand. 4+e will ride this morning. 2rder the horses.4 0iero bowed and went to the door. I thought he would have spoken, but then he gave an almost imperceptible shrug and went away with his (uick, trotting step. *omenico yawned, looking up at Ippolito with narrowed eyes. 4&y lord secretary, convey this message to my brother and to my great-uncle the archbishop.4 Ippolito made an unwary movement, and I read astonishment in his dark face. 4Tell them, with all due love and complimentI trust you for some nimble speech or otherthat we would have their voices in a great matter. ,ay we will hold a council in si days' time, touching the general state and the successionthat will bring them.4 /e smiled, derisively, and turned to stroke the hair back from my face with negligent fingers.

4)ut 6our .race4 4"re you here yet54 The bright head did not turn. 4They are bound to ask what this means, 6our .race. +hat should I tell them54 4,ay that you do not know.4 *omenico's fingertip traced my bruised lips. 4Then you will be speaking the truth.4 46our .race . . .4 4Ippolito . . .4 =ust the name, no more. )ut that one word, sweetly spoken, sent the man hurrying from the chamber without daring to reply. *omenico chuckled softly. /e leaned back voluptuously, stretching in total abandon, and spoke to his mirrored image on the ceiling. 4This will put wildfire in 'emthey will try now to learn my mind from each other, and neither one will guess it74 /is head turned, the e ultation in his face transforming it to a devil's mask. 4,weet, you cannot guess what they are to ratify7they will hate it, but they seal it or they bleed. I shall have my will approved by the state council, and not even the commons can murmur74 /e was alight with laughter, as though the sweating terror of the night had never been. I ga$ed at him, bewildered. 4+hy, what is the matter54 4It is not for you to know.4 /e thrust himself up from the tumbled pillows as he spoke, and my hands gripped together. That was all I meant to him, a creature fit to bed with, dismissed and forgotten as soon as his mind turned back to state affairs. The pain of the thought startled me. *omenico had turned his back on me and was consulting with 0iero, who had come hurrying to the bedside. 4I have ordered 6our .race's gray gelding. I thought you would be weary of the mare.4 I winced at the words, but a white hand flashed up with the speed of a snake striking, caught 0iero's wrist, and twisted. I heard the courtier's breath hiss between his teeth. 46our .race, I pray you . . .4 4.ood friend, spend your wit on a fitter sub1ect.4 There was a small, sickening 1ar of bone, then 0iero was free. /is other hand cradled his wrist for a moment, then he bowed ironically. 4"lways at 6our .race's serviceI

shall dispose of last night's stale business.4 /is shapeless fingers gripped my shoulder. 4!ome, mistress.4 46ou are something too forward,4 *omenico spoke softly. 42ur commerce is not done yet. Take her to the old witch and give orders for her to be dressed to ride out with us in two hours. Then come to us again.4 The hand on my shoulder tightened spasmodically, then fell away. 0iero murmured under his breath, 4+ell, well74 and then said tonelessly, 4"s 6our .race wills.4 The duke gave him a swift, keen glance and said mockingly, 4/ave you waited all night, 0iero, to dispose of her54 The weak mouth hardened. 46our .race knows well how vigilant I am. I will call the attendants.4 "s he turned away, his toe caught the white velvet robe as it lay on the floor, and he picked it up and tossed it on the bed. 46ours, madam.4 4"nd, 0iero, order a horse for herthe gray will do, the young one.4 46our .race, I cannot ride74 The words burst from me involuntarily, and the duke's eyes narrowed. 46ou are too absolute.4 0anic gave me courage. 4It is not willfulnessI cannot ride because I have never mounted a horse. I have lived all my life in the city, and my brother keeps no horsesI would fall off,4 I finished doggedly. The black eyes danced. 4I will teach you to ride.4 0iero was waiting by the door and averted his eyes ostentatiously as I clutched the white robe around me and slid out of bed. /is whispered 4/e has taught you much already4 as I followed him was not for the duke's ears. It seemed the duke's orders had the power of magic, for clothes were there, although -iccolosa could not have known in advance that they would be wanted. 8iding clothes of severest gray, calecons, kid boots, and embroidered gauntlets, all miraculously fitting. )ut before she dressed me, she helped me salve the worst of the marks on my skin and staunch the last of the bleeding; then she eased on the garments tenderly, sparing my smarting flesh with a care that said more than words. I looked at her grim face, unemotional, absorbed in settling the ruff at my throat, and said tentatively, 4Thank you, madonna.4 /er eyelids flickered. 46ou do not call me madonna. &y name is -iccolosa, and /is .race the duke has placed me in your service.4

,he closed her mouth tightly. I colored, watching her covertly; it seemed almost the strangest thing of all that someone to whom I would have curtsied humbly a short while since should serve as my waiting woman. 6et she was accustomed to her tasksshe went about her work unhesitatingly, even though it sorted ill with her air of authority. I wondered if she could have been a servant of the banished duchess and had chosen not to follow her mistress into e ile. ,he finished coiling my hair high on my head, pinned the small feathered hat securely, and then turned me to the mirror. I saw my own face white and set, the eyes shadowed, the lips vividthis morning the most sophisticated woman would not paint my mouth as they had last night, for it was already reddened, stinging from *omenico's kisses. 4&istress,4 0iero's voice spoke from the doorway without warning, 4the duke desires your company.4 %or a moment I went cold. Then I said levelly, 4+ell, where must I go54 4To the eastern courtyard. I am sent to fetch you.4 /e e tended his hand, and gingerly, disliking the contact, I put mine into it and let him lead me from the room. There were no guards this morningit appeared I was thought less likely to escape now that the duke had done his pleasure. 0iero was silent for a few moments and then said lightly, 46ou were a virgin, then. I doubted that; there are few left these days. I thought not any, but I was mistaken.4 4+as the priest's word not enough54 I asked sharply. 4/e74 0iero's chuckle was silvery with scorn. 4/e was so enthralled by your sweet face that no man would give him credit. It was rumored that he had had you himself.4 I turned my head away, angry and sickened, and after a moment he spoke again. 4/is .race is a fine lover, is he not5 " delicate lecherI know his bed tricks from the old time. )etween the sheets he is a monarch, a very god.4 /e was watching my averted face as he spoke. 4It is as well he tiredhe is a witch.4 ,uddenly and vividly, I remembered the dead woman of his nightmares. 4+ho was it he tired of54 4+hy, of me.4 0iero smiled sarcastically. 4It was long ago, but my lord does not change; it is only his lovers who alter.'' 4Is that why you want me54 The (uestion was out before I could stop it. 46ou would rather take the flesh that he has touched than forage for yourself54

4+hat, madam wiseacres74 /is prominent eyes were furious. 4*o you think it is my habit to take his leavings5 I do not care what carrion he feeds onhe may take fifty harlots in a night and welcome. )ut you . . .4he hesitated. 4I owe you payment for that blow. I will not forget it, even if you do.4 4"nd was it undeserved54 I said (uietly. "head of us servants were springing to open heavy doors, and after a moment 0iero shrugged. 4+ell, let it go.4 /e thrust me ahead of him into blinding sunshine. I shielded my eyes and gasped, for without reali$ing it I had become accustomed to the torch-pricked gloom of the 0ala$$o; then I looked eagerly around me, breathing the first fresh air I had known for a week. The courtyard was full of men and women and horses, and after my long solitude the bustle was a sweet taste of normality this was what I had always known, the rushing of grooms, the tramping of strangers' horses, the chatter drifting up. I started down the steps with 0iero gripping my arm, guiding me towards the middle of the melee. I could see the bob of bowing courtiers ahead of us and knew the duke must be there. "s I went, I could see heads turning and sense the nudges and whispers; but today there was no scorn, no howls of laughter, only the wariness of wolves not daring to attack. I kept my head high, but the naked curiosity in their faces was making me feel sick. &y heart was thundering as 0iero led me up to the duke, and a (ueer apprehension was beginning to take possession of me. /e was standing beside the gray horse he had ridden in the procession, talking in a low voice to Ippolito, and the sight of him made me catch my breath. /e was wearing black, only the starched ruff relieving the deathliness of itbut the look on his face was amused, carefree, beauty and charm wiping out all the cruelty, his ruffled hair shining like floss against the horse's flank. /e turned and saw me, and his eyes narrowed. 0iero released me, and I sank (uickly into a curtsy. *omenico's fingers gripped the scruff of my neck as I rose, drawing me towards him lightly but irresistibly; his kiss was as avidly sensual as if we had been alone, and I was di$$y when at last he lifted his head. 4There?s enough of duty. /ave you not learned that yet54 /e spoke very softly through the whispering that eddied round us. 4,uch courtesies are our due from slaves, but you must learn to be bolder.4 I said, 4I cannot be proud of my dishonor,4 and his long lashes drooped.

4I shall teach you that, too. !ome and see your mount.4 Those nearby drew back and bowed as he turned, and I found myself standing before a sleek-skinned gray gelding, smaller than the duke's but still, to my nervous eyes, a great, looming beast. 46our .race made an e cellent choice,4 Ippolito commented cheerfully. 4It is a fine horse.4 *omenico's hooded ga$e did not waver. 4*o you like him, lady54 4/e is beautiful. I will not (uarrel with 6our .race's choice.4 /is lips twisted. 4" worthy doctrine74 I flinched; even in his lightest teasing there was an edge of viciousness. To stop my thoughts, I reached out tentatively to pat the horse's neck, and at once my hand was imprisoned and held, fingers fluttering in distress, against the breast of *omenico's fine doublet. 4&adam, do you think you can manage him54 Ippolito's (uestion seemed to come from leagues away. 4I can try.4 I stood scarlet-cheeked as the nobles broke into shrill laughter, as though I had said something witty. They would be willing to acknowledge me, even give me eminence, as long as the duke stayed by my side. " noise behind me made me turn (uickly. ,andro had come down the palace steps at a clattering run, and now he greeted the duke with a perfunctory bow and a broad grin. 46ou are stirring late, )rother7 "re you turned sluggard54 4&y sleep was broken.4 It was so light and sardonic that no one else could have seen the shadow in *omenico's eyes as he glanced at me. ,andro saw the look and misinterpreted it. 4&ine, tooI thank you for your generous gift, 6our .race. )ut now I must clear my wits with a good hard ride if I am to do myself 1ustice at your council. +hat is the matter54 The eagerness in his voice was 1ust insufficiently veiled. "t the back of my mind I could hear )eniamino saying, 4/e would inherit if that silver devil died,4 and knew what made ,andro's blue eyes so bright and hard. "n unpleasant smile touched the duke's soft mouth. 46ou are confusing business with pleasure. )rother. ,tate matters are for council; we are riding.4

,andro grimaced. 4I shall make a sad botch of the work, then, for you know my skill in debate7unless I have studied the matter for days before, our reverend uncle flays me with his wits.4 4!ontent yourself, he knows no more of this than you.4 The white lids drooped dismissively, and *omenico turned his shoulder. 4+e are wasting the morningI have promised to teach this lady to ride, and this is her first lesson.4 /e mounted his horse in one flowing movement; the animal curvetted and was instantly brought under an iron control. 4#ady, come. . . .4 "wkwardness stiffened my limbs to a puppet's as I turned to the smaller gelding. I could not imagine how I was to reach that high-towering saddle; the silken flank loomed like an unscalable cliff. Then, as I looked helplessly around for some assistance, one of the courtiers slid from the throng and, with a deferential 4&adam,4 lifted me bodily into the saddle. "s soon as I had righted myself and gotten a grip on the reins, I looked down to thank my benefactor and to my astonishment saw a boy hardly older than myself; slight, black-haired, with an obstinate chin and a look of admiration in his brown eyes. I murmured, 4Thank you, sir,4 and he blushed vividly as he stepped back. The crack of a whiplash made me look up. *omenico was bending to catch my horse's leading rein from the groom's slackened fingers; it was only when I saw the man's hand go to his bloodied cheek that I reali$ed that the lash had laid it open. It was petty, pointless crueltyand all for something that the groom would have given at a word. +hen the mounted cavalcade moved off, however, I had no thought for anything but keeping my seat on a 1olting, sliding, swaying horse. 8emembering con-flicting instructions for heel and thigh and hand, now to hold the reins, use the whip, stay upright without clinging to the saddle . . . %or me every moment was an agony, and *omenico knew it. I could see the secret knowledge in the curve of his lips as he watched me, mercilessly ordering the movements that would punish my sore and aching body; once when the horse 1olted me, I could not suppress a cry, and I looked up to see him laughing as though the sound delighted him. That day was the first time I had been beyond the gates of %idena since the day I was born, but I did not think of that; I cared only for the ne t step of the 1ouncing brute beneath me and whether it would decide to ignore my signals and go its own way altogether. I even blessed the strip of hide which tethered me so close to *omenico. The horse's hooves were cutting into the tawny earth, crushing the sun-dried grass and leaving a swathe of destruction across the field that sloped towards the river gorge. The

sea was faint and distant in the heat ha$e; flies hung in a cloud around the horses, and plumy tails lashed constantly to keep them at bay. Then I shivered, for a shadow had fallen across our path. The frowning face of the tower that guarded the bridge over the river gorge soared into the sky, casting its shadow close and dark. ,andro followed my ga$e and grinned. 4That is our watchtower, lady. %rom that vantage ten men could hold the bridge against an army; it is why the pope could never take %idena back again, for his forces cannot get near the city walls. If it were not there, !abria would doubtless still be ruled from the 3atican.4 I said, 46et it frightens meis there no other way across54 4)y ship, there, where the river runs into the bay, but in battle the city's cannon could sink any vessel before it got halfway. "nd westwards4he pointed4close by the city, there is a collection of rotten planks that some still use who do not mind risking their lives. )ut it would not support a single armed rider.4 I smiled. 4*o you think of nothing but battles54 ,andro chuckled. 46es, lady, a good deal else. )ut I have been brought up to fight for all I want, and the language of war comes naturally to me.4 The moment passed lightly, but the sense of oppression remained with me until we had passed back again into the sun. .radually, almost insensibly, I was becoming used to the motion of the horse, and as the party moved in a half-circle away from the gorge and its looming guardian, I began to notice the undercurrents in their gossip. 2utwardly it was no more than shallow, frivolous gossip, yet here and there I caught dark allusions, hints of a mystery I could not understand. )ut I took it for imagination that first morning, and when the talk drifted to the latest amorous intrigues, I stopped listening altogether. Then, when the city gates opened before us, I forgot everything in the sudden familiarity of the sights and sounds of the crowded streets, the dust-choked air, the stink of foul humanity. The courtiers were grimacing, and &addalena's e clamation of disgust was meant for me to hearthen at my side the duke's head turned with a glint of living silver, and my ga$e dropped before the hard curiosity in his. +hen at last the horses clattered to a standstill in the palace courtyard, I was swaying in the saddle. The sun's heat and the unfamiliar activity had drained what strength I had leftit seemed years, not less than a day, since I had left the dank silence of the prison.

" groom gripped the gelding's bridle, and I slid from the saddle without waiting for anyone's aid. *omenico's arm came around me from behind, so une pectedly that I 1umped. 46ou are tired. .o to your room and rest a little.4 4I do not know the way.4 In spite of myself my voice sounded forlorn, and he laughed. 4%aith, but I never thought of that7 Ippolito shall guide you.4 +ith relief I felt my hand taken in a firm clasp, and I was drawn out of the heat of the sun. The patterns of light and shadow before my eyes had no meaningI was walking like a blind womanyet for some reason I turned back at the top of the steps for a last glimpse of the duke. The rest of the day passed in a bewildering pageant. -iccolosa stood guard over me while I slept, and in an hour or two I was caught up in the pace of palace life. 2ne pastime merged into anothereating, drinking, music, sportswithout cessation, until I wondered how the courtiers could bear this unreal e istence day after day. In the afternoon a message had come from "rchbishop %rancesco, as impatient as ,andro and scarcely more subtle, saying that he would answer his great-nephew's summons in good timehe would attend upon /is .race this very evening and be beholden for his lodging for a night or two. Then when the council met he would be rested from his 1ourney; so old a man as he could not care for his health too much. *omenico laughed when he heard, but there was an edge to his voice. 4That old scarlet fo 7 /e must forever remind us that the pope's clemency hangs on his moldering life he could travel here on foot within two hours, and yet he needs si days to nurse his bones74 4/e is old, 6our .race,4 Ippolito inter1ected. 42ld and cunning.4 *omenico's 1eweled pomander swung meditatively between his fingers. 4/e wishes to learn our mind before we publish it. )ut his policy grows stale, Ippolito; we shall keep him dangling until we are in readiness.4 /e looked at the pomander, hanging still, and smiled. 4+e must honor my great-uncle when he comes. %elicia, be sure to wear your 1ewels at supper.4 ,o now I stood in the antechamber, waiting for the signal to pass into the ban(ueting hall, with the necklace abla$e around my neck. The archbishop had arrived scarcely an hour before, and now was deep in talk with *omenico in the center of the room. Ippolito

stood beside me, eyeing me watchfully; he had not left my side, and I guessed he had been set to guard me while the duke was at a distance. I glanced at *omenico; his face was a mask of polite indulgence as he listened to the archbishop, the torches reflecting from the clothes he wore so that all the light in the room seemed to shine from his silver-clad body. The old man made a lurid figure beside him, scarlet cassock and cape like splashes of blood. "gainst the bright silk his hollowcheeked face was as pale and unyielding as bone; white hair was cropped close to his long skull, and the thin, veined hands were bare but for his ring of office. +atching him, I thought that it would take riches and the might of a dukedom to win .od's forgiveness from such a priest as that. 4/ave no fear, lady,4 Ippolito said reassuringly. 4The duke will not leave you neglected for long.4 I started and blushed unaccountably. 4I was not thinking of that.4 4+hatever it was did not make you happy.4 4I was thinking ofof the duchess.4 I said the first thing that came into my head. 4+hy was she banished54 /e looked astounded. 4The duchess74 46es, the old duke's wife. I heard she had been sent away but not the reason. *oes it mean she has entered a retreat54 Ippolito made a wry face. 4-o; rather, she has been routed. The dukemy lord *omenico, I meanbanished her from !abria the same day he had you brought here. /e had given orders already for . . .4 /e checked, then continued (uickly. 4/e was gone from the feast for close on three hours that night, and when he came back to the palace, the old duke was dead and the duchess ruled the roost. ,he asked to see him privately that nightwe never learned what she said to him, but ne t day she was banished and gone.4 4That was cruel,4 I said (uietly. Ippolito's kind face twisted into a sour look. 4*o not waste your pity, lady. The duchess was as sorry for her husband's death as I should be if I were elected pope tomorrow. They whisper that the young duke took care not to be by the night his father died, but it is as likely that the duchess waited for him to be absent before she poured the wine.4 46ou think . . .4

4-o.4 /e was smiling again. 4I do not think. I dare not. The old duke is dead and the duchess packed off to her ,panish kin in -aples; that is all any man here knows but he.4 /e glanced at *omenico and then away. 4"nd we know enough when we know so much.4 4)ut *uke !arlo was old. I thought when I heard he was dead that he had died naturally.4 4It is safer to think so. )elieve it.4 Ippolito helped himself from a 1ug of wine and lifted his cup in salute. 4-ow we must bury our thoughts of the duke who is dead and serve the duke who is living.4 I nodded. I was not even shocked; it would be a lucky man indeed who lived out his natural span here. "ll around us, even now, plots and subterfuges were in traina whisper here, a few ambiguous words in passing, or only a look. ,andra's face came back to me, the swiftly masked e pression when his generalship was mocked, and 0iero's, watching *omenico when he thought he was unobserved. *uke !arlo could not have inspired more hate or love in any who surrounded him, and he had been murdered. 4The duchess4I spoke again to stop my thoughts4does no one care that she is gone54 4/er faction went with her,4 Ippolito returned blandly, 4and she is not much missed, I can assure you. *uke !arlo only married her to fill his bed and found it would not contain her; no young and handsome man was safe with her. Even #ord *omenico pardon me, lady, my tongue trips on all these dukeseven he could not be certain that the name of &other would hold her off him. +e are better for her absence. -o one mourns here cept perhaps #ord ,andro, who misses her as a man misses a raging tooth and sleeps the sounder without it.4 I was slow to take in the implication, because I could not believe it. 4,he was the mistress that thethe duke banished54 Ippolito looked guilty. 4I forgot whom I spoke to,4 he said (uickly. 4I should not have said itbut perhaps you should know, if you are to keep afloat in this foul sea. It is known they bedded together at the duchess's importunity, but it was not incest, e cept in the strictest ruling of the !hurch. They are no kin to each other save in name. #ord ,andro is the old duke's son by a woman none of us has ever seen. /e was born close on old !arlo's first marriage, and &adam .ratiana was his third wife.4 4The third7 +hat became of the first two54

4The first#ord *omenico's motherdied in childbed, and the *uchess Isabella died in an accident. ,he was childless, so there is none to dispute the dukedom, thank .od74 I hardly heard his thanksgiving. 4They are an ill-starred family,4 I said wonderingly. Ippolito shrugged. 4+ell, what would you5 The state is held in the shadow of the pope's anger since the della 8affaelle wrenched the land from him. /e will e communicate us all once the breath is out of the archbishop's body.4 4The duke said that, too, and I have heard it since I was a child, but I do not understand what you mean.4 4#ady.4 /is kind face was full of wry laughter. 4I have talked too long of dangerous matters. %or that you must delve into the palace library and read the !abrian histories; it is a tale of years and far too weighty to be told before supper.'' 4)ut I cannot read.4 I looked beseechingly at him. 4+ill you not tell me54 4I dare not, for my health's sake7 *o not wheedle me, lady; if the duke should see you ga$e at me in such a way, I should be good for nothing but bait for fishermen.4 /is eyes twinkled at me over the rim of his cup, and I looked back at him with a sudden feeling of affection. "s he sipped his wine his ga$e traveled past me, and I saw him stiffen in astonishment and lower his cup. Then, with a word of apology, he brushed past me and went to the duke's side. /e was back almost at once, the perple ity as clear on his face as it had been that morning in the duke's chamber. 4/e wants you.4 "ll his courteous phrases had deserted him in the stress of the moment. 46ou are to be presented to my lord archbishop.4 I wondered whether one of us was mad or deaf, or whether the duke's brain had turned. To present his whorehis base-born whorewas worse than folly. It was madness. ,truck dumb with apprehension, I followed Ippolito through the crowd and sank in a deep curtsy before the della 8affaelles. There was a sudden silence, then the archbishop said coldly, 4I heard a rumor, *omenico, of your new mistress.4 4*o not wrong your intelligencers, good uncle.4 *omenico spoke over my head, very softly. 4They took some pains to let you know of it. I have my whisperers, too.4 The thin hand, so close to me as I knelt, clenched and rela ed again. 46ou do not have your wits74 I was taken aback by the venom in the archbishop's tone. 4/ave you not heard what they are saying54

4#ittle that is true, I swear. &y lord, you are forgetful of your manners and your dignity to leave her so long unsaluted.4 4I do not think4the old man's voice was icy4that .od's blessing can be on such a woman as this, my dear *omenico.4 4-o5 )ut /is mercy is said to be infinite.4 4*o not presume to instruct me. I know the scriptures well enough.4 *omenico's cruel mouth curved in a seraphic smile. 4"nd the verse which speaks of casting the first stone54 The archbishop's lips tightened. 8aw red patches stained his hollow cheeks, and his nostrils flared as he e tended his hand to me9 as soon as I had kissed his ring and taken his scanted blessing, he snatched it back in an angry swish of scarlet. *omenico's fingers caught mine with (uick possessiveness as I rose to my feet. 4<ncle, I present the lady %elicia; she has no other name. ,he is our guest at court.4 The hard eyes narrowed, giving the old man the look of a scarred alley cat preparing for battle. 4-o name5 /ow is that54 *omenico ignored the calculation in the deliberately mild (uestion. 4It is too long a tale to tell you now. +hen you are better ac(uainted with her, you will know how little it signifies.4 4It might signify greatly if any part of what I hear is true.4 The archbishop stiffened, and when he spoke again every vestige of urbanity had fled from his voice. 4*omenico, are not those the !abria diamonds54 46es.4 The duke's face was full of malign amusement. 4I thought you would know them again.4 4"nd you have recovered them from your stepmother to give them to . . .4 4To my guest, good uncle. They become her well enough, do they not54 The archbishop was breathing heavily. 46ou are behaving like a madman, *omenico. 6ou are not yet proclaimed, and yet you deck your light-o'-loves in 1ewels the 8affaelle women have worn since !abria was ruled from 8ome74 *omenico had not moved; he was standing with bent head, indifferently contemplating the tip of one shining shoe. Then as the hasty speech ended, he looked up. The archbishop flinched.

4I have not given them lightly, uncle, and you need not fear the commons' censure they will consent soon enough when they hear my reasons.4 4,o you had reasons54 4If I should need more reasons than my willyou probe less subtly than you did, <ncle.4 4I greatly fear you may be turned lunatic74 " laugh, high and 1eering, was his answer. 4There is none to arraign me for it if I am7 I am duke in all but the coronationI have the name, the homage, and there is no one to dispute my title. The commons will not see !abria given back to the pope because I lay dull stones on her bright skin.4 /e was using me, I thought, as an e cuse to gird at the old man. /is glee was the mischief of a naughty child insulting its elders, and he was reveling in the archbishop's suppressed wrath. I whispered, 46our .race . . .4 and he checked, the 1eering lines smoothed from about his mouth as he looked down at me. 4+hat, must I be more civil5 ,top my mouth, then.4 /is kiss was brief and hungry, and his eyes were dancing as he raised his head. 46ou see, <ncle, I can be ruled.4 The archbishop did not appear to be listening; he was ga$ing through me. 4These rumors I have heard, *omenico . . .4 4+hat is it your spies have told you54 The duke's breath fanned my hair. 4,omething I could not find it in my heart to believe when I heard it. I thought you incapable of such rash-ness, but now I am less sure. They say you think of choosing . . .4 4-ot here, good <ncle.4 There was a threat in the very softness of *omenico's voice. 46ou will learn soon enough what I intend, if you do not plague my ears with poisoned tattling.'' The archbishop cast him a strange look but said nothing; he only turned and whispered to a nearby servant. *omenico smiled. 4-o, <ncle, your spies will not find it out either.4 4-ow it is you who are too hasty.4 The skeletal hands spread placatingly. 4I sent the man on a message, nothing more. I shall not plague you, as you term it, to know your mindwhat I know now will suffice me.4

*omenico nodded idly, but his eyes narrowed with suspicion, and there was a moody thrust to his lower lip as he turned away. 4!ome, let us go in to supper.4 4Ego te absolvo.4 %ather 3incen$o made the sign of the !ross over me, and I rose from my knees, feeling comforted. &y conscience would not let me take !ommunion while I was in a state of sin, but the young priest had heard my confession and given me penance for the good of my immortal soul. It brought me more solace than the ceremonious mass held in the palace chapelthe court worshiped with great pomp but to little purpose, the atmosphere in the chapel mingling derision with some superstitious fear, as though the nobles believed they were propitiating some immortal revenger. I kissed the thin, olive-skinned hand. 46ou are too lenient with your penances, %ather.4 4.od does not seek to punish you for the sins you are forced to commit, as long as you repent them in your heart.4 4"nd as long as I sin no more. )ut until the duke wearies of me, I have little choice.4 The priest lifted the stole from his neck and folded it reverently. 4That is your salvation, daughter. -ow, listen to my advice, for we have little time; you may be sought for at any moment. +ill you believe that what I tell you is intended for your good54 46es, %ather.4 /e hesitated. 4Even after the ill service I have done you54 46ou have done me much good since,4 I said simply. 4Then listen.4 The priest's eyes were almost fanatically steady. 4+hile you keep at court you must learn the ways of it. There are many who will try to oust you from the duke's favor, so you must be circumspectIppolito de'%alconieri is an honest man; him you can trust, but no other. If any others of the duke's retinue seek an alliance with you, be wary, for they will try to undermine you.4 4)ut why should they5 I am no more than a passing fancy of the duke's.4 46ou have held him for four days now7 /e is wont to look for a new woman after an hour. ,ome, like the lady &addalena %eroldi, he has returned to more than once, but she is as hot-backed as he, and it was half her seeking. 6ou are a wonder in the court. /ave you not seen it54

I shook my head. I knew that I was treated with an e aggerated courtesy which bordered on insult when *omenico was near; but when he was absent, I read my true worth in the disdain of the women and the insulting familiarity of the men. That it might spring from envy had not crossed my mind. 4/is .race the archbishop already looks askance at your powerhe wants the duke wedded and the succession secure, and while you hold sway the duke cannot be persuaded.4 4I have no power.4 4It is greater than you dream of.4 The priest's earnestness almost convinced me. 42nly remember my warnings, daughter.4 I shivered. 4I do not need them. /atred is in the air I breathe. )ut thank you for telling me about the lord Ippolito.4 4/e will help you if you ask him and will tell you what you need to know of the life here. )enedicite, my daughter.4 I caught his sleeve as he turned away. 4%ather, II have a (uestion to ask you. "bout the archbishop.4 /e looked startled. 4+hat is it54 4It was something the lord Ippolito said, and then he told me he dared not speak of it. +e were talking of the archbishop, and he said that once he died, the pope would e communicate us all. +hat did he mean54 There was an intent look on the young priest's face. 46ou have heard of this before54 4"ll my life. &y mother spoke of it when I was a child, but she died before I was old enough to understand what she meant, and so I have never understood it.4 4It was a thing every !abrian was told by procla-mation many years ago, when the edict was passed. *o the commons not teach the story to their children54 4I know as much as I have told you.4 4It must be proclaimed again.4 The =esuit spoke with une pected force. 4I will speak to the duke; the people forget what is not before their eyes. This is not a tale to tell in haste, but the time we have must serve.4 /e hesitated a moment, choosing his words. 46ou know that the whole state of !abria was once ruled by the pope54 I nodded. 4It is,why he is always seeking to invade us, to win it back.4

46ou know that much truth, at least. #isten, daughter. %ifty years ago the 0apal ,tates stretched from 8ome to the sea. The lands were so vast that the popes allowed servants to rule in their name, and one such ruled here, in !abria. The pope then was content that it should be so, but when he died and his successor was elected, it was found that the legate had been lining his own purse by coining money from the 0apal &int at %idena and pledging the pope's credit to the richest of the local nobles, *uke 8iccardo della 8affaelle. /e was *uke *omenico's grandfather.4 I nodded mutely. 4The legate was e ecuted by the new pope and a successor appointed, but by then the 0apacy was so deeply in debt to the 8affaelles that when 0ope 0ius came to repay them, he had to reduce his household servants to do so. Then when the legate's successor died, *uke 8iccardo demanded the election of his younger brother, who was a bishop, to take his place. 0ius refused.4 4+hat did the duke do then54 4+hat one would e pect of a 8affaelle.4 The priest gave a slight smile. 4/e rebelled and took power by force, proclaimed his brother and himself 1oint rulers, and sei$ed the mint for his own use. The pope was then old and dying and could not stop him, and his successoranother 0iushad troubles enough abroad and was willing to elect a della 8affaelle to the archbishopric in return for peace and the cancellation of the debt. )y the time he learned that *uke 8iccardo was ruling !abria and would not accept papal authority, it was too late.4 4)ut what has this to do with . . .4 4+ait, and I will tell you. The story is not much longer. 0ope 0ius threatened 8iccardo and all his sub1ects with e communication if they did not return to 8ome; but the duke's answer was that if he did that, he must e communicate the archbishop, whom he himself had elected. ,o the pope did nothing. "fter ten years *uke 8iccardo died and his son !arlo succeeded him; now *uke *omenico holds the state in defiance of 8ome. The popes after 0ius have been too busyor perhaps too compassionateto e communicate a dukedom of so many souls.4 4+hy did they not54 I asked blankly. 4I have told you. They would have to e communicate 8ome's own archbishop.4 4Then our archbishopthe duke's uncle4 4/is grear-uncle, daughter,4 the priest corrected calmly, 4is *uke 8iccardo's brother, %rancesco della 8affaelle. The pope is waiting for him to die, as he and his predecessors have waited for forty years.4

I moved to cross myself, superstitiously. 4/e must be so old74 4-ot so very old. /e was not twenty when he was made bishopmoney is a great power in the /oly !hurch. )ut you see4%ather 3incen$o straightened his shoulders 4why such pains are taken to preserve his life. The pope's mercy hangs upon it indeed and grows more precarious day by day.4 4I see.4 "t last I fully understood the haunted look on the archbishop's face, the harshness that sat on him like the stamp of physical pain. 4. . . The common people must be told over again. It is eight and thirty years since !abria was proclaimed independent, and those who heard the true facts then have forgotten them. "t court the archbishop himself makes us a memento mori, but we should have known that the people would forget. 0erhaps they would hate him less if they knew the truth.4 I stared at him blindly, only half hearing the words. 4If the archbishop and the duke were to ask the pope's mercy, could they not be saved even now54 40erhaps. )ut for a della 8affaelle to give up such power willingly74 I said no more, but my heart ached for *omenico, growing to manhood under the shadow of damnation and daring fate with such arrogance. 4They are a proud family, and all !abria must pay for their pride.4 There was a tired look on the priest's face. 4!ome, daughter, or you will be sought for. I will be here three days hence, at the same hour, if you have need of me.4 I thanked him and took a hasty leave, but part of my brain said9 and I5 +ill I be here three days hence5

46ou are lacked, my lady.4 -iccolosa's voice greeted me as I entered the tapestried chamber. 4/is .race has ordered the court dressmaker to attend on you, and mercers and all manner of others to supply your wants. /e is coming himself to see you choose your gowns.4 "n e traordinary feeling of suffocation swept me. I said, 4I have enough already.4 46ou are to be furnished with more/is .race has ordered it.4 To -iccolosa there was no more to say. 4/as he asked for me54 In spite of myself, my voice sounded an ious.

4-ot yet, but he sent word you were to be ready by three o'clock. 6ou are come 1ust in time.4 Even as she spoke, I heard footsteps in the corridor outside, and the sound of voices. 4/is .race7 ;uickly, my lady . . .4 -iccolosa twitched my disordered skirts into place as the door opened, and I turned, bracing myself instinctively. ,ervants entered with rolls of cloth, and others with mysterious bags and bundles, then a tall man with a flared demicape about his shoulders, and finally the duke, with the inevitable herd of courtiers at his heels. I reali$ed with a sinking heart that the duke's generosity and my thanks were to serve as their after-noon's entertainment; the smile on 0iero's lips told me that he at least was relishing the prospect of my humiliation. )ut *omenico had stopped on the threshold and was speaking over his shoulder, la$ily. 4#eave us. . . . +e do not re(uire a conclave for this business. +e can 1udge these goods the better in private.4 There was the sound of a stifled protest, then a flurry as the courtiers bowed and withdrew, and I stood listening to their busy footsteps fading away outside. I told myself that my trembling was due to fear of how my absence had been discovered. 46our .race, I am no 1udge of what I should wear, and I do not need . . .4 4+e will 1udge for you. -ever fear. 6ou have only to show yourself to us in these stuffs.4 /is gesture encompassed the bolts of treasure strewn about the room. 4"nd we will be your arbiter. Taccone, show your merchandise to this lady.4 The dressmaker bowed and with glistening eyes moved around the room, unrolling bales that spilled in torrents; black velvet, silver bullion, shimmering silk; stiff brocades embroidered with silver thread and encrusted with pearls; 1etty silk rimmed with diamonds and cloth of pure silver. /e threw back muslin covers to reveal gowns readymade, bodices clasped with silver, collars of lace, petticoats of whispering taffeta. %or a moment I blinked and was da$$led, struck dumb, and then *omenico said, 4,irrah, do your workand do it well; you were best.4 +hile the dressmaker and his servants scurried around me, *omenico lounged at his ease, watching and now and then giving a sharp direction; but for the rest of the time he talked to me, idle gossip of things that did not matter. I found myself telling him of my life in the city as though it were long past, a story that had happened to someone else, and I could even mention my stepfather's name lightly. 4*id you never try to find out the man who sired you54 he (uestioned negligently. I shook my head, causing the dressmaker to give a cluck of reproach.

4/ow could I5 /e cannot even have known he fathered me, and it must have been twenty years ago or more.4 /is eyes narrowed. 4*o you not know how old you are54 4-ot e actly. I think I must be twenty or so, but no one counted very carefully after my mother died.4 *omenico nodded thoughtfully, and I thought he said, 4That will do4; then he stood up. It had grown dark outside the slitted window, and his eyes were gleaming strangely. 4Enough, Tacconethose I approved I shall take.4 The dressmaker bowed low. 46es, 6our .racethe .enoese silk, the ,panish velvet, the two brocades.4 /e was numbering them on his fingers. 4The cloth of silver, and . . .4 4,pare us your arithmetic, sirrah. &ake them up as I directed and leave those other gowns here.4 4"s 6our .race willsand the one the lady is wearing now54 46ou should ask her. %elicia, do you like it54 4-o, 6our .race,4 I answered awkwardly. 4It isfar too finefor me.4 4The truth.4 It was like the faint purr of a leopard, and the laughter in it stung me. .loved fingers gripped my shoulders and swung me around so that I faced the long glass behind me. I could see his fair reflection towering over me, my own pale face and apprehensive eyes, my body stiff in the elaborate gown. 4+hat do you dislike54 I stared at the spreading farthingale, the double sleeves, the tightly fitting bodice, and the gau$e-draped neckline with its high, wired collar framing my face. /is fingers tightened a little, impatiently. 4+ell5 It is Taccone's latest fashion.4 4In the city only the whores wear gowns like this.4 I had not meant to blurt it out so, brief and unvarnished, but now I had to go on. 4I had rather wear what I have worn till now than dress so lewdly.4 4-evertheless, you must do our pleasure in this.4 /is arms came around me, pulling me back against him, and I met his eyes in the glass. 42ur mistress is not to be bound by yeomen's rules of niceness.4 I made a small, desperate sound as his hand slid possessively over my breast; then he gripped the veiling gau$e and tore.

4I am duke of this province, too,4 he said thickly, 4and I do not sue to see my own domains.4 I tensed under his caressing fingers, but it was no use. +hat little modesty the gown had had was gone, and my breasts were almost bare to *omenico's touch. "t last, when I was trembling and pliant against him, he smiled very slightly and drew away. 4That will do, Taccone. &ake them all in this fashion.4 The dressmaker bowed delightedly, only the faintest of leers on his thin face. The servants stood rigid and wooden; I thought bitterly that they must be used to such scenes. I stood immobile while *omenico chose gloves for me, scarves, ribbons, brooches, and chains, decking me like a doll. +hen he had done, he looked down at me with a mocking smile in his eyes. 4+ill you not thank me54 I said stonily, 46our .race has done what pleases you.4 4<ngrateful, %elicia.4. /is fingertip flicked the side of my neck, and I winced, as though it had burned me. 4I thought it would please you. "ll women are greedy for fine clothes.4 4I am not all women,4 I re1oined, and he nodded slowly. 4I am beginning to learn that. )ut the time has not been wasted,4 he added deliberately, 4for now you look nearly as fair as when you are naked.4 The blood stormed to my face and ebbed again as he stooped to press his lips to my throat. /e was amusing himself with his latest toy, I thought9 and when it ceased to amuse him . . . 4!ome,4 he said softly, 4the day wears. +e will go in to supper, and then tonight I shall teach you how to render thanks graciously.4 /e had taught me much in four nights. I had learned to await his coming with e citement as well as dread; I had learned the treachery of my own flesh and was shocked by the frailty of my virtue. /e had taught me that pain could be a part of pleasure and that pleasure could be a kind of pain. -ow I had new fears; not of him but of myself and of the drugging rule my body could e ert over my mind. "t night the strangeness of the court and the vigilance kept over my own fears were melted in the growing familiarity of his body against mine, the warm scent of him and soft moans and whispers that were a whole new language. I tried to shut my ears to it, to hood my senses, but inevitably my new knowledge betrayed me so that I was lost to hungers I had not known I possessed.

"nd when I lay (uiet, listening to the voices of contrition and self-loathing inside my head, his nightmares always came to tear him; so I held him, cradling his head to my breast like a baby's, deaf and blind to anything but his torment. That night he talked in his sleep again, the e citement that had burned in him bla$ing through his dreams. I wondered that the court did not come, but most likely they dared not. 4I did not meanI will notoh .od, the blood7.et back from me and let me rest74 /is outflung hand caught my hair, and at the touch he screamed, a long high shriek of pure terror, flinging himself back in a violent recoil that dragged me with him. /e was breathing hard and fast, and his opened eyes looked sightless. 4%elicia, I dreamed . . .4 I looked down at him, my throat choking with compassion. 4I know.4 4,he cannot stop me. -one of them can stop me. Tomorrow . . .4 The ne t day, I knew, was the one fi ed for the council. 4+hat will you do tomorrow54 %or a moment he was silent, the silver flare of panic slowly fading from his eyes. Then he muttered, 4-o matter,4 and pulled my head down to his.

Chapter Four
I woke the next morning to find the duke already stirring. He stooped over me to kiss me good morning, drawing the covers up as he did so and tucking them under my chin. 4I must attend the council today, %elicia. ,tay abed for a little, and I will have 0iero send your women to you.4 /e was dressed, I saw, in the severest ,panish fashion, making him look older, more awe-inspiring, and even more princely. " great ruff brushed his firm 1aw; his supple prowl had become a conscious elegance, as though he had put on ma1esty as a whore puts on paint, as a mask and as a weapon. I tried to sit up, blinking the sleep from my eyes. 4+hat am I to do54 It sounded stupid, childish. 4+hat you will.4 The black eyes turned from me to the door as Ippolito entered. 46es, I am ready.4 4The council attends your pleasure, 6our .race.4

*omenico nodded and moved towards the door; then as he reached it, he looked back, a sardonic (uirk to his lips. 4I will send you to %ather 3incen$o,4 he said maliciously. 4/e will fill your time when I am absent.4 /e did. /e filled my time far longer than *omenico could have anticipated; that state council lasted for four stormy days. 8umors ran through the court like wildfire, but no one there could even say for sure what the councilors were debating Ippolito, as the duke's secretary, knew, but the lesser fry were e cluded from the chamber. The (uartet of sycophants who normally clustered about *omenico every moment of his public life hung about the gallery outside, ready to be at his elbow when he emerged and to marvel at or condole over they knew not what. %ather 3incen$o made no reference to what was happening around us. The duke had told him, he said, that he might teach me to read and write, and for those four days he taught me as rigorously as if we had en1oyed the same monkish seclusion in which he had learned his letters. It was bewildering to leave his lessons, in which I became a child again, and nothing was more important than the curl of a . or the difference that a single letter could make to the sound of a word, and go to the brawling suppers after the talk had broken off, where keeping my footing amid the chafing tempers and spiteful formality of the della 8affaelles was ten times as hard as tracing my signature. The first evening *omenico stormed out of the chamber and into the ban(ueting hall white with fury, the (uartet at his heels like a gaggle of distressed geese. There was no mistaking the compressed lips and dilated nostrils; someone or something had thwarted him. &ore dreadful than anything was his silencehe did not speak, and the whole court took their seats in a hush of trepidation. 2n my right the archbishop sat stiffly, obstinacy and an indefinable complacency radiating from him; I knew that he had taken a stand in the council from which nothing could move him. and *omenico's violence was washing over him as a tide beats over a breakwater. The other councilors staid older men, here a soldier and there a cleric, chosen to give the name of legality to the reigning family's absolute ruletook their cue from them and devoted their wholehearted attention to their food. The meal dragged on in an ominous hush until I thought I could bear it no longer. -o one had the courage to break the silence. Then, suddenly, ,andro began to talk. It was only a lewd rigmarole he had heard in the city streets, but he embroidered it in the telling, and the sound of his voice severed the unnatural (uiet like a lifeline. The duke did not respond, but neither did he turn on his brother, and little by little the rest began to whisper together until the noise filled the great void of the hall.

I blessed its very raucousness as a return to normality. It was hard to recogni$e the *omenico of yesterday in the white and thwarted autocrat beside me, and I had to drag my thoughts from him to frame an answer when I reali$ed that ,andra's last remark had been addressed to me. 4&y lady &addalena may have been slack in your service, lady.4 /is blue eyes twinkled at me. 4If so, you must blame me for it. 6ou shall have her back tomor-row, I promise, but I have been employing her constant-ly till now.4 4I did not know she was supposed to serve me.4 I spoke in genuine surprise. 4"re you sure you are not mistaken, my lord5 ,he seems too fine to be anyone's servant.4 /is eyebrows shot up, and he laughed. 46ou must not be deceived by that 1ade's haughty looks, my lady. ,he is no more fine than a waiting gentlewoman who learns her manners from the whore she serves.4 I colored and said, 4)ut I am sure she is better born than I.4 4,mall doubt of that,4 *omenico inter1ected savagely. 4If you ask her, she can tell her father's name. 6ou should consort with my brother, lady.4 /is stormy dark eyes held a malevolent glitter. 46ou have much in common. /e can teach you to make a revenue out of your bastardy.4 I stiffened as though he had struck me, but he had turned away, demanding more wine from a nearby servant in a voice that made the man stumble and nearly drop the flagon. I looked at ,andro, e pecting to see him incensed or ashamed, or both; instead, he was making a comically rueful face, and as he met my ga$e he winked. 4It takes wit to do it well,4 he observed blandly. 4)ut for our father's lustihood I would have been the son of a horsecoperas it is, I have had my living from the state since I was three years old. I thank its bounty. 6ou must bethink you, ladyconcoct a proof that says you are the daughter of a king, and your true father cannot betray you.4 I saw the archbishop's eyes flicker in something like consternation, then the duke's hand closed over mine so hard that I nearly cried out. 46our speculations do not fit the time, )rother.4 /e still spoke curtly, but his black mood had changed from anger to abstraction. 4+e will ponder the (uestion at a fitter time, when perhaps we can lighten her ignorance of her true father.4 *isbelievingly, I tried to remind him that not even the *uke of !abria would be able to find my father after so many years; but the pressure of his fingers silenced me, and I suffered ,andro to pick up the thread of his earlier discourse.

2n the second and third days, food was carried into the council chamber so that the debate could continue uninterrupted. %or all that time I never saw the duke save at night, when he came to my bed, and he never spoke of what had chanced. +hen I asked (uestions, he called me presumptuous, silencing me with his mouth and making love to me so unmercifully that I had no thought for anything beyond his pitiless, e (uisite carnality. /e wore me out at last, and when I fell asleep, no wiser than I had been before, no nightmare of his came to wake me. )y day I felt curiously lonely despite the occupation of my studies. "s ,andro had promised, &addalena returned to my service, oppressing me with her incessant, inward spite. "ll she did was done grudgingly, with an air of fierce contempt that made me half-afraid of her, and the pity and sympathy I felt for her were alike unwanted; she treated me with such disdain that I hardly dared speak to her. I could not even ask her not to attend me; if *omenico should hear, he would construe it as a complaint and do more than I meant. I could only submit to her untender ministrations and hope that the tangle would resolve itself at last. -iccolosa would not allow me to study all day long, and I walked with her twice a day, learning my way about the palace. It was like a grim stone warren, with its galleries and drafty passages and time-hollowed stone stairs, but she knew every inch of the way, and I supposed she had known it all her life. The courtiers we met affected not to see me, and one or two spurned me as they would have done if I had never been taken up by the duke. It was a sour little reminder that I owed even their civility to *omenico's reflected power. I missed his protection sorely, not only against the court's contempt but against 0iero's increasing insolence, for without the check of his lord's presence, 0iero became the bane of my life. I was never free of him. /e would stroll in upon me while I was dressing or making ready to retire for the night; he would be waiting in doorways or in corridors when I went walking and would elbow -iccolosa from my side to take my armthe privilege, he said, of the duke's chosen envoy. If %ather 3incen$o sent a servant to his study for a book or fresh parchment for our lessons, 0iero would enter with it in his hand. I began to start at shadows, fearing that he would step bowing from their screen to pour his interminable insinuations and reproaches into my ears. %or he upbraided me now as roundly as the strictest confessor. I began to wonder whether I had imagined the smooth-tongued bawd who had begged my virginity for the duke, for now he constantly condemned me for surrendering it. It was as though he was fascinated by the thing he loathed, because his talk was a stream of indecent speculation mingled with disgusted invective. ,omething had made his tongue as bitter as 1ealousy. "t first I thought that his e clusion from the council had made him waspish enough to want to bait me; but there was true rancor at the core of his railing against *omenico,

and his threats of what he would do with me when the duke wearied of me were more than idle. It was on the morning of the fourth day that my unease at last ignited into anger. I had told myself that my own fears might be shaping the man's innocent proceedings to something greater; but that day he came to my chamber early, unannounced and uninvited, and I knew that he had purposely chosen his time. I was standing in my petticoat, waiting for -iccolosa to pull the gown over my head, when I saw over her shoulder that he had come into the room. /e was standing 1ust inside the door, thoughtfully stroking his beard. /is eyes were fi ed on me, and for a moment I could have sworn that he licked his lips. 4+ell, my lord4I shook my hair forward (uickly, knowing that it would hide my bare breasts as surely as a cloak 4was that what you came for54 4+hy, my good mistress74 /e stepped forward with an artificial laugh. 4If I wish to see *iana 2utraged, there is a tapestry in the west tower that shows her with "ctaeonit is something worm-eaten but well enough to ga$e upon. +hy should I seek for better54 46ou know that best yourself, unless it is court manners to come in on a woman uninvited.4 46ou are too nice in your talk of manners.4 /e came nearer. 4)ut foul enough, I swear, in your deeds at night, my lady /ypocrisy.4 -iccolosa stepped back as he approached, but I stood my ground. 4/ow dare you call me hypocrite5 6ou have no cause74 4To deny a sight to one man that you give another freely7 Is that honest54 4/onest enough to the duke. 6ou have no claim on me.4 4-ot yet,4 he agreed, watching me shrewdly. 4-or ever, if I can prevent it.4 4If you can7 I am glad you have no great estimate of your power, because you are like to lose it shortly.4 I crossed my arms before me, my fingers digging into my own flesh. 4+hat do you mean54

42nly that one of the council was in his cups last night and told me what /is .race is debating in council.4 0iero smiled lightly. 4It seems he thinks of choosing himself a wife.4 I was silent for so long that he spoke again, impatiently. 4+here is your power now54 4I had none to lose,4 I said in a whisper. 4+ho is it he means to marry54 4That is what they are debatingthe duke says one woman, the archbishop another, and the )astard ferments their (uarreling because he would not have his brother marry at all7 )ut it is sure that he will marry, and soon too, so you had better lesson yourself to speak to me softer.'' I had to shake myself out of some sort of dream. 40lease go, my lord. I am cold.4 4I thought this news would make you sing a humbler note74 /is fingers, shapeless and as smooth as a lady's, gripped my wrists and pulled them down. 42nce the duke's thoughts are full of his bride, he will have no time for youI know well enough he does not return to a dish he has picked overbut we need not wait on his consent like a troth-plighted couple. .ive me some earnest now.4 I knew he meant to kiss me and twisted to avoid him, beating at him as well as I could with my pinioned hands. /e kept his hold on my wrists, however, and said with his high bubbling laugh, 46ou cannot strike me this time.4 I was struggling so hard that his kiss missed my mouth and fastened hotly on my shoulder, and the ne t moment -iccolosa's bony hands gripped me and pulled me away from him. I looked up to see her confronting him, stiff with outrage. 4The duke has not forsaken my young lady yet, #ord 0iero.4 /er harsh accent was suddenly more emphatic. 4-or is he likely to from all I can see. 6ou had better leave her in peace from this day on, or I would not give a groat for your life.4 /e retreated before her, eyeing her as a ram does a sheepdog. 4/ow long have you been so hot in defense of the *uke of !abria's whores54 he demanded viciously. 42r have we converted you at last from your creed of chastityas my tongue converted her54 4I know how willingly she went to !abria's bed.4 I thought da$edly that I had never heard -iccolosa speak so unsteadily. 4I saw her face when you took her to him, and I can tell true fear from feigned as well as I could twenty years ago.4 ,he bit her lip as though she had said too much and then continued brokenly, 4)ut that is dead and buried. "ll the past is dead, and now I bear no one any ill will, my young lady least of all. #eave her in peace, my lord, or I shall see to it that you regret this morning's work.4

%or a long moment 0iero looked at her, visibly weighing his courage with his discretion. Then he turned on his heel and went without another word. I had not meant to weep, but -iccolosa's unyielding embrace was ine pressibly comforting. /er une pected championship did not make her any gentler; she spoke to me tartly until I grew (uieter and had regained control of myself, and then she helped me to put on my gown. It was as she turned away to fold my discarded nightrobe that I saw the tiny roll of paper lying on the floor near my foot and bent (uickly to pick it up. 0iero must have dropped it by accident; he could not have meant it for me, I thought wryly, for he knew my skill at letters well enough. 2ut of curiosity I unrolled it and then stared at it in perple ity. I had not hoped to make out what it said, but here there were no letters, only patterns of wavy lines like an ostler's tally. It must be some mountebank's spell, I decided, or a wise woman's philter that 0iero was keeping. -iccolosa said gruffly, 4%ather 3incen$o will wonder what has become of you, my lady,4 and I crumpled the paper covertly into my hand, thinking that I could give it back when I saw 0iero again. I was hurrying towards %ather 3incen$o's room when someone came rushing out of one of the antechambers'and cannoned into me. I 1umped, e pecting it to be 0ierothe palace corridors were dim on the brightest daybut it was ,andro, his s(uare face set and determination in his blue eyes. 46ou will be late for the council,4 I said as he checked, e asperation on his face. 4.o on it does not matter.4 "t that he halted, his unwontedly grim air melting into a comradely grin. 4#et them wait,4 he declared, scrabbling about after my strewn books and papers. 4I will not let you think me a boor for forty brothers.4 In moments he had gathered them up and thrust them into my arms, and I laughed shakily and thanked him. /e was turning to go when he stopped again and picked up something from the floor. 4/ere is some privy conveyance of yours. 6ou had best not let my brother4 /e broke off, staring with knitted brows at what was in his hand, and I saw he held 0iero's paper. 4+here did you get this54 he demanded roughly. 4It is something of my lord 0iero's. I think he dropped it while he was speaking to me, and I was keeping it to give it back.4 4*o you know what it is54

I shook my head. 4I thought it was a charm.4 4If it is, it is a wicked one. This is a cipher, lady.4 /e flicked the paper with a disdainful thumbnail. 4I think my lord 0iero has been selling his allegiance where he should not; this does not come from any of the factions about the court.'' 4%rom ,pain, perhaps54 I thought of the banished duchess and her ,panish kin, but ,andro, his attention still on the paper, said, 4-o, not from ,pain,4 as though the idea were nonsense. 4+here, then54 4I do not know, but I mean to find out.4 /e looked up and seemed to see me again at last. 4+ith your leave, I will take this to my great-uncle. -o man knows more of codes like this than hehe has traded in such matters for too many years to be unable to interpret this. +hen I know what it says, we may think again. It may be nothing,4 he added reassuringly, 4a love note from della ;uercia's latest boy, or only some tongue that I cannot read. If so, you can be sure I will give it back to him and say I found it by chance.4 4"nd if not54 4If not, he is intriguing against my brother.4 ,andra's eyes rested calculatingly on my e pression, and he let out a (uiet whistle. 4*o you care so much5 +ell, fortunate *omenico7 /e does not know that yet. I can give you back this riddle.4 /e held it out in the palm of his hand, 4and yours will be the blame for what it breeds; or I can take it to my lord archbishop, and he and I will see it safely unraveled. 2ne way it will be my brother's bane, the other della ;uercia's. +hat shall I do54 I looked at the apparently harmless thing and hesitated, sickened. Then I said, 4:eep it,4 and turned my head away. /e drew a (uick breath of relief. 4Thanks, fair lady. This will be a passport to the council's forgiveness when I arrive so late. 2therwise they would 1am me on a spit and roast me.4 /e was off and running, clutching the poisonous scrap of paper, before I could answer. &y brain felt giddy; my fingers trembled as I clutched the pile of books and papers, and I went on towards %ather 3incen$o's room, not daring to contemplate the conse(uences of what I had done. %ather 3incen$o was helping me to write my name, and I stared in awe as the pen held in our two hands shaped the letters on the parchment.

4That is '%elicia.' 4 The priest smiled kindly. 4+hat is your surname54 &y fingers slackened on the pen. 4I have no right to oneI only know my mother's, and my brother said I must not call myself by it after she died.4 46our brother is not here to chide you now. +hat was your mother's name54 I said, 4.uardi,4 and he nodded, his hand tightening over mine. 4There. It is written. ,oon you will be able to write your name as well as any clerk and set it down instead of making a mark.4 46ou speak as though I were a child.4 I smiled at him. 4)ut I am only childish in not knowing my letters.4 4That is all that concerns me.4 There was an odd note in his voice. 4To me you are only my pupilall the rest I had rather forget.4 The memory that sometimes made speech difficult between us came back to me then, and I looked up almost with relief as the door opened. It was the (uartet, in full force and full cry. It had taken me days even to distinguish them one from another, but now I was beginning to know them. .uido 3assari, the little gnomelike man who had fetched me to the ban(uet on that first night; )aldassare #ucello, tall and thin; 8iccardo *'Esti, thickset and with a rictus smile seemingly painted on his lips; and "ndrea 8egnovi, who looked like a woman in a man's clothes9 all so encrusted in artificiality that the natural men were lost within the glittering shells. 4#ady, the council is ended.4 4/is .race sends for you.4 4/e awaits you in the council chamber.4 4"nd we are to escort you to him now.4 They all spoke at once, filling the (uiet room with their shrill voices, and I glanced at %ather 3incen$o. )ut he, after a long look at my face, was (uietly putting away the pens and ink, and I wondered if my sudden ine plicable 1oy at the summons was visible in my e pression. %eeling rather like a sparrow caught in a flock of rowdy starlings, I let myself be drawn after the (uartet down the great staircase to the door of the council chamber. They halted then, their busy tongues stilled, and I could hear voices within before .uido, his

sharp face a careful blank, stepped forward and knocked. The talk broke off, and someone gave a sharp summons. .uido inserted himself nimbly around the door 1amb. 4+e have brought the lady, 6our .race.4 /ands thrust me forward, and I found myself in the doorway, looking down the length of a huge table made of shining 1asper, straight into *omenico's eyes. /e held his hand out to me without speaking; and it was then, as I went to him like a falcon flying to his fist, that I reali$ed I loved him. I knew then, looking up at him, that I had been deceiving myself, calling this feeling by any name but love. #ust for the beautiful animal who had seduced me, fear of the vicious tyrant, compassion for the haunted man who cried like a lost child in my arms they were only part of what I felt for him. %ate had lured me into the ultimate folly, and now I was trapped in total love. The black eyes glimmered down at me. 4+e have been turning over some trinkets, %elicia, and cannot decide which we ought to purchase. #ook and tell me what you think is the fairest.'' I looked down at the tabletop. ,trewn across it were a do$en or so trinkets, fragments of bright color reflected in the shining surface like dragonflies on the water. They were pictures, so gorgeously painted and cunningly framed that I blinked at them, hardly knowing what they were at first. I felt the councilors' eyes on me as I picked up one carved like an ivory flower and saw inside it a painting of a plump, golden-haired girl with a child's pouting lips belied by her full breasts. I knew then what the pictures were. I said, 4I cannot choose without knowing what you seek, 6our .race. Is it the lady's beauty or the artist's cleverness that I am to 1udge54 42h, the sub1ect.4 It was the archbishop who answer-ed me. 40ay no heed to the painting74 I thanked him unemotionally and looked at the picture again. ,omeone coughed and said that that was #ydia 8enaldi, the daughter of the *uke of 0arma, and I forced myself to raise my eyes to *omenico's. 4+hy does she send you her picture, 6our .race54 40arma himself sent it si months since.4 /e was watching me as a cat watches a mouse. 4"nd my father deferred the (uestion; but now I am in the market for a wife.4 +hether he meant to or no, 0iero had done me a favor by telling me this news this morning, for now I could hear it unflinching. 4Is that what you have been debating54

4%or four mortal days.4 /is eyes never left my face, 4I never had a stomach for it before that nightly drudge is a breeding ground for hatebut I think with some policy, and a tolerable wench, I might be brought to endure the marriage yoke. "ll my uncle's sermons4he glanced fleetingly at the archbishop4have borne fruitthe dukedom needs an heir, he tells me, and has urged it ever since .ratiana refused to curb her pleasures for the sake of bearing a child. *o you favor any of these54 I stared at the pictures through a mist of tears, willing myself to handle them carefully when I longed to smash them to fragments. 4"re all these rivals in your market54 4They are some of the dearer goods,4 he agreed ironically. 4Tell her their names, good <ncle, and their fortunes and conditions. It may be that her 1udgment will e ceed yours, and whom she chooses shall be my wife.4 I bent my head attentively over the portraits, one by one, while in my ears the archbishop's voice spoke of dowers, settlements, alliances, and heirs. I felt as though my whole body were filled with pain and if I moved or spoke it would spill and foul the room with its stench. 2ne portrait was circled by a ring of gems, another set in a golden locketwomen and girls, pretty and plain, each a desirable match for a duke in birth and fortune. 4The lady %rancina di !orso,4 the archbishop said as I picked up another portrait, 4twice widowed, and a kinswoman of the *oge of 3enice. ,he is the heiress to a third of the %arnese fortune.4 4It would be a great match, then,4 I said colorlessly. The painter had been at pains to soften his sitter's sharp face to his ideal of beauty, but for all his care and her rich clothes and 1ewels, the tight mouth and pale, hard eyes showed clearly. I placed the lady %rancina di !orso at forty, at least. 4True,4 *omenico cut me short impatiently, 4if we can compass it. #et it be, we shall decide another day.4 In a da$e of relief I heard him dismissing the councilors and their trooping out after the savage swish of the archbishop's train. I could think only that this was a reprieve, that for perhaps a day or two longer the duke would not choose his bride. The doors closed, and I reali$ed that *omenico was studying me curiously. 4*o you care no more than that54 he asked idly. 4I thought this news might grieve you.4 4+hy should it5 I have never professed to love you.4

4-ot with your tongue.4 /e turned away abruptly. 4!ome, we will leave this talk of wives for a spaceyour . . . companionship suffices me until I come to marryyou need not fear a rival till then.4 4"nd from that day your wife will suffice you54 I asked with a hint of bitter wonderment. /e nodded meditatively. 4I think perhaps she will.4 "fter a moment he spoke again, and the gravity was gone from his voice. 4#ook, I have other toys you may like better; they are not so old, but one of them may please you. #ook and choose.4 I reali$ed with a sort of hunger that he was offering me the gift of a 1ewel that had been his. If he had offered me an asp in a bracelet I would have taken it from him. I turned to the ebony bo he pushed towards me, trying to (uiet my fast-beating heart. &y first thought was that he had more 1ewels than any woman; there were clasps and shoe buckles, earrings and chains, all tossed together in a hapha$ard muddle, and so rich that I drew back instinctively. 4These are more of your family's 1ewels. I may not take them.4 4-o, they are my own,4 he contradicted la$ily. 4,cruples are for foolstake whatever you wish for. "ll these are nothing; I have a greater gift in mind to give you.4 I assumed he was teasing me and did not answer, only turning over the trinkets one by one. &any of them were dingy, heavier made than he usually wore, and must have lain in the bo for years unworn; there were a boy's ornaments on which the engraving had worn smooth, showing that he had worn them often9 and on these my fingers lingered involuntarily. Then, caught in the lining in one corner of the bo , I noticed the.ring. It was silver, wrought in the shape of two clasped hands holding a pearl; the metal had a blackish sheen, and the pearl's luster was dimmed. /e must have cared for it once, I thought, to have kept it so long, and because he had let it grow grimed and dirty he would not mind if I asked for it now. /e was turning over some papers as I made my choice, his head averted; and (uickly, before he could gainsay me, I thrust the ring on my finger and held out my hand. 4I should like this, 6our .race.4 /e looked up with the beginning of a slight smile, then fro$e like an animal in a trap. +hen he spoke at last, his voice had no e pression at all. 4That is peddler's trumpery. I meant you to choose a worthier stone.4

4I like this. I am not one to brave comparison with emeralds and sapphires.4 4)ut pearls mean tears,4 he said in a (ueer voice. 4"re you not superstitious5 ,ome men call them bad luck.4 4,ome men are frightened when a cat crosses their path or when a skew-eyed old woman frowns at them. I am less credulous.4 I looked up and saw his face. 46ou do not want to part with this. I will put it back and choose another.4 4-o, take it. The thing has little enough valueI had not seen it for so many years, that is all. I did not know I had kept it. I was given it years ago, by my father's second wife. ,he died not long after.4 4The *uchess Isabella54 I could not understand the (ueer, dead look of him, the almost dreamy note in his voice. 4,he was killed, they told me.4 4+ho told you54 he-demanded sharply. 4Ippolitohe said she died in an accident.4 4It . . . was given out so.4 /e spoke slowly, after a long hesitation. 4In fact, no one knows for sure how she died. =ust before, there was an attempt on my great-uncle's life by some #utheran $ealot who sought to wrench !abria to his heretical faith by killing the head of our /oly !atholic !hurch. /e failed in that but escaped the palace guard, and it was thought that he came again that night and had better success.4 The thought made me shiver. 4)ut he cannot have been unseenunheardhow could she die, and no one know of it54 4,he had gone to pray in her chapel.4 /is fair head was bent and his voice muffled; he was picking savagely at the carving of the table with the tip of his dagger. 4It was a thing she did oftenshe would pray for hours, and no one heeded her absence. 0erhaps she was praying for deliverance from my father,4 he added viciously. I looked again at the tarnished ring. 40oor lady,4 I whispered. 4That pearl can well stand for the tears he had of her.4 The knife dug into the table almost vindictively. 4,he wept more than any woman I ever knew. The saying held true for her; she had ill luck enough with it.4 4)ut she died when she gave it away.4 I spoke almost without thinking and added (uickly, 4+hat became of the #utheran54 4/e was caught and e ecuted for her death.4 /is reply was abstracted as he stared at the notched blade of his dagger. 4The #utheran could bring no evidence that he had not

come upon her while she was alone, stabbed her, and then fled. It might have been he as soon as another. /e swore he had been drinking at a tavern, but a soldier saw him by the palace gates; he was hanged for it, anyway.4 4*id you love her54 I asked inconse(uentially. /e looked up (uickly at that, and I saw that his eyes were dead, opa(ue black; there was no light in them at all. 4I5 -o.4 4)ut she loved you.4 4+hy do you say that54 4)ecause she gave you her ring. ,he must have loved you.4 -o woman could choose but love him, I thought, but I would never say so to him. 4It was a poor enough gift.4 The very tonelessness of his voice sounded somehow defensive. 4I only wore it once.4 4*id it hurt you to see it after she died54 4I did not wish to think of her74 he snapped violently, almost petulantly. 4I do not like the deadthey belong in tombs and on battlefields.4 "s he spoke I saw the (uill at his right hand, protruding from an inkwell set in a human skull. It made me feel cold all at once. 4+as it so dreadful54 I said and bit my lip. I had not meant to ask the (uestion, but it slipped out unbidden. /e was silent for so long that I thought he did not mean to answer, then at last he began to speak in a strange, dreaming murmur. 4,he was lying on the floor when I went in, as though she had not moved all night. I thought she had fallen asleep and I called her, but she did not answerand the floor4 he broke off, choking. 4+hoever killed her had made good work.4 It was then that I understood his nightmare. It was his stepmother's body, sprawled on the chapel floor in its own blood, that haunted him. )ut why, I wondered; what was the guilt that would not let him forget finding her so, and why did he talk in his sleep of blasphemy5 The ring gleamed on my hand as I put it out to him, and I wondered why I could not find it loathsome. )ut it seemed a sad keepsake rather than a ghoulish one; the dulled silver and the modest gray pearl carried no taint with them. /e did not see me move, and my hand dropped back to my side. Then with an impatient movement he 1ammed his dagger back into its sheath and straightened.

4:eep the ring if you have a mind, %elicia. 0erhaps the sight of it on your hand will drown the other remembrances.4 4Thank you.4 It seemed pitifully little, but it was all I could say. 4-othing else54 /is hand on my shoulder was still unsteady, and I couid feel a tremor in his fingers as they slid under the sleeve of my gown. 4&y humblest thanks, 6our .race54 &y voice sounded breathless, and his hand tightened. /e said with a glare that was not wholly a threat, 4%elicia . . . ,4 then turned with startling swiftness as the door opened. 46our .race74 4)rother.4 *omenico's eyes were narrow, his betraying, shaking hands clenched behind his back. 46ou are something untimely.4 46our pardon, )rotherand madam4,andro glanced at me ruefully and bowed low 4but I have news to tell you. That message cost our uncle little laborhe has intercepted a like code before in notes from spies that we have taken, but this one is addressed. I think you will like to know whom della ;uercia seeks as a master.4 *omenico held out his hand without a word, and ,andro put two papers into it. 4There, the message and its translation. 6ou would think these creatures would vary their codes sometimes7and I have brought de'%alconieri, who will not believe that I have not concocted this myself. I said that the lady would confirm how she found it.4 I met Ippolito's an ious look and nodded. 46es, my lord. #ord 0iero dropped it in my chamber.'' *omenico said silkily, 4+hat was he doing there54 and I started. 4/ehe had come to escort me to my lesson, and we had a disagreement. -iccolosa was with me.4 /e nodded after a moment, but his sensual mouth was tight as he looked back at the two papers. 4#ook, Ippolito.4 /is secretary went to his side at once. 4,ee what goes forward under our very nosesa creature of ours seeks to sell us to our enemies.4 Ippolito stared at the papers. 4)ut, 6our .race, it is . . .4

4It is foolery.4 The black eyes narrowed and went to me as though unconsciously. 4)ut it shall not go unpunished, nonetheless.4 Ippolito seemed not to be able to believe his eyes. 46our .race, this is some drunken foolishness. #ord 0iero could not mean you any harm. +hy, he has been your friend . . .4' 4/e writes soberly enough. ,ee there, and there; that is intelligence an enemy would pay well for, if this slave had had the wit to choose oneas it is, he seeks to sell me to the *uke of %erren$a, who styles himself my cousin; one who is linked to my family by marriage and is so far from enmity with me that he is forever soliciting me to visit him and see that palace of his7 *id the dullard have no brain at all5 I might have gotten it from the man he wrote to, as soon as by this accident.4 Ippoiito was silent for a moment; then he said in a troubled voice, 46our .race, if this is so, the writing has done no harm. I am sure it was done in a fit of melancholy and not seriously intended.4 4#eave your e cuses.4 *omenico tossed the papers to ,andro. 4/e meant mischief to us, and we will re(uite it so. 6ou will be ready to arraign him when we re(uire it of you.4 Ippolito stepped back, his face that of a man who has stepped on a green meadow and found himself in a (uicksand. I could see his thoughts clearlyif a man as close to the duke as 0iero had been was condemned so summarily, what hope was there for him if someone should denounce him5 "nd what for me5 I thought suddenly. 0iero had been *omenico's companionand I believed him. his loverfor more than a do$en years. I had not held him for as many days. &y tenure was precarious, to say the least. 4,et someone to watch the traitor,4 *omenico continued curtly, 4but so that he does not see it; and bring me word of how he spends his time. ,ince he abuses his freedoms, I shall see that this lady has another guardian. )ernardo da #ucoli will servehe has not sufficient mettle to be anything but virtuous.4 The vicious little sneer made ,andro laugh. 4I wondered why he did not prosper74 4,uch uprightness is tedious.4 *omenico's mouth twisted. 4/e will serve as a gallant to %elicia for a glance from her fair eyes and will ask for nothing morenot even a purse. The more fool he, for gallantry will never make his fortune.4 )ut when )ernardo da #ucoli came to my side at supper, I smiled, for it was the darkhaired boy who had helped me into the saddle on that first morning.

/e approached deferentially, bowed to the duke, and said hesitantly, 4&adam, I have been bidden to offer you my service, and I do it with all my heart.4 I held out my hand to him. 4I am grateful to you, sir, and glad to accept your offer.4 *omenico was watching us speculatively, and the awareness made me uneasy. I looked at the ingenuous-ness in the young courtier's eyes and the unpainted smoothness of his cheek, and said involuntarily, 46ou have not been at court long, messire54 /e shook his head. 4" few weeks only. I came from my home in the north to attend on *uke !arlo, and I am still learning the ways of the court, for much is altered since he died.4 /e glanced, belatedly and apprehensively, at *omenico. I said, to smooth his discomfiture, 4Then we shall have to help each other, messire, for I am a novice, too.4 /e bowed gratefully and after a word or two more withdrew to his place. *omenico's fingers toyed idly with the knife beside his plate. 4I did not know that your taste ran to milk and water.4 4-ot all virtue is tedious, 6our .race.4 4Is it not5 ,hould I seek for some, then, to make you smile at me54 The breath caught in my throat. 4This is folly74 42nly wait a little. I am doing that to please you that will make them call me fool and madman, worse than my lord archbishop.4 /is eyes glimmered. 42r I will tumble for you if you ask me.4 The insinuation of the last words made me deaf to the pu$$le of the first. 4I have no fondness for tumbling,4 I answered (uickly. /e raised his eyebrows and laughed, then turned to talk to ,andro, who was beside him. I sat for a moment, staring unseeingly before me, and started as the archbishop's voice addressed me. 4,o you know of my nephew's wedding plans, lady54 I turned sharply to face him, meeting his piercing scrutiny. 46es, my lord.4 &y lips felt dry. 4)ut only that he means to be married. /e has not spoken to me of any preference.4

4/as he not54 The deep, melodious voice was skeptical. 4I thought he would have ac(uainted you with his thoughts.4 4-o.4 I smiled tenderly, then forced my face to stillness. 4,ecrecy is the breath of life to him. /e loves intrigue more dearly than any mistress.4 46ou are shrewdhave you learned that in so short a time54 4/is .race is an e pert teacher,4 I returned rather bitterly. The archbishop surveyed me thoughtfully. 4"nd what will you do when he is married5 )ow before his wife54 4-oI do not know what I shall do.4 " lump grew in my throat. /e nodded. 4It is as I thought. 6ou do not have the look of one who has lived long in sin. )elike my nephew forced you and holds you against your willif it is so, then I shall pray for your soul, for a woman cannot but be damned in this corruption he calls a court. " whore once made must after stay a whore.4 4I shall not be the duke's whore long,4 I said. 4I know he will cast me off as soon as he is married, and after that . . . I must trust in .od's mercy.4 4*o you think you will have leisure to repent when you are earning your bread on your back5 I do not speak so to distress you, daughter,4 he continued smoothly as I flinched, 4but to warn you of what must happen. If you wish to live and thrive afterwards, you must coin your beauty, sell yourself by lottery. "nd .od will not brook it.4 4Then I must be damned,4 I said with a sudden dreadful certainty, 4for /e will damn me, if I take my own life.4 46ou could leave the court.4 The archbishop's tone was noncommittal. 4I have nowhere to go. I have no family but my half-brother, and he cares nothing for meI think he was glad to be rid of me, for he never tried to find me when the duke took me. "nd I have no friends, nor skill to earn my living.4 The archbishop drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the rim of his wine cup. 4I might give you help.4 4/ow54 &y bowed head 1erked up incredulously. 4I am patron of a convent in .enoa. 6ou might go there and live among the nuns to atone for your sin in prayerbut I doubt you would take such a desperate remedy.4

I was silent for a long time. This chance was literally heavensent, for the archbishop was the voice of .od in !abria, and to re1ect his help would be close to blasphemy. )ut .enoa . . . I must have murmured the word, for *omenico's bright head turned. 4+hat were you saying of .enoa54 he asked softly. 4I was telling the lady of your good success there, nephew; how you took the citadel and laid it waste.4 The duke nodded, his beautiful face full of catlike satisfaction. 4)ut since then I have con(uered a sterner fortress.4 /is eyes mocked me. 4"nd now I enter it freely.4 I hardly heard what the archbishop replied. I felt faint with relief, as though *omenico's intervention had saved me from a choice I could not bear to make, and there was no chance to speak to the archbishop again for the rest of the meal. It was only when he rose to leave that he whispered compellingly, 48emember,4 and then he was gone in a rustle of silk. 0iero came to my chamber 1ust as I was going to the duke that night, but his manner had changed. -ow his self-confidence had deserted him, and he seemed worried, biting his lip; he stayed and spoke to me a little of the duke's wedding plans, his eyes flickering around the room all the time, and then, not finding what he sought, he went away with his face a little more drawn under the paint. I felt a stab of pity for him and wished wholeheartedly that I could have kept his secret without endangering *omenico's life. The palace was clamorous now with the names of conflicting contenders for the duke's marriage bed. Every faction held a different opinion, and *omenico heard them all with a faint, feline smile and would not say yea or nay to any of them. 4/is .race will do well to choose a rich wife,4 .uido 3assari said, with a meaning glance under his eyelids at me. 4/e has near emptied the treasury by this, and he will not listen to talk of moderation.4 "ndrea 8egnovi tittered. 42h, but he has wealth enough yet to s(uander7 I will take my oath it is not gold that will lure him. " complaisant woman, now; one who will close her eyes to his infidelities . . .4 4It is a fruitful one that he must seek, my lords,4 )aldassare #ucello interposed. 4!abria has no heir after him but the lord )astard and the archbishop, and may heaven help all of us if either of them succeeds7 The )astard has his own followers .iovanni ,anti and those marauders he calls gentlemenand the archbishop hates us and will root us out if he comes to power. #et us pray that the duke will get himself a son, and that (uickly, before the state totters74

4"nd falls into the lap of 8ome5 6ou are too gloomy, )aldassare.4 8iccardo *'Esti's fi ed smile never left his lips as he spoke. 46ou may as well prophesy that ,pain will swallow !abria after -aples's victory over our soldiers. This news of the duke's is good for all of usit is only his drabs who will repine.4 I had not much comfort then, and it was of little consolation that 0iero no longer came near to upbraid me. I found myself often seeking )ernardo da #ucoli's company; his gentle, undemanding presence and (uiet devotion were soothing when I was tired of combating the pinpricks of the court and my own overwhelming, hopeless love. It seemed an age since I had sat in the attic over the Eagle sign and wished for some e citement to enter my dull lifenow, passing all my e pectations, I had it, and I would have given it all for peace of mind. *omenico spent much of his time in council or closeted with Ippolito over state affairs, but at night he kept me close to him, even teaching me the court dances in the ban(ueting hall after the feasting was done. I remember the slow, insidious music of flutes and hautbois; the torchlight outlining the duke's silvered body like wildfire; the gleam in the black depths of his eyes, and the way the room faded like the setting of a dream, leaving the hard grip of his fingers and the breathtaking grace of his steps as the only reality. 2nce ,andro came to solicit me to dance with him, too, and because I felt lost and reckless I gave him my hand without a glance at *omenico. +hat if I were still, incredibly, the duke's mistressmy days would be done soon enough, once he had chosen his bride, and then there was nothing for me but a choice between beggary and a convent in .enoa. 4&y brother did not intend any man but him to partner you, I'll swear,4 ,andro observed with a wolfish grin on his dark face, 4but it will not harm him to give place for once7 /e has it all.4 %or a moment the humor was gone from his voice, and his eyes were as cold as chips of ice; then he saw my e pression and smiled again. 46ou need not fear for his anger, lady. /is frowns are directed at me and not at you. I shall find myself on an errand to the border tomorrow.4 4,urely he would not send you there for so little74 /e shrugged, wholly unconcerned. /e had weighed the offense against the penalty before he ever approached me, and he showed no sign of caring that he would be sent into danger not that I really believed the danger, for ,andro bore a charmed life. The figure of the dance took him away from me, and as our hands clasped again he said, 4&y brother is not sparing with his punishments, lady. I shall be paying for my pleasure soon enough. Tell me4I thought I heard his voice sharpen as I turned under our

upraised hands4when does he mean to strike at della ;uercia5 /e has had proof of his treachery for five days and more, and he was not wont to be so slow in his revenges.4 4I do not know, my lord.4 I felt a sense of shame as I spoke. 4/ethe duke has said nothing to me. 0erhaps he means to torture him with waiting.4 ,andro nodded shrewdly. 40erhaps. 6ou have come to know my brother better since you came here. )ut for his own safety and the state's, you had best urge him to rid us of this traitor.4 4+here did you learn that caution, my lord5 That is none of yours74 /e laughed outright at that, a sudden, ribald guffaw which rang discordantly over the music. 4True, lady7 I have been hearkening overmuch to my great-uncle's wisdom. )ut the old 1ackal is right for all that.4 /e sobered swiftly. 4The court would be well rid of such a plotting knave. 6ou do not love the manyou could persuade . . .4 4-o.4 I shook my head instinctively. 4I will not do more to bring the lord 0iero to ruin than I have already done. "nd I wish I had not done so much,4 I added in a whisper. ,andro remained unabashed. 4,tay a little longer at court, lady, and your tender conscience will cease to prick you. In a week or twoa montha man's life will be nothing to you if it stands in the way of your affairs. +hy should you be so s(ueamish5 The man is as good as dead.4 The words shocked me so much that I almost stumbled. ,o to himand to anyone else who knew of that damning scrap of paper0iero was hardly more than a walking wraith; they were only waiting to know when he would die. -o wonder the man was close-tongued these days, and cautious. /e must be feeling the chill of a phantasm's e istence. The music ended, and ,andro led me back to the chair by *omenico's side. I curtsied to him automatically as he released my hand, my thoughts so full of 0iero and his treachery that at first I did not notice *omenico's e pression. 4,o my brother ,andro grows attentive, too54 /is voice 1erked me back to the present, and I saw a troubling glitter in the dark eyes following his half brother's stumpy figure. 4,oon you will have a kennel of these . . . lapdogs vying for your favors.4 I made a movement of protest, and he turned his head, a terrifying hardness about the smile on his lips. 42h, I have eyes. *ella ;uercia, )ernardo da #ucoli, and my brother . . . you had best be virgin-close with them, or I may grow angry.4

/e spoke lightly; his eyelids drooped, and the sub1ect was dismissed. )ut a senseless 1oy was licking through me like a flame. &y days as his mistress might be numbered, it seemed, but .od help any man who sought to anticipate my dismissal. ,andro's sudden e pedition to the border to brave the clutches of the :ing of -aples was a nine hours' wonder that barely stirred the eddies of rumor concerning the *uke's marriage. To the court, what was promised was ever more important than what was past, and their tongues relished the speculations like bees around a honeypot. +hen the duke sent out a do$en messengers on some mysterious errand, rumor had it that they were ambassadors sent to negotiate his marriage; and after that I began to notice again the despising tone in some voices, the contempt in their eyes that had been veiled.while they thought me secure in the duke's bed. +hat surprised me was the change in &addalena. I thought she would find pleasure in taunting me with the prospect of my fall; but her roughness and spite began to abate, and I supposed, when I saw her whispering with the archbishop and ga$ing at me, that she had decided I would most likely go to .enoa and not trouble her much longer. The ne t night, I was sitting in my chamber, waiting for )ernardo to fetch me to the duke. -iccolosa had gone to lock up the !abria diamonds in safety, and I was thinking that soon I must give up those ill-fated 1ewels in my turn, I could bear the loss of the *uke of !abria's favor, I was thinking, but how was I to live without *omenico5 " firefly glimmer moved in the mirror before me, and I met the reflection of &addalena's green eyes as she came up behind me. 4I wanted to speak with you.4 /er voice was low and urgent. 4;uickly, before that old hag comes back.4 4+hy, what is the matter54 There was a fierce purpose in her face that startled me; 4I want you to ask *omenico to prefer me as a lady-in-waiting to his new wife. /e will listen to you, and once he is wedded there will be no security for women who are not friends with his bride.4 4)ut he has not chosen her yet.4 4/ave you not heard54 /er smile was scornful. 4It is all over the court that he is to wed the *uke of ,avoy's bastard daughter. ,he is rich, they say, and fair enough for *omenico to overlook the accident of her birth. The archbishop has done all he can to oppose the match, but now he has given way.4 I stared at her blindly, wondering which of those dimly remembered portraits had been of ,avoy's daughter. The names and the faces had all run together in one hurtful

blur. I said in a voice that did not sound like my own, 4I had not heard. 6ou would be welcome if I could do it, but I dare not beg an office for myself, let alone for you.'' 46ou have no need of an office74 /er eyes narrowed like a cat's. 4It would be nothing to you . . .4 4+hen the duke is married, I shall be cast lower than you74 I turned to face her, trying not to let the tears spill down my cheeks. 46ou at least are nobly born, but I have no foothold here but the duke's favor. +hen he weds, I shall have nothing.4 I heard the pain in my own voice almost detachedly, but &addalena had taken the words literally. 4/e has given you more than ever he gave me74 There was a flash of the old, sullen 1ealousy in her face. 4)esides, when he marries, he is sure to give you a dowry, and, if it does not tempt a nobleman to marriage, it will induce one to take you under his protection.4 I said bewilderedly, 4+hy should he give me a dowry, more than another54 and saw &addalena's wide mouth curve in a cynical smile. 46ou cannot be as mealy-mouthed as that7 There is no need to play the innocentthe whole court knows.4 I felt suddenly weary. 4I do not doubt it. +hat do they know now54 4+hy, of your parentage, of course. It has been common knowledge since *omenico's envoys came backthey could not keep such news to themselves. +hen they found that you were truly *uke !arlo's daughter. . . .4 4-o74 I said. 4-o, I am not.4 4It is proved.4 /er scornful tone dismissed my inter1ection. 4*omenico's agents discovered more than he foresaw when he sent them to find out your father. *id he not tell you he was seeking him54 4/e once said he might.4 " voice in my brain was repeating monotonously, This cannot be happening. -one of this is real. 4)ut I never knew that he had discovered anything.4 <nderstanding flooded her face, and she laughed. 4That man is a devil7 I thought he had used his tongue to coa you into continuing to share his bed, but not to tell you that outgoes everything74 40lease.4 I put my hand on her arm. 40lease tell me plainly what you are saying. I cannotI cannot make myself understand you.4

,he gave an impatient little sigh and began to speak slowly and clearly as though I were a half-wit. 4*omenico has discovered that you are his father's child. 6ou are his half sister.4 /er tone changed as she saw my e pression. 4+ell, is it so surprising5 *uke !arlo was not faithful to any of his wives, it is well knownhe had do$ens of other bastards besides ,andro, and all of them were small and dark like you. They say it is clear from how swiftly you settled here, and how fond you seem to be of ,andro. . . .4 I did not hear the rest of what she said. I 1ust sat still, not daring to move or speak in case something should happen to prove that this was reality. "s long as I knew it was a nightmare, I thought, I could bear it. I had been sleeping with my half brother. The love which had seemed so glorious, so total, was a tie of blood after all7 &y ignorance had betrayed me into incest, and what I had accounted a venial sin was one of the blackest that man or woman could commit, as much as if I had mated with "ntonio. &y brother. 4+hy did he not tell me54 I said at last. &addalena shrugged. 4)ecause he knew you would take it so, I would guess. These days no one cares for consanguinityany kin now, ne t to full brother and sister, is winked at by priests. )ut the common people,4the dis-missiveness in her tone was more insulting than contempt 4still hold it sinful to mate with kindred. If he had told you, you would have refused him.4 I stammered, 4+hy should I believe you5 It may not be true. . . .4 4It is true enough. If you doubt me, ask him. "sk *omenico.4 ,he caught my hands and pulled them away from my face, kneeling beside me with her eyes hard and bright as pale emeralds. 4/e will kill me if he finds out that I have told you9 you must swear not to tell him what I have said. I know I hated you when you first came here, but that is pastI have ,andro now, and I can hold him as long as I choose. I swear to you, I thought you knew all thisit is nothing, I tell you7 The court thinks it sport, no more74 I gave a little cry of despair, and &addalena rose to her feet with a great rustle as -iccolosa entered; through my tears I saw her come flapping towards me like an agitated crow. 4-ow, my lady. &adonna &addalena74 /er voice hardened. 4+hat have you been saying to my young lady54 4-othing.4 &addalena's deep voice was as indifferent as ever. 4-othing it is not good for her to know.4 4,eeking to make mischief, no doubt. +hat is it, my lady54

I shook my head, unable to answer, and her lips thinned. 46ou must not heed any stories of /is .race's new wife. ,ome even say it will be you, and I do not doubt4she glared at &addalena4there are 1ealous ears enough to give even that tale credence.4 4/e will never marry me.4 That dreadful, cracked whisper was my own. 4/e would not if I were an empress. "nd if he asked me, I would refuse him.4 )oth women tried to soothe me; &addalena seemed half-startled by what her words had done. )ut all I could think of was that I had fallen in love with my brother. +hen )ernardo came to fetch me, I went with him like one in a dream. )y habit, I followed; by habit I waited, sitting on the great bed. It was not until *omenico came to me that the dream dissolved, and I found myself facing reality. To my horror my new knowledge made no difference to my inward response. +hen he kissed me, I felt the same e citement, the same languor. I was so deep in ini(uity that I could love my own brother as carnally as if he were no kin. )ut somehow I forced myself to stay rigid in his arms, and after a few moments he lifted his head and looked down at me, his dark eyes angry and pu$$led. 4I thought we had thawed this ice, %elicia.4 46our .race, I cannot.4 I could not say more. 4%orgive me.4 In answer he bent me back with a strength that made me shiver, I longed so much to succumb to it. /is kiss was rough, as demanding as it had not been since the first night when he forced methen his hold eased and his watchful eyes searched my face. 4+hat is the matter54 I wanted to tell him, but I could not speak the words. If he had taken me knowing that the deed was incest, why should my knowledge of it make him pause5 Instead I whispered brokenly, 4I beg you . . .4 /is beautiful face was grim. 4This is more than coyness. Is it that you are sick54 I said yes, snatching at the e cuse, and his frown lightened. 46ou should have told me I am not such a novice that I know nothing of women's matters. +e will forbear tonight.4 ,haking with reaction and relief, I stood beside him with bent head as he summoned )ernardo. Inwardly I knew that this e cuse would not serve me long, but now it was a respite from the first shock; by the time the plea of illness had ceased to serve me, I might have thought of another. )ut my eagerness to escape almost betrayed me. "s )ernardo appeared in the doorway I hurried towards him so (uickly that *omenico

tensed with sudden suspicion, and even through my unhappiness I could sense the sudden distrust that radiated from him, scorching my skin. 4Take the lady back to her chamber, sirrah.4 /is voice sounded curt. 46our .race74 )ernardo was obviously astonished, but he e tended his arm to me without continent. I took it gratefully, and my clutch, as on a lifeline, made him glance at me in surprise. I managed to force my lips into an unsteady smile, and then he led me out into the gallery and back to my own room. Tactfully, he did not ask why he had been called for such an unusual office but only bade me good night in a tone of heartfelt sincerity and kissed my hand at parting. %or three nights after that the duke did not send for me, and I spent their watches on my knees, praying for .od's forgiveness; I dared not take this sin to %ather 3incen$o. The days I spent by *omenico's side, an unresponsive statue, avoiding the (uestion in his eyes each morning or answering it with a mute denial. I had e pected the pain of estrangement, the longing to cast out my conscience and kiss the grimness from his sensual mouth and the glint of growing anger from his eyes. +hat I had not anticipated was the physical agony of separation, the consuming ache of loneliness. There was a fever in my flesh, a terrible sense of emptiness, as though I were starving to death. I hopedor perhaps fearedthat lacking me *omenico would find another woman to lodge with, but the court spies were abu$$ with the prodigious news that the duke was lying alone. I no longer marveled at how I came by the news of the palace. #ike the rest of the court, I was learning to glean it from a word or a look. )ernardo told me, stumbling with shyness, of the *uke's bad dreams since I left sleeping with him; more than anything else, the news nearly overset my resolve. )ut, I told myself grimly, it was for the best in the endI might save *omenico's soul by keeping away from him. "fter supper on the third night I sat alone at the ban(ueting table in the light of the dying torches. The hall was half-deserted, filled with strange scufflings and shadowy forms that shunned the light and drew back into the dark. The court was pairing9 partners were being chosen for an hour, or a night, or longer. ,pies watched alertly for every new coupling that might alter the intricate web of policy and lust spun every night. " countess who bedded with a lord would cause gossip tomorrow; a countess who bedded with her groom would cause a scandal. /onors would be called into (uestion, an eyebrow raisedand somewhere, sooner or later, there would be a swift, secret death for the groom. I was learning, I thought, as I listened to the noises in the shadows. I was learning to be surprised if a couple stayed together longer than a day; not to be surprised when men

paired with men. I was even learning to ignore the sights and sounds that gnawed like rats on the edges of my consciousness. I saw the light gleam on the supple line of *omenico's silvered body, and my breath caught treacherously in my throat. /e was sitting on the edge of a nearby table, one foot swinging negligently, a wine cup in his hand; and across the uncertain patchwork of fire and dark his eyes were fi ed remorselessly on my face, and he was watching me with a dark, malicious satisfaction. /e has found a new woman, I thought, and I felt the pain stab deeper even than the agony of my conscience. )ut I must not love himit was a deadly sin. I almost murmured the words aloud. The hand that swung his 1eweled pomander in a bright arc gripped it and suddenly held it still. 46our thoughts are wandering, lady. +hat is it5 "re you missing your gallant54 4I have no gallant, 6our .race.4 4True, you have not.4 There was an unpleasant smile on his lips. 4-ot now.4 4-or ever4 4-o54 /is eyebrow lifted idly. 4+ell, time will show. !ome and see himthe sight of you may loosen his tongue.4 The protest died on my lips as he took my hand and drew it through the crook of his arm, closing my fingers on his embroidered sleeve. -o one followed us as he drew me with him down the torchlit passage; only shadows moved behind us. "s. we walked, he talked lightly to me about the preparations for his coronation, now barely seven days off. The archbishop, he said, was half-dead with work, but now everything was ready, and it only remained for the courtiers to order their clothes for the ceremony. 4I have passed an edict,4 he told me la$ily, 4that they may put off their mourning for that one dayit will make a braver show.4 I answered him at random, for my thoughts were racing. 2utwardly we were dawdling purposelessly through the deserted corridors, and yet I sensed instinctively that *omenico knew where he was going. +e had long ago left the part of the palace that I knew; now we were in the bleak stone catacombs where the soldiers and the servants lodged. I stared around me uneasily, and *omenico's fingers tightened on mine. 4This should not be strange to you; you were lodged close by for long enough.4

I moistened my lips. 4"re we near the dungeons54 4*irectly above.4 /e pushed open a heavy, studded door as he spoke, and I saw stone steps curling down into dimness. I did not recogni$e them, but I knew the smell at once the rising chill of dank air with, I now reali$ed, a faint tang of salt. The dungeons must be on a level with the caves that run from the bay, I thought detachedly. The stairs led down to a dark, paved corridor like a tunnel where a single torch flared and guttered, and in spite of myself I clung tightly to *omenico's arm. /e walked surefootedly even in the dark; I guessed he must have come this way often and fought not to let my teeth chatter between cold and fear. The corridor led through a vaulted archway on to an iron-railed gallery, and I stumbled to a halt. )elow stretched a vast, bare cavern of a room, bunched torches flaming against the stone pillars which supported the scooped roof, and as I saw the pieces of machinery scattered across the straw-covered floor, I had to suppress a cry. It was the torture chamber.

Chapter Five
l stared around me, fear choking in my throat. 4+hy have we come here54 I fought to keep my voice steady. 4To end this mas(uerade.4 *omenico spoke lightly, his lips smiling, but his eyes were brilliant as (uart$ with anger. 46ou must not think I am (uite a fool, %eliciaI know you are not sick; that is the oldest trick in the world to hide a strayed affection. I warned you, did I not, of what would happen to any man you favored too much54 4)ut I do not favor anyone7 II want to lie alone, that is all.4 46ou should not have let me see your inclination,4 he continued as though I had not spoken. 4-ow the slave is small good to any woman, and never will be againit is a pity, he was comely enough before.4 I pulled back when he would have drawn me down the shelving steps. 46our .race, I have no gallant. I give you my word'' 46ou are lying. !ome down and see him now; he has been here since last night and found it a harsher lodging than your arms.4 &y fingers shrank under his, and his hold tightened, clamping my arm cruelly against his side. I whispered, 4+hat have you done54

/is smile broadened. 4!ome, and I will show you.4 &y first thought was that the stench was unbearable. )lood and human filth mingled with ammonia and the sweet, sickly smell of burning flesh; the air was thick with the miasma of corruption. I could hear strange whimpers and ragged, panting breath from among the devilish machines on the straw-covered floor, and I wanted to cover my ears. I tried not to see the cadaverously thin, chained bodies and the torturers sweating at their work despite the cold. *omenico halted beside a long table in the middle of the chamber, and reluctantly, obedient to his unspoken order, I looked down at what was on it. 4/ow do you like him now54 /is voice was taut. 4/e cannot kiss youthe ropes will not let him lift his headbut you can kiss him if he is so dear to you.4 I did not answer him. I could not. I only recogni$ed )ernardo da #ucoli by his mop of black hair; he had been in the torture chamber a long time. 4/ave you racked him to the uttermost54 *omenico sounded almost scientifically interested as he surveyed )ernardo's broken body. 4-ot far short, 6our .race. /is 1oints are so loose that he swoons when I turn the wheel.4 /ot tears sprang into my eyes, and I twisted free and ran blindly, back across the slippery floor to the gallery stairs, then up them, sobbing as I ran. I should have remembered the savagery that raged in *omenico if he were thwarted, I thought9 but how could I have known he would do this5 "s I reached the gallery, hands caught me and spun me around, and *omenico shook me viciously. 4,o you weep for himwill you deny now that he was your lover54 46es7 "nd I will say it if you do the same to me74 I glared up at his tear-blurred shape. 46our pride will not let you believe I am unwilling, so you have invented a scapegoat. )ernardo has never done any more than kiss my handthe rest you have imagined for yourself74 4I have not imagined your coldness, %elicia. ,omething has made you harden your heart against mewhat is it, if not love for another man54 &y lips parted, but no sound came. %rom somewhere below came a smothered scream, then the sound of someone sobbing.

*omenico continued, still gripping me, 4,omething has altered you. +hat is in that shallow boy to make you shrink from me after so long5 *o you love him so much that you can forget what we have done together54 I shook my head helplessly. 4Then why are you so changed54 It was the rage of a spoiled child who could not understand and could not accept that there was a thing he could not have. In that moment I loved him so much that I almost forgot the dreadful reason I had first denied him. " pulse was beating fast in his temple; he must be enraged almost past thought. 4I am not changed.4 &y voice almost broke. 4I want you to let me go free, that is all.4 4%ree5 +hy54 I sensed his sudden alertness. 4)ecause I do not pay you richly enough54 4-o7 I do not want . . .4 46ou have been gossiping with that whore &addalena.4 -ow the anger in his voice was adult, cold and terrifying. 46ou have compared her price with yours, and you find my bounty wanting, do you not54 The blood drained from my cheeks. 4I do not want your money7 I never did74 4" 1ewel beyond price54 There was an ugly twist to his mouth. 4+ould you persuade me it is not for sale54 4-ot to you. -ot at any price.4 /e smiled. 46ou must not be too ambitious; I will not barter my dukedom for one night's lodging. !ome4his voice was full of a poisonous softness4what will you take in return for half an hour54 /e had released me and I backed away instinctively, my voice as dry as tinder. 4*o not touch me.4 4I will pay you well for it. /ere. . . .4 ,wiftly he stripped the rings from his fingers, the pomander from about his neck, even his silver sheath knife, and held them out to me with a little contemptuous gesture. I stared at them for a long moment, and then they clattered on the flags as I turned my head away. 46ou should have caught them in your lap as the other harlots do, sweet, but I am skilled enough at lifting petticoats.4 The fetid air filled my lungs as I caught my breath to cry out, and I felt cold stone strike my back. *omenico's fingers gripped my 1aw, wrenching my head around to face him,

and his mouth on mine was a deliberate insult; yet the trembling that racked me when he lifted his head was not wholly fear. I gave a little cry of despair, and at once his grip tightened. 4.od's death, what devil frights you to this chastity5 *o not try to play the nun with me; it is your vocation to love me above all others.4 4/ow can you blaspheme so54 I demanded brokenly. 4)laspheme54 /is voice sounded odd, and I remembered too late his old nightmare. +hen I looked up his e pression was remote, his eyes watchful. 46ou take .od's office on yourself. . . .4 4I am .od's deputy,4 he interrupted tightly. 4I rule in /is name.4 42ver a land stolen from the pope74 ,uddenly my bitterness overflowed. 4"nd now you set yourself up to be greater than .od. 6ou keep the knowledge of my mortal sin from me as if you had power to remit the fault yourself#ucifer was cast out of heaven for less insolence74 " spark stirred in the dead depths of his eyes. 4+hat sin have I kept from you5 +e have done no more than we did at firstit is the same gate, though we take different paths to it.4 I could not stop the shamed blood staining my cheeks. 4I did not mean that. 6ou know . . .4 4-o, I do not know what you mean. Is that what has brought about your coldness5 "nswer me74 4It was cruel to let me stay ignorant when you could have taken another mistress who was no kin to you.4 &y voice shook. 46ou could have spared me when you found out.4 4%ound out what54 /ot anger swept me. 4*o not pretend you do not understand7 I have known of the news your spies brought you for the last four days, thanks to &addalena %eroldi. I do not care about knowing my father's nameif he were any other man it would not matterbut not to tell me I am your father's bastard74 /e shook me again, 1erking my head back so that I saw him through a sparkling blur of tears. 4*id she tell you that5 That you are my sister54 I nodded and heard him draw a sharp breath.

4The lying 1adewitness,4 he bent his head to mine, 4that this is no brother's love.4 /is kiss almost stopped my breath before he freed me, then led me back up the twisting stone steps and through the ma$e of dimly lit passages. I hurried beside him in silence, aware even through my own misery of the tension in the harsh grip on my wrist, but it was not until we had reached the privacy of his bedchamber that he spoke again. 4Tell me.4 There was peril in his dulcet murmur. 4*id &addalena say how I found out who your father was54 I answered drearily, 4,he said you had sent spies to discover who my parents were. +hen they brought back the news that *uke !arlo had sired me, she said you would not tell me because you thought I would not come to your bed.4 4)elike I would notif her tale were true. I did send, but my servants could find no trace of who your father might have been.4 4"nd I am to believe you54 The ne t moment I had nearly 1umped out of my skin as a delicate mother-of-pearl bo went smashing to the floor. *omenico turned on me, panting, his color risen dangerously. 46ou will believe a 1ealous harlot without evidence and then presume to doubt me7 In the name of .od4another ornament went splintering4you will believe me before this night is over74 )efore I could guess what he meant to do, he had gone to the door to call. ,hivering, I heard him give orders that &addalena was to be fetched. 4,he will be with ,andro,4 I said as he closed the door again, and his lips tightened. 4&y brother's name comes more glibly to your tongue than mine.4 ,trangely the childishness of that lessened my fear, and I waited almost tran(uilly for &addalena while *omenico prowled restlessly around the room. #osing patience, he went to the door again and summoned three soldiers; this time the orders were long and detailed, and too (uiet for me to hear. &oments later &addalena came in, disheveled and wary, her lips still swollen from ,andra's kisses. "s she entered the room she looked from me to *omenico and back again, and her face flamed with such hatred that I began for the first time to doubt her. 4+hat do you want54 ,he spoke not to me but to the duke, and there was a veiled challenge in her deep voice. 46ou are to attend your mistress.4 The heavy lids hid his dark eyes. 4<ndress her for the night.4

,he glared at him, but with a defiant toss of her head she fetched a furred dressing gown from the closet and began to unlace my gown. I heard her catch her breath as she saw the marks of *omenico's fingers on my shoulders. /e stood like a silver statue before the empty hearth, his ga$e never leaving the two of us while &addalena undressed me, holding up the robe for me to slip into it while she unfastened my petticoats. +hen the mockery of retiring was completed, &addalena turned to look across the room with hungry eyes. 4+as that all you wanted, 6our .race54 ,he spoke smoothly enough, but no one could mistake the eagerness that pulsed behind the (uestion. 46ou do not change.4 The contempt in *omenico's voice would have made me wince, but it left &addalena unmoved. 4*id you think I wanted you for any other reason54 4I did not know it was you who wanted me.4 ,he smiled. 4I would have come swifter.4 /is eyebrow arched. 4+hat, do you still hope I may want you back again54 4It is not so impossible74 ,he had moved away from me to confront him like an antagonist in the center of the room. 4I am as fair now as I was when you seduced me. . . .4 4+ould you call it that54 /e sounded clinically interested. 4I do not remember.4 /er eyes bla$ed. 4*omenico, how can you be so cruel to me5 I have been rash in loving you, yes, but that does not matteryou made me yours, and I would be yours again for the asking74 4That news would interest my brother,4 he inter1ected softly. 4/e is not important, no more important than that peasant slut there. I would send him packing tomorrow if you would take me. . . .4 *omenico's eyes rested on my face. 4#isten well, %elicia.4 4,he may hear if she likes.4 &addalena cast me an angry glance. 4,he is too stupid to understand anything. ,he is an illiterate commoner and was never worthy of the time you bestowed on her. *omenico, she does not matter7 I have been so miserable. . . .4 ,he took a step towards him appealingly, but still he did not move. 4"nd caused some misery yourself, I hear.4 /e was looking down at her impassively, his face a mask of almost inhuman beauty. 46ou have been busy fashioning lies, lady.4 That stopped her. ,he stood utterly still, and I could see the sudden fear that gripped her thin body. 4#ies5 I do not know what you mean.4

4I have heard a tale of my mistress's parentage4he spoke slowly, watching her from between his lashes4fit to frighten her from my arms, if she believed it. *id it come from your foul mouth54 I saw her s(uare her shoulders, and then she answered him with an arrogance to match his own. 4+hat if it did5 It might be true, as well as not. I would say anything to win you back again.4 I said urgently, 46ou were not telling the truth54 4I might have been.4 /er voice was full of malice. 4+ho knows who your father was5 *o you, *omenico54 I saw him tense a little, an almost invisible shifting of his weight, and the la$iness drained from him. /e was still looking down at &addalena with a bored curve to his mouth, but now his slitted eyes were as hard as slate, black and watchful. 4-o matter who he was, my concern is with who he was not. This plot is too subtle to be all of yours, ladyyour tricks do not rise above a few weak lies to make a man 1ealous or tearing your rival's hair out of her head.,+ho told you the way to lull %elicia's doubts, how to make her believe you when she knew you were 1ealous of her5 "nd who told you I had sent out to discover who her father was54 &addalena bit her lip. 4Everyone knew you had sent out messengers.4 4)ut not why I sent them.4 *omenico's voice was dangerously even. 4This cunning smacks of my damned great-uncle; it is his way to twist what is until it shows like what is not. ,o he said he would help you to rid the court of your rival54 ,he hesitated, then nodded sullenly. 4/e said if I could keep her from you, he would have her packed offto his nunnery in .enoa, or to her death; he did not care which. /e said the business of your marriage made ridding you of her important.4 *omenico's smile was breathtakingly beautiful, but his devil's look bla$ed behind it. 4/is policy grows something stale, I think. I am not to be duped so easily.4 4*omenico, it may be true after all74 &addalena burst out. 46ou cannot prove she is not your sister. If you take me . . .4 46ou wrong me, lady.4 /is tone was almost gentle. 4If I must forbear my sister against my will, I shall not be so far damned as to rob my brother. &ore especially I will not rob him of a stale morsel I gave him long ago because he was hungry.4

&addalena's thin hands clenched. Then I saw her shoulders shake and reali$ed that she was crying, as much in anger as in grief. 4If I am stale, it was you who made me so, you and your precious brother7 /ow dare you taunt me with that54 46ou forget yourself.4 The words fell icily into the sudden silence. 4I am not to be berated thus.4 4I beg 6our .race's forgiveness74 she retorted bitterly. /is eyes narrowed, and he moved forward, circling her like a prowling cat, and she turned with him, warily. I could see her tension from where I sat, but it was not the tension of fear; it was e pectation, even hope, that (uickened her breathing and parted her lips. 4I marvel you can still weep,4 he remarked dispassionately. 4I thought you were proof against tears.4 46ou give me enough cause.4 ,he swayed towards him as he stopped in front of her, longing lighting her sullen face to a voracious beauty. /is bright head bent, and he smiled into her eyes. 4-ot half so much cause as I shall give you.4 The wooing, sensuous note in his voice was against the sense of what he said; he was touching her as he spoke, rubbing his body against hers so that she melted against him in boneless delight, heedless of everything but that intimate, insistent caressing. I wanted to look away but could not. 46ou have been too long at court, lady.4 The purr in his voice seemed to turn his speech to tenderness. 4"nd I would not have you here longer, in case you should infect sound lovers with your own hot itch and coin scabs as fast as your tongue coins slanders.4 I doubt that she heard him; she was still looking up at him with a sort of bemused eagerness. Then he bent his head as though to kiss her, and spat deliberately, full into her open mouth. ,he made a sound like retching deep in her throat, a little wordless cry of disgust and disbelief. ,taggering, she backed away from him with her body contorted like that of a woman who has been raped; and in her eyes was the look I had seen in those of a pursued vi en one day when the court rode to hounds. ,he tried to speak, but all she could utter were those incredulous, tearing gasps. 46ou are banished.4 *omenico had turned away from her, (uite unmoved by what he had done. 46ou will go to the ,isters of ,t. %rancis at "ra$$o and learn to govern the lusts of your fleshthe lepers whom they nurse will not heed your enticings.4

I sat fro$en, my hands clasping each other painfully. I could find no words in the face of &addalena's torment and covered my ears as her voice gradually rose in scream upon despairing scream. *omenico, without sparing her a glance, went swiftly to the door and beckoned in the white-faced guards. 4Take this 1ade away and silence her.'' I watched as in dumb show the men took hold of &addalena and dragged her out of the room. *omenico still stood with averted head and lowered lids, contemplating the sparkle of light on one of the scattered rings which lay at his feet. +hen I took my hands from my ears, the room was silent again. *omenico looked up as I moved, and there was a grim look on his fair face. 4*o not fearI shall not touch you until this folly is concluded. 6ou shall have proof enough that I am not your brother.4 I said unsteadily, 46ou have sent her to a living death.4 4" sweetly considered one. &addalena spent her nobility whoringshe and my mother, *uchess .ratiana, between them consumed more flesh than the plagues of Egypt. -ow she can make redress by tending carrion and nursing lepers she did not contaminate. ,he hated you,4 he said suddenly, sharply, 4and you have no cause to love her; why do you look like that54 4It is a dreadful thing7 I think you take delight in suffering; you have such a care to inflict it.4 4It is a 1ust punishment.4 4#ike )ernardo's54 4I punished his thought before it could grow to a deed,4 he said in an edged voice. 4I was more merciful than I could have beenhe had his eyes still, and his tongue, and nails on his toes and fingers.4 I could not reply to him. Instead I said after a moment, 4+hat will you do with him now54 4That is for you to say.4 /e sounded disinterested, like a child discussing a broken toy. 4I will send surgeons to him if it will win your good opinion, but it might be more merciful to dispatch him (uicklythere have been things done which will not mend.4 I shook my head. 4I have done him enough harm. I will not take his life in my hands.4 /is eyes smoldered. 46ou did that when you smiled at him and hung on his arm.4

" guard came hastily through the doorway. /e was panting and checked when he saw me, but his eyes went at once to *omenico. 46our .race, we have taken the man you sent for. I came ahead to tell youthe others are bringing him now. They are not far behind.4 4It is well.4 *omenico's head had 1erked up sharply. 4)ring him here as soon as he arrives, and do it secretly. -o one is to know he is here.4 4"s 6our .race wills.4 The guard withdrew, and I heard his footsteps clattering away on the flags. I said bitterly to *omenico, 4+ho is your latest victim54 /e glanced at me swiftly, covertly, under his long lashes. 4+ait and see.4 I tried not to watch him as we waited9 he was pacing the room impatiently, his head turning at every noise like a leopard listening. -either of us spoke. I tried not to imagine what we were waiting forwho was to be the ne t sacrifice to this tyrannyand my thoughts were driven back to &addalena, to )ernardo, to all the deaths the *uke of !abria could mete out so uncaringly. Then he halted in his tracks, and I heard the sound of approaching feet in the gallery outside. 2ne man's voice was arguing, another whining and pleading shrilly; and the second voice was one I knew. &y eyes flew to *omenico's face, but it was still and unrevealing. The door opened again to reveal four men bunched on the threshold. The leader beckoned the others, a prisoner and two soldiers. 4"ntonio .uardi, 6our .race.4 "ntonio was shaking all over, his fat body wobbling and his face drained gray with fear. /is protests were stilled on his lips as he stared around him like a boar in a strange thicket; then as he caught sight of *omenico his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. 4E cellency, you7 I did not knowthese men said the duke sent for me, and I thought . . .4 4I am !abria.4 *omenico spoke curtly. 4I sent for you because I re(uire intelligence regarding your sister.4 "ntonio gasped. 4&ymy sister7 E cellency . . . 6our .race . . .4 +atching his working face, I wondered what he thought had become of me. It must have seemed to him that the devil had spirited me away, and now the *uke of !abria himself called him up in the middle of the night to (uestion him about me. -o wonder he was sweating. Then he noticed me suddenly, and I thought he might be going to faint.

4%elicia74 /is voice gurgled in his throat. 4I thought you were lost long since74 4-o, brother; I am the duke's guest.4 I spoke gently, to soothe his obvious fear. 4It was he who took me from your house the night I vanished, and I have been here ever since.4 4)ut youthe dukedid you know he was the duke54 4-o,4 I said wryly, 4not then.4 4-o more than you,4 *omenico murmured unpleasantly. 4I did not know where you had gone,4 "ntonio said in a defensive tone. 4I could not fetch you backare you angry with me54 It seemed wrong, somehow, that the bully I had feared was cringing in front of me, looking at me as though he feared what I would say. I responded levelly, 4-o, for however closely you had kept me, I think /is .race's men would have defeated you. -ow I am only glad there was no bloodshed4I glanced up into *omenico's hooded eyes4the night I was taken.4 The duke gave a strange smile, and after a silent moment "ntonio began to babble9 his shock when he found me gone, the in(uiries he had made, the search he could not pursue in the city because no one there knew that he had a sister. 4In the end,4 he concluded, stammering with eagerness, 4I decided you had run away as you threatened to do. !elia was near-cra$ed with grief, but we decided there was naught we could do if you decided to leave our house.4 I had to repress an hysterical laugh; the thought of !elia near-cra$ed by my disappearance was almost irresistible. They had not caredwhy should they5 "nd, as I had known even in my first feverish desperation, they had been too glad to be rid of me to care where I had gone. 4,irrah,4 *omenico's voice interrupted, 4rest assured that your sister is in the safest hands in that she is close to us.4 /is glance sent the betraying blood surging up in my cheeks. 46our .race, I know she could wish for no greater honor. I was not aware of 6our .race's puissance the night you honored my humble house. . . .4 4It is no matter. +e sent for you on an important matter.4 2ne swift look dismissed the guards, and the three of us were left alone in the chamber. "ntonio, his arms free of their pinioning hold, bowed hastily and ab1ectly. 4/owever I can serve 6our .race . . .4 *omenico's eyes were almost shut. /e looked la$y, almost disinterested, and when he spoke his words were measured and deliberate.

46ou swore when I saw you last that you had no knowledge of the facts of your sister's birth. I let it rest then, because it was not important, but now the case is altered, and it will make money for you if you speak. If not, %elicia will tell you that I have many means of charming stubborn tongues to speech.4 &y name on the duke's lips appeared to distract "ntonio. /e cast me a wild glance, and then said, 4I told you true, 6our .race. I know only a little.4 4" little is more than nothing.4 *omenico's eyelids lifted, and his black eyes bored into "ntonio's blue ones. 4,peak it.4 4+hat do you wish to know54 "ntonio watched him fascinatedly as he moved to stand behind me. I was horribly aware of the fluid strength so close to me but not touching, of the hand that hovered above my bare shoulder without descending. I longed to lean back against his hard body, to draw down his waiting hand, but I knew I must not; if "ntonio could not disprove &addalena's story, the sin would be as great as ever. 4Tell me her father's name.4 The duke's voice was suddenly, shockingly raw, and the little color that "ntonio had regained fled from his face again. 46our .race, I do not know7 I swear I do not7 -o one ever knew save my mother, and she would never speak of such things to me. The man was one of the guests at my father's inn. That is all we know. ,he refused to tell anyone who he was.4 4)eware of lying.4 *omenico's voice was absent, but it made me shiver. "ntonio stepped back a pace. 46our .race, I swear it on my father's soul and mine7 If we had ever known %elicia's father, we might have had money for her keep from him.4 There was a long pause. Then *omenico said, 4,he says she was born here, in %idena.4 46es, 6our .race. In the house where we used to live before I married and bought the Eagle.4 4/ow long ago5 Twenty years5 Twenty-one54 "ntonio looked startled. 4+hy, noshe is not yet nineteen; she was born in the winter of ABCD.4 4"nd therefore begotten,4 *omenico counted swiftly, 4in the spring of ABCEwhat month was she born in54 4In =anuary, 6our .race, on the feast of ,an 0aolo.4

I was wondering, with absurd astonishment, why he had never bothered to tell me that, when *omenico's hand gripped my shoulder in fierce possession and I caught the crow of e ultation in his voice. 42ur thanks, sirrah; we need not trouble you further. 6ou have resolved the (uestion in my mind and done your sister some servicetake your payment.4 /e stooped to one of the rings he had discarded and tossed it to "ntonio. &y brother's fat hands closed greedily around it, and he peered in awe at the diamond. 46our .race, is there no more . . .4 4-o more, I tell you. .et you gone.4 "ntonio bowed, his curious ga$e fi ed on the white fingers lightly caressing my shoulder. 4I would bid farewell to my sister, 6our .race.4 The fingers tightened, and I said breathlessly, 4%arewell, )rother. !ommend me to !elia, and assure her you left me alive.4 46es,4 "ntonio nodded absently as he watched, 4I will do so. "nd you must visit us, %elicia, when your leisure serves you, and any of your friends will be welcome for your sake.4 Even at this moment he was seeking grand customers, personages he could boast of whose names would swell his trade. I smiled wryly and nodded, and did not bother to tell him that no one had friends in the court of %idena; only allies, or enemies, or lovers. *omenico spoke to "ntonio, but I could feel his eyes on me. 4That will not be for some time, sirrah "ntonio; tomorrow the court travels to the capital, and your sister comes with us to attend our coronation. +e will be gone three weeks and more.4 I must have stiffened under his hand, but "ntonio did not see it9 he was staring at *omenico with eyes the si$e of plates. 4That is an honor for her indeed7 +hen you return then, %elicia, visit our house, and then you shall have good welcome and tell us how you have passed these weeks.4 46ou must not task her too far,4 *omenico murmured mockingly. 4)rother,4 I found my tongue, 4I will visit you when I may. Till then, farewell.4

4%arewell, dear ,ister.4 *omenico's ring flashed incongruously on "ntonio's finger as he held out his hand, and we shook hands like strangers. 4I will look for you on your return.4 4&y men will see you conveyed back to your house.4 *omenico's patience began to fray, and "ntonio allowed himself to be chivvied peremptorily out. The echo of his footsteps had died before I thought that I might never see him again. 4%elicia.4 The duke spoke my name imperiously, and I looked up, between fear and hope, to meet black eyes li(uid with triumphant laughter. 4-ow let me hear no more of brother and sister.4 /is voice had warmed and thickened. 4<nless my father was a sort of devil and could be in two places at once, he did not sire you.4 4/ow do you know54 I hardly dared believe it. 4)ecause in the spring of the year you were begotten, he was nowhere near %idenahe was fetching himself a bride from ,errato, a week's hard ride away. 2n his honeymoon 1ourney4his lips twisted scornfully4he went to 8ome to gather in the news and so that his bride might visit the pope, her godfather. %rom 8ome they traveled to *iurno and thence back across the mountains. /e was gone at least three months.4 4Three months . . .4 4That and more.4 *omenico was watching my lips. 4/e left the capital for ,errato early in &arch that year and did not come here until =une. &y brother stayed for him in *iurno to greet him when he returned; I waited here in %idena. &y father was a lecher.4 /is eyelids drooped. 4)ut no wi$ard.4 I sat still, for fear my relief and 1oy should betray how much I loved him. /e waited a moment, and when he spoke again there was a note of impatience in his voice. 46ou may ask anyone you please if it is not so, any man old enough to remember it. Ippolito, 0iero, my brother ,andro any of them will confirm it. -ow what have you to say54 /e was standing directly before me now, one foot on the edge of the bed, and by turning my head a little I could have leaned my cheek on his thigh. I found myself wondering anew at the grace of him, the thoroughbred elegance that belied his great strength; at the fierce and arrogant beauty that stooped between me and the torches. I could not speak, but with a sound of sheer e asperation he pulled me into his arms, and as he bore me back, my arms locked tightly around his neck.

!rushed beneath the satin-skinned hardness of his smooth body, I forgot the deaths that seemed to stick to his hands; I forgot that the priest had called my unwillingness my salvation, for now it was as though it had never been. -ow I gloried in his driving strength and the demand that spread my legs ine orably wide; I was straining to meet him as urgently, my nails clawing at his back in animal impatience. I heard him say something against my cheek, and then a sound I scarcely recogni$ed as my own voice, gasping shameless release and satisfaction. +hen at last we uncoupled, he did not release me but still held me hard against him, deliberately tormenting me with the ease with which his least movement could arouse me, taking a long revenge for my coldness. I was half-laughing, half-cryingwith frustration as his hands cupped my breasts, hiding the capitulation in my eyes by pressing my mouth to the strong column of his throat and tracing the sweep of muscle from his neck to the curve of his shoulder. I was almost beyond caution; I only lu uriated in the momentary 1oy. The drop of sober reality in this #ethean draught was the knowledge that he cared nothing for meI was a piece of goods reclaimed at a bloody price, a thing desired and taken; his triumph was the triumph of a prince entering a recon(uered fortress. /e did not care who yielded to him, came the fleeting thought; the surrender, not the woman, was what satisfied him. It was much later, ga$ing up at the ceiling, that I suddenly remembered something *omenico had said to "ntonio. 46our .race . . .4 /e was running an idle hand up the inside of my thigh and grunted an en(uiry. 4I did not want to visit my brother, so you need not have lied to prevent me. -ow he will know when the court does not go to *iurno that you were speaking falsely.4 4)ut I was not.4 /e rolled over so that his weight pressed me back on the pillows, and he nu$$led my outspread hair. 4The court leaves tomorrow morning, and you with it.4 4%or *iurno74 4%or *iurno, sweet. *id you think I meant to be crowned out of the capital54 4I did not know. I never thought of it.4 The black eyes glinted. 4I did not send my tottering great-uncle there for his health. /e has gone to oversee the last of the preparations and order the ceremony in the !athedral of ,an .iovanni.4

I dimly remembered that the archbishop had taken his leave days ago, the day after &addalena had spoken to me. In the pain of losing *omenico I had paid little heed to his departure, assuming only that he was going back to his own palace. I said, 4-o one told me where he had gone.4 4"nd you had other things to think of.4 /is arms tightened around me. 4#ike denying me your bed. )elike if I had not sent him hence so suddenly, you might not be living now. . . .6ou must take heed not to trust my uncle too far if he is so determined to rid you hence. "nd do not eat or drink with him, for I know4there was a strange twist to his mouth4the sort of herbs that grow in his garden.4 4/e might only mean to send me to .enoa,4 I argued, but I did not believe it. *omenico's laugh was half-choking. 4+hatever he means to do, I will prevent it. 6ou must now fi your thoughts on *iurno, for I will not spare you on so long a 1ourney.4 It was a long 1ourney. It lasted si days, each as interminable as the days of my imprisonment. "t first I was in a fever of e citement, seeing buildings and landscapes I had never thought to see, the thrilling steepness of the mountain roads, the towns set like 1ewels high up on the rocky passes. )ut by the third day, when we were past the mountain peaks and had turned due south for *iurno, I had begun to notice the discomforts of travel more than its e citements. The weather was hot, and the cavalcade moved at a crawling pace along the rocky roads. Every bone in my body ached from the 1olting of the coach; and now the lie I had told *omenico had come true, and I was sick indeedthat I would not bear a bastard yet a while was little consolation. %or company I had only -iccolosa, and there was little talk between us; I tried at first to draw her out and make her talk to me, but she was sunk in some reverie of her own and returned me few answers. "t night we stayed in towns and villages whose inhabitants seemed unsurprised by the sudden descent of the duke's retinueIppolito told me that they stayed in these same places when the court passed, each spring and autumn, between *iurno and %idena. )ut at last, when I had begun to think the 1ourney would never have an end, we arrived at the capital. It could hardly have been more different from the place where I had been born. %idena stood starkly on the plain between the mountains and the sea, its fortified walls visible for miles around. *iurno seemed to burst <pon the traveler around a turn of the road, its houses clustering thickly like rose-colored ants on a swelling hillside. 2n the crown of the hill the palace sprawled like the pale bloated (ueen of this glittering anthill; and yet it was beautiful.

"s the procession rumbled into the city, inching up the curving road that wound between the steep terraces, people poured out of their homes to shout and cheer, and soon the clamor was deafening. I would have looked for *omenico, who was riding, to see how he liked it; but -iccolosa pulled me back from the carriage window and rebuked me for behaving like a hoyden. 46ou will see enough from the coronation procession, my lady. There is no need to go craning out of the window74 I was about to reply when I remembered the last time I had craned out of a window. I nodded meekly and sat back until the coach finally came to a standstill. &y legs, stiff and cramped, threatened to give way under me as I climbed out; all around me strangers scurried hither and thither, each bent on his particular task. There were so many coaches that the ones entering had to wait for those before them to be taken away and all the horses stablednobles and servants were everywhere, al7 eagerness to go inside the palace and claim their own apartments. 2nly I stood in the sunny courtyard beside -iccolosa, feeling utterly lost. Ippolito bowed before .me, smiling reassuringly, and took my arm. 4&adam, you are to come to the dukethat is, if I can find him for you in this hurly.4 8elief flooded me, and I followed him through the crowd to find *omenico already dismounted, waiting with the (uartet around him; it was their shrill chatter that guided us. I went to *omenico without another thought. /is gloved fingers gripped mine, and then he said, 4#ook, my great-uncle waits to greet us.4 I hung back instinctively. 46our .race, he will not like to see me in your company, after . . .4 4#et him dislike it7 /e will have heard of what has chanced, and this will be fine proof of his defeat.4 /e turned, drawing me with him towards the great staircase that led to the main doorway; broad, high-soaring, flanked by towering statues three times the height of a man. The titanic figures dwarfed the busy courtiers belowthey even dwarfed the tail figure in scarlet robes who waited at the forefront of his followers on the first broad landing. "bove and below, all the noise was suddenly stilled as we climbed the steps, hand in hand. I would have hurried, but *omenico's fingers forced me to slowness. /e climbed unhurriedly, as though he knew the world would wait for him. The scarlet figure stood unmoving, rigidly upright, as we stopped a few steps below him and *omenico knelt with ostentatious grace to kiss the old man's hand.

The very e travagance of the courtesy made it a taunt, and a muscle twitched in the archbishop's lined cheek as he ga$ed down at the bright head. Then he said, 48ise, my son,4 and drew the duke to his feet again. Their formal embrace was performed without a trace of affection, and both men's faces were impassive as they ceremoniously kissed each other on both cheeks. Then, to my astonishment, *omenico beckoned me forward. I thought as I knelt before the archbishop that before so many watching eyes it would be like him to humiliate me as he had before. )ut then, incredibly, his skeletal hands raised me, and I felt myself enfolded in a torrent of whispering silk. The scents of rosewater and incense mingled in my nostrils; there was a bony cheek laid against mine, and the brush of cold lips. I stood passive, bewildered, unable to credit what was happening. 4+elcome.4 The archbishop turned to *omenico as he released me, his eyes as hard as flint. 4I am glad to see 6our .race.4 46our lordship honors us.4 4I speak with the voice of all !abria.4 -ow the old man's words were very clear, carrying to the listening crowd below. 4+e are amply recompensed for the duke your father's death not only in this speedy crowning of your fair self, but in knowing that your marriage comes hard upon it. The *uke of ,avoy's loss will no doubt be our gain.4 There was a fleeting dryness in his tone. 4"nd with your noble bride beside you, !abria will know many more prosperous days.4 40rettily said, <ncle.4 *omenico's smile was ironic, and below I saw a rippling in the crowd and caught the echo, ,avoy. 4The preparations for 6our .race's coronation are well advanced now.4 The archbishop had dropped his public tone of utterance. 4)ut I wish to consult with you again on the marriage (uestion.4 *omenico shrugged. 4"s you will, but you cannot alter me.4 4*omenico . . .4 The archbishop fought to control himself. 4I saw your grandfather's crowning and ordered your father's4 his voice now was all sweet reason4but I never knew them to grant the honors to their married duchesses that you would bestow on the *uke of ,avoy's daughter.4 4It is no more than the wench deserves. +e cannot do less for our intended bride. -or will we offer less.4 The arrogance of that was unanswerable. The archbishop glanced swiftly at me as though to measure the pain the words had given me, and then shrugged in his turn.

4+ell, that is for tomorrow. Today I must e tend you the city's loyal greetings and bid you welcome to your palace.4 *omenico's eyes glinted with amusement. 42ur thanks, my lord.4 "s he moved after his uncle his fingers slipped from mine, and I hesitated, not knowing if I should follow; they were talking of state and I was forgotten. Then the rest of the court came streaming up the steps, and all around me was a sea of light and color, the very air bu$$ing with speculation. 4,avoy's daughter7 /ave you heard of her before54 4I did not know he had one. The four sons, but a daughter . . .4 4&y lords, she is a bastard.4 I recogni$ed 0iero's voice, full of delighted laughter. 4It seems my lord's .race has a fondness for the breed.4 4" bastard7 /ow do you know54 4/is .race is not a hard man to unhusk, once you are as close to him as I. +hy do you think my lord archbishop looks so sourly upon the match54 42h, my lord archbishop74 There was a high-pitched titter. 4/e looks sourly upon everything, my dear.4 " woman's voice said speculatively, 4I wonder why he marries herfor her face or for her dowry54 4/er dowry, what else54 came the sardonic response. 4/e can have pretty mistresses by the score, but only one wife to fill his treasury for him.4 I wondered 1ealously whether the *uke of ,avoy's daughter was tall or short, dark or fair, and if she would love *omenico as well as I did; and in that moment I understood why &addalena had hated me so much. If the new *uchess of !abria were an angel, I would not be able to bear the sight of her. 0iero's mocking voice was loud in my ears; it seemed we two were engaged eternally in a game of :ing of the !astle, one up, the other down. -ow that my brief sun was setting, he was climbing high once more, his treachery condoned or else forgotten. ,omeone bowed to me, and I looked up, startled, into Ippolito's friendly face. 4&adam, will it please you to follow me54 /is voice was gentle. 4/is .race has sent me to take you to your apartments.4 I said, 4I did not know where I should go.4 4I know, and the duke forgot it. The lord archbishop has him in talk about the coronation, but he bade me tell you he will see you at supper.4

)ut at supper *omenico said little to me, only watching me with an odd calculation that made me wonder whether he was planning to discard me here; and even while he talked idly of the coronation ceremony to the "rchbishop, he was subtly and scientifically wooing 0iero back to his old place at his elbow. I had not reali$ed how much of the player there was in *omenicohow aware he was of his own attraction, how confident of his beauty. /e courted 0iero with the shamelessness of a practiced harlot, luring him with glances and innuen-dos and soft, caressing words. I watched 0iero's instinctive caution blossom into astonished delight before my eyes. .radually he came closer and stayed longer until he was fast by *omenico's side, a rabbit magneti$ed by a swaying snake. ,eeing them together, touching hands and smiling as though at some secret, my mind filled with uneasy memories0iero's claim to have had *omenico's love; the une pected bond, part love and part hatred, which bound him inescapably to the duke and made *omenico so offhandedly cruel. It was something I could never share, so I never spoke of it to *omenico or answered 0iero's obli(ue boasts. )ut what if it revived5 ,uppose 0iero's treachery had bred a kind of remorse in *omenico and he took him up again5 )ut late at night, after he had possessed me and lay kissing my breasts, *omenico said thickly, 4*oes that knave 0iero think he can give me a sweetness to rival this5 I almost love him for his insolence.4 I stiffened and tried to rise, but he pressed me back again. 4/is insolence7 +hy, tonight you dallied with him as if you sought him for a bride74 4The more fool he, if he will take it sono, lie still, I have not done. I mean to pay my lord 0iero for his treachery, and I must poultice the wound before I lance it.4 I stared unseeingly at the shadows overhead. 4+hat will you do54 4%latter him, and then kill him.4 /e sounded almost disinterested and pulled away my protesting hand. 40rudery will not serve. . . . It is strange, but I never thought it would come to this. /e has clung so long without biting.4 4/e loves you.4 I was astonished to hear myself say the words. 4" traitor's love,4 he retorted. 4I think that is why he betrayed youwhen he could not bear it any longer, he took the first treachery that came to his mind.4

4I said he was a fool, did I not5 -aples, 8ome, 8omagna, 3enice, .enoa, nearly all of Italy is ranged with the pope against meand he tries to sell me to %erren$a7 To my friend, although .od knows why, the one man who has never offered war to !abria. It must have been madness.4 4Then pardon it. The fit is over now, and he has learned his lesson, for he could not suffer much more than he has done since he knew his cipher was lost.4 )ut *omenico's body had stiffened, and I knew I was wasting my breath. 4/e dies. -ot for this only; there are other considerationsit is the reckoning of years and must be paid. I have seen him watch you under his eyelids; he wants the chance to do this. . . .4 /e almost startled his name from my /ps, but I managed to bite it back. 4+ould you let him54 /is words came on a current of low, satisfied laughter. 4+ould you suffer a traitor's arms about you and give him the liberty I have5 -o, do not struggle. I am privileged; you must save your modesty for other men. I am not duke for nothing.4 I called him despot and tyrant, but he had his way, and 0iero seemed forgotten for a little. Then when we slept, *omenico's nightmare came again and woke him screaming and sobbing in the duke's painted chamber. The palace at *iurno was beyond any building I had ever seen, making the %idena palace seem bleak and comfortless. It was high and massive, towering over a colonnade of arches, with gilded columns supporting painted ceilings and tall arched windows open to the sun. Everywhere there was light, and I, used to the dark catacombs and howling drafts of the 0ala$$o della 8affaelle, could hardly believe in its lu ury. The day following our arrival, *omenico was closeted with the archbishop and Ippolitoit was the state council over againand I, in an effort to distract my thoughts, set out to e plore. To begin with, -iccolosa was my resigned escort, but when I met ,andro in my wanderings he promptly offered to show me his home. 4This is my home far more than %idena,4 he said in answer to my unspoken (uestion. 4I was born dovFn below in the city, and I spent my boyhood here. It is my brother who is the man for %idenaI swear he loves that bone-free$ing palace there as much as he loves anything.4 I managed not to wince at his words and smiled instead. I had thought that ,andro might (uarrel with his brother over what he had done to &addalena, but it had not been so. ,andro had sulked ferociously for four days and almost stripped the woods we

passed through of their game; then one night, in one of the mountain towns, a merchant's pretty wife had caught his eye. +e had been dining as the merchant's guests, the duke and his nobles, I and a few ladies more. *omenico and his brother had drunk the merchant under the table with the ease of old e perience, and after that ,andro had been free to pursue his flattered (uarry. To her mind there had been no harm in flirting with so charming a man as the duke's half-brother, and the end was inevitable. %or the first time I saw what use *omenico had for the (uartetthey went into action as smoothly as a pack of hounds, trapping the woman when she would have fled, encircling her and holding her down for ,andro. I could do nothing, for *omenico was holding me and only laughed when I begged him to stop them. )ut the gift had seemed to propitiate ,andro, and now he moved through the court with a philosophical air and never referred to the fate of his lost mistress. -ow he bowed deeply, and his blue eyes twinkled at me. 4I am at your service, lady, and &adonna -iccolosa here will vouch for my good intentions. "nd because she knows they far outstrip my virtue, I will not ask her to leave us alone together.4 I laughed, and -iccolosa eyed him sourly. 4I would not do so for your asking, my lord. /is .race charged me to be vigilant over the lady.4 4,o.4 ,andro nodded like a duelist who acknowledges a point and e tended his arm to me gallantly. 4Then, lady, will you and your woman honor me with your company while I show you the treaures of the palace54 I thanked him, swept a brief curtsy, and took his arm. -iccolosa followed at a distance, and we moved slowly along the sunlit gallery. Though he swore he knew most about the wine cellars and the stables, ,andro proved an e pert guide. /e showed me the chamber where the full !abrian council met and the great bron$e table, empty now, a block of metal on the backs of four crouching leopards. /e watched my astonishment with amusement on his face, then said, 4#ook up.4 I did so and almost reeled. The curving ceiling was a chaos of form and colorsatyrs and nymphs, gods and goddesses in lu urious abandon that seemed to deride the solemnity of the chamber. I ga$ed until the touch of ,andra's hand brought me down to earth again, and he pointed out a sculptured chair, its back meshed with the carved shapes of strange beasts.

4&y brother's chair4 was his only comment, and I touched it superstitiously as I passed. "fter that I lost count of the wonders he showed me; the stairs that glittered like gold, like the track of the sun, the wrought metal and glowing wood and polished marble. "cross one landing we went softly, for the duke and the archbishop were but a door's thickness away. ,andro kept well away from the rooms where the courtiers dawdled and gossiped, but when they began to drift through the rooms to stare, he set his teeth and said he would take me down to the palace courtyard. 4The view from the colonnade is a thing you should not miss,4 he observed. 4I do not know many things so well worth seeing.4 I went with him eagerly. )y now -iccolosa was well behind; I did not think to measure ,andra's pace until I reali$ed that we had lost her in the turns of passages and stairs, and the pressure of ,andra's arm on mine reminded me that we were alone. I tried to ignore it and (uickened my steps, but now his were lagging. 4There is no hurry, ladymy brother will not be free from the archbishop's tongue for an hour at least.4 I blushed uncontrollably. 4I was not thinking of him.4 ,andro pressed my arm again. 4"nd there you have found the way to keep his interest. /e was always a strange-composed fellow for womenthey drop into his lap like manna out of heavenand nothing cloys him so soon as a willing wench. +hile you can keep him guessing, you can hold him.4 &y throat went dry as I remembered the night before we started for *iurno. 0erhaps that was why *omenico seemed more distant; perhaps he had set himself to shake my unwillingness and had lost interest now it was done. ,andro was watching me sidelong, shrewdly. 46ou are a sort of miracle already, lady, do you know that5 That you have held my brother for so longhe has not slipped once in this latest faithis strange enough; but that you hold to him when you know he is to be married, that is enough to enroll you with the saints.4 I thought of )ernardo, dead of his in1uries on the rack the day I saw him. 4I do not think so,4 I replied lightiy. 4There is naught else I could do.4 40ooh, there are many others you could take7 *omenico is not the only lord in the world. ,ometimes I think he is a madman, for all his craft and guile. 6ou would do better with a plainer man who did not rule you so harshly.4

+illfully, I ignored the s(uare brown hand which sought to close around mine. I said, 4I cannot change faith as I change my gowns, my lord. I will wear out the one I have and then leave the court to find another habit.4 /e grimaced scornfully. 4+hat, and be a nun7 6ou should do as other women do and s(uare out your life by the rule of what pays the richest in wealth and pleasure. 6ou will have a small stock of either when my brother weds his ,avoyard, or whatever wench he means to couple with.4 4I know that; you need not tell me.4 4Then why wait meekly to suffer an eclipse5 It would be a wonder if you could not shift for yourself, with so brave a face and form.4 I smiled into his blue eyes, unafraid of the wicked gleam in them. 4)ecause I choose so, my lord. I am content to be displacedI had rather that than . . .4 4Than take another man5 *omenico would give me a fortune for that news. -o, I will not be so discourteous as to betray a lady.4 /e grinned as I started. 4"nd I hardly love him enough to tell him what will please him. )ut you are reasoning like a baby. 6ou feared my brother enough before he took youhow do you know that another will be any less loving54 4I had rather not try.4 I could not prevent the small secret smile that curved my lips. 4I told you, I must not.4 4*o you cry craven5 6ou could walk as boldly in the court after the wedding and face out my brother's bride. It would pay you well4he lowered his voice4to grant me a few favors.4 /is arm slipped around my waist as I looked up at him; his s(uare, strong face was smiling as he scanned mine, and there was a meaningful look in his eyes. /is hand was kneading rhythmically in the small of my back, and then he pulled me close against him. I freed myself with a sudden twist and bo ed his ears. It did not occur to me that he might be serious, and sure enough he was laughing as he stepped back. 4That was a fine blow7 +here did you learn it, ladyin a bedchamber or in some siege54 The antagonism fled from me on a ripple of laughter. &y affront was no more real than his pretended love, two moves in a childish game. 4In the tavern,4 I retorted, 4against the ostler when he used his tongue too freely.4

4I am rebuked.4 /e sighed heavily. 4+ell, it would have been sweet to horn my brother74 I took his arm again as we started to walk and blinked as we emerged into the sunlight. 46ou are a rare philosopher.4 The columns, cream and rose, soared up to pointed arches around three sides of the courtyard; between them the colonnade was checkered with gold and blue. +hen I had looked long enough, ,andro drew me to the bra$en well heads in the center of the courtyard and turned me so that I faced the towering bulk of the palace. 4#ook,4 he said sardonically. 4I think the pope's legate long ago must have known who would steal his palace from him. ,ee in those niches in the eastern corner.4 I looked, and set high above the arches of the second tier of columns were two stone angels looking down. %aces calm, hair blowing, long hands firm on their staves; and folded about them, curving high over their heads and down to their feet, huge wings. 4There is even a statue of !osimo della 8affaelle in the great gallery where the portraits are.4 ,andro was more interested in the angels' punning aptness than in their beauty. 4The old pirate rescued the pope's legate from the Turks long before there were dukes in !abria, and in gratitude the legate ordered the statue to stand there. &y grandfather must have laughed when he sei$ed the palace and found his ancestor already here to greet him.4 4Then the family has not owned the palace long,4 I said, surprised. 4&y brother is the third *uke of !abria to hold it. &y grandfather wrested !abria from the pope and took the legate's palace at the same time. 6ou must not think this is 8affaelle wealth7 +e were always a family of magpies, stealing bright things.4 /e cocked his head and regarded me (ui$$ically. 4+e have owned this barely fifty years.4 I stared around me. It seemed impossible that such a place could be touched by war or sub1ect to men's petty greeds. 4+ould you not rather live here always54 I asked involuntarily. 4The choice does not lie with me, lady.4 ,andro's tone was dry. 4It is the dukes who order the disposing of the court, and those legitimate4there was a sudden crack of bitterness at the word4seem to favor that moldy warren in %idena. It has been the family stronghold since the !aesars; I care less for it than they do.4 I felt as though a pit I had not suspected yawned suddenly in front of me. I answered awkwardly, 4That is because you feel that *iurno is your home.4

4True.4 /e grinned suddenly and pinched my cheek. 4"nd what has been gained by war can be lost again as easily.4 )efore I could ask him what he meant, he was staring past me with his eyes screwed up against the sun and then called aloud, 4/olla, &adonna -iccolosa7 +e thought you lost7 *o not climb down all those steps. +e will come up to you. +e were returning even now.4 /e patted my hand as it lay on his arm. 4!ome, lady, I will take you to see old !osimo and the favor of a few of my ancestorson my father's side.4 +hen we reached her, -iccolosa was ga$ing at us in mingled concern and reproof. 4I daresay you took care to lose me, my lord.4 /is eyes widened guilelessly. 4+hy should you think so5 I need you when I tell your lady tales of my illustrious forebears. I swear you know more of them than any native !abrian.4 To my da$ed eyes the picture gallery seemed the si$e of a cathedral, and I would have stood blinking in the midst of it for hours but that ,andro hauled me irresistibly towards a statue on a plinth halfway down the room. 4That is old !osimo.4 /e eyed the sculpture in a comradely fashion. 4The legate's savior. #ook, you can see the name cut in the stone.4 I nodded obediently and turned when he bade me see the portraits of the della 8affaelles since they became mighty in !abria. 4" fine crew,4 he commented sarcastically. *ukes, duchesses, brothers, sisters, cousins, were all shown in picture one after the other. I stared at them hungrily, seeking a resemblance in the dark faces and heavy bodies that was not there, and ,andro watched my perple ity knowingly. 46ou will not find my brother in them, lady. /e does not come of our father's stock he is his mother turned male. I am a clearer pattern of our blood than he.4 It was true, I thought, looking at the pictured faces. -early all the della 8affaelles were s(uare and sturdy, with bold features that declined with age into coarseness. They had dark hair, too, like ,androthe only thing which marked him out from the run of the family was his vivid blue eyes. I could see his father in him as I ga$ed at a picture of *uke !arlo in his twenties; they had the same compactness, the same bullheaded look, andI reali$ed with a sense of shockthe same hard, ac(uisitive eyes. In *uke !arlo it was clearer, emphasi$ed by the greedy mouth and the look of petulance about him9 but it was in ,andro's rugged and cheerful face nonetheless.

4That was painted when he was a young man.4 ,andro's voice, unconcerned and unheeding, interrupted my thoughts. 4There is another of him when he was older come and see.4 .lad to forget what had crossed my mind, I hurried after him towards a group of portraits at the far end of the galleryand halted, transfi ed. ,andro followed the direction of my stare. 4That is the *uchess 3ittoria, ladymy royal brother's mother, if it were not plain enough.'' #ooking indifferently out of the canvas was the likeness of a seated woman whose fair beauty shone against her sable velvet gown like the moon on a frosty night. It was uncanny. There was the haughty profile; the half-cruel, half-vulnerable mouth; the heavy-lidded eyes night-dark in a fair, flawless face; all blurred by some trick from a man's to a woman's. The shining silver-gilt hair was piled high and crowned with diamonds; the slender, prideful grace made the !abria necklace, clasped about the white throat, a poor tribute to such perfection. The *uchess 3ittoria had been beautiful beyond imagining and had be(ueathed her beauty to her son. )ut she looked more like a statue than a living woman; there was a chilling indifference in the painted eyes (uite different from the turbulent brilliance of *omenico's. I shivered and told myself that it was my fancy, or else a fault of the painter's. 4&y father was unlucky in his first two wives,4 ,andro remarked. 4%rosty-spirited both of them, and as proud as the devil. )ut the first at least was a fit piece to ga$e upon. #ook at the other.4 I thought for a moment that the second portrait was a parody of the first. "nother woman sat in the identical pose, wearing an identical gown, abla$e with the !abria diamonds. )ut there was no cold flame of beauty in this second woman. ,he must have been years younger than the *uchess 3ittoria, but she looked stiff and sour and desperately unhappy. +ithout the cruel severity of the black and the cumbrous 1ewelry she would have looked like a schoolgirl, with a schoolgirl's miserable angularity. ,he was thin and haggard, with a long face and a long nose and downward-slanting eyes, bright ha$el, that ga$ed out of the picture with something like defiance. /er soft brown hair might have suited her if it had been dressed to soften the harsh planes of her face, but it was dragged back and dressed high in hurtful imitation of the earlier portrait, emphasi$ing the defenselessness of her thin shoulders. Then I saw the pearl ring faithfully painted on one of the tightly clenched hands and knew who it was before ,andro said the name. 4That was the *uchess Isabellamy father's second wife. .od help them both.4

I stared wistfully, even a little 1ealously, at the face of the woman who haunted *omenico's sleep. /ad he loved her in spite of what he said, that he should remember her so long5 ,andro continued casually, 4+e can thank her for your guardian, here&adonna -iccolosa came with her to *iurno when she was married and has served my father and my brother ever since.4 /e did not give me time to answer but turned to direct my attention to the standing portrait of the man whose image I still recalled from the day of the procession. *uke !arlo grown old9 a gross man whom the painter had had to flatter, cloaking him in splendid clothes like a shell of ma1esty. I was looking at it when hands touched my shoulders lightly, and I swayed. *omenico's voice said softly, 4+hat, are you communing with my ancestors54 I forced my languorous eyes to open. 46es, 6our .race. 6our brother has borne with me all this while and showed me much of the palace I would not have dared e plore alone.4 4Tush,4 *omenico still spoke gently, but his hands slid down to my waist and gripped hard, 4you need beg no man's pardon save mine. "s for my brother, I had rather he should bear with you than you with him.4 4That is your lady's thought too, brother.4 ,andro fingered his ear reminiscently. *omenico smiled, lifted my handthe hand that wore Isabella's ringand kissed it, lightly and possessively. The touch of his lips seemed to burn my palm. To fill the tiny silence I said, 4&y lord, who is that lady54 and both brothers glanced up, then away again (uickly. ,andro said, 4That is our gracious stepmother, lady. The *uchess .ratiana.4 42h, she was . . .4I broke off. 4"nd is7 ,he is not dead, the more the pity. ,ometimes there are posts from -aples still, bringing me love letters from her.4 I ga$ed up at the portrait now with unfeigned interest, wondering that he could speak so lightly. *omenico was saying, 4I wondered whence you had so many messengers,4 but his hold had slackened, and I disengaged myself to go and stand before the picture. The *uchess .ratiana was ugly, uglier by far than poor plain Isabella; yet there was something about her that attracted men, which the painter had understood and e pressed in details of his sitter's pose and e pression. ,he was leaning a little forward,

as though to display her bosom; her lips, at once fleshy and slightly sunken, were painted a vivid scarlet; her nose was a great beak; and, remembering the drunken )eniamino's harsh description, I could imagine the smell that would linger in the folds of that rich dress. ,he was dressed in cerise and goldher olive-skinned hands covered with rings every color of the rainbow, the !abria necklace about her throatand with it a great ruby brooch, and gold combs in her thick, dark hair. The gown was cut far too low for so old a woman, and her shoulders and breasts were powdered, like her face, far whiter than those dark and wrinkled hands. I turned to find both brothers watching me curiously and spoke with an effort. 4The painter did not flatter her unduly.4 42h, but he did.4 ,andro's eyes lifted maliciously to the painted woman's. 4,he was never so clean as that since she came from the womb, and he has made believe all her hair was her own; but he was a fair artist and could not hide all he saw.4 /e turned his back on the picture and said in a different voice, 4+ell, )rother, have you and the old fo done your conference54 *omenico shrugged. 4/e was trying once again to dissuade me from wedding ,avoy's daughter. /e still does not favor her, it seems.4 4)ut you do.4 The bright head nodded. 4,he has beauty enough to overcome her bastardy, and her dowry contents me. If ,avoy had a legitimate daughter, I would yield to my uncle; but he has not, so I shall wed his pretty bastard.4 ,andro was watching me calculatingly as I strove to keep my face impassive, and then after a moment he grinned and looked at *omenico. 4.od's life, you go roundabout7 *o you still mean to honor her in your coronation54 )efore *omenico could reply, I said (uickly, 46our .race, if your bride is to bear a part in the ceremony it is not fitting that I should be there. I ask your leave to be absent.4 4I deny it.4 /is e pression was unreadable. 4,avoy's daughter cannot come in time, and you are to stand pro y for herto take the bride's part in the solemnities tomorrow.4 I stared at him, thinking that he had gone mad, that he could not know what he was saying, but his voice continued levelly. 4The ceremony is ordered, the wench's gown bespoke, and the people are half-lunatic with e pectationthey do not know you, and, if you are dressed finely enough and in royal state, they will take you for what you pretend to be.4

,andro chuckled. 46ou will show her to them as your bride, )rother54 4,he will serve the turn.4 *omenico gave him one swift, enigmatic look and then his ga$e came back to me. 4I will not. It is not fit.4 46ou have so much sense, at least74 The voice from the doorway made me 1ump, and I looked around to see the archbishop standing there, his gaunt face tight with rage. Then as he moved forward, his silks swept the marble floor with a hiss like an angry snake.

Chapter Six
%or a moment there was silence in the long gallery, followed by the rustle of -iccolosa's skirts as she hurried to the door. I would have followed her, but *omenico's hand detained me. 4&ore arguments, <ncle54 /is voice sounded bored. 4+ould you prefer it if I stood aside and let you risk all your father and grandfather gained for the sake of a mas(uerade54 The archbishop's lips were tightly compressed. 4I cannot prevent you from marrying this . . . ,avoyard bastard of yours now that you have won the council to your will, but neither threats nor bribery can win them to this7 It is enough that you have sacrificed an alliance with a daughter of the ,for$as or of the &edicis, but you are preparing to insult their very ambassadors by parading this woman before them as your betrothed wife74 4I never knew an ambassador yet who was chosen for his brains,4 ,andro interpolated. 46ou might change a Turk for the ,avoyard and none of them would notice. )e patient, my lord; it will be e cellent foolery74 4It is no sub1ect for fooling. !abria's safety hangs on it.4 ,andro raised his eyebrows. 4!ome, my lord, there are pro y weddings enoughthis is not even a betrothal. +hy make such a business of it54 46ou know that no substitute in such a ceremony is ever kept secret from the witnesses. *o not insult my intelligence, "lessandro.4 ,andro shrugged. 4+ell, my lord74 4*omenico,4 the archbishop's voice changed, 4go to your crowning tomorrow as if this marriage had not been thought of. The people will discount all the rumors of your bride I can have it talked of in the streets that she has not come here after all. +hen she arrives in truth you can welcome her with pomp enough to show off the match you have chosen.4 There was contempt in his tone.

4I have told you it contents me well enough.4 The duke's eyes narrowed dangerously. 4I will not argue with you. 6ou know my mindI think you would have done better to choose elsewhere. )ut this playacting is playing with fire. It is more than a fair show to please the people and you know it.4 The archbishop checked as *omenico stirred restlessly, then continued. 4+e might mend this . . . choice of yours by reporting her wealth and beauty and hiding the fact that she has neither rank nor power. )ut what if &ilan, Tuscany, 3enice, and .enoa learn that you have shown them a false bride54 *omenico did not answer; he was studying the play of light on the 1ewel that hung around his neck. ,andro said dryly, 4-o one is like to tell them they are being hoodwinked.4 4They are not blindnor forgiving once they have been slighted. !abria has enough enemies to spread a tale like this9 8ome, the ,panish states, 8omagna, and -aples. They would delight in turning our few allies against us. 3enice plays a waiting game in case we should threaten to 1oin with the Turks and sail against them; %erren$a holds to us by old marriage ties9 but <rbino and &ilan would never stomach such an affront. If they were to learn that their ambassadors had done reverence to a paramor of yours, they would 1oin with our enemies and bring the whole state down in revenge.4 ,andro opened his eyes wide. 4I did not think you were so unworldly, my lord,4 he said blandly. 40aolo 2rsini lived openly with his mistress before he married her, and it is common knowledge that for twelve years the de 0oitiers woman was treated as ;ueen of %rance. &en are not so scrupulous.4 /is eyes were smiling, but in them was the hard look I remembered seeing before. 4-either the 2rsini nor the 3alois trod a knife's edge on the brink of damnation. I tell you we need every fingernail of advantage7 +hen there have been 8affaelle dukes for five hundred years, then perhaps they may flout opinion. )ut now we must be cautious.4 The archbishop looked at *omenico, waiting indifferently for the debate to end. 4-ephew, answer me this one (uestion. +hat will you do when the time comes for your true bride to take her place54 The beautiful mouth twisted.. 4&arry her. ,pare your breath, <ncle; the ambassadors will not (uestion what they are told. They will see what they are bidden to see,avoy's daughter.4 I said unsteadily, 46our .race, please listen to my lord archbishop. If there is such danger4 4Enough.4 /e flicked my cheek. 46ou may find it sweet to be a duchess, even if it is in 1est. "nd remember, I know how to punish disobedience.4

,uddenly, there in the flood of sunshine, I shivered. I heard ,andro's voice making some laughing comment, and as I turned away, *omenico's fingers caught my wrist, and I felt a spasm of shock go through him. I looked up to see him ga$ing straight past me, at the opposite wall, and reflected in his face was the image of the unhappy girl in unbecoming black. /alf-uncon-sciously his fingers moved, tracing the shape of the silver ring on my finger; he was gripping my wrist until his knuckles showed white. Then suddenly, blessedly, the door opened, and 0iero came trotting over the threshold. 46our good .race, there are carriages arriving down below men from 0isa and &antua and I know not where. Ippolito is conveying their lordships to their chambers, but I thought you would wish to know of it.4 *omenico turned sharply, turning his back on the portrait. 4+ell, we will come.4 4"nd, my lord,4 0iero bowed low to ,andro, 4I am told there is a post come for you from -aples.4 ,andro gave a short laugh. 4The old beldam is loyal, at least7 I hope she has sent money with it.4 *omenico moved away from me, and 0iero hurried to his side, swaying into the curve of his arm like one resuming a half-forgotten habit. 4!ome, my dear lord.4 I watched them go, too da$ed and shocked to marshal my thoughts into any sort of order. +hen the door closed behind them, I stood ga$ing blindly at the painted panels, conscious only of a great yawning emptiness. 4"nd of course you will obey him,4 the archbishop's voice said behind me, 4even though it could mean your ruin.4 I turned to find him watching me impassively, so still that not even the whisper of his silks disturbed the silence. 4I have no choice. The duke will have everything to answer his wishes, no matter what anyone may say.4 4-ot (uite everything, perhaps.4 The old man smiled, a startlingly sweet smile that held a ghost of *omenico's radiance. 4/ave you forgotten what I told you of .enoa54 4-o, my lord, but I heard someone say4I stared him straight in the face4that you did not care whether you bestowed me there or in my grave so long as you were rid of me. "fter that your offer did not seem so kind.4 /e nodded slowly. 4It did not matter then, I admit. )ut now it is not I who seek to be rid of you. 6ou are not stupidyou know my nephew cannot let you meet his bride. /e

may succeed in the trick he means to play tomorrow, but only so long as you are gone from court before ,avoy's daughter comes. /e cannot confront the false with the true. /ave you considered that54 &y hands gripped together, hard. 4-o, but I have always known I must be cast off sooner or later. There is no help.4 Even in that moment, the reali$ation of what he meant seemed less terrible than the thought of the years without *omenico stretching ahead of me. 4I can still help you, if you wish it, to save my nephew's soul from another sin. I could send you to .enoa before he e pects it. If you were to go tonight, before the coronation, the greater part of his mischief would stay undone.4 I hesitated. %aced with so sudden a decision, even damnation seemed unimportant. The archbishop spoke again, his voice low and persuasive. 46ou waver, daughter, but remember all you see around you; too many women in this court have sold their salvation for want of resolution.4 I closed my eyes, remembering. 2ne woman had borne three children to different men; another had been an honest merchant's wife before *uke !arlo favored her, and now she was nothing but a court whore. "nd I had begun to catch hints of other earthly punishments; disease and madness were not uncommon things among the great. The high-piled wigs of fashion were sometimes worn from grim necessity, and that white, dead-looking flesh had a sinister cause. -o doubt many of those corpselike palace women had been fair enough once. I shivered uncontrollably and said, 4&y lord, if you can help me, I will go.4 The old man nodded slightly. 46ou are wise, my daughter.4 4)ut I do not know how I shall escape. The duke scarcely lets me from his side.4 /e shrugged. 4<nless his habit is changed, he sends you alone to your waiting women.4 I nodded half-reluctantly. 4Then tonight, when you leave him, do not go to them. #eave the palace instead.4 4I cannot. "ll the doors are guarded, and he sends a servant to escort me in case I should lose my way.4 The archbishop made a dismissive gesture. 4I will supply your escort from among my men. #eave it all to me. 2ne of my gentlemen shall meet you and carry my

commendations with you by word of mouth to the abbess in .enoa. It is wiser not to write them.4 /is plan was ready, I thought despairingly. It only wanted my consent. 4If the duke should miss me . . .4 4I can supply your place with a willing woman.4 The thin lips smiled sardonically. 4I have never known my nephew to refuse an offered bedmateif she only stays him for half an hour, you can be clear of the city. /e will never know where you have gone.4 &y heart felt leaden, but I managed to say stiffly, 4&y thanks, my lord.4 %ootsteps sounded outside the door, and the archbishop's e pression changed. I caught his whisper, 4"fter supper, when you go to your own chamber. &y servant will be waiting.4 I barely had time to nod before 0iero was bowing in front of me. 4&istress, the duke sent me to find you. 6ou should have followed him.4 I paid little heed to the curious glance he gave me. I was thinking9 This is the last time he will fetch me to the duke. ,upper was ending in the familiar riot, in *iurno as in %idena. The torches struck'flickers of color from the painted walls, and music was loud in my ears. I sat still amid the noise, staring at the flame reflected on the rim of my wine cup. )eside me I could hear *omenico's voice directing Ippolito to call him at dawn, and I strove not to think of where I might be when the dawn came. The archbishop's face was e pressionless, skulllike again as the old man brooded; then as *omenico rose and drew me to my feet, he looked up, and I saw the (uick gleam in his gray eyes. 4I hear you have had letters from %erren$a, *omenico.4 The duke's lips curved scornfully. 42h, from "merighi7 6es.4 4+hat was in them5 *oes he come here for your coronation54 )efore he answered, *omenico glanced at me. 4.o on, I shali not be long. I must play the statesman a little for my uncle.4 %or a moment longer I stood, storing up the sight of him in my memory; then I dropped my ga$e and turned without a word. The voices followed me, fading into the hubbub as I walked towards the door. 4/e cannot come, but he renews his vows of friendship and sends yet another invitation for me to visit him.4

4I do not trust this friendship,4 the archbishop responded thoughtfully. 4/e has an army to match the pope's own.4 4)ut he will not use it against us. I am his good cousin still.4 The huge doors closed behind me, leaving me suddenly cold and desolate. %or an instant I wanted to rush in again, forgetting wisdom and salvation; then a figure stepped out of the shadows. I could see only the glimpse of a pale face and the black and scarlet of the archbishop's livery as the man accosted the soldier who was my escort. 4)ut I have orders4 the guard protested. There was a clinking as some coins passed from hand to hand, and then he chuckled and fell back a pace. 4+ell, then, take her if you have a mind to her, so long as the duke does not find outand make haste, or he will come before you are done.4 /is footsteps died away down the passage, and the cloaked man turned to me. 4#ady, I am sent by my lord archbishop.4 4I know. /e promised to send someone, but I did not think he could have done it so swiftly.4 4It is bis trade; he is the pope of spying and statecraft. That dog of a guard was right, however, and we must hurry. )y your leave, lady. . . .4 2bediently I went with him through the darkened corridors. It was easier to obey than to think, and soon the little familiarity I had with the palace was lost. +e were hurrying through rooms I had never seen before and along bare stone passages to what looked like the kitchen (uarters. 4;uickly, now7 There is a carriage waiting.4 "lready, I thought miserably. The night wind blew in my face as he opened the door. +e were in a little courtyard which served one of the kitchens, and where the carriers' carts should wait stood a small carriage drawn by two restless horses. The gentleman thrust me in and scrambled after, with a (uick word to the coachman; then the carriage door slammed, and with a great 1erk the carriage rumbled forward. It was apt, I thotight, that I should be carted away like refuse. The archbishop's man sat silent, moving easily with the lurching motion of the coach. I could see only the shadow of a beaky profile, and to him I could have been nothing but a shadow in a silver-webbed gown. It was cold, and I wished I had thought to bring a

cloak. I wondered momentarily if the archbishop still held *omenico in talk, and my nails dug into my palms in sudden anguish. I had thought I could bear the pain of parting from him, but now I sat staring into the rushing darkness thinking only that every turn of the wheels was taking me further from the man I loved. The gentleman said suddenly, 46ou need not fear pursuit, lady. The archbishop knows well enough how to hold the duke in check.4 I said tautly, 4The duke is not easily stopped.4 4-o, but my lord archbishop has thought of that.4 &eant to soothe, the calm words stabbed at me like knives. 4/e will tell the duke that you fled because you hate him and to avoid a public shame. /is .race is too proud ever to pursue an unwilling womanhe will not follow you.4 8emembering how little unwilling I had been, I wanted to laugh. )ut it was true *omenico would not own by word or deed that he wanted a woman who would have none of him. ,o I nodded meekly and sat back in my seat, trying not to think or to remember. The gentleman advised me to sit at ease and then said no more. )ut I could not; I sat erect and tense against the seat back, listening to every sound on the road outside. The horses settled down to a steady pace, and my companion composed himself for sleep. The lights of the city had fallen away behind us, and now there was nothing between me and the end of my 1ourney but the empty hours of travel. I must have been do$ing in a torpor of misery and e haustion when the coach 1erked to a halt. It was so violent that I was almost thrown to the floor. I heard the archbishop 3man utter an e clamation, and then he flung open the coach door and 1umped down into the dark roadway. There was shouting outside and the sound of hoofbeats. *a$ed, I wondered whether we had lost a wheel, but at once I reali$ed that the floor of the coach was still level. "s the door slammed on me, I was beside it, wrestling with the catch and vainly trying to see through the tiny window. 2utside there was a scuffling noise and a sharp cry, and then I felt the door sei$ed, the catch dragged from my fingers as it was wrenched open from the other side. Then, as I saw who filled the doorway, I let out a little frightened cry. *omenico's face was ashen under his bright hair, and anger lit his eyes to a fiercer silver than the blade of the sword he held. /e seemed to tower over me like an avenging angel, and I cowered back against the seat too shocked for speech. I remember wishing that he would kill me there and then; anything rather than see that look on his face.

/e did not speak but only cast me one smoldering look and slammed the door shut behind him. 2utside a man's voice shouted; the coach creaked as the horses threw themselves into their collars, and slowly the e(uipage began to turn. I caught one glimpse of *omenico's face as his followers' torches cast a yellow bla$e in the darkness; then we were past them, and he sat back in the shadows. I could feel him taut with the fury I had seen in his e pression; it radiated from every nerve in his body, scorching me as fiercely as once his desire had done. -ot once during the 1ourney back to *iurno did he break the silence. I sat huddled in the furthest corner from him, not daring to voice the (uestion burning in my mind9 how had he found me so (uickly5 0erhaps he was in truth the devil. /ow else could he have uncovered his great-uncle's plot5 -ow he sat rigid, not looking at me, and after that one glimpse of his face I was glad. I could not have borne the anger in his eyes. I dared not contemplate what he would do, any more than I could understand how he had learned so soon that I had gone. The coach lurched to a standstill. /ard white fingers bit into my wrist, and I was halfdragged down the steps into the main courtyard of the palace and towards the Titans' staircase. *omenico did not look around; he was moving so swiftly that I could hardly keep up with him, and I stifled a gasp as a stitch stabbed my side. The palace corridors were dark and silent only the guards stared, openmouthed, as we reached the room which *omenico used as his study. 2n the threshold he freed my wrist with a cruel 1erk and spoke to one of the guards. 4)ring those knaves to me. "nd the scribe, to write the indictment.'' "s the man hurried away, the duke turned back to me. I had sunk to my knees in the middle of the floor, my legs too unsteady with reaction and terror to support me; I dared not look up, but I knew he was moving towards me and now stood over me, hesitating. I could feel his dammed-up violence threatening me like a great storm. Then, as I started to raise my eyes against my will, there was a clatter of footsteps outside the door. The guard had come back and with him soldiers, pair upon pair, and between each pair a prisoner. I stared at them da$edly, wondering what crimes they had committed and why they had been brought here; then I recogni$ed one of them and began to guess. The trial, if it could be called a trial, was over in minutes. It was a burles(ue of 1ustice; *omenico pronouncad his accusations; the men, protesting or pleading their innocence, were condemned and sentenced to die the ne t day. The first prisoner was the soldier who had handed me over to the archbishop's manhis crime was taking bribes to betray the duke's service, and he was condemned to hang. The two ne t were guards at the palace gatetheir crime, unspecified, was neglect of duty. 2ne shouted as he was

sentenced that the duke would never have caught me again without his testimony, but *omenico, whiter than ever, paid no heed. The scribe was shaking so much that he could hardly grip his pen; then, to my horror, I saw that the fourth prisoner was a woman. ,he was panting and disheveled, and her cheek was marked in a long 1agged line. It looked as though a whole strip of flesh had been freshly torn out, and it hurt her, for she was weeping and kept putting her fingers to the wound in a disbelieving way. There were ugly marks too, on her neck and arms, and I knew she must have been roughly handled by the guards. +hen she heard herself accused of treason she did not utter a defense; it was as if she did not understand what was happening to her. I remembered the archbishop's light promise to fill my place with some willing woman and shivered. I must have made some sort of sound when he sentenced her, but he did not even glance around. The procession seemed to go on interminably, the voices of the condemned ringing in my ears like an accusation. I crouched shuddering on the floor in a vain attempt to stop my ears soldiers, servants, any who might have had a hand in my escape, were paying with their lives for it. This was *omenico's way of torture, punishing me with the cries of the condemned so that I would know that mine was the blame. Even two of the archbishop's servantsinnocent menwere condemned as a threat to the one man he could not touch. +hen the last prisoner was taken out, there was silence but for the frantic scratching of the scribe's (uill. Imperiously, *omenico e tended his hand. 4,irrah ,cribe.4 The man looked up (uickly. 46our .race, they are scarcely ready. . . . 6our .race's proceeding has been so . . . wonderfully swift, I could scarce write them. . . . They are not done half so well as I would wish.4 The dark eyes dropped to the papers in the duke's hand, and there was a contemptuous twist to his mouth. 4"re you in truth a scribe, sirrah, or an untaught knave54 The scribe's mouth opened and shut, but no words came. The procession of deaths had so frightened him that his hand had lost its steadiness; it was a wonder that he had remembered the names of those condemned. I did not remember hearing them. 46ou must want practice.4 *omenico's voice was a poisoned whisper. 4+rite another warrant, that will mend your scribbling, and put your own name to it.4

The man gave a sob of fright, and the sound pierced me. I felt that somehow I had to prevent this last, purely wanton murder; I had nothing to lose, for I would be dead within the hour. I looked up, the tears drying on my cheeks. 46our .race, this man has committed no crime. /e has not even neglected to do his duty. +hy should he die54 I saw his fingers clench on the papers, but otherwise he gave no sign of having heard. " pulse was beating in his temple, and suddenly his voice rang out, choked and savage. 4,irrah ,crivener, out of my sight, and (uickly74 The scribe needed no second bidding9 he vanished as though he had wings on his heels. *omenico stood unmoving, the dangerous flush fading from his face, and gradually the resolve which had strengthened me ebbed again, leaving me crouched ab1ectly in the middle of the floor. *omenico moved towards his desk and sat down, spreading the crumpled death warrants before him, and picked up a (uill. /is head was bent, his eyes unwavering, and yet I knew he did not see what was before him. /e read each warrant through with unnatural attention before setting his signature, and I wondered if he was waiting for me to break down and beg for mercy. I could sense the danger burning in him more and more fiercely, and yet his slowness was the slowness of reluctance, as though he were loath to make an end. /e signed the last warrant and sat staring at the seven lives spread out under his hands; then he stacked the sheets carefully together and put them on one side. I saw his attention fi as he looked downthen, slowly, he reached out to pick up something which lay half-hidden among his papers. It was a knife. /e must have used it for trimming pens, and I could see its sharpness in the delicacy with which the white fingers turned it over and over. The torchlight flashing on the slowly turning blade lit *omenico's face to a fallen angel's beauty; the light in his black eyes was pure fascination, and he touched the sharpened steel voluptuously, as though making love to it. Then, as his eyelids lifted, and he ga$ed straight at me, I knew he meant to kill me. The knife was resting on its point. The fingers of his right hand barely touched the hilt. Then he softly flicked the fingers of his other hand. I rose slowly, painfully, and went to him with the oddest feeling of relief. If he killed me, I would not have to remember this night. /e turned a little in his chair to watch me, the knife between his hands, and I went down on my knees beside him. I could feel his

ga$e resting on my bare throat; for a long moment he was still, and then I met his eyes and saw the bla$e in them. I never saw him move. The knife went flying across the room to fall with a clatter somewhere in the shadows, and then he was out of his chair and shouting harshly for me to be taken out of his sight. Trembling so that I could hardly stand, I was lifted to my feet and led away. I half e pected to be taken to the dungeons, and it was with a sense of shock that I found myself in my own chamber9 the room I had left so many hours ago, thinking never to see it again. They left me alone then, and, at last, too weary for any further thought, I fell into bed and slept as though I were dead already. I woke with a feeling of dread. The nightmarish events of the previous night had faded, and it was only when I recogni$ed the hangings of the bed I so seldom slept in that I remembered. I lay still, apprehensive, piecing together the memory of how I came to be there, until -iccolosaa silent, subdued -iccolosa came to rouse me. #ooking at her folded lips and e pressionless face, I wondered how much she knew of what had happened last night, but there was nothing to be learned from her manner. "lthough it was barely dawn, others were up before meI could hear the scuffling of feet in the corridor and voices in the antechamber, and I wondered for one frightened moment whether the e ecutions were taking place here and now. Then I remembered. It was *omenico's coronation morning, and while the deaths he had ordered were being meted out, the preparations were going forward for him to mount his throne. -iccolosa touched my arm. 4&y lady, you must get dressed. 6ou are to ride in the coronation procession, remember.4 4-o, not now. The duke will have changed his mind after . . .4 4)ut his servants brought your gown not half an hour ago, and there is a letter for youhe e pressly desires you to wear it today.4 4" letter54 I stared incredulously as she held out a sealed and folded sheet, and broke the wa with fingers that trembled suddenly. 4Ippolito will come for you two hours before noon,4 it said without greeting or superscription. 4)e ready to go in state through the city, and tell the old woman that if you appear less than a duke's daughter, she shall answer for it.4 It was signed, with slashing, arrogant strokes, 4!abria.4

"fter a moment I began to laugh. I should have known that nothing would make him alter his plans. The ceremony would go on as he had ordered it, and I would ape the part of his betrothed in front of half the statesmen in Italyand if afterwards he chose to kill me or discard me, I would have served his turn. -iccolosa looked an ious. 4&y lady . . .4 I managed to swallow my laughter before it broke into weeping9 43ery well, I shall not disobey /is .race's commands.4 4%irst you must eat, my lady. There is time enough for you to break your fast. . . .4 4-o.4 I shook my head, and her lips tightened. 4"s you will, my lady.4 4I am sorry, -iccolosa.4 I tried to smile. 4)ut I am too afraid. %ood would make me (ueasy.4 ,he nodded and said no more. 4+ell, I will summon your ladyship's women.4 "s she moved towards the bellpull, I said bitterly, 4+here are my masking robes54 ,he did not pretend to misunderstand me. 4The women will bring them when they come. They were made to /is .race's order.4 The door opened to admit servants carrying burdens of spilling brightness that made me gasp and run forward to touch them cautiously, for fear they might vanish. %or a moment I was enchanted. Then I remembered that these robes were to deck an impostor; their beauty was as much a mockery as the court's reverence would be. The finer I was, the more they would 1eer behind my back and laugh up their sleeves at my impudence, knowing that I was no more than a puppet that 1erked to the duke's command. "nd for my pride's sake I could notwould notadmit that my usurped dignity tasted as bitter as gall. It was with less than half an hour to spare that I was ready at last, for -iccolosa had glimpsed *omenico's note and had taken as many pains with my dressing as if I had been what I pretended to be. The process of readying was so long and elaborate that I felt worn out with standing still long before she pronounced the work done. The gown was cloth of silver, stitched with diamonds in a pattern of scrolled leaves and flowers like a fro$en summer, so heavy that I could scarcely move. 2ver it went a mantle, spreading behind me in unnumbered folds of wrought silver9 a plain cross lay on my breast, a necklace of diamonds clung about my throat, and over so much brightness my hair hung like a black cloak. It was the duke's order that I was to wear it

so, loose like a virgin's, and not all the chains of pearls and diamonds twisted up in it could disguise the mockery behind the lying bla$on of maidenhood. +hen I looked into the mirror I did not know myself. There was no vestige left of !elia's drudge, hardly any trace of the girl who had pleaded to be set free on that first night, but a ghost of fear lay in the gray eyes. )ut now it was the fear of a different loss. +ith a bitter little smile I noticed the distinction between bride and mistress; silvery lawn filled the breast of my gown and framed my face in cobweb-fine ruffles. -iccolosa was watching me in the glass; then, as she had done once before, she patted my hand. 4I will fetch my lord Ippolito,4 she said and left me. To keep my thoughts at bay, I began to pace the room, learning to manage the crushing weight of the silver robes. I found I had to draw the train after me as a horse draws a cart, throwing my weight forward with the first step so that my burden would run smoothly after me. I had 1ust contrived a full turn without tripping when I heard the door open at the other end of the room. 4If you are ready, madam . . .4 Ippolito arrived hastily, resplendent in dark gray velvet, and his mouth dropped open in the middle of his cheerful greeting. I nodded and walked slowly towards him. To try to move (uickly was a waste of effort; I had to walk in long, smooth steps amid a susurration of silk and silver. Ippolito stood watching me like a man in a trance, and then he swallowed and closed his mouth. 4+ell, madam.4 /is friendly smile overspread his face again. 4%or a minute I thought I must salute some unknown royalty7 I never saw a lady look lovelier,4 he added soberly. I looked up at him in an iety. 4+ill I serve the duke's turn for ,avoy's daughter54 " shadowI thought it was pitycrossed his dark face. 4,he will be hard put to it to e cel you. )ut come.4 /e spoke with sudden briskness. 46ou are to ride in an open litter to the cathedral, and I am threatened with e ile or deathor bothif you are an instant behind your appointed time. ,o do not think of anything that may make you heavyhearted and slow your steps74 &ost of the court was already mounted and waiting when Ippolito led me down the Titans' staircase, between the two stone giants. "s I stood at the head of it, face after face was upturned to stare back at me, and I was aware of an unnatural silence, spreading outwards from the foot of the steps like circles in a pool. &y hand must have tightened on Ippolito's, because he glanced at me (uickly and led me down to the waiting litter.

4+here is the duke54 I could not suppress the (uestion. 4In his chamber still, cursing his men.4 Ippolito's eyes twinkled. 4I had rather manage fifty women, all impudent, all possessed of a fiend, than deal with my lord's .race when he would be point-device7 The daintiest lady is a sloven to him, and he will outswear the devil himself if things are not 1ust as he would have them. /e means to go last in this rout so that the crowd will be gaping for him when he comes.4 I smiled at the indulgent note in his voice and said, 4Take care he does not hear you,4 and he laughed. 4I told him he was mountebanking it, and he smiled and said, like a full-fed tomcat, 'I would have them know without asking which is the duke.' 4 /e handed me into the litter, and as -iccolosa and the maids fussed around me, arranging my train, I was aware again of the continuing silence. The courtiers' eyes were watching my every movement as though for some portent, almost as though they watched *omenico. Then, at some signal I could not see, the stragglers began mounting and the riders moved up to take their places. +hite-clad servants mounted the great black horses which bore the litter, and pages in the same livery were raising a silk canopy over my head, dulling the fierce beat of the sunshine. %or an instant I felt as though I were choking on the lie I had to act, but it was too late9 The air was full of clattering hooves and the swell of music as the procession moved off. I could not look back to see whether *omenico was following, for until horses and riders found their slow rhythm, the litter swung so that I was nearly flung out. *uring the progress through *iurno I was waiting for a denunciation that never came. I was so certain that someone would see through my imposture that I could hardly believe in the cheers and blessings shouted at me in the streets. )y the time the procession disgorged its load before the bron$e paneled doors of ,an .iovanni, I was giddy with the noise and the motion of the litter. -iccolosa had ridden before me, an incongruous figure on horseback, and she was at my side to manage my cumbersome robes while I waited for someone to tell me what was to happen ne t. It was as though I was caught up in a nightmare in which I was the only one not to know some ritual; I dared not stir a step for fear of making some fatal mistake. Then, with a clamor of trumpets, the doors swung wide, and people poured forward into the torchlit cathedral. The interior was as bright as day, a da$$le of gold and colors, and the high vaulted roof dwarfed men and women to scurrying insects as they fled to their places. I stood

and watched them with as much awe as did the people in the streets outsidesoon, I thought, they would remember I had no right to be there and turn me out. The trumpets blared again; heads were turning to stare back along the central aisle, and I shrank back instinctively. Then someoneI never saw who it wastook my hand and urged me forward. I obeyed numbly, walking towards the distant altar and halting where I was bidden, at the foot of the dais which bore the !abrian chair of state. It was only then that I reali$ed I stood alone and advanced before the whole congregation. %or a moment I wanted to turn and run. )ut even as I ga$ed about me, the feverish roll of drums began to echo around the walls. #ooking back, I saw acolytes swinging censers, a 1eweled cross borne high; then the tall figure of the archbishop, his face a rapt mask below his glittering miter. 8anks of clergy followed him, and behind them, slow and stately, walked Ippolito, 0iero, ,andro, and all the officers of the court. -ow the trumpets rang and redoubled, harsh with pride, and I heard a long shivering sigh run through the court. Turning, I looked up and saw *omenico. /e alone of all the courtand I, in obedience to his orderhad ignored his edict. )eside the mourning splendor of his coronation robes, every other man seemed somehow gaudy or s(ualid. /e was wearing silver from head to foot, abla$e with white fire from a crust of diamonds. They flashed blue white on his hands and in his ears and on the cope of the great mantle which swept the ground before him, stiff with filigreed silver. /e should not have been able to waik for the weight of it, but he moved unhesitatingly towards the altar, his uncovered head arrogantly high. /is fair face was incandescent with flaming pride, and a tiny, sneering smile hovered on his mouth as though the homage he received was no more than his due. /e did not glance right or left as he walked, but my breath caught almost superstitiously in my throat. /e looked magnificently, insanely beautiful9 #ucifer aspiring to mount .od's throne. The dark ga$e swept unseeingly over my face as he passed and mounted the steps of the dais. Then the archbishop moved forward, and in the sudden silence the coronation ceremony began. 2f it all, I have only recollection of the scarlet figure moving around the silver one; the smell of incense and the scent of rose petals strewn underfoot; and the moment when the archbishop lifted the ducal crown and placed it on *omenico's bright head. The old man worked swiftly, but long before he had done, the packed congregation was sweltering. I could hear ,andro breathing heavily, like a dog, and even from where I stood, I could see the sweat shining on duke and prelate. )ut at last, with a harshly proclaimed benediction, the archbishop drew back, and the silver figure stood alone before the state chair; the whole assembly sank to one knee with a brittle rustling like the

clap of bats' wings. The archbishop stepped forward again and knelt to take the oath of allegiance; then the crowned head turned, and the black eyes met mine in a silent, ine orable command. ,lowly, hardly aware of what I was doing, I walked to the foot of the dais. " hand in its embroidered glove was e tended, and I kissed it, keeping my head bent for fear of what I should see in his face. Then I felt myself raised; gloved fingers lay lightly on my shoulders, drawing my head down, and the duke kissed me on both cheeks and, lingeringly, on the mouth. I almost stumbled as I stepped back. It had not been a sudden yielding to an impulse to shock; he had meant to do it, a deliberate act before the greatest in Italy. +as it his re1ection, performed with cruel ceremony, or only the formal greeting to his supposed bride5 I remembered nothing of the rest of the ceremony or the return through the streets to the palace. &y mind was too full of the arrogant demand of *omenico's kiss. It was not until I found myself in the midst of the ban(uet, surrounded on all sides by music and laughter and the noisy antics of dwarfs and fools, that I awoke from the dream which held me. The ambassadors, at first stiff and formal, had unbent and grown visibly more cordial as they saw the opulence of wealth spread before them. *omenico had taken care that they should be served with the best of everything and attended by the most attractive of the noblemen's wives, and by now they had lost their air of reserve and were eating and drinking as heartily as any of the court. Everywhere there was noise; song and shouted conversation filled the swag-decked hall. ,andro and three of his cronies were entertaining the court with a dance mocking the triumph of *eath, black-clad and masked like skulls, clashing their swords in feigned fight. )eside me I could hear *omenico laughing, his still face convulsed with mirth and his cheeks flushed with wine. It seemed impossible that last night he had sent seven people wantonly, viciously, to their deaths. /e glanced around suddenly, and I flinched. "round us the revelry continued unabated; but in that instant there had been an odd, unfathomable e pression in his dark eyes which left me wordless. /e moved again then, rising to his feet abruptly. 4&y lords "mbassadors,4 his ga$e swept them, 4and my noble lords, we cannot revel it further tonight. <se your pleasure in our absence!abria bids you welcome.4 /e turned to me, looking down at me without a change of e pression. 4"s for you, fair lady, we bid you good night. +e must part from you for a little.4

I rose and stood passively as he touched his lips to my brow and turned away. It had come at lastthis was his re1ectionthe end of my mas(uerade and end of my bittersweet hold on his favor. "nd but for my folly in listening to the archbishop . . . I checked the thought angrily. +hat did it matter5 It was over, and there an end. *omenico said sharply, 4"ttend us,4 and then he strode out of the hall with his men at his back and his train spreading behind him like a glittering sea. The doors closed behind him9 /e was gone, and there was nothing. In dignity there was nothing I could do but call my women and go to my own chamber. I could hear the hiss of speculation beginning to grow; then, clenching my hands to stop their trembling, I left the hall without a backward glance. I walked swiftly, forgetting the weight of the silver robes, and soon outdistanced the waiting womenyesterday I would not have done so, but already their diligence was slacker. I had gained the head of the stairs and turned along the first gallery when an amused voice said, 4+ell, mistress, so the phoeni dies in flames54 I turned sharply. 0iero was standing in the shadow of a nearby doorway, and as I halted, he stirred the bright folds of my skirt contemptuously with his toe. 4/e has provided you with a goodly pyreI did not think he could hold to one woman for so long, but I knew he must tire at last. That escape of yours pricked his pride.4 46ou knew I ran away54 4+ho do you think told the duke of it5 I heard the archbishop wooing you to it yesterday, but I never thought you would be so foolish as to go at his bidding. The old man only wanted you gone to smooth his own path, could you not see that54 I ignored the 1eering note in his voice. 4I wonder you betrayed him7 +ould you not rather have had me gone54 /e shrugged lightly. 42h, my hand was forced. That old crow -iccolosa came to seek you when you were after your time, and I had no choice then but to tell what I knew. +here were your wits, to rush to your own downfall so5 If it were not that to murder you would please the archbishop, I doubt you would be alive now.4 ,udden tears constricted my throat, and I shook my head dumbly. I would have gone past him, but he moved into my path. 4+hat will you do now that he has cast you offor should I say, who will be your partner54

4I will not hear you.4 &y voice shook, and he caught my arm. 46ou cannot choose. Till now you were backed by the *uke of !abria, but your unaided power is less, I think. 6ou cannot still hope that he will change his mindI can testify that he will not.4 The raw note in his voice startled me. 4+hat I do is none of your concern, my lord.4 42h, but it is.4 There was an e cited glint in his eyes. 4I have waited a long time for this. I mean to have the use of you before the duke spoils your beauty for other men.4 I shivered; his words recalled &addalena's fate almost unbearably. Then he took a pace towards me, his grip tightening, and thrust me back into the doorway he had left. I choked as his clinging scent engulfed me, and I felt his spindly body, which held such surprising strength, rubbing against mine. &y cry of disgust was smothered by his mouth, and through the stiffness of my gemmed skirts I could feel him gripping and stroking my thigh. /ot anger surged through me for an instant, but almost at once it died. &isery and a strange sort of compassion numbed me into ac(uiescence; we were both derelicts, save that I knew it and he did not. ,o I let him take his kiss, and only struggled when I felt him fumbling at my gown. 4/ere.4 /is voice had roughened. 4;uickly. -o one will see. . . .4 4-o, let me alone.4 "bruptly my common sense returned, and I stiffened to break free. 0iero swore and then (uickly loosed rne and stepped back. 4+ho's there54 4Is it you, 0iero54 .uido 3assari's voice came back from a distance. 4There's strange work towardswe are sent to find /is .race's drab, and she is not in her chamber.4 4/e goes roundly to work74 0iero sounded faintly admiring. 4+ill he send her packing before the sheets are cold she slept in last54 4-ot unless it be packing to bid her come to him in secret.4 .uido's tone was acid. 4The coldness he showed was to prove his chaste love to my lords ambassadors' eyes, it seems. /e said they would think it something forward if he hauled the wench to bed before their faces, but now his play is played, he would be at the old act with her again.4 I sensed 0iero's rigidity even as relief flooded me with its blessed warmth. /e said e pressionlessly, 4/e dissembled well.4

4It is as easy for him as breathing. If the devil wanted a substitute, our duke could serve as the father of lies. I must go and seek herwhy in the name of knavery could the bitch not go to her room54 I heard his footsteps dying away, and as they faded, 0iero turned back to me. 4!ome,4 he said harshly. 4If I cannot have the fruit of his neglect, at least I shall reap the reward of your recovery. 6ou had best take off that tawdry before you go to him.4 I followed without a word. I wanted to sing, to weep; the world was suddenly glorious again because *omenico still wanted me, I did not care that I was nothing but a sop to his appetite, a mount for him to ride in triumph; if he took me back now, I might hold him until ,avoy's daughter came. -iccolosa's warning face kept 0iero at bay when he would have entered the chamber after me, and she swiftly set to work to unload me of my coronation robes. &y body felt light and weightless when they were off at last; it was lu ury to move freely again, and the silk of my shift was cold against my skin as I followed 0iero across the painted anteroom to the door of the duke's bedchamber. *omenico was standing by the hearth as I entered, cradling his cup in one white hand and ga$ing down at the floor with an abstracted frown on his face. %or one moment I ga$ed at his moody, beautiful face and told myself deliberately that I must not love him so much. /e looked up then, his eyes narrowing, and very slowly put down the cup. I stood still, trembling, with no thought beyond the drowning darkness of his eyes; then I saw him dismiss 0iero with one (uick, impatient movement, and as the door closed softly, he reached me in four strides. /is hands gripped my shoulders, pressing me ine orably to my knees at his feet; holding me helpless, suppliant, my face upturned to his. Then, indefinably, the (uality of his hold altered, and he stooped and crushed me so hard against him that I could feel the stir of hard muscle bunching under my cheek and could sense the beat of his blood. 4+here did you go, that I must send for you54 /is voice was harsh. 4*id you think to run away again54 I shook my head helplessly. 4I do not pri$e other men's lives so lightly,4 I answered, and his fingers bit into my shoulders. 4Then remember, I know how to punish a traitor,4 he retorted softly, and I reali$ed afresh that he had meant the deaths he had meted out to others as my punishment, not theirs. I tried to turn my head aside, but his grip was too strong. 46ou are shivering.4 "nger burned in me suddenly, and I threw back my head to look him in the face. 4Is not that what you want5 "nother trembling vassal to crouch at !abria's feet and feed your pride with flattery54

46our borrowed state has made you bold. I do not think ,avoy's daughter herself would dare to challenge me thus. !ome.4 /e drew me to my feet so that I stood swaying before him, a brilliance in his eyes that made me uneasy. 4It is time you paid your homage fully.4 /is hands slid from my shoulders down the length of my arms to grip my wrists. *eliberately, he pressed my palms to his chest and drew them down his body with slow, voluptuous relish. /is head arched backwards, his body tensing into a sinuous curve of abandonment, gradual and total; I could feel the tautened play of muscles under his skin and knew that his still, faintly mocking e pression was no more than a mask. /e was as far from being calm as I was. I felt as though I had forgotten how to breathe. The blood beat in my head, and all I was aware of was the relentless clasp of *omenico's hands, the feel of his smooth skin under my palms. I closed my eyes so that I should not see the knowledge of it grow in his eyes. The ne t instant he had wrenched my wrists apart, casually, but so viciously that my arms were stretched wide; I found myself spread-eagled against him, my head on his breast, my face upturned and eyes wide in an access of shock. +ith wanton deliberation, he bent his head and kissed me. 4*o you flatter us now, %elicia54 I barely heard him; his hands were stripping me, swiftly, ruthlessly, and I had to fight to remain unresponsive under the insistent caress of his fingers. #ove for him flooded me, drowning all shame, all memory; I had to cling to reason to prevent myself from surrendering totally. 4I amyour obedient sub1ect,4 I answered breathlessly. /is mouth touched my neck, scorching and impatient. 4"nd was it sweet to act the bride5 !ome, tell me.4 I thought9 he must not know how much it hurt me. Instead I said lightly, 4There are no wordsI have never known such a coronation before. +hat would you have me say54 /e lifted his head, and his ga$e held mine. 4That now there will be nothing to curb my greatness.4 /e kissed me briefly. 4-o checks or slights or petty rebellions; that it was the fairest ceremony you have ever seen.4 "nother fleeting kiss. 4. . . and that you were pleased with the honors I gave you.4 /e sounded suddenly like a boy eager for praise; in a moment he would begin to brag. #onging to laugh at him, to tease him in the ecstasy of my relief, I said gravely, 4-othing can hinder you now from being the greatest duke !abria has ever known.4

4.ood,4 he said softly, his eyes watchful. 4"nd there cannot have been a rarer coronation throughout Italy.4 4.ood.4 /is fingers were following the curve of my spine in an insistent caress. 4"nd the honors you gave me were very sweet and would have been sweeter if they had not been stolen from your true bride.4 /is hand stilled. 46our honesty is too nice. They were my gift, you had them at my hand. /ow was it robbery54 The mockery silenced me, and I ga$ed up at him almost in despair. "t last I said, 4I will not (uarrel with so great a lawyer.'' /is arms tightened around me so hard that I gasped. 46ou are presumptuous, lady,4 he said and kissed me hard and deliberately. I had half e pected him to take his revenge on me by making a relishing torment of the possession, showing me brutally who was the master. )ut he seemed to have forgotten his vengeance, and his kisses were long and wooingly sweet. I trembled in his arms. /is hands moved to touch my breasts almost tentatively; then with sudden urgency he bent his head, and I felt the hungry demand of his mouth. Instinctively, my hands slid over the white silken skin of his shoulders, in a fever to sei$e and to hold; it was not until I heard him catch his breath against me that I reali$ed I had dug my nails deep into his back. Then he bore me back on to the bed and I gave myself up to the rapture of the moment, glorying in the strength that tore me, sharing the tumult of giving and taking as though the nightmare of the previous night had never been. &y lips opened to sigh his name, my hand lifted to caress his cheek, and then I fro$e. /e was watching me scientifically; there was no emotion in him at all. There was an assessing gleam in the hooded black eyes, a satiric set to his mouth, and I knew with fatal clarity that I had been duped. The rapturous tenderness was only a ploy to win my responsehe had knownhe always knew, *omenico7what I wanted before I knew it myself. +ith sheer, heartless skill he had betrayed me, to him and to myself, and had reestablished his dominion far more harshly than he could have done by using simple force. I gave a small, shamed cry and turned away from him, and he laughed. I did not sleep for the rest of the night. I pretended to, lying motionless after he wearied and waiting until the soft sound of his breathing told me that he had fallen asleep; but I was open-eyed, aching with a sort of dull misery, staring blindly up into the darkness of the painted chamber. It had all been for nothing the agoni$ing decision to leave him, the fruitless 1ourney, the wanton deaths that had followed my return. I was

still *omenico's mistress, as fast in his toils as ever I was, and in spite of all that he could do to me, I still loved him. I turned cautiously, looking down at him. /e lay sprawled with the abandon of a cat, yet I knew he would wake as instantly and completely as an animal at the first hint of a disturbance. "s I had done so often, I studied him, trying to guess what secrets lay behind the mask he wore when he was awake. In the day I never dared study him too long, in case he should read my longing in my face. /e must have learned young to be secret. 2ften when he woke, I would see him watching me with calcu-lation, as though to gauge whether he had given away something of himself in his sleep. Ippolito had told me a little of his childhood, a beloved tutor murdered because *uke !arlo thought his affection would make the boy soft, the corruption that followed on the heels of grief. I was sure that now he purposely hid his emotions and amused himself by feigning what he did not feel. )ut he felt some emotion, I thought as I saw the une pectedly vulnerable, almost childish curve of the fingers of one lightly clenched hand. Those fierce, animal passions of his were his masters, not his slaves, and he was as much their victim as those he punished when he was in their grip. "nd despite what he had done to me tonight, I knew that his desire was real. Even if all his need was for a living body and arms to hold him, it was still a bitter, desperate need. /e would never see a woman as anything but a toy to suit his tastes, or a possession to be gained or lost, yet parado ically there was sweetness hidden deep in his nature. I remembered the times he had curbed his impatience for my sake in the early days, and that grave, searching look that had been in his eyes that evening at the Eagle; even the way he was wont to laugh at me, with rare, unmalicious amusement, teased my heart with an irrational unspoken hopeuntil tonight. I should have been horrified by the cruelty in him, but my heart still ached for the arrogant child who had been spoiled to become something like a monster by the indulgence of his every whim. I did not care that this was the loathed tyrant of !abria, that my life hung on his lightest word. "ll that mattered was *omenico, the man I loved, who had snatched me back to his side out of the contemplation of a whole iifetime of desolation. %rom now on, I knew, my plight was hopeless. There was nothing for me to do but cling to him, greedy of his presence, until he finally cast me off. #ove had chained me to him more irrevocably than any threat he could use. That it was groundless and ine plicableI did not truly know him and could never hope to fathom that capricious blend of intelligence, oversen-sitivity and animal violencemade no difference now.

4It will be sweet when you sigh like that for my sake,4 a la$y voice said, and the black eyes opened to drowsy slits. 4+here are your thoughts, %elicia54 I stiffened. 4/ere, 6our .race.4 2ne eyebrow arched slightly, and he stretched sensuously like a cat e pecting to be stroked. 4"re they so5 6ou must convince me.4 I read the hard demand behind the faintly derisive smile, and for the space of a heartbeat I lay still. Then, with the sensation of plunging into an unknown sea, I moved to lay my lips on his, unurged, uninvited, kissing him for the first time entirely of my own free will. The court woke +earily and late ne t day to the celebrations that were to last another three days. *ignitaries from the length and breadth of the state were flocking to *iurno, and the ambassadors from half Italy had come to confirm the goodwill of their masters to the new-seated *uke of !abria. 0ompous 3enetians, (uick-tongued %lorentines, and cautious Tuscans all begged audience with the duke; the palace resounded strange accents and was crowded with strange fashions, like a port whose harbor is full of ships. 2nly the archbishop looked black and talked of who had come and who had not, and of the portent of waning friendships. I searched the foreign faces for a ,avoyard embassy but was forced to conclude at last that the duke must have meant to send only his daughter to !abria. *omenico received them all in the council chamber, crowned and enthroned in the carved chair ,andro had shown me, with me seated like a mute at his side. I could not guess whether it was a punishment or only his whim that I should sit so, playing the bride for the ambassadors; but I sat beside him for hour after hour, a useless puppet, while they talked of treaties and partitions and ratifications and thought me to be the ne t *uchess of !abria. -ow and again I caught a gleam of derision in *omenico's eyes, as though he relished the absurdity of it all, but I could not be sure whether it was I or the ambassadors that he mocked. &eanwhile, the court bu$$ed with my new advancement. ,ome even believed it was for my own sake, forgetting that I was nothing but a substitute, and there were sycophants who would hang on my every word and petitioners to plead causes at every turn of the stairs. 2nly I knew, by *omenico's (uick, ungentle passion and by the perilousness of his temper, how fragile my power really was. &y escape might have been pardoned; it had not been forgiven. I saw little of ,andro during those few days, for he had told his brother that he was no better a counselor now than he had ever been and had disappeared into the hunting field. =ealousy might have pricked him, but that was to be e pected in an elder brother

who misses an inheritance, infuriatingly, only through his bastardy. The archbishop treated me with smiles and silvery courtesy which I did not understand at first; then I reali$ed that his spite against me went deeper and worked in subtler ways than open enmity. ,omehow, he had discovered 0iero's desire for me and worked upon that like the politician he was. /e knew as well as I that at the first hint of my unfaithfulness the duke would have done with me-so he paid 0iero, and others too, to court me, in the hope that their attentions might work some mischief. )ut if *omenico saw what was happening, he paid no heedor perhaps he no longer cared how many men laid siege to me. /is mind seemed full of state affairs, and it was only at night, when I was smuggled to his bed, that he heeded me beyond any of the gaggle of courtiers who crowded about him. "t last the ambassadors began to take their leave, and the court's mood altered to a cruder, more sensual gaiety. !eremonious revels were laid aside, and little order was kept in the sports and feasting. %or once *omenico seemed content that strict observance of his presence should not be kept, and once the interminable councils of state were done, he lent his countenance to any pastime, watching the revelers with a faintly cynical smile disfiguring his soft mouth. Ippolito de'%alconieri was teaching me the rules of chesshe had appointed himself my unofficial guardian since we came to *iurnowhen the duke came and stood beside me, watching the play over my shoulder. I tensed at once, forgetting all the rules of play in my awareness of the lounging, silver-clad figure so close behind me. I moved a piece at random, and Ippolito hesitated; then he shifted a piece in his turn, and *omenico laughed. 46ou are too chivalrous, Ippolito. 6ou should have taken the rook she has left unguarded.4 4I am playing a deeper game than that, 6our .race.4 *omenico's fingers closed in a cruel little caress on my shoulder. 4True. If one strikes too soon, there is no pleasure in playing, but if one seems to let a fault pass unobserved, one can reap the benefit laterlook.4 /e reached past me and negligently moved a pawn. 46our knight has been in peril for some time; this other rook can take him. )eware your (ueen, now.4 Ippolito watched the capture of the mounted knight philosophically. 4+ell, I have another knight, and I think my bishop4he moved it forward4will guard the (ueen well enough.4

The white hand checked, then moved smoothly, and the duke said softly, 4-o. ,ee what happens when the king comes into play.4 Ippolito groaned, and I laughed, then stared at the board. In three moves *omenico had altered the whole comple ion of the game; from a pathetically undefended position, spread anyhow across the board, the black pieces were now threatening the white, breaking up their ranks and invading their territories. 46ou see,4 *omenico remarked la$ily, 4choosing the moment to strike can look like mercy.4 I sat very still, my pulses thundering as his fingertips stroked my heck. Ippolito looked up sharply, his dark face suddenly drawn and an ious. 4I think,4 *omenico spoke absently, his fingertip tracing a line of fire across my shoulder, 4that 0iero della ;uercia must learn to bear himself more humbly soon. It is time, when he crowns his treachery with folly and woos my mistress before my face.4 46our .race, I thought you had forgiven that business long ago74 There was a small silence. 4%orgive5 I54 I started to put away the chess pieces. There was nothing more to say. I saw Ippolito's unhappy face and wished uselessly that I had never seen 0iero's cipher. "nd what would my punishment be for running away5 +as it poison or e ile he had in mind for me5 /is fingers caught my chin and tilted my head back. 4,truck dumb5 +e have been hedged about with ceremony too long, but tomorrow we shall be free of these preaching timeservers, and I am going to take you hunting.4 <nease filled me as I saw the (ueer brilliance of his eyes; he was up to some devilry, but my protests died on my lips. There was nothing I could do but be ready when he bade me to ride with the 8oyal /unt of !abria. The courtyard was filled to overflowing with men and animals; to stand on the Titans' staircase and look down was like looking into a black and white inferno. The morning sun was so bright that it bleached the color from everything and cast deep shadows like pools of pitch, and the sky seemed to flare like a white-hot shield. The horses were restive, whinnying and stamping e citedly, and everywhere underfoot there seemed to be dogsthe confusion of their cries rang and redoubled around the palace walls, and the noise was earsplitting.

,andro was already up, mounted and fretting impatiently and cursing grooms and dogs alike with impartial good humor. I knew he was fond of hunting, and clearly he even relished its noisy prelude. " little behind me, *omenico was whispering with the one man at court to whom he did not have to bend his head.iovanni ,anti, ,andro's master of horse. I had never spoken to him, but I instinctively mistrusted him, for he was the picture of a black villain. ,carcely shorter than *omenico there had once been a man who was taller, and *omenico had had both his legs broken to shorten himhe was twice as huge, massively built and heavy. /e moved lightly for so big a man and dressed with incongruous care, though without any of the e travagancies of the (uartet. )ut it was his face I disliked9 broad and meaty, with the flattened nose and fat red mouth of a pugilist, deep-set eyes under scowling black brows, a shock of tightly waving hair, and a heavy mustache. I 1udged the man ripe for any sort of mischief, great or small*omenico, too, it seemed, for they were agreeing together well enough, and the duke's black eyes were sparkling with wickedness. "s I looked around at them, ,anti bowed and hurried down the steps to help one of the kennelmen, and my eyes followed him with a sort of reluctant fascination. Then I noticed that the dog he had gone to tend was not one of the heavy-eared, belling hounds who were now beginning to muster9 It was a different breed altogether, more like a wolf than a dog. I touched Ippolito's arm. 4+hat kind of dog is that54 /e stared. 4I do not know; I have not seen 'em before. The duke has hired them from some fellow ,anti knowsthere is a boar loose in the woods, and those dogs are trained to fight boars. ,mall wonder, they look to me like killers.4 4I almost pity the boar.4 The dog was snarling and straining at its collar; there were three of them, I now noticed, mingling with the pack. 0iero came almost 1auntily down the steps, and *omenico flicked his fingers in summons. 0iero obeyed it at once and was prevented from bowing by the arm that came across his shoulders. 46ou have been too distant of late, 0iero.4 The duke's wooing voice came clearly through the surrounding uproar. 4I would have us friends again. +hat is it that offends you54 4+hy, nothing, 6our .race74 0iero sounded a little hysterical. 48ather, 6our .race has been too busy until lately to take note of me. &y loyalty has not changed.4

The two fair heads were close together, the true silver and the imitation. *omenico answered softly, 4It may be I have merited that reproof, but let us forget times gone and en1oy the present.4 4&y dear lord, I would not have you forget all the times that have gone.4 0iero had slipped unconsciously back to *omenico's old title, and he had rela ed in the circle of the duke's arm. 4,ome of them were indeed happy.4 4True.4 *omenico looked down at him, a little catlike smile on his lips. 42ne day we must live over those times together by recounting them to each other.4 4&y lord . . .4 0iero broke off and rubbed his cheek against the duke's shoulder in a little gesture of affection. I saw *omenico go still, but it was only for an instant, and 0iero did not notice. There was no outward change in his e pression, but somehow I knew that he was weary of his cat-and-mouse game. /e disengaged himself and gave 0iero a da$$ling smile. 4&y best 0iero7 !ome and ride with me, and we shall start the best (uarry of the day.4 There was the usual flurry of mounting, and Ippolito came to lift me into the saddle before hurrying across to his own mount. "s I gathered up the reins, I felt *omenico's ga$e rest briefly on my face; then he had turned to 0iero and was calling something, leaving me to trail unescorted in his wake. I knew from that tiny, compelling glance that I was to follow and say nothing, but the pain of seeing him turn his back on me was no less sharp. The effort of keeping my seat and my place occupied me amply for a while; my riding served me by now on the bare, sloping fields around %idena, but I had never ridden in the steep, thickly wooded hills near *iurno. There was no time to dwell on plots and subterfuges when an unseen rabbit hole might make my horse stumble and send me rolling to the ground, or when the boughs of trees were suddenly swooping obstacles that I must duck and dodge. I spent the first half hour pressed close to my horse's neck as flying twigs, bent back and released by the passage of other riders, came whipping over my head. +hen they killed the first stag, I closed my eyes and turned away from the knives and the running blood. ,etting after the second with the stink of slaughter still in my nostrils, I saw ,andro, his face set in a satyr's grin of e citement, leading the wave of riders. "lready the first horses were plunging back into the trees, following the $ig$ag flight of the panting deer. I was beginning to tire. &y horse sensed it, and now he became rebellious; he began to dance and fidget, and before I could stop him, he was trying to rub me off against a tree.

2nly the shock of annoyance, and a sort of stubborn pride, kept me in the saddle. In reality I wanted nothing better than to drop peacefully onto the tawny earth and let the hunt go on without me. " hand grasped my horse's bridle and pulled the animal to a standstill so suddenly that for a moment I did not reali$e what had happened. Then I looked down and gasped. ,anti had dismounted from his gigantic piebald and was holding it with one hamlike hand while he gripped my horse with the other and cursed it roundly. The gelding, to my astonishment, stopped wheeling and stood (uiet; when it was docile, the big man grunted approvingly and then looked up at me. 46ou are on the wrong path, lady. 6ou must follow the duke.4 I opened my mouth to retort that the duke was up with the huntsmen; then I followed the 1erk of ,anti's woolly head and reali$ed that he was not. "bout a do$en or so had broken away from the main party and were going off to the left at a slow canter. I could see *omenico's fair hair gleaming against the leaves and ga$ed after him wonderingly. 4+here are they going54 ,anti's teeth flashed briefly. 4It's my guess the duke is after rougher game than stags. /e has taken the boar hounds with him, and he told me before we rode out that I was to see you kept up with him.4 4"m I to have a 1ailer now54 -ervousness betrayed me into speaking more sharply than I meant. 4I cannot say, lady. I obey orders, that's all.4 I caught the faint tang of a %idena accent on his tongue and for a moment felt almost homesick for the city and its common people. To (uell the feeling, I drew myself up and said coldly, 43ery well, sir,4 and when he had remounted, I rode stiffly after him in the wake of the disappearing riders. The hounds were spreading aimlessly over the ground in search of a scent when we came up with them. It seemed strange that the duke should leave a flying (uarry to follow a cold scent, but this was my first hunt and I knew nothing of how it should be conducted. !ertainly *omenico did not seem concerned. I heard him laugh as I rode towards him, and 0iero said something and laughed, too. )ut it was not infectious gaiety. Ippolito's face was troubled as he watched them, and even the (uartet had left off their chatter and sat their horses in silence, watching without a flicker of e pression on their painted faces. 8iccardo's fi ed smile held no trace of mirth. *omenico bent lithely to ad1ust his stirrup 1ust as I approached. %or an instant of time it turned him towards me and away from 0iero; and it was as though he had greeted

me. Then he straightened and turned his shoulder and took no further notice of me. I saw the courtier's face light with almost indecent triumph, and a slow smile curved his weak mouth. I could hardly bear to see how flattery had swelled the man. "ll his caution had been swallowed up in conceit, and his voice, high and overe cited, was the only one uplifted in the whole party. /e talked of anything and everythingcourt gossip, court fashions, the latest political rumorswhile far behind us the sounds of the hunt died away. I felt sick. *omenico's cruelty did not stop at keeping 0iero ignorant of his doom; first he was letting him make a fool of himself. +e had reached a wide clearing in the woods, and by now the distant hunt was out of earshot. " tree had fallen across the track, its roots torn out of the earth by some recent gale. The duke reined in. 4"n omen,4 he said sardonically. 4%ate is determined that this boar shall livethe dogs cannot get his scent. +e will dismount for a little and let him go.4 "s he swung fluidiy out of the saddle, I saw his hand clench tight on the pommel; he was nervous, taut with e pectancy. The others dismounted in twos and threes, letting their horses wander among the treesby now the silence was oppressive, even chaining 0iero's tongue. ,omething was happening, and as I looked around the clearing, I began to guess what it was. &y heart began to pound, slow, sickening thumps of apprehension. The courtiers made a ring loose and seemingly accidental, but a ring. In the center stood 0iero, dumb with unease at last, and *omenico. I slid from my horse in desperate haste, thinking that somehow I must warn 0iero, even as part of my brain said that they would not harm him without a trial; even after my flight the duke had clung to the form of law. Then I saw *omenico's face. /e had been standing with his head bent, letting the reins run through his hand. /e was not riding his favourite gray today but a black, younger and more nervous, which moved like a shadow over the ground. "s it felt the grip on its reins slacken, it twitched its head free impatiently and trotted away through the waiting circle. *omenico's head lifted, and he watched it go. /is face was as white as ashes under the bright hair; there was a small, wolfish smile on his lips, and his dark eyes were wells of greed. /e looked like a god waiting for his sacrifice. ,oftly then, like a rustle of wind through the leaves, came a breath of 40iero4 so gentle I wondered if I had imagined it. 4&y most dear lord74 0iero's voice cracked with nervousness. *omenico drew something from his belt and turned, holding it out with a breathtakingly graceful movement.

46ou lost this writing the other day. Take it.4 The sloe eyes fell to the tiny roll of paper in the duke's fingers, and 0iero paled. ,lowly, like a man in a nightmare, he looked around the ring of impassive faces; then at last he looked up into *omenico's eyes. The outstretched hand never wavered. 4&y lord, you mistake.4 /is trill of laughter was almost convincing. 4I lost no writing, if that is what it isit looks more like an infant's scrawl.4 4*o not belittle your penmanship.4 *omenico's eyes were almost shut. 4It is written clearly enough for those who can read it.4 4This is a 1est, my lord74 0iero took the paper and scanned it, his cheeks burning as if with fever. 4+hy, it contains no words, no mark but scribbled lines7 +ho can write without words54 4"ny man who learns your cipher, I would guess.4 4+hy, I know nothing of ciphers7 6ou wrong me, my lord.4 0iero began to laugh again, high and shakily. 4These suspicions are unworthy of your greatness. I am no spy, nor would I ever betray one I have held dear for so long.4 *omenico's arm fell slowly to his side, and when he spoke again his voice was infinitely gentle. 4 '%ore .od, 0iero, tell me no more lies7 This folly is your revenge for my neglecta thing to gall me with, if I cared for such petty treacheries. *o not deny it further, or I may grow angry.4 0iero looked for a moment at the still, fair face. 4&y lord . . .4 40iero . . .4It was a vicious parody. The whole clearing seemed fro$en in a breathless silence. I saw the last defenses drop from 0iero as he drew himself up with an odd sort of dignity and shrugged. The surrounding men were like so many ghosts, and the only living beings were these two men, accuser and accused, who stood beside the fallen tree. 4It is a finer plot than you can guess, my lord.4 0iero's e pression was almost pitying. 46ou do not know the half but let it go. I served only a tithe of its great estate, and it was ripe before I 1oined it. #ong ripe.4 46ou lie. 6ou broke this plot yourself to %erren$aif you had had his answer you would have had rebukes, not payment. *id you seek to wind him in with you to help 8ome5 2r have you been intriguing with .ratiana5 "nswer me74

0iero shook his head. /e was standing as he had stood so often in the court, one hand on his hip, his fingers stroking his pointed beard. 46ou were always too proud, *omenico. 6ou cannot see further than your avowed enemies when you search for treason. Though .ratiana hates you, sure enough, for what you did to hercasting her out because she poisoned your father in the hope of pleasing you. "nd wedding you, and ruling !abria with you. 2h, I heard that.4 /e smiled mockingly as *omenico's hand clenched. 4I was outside with my ear to the crack of the door. I know you were dreaming of the gray-eyed witch you planned to steal for your bed, but you should not have spurned your mother duchess so harshly. ,he has borne you a grudge ever since.4 *omenico stood dreadfully still. It was a magnetic stillness, like a panther poised for battle, and he did not answer a word. 4I thought till then that you knew she lusted after youyou have such a knack for knowing these things, my dear. )ut if an affronted virgin knew the language of the stews, she would have spoken as you did then. +as it the contrast54 /e glanced across at me, the old gibing lechery in his eyes again. 4,ure, the *uchess .ratiana looked like a moldy parrot and stank like verminbut what you said to her was not kind or filial.4 4,he killed my father, 0iero.4 I shivered. %rom the menacing (uiet had come a small, clear voice, and it was the voice of a lost child. I wanted to run to *omenico, to protect him from the tongue of the man he meant to kill, but I could not make my limbs move. 4*ear my lord.4 The title was a sneer. 4I know how much you loved your father7 6ou and I have drunk to his death through many a carouse, and you made a wa manne(uin when you were fifteen-paid wi$ards and alchemists, and I know not who else, to charm him into his grave. The cocks that bled for it would have stocked a farm.4 4/is .race was but a boy then, 0iero.4 Ippolito's voice sounded, and it was as though one of the trees had spoken. 4/e cannot have thought such tricks would do any real harm.4 4!an he not5 +ell, never mind, for after all they did nothing but raise the market price of poultry.4 4,top (uibbling.4 Ippolito sounded sickened. 4&y dear man, I am (uibbling for my life7 Every word I utter is one more breath to me. I promise you, I shall try to talk till doomsday. I owe my rise to my tongue, do I not, *omenico54

The *uke's eyes were like slits. -ot a muscle moved. 4It was I who wooed you from your tears when del !astagno died, do you remember5 "nd I who found out who betrayed him to your father. +hen I told you it was that creeping mute he kept as a body servant, you clung to me and vowed to be my friend forever. I even helped you to kill the little rat, the night you mounted my sister in ,atan's name, and the demons came and frightened him to death. -ot your first murder, I know but your first in the court.4 40iero, for the love of .od74 It seemed to burst from Ippolito. 4"s you say, dear Ippolito. .od loves those who speak the truth, and I should like to unburden my soul. &y lord dares not let me speak when I go to the blockdo you, *omenico5so I shall speak it all now. It is a tale worth the listening to, but you may be tired of standing before I have done. ,hall we sit down5 -o5 #et it be, then.4 /e paused for a moment, watching *omenico with bright, malicious eyes. 4I have never known whether I loved you more than I hated you,4 he said almost conversationally. 4.od and the devil will have to winnow it out between them. )ut I fancy the devil will win; .od may dislike my making you /is rival and tip the scales so that I shall bum. "nd yet you never loved me, nor anyone.4 "gain he glanced fleetingly at me, 4save perhaps *omenico della 8affaelle. It is damnable.4 " spasm of sudden fury twisted his face. 4I have longed to see you in thrall to one who did not love you, to watch you crawl for love as I have done and get cold answers still. "nd now I shall not see it74 /is ga$e dropped to his (uivering hands and he watched them, waiting (uite deliberately until they were steady. Then he said in an altered tone, 4+ill you not speak to me, my dear5 +ill you not even curse me5 6ou think I have only done you a little harm, and you are curbing your temperbut one day soon you will learn 1ust what harm I have done you and damn my soul to hell a thousand ways. *o not stand there like a stone74 /is voice had an edge of hysteria. 4I will only use you then to whet my tongue.4 46ou flatter yourself,4 *omenico retorted harshly. 4I will not spend my breath on your paltry treasons.4 %or an instant 0iero's face contracted as if in pain. Then he said, 4*o not say I did not warn you, then7 6ou will find it more than paltry, I thinkthough paltry enough revenge for thirteen years' thralldom7 4 Ippolito gave a muffled e clamation. 4Thralldom7 )ut . . .4

4-ever tell me I chose it.4 0iero turned on him like a cornered 1ackal. 4I did not choose a life spent dogging his heels and panting for his notice7 I had no choice. /e bewitched me.4 /is voice rose. 4,ure as those spells you say he did not believe in7 /e made himself my food, then stinted me. I tried to rule him, and so I did for a little; then he grew older and too proud to bear with me.4 4,hould the son of a duke be ruled by his lackey54 The contempt in *omenico's voice brought 0iero up short, and I saw him blink as though he had been struck. 42nce it was not duke's son and lackey,4 he answered venomously. 42nce it was two lads*omenico and 0iero and it was 0iero who lorded it with you7 6ou do not choose to remember4 4I remember well enough.4 *omenico's voice was dangerously even. 4%orbear to talk of it.4 4If you remember, then 1udge my 1ealousy. &easure for measure with the love I gave you.4 46ou loved the son of the *uke of !abria.4 The raw fury in *omenico's eyes made 0iero step back, but his voice was still stifled. 4It was my power you made your court to; you thought to haul yourself higher on my coattails and rule the state from behind my throne. *o not tell me tales of your undying love.4 /is voice festered suddenly. 4I have seen you sweat after my very mistress74 I felt sick with shame. Ippolito had slipped away, his face as gray as death, and the two lovers, or enemies, were confronting one another like gladiators. I swayed, clinging tightly to the bole of a nearby tree to keep myself upright. ,omewhere a dog snarled, disturbed by the bitter voices. 0iero laughed on a sour note of self-mockery. 4+hy not5 ,he is fair enough. I meant to be patient, thoughI would have waited until you wearied to take her to bed.'' 4-o more words, 0iero.4 The duke's voice shook as he spoke, and the courtier's face filled with delighted malevolence. 4+hy, my dear7 2f whom are you 1ealous5 6our black-haired drab or me54 There was a moment's charged siience, then *omenico's eyes flared like a berserk wildcat's, almost silver with rage. /is face was flushed hectically, and his lips drew back from his teeth like a snarling animal's. 42f you5 *o you imagine I think of you5 " smooth-tongued slave with more impudence than brain, more cunning for mischief than

breeding7 %or my hate's sake I have let you live so longit was sweet to see you couch to me, and say 'my lord' so often, when you went in fear for your lifebut I would as soon hold a leper in my arms as such a vile scullion7 "nd you dare talk soyou dare to meto me4 ,weat was pouring down his face as he screamed the words. I could see his violent trembling from where I stood, and then his voice seemed to catch in his throat. %or a moment I thought he was dying9 Then, before anyone could move, he pitched forward like a falling tree, without any attempt to save himself. 0iero caught him as he fell. I heard him say, 42h, *omenicoyour old fit again4and he bent and pressed his lips to the duke's temple. -o one moved. I simply did not know what to do. +hat was between these two seemed private, and I clung to the tree as though it were a lifeline. 0iero was kneeling, supporting the duke's whole weight across his upraised knee; *omenico lay apparently unconscious, his shining head on 0iero's shoulder like a sleeping child's. It can only have been seconds before he stirred, but to me it seemed like centuries. /is head lifted a little, and he seemed to recollect where he was; then he tore himself from 0iero's hold and slithered back from him as swiftly as a snake. 0iero's hand went out to him, and then the duke, his eyes wide and blank, gasped, 4:ill him. :ill him.4 There was a scuffle and a sudden clink of chains, and one of the men shouted and pointed at 0ierothen, with a rush, the three great boarhounds left their keepers' sides and leapt towards him. /e did not scream. I do not think he believed, in that first moment, that they could be coming for him. Then, when comprehension flooded his face, his hand dropped to his pitifully inade(uate dagger, and he turned slowly from one dog to another, trying to estimate where the first attack would come from. The dog on his right sprang, and he flung up an arm to fend it off. The weight of the animal's body made him reel; the hand that held the dagger was wrenched high, the arm useless as the hound sank its teeth into it. 8iccardo *'Esti whispered e citedly, 4" silver piece that he lasts five minutes.4 .uido 3assari shook his head scornfully. 4-ever7 #ook at the other two.4 +hile 0iero was trying to dislodge the brute clinging to his mangled arm, the other two dogs were circling. Then one of them launched itself from behind him on his left side, and then he did scream. /e stepped back, trying to recover his balance, and

stumbled, dropping backwards to the ground. It was a gift to the third dog. 0iero's second scream was short; a man cannot scream with his throat bitten out. I remember thinking stupidly that those dogs could not have been fed for days. I wanted to look away, but I could not remember how; I could only stand propped against the trunk of a tree, watching, watching. 2nce, staring at the red, ruined thing that had once been a man, I remembered that I had thought I hated him; but I was weeping, nonetheless, as though I would never stop. 8iccardo was sulkily paying his bet to .uido; Ippolito was not there. "mong the courtiers I recogni$ed only ,anti, who had cleared the dogs away and was clearing up the mess with an unmoved e pression on his brutal face. The clearing looked like a butcher's yard. *omenico was still crouched on the ground; he had not moved since he gave the order. Then ,anti brushed by him to pick up what looked like a severed hand, and he stood up at last. There was a long smear of blood down his velvet sleeve where 0iero's imploring fingers had caught at it momentarily; but otherwise the struggle had not touched him. /e stood looking down at the crimson grass with a lack of e pression that was terrifying. Then, as though a thought had struck him, he raised his head sharply. I watched him come towards me with a sort of dread; if my legs would have held me up, I would have fled him. )ut I stayed still, half-collapsed and racked with weeping, and his hands caught mine and pulled me upright. /is were icy cold. 4That will teach him to betray me,4 he said with a shaken laugh. I was shocked beyond reason, beyond rational thought. I wanted to shrink from a man who could wreak a revenge so terrible, so immeasurably greater than the crime it punished. The man I love is a monster, I thought da$edly; he has men eaten alive. . . . "round us the huntsmen were struggling to calm the hysterical pack, and some of the courtiers had gone to catch the horses. Ippolito was with them when they returned, still visibly sickened, not daring to look at the trampled grass or the stains glistening on the bark of the fallen tree. I felt *omenico stiffen as he met his secretary's eyes above my head; then his harsh grip slackened, and with a muttered 4!ome,4 he turned and swung himself lithely onto the black horse's back. I did not hear what he said to ,andro when we re1oined the main hunting partysome farrago about blood from a wounded deer, and the dogs maddened by the smell on 0iero's clothes 0iero who had smelled always of musk and civet. ,andro's eyes were frankly skeptical, but he kept his face wooden enough while he heard the tale.

The ride back to *iurno was long and silent. ,oon the palace might be bu$$ing with gossip and surmise, but now not a man dared murmurthe duke's hunt brought its (uarry home in speechless unease.

Chapter Seven
That afternoon I escaped to find %ather 3incen$o. I had not seen him in all the days since I reali$ed that my sins were willingly committed, but now my soul was so heavy with remorse that I could not bear it alone. /e was alone in the chapel when I found him, and I think he had heard something of what had happened, for he greeted me without surprise, his gentle manner saying far more than the stilted words he spoke. ,lowly the familiar pattern of prayer caught my attention, blotting out the red horror of the forest clearing, and I rose from my knees feeling comforted. 4"nother time, daughter, do not wait until you stand in such need; and remember, it is not for you to 1udge the weight of your own offenses.4 I flushed as I met the =esuit's steady regard. 4They are heavy enough by any man's reckoning, %ather.4 4)ut not so heavy as to crush your conscience; if they did, you would not have come to me. The duke only uses confession as a means to shock me; a man's death is less to him than the loss of a glove. I tell him of damnation, but I doubt he fears anything but the darkness in his own mind.4 I must have made a betraying movement, because he looked at me keenly and nodded. 46ou know of it, too. I thought you must have guessed somethingit is more than the god of his appetite which drives him to such evil. I have sought to make him tell of it in confession, but he will notI think perhaps he does not know himself what it is.4 4/e is haunted.4 I spoke with difficulty, watching my fingers as they twisted together. 4I will not tell you more than that. )ut his pride will not let him admit that a thing can terrify him, and so he never speaks of it.4 4-ot to you54 I shook my head. 4I am only his mistress. ,ometimes he talks in his sleep, that is all.4

%ather 3incen$o did not answer directly. /e pondered for a moment and then said, 4/e is much changed of late. *id you know that his constancy to you is the wonder of the court54 40iero . . .4 &y tongue stumbled. 40iero della ;uercia said something like it, but his every third word was a lie. %or all I know there may be fifty others.4 4The duke would not be so far kind as to spare you the knowledge of them. /e was wont to take a delight in tormenting his mistresses sofavoring one in the sight of another and on the same night betraying both. "nd the honor he did you at his coronation has been noised throughout Italy. . . .4 4/e did it to ve his great-uncle,4 I interrupted bitterly. 4It was no more than a sign that he can do as he pleases now he is duke.4 The =esuit sighed. 4#ike enough.4 4"nd I know he will keep me only until he is wedded. /e told me so.4 I had known the truth of that before I spoke the words; but the sound of them, baldly stated, was so painful that I sat as still as if I had received a wound, not daring to move in case it increased the hurt. %ather 3incen$o glanced at me sharply, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and gentle. 48emember, daughter, I will always bear half your burdens if you ask me.4 I bowed my head in a sudden flood of gratitude and kissed his thin hand, and as I did so, a mocking voice sounded from the doorway. 4/ere is devotion, Ippolito7 "re you seeking to set a fashion in piety, sweet5 6ou will have few enough followers at that.4 I turned to see *omenico in the doorway, Ippolito and the (uartet at his heels. /e was lounging la$ily, a half-reckless smile on his lips, and I obeyed the peremptory flick of his fingers perforce; it was only when I reached his side that I could see the new, remote look in the depths of his dark eyes. /e continued smoothly, his fingers closing on mine. 4+ere you seeking absolution for your crimes5 %or those you should ask pardon of meI swear I can devise you softer penances than any priest.4 The men behind him sniggered, and the priest smiled rather sadly. I said, 4+ill you stay, 6our .race54 but he shook his head sharply, almost angrily.

4I will keep my own road, I think.4 /is voice was light, the smile still on his lips. 4"nd trust to your prayers to keep me from the devil's clutches.4 4That may be beyond my power, 6our .race.4 4+hat, when you are backed with my good confessor here54 *omenico glanced sardonically at %ather 3incen$o. 4&y soul is to him as the "ugean stables were to /eracles.4 The young priest inclined his head. 4I thank 6our .race for the comparison. /eracles finished that labor, and eleven more to boot.'' *omenico straightened. 4*o so for me, and I will make you the ne t archbishop.4 46our .race forgets,4 the priest retorted gently, 4that you are not yet pope.4 *omenico might not have heard; his fingers were hard on mine, and his remote ga$e was fi ed on my face. 4If you had not stolen from me, you might have heard the news I have told the courtwe are for our travels again. +e start for %idena tomorrow morning.4 4%idena7 )ut I thought you meant to stay here until . . .4 <ntil ,avoy's daughter came, I meant to say, but he cut me short. 4There is no need. 2ur great-uncle remains behind to manage our affairs here, and there is no need for us to fool it here any further.4 The sudden twist of impatience in his voice warned me, and I bowed my head in ac(uiescence; what I tried to do by prayer, he sought by flight, leaving *iurno far behind. )ut as I learned, there was much grumbling in the court when the move was announced, and ,andro swore downright and sulked thunderously. +e were to travel back at a much slower pace than we had come, Ippolito told me that evening, and smiled when he saw my e pression. 4*o not look so glum, lady. +e will not ride at a walking pace. #ook.4 /e drew a map from his pocket. 4,ee in the mountains thereand there as the road crosses back towards the marchesthose are castles belonging to the duke's lieger lords. +e will stay at each of them for a night or two, and see some triumphsand sleep softand that is what will make our 1ourney slower.4 I sighed with relief. 46ou are a great comfort to me, my lord.4

/e started in mock terror. 4*o not say so before the duke, lady. I should be of little comfort without my head.4 4+hat, lady74 ,andro's voice made me 1ump. 4I must tell tales of you to my brother if you get his secretary into corners.4 I looked around to find him regarding me (ui$$ically, and laughed. 4+e were talking of the 1ourney back to %idena, my lord. #ord Ippolito was showing me the route we are to take.4 4"h, yes.4 ,andro's eyebrows lifted. 4" week of meandering through clefts and gorges to take in a night or two at moldering castles whose owners seek to evade my royal brother's tithes. 6ou will en1oy yourselves74 4*o you not come with us54 I asked (uickly. 4-ot I7 The pace my lord secretary sets favors the sickliest 1ade on the heaviest-laden coach. I and my men can make the same 1ourney in four days; and I have the royal leave to post ahead. I told my brother a wench claimed marriage of me and I wished to leave in hasteit was a likely tale enough.4 4*id he believe you54 4-ot a word,4 ,andro admitted cheerfully, 4but he looked at me from under his eyelids, so, and said in that voice of his as if he were musing, '6ou have your reasons, I doubt not; go if you will.' "nd I shall take him at his word.4 /e made a rude grimace. 4It is always his way to seem to know what is in a man's mind.4 "nd a woman's too, I thought wryly. Then I saw Ippolito's understanding nod and felt glad that I was not the only one made uncomfortable by *omenico's dark ga$e. It might have been because I was inured to the discomforts of court travel, but the 1ourney back to the coast seemed far shorter than the way inland had done. I only knew that I was glad to leave *iurno, for the beautiful city was one in my mind with images of death and fear, and I would have traveled anywhere rather than stay behind. The archbishop had (uarreled furiously with *omenico over his sudden departure, even urging ,avoy's daughter as a cause for him to stay and wait, but the duke had not listened. 4#et her come after,4 he had said indifferently. 4To be *uchess of !abria is worth a little painand you will be here to care for her.4 -ow and then, where the mountain roads were not so steep, he let me ride instead of sitting in the 1olting coach. "t first I had been eager for these respites; now I dreaded them, for he amused himself by baiting me as we rode, with a mi ture of brutality and contemptuous amusement that brought the blood stinging to my cheeks. It was as

though he only suffered my presence for the sake of coming to my bed at night, and he did not bother to conceal the fact. /is careless, almost contemptuous possessiveness masked an indifference which had grown upon him since the night he brought me back to the palace. "t night he used me mercilessly, forcing my response without a trace of tenderness and mocking me when I yielded, and by day, though he kept me as fast by his side as ever, there was a hard remoteness in his eyes that looked close to hatred. I stole a wistful glance at his fair profile. /e showed no sign of caring for his bride's continued absence; it could not be a lover's impatience that pricked him so cruelly. It could only be that I had, after all, killed his indulgence towards me by running away from him, and that he was only waiting until we reached %idena to be rid of me. ,ome instinct made him turn his head, and I dropped my ga$e (uickly; but he had seen, and I saw his mouth take on the cruel curve I dreaded. 4Ippolito.4 )lessedly he spoke to his secretary, not to me, and Ippolito urged his sluggish mount forward with a hearty kick. 46es, 6our .race54 4/ow long is it before we reach !orveteri5 I think the lady grows tired.4 4#ess than half an hour, 6our .race. +hen we reach the head of this gorge the road winds past the face of the bluff and brings us to the castle.4 &y horse fidgeted uneasily, as though it shared my discomfort, and *omenico's hand tightened on the leading rein. 4Then bear up a little longer, sweet. 6ou will soon be in your bed.4 I heard a stifled sound from Ippolito but dared not look around. Instead I drew myself up, stiff with offended dignity, and heard *omenico say in a 1udicial voice, 4That is the best seat you have had all day, but do not clutch at the reins like that.4 +hen we rode through the gate of the !astle of !orveteri, he was down from his horse's back almost before the groom had reached its head. I blinked at the sheer grace of the motion, then found him standing beside my horse with a hard demand in his face. 4!ome,4 he said curtly, and I slid from the saddle into his arms without a thought for the watching servants or for the count and countess waiting with their gaggle of children on the castle steps.

Eight days after it had set out from *iurno, the duke's cavalcade was skirting the woods bordering the plains around %idena. I was riding again beside *omenico, leaving -iccolosa alone in the coach that inched creaking down from the foothills and started across the plain. Even the horses seemed eager to reach the cityfor days now they had plodded through the mountains as though they believed the 1ourney to be unending, but now they pricked up their ears and threw themselves forward against the traces as if they could smell the stable. The 1aded nobles sat straighter in their saddles; the whole line seemed to sweep through the straggling trees in a sudden surge. "s we passed the outlying hamlets west of %idena, I noticed how (uiet the fields were. -ormally the men stayed working until sunset, but the thought only flickered across my mind and was gone as I glimpsed the walls of the city, at first like a smudge of mist on the lip of the gorge above the bay, then settling into its familiar outlines as we drew nearer. Then *omenico reined in sharply; the whole cavalcade came to a ragged halt, and at once a din arose of drivers shouting to their impatient horses and shrill voices demanding what the matter was. I followed *omenico's narrowed ga$e and saw a tight knot of horsemen spurring towards us. I saw .iovanni ,anti astride his rawboned mount, then I reali$ed that ,andro was their leader; his rugged face was grim, and shadows of sleeplessness ringed his eyes. /e made straight for *omenico, wrenching his horse to a steaming halt before him. 46ou had best turn about and make for 0in$i, )rother, or else ride along the coast to ,orentino. %idena is not safe.4 4"re you 1esting54 *omenico's voice was harsh. 4.od's death, I wish I were7 -aples is stirring against us.4 %or once there was no laughter in ,andra's eyes. 4I had the news when I came here three days ago. I have tried to get the city ready for a siege-his armies are e pected any moment. +e thought when we saw you coming that you were he.4 *omenico said, 4+e drove his soldiers back not two months ago. /e cannot have mustered another army so (uickly.4 4/e has levied fresh troops from ,pain,4 ,anti put in, and ,andro cast him a murderous glance. 4,o the rumor runs.4 *omenico was frowning. 4,pain7 ,o the cur seeks more help from his master7 It must be so, or he could not come against us so soon. !ome, you shall tell us what you know as we ride.4

The )astard did not move. 46ou had best get yourself and your cohorts to some place of safety. I will keep the city.4 %or a moment there was a pulse of silence that seemed to still the surrounding tumult. *omenico was watching his brother as a leopard watches a wolf. Then he said coldly, 4+e will not trouble your stewardship.4 ,andro's face did not change, but I could have sworn he was disconcerted. 4"s you will, then,4 he replied blandly, 4but you may wish you had followed my advice.4 The little sneering curl of *omenico's lips was answer enough, and he flicked his gloved fingers for ,andro to turn his mount and fall in beside him. ,andro obeyed, and at a signal the whole cavalcade moved off again. I heard only scraps of ,andro's tale as we cantered towards %idena, but the gist was plain enough. /e had made good speed from *iurno, arriving three days ago to find the city convulsed in terror. 2utland farmers were crammed in with their city relations within the walls; the port was shut down and the (uays manned in case the invasion should come from the sea. 4They had not even thought to unload the ships,4 he said scornfully. 4They would have left four cargoes of grain rotting in the bay. I saw to that and sent out to discover who the invader was this time, and the si$e of his force. The men brought back an envoy from the :ing of -aples with letters for you, so I thanked him kindly and turned him back at the gates, in case he should spy for his master.4 4+here are the letters54 4"waiting your gracious attention, )rother, in the palace. I have not read them.4 *omenico was silent for the rest of the 1ourney, and his horse's hooves rang ominously as he clattered through the gates of the city. There was no whisper in the afternoon air of the acclamation which had roared at his heels when he rode out to *iurno; the streets were as silent as though they were under a curfew. The whole city was waiting. /e dismounted at the southern door of the palace, and the rest with himthe (uartet, ,andro, Ippolito, ,anti, and a few others. I hesitated, seeing myself forgotten, but as Ippolito helped me dismount, he whispered, like a conspirator, 46ou had best come with us, lady. The duke may want you.4 I knew he would not, but it was a kindly thought. I followed the men up the worn, curving staircase to a bare stone chamber at the top of the tower, where thin bars of light

streamed gold through the slitted windows. Even in full daylight there was not enough light to see by, and I drew back into the shadows as servants hurried in with lights and stood unnoticed while the candles were lit. Even in small things the fear of a siege was apparent; there were fewer candles now than there would have been a little while ago. *omenico was pacing the room like a caged leopard, turning occasionally to fire a (uestion at ,andro, who stood watching him e pressionlessly while the other men simply waited, their eyes gleaming strangely in the candlelight. In the silences I could hear the rumble and clatter of carriages and horses passing through the gate below us. I stepped back into the window embrasure to look out; the noise had reminded me, absurdly, of the Eagle. 4/ave you sent to the garrison at !astle %ucino54 The duke's sudden (uestion made me start, and I turned to see ,andro shaking his head. 4They are not needed yet. <ntil we have stronger news than rumors, they are better where they arewe shall have fewer mouths to feed.4 4They will come too late to fall on the ,paniards' backs if we do not send soon.4 The retort stung like a whiplash. 42r do you propose they should avenge the fall of %idena54 ,andro shrugged. /e had had, he conveyed, three days to consider the very (uestions that were being fired at him, and none of *omenico's angry demands could alter the course of events. %or his part he would rather have been left alone to have the ordering of the siege, but if the duke insisted . . . 4The letters from -aples.4 *omenico paused again and then said sharply, 4+here are they54 "t a sign from ,andro, ,anti stepped forward and handed them over unceremoniously. The *uke nodded briefly, turned, and spread the parchment over the maps on the table, bending above the candle flame to read. There was no sound in the room but the rustle of pages; the light from below painted strange demonic shadows on the beautiful face and touched the silver-fair hair with a halo of warmer gold. +ithout warning, the pain of my hopeless love engulfed me afresh, and I stood in the shadows trembling from head to foot. "t last *omenico spoke, still looking at the letter. /is voice was as gentle as a summer bree$e. 4*id I not say that -aples was a villain54 4&ost sure you did, 6our .raceand so he is.4

4I did not say the half, Ippolito. /e is not only a villain but a knavea lying knave and now he tries his knaveries on me74 /is open hands smashed down on the table as his head lifted, and his eyes were bla$ing. 4+hat does he say, 6our .race5 Is it some dispute of territories5'' 4/e will have it all.4 *omenico's voice was shaking, and his fingers clenched slowly, crushing the letter. 4/e demands all !abria in the name of my mother duchess to buy the favor of his ,panish overlords.4 There was a hiss of indrawn breath in the room as the courtiers looked at one another. Ippolito looked blank. 4)ut she has no claim74 4,he has invented one. ,he has shown -aples proof that my father willed her the throne as regent for her lifetime. /e bids me resign my dukedom to that old whore and says that if I will not, he will wrest it from me by force. In .od's name, does he e pect me to give in tamely54 There was an instant babble of protest. 4/e must know the story to be false, 6our .race.4 46our royal father's will is common knowledge. The duchess has no such proof.4 4This is only a prete t to cover his invasion.4 40rete t74 *omenico's eyes flared, and his voice rose to a shout. 4*o you give such a name to treason, sirrah54 "ndrea 8egnovi, the most timid of the (uartet, (uailed. 46our .race, I only meant . . . rightly disco-vered it is not treason. . . . The :ing of -aples is not 6our .race's sub1ect and . . .4 " vicious blow silenced him, and *omenico stared down at him, his fair face flushed and twisted with hate. 4Impudent beggar7 6ou would support these traitors, then, and sugar this gall with your tongue. . . . +hat is that but more treachery54 Ippolito interposed (uickly. 46our .race, he meant no harm7 Every fool who does not choose his words well is not a traitor.4 *omenico checked, his breath coming short and fast. I watched with a sick dread as Ippolito struggled to calm him; something had touched off one of those strange fits of animal fury, so different from his usual icy anger, and he was most uncontrollable now when he needed to be most calm. /e was shaking with rage, his face dangerously flushed, and real alarm sharpened the (uartet's painted faces as they watched him. 2nly ,andro ga$ed without a change in his e pression.

46our .race . . . my lord . . .4 Ippolito was beyond caring what he said. Then, suddenly, *omenico swayed. /is curses were choked on his tongue, and his fingers gripped the edge of the table until the knuckles shone white. Then he half turned and simply dropped, slumping unconscious against Ippolito's shoulder. The moments dragged. I found myself praying ceaselessly, 40lease, .od, do not let him be dead,4 and I saw the same fear stamped on Ippolito's suddenly aged face before *omenico stirred. /e straightened, ga$ing down at his secretary with eyes that looked sightless; then a child's shaken voice said, 4This folly moved me,4 and he turned back to the map-strewn table as though nothing had happened. %or hours the discussion raged back and forth, touching on allies, treaties, routes of supply. I remembered that once, long ago, I had felt tired and longed for the time when we should have reached %idena. -ow the idea seemed ridiculous there was no time to be tired. The coaches had long ago ceased to rumble through the gateway below us, and the palace was sunk in uneasy (uiet. I could guess how long we had been there only by the runnels of wa which clogged the bases of the candles. ,andro suddenly yawned cavernously and grinned around at the assembled lords. 4+ell, invasion or no invasion, I am for my bed. I have watched these past two nights, and I shall take it most unkindly if the ,panish come to wake me before morning.4 The strained faces rela ed, and even the (uartet yawned and shuffled their feet like natural men. 2nly *omenico took no notice. /e still sat, slung along the edge of the table, studying one of the maps spread out before him with his bright head bent and harsh, rigid lines about his mouth that had been there ever since his outburst against "ndrea. It was the same fit that had caught him the day 0iero diedthe ungovernable rage and the sudden collapse, the (ueer withdrawn (uietness afterwards. It was like a sickness, a fever of the mind, a taint which had been bred into him. 0erhaps that was what ,andro meant when he said that his brother was mad. . . . Ippolito was chivying the rest towards the door, but still *omenico did not look up. ,lowly I moved forward out of the shadow. I was chilled to the bone, and I had been gripping the stone sill so tightly that I had to peel my hand away. *omenico looked up sharply. %or an unrecogni$ing moment he stared at me as though I were a ghost, and then the terror faded from his face and his eyelids drooped. 4%eliciahave you been here all this while54 I nodded. 46ou did not bid me go.4

4-ow I do.4 /e rose from the edge of the table and came towards me, his face now as still and unrevealing as a mask. 4That damned whore .ratiana is making mischief, did you hear5 ,he claims my dukedom of me.4 46es, I heard.4 /is %ingers drummed feverishly on the table. 4I shall crush her somehow. 2ur troops are disposed, and we should do well enough when the ,paniards come. There should be lookouts stationed to give us warning,4 he added over my shoulder to ,andro, 4so that they cannot surprise us.4 8iccardo *'Esti bowed and smirked. 4They cannot hope to elude 6our .race's vigilance74 4"nd now that we are secure, there are revels toward.4 48evels74 /e nodded, his eyes hard and unfathomable. 4There have been feasts and shows prepared against our homecomingit were a shame to lose them.4 /is recklessness appalled me. 46our .race, is it wise to seek pleasure at such a time5 6our brother says that the people are already living leanly in e pectation of a long siege, and if you were too prodigal, they might resent it.4 "s I spoke, I knew I had gone too far; his eyes narrowed, and his voice was bored and cold. 4,hould we care for the pleasure of a few rawboned vassals54 .uido 3assari stepped forward. 4)y your leave, madam, this course is wiser than waiting in apprehension. These celebrations were ordered long before we had the news of this invasion, and everything is provided; all we will do is set them forward. +here is the harm in that54 4)ut the means for one such feast would provide four days' plain victual,4 I protested. 4+ill you be a general, too54 The threat in *omenico's voice made me shiver, and I was silent. %or a moment longer the dangerous silence lasted, and then he turned to the waiting nobles. 4&y lords, we will hold the feast tonight as we planned. +e will not let our pleasure wait on the :ing of -aples's whim.4 I followed them without speaking, to the head of the stairs, and the moment they were out of the duke's presence, a din of chatter and hurrying broke out. )aldassare #ucello, behind me, thrust me forward unceremoniously with a murmur, 4&adam, we may not

linger,4 and I thought suddenly, I have heard that on every side ever since I came here. The whole court is in a perpetual hurryand for what5 4&adam, the duke74 The thought flickered and was lost, and I (uickened my pace. The duke must not be kept waiting. The darkness seemed to breathe, pressing down on me like a hot, thick blanket. /ere and there were gleams of light from the last embers of the torches, and the blackness was peopled by innumerable small sounds, sighs of lassitude, stertorous breathing, the rustle of garments and the kiss of flesh, (uieting into a silence of e haustion; the court's lust had spent itself in one hectic surge, and soon would come the bitter aftermath. I sat staring into space, seeing in the darkness pictures of the gluttony and debauchery to which fear of tomorrow had spurred the !abrian nobles. The mask of the ,even *eadly ,ins played before our faces, sung and chanted, with the servants of each ,in's train engulfing the whole hall in a miasma of vivid color9 the spilling dishes, the flowing wine, the sighs and screams of the court as the torches were doused one by one. I remembered arms and bodies twining together, masked faces pressing close; the woman a few feet away who fell sprawling on the silver table, laughing at the sweating efforts of the man who lay upon her; .uido 3assari holding fast to one of the young pages and calling for his fellows' help when the boy tried to break free. )ut now the shouting and the raucous laughter had died away and were replaced by gasps and moans and deep sighs of pleasure. -ear me something moved, and I stifled a cry; then *omenico moved into the light, as softly as a nightwalking cat. I could not see his e pression, only the strange gleam of his dark eyes. It must have been near morning, for the air was thick and stale, and it seemed like hours since we had come down to supper. I was fighting my awareness of him as he came towards me, but against my will my hands clenched. +hen all the rest had begun mauling each other in a lust born of dread, he alone had sat still, watching as though for his private amusement. I had tensed, e pecting and yet dreading his touch, but all he had done was to grip my wrist to stop me being drawn into the melee with the rest. )ut now he had risen and was standing above me, toweringly tall, a blacker shape than the blackness. I felt di$$y as I felt the warmth of his hands on my naked shoulders; a smooth fingertip caressed my throat lightly, and as a shiver of e citement ran through me, I heard, faint and far off, the clanging of a bell. *omenico had not heard it, but he sensed my stiffening and raised his head to listen; then he too heard it, and his grip was suddenly cruelly tight.

The sound came from beyond the antechamber, beyond the palace walls, borne faint and clear through the echoing corridors. *omenico released me and turned to the doorway into the antechamber, swinging the door wide so that the gray dawn flooded in. In that moment I reali$ed what that clamoring bell must mean and forced myself to my feet. I was stiff, and I staggered as I moved and clutched his arm, but he did not heed me he was looking around him at the wreckage of last night's revels. )odies lay on the floor, obscenely sprawled or still clasped, deaf to the bell's warning, too foundered in wine or lechery to rise. #ittered across the hall were trampled garments, overturned furniture and puddles of spilled wine. The stench was choking, the reek of guttered torches, the sourness of wine, greasy food, and stale vomit. *omenico swore softly and savagely, then threw up a hand to shield his eyes as a manat-arms came clattering into the hall carrying a torch alight with gouts of orange flame. The shadows swung and reeled, and I shielded my own burning eyes, trying to see clearly. 46our .race.4 It was the captain of the royal guard. 4The ,panish army74 4+hat of it54 4It . . . it . . . they are coming, 6our .race. &arching under the banners of -aples. They are approaching through the forest to the southwestthey must have marched by night so that our sentinels could not see them crossing the western foothills.4 4.od's death74 *omenico's voice held the crack of a whip. 4They carried lights with them, did they not5 "re all our soldiers blind54 46our .race, some of them were drunkthey said that a nobleman sent out barrels of wine so that they might 1oin in the carouse last night. -o man could have e pected the ,panish so soon. . . .4 /is words died away, for the duke was no longer listening. 4,end all our forces to the southern wall to scatter these invaders. They shall learn what it is to brave !abria thus.4 4)ut 6our .race, that would leave the rest of the walls unmanned. If there were a second force . . .4 4There is none74 *omenico lowered his hand from his eyes, and it was clenched hard. 46ou said the ,paniards were coming from the southwest; get you gone, then, if you are not a coward, and drive them back as you are bid74

The man went white, but he only said in a strained voice, 46es, 6our .race,4 and turned on his heel. )y now other bells were ringing, nearer and louder, and I heard the great boom of the bell of ,an *omenico pealing out over the city. The courtiers were stirring and groaning, opening thickened eyes and moving stiff and surfeited bodies; I thought momentarily of the bloated shifting of (ueen ants when an anthill is broken open. Then I started forward instinctively as the duke called, 4Ippolito74 and scanned the hall for his secretary. /e glanced down at me as I moved, and his eyes narrowed. 4.o to your chamber; call your women and keep them about you. I shall send for you when it is safe.4 4)ut, 6our .race . . .4 4There is no time to dispute.4 There was an ugly curve to his soft mouth. 42bey me, or I shall have you arraigned for treason. .o74 /e turned away, leaving me thunderstruck. I could barely comprehend what was happening; I could only think stupidly that he had ordered me away. Ippolito had answered the summons, and they were conferring togetherthe words came to me dimly as I stood half-da$ed. 4+e will stand on the battlements above the palace gate and see all that passes on the south wall from there. There is no time to reach the city wall itself4 46our .race must arm. 6ou are too fair a target clad as you are.4 4.ood Ippolito7 I had forgotten it. /urry, then74 /e glanced back as he reached the door, his eyes narrowed and angry. 4%elicia, go74 There was nothing I could do but obey, and with what dignity I could muster I walked through the men and women beginning to gather themselves together, and out of the great hall, feeling sick with dread. I thought, if he goes to the battlements now and is killed, I shall never see him again. The clatter of running feet sounded as a soldier came racing towards me. 2ne noble less drunken than the rest rose staggering to his feet and caught the man's arm as he passed. 4+hat's toward5 +hat now54 The soldier shied away, trying to free himself. 4I have to tell the duke. . . . There is another troop of men on the opposite bank of the river gorge. Two hundred and fifty bowmen are there already, aiming at the northern battlements, and the duke has ordered every man to the south walls74

The nobleman released him and swayed back against the wall. 4.od curse him,4 he said thickly. 4This heat of his will kill us all.4 The soldier looked at him with scared eyes and ran on. "s I climbed the stairs, I had to fight my way through a current of frightened courtiers, all seeking news, which threatened to force me back the way I had come. )ut somehow I kept my feet and managed to reach the head of the stairs in safety. It was at the end of the gallery leading to my chamber that I noticed the boy. "bout fourteen, slender and small for his age, he was craning curiously after the fleeing crowd with e citement sparkling in his eyes, level with my own as I passed by him. It was then that the stupid, desperate idea came to me. In clothes like his, I could follow the duke unnoticed; he would not pay any heed to a page. If I could reach the battlements undetected, once there I could keep out of sight9 -othing would matter so long as I was near *omenico. /e need never know I was there. 4)oy.4 /e looked around in surprise; then his eyes widened as he recogni$ed me. 4&adam54 4/ave you another suit of livery54 /is 1aw dropped, and he stared dumbly. I could have shaken him. 4/ave you5 "nswer yes or no74 46es, madam.4 /e swallowed hard. 46es, I . . . I have.4 4I will buy it from you. If you bring it at once to my chamber, you shall have my purse.4 /e eyed it as it hung at my girdle, and a strange e pression crossed his face. 4To . . . your chamber, madam54 I wondered if he were simple. 46es, you know which it isthe tapestried chamber near the duke's.4 46es, madam.4 /is ga$e lifted from my purse to my face. 4I will not let /is .race's men know what I am about.4 /e was gone before I could wonder at his words; he could not know why I wanted the clothes. )ut there was no time to stand and pu$$le. I hurried to my chamber and began to undress, throwing my gown to the floor in my haste and wrapping a silk robe around

me as a tap came at the door. I opened it thankfully, and the page stood there, a smirk on his face, his color rising as he saw my undress. 4I have brought the livery, madam.4 /e tried to sound unconcerned, but his voice cracked and betrayed him. 4.oodput it there on the chair, and I will pay you.4 I turned to pick up my discarded dress to search its folds for my purse, so intent on the search that I hardly heard what the boy was saying. 4I have done nothing yet, madam.4 46ou have done as I asked and brought the livery (uickly. *id you think I would cheat you5 /ere.4 8oughly I disentangled the purse and held it out to him. /e stared at it as though he e pected it to vanish before his eyes. 4)ut I thought . . . I thought . . .4 /is bewilderment checked me even in the midst of my haste. 4+hat did you think54 /is eyelids flickered and fell. 42nly that . . . only that many ladies offer great fees for small errands and then ask a different thing. I thought you were at the same game while you are safe from the duke.4 I stared at him in unbelief, then shook my head slowly. 4-o. I wanted what I asked for, and no more. /ow old are you54 4-igh on fourteen.4 /is eyelids lifted again. 4)ut you need not fear that I am unskillful. The lady !aterina says . . .4 4-o, I am sure you are not.4 I smiled rather bitterly. 4)ut I have no time for such things. /ere is the payment for your livery. Is there a cap like the one you wear5 I must have a cap.4 4-o, madam . . .4 4Then give me yours into the bargain, instead of the other thing.4 I took the velvet cap from his unresisting fingers and handed him the purse. 4There, now we are (uit.4 /e backed away, still ga$ing at me, then scrabbled behind him for the latch of the door. "s it opened, he half staggered, then almost fled down the echoing gallery.

I made haste, trying to blot out the little unpleasant memory. I did not know how long I had before the ,panish forces reached the city; I had to reach *omenico before they attacked, or I might never find him in the press of battle. +hatever the boy had thought of my re(uest, he had fulfilled it handsomely he had brought hose and knee breeches, a linen shirt and a stiff black doublet badged with the silver hawk of !abria. +hen I had put it on, I looked in the glass and blessed the tyranny of fashion, for in a peasecod-belly doublet it would take sharp eyes to see what was there and what was not. There were no shoes; the boy must only have possessed one pair, so I found the black boots I wore for riding and put them on. &y hair I twisted into a thick rope and stuffed under the velvet cap. There was no time to wonder at the unaccustomed freedom of breeches-splashing my face with cold water from the ewer erased all traces of the duke's pale mistress, and it was a fresh-cheeked page I saw in the mirror. Then I was running as fast as I could along the gallery and out into the clamorous morning, leaving the chamber door swinging behind me. There were stairs cut into the face of the tower that the archers used to reach the battlements. "s I climbed among them, I was straining my eyes to see what was happening outside the city walls, but then giddiness and my old fear of falling sei$ed me so that I had to shut my eyes and grip the stone wall until the sickness passed. The bowmen cursed and prodded me in the back, and one man muttered about the milksop lads they were breeding nowadays. +hen I opened my eyes, I did not look down again but kept my ga$e upwards, watching the toiling men ahead silhouetted against the blue shield of sky as it brightened into the late summer's full furnace. It was going to be a hot day. " lieutenant in charge of the archers asked my business, and when I told him I had come to seek my master, he waved me away without a second glance. &en see what they e pect to see, and no one at a time like this would take note of an insignificant page all I had to do now was to find the duke. "long the battlements arrows were being fitted to bowstrings in a single motion that rippled along the line of men like the sweep of an eagle's wing. They would stand like that, waiting for the signal to draw their bows, for hour after hour if they had to, with little hope of a single shaft landing on the distant enemy. Tradition demanded that the duke's bowmen, his %ifty, must attend him in battle, but I had heard bitter grumbling that they were not with their fellows on the outer walls, where their bows might do some good. :eeping my head down, I moved away from the head of the steps and along the narrow rampart. %rom here I could see the turmoil down below in the streets, already shrouded by the ha$e of heat and dust over the city. %rom the palace to the great bastioned wall the streets were thronged with people, scurrying like brightly colored

dolls. They were surging and shouting with panic, but from so high above the frantic crowd movements looked aimless and the hubbub became a wordless roar. Then horsemen came spurring, out of the palace gate. I saw them riding among the frightened people, laying about them with staves and spear butts to clear the streets, driving the citi$ens back into houses and shops. I should have been down there now, I thought suddenly, not peering down from the palace gateway as though I were in some way greater than they. I tore my eyes from the milling crowd and looked out over the city wallsand saw, massed like a field of wind-stirred grain, men and horses spread over every inch of the plain to the very lee of the walls. "nd opposing them, strung out in chains and clusters along the outer battlements, the black-clad troops of %idena. Even then I did not feel fearthe danger was too great, too unthinkable, like the nightmare which had first gripped me when I knew I was the duke's prisoner. I turned my back on the ,panish army and went in search of *omenico. It was many minutes before I found him. /e had left the gateway and gone along the ramparts to the western corner, where the walls of the city and palace 1oined and the mass of gray stone dropping sheer to the foot of the gorge above the bay bordered both at once. To the south the wall bellied out to encircle the city streets, and the closepressing army could be seen (uite plainly. To the north and northwest the river cut through the frowning gorge, and on the opposite bank more men were massing; their ranks followed the river line to the incongruous bright waters of the bay and clustered thickly before the towers that guarded the bridge. *omenico stood with Ippolito beside one of the huge cannons which gaped across the gorge, unattended now, for every soldier had gone to line the southern fortifications. The (uartet waited nearby, and his commanders were impatiently awaiting their orders, but he stood as though he were alone, watching the enemy beyond the walls. &y heart almost stopped with love, and it was only by a supreme effort that I did not run forward. +hat use was a disguise if I betrayed myself the moment I saw him and was ordered away again5 I bowed my head and slipped through the group of men to where a couple of other pages hovered aimlessly, *omenico's little eunuch and Ippolito's young nephew. -o one even glanced around; they were watching the duke. %rom where I now stood, I could soe the glitter in his eyes that betrayed the beautiful mask. It was pure childish pi(ue, a hot, infantile fury that any man's army should invade his dukedom. It held him, trembling, in a travesty of stillness, and fanned the anger in his brain to a reckless white heat.

In the streets the citi$ens had been driven indoors, and %idena lay in uneasy (uiet. 2n the plain the ,panish army waited in silence. -ot a word, not a breath, disturbed the sudden (uiet, and my skin began to prickle as minute followed crawling minute. I began to wish insanely that the ,paniards would attack anything to break this awful silenceand knew that this was their way of playing on our nerves, stretching the seconds as the day grew hotter. The courtiers began to sweat, but no one moved. The whole scene might have been the picture of a battle in some monkish chronicle, the stillness broken only by the occasional stir of a restless horse. I strained my eyes. There were no war machines, no siege towers or battering rams; perhaps they were being made ready somewhere in that sea of enemy soldiers, and their arrival would be the signal for the attack. &y teeth were chattering despite the hot sun. I felt horribly conscious of my absurd disguise and of how angry *omenico would be when he learned that I had disobeyed him. The (uartet were whispering among themselves; )aldassare was trying to silence .uido, whose poise was crumbling into panic. 4. . .I tell you we must flee the citywe could escape even now or else make terms with their general7 The ,panish king would ask only an oath of allegiance, and the duke could still reign in safety and keep whole skins for himself and us. . . .4 4;uiet74 <naccustomed firmness rang in )aldassare's whisper. 4+hat you counsel is treason, and if he were to hear . . .4 4/e does hear.4 *omenico did not turn his head, and his eyes were still on the distant walls. 4I knew you were a coward, 3assari, but I did not think you fool enough to be careless of your tongue.4 .uido fro$e, his hatchet face pinched and gray under last night's paint. /e started to stammer something, but *omenico's head turned sharply, and the flame in his black eyes fro$e the e cuse on his lips. 4Take the coward's part if you will. )ut never let me see your face again.4 There was a long, strained pause, and then .uido turned and went without a word. /is footsteps were loud in the silence, and as his feet touched the stairs leading down from the tower, I heard him break into a run. The silence was almost unbearable as the noise died away, and *omenico's black-gloved hand clenched hard. The others were e changing furtive glances, and I knew that now the most arrant coward among them would hesitate to voice the idea of truce or flight. ,uddenly, there was a stir. The ,paniards at the south wall were changing their position, surging back and turning, their spears bowed like bending rushes in a fan-

shaped spread around one particular spot. "t once everyone swept forward to see what was happening. I found myself thrust to the back and could not see; then ,anti swore softly, and Ippolito e claimed in an incredulous voice, 4They have opened the gates74 *omenico stood as though turned to stone, and around him everyone was shouting. 4There is a traitor in the city74 4+e cannot hope to stop them now74 4+ho has done this54 I felt sick. The commanders were raging; below, enemy troops were pouring into the city I had been born in. )ut I only had eyes for *omenico's dreadful stillness. Then his color changed, a violent trembling took him, and curses began to pour out of him in a di$$ying stream of filth. I had heard foul language enough in the taverns, but his cursing then made the men around him blanch. I do not think they could have calmed him if the sky had not suddenly darkened and clouds of arrows come slicing overhead from beyond the southern walls. "s foot soldiers and spearmen pressed in through the gates, the ,panish bowmen were loosing their shafts from where they stood, trying to pick off the soldiers from the walls. The terrible hissing clouds made everyone gasp and turn again to look down into the city streets. ,ome citi$ens had come out from their houses to make a stand, and the !abrian soldiers were fighting with the bitterness of despair; but the ,paniards outnumbered them five to one, and the fight was clearly hopeless. The black banners were giving way before the golden leopards of -aples, and always the fighting crept nearer the palace walls. 2ne of the pages cried, 4#ook, they are firing the houses,4 and as he spoke, I saw gouts of flame beginning to stream from the wooden tenements against the outer wall. That would be the old (uarter, I thought numbly; where I lived with my mother and foster father before "ntonio was married. I do not know how long I crouched on the parapet, the rough stone hurting my knees, peering down at the fighting. The other two boys were still young enough to see it as a game of soldiers at firstit was only as the fighting came closer that they saw what devastation followed the battle, and their e cited chatter was silenced. 8enewed argument was breaking out among the lords. )y now the sunshine was blotted out by a pall of smoke and dust, the air was thick with gunpowder and the meaty reek of blood, and ashes were flying by on the wind. The arrows had almost ceased to fly, for the footsoldiers had pressed so far into the city that they had forced their foes out of bowshot. Ippolito's boy, sharper-eared than I, turned to his fellow with a face peaked with fright. 4They are saying we ought to flee the city.4

!autiously edging closer, I tried to catch the drift of the argument. It was not easy. "ll the men were shouting at once; *omenico stood in their midst like a trapped leopard, spitting his outrage and fury at creatures who had never dared to withstand him before. They ringed him in like hunters, drowning his voice with the power born of desperation. 46our .race, this is not cowardice but wisdom74 4To stay here would be folly7 The city is burning74 *omenico's voice caught in his throat in a little choking snarl. 4They cannot burn stone.4 4+ill you be broiled alive on your own leads5 %or .od's sake, 6our .race . . .4 46ou can reach the mountains and seek help from there.4 4,eek help5 I54 The black eyes flared frighteningly silver. 4Then live in e ile if you prefer it.4 The captain of the guard was angry, too, and past choosing his words. 42nly get out before they ra$e your palace about your ears, and do it (uickly while you can still get clear.4 8iccardo *'Esti hurried to soften this speech, his fi ed smile a dreadful thing to see. 46our .race, if you escape, we lose only the city. )ut if you are taken, we will lose everything7 2ur lives, our . . .4 /is voice stopped suddenly. I thought for a moment that it was drowned in the hiss and clatter that rained down around us. Then, with a look of surprise on his face, he teetered slowly to his knees and fell with an arrow deep in his back. 4.od's nails,4 ,anti growled, 4it's the dogs on the other side of the gorge. They're shooting now.4 "t once the others turned on the duke with redoubled energy. /e must go, they said, for the state's sake and his owntake a few men and ride for his life to the mountains, to *iumo. There he could consult with the archbishop and mold an alliance to strike back against ,pain. 4+hy not with ,avoy54 one of them demanded. 46our .race's bride's great father54 I saw the murderous glance *omenico gave him and was as startled as he. )ut perhaps the *uke of ,avoy would not give his daughter in a landless match, and *omenico hated even so unintentional a reminder. /e did not answer the suggestion, only shook his head curtly.

" second flight of arrows rattled over the battlement, and suddenly ,anti, who had been watching the fighting through the smoke, thrust his way through the ring of men. 4&y lord *uke, you'll have to get down the side of this tower, or you are trapped here. They're at the gates down below.4 The direct rough speech, the sudden seriousness of the man's brutish face, were (ueerly compelling. 4I know where some traders keep horses stabled in caves in the gorgethey use 'em for transporting grain from the ships to the millsI could go down and fetch them, and lead them to that clump of trees at the foot of the walls there. The damned ,panish are nearly all inside the city now, so we should have a clear run along the coast as far as 0in$i, then turn west and make for the mountains. That should give them a wide enough berth. "ll we need are some ropes to let us down the wallsthey will have men set to pick off whoever sticks his nose out of either of the north gates.4 This succeeded as nothing else had in silencing the whole assembly. 8iccardo's body lay forgotten on the flags as the nobles stared in astonishment at ,anti. /e took no notice of them; he was staring at *omenico straight in the eyes, his heavy body e pectant, his e pression an ious. 46our .race, this man is mad74 2ne of the nobles sounded shrill with outrage. 42nly a commoner would e pect 6our .race to hang from ropes to serve as a target for those devils who are shooting at us.4 Ippolito touched ,anti's arm. 4/e is not (uite a fool, .iovanni. +hat about the archers54 4+e'll have to risk them. ;uick, 6our .race74 *omenico held his ga$e a moment longer and then turned away. 4.et the ropes4 was all he said. The men needed no second bidding. 2n the word some of them were racing towards the stairs, shouting orders to the servants within to fetch ropes, all they could find, and 1oin them securely on pain of their lives. *omenico went swiftly to the north side of the tower and stared down for a moment with an unfathomable e pression on his face. Then he called to ,anti. 4If you go down the full face of this tower, you will be stuck like a pri$e hog. /ang the rope from the lower rampart thereit will save so many lengths, and you can climb in the shelter of this tower. &ost of the arrows will glance off it, belike.4 ,anti looked and nodded. 48ight.4

/e had forgotten who it was he spoke to; and for an instant *omenico's bleak face was alight with self-mockery for missing his title at such a time. The look flickered and was gone like summer lightning, but I stood like a stock, forgetting where I was and what I pretended to be. 4+e shall follow you.4 /is voice, still harsh, but steadier now, startled me from my dream. 4"re there enough horses for us all54 4,ome do$en or fourteen. Enough and to spare.4 46our .race, I shall stay here.4 The captain of the guard spoke gruffly. 4,aving your pleasure, someone in authority should oversee this rout and try to make terms that will save the palace.4 46es.4 The duke's voice sounded strange. 4It is not to be pillaged.4 I caught the despairing look that the captain shot at his fellows. 4Then I am to surrender it without a fight, 6our .race54 4I care not how. 2nly preserve it until I can deliver the city again.4 The captain drew a sharp breath and after a visible struggle bowed his head and stepped back. I heard him mutter to his ensign, 4,urrender under a pledge of safety,4 and then the two of them withdrew to make their own plans. I reali$ed with a stab of something like 1ealousy that ,andro had been right; *omenico loved the 0ala$$o della 8affaelie as much as he loved anything. I wondered what had become of ,andro. I had not seen him since the previous dayI had not even noticed him at the ban(uet. )ut then I forgot about him, for the servants were dragging great coils of rope on to the lower rampart, and I hurried after the others as they left the tower to 1oin ,anti down below in its sheltering shadow. "fter one look at ,anti, swinging perilously as he lowered himself down fathom after fathom of rope, I had to back away from the edge. It took a steadier sight than mine to discern the stone flagway fringing the gorge; to my horrified glance, the side of the palace dropped sheer into the river, and it looked as though the big man would have to go on and on until he touched the water. In fact, although I could not look long enough to see it, he had less than half the apparent height to descend. The bowmen cannot have seen him, for the flights of arrows were no more fre(uent than they had been before, and the shafts were aimed to skim the battlements, not to pierce the man clambering between earth and sky. The men crouched beside the parapet, sweating as they watched the loop of rope rubbing against the stone with the shifting of ,anti's weight.

" 1ubilant mutter went up; the rope was still, and there had been no 1erk, no cry. Ippolito looked eagerly up at the duke. 4/e is down, 6our .race. +ill you follow him54 *omenico shook his head. 4,end these first.4 /is gesture indicated the whole group; his glance barely flicked us. 4I have other business first.4 4There is no time, 6our .race.4 " flash of e asperation crossed Ippolito's kindly face. 46ou stand in greater peril than any of usfor .od's sake, come now74 The fair face hardened. 4*o not command me, sirrah7 I do not keep a secretary to order my actions.4 4I do not seek to do that, 6our .race, but for your own safety . . .4 /is pleading glance drew the help it begged, and the nobles crowded about *omenico, pleading and persuading. I could see his bright head above the tallest of those surrounding him; he was looking from face to face, his lips curling back in that almost animal snarl, light flooding his eyes so that it hurt to look at them. Then suddenly his voice cut through the hubbub in a vicious scream. 4I say I will not74 They fell back before the bla$e of his wrath, their reasoning and sophistry useless in the face of his blind absoluteness. Then suddenly Ippolito stepped close to him like a swordsman stepping inside his opponent's guard and said something in a low voice. I saw *omenico go still, and gradually the silver malignancy in his eyes was replaced by an arrested e pression. /e stared down at Ippolito, suspicious but intent. 4*o you swear54 It was almost too soft to hear, but I caught the movement of his lips. Ippolito nodded, and a little of the tautness went out of *omenico. 4.ood Ippolito . . . I am persuaded, then. )ut do it, as you hope to live.4 Ippolito beamed and slapped the looped rope with a proprietary hand. 46our conveyance awaits, 6our .race.4 *omenico turned, moving past the clustered courtiers as though they did not e ist, and looked down at the rope with a frown. Then, almost before I saw him move, he was over the parapet in one almost li(uid motion and scorching down the rope. +atching his bright head gleaming farther and farther away, I felt as though I were watching #ucifer's fall from heaven. I wanted to cry out, but mercifully my fear for him kept me dumb while my thoughts rushed on in a tumult of wordless prayers. The vision of his supple body lying broken at the foot of the gorge was so clear that I seemed to see it with my waking sight. Inwardly I was waiting for the shout that would tell me that

those around me saw it in reality. It seemed like hours, like centuries, before Ippolito straightened up and beckoned to "ndrea 8egnovi. 4!ome on, sir. /is .race is downnow I must go and do his errand.4 The relief was so great that I swayed and stumbled against the parapet. -o one heeded me; I leaned against the stonework, my cheek against the roughness of the rock, and let my senses slide. %lags and sky were mingling, gray amid the smoke, and then the whole world seemed to slip away from me. ,omeone shook me by the shoulder, and with a 1ar I was back in the real world, slumped against the parapet. I had 1ust enough sense left to keep my head down. 4!ome on, boy,4 Ippolito's voice said above me, 4we shall have to leave you behind if you do not pluck up. .o and tell my nephew #oren$o that I bade him look after you.4 I muttered shamefaced thanks, but he had already hurried on, his feet clattering down the stone stairsthe business *omenico had for him must have been urgent. )oys and men were clustering around the rope as one by one they lowered themselves into that gray infinity. The arrows were beginning to fly around us in earnest as the ,panish archers noticed the activity and made the lower rampart their special target. I knew that I must do as the others did and go down the rope, but every time I made a move towards the edge, fear weighted my limbs like gyves, and I stood rooted to the spot. &y throat was dry and my palms were sweating, and I felt as helpless as I had in prison, in the grip of a fever. If *omenico had been before me, commanding me, I would have obeyed him without thought; but he had gone, 4without a thought for me, not caring if I was with him or no. The fear of a cold welcome was as sharp as the fear of falling. To climb that rope would be to trust my life to a few strands of twisted hemp, to dangle helplessly in the air, four times higher than the tallest ship. ,omehow I was standing gripping the ledge with both hands, on an empty rampart9 all the others had gone while I hung back. In panic I slid to my knees, crouching ab1ectly behind the bulwark out of the hail of arrows. %or my life, I dared not move. I might have been there yet if someone had not come. %ootsteps came running across the flagstones, and Ippolito crashed to his knees beside me. /e fell so suddenly and so close that I could not see his face; his voice sounded (uite unlike his own, breathless and strained. 4"re all the rest gone54 I found my voice. 46es, my lord.4

4Then we must go, too. Though how I shall fare when the duke knows I have not done his errand, I dare not thinkthese ,panish arrows are swansdown feathers to the weight of his displeasure. )ut come.4 /is voice was steadying as he spoke. 4+e must do something to salve your terrors, ,ir !oward. <p with you74 ,crambling to his feet, he lifted me to mine9 then I felt the grip of his hands tighten in astonishment, and he shook me so urgently that my head was 1olted back as he stared at me in disbelief. 4#ady74 /e sounded utterly ama$ed. 4+hat are you doing here, and in those clothes54 4I could not stay in my chamber while there was danger.4 I could not say more, but he seemed to understand, because there was a look of compassion in his face. 4"nd you have found more danger than you bargained for,4 he finished gently. 4!ourage, then, for it will soon be over, and after the first step the worst is past.4 %or an instant I heard in his words the echo of another voice0iero'swooing me to the duke's bed with the very same words. The memory was so sharp that I flinched momentarily, then forced it out of my thoughts as Ippolito closed my hands around the rope. 4.o on.4 /e was smiling still as I hesitated, but he meai.t what he said. 4The duke will be halfway to *iurno if we do not make haste.4 There was no time to demur that the duke might not want me; if Ippolito said I was to go, there was no tarrying. I scrambled over the parapet, hearing his soothing instructions in my ears. 4"ll you have to do is to keep a firm grip on the rope and find what footholds you can on the way down. 2nly remember not to let yourself slide, or you will burn the skin off your handsand keep close to the side of the tower.4 I was over the edge now, my feet dangling in the air, and the strain on my arms was unbearable. I glanced down to find a foothold, and at once I was transfi ed. The ground seemed to spiral up to meet me, and it was only by luck that my hands retained their grip. 4&adam, you must not look down74 Ippolito's voice came sharply, and I wrenched my eyes away from the spinning void and craned upwards. /is face was suspended above me in an arc of smoke-filled sky; he was kneeling atop the parapet and leaning down to call. "s I peered up, my feet found crevices in the crumbling wall almost instinctively, and the trouble in his face cleared. 4+ell done7 -ow go on74

I took a deep breath to call my thanks, but the hiss of arrows drowned my voice. +hen it died, Ippolito still knelt there, perhaps leaning a little lower than he had done but not troubling to avoid the flying shafts; it took a moment to reali$e that he was slowly sagging forward and moments more to connect it with the feathered shaft protruding from his forehead. 2ne hand moved slightly, ineffectually, as though to touch it; then, with nightmare slowness, his body teetered and fell. "t first it doubled together and toppled, like a sack of flour, but as it fell out into space it spread-eagled, turning and sailing through the air into infinity, into oblivion.

Chapter Eight
It was pain, simple physical pain, which shocked me back to my senses. Every muscle in my arms was screaming in protest, and with an involuntary whimper I began to lower myself down the rope, my feet finding cracks in the masonry. I dared not look down9 "nd now I dared not look up, in case I saw the empty battlement which would confirm what I had seen to be reality. Instead I stared straight ahead with numb concentration, seeing the scars of the other climbers' feet, marks where the sun-dried lichen crusting the wall had been trodden to powder, long scrapes where a boot had skidded or a crumbling foothold had given way. I was not aware of anything but the ne t step, and the ne tthe giddy seconds when the rope swung away from the wall and I clung to it like an apethe reali$ation that at last there was ground, solid ground under my feet. &y legs almost gave way as I let go the rope, and I tottered drunkenly, staring unbelievingly at the frowning face of the tower. It seemed impossible that I should have climbed so far. I could still hear the din of battle within the city, men howling and the crackle of fire, but now it seemed to come from a world long past. The rope was sticking to the palms of my hands, and I pulled free, roughly. -c one was waiting in the thicket as I scrambled down from the fiagway to the cover that ,anti had pointed out; all the rest must have gone on. I ran panting from the foot of the wall, starting at every shadow, forcing my buckling legs to obey me as I raced uphill and in among the trees, e pecting a ,panish ambush at every turn. !oming so suddenly out of the sun's glare, I was almost struck blind, and then as my eyes accustomed themselves to the blue-dappled shadows I saw two horses tethered theremine and Ippolito's. " lump rose in my throat, but I choked it down; time enough to mourn later. I stared at the horses, trying to assess them as though I were calmly choosing a mount in the duke's stable.

There was little choice, I reali$ed, for I could never mount the tall chestnut gelding unaided. )ut with luck and the helpful bole of a tree, t might manage to mount the piebald mare. I would have to ride astride, for no boy ever sat a horse sidesaddle. It took some coa ing to calm the mare enough for her to let me mount her; she was nervous, sensing the violence in the air and upset by her cavalier treatment, and when I gathered up the reins, she laid back her ears and began to sweat. I talked nonsense to her, trying to distract her attention from the fading sounds of battle, and when the sound of my voice had lulled her into uneasy stillness, I hauled myself into the saddle. The sudden weight made her shy so violently that I almost lost my balance; I clung feverishly with thigh and knee and hand, bouncing in my unaccustomed seat. Then she was off and bolting, and I was riding without stirrups, winding my hands in her mane as I sought to stay on her back. ,he plunged out of the thicket like a mad thing, tearing through the undergrowth like a thing possessed; I had no hope of controlling her, no idea even of where she was taking me. The ground ahead seemed to $ig$ag cra$ily as we veered away from the frowning wallsif we had finished by crashing into the river I would not have been at all surprised. I was riding flattened to the horse's back, half-smothered by her flying mane, and that must have been what saved me from the bowmen across the gorge. The mare must have looked riderless as she labored up the slope to level ground. Then, as she gained the crest, her stride leveled into a headlong gallop. The earth blurred under her hooves, and the smoke-filled air became a wind which filled my eyes and lungs and left me gasping. I loosened one hand and managed to grab the flying rein, certain with every moment that I should slip off and be crushed by the flying hooves, and pulled with all my strength. The mare's pace checked as her head swung around, then steadied again as she wrenched at the bit; she was terrified beyond all control, driven by fear of the turmoil of war behind her. &y arm felt as though it were being wrenched from its socket, all the muscles I had strained in the climb now screaming protest as the mare's head 1erked and 1erked again, but I knew that if I let the rein slip I was lost. If I could turn her back again, I thought da$edly, back off the level ground to the slope below the lip of the gorge, the rough ground would slow her down. )etween my thighs her muscles were bunched and tense, and she was resisting my attempts at control with every nerve. ,till tugging desperately at the rein, I saw the ground dip and fall away ahead. The mare was turning at last, but now she was headed straight for the precipice-there was no barrier but a couple of old upright timbers stuck meaninglessly on the verge. The animal did not hesitate. ,he veered and, with one final defiant toss of her head, went thundering down on the brink.

I felt the lift and surge of her muscles as though she were leaping and wondered why she did not try to check her momentum; then I heard her hooves striking timber and the drumming as she galloped on. +iser than I even in her panic, she had looked and seen the old bridge that spanned the gorge, the one that ,andro had shown me what seemed like years ago. " collection of rotten planks, he had called it, for those who do not mind risking their livesand now it had saved mine. I could hear the creak of its timbers even through the drumming of hooves; small wonder that the ,panish had not even tried to cross by it. +e had reached the northern side. "s the mare climbed the slope towards the pathway, my feet found the stirrups at last. ,he ascended the rise, and then as she took off again, I caught the rhythm of her stride at last and sat down on her back. -ow I could risk turning to get my bearings. +hen I looked behind, I was ama$ed by how far we had come. The embattled city was now only a distant threat, the bowmen on this side of the gorge clustering opposite its walls like ants on a trail of honey. %ar behind now was the siege, and ahead were the path over the crest of the gorge and the road that traced the cliffs running beside the sea. I thought despairingly9 *omenico will have turned westwards to *iurno, and if I cannot turn this animal, I shall never come up with him. )ut it seemed nothing could stop the mare. -The long wait in the thicket, tethered so close to the fighting, had unnerved her so that now she would gallop until she was e hausted. I do not know how far we had traveled when I felt her tiring at last, but we had covered the ground at desperate speed. ,he chafed again as she felt restraint on the bit and resisted, but only for a little, and then her headlong pace began to slow. In a moment she would be cantering, and then if I could manage to turn her . . . I heard the sound of horsemen ahead. I hauled on the reins, trying with all my strength to turn the horse, but my sudden panic had communicated itself to her, and she threw up her head and galloped straight forward. "gainst my will I was catching up with the riders ahead whether friend or foe I could not tell, but there was little chance of friends. I could see them now, riding hard, and the dust from their horses' hooves was choking me. 2ne of them must have heard me approaching, because there was a shout and those behind reined in sharply, turning to confront me. 2ne of the horses whinnied, and my mare, unbelievably, slowed. -ow she would answer the bit, and I pulled her up, staring with unbelieving eyes at the riders. Two of them had ridden back to meet me, and I found myself ga$ing incredulously at two of the

!abrian lords. They had taken the northward road, and my horse's panic-stricken flight had brought me up with them. I gave a little sob of relief. 4+here is the lord Ippolito54 The (uestion came sharply from the taller man. I drew a deep breath. 4/e is dead, sir.4 )oth men turned pale. 4*ead7 )ut he cannot be7 /ow did it happen54 4/e was hit as he helped me down from the battlements. "n arrow pierced his skull and he fell.4 The taller man said, 4.od absolve him,4 and crossed himself. /is companion followed suit more perfunctorily before asking, 4+ho will tell the duke of this news54 /is companion twisted to stare at him. 4+hat do you mean, messire54 The other man shrugged, and I suddenly recogni$ed "ndrea 8egnovi, muffled up in a soldier's heavy black cloak and clumsy beaver, hiding his embroidered doublet and breeches. 4+hy, sir, I would not be the one to tell /is .race such news. The death of his own secretary will loose a storm over all our head, and he that brings the tidings. . . .4 /e made a brief, graphic gesture. 4The boy can tell him, then. +e can spare one more brat to appease him.4 "ndrea looked reproachful. 4+hat are you saying5 There are few of the sweet lads enough and little chance of other solace on this 1ourney. If we must spend a boy on this errand, can he not be ugly54 I shivered, hating him for taking Ippolito's death so lightly; in another moment I would have spoken out impulsively and betrayed myself, but ahead the other horsemen had reined in, and *omenico's voice came back peremptorily. 4+ho is that slave5 +hat has happened54 4/e brings news, 6our .race,4 the tall man called out, 4news of my lord secretary.4 4Ippolito7 +hat of him54 The riders surged and scattered, and I saw *omenico, proudly erect in the saddle, in the midst of them. /e reined in when he saw me, and a dreadful silence fell. I said huskily, 4/e has been killed, 6our .race. " ,panish arrow struck him, and his body fell into the gorge.4

Even from that distance I saw *omenico change color. /e was as white as ashes, and for a moment no one spoke. +ith part of my mind I noticed the faces of the others genuinely shocked, as though they had been fonder of Ippolito than they knewbut I cared only for the (ueer note in *omenico's voice as he asked, 4+as no one else with him54 4-o, 6our .race. /e was alone when I met with him.4 The skitter of hooves broke the silence; one of the riders had, uncontrollably, edged his horse away from the duke's side. *omenico was sitting perfectly still, staring ahead of him with eyes that looked blind, and there was a look on his face which made me feel physically sick. I had never reali$ed how much he had loved Ippolito. I dared not go to him; I could only wait for the movement that would summon me to his side. )ut nothing happened. /e sat as still as stone, and I read no relenting in his face, no welcome. The dark ga$e piercing me was full of loathing, as though he were ga$ing into hell. ,anti said, 4/orsemen on the road behind.4 I wheeled my horse sharply, feeling terror suddenly chill in the dusty air. The hoofbeats were soft and distant but growing louder every moment; I could see the same thought in every man's face, that the ,panish soldiers were following us. Then the riders burst out of the nearby olive wood, and as they cantered up the road towards us, I recogni$ed their leader with a 1erk of my heart. 4+ell, )rother.4 ,andro sounded insanely cheerful. 46ou had led me a fine dance74 " few of the duke's followers had rela ed as they recogni$ed him, but then they saw, as I had, the standard which snapped and stirred behind him and bore the ,panish eagle. 46ou fooled me by making northwards,4 ,andro asserted blithely. 4I made sure you would go west, and I have a hundred men broiling in the sun on the plain to stop you. Then when they sent word that you had not come, I remembered the old coast road. 6ou always go roundabout74 The twinkle in his eyes was almost affectionate. 4+hy do you seek to stay us54 ,andro's smile broadened. 4To kill you, of course, kind )rother7 I cannot rule !abria in peace while you are living, and besides, the old beldam I am yoked with will not be satisfied with your dukedom. ,he wants your handsome head as a plaything to heal the sting of what you said to her once upon a time.4

4,o you are .ratiana's errandboy54 *omenico's voice was infinitely soft, the merest breath, and the eyes that ga$ed at ,andro were utterly black and (uite blank. /is half brother's smile faded. 4,ay her partner, rather.4 4"s you will. The name does not matter.4 43ery true, )rother. +e have been plotting for this e igent ever since you banished our beloved stepmothershe thought if she could not rule !abria beside you, she would rule it beside me. +hen you are dead, we will hold the state for ,pain9 3iceroy or duke, the name there does not matter either.4 I remembered, without warning, the day I had shown him 0iero's cipher and asked whether it could have come from ,pain. /e had said, 4-o, not from ,pain4 so swiftly that I had not thought to (uestion how he had known; but he must have been treating with the ,panish then and had known at once that it did not come from any of :ing 0hilip's emissaries. *omenico's voice stopped my thought. 46ou are content, then, to be her stud54 4I shall thrive, never fear74 ,andro chuckled blandly. 4Ever since her eye fell on me, I have held her purse strings; at a push I can get the crown the same way. I shall be her ruling consort before the year is out.'' 4)ut you have not killed me.4 There was insistence in the murmur now. %or an instant ,andro hesitated, and I thought he shiveredthen he gave his old devil-may-care grin. 4+ell, that is soon remedied. To be plain with you, )rother, I had as soon spend few words on the matter. I bear you no grudge save that you were born in wedlockif your making had been fumbled up like mine, I should be duke at this minute. I only claim the right of the eldest son to succeed his father.'' 4The eldest legitimate son.4 ,andro's 1aw muscles clenched, and then he laughed. 4I will give you leave to rail, since you have lost7 I hoped you would fret and stamp, but you take all pleasure from this business with your slow tongue. I wish your pretty whore were here; I know ways to use her that would soon end that patience of yours.4 *omenico said nothing, only swayed a little in the saddle. I saw ,anti shift restlessly he was staring hard at ,andro, and I wondered in that moment whether he had led *omenico here on purpose. )ut ,andro glanced across at him at the same time and beamed mockingly.

4/olla, .iovanni, you mountain of treachery7 +hat do you mean by sliding thus into my brother's service5 6ou will be safer at my back than hiswill you change masters again now, before I kill him54 ,anti shook his head. 4-o, my lord.4 4,o be it.4 ,andro shrugged. 4+ell, my lord *uke, how will you take your death5 /anging like a felon, or would you prefer the sword for your royalty's sake5 &y men can let you out of the world any way you choose.4 4!an you not kill me yourself54 %or a moment ,andro stared at him, and then slowly a broad, delighted grin spread across his face. 4.od's blood, I have been hoping you would say that7 +ill you fight with me, then54 4+illingly.4 The dark eyes were veiled. 4To the death.4 ,andro seemed not to hear the odd, almost hungry note in *omenico's voice; he was breathing (uickly, and there was an eager glint in his eyes. 4I shall en1oy seeing you lie low at the finish, my damned, legitimate brother.4 "s he spoke, his hand went to the pommel of his sword, and I reali$ed with a shock that *omenico-was as good as unarmed. /is slim-bladed dagger would be useless against ,andro's fighting sword, and he was making no attempt to use it, sitting so still that he seemed to be waiting to be killed. Then he moved, too swiftly for my eyes to follow; swerving, wrenching his horse back on its haunches and then spurring forward, hard, straight into the bunched spearmen. /is right hand flashed out, dragging the spear from the hand of the nearest ,paniard, and he had turned again, hefting it critically, almost before ,andro had wheeled his own mount. ,andro said pleasantly, 46ou always fought foul,4 and the bright head bowed as though at a compliment; in the same movement *omenico swayed, smoothly avoiding the dagger that flashed towards his throat from ,andro's hand. 46ou were a fine tutor, )rother )astard.4 ,andro had not waited to see if his weapon found its mark. "s it left his hand, he had turned to his standard-bearer, snatching the pennoned spear from his grasp, and as soldiers and courtiers scattered, the della 8affaelle brothers were left confronting each other in the middle of the dusty road.

,andro's eyes flickered around him and back to his half brother's face. 4This is a poor place for a tilt.4 *omenico's face was e pressionless. 4It will serve.4 4The distance is too short.4 4Then ride off a little.4 ,andro chuckled. 4I would as soon turn my back on a coiled adder7 I thank 6our .race, I will make shift as we are.4 4!ome, then,4 *omenico said breathlessly. 4%inish it.4 There was a silence broken only by the sound of a pawing horse, then a sudden surge of movement, the clink of metal, the creaking of leather, the drumming of hooves, and the crash of impact drowning it all. I closed my eyes involuntarily, and when I opened them, the eagle standard was in the dust under the hooves of *omenico's horse. ,andro's spear had snapped in two. -ow there was no laughter in the )astard's face. *omenico turned his mount at the edge of the open space and lowered his spear again. I heard the clatter as ,andro threw away the useless butt of his weapon, and one of the ,paniards tossed him another. +hen the dreadful rending crash came again, some of the men cried out, but I stayed desperately silent, biting my lips in an effort not to scream. )oth men were still in the saddle, their spears unscathed, and were wheeling again for another assault. )y now dust was mantling them and their horses, turning blacks and golds to the same grayish brown and dimming *omenico's bright hair; only their eyes gleamed hard with murder, as merciless as the glinting points of their spears. I wondered how they could keep their seats through the 1ar as they came together; shock shivered their spears and through their arms to their shoulders and must have hurt them cruelly. I saw ,andro's 1aw tighten as if for the final effort, and he spurred his horse with sudden fury. It seemed as though he would ride his brother down if he could not unseat him and trample him into the dust by brute force. Then, somehowI could not see how everything was changed. ,andro's onslaught was driving him on to the point of *omenico's spear, the blade sliding smoothly between the armor plate and twisting viciously downwards into the flesh and sinew of the thickset body. The thrust lifted ,andro out of the saddle like a bale of hay; then with a dull crash, like a thing already dead, he landed on his back on the ground. The spear shaft still protruded from his body, and his brown hands closed round it almost greedily, fondling it as though it were his own flesh.

*omenico had released the spear and reined hard, one of his horse's hooves leaving a print on the edge of ,andro's cloak. In the silence the noise of the dying man's rattling breath sounded like the roar of a wounded bull. The rugged face was caked with dust, set in a grin of agony like a satyr's mask. ,andro's breathing heaved and tore, but he would not die; still the men watched and waited, and still *omenico's e pressionless eyes watched his suffering. " strange bubbling sound came from his throat, and he stirred, dragging himself over; his contorted body hunched over the spear like a gross baby, his hands clutching the shaft, and he was laughing. #aughing helplessly at the last bitter 1est of his life, he said in a harsh difficult voice, 4I wonderwho .ratiana will find-to pleasure her now54 and then the laughter caught in his throat with a noise like a pig snorting, and blood welled from his mouth and he died. It was uncannily (uiet without the sound of ,andro's breathing. *omenico stared down at his half brother's spitted body, his gloved hands clenched hard on the reins; the look on his face was one of bleak indifference. I hardly heard the leaderless ,paniards retreating. They must have been dumbfounded by the speed with which events had turned against themI had forgotten all about them until the sounds of their precipitate flight made me wrench my eyes from *omenico's face. I looked up to see them galloping back into the grove of olive trees and knew that they were going to report their loss to the *uchess .ratiana. ,anti made a move as though to follow them, but after a glance at the duke he forbore and let them go. )aldassare #ucello dismounted and went to *omenico. %or a moment the hooded eyes still dwelt on the flies settling on the body in the dust; then they lifted, level and incurious, to the living face of the courtier. 46our .race.4 The man sounded shaken. 4+hat is your will we should do with this . . . 54 4-othing.4 The reply was curt. 4)ut 6our .race, we should surely bury him7 The flies . . .4 4#et them finish what they have begun.4 4)ut 6our .race, he is your brother4 4#et be.4 *omenico's voice made me shiver despite the hot sun. 4This . . .4 The word was choked. 4"ll this is his contriving, and that whore duchess's. If I could, I would stay

until the flies had made an abhorrence of him, but since I cannot, he shall lie unburied in his turn, at least.4 /e was thinking of Ippolito, I reali$ed; Ippolito, who lay smashed and broken at the foot of the river gorge some miles behind us, the prey of kites and crowsand of these growing swarms of bu$$ing flies. )aldassare started to protest, but *omenico's soft mouth twisted in a grimace of purely animal savagery. 4I said let be7 +e will not spend time on bestowing carrion74 /e turned his horse as he spoke, turning his back on the olive grove which hid the ,panish soldiers, and spurred it to a trot away from %idena, leaving us to follow as best we might, without a backward look. &y whole being clamored to go after him, to comfort that savage grief, but I did not dare. If I had ridden forwardif I had been in his armsI could not have reached him; his mind was with the dead, and he did not want me. It was a worse punishment than I could have imagined for the folly that had made me come after him and for the cowardice that had delayed Ippolitoperhaps even caused his death. )etween them, )aldassare and .iovanni ,anti were dragging ,andro's body to the side of the road and remounting hurriedly; the flies bu$$ed and wheeled, then settled again. )ut I was staring at *omenico's proud back, watching him ride away as indifferently as if he had never known me. +ith a sudden sense of weariness, I kicked my now tired horse into motion and set off after him, unwanted and unregarded as I was, because there was nothing else I could do. The thoughts that occupied me for the rest of that day's ride were so confused and bitter that I cannot well recount them. &y brain was reeling with the shock of all that had happened the city's fall, Ippolito's death, ,andro's murder-but one memory I shrank from, uncontrollably9 the final loss of *omenico. Even now I could hardly believe it, but watching the rigid line of his back, the shuttered stillness of his averted face, I knew it must be true. /e had not so much as glanced around at me since I gave him my news; the chill of that had killed his lust, and he had no other feeling left for me. Tears were stinging my eyes as we drew rein by the roadside and started to make camp for the night. The afternoon was scarcely worn, but horses and riders alike were tired, and no one argued when the order came. "t first I thought the duke would not dismounthe still sat on his horse after everyone else was out of the saddle, staring unseeingly aheadbut then "ndrea went to him and said something, and at last he slid to the ground and suffered his horse to be led away. The courtiers crowded around him solicitously, but after one look at his face, they drew back. /e brushed by them as though they did not e ist.

,anti's gruff voice spoke into the silence. 4There is a stream not far from here, and good fruit growing all around. +e may as well eat, for my belly is as empty as a drum.4 There was a murmur of agreement, and I suddenly remembered that I had had nothing to eat since the afternoon of the day before, e cept a few mouthfuls of the duke's nightmare ban(uet. I had not spared a thought for food since then, but when #oren$o, Ippolito's nephew, offered me a handful of olives, I took them with fingers that trembled with eagerness and wolfed them like a famished schoolboy. I had not even given a thought to my disguise for what seemed like infinity, and a curt order from one of the nobles to take the horses to the stream 1olted me back to remembrance. I obeyed hastily, keeping my head down, trudging slowly away from the men while I considered what I should do. +ithout *omenico's protection I did not dare let anyone know my true se ; since he no longer cared what became of me, my boy's clothes were my only safeguard. "part from those like "ndrea 8egnovi, who were pederasts, and boys like #oren$o too young to care whether I was man or woman, there were those who would regard a duke's discarded mistress as benison from heaven on this 1ourney; rough, soldierly men like ,anti who had no use for other men, and incorrigible lechers like 3ario *anese. %or the moment, it seemed, my boyhood must continue. The stream was low, a tepid trickle over the rounded pebbles, but the horses lowered their heads and drank thirstily while I knelt and drank from my cupped hands. I tried to force myself to consider dispassion-ately the conse(uences of what had happened and not to remember that now *omenico would never hold me in his arms again. I did not know where he was bound, or why, nor had I any idea of how long the 1ourney would last, but it did not seem to matter. I resolved then that I would follow him for as long as I could, and when I could follow him no further, I would take whatever chance befell. /ow my life ended no longer seemed important; all I cared for was to hoodwink the rest for as long as I could and to pray that *omenico would not choose to betray me on some idle impulse. "s I led the horses back through the trees, again I saw him, and my heart turned over with love. The men had made camp in an olive grove, and he was standing beside a straight young tree ga$ing up at the dappling of the sunlight slanting between the leaves. I remembered him in another olive grove, on the ride to *iurno for his coronation, stretched out on the ground and teasing me with laughter lighting his black eyes. Then as I watched, he drew his dagger and plunged it into the tree trunk, gouging and tearing viciously until the sap ran down the trunk like blood. The fren$y of destruction lasted until the bark was in ribbons and the tree's crown of leaves was rent and torn; then with a strange little sound like an animal, deep in his throat, he drove the

blade deep into the trunk and leaned against the ruined tree, shaking from head to foot. It was like a deliberate defacing of my memory, a sign that those days were over for good, a re1ection more savage for being so impersonal. I had flinched at every blow, as though I were the one being struck. )eside me #oren$o watched and said nothing. /e had hardly spoken since he heard of his uncle's death, and there was a shadow in his sea-blue eyes which had nothing to do with the duke's violence. I muttered to him, 4!ome on,4 and we tethered the horses and went to sit at the edge of the clearing with the other pages, hearing the whine of "ndrea's voice as he complained to )aldassare. 42f all foolishness . . . 7 -ow we are to sleep in the open, where any ,paniard may stumble over uswhat is wrong with the hostelries of 0in$i5 It is less than two leagues back along the road, and there we could sleep soft and eat wellwhat was in the duke's mind to make him sheer away from its outskirts as though the plague were there54 4)ecause he knows that the ,panish will go straight to 0in$i when they hear from those soldiers where they met with us74 )aldassare sounded genuinely angry. 4+hen the *uchess .ratiana hears we are on the northward road, she will send troops after us to revenge the death of #ord ,andro. The duke has foreseen her thought and brought us past the place she will look for us.4 "ndrea looked discontented. 4"nd why are we on the northward road, my good lord, when *iurno lies due west5 "nswer me that, in your wisdom74 )aldassare frowned. 4That I do not know, but I would guess that we are not bound for *iurno.4 The conversation lapsed into whispers after that, and I heard no more, but I glimpsed an appalled e pression on #oren$o's face and felt a sinking of my own heart. Inwardly I had assumed that we must be going to *iurnowhere else would the duke seek help5 and had imagined that that one thing was at least foreseeable. There was a second small garrison of men in the hills above the city; the archbishop still waited there to receive ,avoy's daughter, if she had not come already. )ut now I saw no limit to my childish mas(uerade and must ride unwanted at *omenico's back for heaven knows how long. " massive hairy hand touched my shoulder, and I 1umped. #oren$o looked past me and said over my head, 4&essire .iovanni,4 giving ,anti a faint, fugitive smile. I mumbled an apprehensive greeting, and ,anti bent low to whisper in my ear; then he moved on again, leaving me staring after him wide-eyed in fright.

#oren$o had turned away and was peering at the activity around the fire, and so he did not see my change of e pression. I dragged my ga$e from ,anti's receding back and looked down at my hand. 4/ide your ring,4 he had said in my ear, 4or one of yonder lords will recogni$e it.4 The pearl winked mockingly back, a reminder, a badge of my identity. ;uickly, furtively, I drew it off and slipped it into my dagger sheath, where the dagger itself would keep it safe and hidden, but it would do me small good now that ,anti knew. I wondered, sickened, how long he would keep silent. /e was moving among his fellows now, e changing a few words with one of themmy heart was in my mouth before I reali$ed he was directing him to build the fire higher. +hen he turned, it was heavily, as though he were faced with a task he did not relish, and I watched him come towards me with long, slow strides. &y eyes slid away to the yellow buds of flame growing on the piled twigsto the dimming sky between the leavesto the branches stirring in the night wind that had sprung up, making the hair prickle on the back of my neck. I looked anywhere but at the shape of the big man who stood in front of me now, his shadow blotting out the sky. 4/ere, boy.4 The rough voice was low, and the thick fingers snapped as if to a dog. I rose and followed him without a word to where the horses were tethered. The trees thinned here, and below I could see the road we had traveled skirting the rising slope. +e must have turned inland, I reali$ed, for now the dark mass of the mountains crouched ahead of us. ,anti strode ahead until he reached the edge of the trees, then waited until I came up beside him. It was very (uiet. -ot even the murmur of the other men's voices disturbed the waning day, and I waited in trepidation for ,anti to speak. %or a moment he did not turn, but then he suddenly frowned down at me, and my heart (uaked as I looked up at that brutal, meaty face. 4#ady, how did you come here54 The (uestion was so une pected that I could not answer. Then, as I stood gaping at him, I met his eyes for the first time and saw the worry in them. I swallowed and said, 4#ord Ippolito sent me. /e met me as he was coming after the duke, and when he . . . when he was killed, his last words were '.o on7' I could not do less for him than do as he wished.4

The horsemaster nodded. In the gathering dusk his ga$e was uncomfortably shrewd, but he only said, 4"nd why are you dressed like that54 and made an embarrassed gesture towards my page's livery. 4I bought these clothes from a boy at the pala$$o so that I could go up to the battlements. "nd now4my voice shook4I think I am safer as a page.4 4+ill the duke not keep you safe enough54 4-o,4 I said levelly, 4not now.4 There was a moment's silence; then ,anti said, 4Then you mean to continue as you are54 4There is nothing else for me to do. I cannot . . . I have nowhere else to go.4 ,omething in his silence made me look up to find him ga$ing at me with troubled eyes. 4+ill you keep my secret, messire54 "fter a long moment, he nodded slowly. 46es, lady. )ut this 1ourney will be a grief to you, I think.4 4,o it is already. Thank you, messire.4 Even in the poor light I saw him flush; then he grunted and gestured to my velvet cap. 46ou must cut your pretty hair, lady; you cannot wear that thing day and night. *o it tomorrow, before the men are upI will stand guard and make sure that no one sees you.4 I nodded (uickly and looked back towards the camp as someone's voice called him. The duke wants you. . . . The words gave me a sudden pang. It should have been I, not ,anti, who was called9 I hurried away from ,anti before the stupid tears could spill and ran back to my fellow pages, angrily scrubbing my eyes with the back of my hand. If I could not control myself better, I told myself sternly, no alliance in the world could save me from discovery. I wanted to sleep, but my thoughts would not let me rest; they and the bitter cold. I had never before slept out of doors, and this windswept hill was the crudest dwelling I had ever known. Things crept and stirred in the darkness, tiny unnamable sounds; once a bat wheeled close against my cheek, soft and obscene so that I nearly cried out. I dared not stretch out on the ground for fear I should free$einstead, I crouched, clasping my knees and shivering. %ew of the others slept more than fitfully; The night was alive with little grumbling murmurs, rising and dying away like the eddies in a marsh, first in one place and then in another. ,omewhere a horse whickered and stamped, and I caught the far-off howl of a wolf.

-umb with cold and utter loneliness, I did not hear the footsteps until they were almost upon me. Then a gruff voice said, 4/ere,4 and someone dropped a heavy cloak around my shoulders; ,anti vanished into the dark again before I could draw breath to thank him. I huddled myself into the warmth with a whimper of relief. It was good heavy wool, well lined, and smelled of tobacco. .oing by its si$e it must have been ,anti's own; he would miss it, I thought tiredly. I must find him and give it back to him. . . . I awoke stiff and cold but still wrapped in ,anti's cloak. The dawn was breaking, and it was the shrill song of a bird that had woken me. "round the glowing embers of the fire, men were stretching and groaning, and I forced myself to my feet in haste. "s I slipped out of the enveloping cloak, the morning air struck me like a blow, and I staggered as I straightened. -ear me #oren$o lay stretched out under his own cloak, his eyes closed, his cheeks bearing the telltale stains of tears he would not shed in daylight. I turned away, not wanting him to wake and see me looking at him, and caught sight of the massive figure of .iovanni ,anti crossing the clearing towards me. 6esterday I would have flinched in dread; in the pala$$o I would have turned away in dislike and distrust; now I felt only gratitude and relief. I had never thought to look beyond the big man's villainous appearanceonly when I was forced to recogni$e it could I see the steadiness of his ruffianly ga$e or hear the diffident note in his growling voice. 46ou, &arcello74 /e hailed me for the benefit of anyone who might be listening, and I almost 1umped at the strange name. 4!ome and help me, (uickly now74 2ne of the other men shouted a 1est, and ,anti stopped to scowl at him from under his heavy eyebrows. I was scrambling in his wake in an effort to keep up with his long, curiously light-footed stride until we were out of sight of the camp, then he slowed so that I could draw level with him. The olive trees screened us from curious eyes as we stood, beside an outcrop of rock where the stream fell tinkling and ran down the hillside. ,anti looked grave. 46ou had better make haste, lady. I will stand guard over you.4 I nodded and (uickly splashed my hands and face in the stinging water to drive away the sleep which clung to me. The cold shock made me gasp, but it cleared my brain and brought me back to a sense of urgency. ,anti had his back to me, scanning the hillside as I snatched off my cap and drew my dagger; then memory assailed me so suddenly and sharply that I stood paraly$ed, my hair streaming around me, and a great dull pain in my breast.

4/elp me.4 &y voice was a dry whisper. 4I cannot do it. /elp me.4 *omenico sleeping, his 4fair cheek pillowed on my hair, sweeping the locks aside with an imperious hand to put his lips to my neck . . . The big man turned sharply, catching his breath, looking at me with sudden uselessness. 4+hat do you want54 ' 4!ut my hair. 0lease. I do not know how to start.4 ,anti hesitated a moment longer, then folded his lips tightly. /e took a step forward, his normally deft fingers clumsy as they took hold of a fistful of hair. /e took the dagger in his free hand and, sucking air between his teeth in a sharp hiss like a woodcutter, brought the blade around and slashed. /e had finished the 1ob in seconds, and I stared down at the soft masses of black at my feet, fingering the short ends of my hair unbelievingly. I asked shakily, 4/ave you cut enough54 /e nodded in a (uick, embarrassed fashion. 4It will do. I am no barber, though.4 4Thank you, messire.4 I was glad that he was bending to pick up the shorn hair and did not see my lips (uiver as I spoke; I was ashamed of the vanity which made this trivial loss seem like the end of the world. I must think of the future, I told myself fiercely, and not dwell on the cloudy reminder of the past that hung from ,anti's hands. To stop my thoughts, I said, 4+hy &arcello54 and ,anti's somber ga$e lifted in real surprise. 4+hat do you mean54 46ou called me &arcello while we were in camp.4 I forced my voice to a steadiness I did not feel. 4"nd I wondered whyI do not know anyone with that name.4 ,anti crushed the hair into a ball and crammed it into the leather pouch at his waist, an unaccustomed tinge of color in his heavy cheeks. 4It is my son's name.4 46our son7 I did not know you had one.4 /e nodded. 4Two. "nd one daughter. The name came easily to my tongue, and I thought it would serve as well as any other.'' /e talked on as we went back towards the camp, and I listened eagerly, trying to distract my thoughts from the flood of self-pity which threatened to swamp them. /e had been married for si years, he said, and had first come to %idena to earn more money for his wife and children. )ut he had taken care never to let them know what his life was like or to bring them to the palace; they thought he lived in lu ury and was

happy and that the court was some sort of paradise. 4)ut I would as soon take them to the worst brothel as bring them there,4 he finished somberly. I did not reply, for we had reached the olive grove and I knew that among the other men I would be wiser to stay silent. I looked for *omenico9 he was standing staring into the glowing embers of the fire, his face drawn and paper-white. /e had not slept much either, I thought. I had no appetite for my share of the scanty breakfast and gladly turned it over to the other boys to divide between them. "s they ate, I sat watching the duke furtively from under my lashes and saw that the shock of Ippolito's death still gripped him. /e did not speak to anyone, only stood staring blindly into some hell of his own, with a look on his face that made all around him fee7 afraid. I longed to go to him, but I did not dare; I could not endure that brutal, wounding indifference a second time. In the end it was )aldassare who spoke to him and persuaded him to mount. The rest bustled about, packing the few remnants of food together and scattering dust on the dying fire; then they hauled themselves wearily on to their horses' backs. "t a signal from ,anti, the riders moved forward, and the remnants of the !abrian court rode down the hill towards the road again. "fter a few hours in the saddle, my muscles were almost as sore as my heart. The duke was pressing hard, and our pace seldom dropped below a canter as we crossed the plain and climbed the western foothills. " feeling of urgency had infected us all, and not even "ndrea lagged or complained. The other pages were as saddle sore as I, but they set their teeth and made no complaint. To me the hard riding was a thankful opiateI could forget everything but the need to keep up, stay in a man's saddle, and manage my skittish mare. I saw little but the rump of the horse ahead and heard little but the incessant drumming of hooves. I knew that this haste was to outstrip the ,paniards who would be pursuing; once we crossed the mountain border into the 0apal ,tates, not even the haughty 0hilip would dare send troops after us into 0ope 0ius's lands. "ny man was sure of sanctuary within the see of 8ome. "ny man but the *uke of !abria, for !abria's dukes held lands that had been the pope's own half a century since. )elike 0hilip would hardly need to hunt his (uarry through 0ius's territory when 0ius himself would do the 1ob for him. 0hilip, 0ius, .ratiana . . . *omenico had so many enemies. In the pride of his power he had laughed at their hatred, but now what he mocked threatened to crush him. The horses slowed as the road grew steeper, picking their way over the sliding stones of the rough track. 2n either side of us the mountains loomed, the shadows stretching towards us as we went onwards, the cruel heat of the afternoon striped with the ice-cold shade of the peaks. ,everal times we had to leave the road to avoid a village clinging

leechlike to the slopes; once the houses of a fair-si$ed town came into sight, and a murmur ran through the bunched riders, 4"viglio.4 Then we turned aside hurriedly, for there was no knowing whether someone in so large a place might take note of a band of strangers and tell of them again. +e skirted the town with wary looks and fast-beating hearts, climbing up the side of the cleft in which the buildings clustered. There was traffic on the road for some distance, and we stayed on the difficult paths of the higher slopes until ,anti 1udged the main road was safe again. )y now every man was hungry and thirsty, and the horses were beginning to labor, but we dared not stop. ,anti shouted that we were approaching the main road to the coast9 all the traffic from one side of Italy to the other passed along it, and we must cross it and ride well clear before we halted. "t the crossroads I ga$ed around me wonderingly, stirring in my trance of pain for the first time. The great road from %ano to the mountains had been laid down first by the !aesarsit still showed signs of its origins in its clear borders and evenly paved surface. "nd the people who used it were still untouched by the events which had blasted my strange, artificial life. They had their own concernstrading, politics, families, farming and cared nothing for the shifts and tides in the fortunes of those who ruled them. These busy people, whom we must avoid as though we were lepers, were the lifeblood of !abria of Italyand yet their destinies seemed like childish games, untouched by the overwhelming 1oys and sorrows I had known. ,uch a little time ago the most important thing in my world was the setting of straight stitches and the scouring of pots; now I tagged in the wake of an e iled duke, and my heart broke because he no longer desired me. +e must have been in danger then, because ,anti urged us on at a faster pace than I thought the horses could bear; they stumbled as they went, and several times someone was nearly thrown. )ut at last, as dusk was falling, we halted under the lip of a huge rock overhanging a cave a little way up the mountainside. ,anti had sent a couple of men to scout for a resting-place, and they had returned to guide us to this one. It was bleak and cramped, but at least the overhang would provide a little shelter; for the horses there was a steeply shelving meadow inhabited by a couple of thin cows, and we turned them loose to gra$e at will. "s we dismounted, I took a couple of horses and led them away, and as I turned with them, *omenico brushed by me. %or an instant my heart beat high in my throat with apprehension and a sudden suffocating e citement. I thought he glanced at me impatiently as his elbow brushed my shoulder, but I did not dare look up and could not be sure. Then he was gone, without pausing, leaving me shivering and clinging to the horses' bridles as if for support. 4&arcello,4 ,anti called sharply. 4,tir yourself, boy.4

I muttered, 46es, messire,4 and hauled the horses forward with a disregard for their mouths that brought me a sharp word from #oren$o. There was little talk that night; e haustion made men forget their empty bellies, and when they huddled beside the fire, they fell asleep almost at once. I had meant to stay awake and make sure that *omenico slept, but the moment I lay down, my eyelids shut of their own accord. " hand on my thigh roused me, and I murmured drowsily. I thought, 4*omenico,4 but my tongue said, 46our .race.4 " stifled titter answered me, and I stiffened. 4"mbitious boy7 )ut I may serve as well.4 I wrenched myself away from the (uesting fingers 1ust in time, fully awake now, and "ndrea 8egnovi tittered again. 46ou must not be so coy, or you will wake your fellows. !ome closer, my dear, and stay mum.4 &y flesh crept, somewhere between terror and revulsion, and I hissed, 4&y lord, go back to sleep.4 4,o I will, but not alone. !ome now, &arcelloit is &arcello, is it not5you are old enough to know what I want of you, and I daresay that coarse brute ,anti has lessoned you well. 6ou owe him no loyalty74 /e pressed closer to me, and I shrank. 4*o my bidding (uietly, and I shall give you . . .4 4%orbear the boy, my lord.4 ,anti's whisper came out of the dark. 42r I will knock your teeth down your throat. /e is tired and so are all the others, and I have no mind to be kept awake by your amours. .o and lie down, for .od's sake74 46ou need not be so hot in his defense, good ,antihe woke even now from dreaming of my lord's .race. If the duke once rouses from this black mood of his and should choose to snap his fingers, you will have lost your minion.4 4/e is not my minion.4 There was a dangerous rumble in the big man's throat. 4I do not like unnatural pleasures. )ut I will not have these boys forced against their wills.4 4/ow can you be sure it is against his will54 "ndrea's whisper became coa ing. 4*o you not wish to lie with me, &arcello54 I said in a shaking voice, 4-o, my lord.4 ,anti grunted, 4Then you are answered, my lord,4 and after a moment "ndrea tittered lightly.

4,o it seems7 )ut I wonder what answer I should have away from your stern guardian, &arcello54 4The same, my lord.4 #oren$o's voice, drowsy but very clear, spoke out of the dimness, and I saw he had raised himself on one elbow. 4If he will listen to my advice. *o as &essire .iovanni says-go back to sleep and do not trouble us.4 In the dusk his eyes burned sea blue, and his boyish face looked curiously adult. "ndrea hesitated a moment longer and then was gone, slithering over the ground like a serpent. #oren$o watched him go and then lay down again. ,anti and I settled ourselves to sleep in silence; neither liked to ask what #oren$o knew of "ndrea, and the boy said nothing more. Then, when I thought he was asleep; I heard him whisper, (uietly and contemptuously, 4It is true what he says; I have heard you talk of the duke in your sleep. -ow perhaps you will learn to mind your tongue.4 /e turned his back on me coldly and hunched himself into the folds of his cloak, leaving me fighting down gusts of hysterical laughter. &y sleep was fitful after that, and I was thankful when, before sunrise, the camp began to stir. The last of the stale bread from the horses' saddlebags was shared, and then the whole troop mounted in a morose silence. If any others had heard the little scene with "ndrea, they made no sign, and he only glowered as he swung astride his horse. ,anti was speaking urgently to the duke9 I think he was trying to find out our destination, but his an ious words won no response. *omenico heard him out in silence, his eyes downcast and a moody thrust to his bottom lipthen he looked up, and the murderous glitter in his dark eyes silenced the big man. The duke thrust impatiently past him and swung into the saddle, never looking behind to see whether any man followed him or not. That day our pace was slower because of the difficult terrain. +e could not follow the road for fear of being seen, and above it the mountains sloped so steeply in places that we had to dismount and lead the slipping horses. +hat had set out as a group of welldressed courtiers was by now degenerating into a tatterdemalion crewskins had a grayish look in the sunlight, ingrained with dirt, and the men's chins were no longer immaculately barbered. !loaks and boots were crumpled and stained, breeches white with lather from the horses' backs. -o one who did not know what he sought would look for the *uke of !abria in this company. +e had turned on to a track bending southward to avoid a village called ,tret$aa cluster of limewashed houses and a churchwhen ,anti, 1ust ahead of me, reined in sharply. I 1erked the mare's head around to avoid him and halted, too. 4+hat is it54 4/orsemen,4 he said tersely. 4#ook at the ground. 6our .race74

I flinched as his low call brought *omenico's head around, and he reined in in his turn. /is ga$e flickered disinterestedly over my face and rested on ,anti, and I held my breath. &y body, my brain, felt full of pain like a bulging wineskin; one unwary move and it would spill and spatter the ground with poison. It was desperately important that I should not move, that I should not give a single sign of how much his indifference hurt me. ,anti said, 46our .race, there have been riders here less than half an hour since, and a good many at a guess. I'd say they were riding from ,tret$a due south to "lcina. "sking (uestions of the townsfolk, most like.4 The duke's eyes narrowed slightly, and in a toneless breath of a voice he asked, 4/ow many54 4" hundredmore perhaps. #ook for yourself.4 ,anti pointed to the churned-up earth with a fatalistic gesture. *omenico's head bent, and for a long moment he considered the confused tracks; then he looked up, and there was a (ueer e pression on his face. 46our .race,4 )aldassare spoke (uickly, 4there are too many for us to challenge. +e must hope to go by them.4 *omenico did not seem to hear. Then he said softly, 4&ust we so54 I saw )aldassare swallow even across the distance that separated us. 46our .race, I beg of you, be cautious. +e are scarcely an hour's ride from the border, and if we should come upon the ,panish now . . .4 4+e have nothing left to lose.4 4+e have our lives still.4 The beautiful mouth twisted savagely. 4"re they so valuable54 42ur hope of revenge would be better with more men,4 ,anti said into the sudden silence, and *omenico's lashes drooped, veiling his eyes. 4+ell, on.4 )aldassare breathed a faint sigh of relief, but I was still uneasy. I distrusted the now deliberate impassivity of the duke's face and the way his fingers had clenched, very slightly, on the horse's rein. )ut ,anti and )aldassare seemed to notice nothing wrong, and I feared to speak in case I drew attention to myself.

,omewhere between wariness and resignation we proceeded, and the troop rode on as it had before, but even slower now, starting at every gust of wind or scurrying animal. "t times we were moving at little more than a walk. )ut there was a difference9 The threat of immediate danger had served to rouse *omenico from his tranced grief for Ippolito, and now he was alert, the old arrogance stiffening his supple back as he pushed his horse ahead. The track we were taking leveled out as we rounded the foot of a sheer bluff, and here the slope was gentler. 2n our left hand the ground ran gently away in what was almost a meadow, and beyond that the cliff fell sheer to the valley road. )efore anyone could stop him, *omenico had turned aside and was drawing rein at the head of the slope, looking down at the distant road; it was thick with horsemen, and although I could not see the flapping standards, I knew they must bear the ,panish eagle. " murmur ran through the troop of men like a bree$e. 4.od's nails,4 ,anti said, 4there are two hundred at least.4 *omenico turned his horse's head with a vicious 1erk. 4+e must pass them,4 he snapped. There was a snarl in his voice like a leopard cheated of its prey, and for one absurd moment it was as though the ,paniards were the hunted and he the hunter. Then I urged my mare forward again, past thinking, and we pressed forward along the narrow track. +e came across the ,panish scouts around the ne t bend. They were dawdling along, looking back over their shoulders at the sound of our horses' hooves, and as soon as they saw us their eyes widened. 2ne of them shouted somethingI could not hear what and the ne t moment, incredibly, they were fleeing down the mountainside as though the devil himself were at their heels. %or a moment I sat da$ed, uncomprehending, conscious only of a great relief. I did not know why armed soldiers should run from such a small troop without even a challenge; I was only grateful that they should. Then I saw that *omenico was spurring after them, and others in his wake. They must be cra$ed, I thought; let the scouts go and be thankful. It was not until the !abrian horsemen were pounding at a gallop across the sloping meadow that I remembered the force below. The scouts had only to give the alarm and we would be lost, overwhelmed by the whole mass of soldiers. They were shouting as they rode, but their voices were too faint, too blessedly faint, to reach the ears of the ,paniards below. I saw the glint of steel in *omenico's hand as he drew level with the hindmost ,paniard, and then arm and weapon seemed to disappear in a blur of light. The man sat like a dummy, like a sack, on his horse's back. It was unnatural, I thought, the way he sat there letting himself be wounded, letting those dreadful crimson slashes plow up his

back and shoulders. /e should have made some resistance; he must have known that the blow would slice away half his shoulder like a butcher's cleaver. . . . The humped red thing was still on the terrified horse's back when one of the other men turned and came rushing on *omenico. I saw ,anti come up and then veer away towards the third man. The third man was the luckiest; he was killed cleanly. *omenico was off his horse when the others came up to him, crouched over the 1erking body of the second ,paniard. I could see the bunched muscles in his back as he wrenched his sword through bone and gristle, but the entrails were soft enough. They had to pri$e the sword out of his grip because the blood had glued it to his clenched fingers; afterwards ,anti told me he thought he would have to break his arm to get the weapon from him. +hen at last he moved to mount his horse again, he was moving slowly, as though he were tired, and I saw with a sinking heart that indifference was back in his face and cold withdrawal in his eyes. It was as though the whole thing had been a bad dream, with only the three corpses left behind and the dark rust on the unwiped swords to tell that it had been otherwise. +e waited silently at the head of the slope until the last of the soldiers on the road below had disappeared southwards. In their midst I glimpsed a litter and knew Fthat .ratiana had had the news of ,andro's death. -o one spoke when the road finally lay empty9 *omenico only turned his horse and guided it along the track, leaving the meadow behind. +e had reached the outskirts of another village, and as we circled it, ,anti observed in an undertone, 4-ow we can stop fearing the ,paniards and start fearing the pope.4 I stared uncomprehendingly. 4That was the border.4 " little superstitious shiver shook me. I had never been out of !abria in my life before, never thought to cross its frontiers. ,uddenly the pope, for so long a dimly imagined figure like a child's bogeyman, loomed in my mind like some omnipotent ogre. %or fifty years the pontiffs had sought revenge on the della 8affaelle familyand now the reigning duke was trying to cross their own territories. I looked around me nervously, half e pecting the pope's ,wiss guards to appear from behind every boulder. )ut there was nothing, only the empty mountains. "fter something like an hour there was another road to cross, cutting directly across our path from north to south, and beyond that a river, bursting on my da$ed sight like something hardly remembered. It seemed like years, like centuries, since I had seen running water.

4There is no bridge,4 I whispered to ,anti. 4/ow are we going to cross54 /e gave me a (uick, impatient look. 4The horses can swim,4 he said shortly, and I fell back, abashed. In the crossing I clung desperately to my mare's neck, soaked to the waist and watching the foam around her flailing legs with trepidation. ,he, however, seemed completely unperturbed and shook herself so heartily on the opposite bank that I was nearly unseated. )ut all around me other horses were shaking themselves as vigorously, their riders giving little shouts and e plosions of startled laughter; the ground was soaked as though by heavy rain. "t last the men dismounted, feeling their clinging wet clothes disgustedly and wringing out their dripping cloaks. 2nly *omenico remained in the saddle, and )aldassare looked up at him apprehensively. 46our .race, would it not be wise to rest the horses here and dry our clothes5 +e could make camp and then press on tomorrow.4 *omenico shook his head curtly and did not answer. There was nothing for it but to remount, wet clothes rubbing horribly against wet leather, and to go on in weary silence. "ndrea touched )aldassare's arm as he hauled himself into the saddle and whispered, 46ou are glib, my dear, with your talk of pressing on7 *o you know where he means to take us54 " smile, uncharacteristic in its irony, curved )aldassare's mouth. 4-o, my lord, no more than you. )ut I am sure he does not mean to seek sanctuary with 0ius.4 To 1udge by the shadows, ever slanting towards us as the sun sank, we were still riding west through the declining slopes of the mountains. I sat slumped in the saddle, lost in my thoughts, lulled almost to sleep by the monotonous 1og trot of the mare. I had lost sight of ,antihe had gone with a few others to look for game for our meal that night and it seemed to me that the day would never have an end and that the rest of my life was stretching before me in this tedium of anguish. "head of me one of the riders checked, and I almost rode into him. Then I saw what he had seen and gasped. %rom either side of the road ahead the hills fell away, and the track sloped down to a broad treeless plain."nd stretching to the hori$on before us was a glittering, tideless sea, its blue surface fretted by thousands of pinpoints of light. %or an instant I thought we had crossed the breadth of Italy unaware, and then part of my mind said, 4There are no gulls.4 )ehind me #oren$o spoke in a low voice. 4This must be Trasimene, I think. I hate the places where the old battles were foughtI always feel the soldiers are still there.4

2ne of the other boys laughed at him, his unbroken voice somehow shocking in the eerily gathering twilight. 46ou are fey, #oren$o7 This place is as (uiet as a grave74 I shivered involuntarily, and #oren$o answered, 46es.4 #ights were blossoming in the windows of the little village on the lakeside as we left it behind, moving softly and steadily northward. I was beginning to wonder where we would spend the night; there was no shelter for miles but the village itself and its fellow, a smudge of light reflected in the water beside the northern bank. -ot a tree, not a rock. I started at the sound of horses approaching across the fields, but as they loomed up out of the dark, I recogni$ed ,anti's bulky form leading them. Two of the other men were riding double, and across the saddle of the third horse was slung the carcass of a deer. ,anti whistled softly as he came up and drew rein beside the duke. 46our .race, we are in luck74 There was a note of e citement in his voice. 4"bout a mile away there is a farmhouse and its outbuildings without a soul living thereI rode in and looked around. The roof has fallen in, but the stables are sound enough to sleep in, and there is room for the horses too. +e can build a fire and roast our supper in comfort.4 The whole party held its breath, waiting for the duke's yea or no. It was too dark now to read his face, but I caught a glimpse of his pure profile against the sky as he nodded. There was a relieved shifting among the riders, and the ne t moment we were turning into the teeth of the freshening night wind to follow where ,anti led. /e had spoken the truth about the farmhouse; it had been long since abandoned, and the roof beams had caved in over the main chamber. #ooking up through the roof, I could see the stars coming out, and for a moment I stood spellbound. Then somebody touched my arm, and I turned (uickly to making the stables fit for habitation. There was ordure to be cleared and cracks to be stopped with sacking; ,anti lit a fire in the yard outside and slung the deer on a spit to roast over it. ,oon the smell pervading the building was so appeti$ing that my hands trembled with hunger and my eyes filled with tears. -o meat I have ever tasted seemed as good to me as the half-roasted chunk of venison I held in my scorched fingers that night. "fterwards we sat back, replete, watching one another contentedly in the light of the brands which burned smokily in the wall sconces. +ith meat in our bellies some of the nightmare had departed, and I found myself thinking rationally again and felt less like an animal in a trap. Instinctively my ga$e sought *omenico, and I thought suddenly that I would not have recogni$ed him as the elegant *uke of !abria. /is face was drawn and gray, and fair

stubble covered his firm 1aw; the brightness of his fair curls was dimmed with dust, and his clothes were creased and stained. Then, as he raised his hand, I almost laughed at the arrogant contrast of the heavy !abrian seal ring on that dirt-encrusted hand, the trimmed nails black with grime. -ot that I was cleaner than he, I thought wryly, inspecting the backs of my hands. -or any man or boy in this rout. )ut somehow it seemed unthinkable that *omenicomy proud and da$$ling *omenicoshould be so debased. It was as if the "rchangel 8aphael lay sprawled on the other side of the smoky stable, his brightness dimmed by dirt and his spirit sunk. I must have moved then, restlessly, because he looked up. I thought his eyes met mine for an instant, but I could not be sure in the uncertain light; then he shifted his weight. I saw his mouth take on a cruel, reckless set, and his head moved with the watchfulness I remembered as his eyes traveled from face to unconscious face. /e looked like that when he woke from his nightmares and was gauging the reactions of his attendants; whether or not they had learned too much of him while he slept, whether he would have to kill them. "s he turned his head, a gleam of torchlight lit his face, and I saw his e pression clearly; aloof, withdrawn, his eyes like slits of calculation. I felt as though I watched a leopard debating his ne t spring, and my heart began to beat with slow, terrified strokes. 0erhaps he was tired of tormenting me with mere indifference; perhaps he meant to give me a rivalno, a successorfrom someone among this company. It would not be for love that he sought another partner, for no tenderness softened the cruel line of his mouth; but he might do it for cruelty, to find an occupation for his empty hands and a tenant for his bed. I could see the intentness on his face as he deliberately scanned his followers. The dark eyes rested on #oren$o and lingered, and my nails dug hard into my palms it would be fitting, I told myself, that the nephew should salve the grief of the uncle's death. *omenico's charm would win the boy where "ndrea's blandishments failed. )ut I could not stay and watch it. "s *omenico's head turned towards me, as if to savor my reaction, I scrambled to my feet and went stumbling over the slumped bodies to the door of the room where the horses were stalled. The hot smell and the darkness engulfed me as I pulled it to behind me. I can stay here, I thought, all night if I must. ,anti will see what is going on and know why I could not stay in there with them. I withdrew further into the dark, groping with outstretched hands for the opposite wall, and then put my back against it, staring unseeingly at the light that flickered through the cracks between the boards of the door. It would be a very long night.

Chapter Nine
l was still standing there when a flicker of torchlight fell across my eyes, and I spun around, lifting my arm to shield my eyes. )ehind the bla$e a voice said softly, 46ou did not bring a torch.4 4-o.4 &y voice was harsh with fright, wooden and sulky-sounding. 4Thank you.4 4*o you care so much for horses that you come to see them at this time of night54 4-o, I . . .4 I felt as though I were suffocating. 4I wanted to be alone.4 4It is private enough here, in all conscience.4 There was an odd, bitter note in *omenico's voice, and he 1ammed the torch into an empty sconce above his head. The horse in the nearest stall whickered and stamped restlessly, but he did not even glance at it. I could feel his eyes on me and instinctively drew back into the deepest shadow. 4!ome here.4 "n undercurrent of impatience stirred in his level tone, and his shadow crossed the band of yellow torchlight towards me. I stood rigid, my voice choked in my throat, as his fingers touched my cheek, traced the line of my 1aw and the side of my neck, lingering on the pulse that thundered there. I caught my breath as he loomed so torturingly close9 then I glimpsed, between his impossible lashes, a glint of the e pression in his eyes. It was boredom; a black, corroding disgust and boredom. In a spasm of shock I wrenched myself away, evading the touch of his fingers as though it burned me. /is mind was still with the dead; all he wanted was a human body to charm his senses into oblivion, and I would rather he ignored me, I thought wildly, than took me out of loathing, as a thing to minister to the need of his body and nothing more. I had to escape the spell of his voice and his touch, because he cared no more for me4 than he would for a mouthful of food. . . . +ith every nerve in my body aching to give him what he demanded, I ducked under his outstretched arm and flung myself towards the door that led to outside, into the silent farmyard. It creaked open, and I was almost out into the freedom of the blanching moonlight when his hand gripped my shoulder, his fingers digging harshly into my flesh. /e came up behind me with one silent pace, dragging my body back against the hardness of his with brutal, inescapable insistence. +ith a cry I struggled and then rela ed against him, too da$ed to reason; then both his hands were on my shoulders and he was spinning me to face him, pushing me back against the door1amb so that he could see me in the moonlight. I stared up at him

helplessly; then slowly the strength ebbed from his grip, and his hands lay on my shoulders like dead things. /e said at last, in a (ueer gray voice, 46ou are dead. They told me you were dead.4 I could only say, 4-ot I, 6our .race. Ippolito.4 46ou were with him. I sent him back for you.4 I remembered Ippolito's relief when he saw me; how he had ceased to talk of his unfulfilled errand and spoke only of following the duke. Then I had been the cause of that burst of virulent fury on the battlements of %idenaand could I have been part of the cause of this savage, wordless grief5 I said, 4/e was killed helping me. I told you.4 /e shook his head. 4I have not spoken with you.4 4I brought you the news of Ippolito's death. 6ou spoke to me then.4 4I did not know you. I only heard someone saying that Ippolito was dead, and that he was alone when he diedI thought the ,panish had taken you and killed you when they had done.4 I said unsteadily, 4I have ridden at your back these three days,4 and he shook his head again as though he were da$ed, his hands tightening agoni$ingly on my shoulders. 4If it is the devil's work, I do not care. If some coven has raised you from the dead, I will be damned again for this night's work.4 /e spoke so softly I could barely hear him, the words coming feverishly. /is eyes were bla$ing black in his intent face as they studied every detail of mine, lingering greedily on my lips. I felt his arm slide behind me and pull me close, and then with an almost animal groan of 4%elicia . . .4 he bent his head and kissed me ravenously. I was whimpering, half with pleasure and half with pain, when he lifted his head at last. /is hand went to the neck of my doublet; then he looked up suddenly past me. I felt a rush of cool air against my face, and the ne t thing I knew he had half pulled, half carried me into the ruined farmhouse, where the moonlight checkered its rubble-strewn floor. The broken tiles were cold under my back as I felt him undoing the strings which fastened my doublet and shirt, and his mouth was warm against my breasts like a hungry child's. I moaned, clawing at his shoulders through the padded tunic, and he made a sudden sound of impatience and began tearing at the buckles, swearing viciously under his breath.

2ur skins clung where they touched, sticky with grime, but I held him as desperately as he held me. The rubble on which we lay, the cold and the smell of stale sweat nothing mattered but the urgency of our need for each other. I lay with my body arched and my legs apart while his kisses invaded and possessed me, his hands e ploring and stroking my thighs. &y fingers were caressing the back of his neck as he raised his head, running lovingly down his forearms as he knelt over me, his body shining silver with sweat in the moonlight, like a god's. )ehind his head I could see the stars, so cold and remote compared with the fierce hunger that was taking possession of me. " sudden hard thrust and his face blotted out the star-filled sky. +e lay locked together like one single, straining, softly groaning animal; the two-backed beast, spending its strength upon itself and glorying in the spoil. I forgot that there was anything else in the world; there was only his strength pulsing through me, his body like a living wall around me, and the frightening and wonderful knowledge that, after so long parting, at this moment he was mine and no one else could lay claim to him. I dreaded the moment when we must separate, but he lifted me and held me against him so that there was no breaking apart, only the piercing warmth and a hurting, wonderful -completeness. +hen I slid back to the ground at last the stars seemed paler in the sky. &y breathing was shallow and rhythmic, and my fingers felt foolishly soft and rela ed as I reached up to touch him. 4"m I dead, 6our .race54 /e caught his breath. 4-o.4 Then his eyes, scanning me watchfully, narrowed; one white hand came out and touched the ground beside my head. 46ou have cut your hair.4 4I had to,4 I retorted, startled. 4" page with hair as long as mine would have made a blind man suspicious.4 4+hy come as a page54 /is voice hardened. 4I still have power enough to protect my mistress.4 4I did not know you still wanted me. I thought you meant to leave me behind in %idena and that I must fend for myself.4 46et you came.4 It was the merest breath. 4"t Ippolito's bidding. /e sent me after you.4 There was a short silence, and then *omenico said, 4&y good Ippolito74 in a tone that was half-tender and half-bitter; it was as if he mocked himself for his own memories.

Then he said in an altered voice, 4"nd you have ridden among these vassals of mine for three days, and none of them recogni$ed you54 4,anti knows,4 I answered and was startled by the look on his face. 4,anti7 That . . .4 I interrupted (uickly, 4/e helped me keep my secret from the others. I would never have contrived but for him.4 4"nd what payment did he ask for this favor54 4-one,4 I returned steadily, 4and he saved me from the importuning of "ndrea 8egnovi last night.4 *omenico stiffened. 4"ndrea54 46es. &y disguise was too good-he thought I was a boy.4 "nd then the long strain snapped and I lay laughing in sheer golden relief, with *omenico at first startled and then beginning to laugh too, and silencing my laughter with his lips so that both of us sank back again and the cause of our laughter was forgotten. There was a wind running before the sun as I limped back through the horses' unlit stalls; the unfastened door was banging, slowly and monotonously, until I pulled it to behind me. I groped my way back to the inner door and into the room where the men lay sleeping, dark shapeless bundles like old clothes strewn on the floor. &y eyes were accustomed to the dark, and I trod softly through them, my feet finding tiny spaces between the humped bodies, until I saw where ,anti had spread his cloak for me. I lay down with a little sigh of thankfulness, so tired that my eyes shut of their own accord, and the shadow that passed me, soft-footed as a cat, seemed like a part of a dream. ,omeone was shaking me, and I murmured protestingly, burying my face deeper in the cloak. ,omeone gripped my arm and pulled roughly. 4/urry up, young sluggard, or you'll be left behind74 I blinked drowsily and peered up into ,anti's dark-browed face. /is e pression did not match his sharp words. I wondered ha$ily why I should feel so tired; then I moved, reluctantly, and had to bite back a cry. ,anti said, 4+hat is it54 and I shook my head, folding my lips tight. I had not known so much pain since the first time, when I had woken torn and bruised and still bleeding sluggishly. +hen I got to my feet it was slowly, as though I had been beaten.

,anti was watching me carefully, and I knew that the blood was rising in my cheeks as memories of the night before came flooding back. /e gripped my elbow as though to hurry me and said in a low voice, 4I saw you come back last night. Is all well54 I nodded. 4I think so, messire. %or the moment.4 4.ood,4 he returned, releasing my arm, 4but keep your collar well fastened to hide those marks.4 Then he turned his back on me and went away, scowling as though he had been berating a la$y stablelad in the 0ala$$o della 8affaelle. I crept through the motions of saddling and bridling like a snail, and once or twice #oren$o glanced at me in impatient contempt. )ut gradually as I worked, the pain abated, until at last I was moving freely; it was only pressure on my love-punished flesh that still hurt me, and that I could bear. I could not (uite suppress a gasp as I landed in the saddle, and one or two heads turned at the soft sound*omenico's, his veiled eyes lit by a suspicion of teasing laughter, and "ndrea's, (uick and vigilant. I saw his ga$e go from me to the duke and comprehension followed by a smothered leer cross his girlish features9 well, I thought, there is one who has guessed something. I pray .od he has not guessed it all. "s the horses clattered out of the farmyard, *omenico twisted in the saddle, summoning me to his side with a swift flick of his fingers. &y cheeks burned; I had hoped that he would leave me in oblivion at the back of the troop, but I should have known better. /e had flaunted me before his court as his mistress, and even now he could not resist showing me off as his minion to these poor remains of his followers. I could hear the nudges and the amused whispers as I pressed my horse forward. )aldassare fell back to let me reach *omenico's side. The duke leaned over lithely, and his gloved fingers brushed the side of my face where he had left a bruise, half-hidden by the short strands of my hair. 4*id you have good rest last night, good boy54 The insinuation in his soft voice made my hands clench, but I answered woodenly, 46es, 6our .race.4 )ehind me "ndrea gave a little snicker of outrage, and *omenico heard. /e did not trouble to look around but only checked for an instant, listening, and there was no sound but the hoofbeats on the road and the 1ingle of harness. Then he spoke again, almost idly. 46our name5 I have forgotten.4 4&arcello, 6our .race.4

4&arcello74 /is eyes narrowed. 4+hy that54 4I was named for my patron's son,4 I told him, and his eyes flickered to ,anti and then came back to my face. 46ou have our patronage now,4 he said deliberately. %rom then on I rode as fast by his side as if I had been chained thereI might have been a dog he had whistled to him. -ow it was for others to tend the horses and scavenge or hunt for food; I must stay beside the duke, talk to him when he pleased or be silent when he would, but never-if I cared for his anger or the sudden flash of panic in his eyesbe out of his sight. If my mount lagged, he would take its leading rein; if it chafed, his hand would come out and steady it, or his voice would give me (uick instructions to curb it. /e watched me almost constantly as we rode, as though he thought I might vanish, and I was desperately afraid that he would miss the way. I did not breathe freely again until we had left the haunted plain of Trasimene and begun to climb the road veering northward. I thought at first that it would take us back into the mountains again, but it skirted them and followed a long, long curving hillside down into a green valley. I reali$ed then what *omenico was about9 /e meant to go north, out of reach of 8ome, north away from the ,panish garrisons in -aples. I had learned so much of the country in my long hours with %ather 3incen$o, and I knew that only to the north was there a gap in the encircling mountains. The valley looked peaceful, oblivious to the little band of fugitives venturing into it, and I wondered for a moment whether I had dreamed the war from which we fled. Then some farm workers with a cart came plodding up the road towards us, and I knew that danger was the reality and not this mirage of peace. The men eyed us warily and went by in silence, but every face around me was stamped with the same grim fear that they had only to tell someone of what they had seen. . . . "ll but *omenico's. /e was staring through them with a frowning preoccupation that made it clear he did not see them; his thoughts were far away. +e had reined in to the side of the road to allow the cart to go past, and when it had gone by, it was a moment before the strange, absent harshness smoothed from his face. Then he shifted his weight in the saddle and turned his head so (uickly that his eyes met mine before I could look away. "s though by accident his booted leg brushed mine as we moved on again, and I pulled the mare's head around too sharply, veering away from him. I thought I heard a faint sound as though he were laughing under his breath, but even without looking around, I could feel his eyes on me and knew the e pression that would be in them;

speculative and searching, with a gleam of mockery in their depths as my discomfort grew. /e was coolly assessing how I came to pass as a boy, noting the raggedly cropped hair which was 1ammed untidily under my cap, my blistered fingers as ringless and dirty as on the day he had first seen me. I could feel his ga$e penetrating the shadows across my face, scanning the features too weak, the neck too fragile for a boy's. I stirred uneasily. /is eyes were seeking the curves of my breasts beneath the concealing doublet and following the line of hip and flank and thigh. I felt as though my clothes were peeling back from my body like husks from grains of wheat; it was as though he stripped from me not only my usurped clothing but my faith in my disguise, for when he looked at me like that, I was hideously, palpably feminine. 4)oy.4 The teasing monosyllable made me start. 46ou are too far off; come nearer.4 ,ilently I guided the mare a little towards him. There was a derisive half-smile on his lips as he watched me, and then he said, 4-earer,4 again. The mare sidled nervously, and the ne t moment the leading rein was in *omenico's hand, shortened until we were riding knee to knee. I said, to break the silence that pulsed between us, 46our .race, where are we going54 In the shadow of his black hat, his brows twitched together. 4*oes it matter54 -ot as long as I am with you, I answered inwardly, but aloud I said, 4+e cannot run for ever.4 4-or will we. %our or five days-and nightslonger, and we shall reach our destination.4 4+hat is it54 !heeks burning, I was too an ious for circumspection. The look on his face made my heart sink, but he only said as though the words were dragged out of him, 4+e are going to my friend to get his aid.4 46our friend74 I repeated numbly. It was the last thing I had e pected him to say. 46es. *id you think I had none54 There was a glitter of irony in the dark eyes. 4I do not know. I thought when you did not go to *iurno that you had not thought of . . . of . . .4 48evenge54 he in(uired softly. 4I have thought of nothing else since I lostwhat I lost.4 ,o it was Ippolito's death after all that had made his eyes so bleak.

4Then why are we not going to *iurno54 4I will not parade my shame before that old fo , my great-uncle.4 /e spoke harshly, watching my face. 4I shall borrow men and redeem it all before he knows for certain how much is lost.4 -ot Ippolito, then, but his city and the name of duke were the losses that had flayed his pride. The pain in his eyes was the festering of wounded vanity, no more, yet my heart still ached for him. I blurted, 4Then it must be . . .4 and stopped, my own pain engulfing me like a tidal wave and leaving me speechless. 4It must be . . . 54 he prompted remorselessly. 4It must be the *uke of ,avoy's help you are seeking.4 There was a moment of silence, and then he began to laugh, a high, derisive laughter which made heads turn and men rein further away from him. The beautiful face was twisted in bitter mirth, and the sound hurt my ears. 4,weet innocent74 It came on a gasp at last, and I flinched from the mockery in his tone. 4,avoy is a coward.4 /is voice still (uivered. 4/e would not put himself in 1eopardy for so slight an alliance.4 /e choked, then continued. 4/e is old and white-livered, and will wait to see who is the victor in this contest before he pledges his loyalty.4 4)ut he must support you if you are to wed his daughter.4 /e shook his head, and a glimmer stayed in his eyes. 4/e would deny his pretty bastard to keep out of this broil. /e may do so in any case.4 I longed to ask whether he would still marry the daughter, but I managed to fold my lips and stay silent. /e watched me a moment longer, then said deliberately, 4I think I should take her without his countenance. I could not do less for a wench who spends so long in the mountains for my sake.4 I gripped the mare's reins fiercely. It was a deliberate torment; ,avoy's daughter had traveled to *iurno from her father with servants and goods to go with her, while I . . . I stopped the thought hastily, for it was folly, and he must not know how much his casual words had hurt me. 46our .race must do your pleasure,4 I said, like a sycophant, and turned thankfully as ,anti came up beside us. I sensed a sudden wariness in *omenico, like a cat with lifting fur and lashing tail. 4+e are to thank you for preserving &arcello, good ,anti.4 /is voice was as cold as ice.

,anti looked uncomfortable. 4It was nothing, 6our .race. . . . #ord "ndrea's heat must have blinded him. The boy has been safe enough.4 /e added as though he could contain himself no longer, 46our .race, there's little hunting to be had in this valleyit's all tilled lands and vineyards. "nd our food is gone, and no means to get more. +e must do something soon, unless you fancy death's-heads for servants.4 I smiled involuntarily, but *omenico stiffened. 4+e shall be out of the valley by nightfall.4 4-ightfall is no good for hunting, 6our .race.4 The hoofbeats were loud in the silence. Then *omenico said sharply, 4+e have money enough, have we not54 46es, 6our .race.4 ,anti looked apprehensive; he guessed what was coming. 4Then we shall buy our bread like the common herd.4 *omenico's lips twisted scornfully. 4"nd pray that it does not choke us.4 ,anti cast me a pleading glance, and I said (uickly, 46our .race, you must not.4 4&ust not54 /is voice was uneven. 4,hould not. If you were seen or recogni$ed . . .4 &y voice died away as I saw his e pression, and I made a little gesture of despair to ,anti. There was nothing for it but to follow, to offer !abrian gold to the pope's own people and try to be gone before 0ius learned of it. ,anti shrugged faintly, then fell behind to tell his companions what had been decided. There were e clamations and even a smothered oath, but *omenico did not seem to hear. /e was staring at me now as though he were trying to read my innermost thoughts. /e said at last, very softly, 4+ould you care if I were taken54 4Indeed, yes, 6our .race.4 &y voice (uivered between laughter and tears, and I thought he stiffened in triumph. 4+hy54 It was achingly gentle. 4)ecause no man else knows where we are bound,4 I retorted. "s ill luck would have it, the ne t place we came to was a fair-si$ed market town, but nothing would turn *omenico from his purpose. The horses, made restive by the unaccustomed bustle in the streets, had to be coa ed through the press of people and the rumbling traffic of carts and horses; I patted my mare's neck and whispered soothingly to her, but inwardly I was as fearful as she. Every face seemed dark with suspicion,

every sound an alarm. I dismounted at *omenico's bidding and held his horse's head, and he flicked my chin casually, as he might have done to any pretty page. The caress seemed to linger on my skin as he walked away into the crowd, and I watched him go, feeling sick with dread. Every moment seemed an eternity until he returned. The reins were twisted tightly around my fingers, stopping my blood, but I did not notice. I started at every sudden motion in the crowd, and I could see my own fear mirrored in )aldassare's face, taut and gray with strain. I had decided, calmly, that when *omenico was dead, I should kill myself and trust in .od's mercy, when he returned. ,anti, beside him, carried a basket of loaves, and *omenico was in wild spirits. 4.od's death, we are rare chapmen7 That knave would have charged us two gold pieces for that moldy bread and said they were not right money. )ut when I made him know their value, he sang another tune.4 I put a restraining hand on his arm. 4They are coins of a different state, remember. To him they are not right money.4 4/e will go a long time before he is paid for his bread in gold again.4 "nd a long time, I thought wryly, before he ceases to talk of it. Even now my fear had not wholly left me, for despite the travel dirt upon him and the broad hat hiding his bright hair, passersby turned to stare at *omenico's great height and arrogant grace. "nd listening to the chatter around me, I reali$ed that the people spoke with a different accent, one with a vague familiarity which teased my brain. )ut what was important was that we !abrians were foreigners, outsiders who would be remembered for our speech. 4+hat are you thinking54 *omenico's voice was full of sudden, angry curiosity, like that of a child who sees it has lost its mother's attention. /is hand covered mine as he took the horse's reins, and from a distance I heard the outraged snort of two of the townswomen at the stranger's familiarity with his page. 4+e had better move on,4 ,anti said abruptly. It was only as we remounted that I saw what he had seen over the heads of the crowd. " group of liveried men at arms, with all the airs I remembered from the Eagle of men off duty, had entered the street and were strolling towards us. 4+here the devil do they come from54 one of the courtiers demanded. 4I do not know,4 )aldassare returned (uietly, 4but at least they are not ,panish. 0erhaps some local lordling keeps his own soldiers.4

+e had to ride through them to reach the end of the street, and my mare's ears were twitching nervously as she picked her way through the knot of cheerful men, as though she sensed my dread. They looked up as we passed, and to my eyes their faces changed, suspicion replacing good humor. Their startled looks as they avoided the mincing hooves seemed unnaturally marked, and I knew they turned to watch us as we rode away. It took all my strength of will not to set spurs to my horse in shameful, betraying panic. -o one spoke until we had left the town behind. The mere chance of meeting soldiers unbargained forwhether they were enemies or nohad shaken the confidence which the (uiet days in the mountains had lent us. It was as though contact with mankind had reminded each of us that we were fugitives, and we were tasting afresh the bitterness of it. +ithout warning, I found myself thinking of &addalena, for now we were like her badged as surely by the hatred of men as she by her leprosy. -ight was falling when we reached open country again, and I noticed ,anti glancing worriedly about him; there was nowhere we could sleep in this open valley, so near the common haunts, and we would not risk lying by the roadside as we had done before. Then I saw a dark shadow against the darkening sky, a barn standing isolated in the midst of a field. 4&essire,4 I called (uietly, and he started. 4+hat is it54 42ver therea barn, I think. +e could sleep there.4 4+here54 /e strained his eyes in the gloom. 4To our left, beyond that dip in the ground.4 /e peered, and then his heavy face lightened. 46ou're right, I think. )lessings on all farmers who build their barns close to their hayfields and far from their homes7 +hat do you think, my lord54 /e addressed )aldassare, who had come up by his elbow. 4It will do wellwe shall be spoiled to lie under a roof two nights together.4 I smiled at the dryness of his tone. I had never liked him so well in the court of %idena there he had seemed a frippery creature, one of the painted satellites who encircled *omenico. )ut now, in adversity, he was assuming a character of his own, and what had shown as a look of mild kindness in his eyes was proving to be a strength and patience I had not suspected.

,anti said, 4Tell the duke,4 and I spurred forward obediently, 1ust as a voice called sharply, 4&arcello74 I heard "ndrea snicker, 4.anymede, he means,4 and then I met the flickering flame in *omenico's eyes. 4+e did not give you leave to leave us.4 4I ask 6our .race's pardon.4 4+e do not grant it. If you will not know your duty4his ga$e held mine4you must be taught.4 I was thankful that he could not see the color that stained my cheeks in an uncontrollable tide. 4It was my duty that kept me back. There is a barn, if 6our .race will consent to sleep there&essire .iovanni thinks it will suffice.4 4&essire .iovanni74 he echoed sardonically, and I knew my use of the big man's name stung him. 4If 6our .race will . . .4 4+hy this ceremony54 /is voice had roughened. 4*o you think my title will sweeten this hell54 &y throat grew tight, and I said woodenly, 4"s you please.4 I would have gone then, but he stayed me with a hand on my horse's bridle. 4I will suffer your barn, good boy,4 and I saw his fingers clench, 4so I need not sleep among the general ruck. "nd you shall stay by me and keep off the dreams.4 &y heart was beating fast as I turned and signaled to ,anti to turn off the road. +e tethered the horses outside the barn and went inside in silence. It was dark and smelled sweetly of hay, and so warm that I knew we would hardly need our cloaks. ,anti put down his basket of loaves to light a wa taper from his tinderbo , and the little flame showed a high, windowless place heaped high with hay. In one corner a ladder led to the loft, and a lantern hung beside it; by some miracle it was not dry, and after a minute or two ,anti could blow out his taper and survey the barn in a dim yellow glow. +hen the reeling shadows had steadied, "ndrea indicated the high dark loft and giggled, 46our royal chamber, 6our .race.4 4,o.4 It was so (uiet that I was not sure I had heard it, but "ndrea's giggle was silenced as the duke's head turned; then *omenico's fingers closed around my wrist, and he caught up one of the loaves from ,anti's basket.

4!ome.4 /is whisper was (uite clear in the warmth of the barn. 4+e will lie somewhere less populous.4 The rest became ostentatiously busy spreading their cloaks on the hay and dividing the rest of the bread. I felt myself pulled back out of the circle of lamplight and looked up apprehensively into the beautiful, shadowed face. "s I climbed after him into the haystrewn loft, I heard a ripple of knowing laughter that came from throats other than "ndrea's. I did not understand why no one came in the night to disturb us, until I learned later that ,anti had slept like a great door ward at the foot of the ladder. It was as well for my boyhood that they did not, for no boy ever lay with his lover as I lay with *omenico that night. /is dream came to him, and he smothered his screams in my breast; I thought he would never sleep, and it was only thanks to my fear of discovery that I was dressed again in my boy's clothes when the soldiers broke in upon us with the first glimmer of the morning. I heard the commotion below and rolled over (uickly to peer through the hole in the floor of the loft and found myself face to face with a stranger climbing the ladder. It would have been absurd if it had not been so startling. I recoiled, and *omenico said sharply, 4+hat is it54 The man's head and shoulders came through the floor and peered around, a ridiculous armed tortoise. 4+ell74 /e sounded startled. 4"re there no more of you54 *omenico shook his head. /is hands on my shoulders were clenching, slowly clenching, until I felt sick with the pain. 4+ill it please you both to come down54 the soldier in(uired sarcastically. 4+e have the rest of your crew safe enough.4 4+ho are you, and whom do you serve54 *omenico demanded. The half-hidden face hardened. 4It is for us to ask the (uestions-come down (uickly.4 /e backed down the ladder to watch us descend. &y palms were slippery as they gripped the wooden rungs, and I tried not to see the ring of faces watchingour own men and a score of others. " crimson, glowering ,anti was being held by three men, and )aldassare's lips were tight with impotent anger. The man who had mounted the ladder now stood back and regarded us, arms akimbo. /e was evidently the leader, and clearly he had counted on dominating the situation

until he found himself having to look up into *omenico's face. /e grunted and thrust his thumbs into his belt. 46ou are the captain of these men, I take it.4 *omenico's eyes lit. 46ou take it correctly.4 4"nd why did you bring them here54 4To sleep.4 46ou have a charter then, do you, to sleep where you fancy5 2r do you style yourself :ing of Italy54 I felt *omenico tense and prayed that he could hold on to his temper. I held my breath as he opened his mouth to speak and then let it out in a gasp of relief when he only said in a stifled voice, 4-o.4 4I should think not74 The soldier grinned. 42ur lord would have a word or two to say to that, not to mention the duke.4 4The duke54 *omenico's head lifted sharply. 4Is there a duke in these parts54 4+here have you come from54 It was a 1eer. 42f course there is a duke7 The pope's domain ends an hour's ride south of here, beyond )olsino.4 " sound escaped *omenico that made everyone 1ump; a hiss like a cat's of sheer e ultation. There was a bla$e of triumph in his face, and he said lightly, 42ur thanks.4 #uckily the soldier was hardly listening to him. 4It is good you are so pleased,4 he retorted angrily, 4for you'll wish you had never come here soon enough. 2ur lord sent us to see what manner of men passed through )olsino in such haste, all mired and dirtyand talking so soft, like singing birds,4 he added scornfully. "s he spoke, I noticed again the harsh accent I had heard in the market, and again it stirred something in my memory. ,omeone I knew spoke like that, and I could not (uite remember who it was. The soldier continued. 4+e've orders to bring you before him if we think fit, and I've a mind to do itentering a man's barn without his leave could be a crime. 0erhaps you'll speak less haughty then and look humbler, too.4 4+hat lord is this of yours54 *omenico spoke as though he had not heard. The man answered, 4The !ount of &esicci,4 and scowled at his own compliance.

%or a moment the fair face was a mask of calculation; then *omenico said, 4+ell, we will follow you.4 4+e are honored.4 The soldier's face was flushing ominously, and I could see grins on the faces of one or two of his men. 4I know my lord will be grateful for your presence. )ring him after me,4 he shouted suddenly, 4before I flay him alive74 and he turned on his heel and stalked out of the barn. #eft behind, his men circled warily around *omenico and closed in almost apprehensively. /e suffered them to hem him in, but as one of them put a hand on my elbow to draw me away, he said suddenly, 4*o not touch the boy.4 2ne of the soldiers laughed. 4*on't be 1ealous, captain. I'm one for a wench myself.4 I wished miserably that it were 1ealousy. )ut it was no more than the warning snarl of an animal whose dead (uarry is approached too closely. ,urrounded on all sides by the count's men, we were forced to travel at a hard pace too hard for our tired horses to keep up for any length of time. I thought that the leader's anger was betraying him into foolish haste, for there was no sign of any dwelling, when suddenly I saw a single stone tower clinging to the side of the valley above us, halfobscured by trees. The castle of &esicci was old, nearly as old as the 0ala$$o della 8affaelle but barely one-tenth the si$e. It looked as though it had once been a watchtower, and even now it was a building for use and not for lu ury. %rom its gates the road fell steeply away, curling down the side of the valley, and straight ahead the rocky side of the cleft reared straight up into the sky. Then the soldiers closed in behind, blocking out the view. +hen we had dismounted, we were taken under guard to the castle hall and stood waiting while the leader sent a message to his master. I glanced up at *omenico; his face was as still as a mask, his eyes shuttered and somehow withdrawn. 2nly his blackgloved hands betrayed him. To lose everything now, after four days' bitter 1ourneying, for the intrusion of some unknown petty nobleman7 The count had assumed such nightmare stature in my mind as we waited that when he came himself in answer to the message I almost laughed aloud. /e was a little old man, fat and self-important in a furred gown as tight as a sausage skin, scarlet with e ertion, puffing and blowing in his haste. /e came through the doorway almost at a run, then stopped and shook himself and his robes into good order. 4,o these are the vagabonds, are they54 46es, my lord.4 The leader of the soldiers was wooden-faced now.

4/mmm7 +ell, which is the leader, good Enrico54 4That one, my lord.4 " 1erk of the helmeted head indicated *omenico. 4/e is very tall.4 The count made his height sound like a deliberate impertinence. 4&ake him take off his hat in my presence.4 *omenico turned then, assessing the little fat man coolly, and before anyone could move, he doffed his hat with a deliberation that made an insult of the courtesy. The count gobbled. 4+ell, I . . . firm74 /e took in his prisoner's unearthly fairness with starting eyes, and his florid countenance took on an alarming hue. There was a silence while he took several deep breaths, and then he crossed to a high carved chair on a dais at one end of the hall. ,eated so, he seemed suddenly more formidable, and I lost all desire to laugh. This man was the ruler of this castle and these Territories, even if he was bald and as fat as butter, and his feet did not touch the floor when he sat in his state chair. The count's fingers laced themselves comfortably over his ample stomach. 4+ell now, who are you, sirrah, and where do you come from5 "nswer me that.4 4+e are riding on the *uke of !abria's business.4 The very e pressionlessness of *omenico's voice was somehow disdainful. 4+e come from his city of %idena.4 4The *uke of !abria74 The count's eyes popped. 4+hat business makes you risk your heads crossing the 0apal ,tates54 4+e were sent in haste to the *uke of %erren$a, to give a message to him.4 "s *omenico spoke, I heard a stir of e citement from among the !abrians, as though the words had some meaning I did not understand. 4/aste indeed to travel like thatif you are indeed from !abria. I heard that a mess of soldiers, some sort of deserting military perhaps, had passed through )olsino.4 The count's tones grew peevish. 4"nd I sent for you to make sure that you meant no harm to my people. 6ou could be bandits,4 he added suspiciously. 4+hy should I believe this rigmarole of yours54 4I have the duke's signet.4 *omenico drew it from his finger as he spoke. 4#ook for yourself-my lord.4 The count nodded his permission, and *omenico dropped it into Enrico's outstretched hand. The ring was borne down the hall to the dais, and the bald head and the helmeted one bent over it in consultation. "t last Enrico said, 4It looks real enough.4

42f course, of course.4 The count was flushed again, this time with e citement. 4It never leaves the *uke of !abria's finger save on a royal embassy or in times of great peril. It is well for you, fellow4he blinked at *omenico4that you did not try to trick me with forgeryI should have known it at once. 6our duke stayed here at this castle, twenty years ago, and I saw this very ring on his finger then.4 4&y fa4 *omenico checked his forward impulse, and his black eyes were suddenly searching. 4&y lord, is it *uke !arlo you mean54 The count looked annoyed. 4+ho else, fellow5 /e was taking his bride back to !abria, and they stayed here for a nightwhat are you staring for54 *omenico said in an odd voice, 4*uke !arlo died two months ago. /is son reigns in !abria now.4 4+hat54 The count bounced to his feet. 4"re you certain of this54 4I was at the new duke's crowning.4 4)ut the son is a boy a stripling7 %ar unfit to rule7 /ow old is he, do you know54 There was a faint smile on *omenico's soft mouth, as though he mocked himself. 4-ine and twenty.4 4,o much7 "nd the years ill spent, from all I have heard,4 the old man fumed. 4+itchcraft and murder and women and I know not what else. It is said he had dined on human flesh,4 he finished interrogatively. 4I have never been bidden to such a ban(uet.4 4"ll nonsense, I dare swear, all nonsense,4 came the reluctant reply, 4yet there may be something in it for all that. . . . 6ou say it is the son's business you are bound on now54 *omenico nodded, then added, 46es, my lord.4 4Then it is sure to be some mischief. +hy does he send messages to our duke54 *omenico's long lashes veiled the flash in his eyes as he answered. 4/is .race does not confide in me so deeply, but I think they are to inform him who is reigning now in !abria.4 )aldassare snorted and managed to turn the sound into a cough. The count glared at him, then nodded self-importantly, 46es, very likely that is their tenor. The son does well to continue friendly towards our duke, good fellowthe "merighis are a mighty family,

and our state was never so prosperous as it has been since this duke ruled us. 6ou must bear my commendations to him when you go.4 " long relieved sigh whispered from every !abrian throat, and *omenico bowed ironically. 4"t your lordship's service.4 46es, well, that is settled. <nhand these men, good Enrico, they are not brigands, as you feared.4 The count left the dais and came bustling towards us. 4-ow I think of it, you shall all stay and dineand make yourselves cleanly4 /e added a little too (uickly, 4while I write a letter to my lord the duke.4 42ur business is urgent.4 There was a note in *omenico's voice that spelled danger. 4<rgent, to tell him that !arlo della 8affaelle is dead at last5 If that news is two months old it can wait a few hours longer, and I tell you, fellow, you will do your new master little credit by presenting yourselves in &a1ano as you are now.4 *omenico stiffened, but the moment he spoke I reali$ed it was in surprise rather than in anger. 4&a1ano5 +e are bound for the capital.4 The count rolled his eyes sapiently. 4+ell, you may go there and welcome, but the duke is not there. /is good .race has lately become weary of government, and he shares the burden now with his brother-in-law, who is also his cousin. It is the good )artolomeo who keeps in the capital, and the duke has removed to his summer palace in &a1ano, where he lives like a monk, I am told.4 The discontent in his round face was a comic contrast to the eagerness that had been there when he asked for news of *omenico's licentiousness. 4+here is &a1ano54 &omentarily all *omenico's pretense of servility had deserted him, and he spoke with unthinking command. The count answered him with a look of astonishment. 4+hy, little more than half as far as the capital. %rom here you may ride southwest across the hills to meet the river and then follow its curve to Toli; once there, there is a road, a rough one, it is true, but good enough, which will take you to &a1ano in two days' riding.4 *omenico nodded abstractedly, and I knew that his thoughts had gone on ahead, calculating, altering plans of which he had told me nothing. 0ain caught at me as I reali$ed how little of his thoughts he had ever willingly shown me. Even now I did not know whether he had meant to go to this duke all along or whether he had stumbled

into his land by mistake and had woven a swift mesh of lies to e tricate us from the count's interrogation. The count's voice broke in on my thoughts. 4.o now then, you and your fellows, and Enrico will show you where you may clean yourselves. +e will eat in two hours from nowit seems4he eyed us all complacently4that your duke is not overlavish with his servants.4 It took longer than I would have believed possible for us to clean ourselves. Enrico and his men escorted us to the stableyard and indicated the well; mere servants of another state's ruler, it seemed, did not merit much in the way of courtesy. "s an afterthought our saddlebags were brought, with a comb or two and a mirror, and with the aid of the mountain-cold water we sluiced off the grime of our travels. *omenico was called back to wait upon the count, and his absence made us behave foolishly9 #oren$o and I emptied a whole bucket of water over ,anti's woolly head as he bent over the well coping, and he spluttered and roared in mock rage while we giggled like children. 2ur soaked clothes dried on us in the heat of the stables as we set to to give the weary horses their first thorough grooming in days; then, before I had even had time to wash my hands again to rid them of the horse smell, one of the castle servants came hurrying to tell me that 4my captain4 was asking for me. 4+here is he54 I demanded, breathless. 4In the castle hall with my master and his family. I will take you back to him-you had best hurry; he does not look like the patient sort.4 4-o,4 I agreed wryly, 4he is not.4 &ost of the household was foregathered in the hall when I reached it. "t the dais end the count and his family stood talking, eyeing *omenico with undisguised curiosity9 the count and his wife had three daughters, and the sight of them made me acutely conscious of my breeches and of my whole, shaming mas(uerade. +hat would these wellborn women, with their ordered hair and modestly cut, well-worn brocades, say if they knew the truth5 The soft snap of the duke's fingers cut short my thoughts, and as I turned, he slapped my cheek lightly with his glove, a gentle buffet that was almost a caress. 46ou attend me disgracefully, &arcello.4 The hooded eyes glimmered. 4I had to send a slave to search for you in the end.4 The empty fingers of the glove rested on my cheek and were drawn down the side of my neck like the brush of a butterfly's wing. I swallowed and turned away.

46our pardon, 6our .race.4 Even to me my voice sounded breathless. The laughter faded from his eyes and he stood still, his empty glove resting its fingertips on my shoulder, and then he seemed to wake and crumpled the glove in his other hand. I noticed absurdly that he had not been able to rid himself of the blood of the two ,paniards he had killed; it was lodged in the cracks beside his fingernails in spider-fine lines of brown. /e thrust his hand back into the glove again, and I looked up to meet his eyes, black and utterly opa(ue. 4+hat do you mean to do54 The words were out before I could stop them. 4)ear with this old dog if I can. Eat his food and leave his letter in a ditch on the way to &a1ano.4 4Then you are truly going to the *uke of %erren$a54 /e nodded. 4I have not so rich a choice of friends. "merighi is my professed allyit is time he proved his goodwill. /e has been soliciting me to visit him time out of mind and now I shall do so, with my mistress and all my court.4 There was a sardonic twist to his voice. 4+hat better could he wish for54 4+hen you are done conferring, fellow,4 the count called out, 4I would speak with you myself. !ome here.4 *omenico did not move for an instant; then, with a studied deliberation, he moved to the count and bowed low. -ear me one of the !abrian lords hissed 4,a-sa74 and ,anti stiffened like a dog about to utter a warning snarl. It was like watching a leopard making obeisance to a pug-dog; at any moment the dog might be rent to shreds. "round us the talk had fallen silent. 4/ere is your master's ring again, sirrah,4 the count said importantly, 4and the letter you must bear to my kinsman the *uke of %erren$a. "nd here I have writ you a safeconduct to take you through our lands to &a1ano; otherwise, you and your men will find the liegers less easy than we of &esicci.4 *omenico bowed his head. 4&y good lord.4 4+ell, and you will deliver my letter54 4+ith all due care.4 +as there the faintest emphasis in that toneless voice5 4/m7 /a, wellhere's for your pains, then.4

Everyone was watching as though spellbound as the coins passed from hand to hand. *omenico stood as though carved in stone, staring at the money in his palm; then he lifted his eyes, and the bla$e in them made the count start. 4+ell, are you dumb54 4*umbfounded, rather, at your lordship's generosity.4 )aldassare's voice made everyone 1ump. 4&y lord, our captain is not a man of many words; I thank you for him, and for us all, for your hospitality.4 The words were the e pertly gauged flattery of a man who has made his fortune by flattering; but )aldassare's face was an ious, and he was watching *omenico, not the count. The little man's alarming color subsided, and he grunted. 40rettily said, fellow; you are all welcome. !ome on, now, and eat well before you depart.4 #oren$o dug me in the ribs as we followed him, and nodded towards the duke. 4*o you think he can keep his temper54 I shook my head. 4I do not know. 0erhaps, if nothing else provokes him. ;uick, let us sit down.4 +hen the meal was over, I reali$ed I had not tasted a crumb, for I had been too intent on *omenico. The count and his family passed down the chamber on their way out and halted near us. 4+ell, fellow, I wish you all .odspeed74 The count puffed a little as *omenico rose to his feet, purposely towering over him. 4Take heed, mind, that you deliver my letter74 I saw a scathing answer rise to his lips, but the count had gone. /e stood perfectly still as the hall emptied, his face frighteningly calm, and then said softly, 4"nd we are to run the errands of that old dog and thank him for his payment. )ow to an upstart yeoman who should bend his knee to us, and smile, and answer insults patiently. . . .4 /is voice was rising dangerously, and I could see the flush I dreaded rising in his lean cheeks. I caught his arm instinctively, saying, 46our .race . . .4 and he spun around on me so fast that in that blurred instant all I saw was the lightning flare between his lashes and the sweep of his hand as he struck. The blow rocked me with its force; I felt as though my head had been 1olted from my shoulders. )aldassare was gripping the duke, and *omenico stood with one arm around his shoulders while great shudders shook him from head to foot. I held my hand to my stinging cheek, trying not to weep. ,o now I could not even comfort him; what had

seemed like 1oy when he discovered me was nothing but pleasure in regaining a thing he had thought lost. I averted my eyes as he lifted his head and heard him say 4&arcello,4 sharply, 1ust as the door behind us opened. 4&y lord bade me tell you that your horses are ready,4 one of the count's men said, 4and you can be on your way.4 4+e will come presently.4 *omenico's answer was curt, his ga$e never leaving my face as he spoke. 46ou're an absolute fellow74 The man said half-admiringly, and withdrew. I did not hear a footfall in the silence after he had gone, but the duke's hands gripped my shoulders, and I knew he had come up behind me. 0aying no heed to those around us, he pulled me around to face him, and his piercing eyes scanned my face. 4*id it hurt54 /is voice was so treacherously gentle that I felt my heart turn over. 46our .race is no weakling,4 I answered stonily. 4"m I to ask your pardon54 I was so startled that I looked full into his eyes. There was mockery there, and the dying embers of his rage, and a hard intentness that made my eyelids fall before it. /is fingers dug cruelly into the hollows of my shoulders. 4"nswer me, boy.4 46our .race does not need to ask pardon of such a sullen lad74 "ndrea struck in, as though from a great distance. 4/e well deserved his punishment.4 *omenico said levelly, 4:eep your tongue,4 and gave me a slight shake. I managed to say, 4-o, 6our .race,4 and his fingers tightened; then he thrust me impatiently away and strode towards the door. The stableyard was almost empty as we saddled our horses, and they, too, were impatient to be gone now that they were fed and rested. &y mare fidgeted and would not be harnessed up, and even when I had her saddled and bridled, I could not mount. I was stranded with one foot in the stirrup, trying to pull myself up while she minced in circles, keeping me 1ust off balance. I was beginning to lose patience when I felt myself gripped and thrown almost bodily into the saddle. I was so astonished that I nearly slid off on the other side, and righted myself to look wildly down into intent black eyes. 4*oes that (uit us54 There was no trace of the e pected laughter in his voice. I told myself that I was a fool. ,o many times I had had the same bitter lesson, and always my resolve failed when he looked at me like that. I should have left him long ago, and yet I could not tear myself away; even now, when his magnetism held me like a

rabbit charmed by a snake, I could not take counsel from that blind blow and remember that he was incapable of love. I shivered and looked away, more a helpless prisoner of my own heart than I had been in his dungeon. /e did not speak again, and when I looked back, his fair head was bent and he was tightening the mare's girths. I gasped suddenly; over his head I could see the count come hurrying out of the castle, his popping eyes fi ed on *omenico's back. 0erhaps he had changed his mind, I thought with a sickened drop of my heart, and had decided not to let us go after all. 46ou there, fellow7 " word with you74 *omenico seemed to free$e. %or a moment he stood as though petrified; then, as the count reached him, he turned and looked down at the little man. /e looked like a cat, hackles risen, fur lifted, eyes narrowed to slits of light. 4&y lord.4 /is voice was toneless. 4I have a thing to tell you that I could not say before them allit would not be fitting.4 The count cast me a disgruntled look. 4-or do I wish to speak before yourhm7page. It is somewhat private.4 *omenico shot a glittering glance upwards. 4&arcello is a secret to a fault, my lord.4 /is hand closed painfully on my foot. 4/e can be deaf and dumb at need.4 4/m7 +ell, so he had better be, for this is most secret. It concerns /is .race of %erren$a.4 *omenico said softly, 40roceed.4 The count looked at him strangely for a moment, but he was so big with his tidings that they would not be contained. 4It came into my mind that if you did not know of the duke's retirement, you might not know of the reason for it, and that if you knew that, you might rather go to the capital and present your message to /is .race's cousin.4 4I am charged to visit the duke himself. +hy should I not54 42nly that your coming might . . . disturb /is .race. /e has grown very solitary and strange.4 40erhaps messages from !abria will rouse him from his melancholy.4 The count looked dubious. 40erhaps, perhaps. )ut there is more than that to the matter men say he is grown a little mad,4 he finished in a rush.

4+hich of us is not54 The sudden bitterness chilled my spine. The count shut his mouth with a snap. 4-ow, this is no time for your heathen philosophies, sirrah7 I speak no more than I have heard, which is that the duke is mad. !ertainly he does not conduct himself like one in his right mind. /e is scarcely seen outside his palace, save when he goes to inspect that army of hisit is said that is all he cares for, that and his collection of treasures, and he has never given proof to the contrary.4 4I heard rumors of this in !abria.4 *omenico spoke frowningly, his fingers absently caressing my ankle. 4)ut you said he still governs.4 4In name, in name7 /is is the signature and his the authority, but it is his cousin who has all the trouble of government. %or all the duke cares, %erren$a could rule itself, as long as he had his toyshis collection and his perfect soldiersto play with.4 46et none of this is madness.4 43ery like it, when a grown man behaves like a child. The state has awarded /is .race a nursery at &a1aro, with everything he wantspaintings and statues and I know not what and his mercenaries to guard it all, while his cousin works in the capital with all the pains of a dukedom and none of the glory7 /e may not sign anything greater than an order for hay, it is said.4 *omenico said intently, 4/e keeps his army with him, you say.4 4/mm, yes. It seems our good %erren$ans do not suffice for the duke. The first thing he did when he came to rule was to draw up plans for the ideal army, cosseted it and packed it with mercenaries, and now he lets it stand idlehe made the perfect tool without bothering whether he was to use it7 "nd yet,4 he added grudgingly, 4they say its fame has gone throughout Italy.4 *omenico nodded. 4!ertainly the *uke of !abria knows of it.4 /e was rela ed now, toying with the stirrup leather as he listened, his face unreadable. 2utwardly all his attention was on the count, but his fingers had slid from the tuckings of the saddle to my thigh, where it touched the leather, and he stroked it softly. I fought my awareness, knowing that it was this army he meant to get from the *uke of %erren$a. 4/ow long has your duke been in this seclusion54 The idle authority in the (uestion stung the count's cheeks to a deeper red.

4I heard of it si months sinceit is disgraceful. The boy should do his duty, beget an heir on some docile wench and leave this unnatural solitude7 I have no patience with him. If it is not madness, it is self-will.4 *omenico nodded wisely. 4"s your lordship says.4 The count swelled. 4I do not speak in ignorance, I may tell you7 =udge for yourself if this humor of his is not unnaturalnot to see his own kinsmen when they visit him, not to entertain man or woman save at his e press invitation, and still to be unwed at nine and thirty7 " do$en years ago no man would have dreamed this. The boy was never merry, to be sure, but he was always civilnone of these hermitlike humors then. -o monk either, but that is what he has become.4 The impatient shifting of the other horses came loudly into the silence before *omenico spoke, his voice casual, almost inhuman. 40oor "merighi74 I thought the count would e pire from an apople y, but before he could get out a word, *omenico had moved from my side and mounted his horse in one, almost li(uid, impulse. 4&y thanks, my lord,4 he said lightly, 4for your information,4 and then he turned his mount and was gone, a couple of coins tinkling on the cobbles behind him. +ith the count's safe-conduct our way was much easier, for now there was no need to avoid the villages in our path. +e reached Toli that night, and in the morning early we were on our way to !amu$$a; from there it was little more than half a day's ride to &a1ano itself. It seemed that nothing could stand in our wayonly the nightmares which seemed now to pursue *omenico like avenging furies and left the implacable revenger a crying child in my arms. I was grateful in a way that I had no time to think of the other deathsIppolito's, ,andro's, those nameless ,paniards'and I could almost, with his head buried in my shoulder and his nails clawing at me for comfort, forget that if he succeeded in his battle, I must give him up. I think )aldassare must have recogni$ed me, either at &esicci or soon afterwardshe never spoke of it, but there was a consideration in his manner which contrasted sharply with the 1esting of most of the others. To them I was the *uke's 4.anymede,4 and I had heard the term applied too often to the pretty boys and painted striplings at the 0ala$$o della 8affaelle not to know what it meant. +hen we lay at !amu$$a, worn out after a day's hard riding, *omenico ordered our saddlebags to be brought into the inn; tomorrow, he said with irony, we must be fit company for a duke. ,o, tired as we were, we cleaned ourselves and tried to freshen our travel-stained clothing, although there was little enough we could do.

*omenico was cramming things back into his saddlebag when the crackle of parchment arrested him, and he looked down with a (ueer little laugh. 4That old dog's precious letter7 I had forgot.4 I asked in a low voice, 4+ill you deliver it now54 40erhaps.4 There was amusement in his face. 4If I remember it tomorrow.'' 4*o you believe what he told you about the *uke of %erren$a54 4I think he believed it. "s for me . . .4 /e made a slight dismissive gesture. 4I know. It does not matter to you whether the duke is mad or sane so long as you can get what you want from him.4 /e looked at me sharply. 46ou are growing politic. ,oon I shall have to consider the things I say to you before I speak aloud.4 4,oon you will be married, and then I shall be gone.4 I felt a twinge of pride at the steadiness in my voice. 4-ot until I have won back all that has been lost.4 There was an odd, hard look about his mouth. 46ou are eager to have your precious freedom.4 46es, 6our .race,4 I answered calmly and saw his black eyes smoulder. 4,till so stubborn54 ,omething twisted in his voice. 4,till54 I dared not speak for the tears that filled my throat, and his lips tightened. 4+ell, I shall be patient for a little longer.4 The white fingers tore the count's letter across and across. 4"nd then we shall see. . . . "fter tomorrow4the fragments scattered 4when I have seen my friend "merighi, we shall resolve this once and for all.4

Chapter Ten
It was with a heavy heart that I set out the following morning. I had grown used to the comradeship that had grown up among us on the road, to the freedom of boy's clothes, even to the sense of fatalism that carried me on in the duke's wake because I felt there was no other choice. )ut now *omenico's world was beginning to e ert its force again, a world of politics and statecraft in which I might easily be swept aside and forgotten, and in which the choice of whether to stay or go would no longer be my own.

/e would win back his dukedom with %erren$a's army, I thought, watching his supple back; and then it would be as if none of this had happened. )y now his ,avoyard bride must have reached *iurno and the welcomes of the archbishop *omenico would marry her, and I would face a lifetime of not having, of learning to resign myself to emptiness and forgetting that I was ever his mistress for a few short weeks. It was a sour little consolation that I had never once confessed how much I loved him. "t least I had salvaged my pride from the wreck. &a1ano was a small city, far smaller than *iurno, built on a high ridge which thrust two arms across the plain towards us. Its houses and palaces were clustered on its slopes like limpets clinging to a rock; its streets were cobbled and precipitous and looked fit for nothing but donkeys to traverse. "fter so long in the open, the tall buildings seemed to crowd, and everywhere I saw the bla$on of a she-wolf, in marble, in bron$e, in wood. "ndrea tittered and said, 42ne would think we were in 8ome,4 but )aldassare hushed him. 4%erren$a has the ear of the pope and his province's loyalty is very strong, so have a care what you say.4 "ndrea was unrepentant. 4In .od's name, then, what are we doing here5 "s well to put our heads into the lion's mouth as to parley with the pope's friend.4 )aldassare said nothing. /e was watching *omenico uneasily. The duke had reined in beside a passing citi$en and was e changing a word or two. Then with a nod of thanks he turned his horse, and we followed him back through the streets, away from the center of the city, until we came to a shallow ravine with a slender, arched bridge facing it. 4%erren$a's winter palace,4 he said softly. In the afternoon sunshine it looked very fair, built like a small fortress on the raised ground above the ravine, its walls gleaming pale gold, not the bleak gray of %idena or the opulent rose of *iurno, but a warm, gentle color, as though centuries of sunlight had been absorbed by the stone. Trees clustered at the foot of its tall towers and I could see others growing beyond the great gate, within the courtyard. 4&y good )aldassare.4 *omenico was ga$ing at the palace with a frown between his brows. 46ou shall be our envoy. +e will not go skulking to %erren$a like beaten dogs ride and tell him that !abria is coming. +e shall follow behind.4 +e waited for minute upon crawling minute after the sound of hoofbeats died away, until )aldassare should have given the fitting warning of a royal duke's approach. *omenico gave no sign of impatience; he sat still in the saddle, his eyes fi ed on the gate beyond the ravine with the attentiveness of a cat at a mousehole. There was no reading

the e pression on his face, and looking at him, no one dared speak. +hen at length he wrenched away his ga$e, it was to give the signal to move on, and at a slow and regal walk our tired horses crossed the last bridge and entered the gates of the 0ala$$o "merighi. )aldassare was waiting under the trees, the look of long strain gone from his face, and beside him stood a small plump man with a pudgy face and thinning hair who immediately stepped forward and bowed to *omenico. 4+elcome, 6our .race7 I am %ilippo &arcionni, secretary to /is .race of %erren$a. /is .race will be here directly, but he did not wish you to enter his palace ungreeied?if you will please to dismount, you and your followers, the grooms will see to your horses.4 *ismounting, I gave a farewell pat to the nervous mare I had ridden for so long, thinking absurdly that my last link with that long ride was breaking. &arcionni was bowing again; looking at the sober richness of his clothes, I reali$ed for the first time 1ust how shabby all of us had grown. 4If 6our .race will allow me, I will inform the duke of your arrival; he was insistent that he should know at once.4 I felt a pang of astonishment, for this overwhelming gracious-ness accorded ill with the old count's tales of a half-mad recluse. )ut perhaps, I thought with an involuntary smile, it is only his talkative kinsmen that the duke hides from. *omenico was (uestioning )aldassare almost under his breath. 4/ow were you received54 4!oldly at first, 6our .race; the duke would receive no visitors, they said. I told them I was an envoy from the *uke of !abria, and they said I should have ridden to the capital.4 4"nd then54 4I sent one of the grooms with a message to the palacehe was loath to go, but I greased his palm for him, and a little later there came one to say that no petitioners come here. I said that I was no petitioner but came on business to /is .race of %erren$a.4 *omenico's voice was bitter. 46ou lied. +e are petitioners right enough. .o on with your story.4 4They told me the duke would do no business, that he was in retreat here, and much else besides that I will not repeat. "t last I made them understand that I was in earnest,

and they fetched &aster ,ecretary &arcionni; after that all was well, for he took me to the duke at once.4 4+hat did %erren$a say54 4)ut little.4 )aldassare frowned. 4I could not understand him. /e was . . . strange. "t first he was cold and reserved civil, but he stared through me; then when I told him I came from !abria, he . . . he changed. /e smothered me with welcomes, made me sit down, sent for wine for me to drink 6our .race's name is a powerful charm with him.4 *omenico said nothing. There was no answering smile on his face, and after a moment )aldassare continued. 4<nder 6our .race's pardon, I thought for a little that he was foolish. +hen I said that 6our .race was at hand, he did not seem to understand me. /e only stared, and then said, '8affaelle is coming here,' and he . . .4 4+ell54 4/e smiled, 6our .race. #ike awell, like a saint7 /e was transfigured74 )aldassare looked eager. 4I swear that 6our .race will be made truly welcome.4 )efore *omenico could reply, the door behind him was thrown open, and he turned swiftly. &arcionni stood there, bowing on the threshold and ushering out the man behind him, and I saw *omenico's e pression of negligent watchfulness wiped out by a look of cold shock. It was gone in an instant, masked, but the white fingers had clenched; and I reali$ed then that for all their professed friendship, he had never seen the duke before. "merighi was nearly as tall as *omenico himself, rawboned and loose-limbed and thin almost to emaciation. /e had a bony, sardonic face with a long nose and down-drooping ha$el eyes, and a thin, straight mouth that had once been smiling and was now ridged with lines of ill health or grief. It was a gaunt face, a little forbiddingclean-shaven in contradiction to fashionbut not unattractive. /is chestnut hair was combed smooth and lay like a cap over his head in a straight, glossy fringe. %or a moment I thought I felt a pulse of recognition, but then I forgot it, for I saw the way he was looking at *omenico, staring almost hungrily, drinking in every line of the beautiful face and graceful body. Then, even as I looked, his face changed; he gave a wholly charming smile and came forward, his hands held out. 4&y dear cousin.4 /is hands gripped *omenico's and held them. 4"t last, the promised visit74 4<nlooked for, I fear, after so long a delay.4 *omenico's smile did not touch his eyes.

4<nhoped for,4 the elder man corrected gently. 46ou must be worn to death after so long a ride7 !ome in and refresh yourselves.4 /is glance barely skimmed the rest of us. 4"nd afterwards you shall tell me what occasion makes me so happy.4 4I thank you, cousin.4 "merighi shook his head. 4-o, it is I who am grateful. I have ordered a chamber to be prepared for you, and my servants will see your people bestowed fittinglyif you want anything, I beg you will ask for it.4 I had already turned to follow the plump secretary, fear of the unknown beginning to cramp my stomach, when *omenico answered. 4I must crave your courtesy for my mistress.4 I stood paraly$ed. There were startled movements among the !abrians and I knew they were staring blankly at one another . . . e cept ,anti. "nd perhaps )aldassare. I heard "merighi's deep, rather grave voice, and thought irrelevantly how beautiful it sounded. 4"t your service, cousin. *oes she come after you54 4-o, she is with me.4 *omenico's voice altered. 4%elicia . . .4 I turned as though compelled and went to his side, and with every step I could feel the eyes on me, astonished, almost accusing. ,omehow the silence was worse than an outcry. %or the first time, "merighi looked away from *omenico. 4" pretty fellow,4 was all he said, but it brought the blood stinging to my cheeks. 4" prettier wench.4 !areless fingers pulled off my cap. 4I thought it best for her to ride so among my menwe came in haste, and there was little time for gallantry.4 /is fingertips brushed my flaming cheek, and I looked away to find "merighi ga$ing from one of us to the other with an odd, arrested look on his face. )ehind us I could hear voices receding in the distance as &arcionni led the others away. I longed, suddenly, to be going with them, to be free of this stranger's curious stare and the breathtaking touch of *omenico's fingers. "merighi said in a tone that robbed the words of any compliment, 4I wonder you ventured so delicate a lady on so long a voyage.4 4,he ventured herself. I beg you will use her well.4

"merighi's dark brows lifted. 4+hat should I do else5 The lady is welcome, for your sake and her own. +ill you present me54 I sensed *omenico's reluctance and spoke before he could. 4In these clothes I am &arcello, 6our .race. I shall not feel like myself until they are changed.4 4&arcello, then.4 The ha$el eyes smiled, but I had the impression that "merighi's brain was racing. /e ushered us out of the sunlit courtyard and in among the cool shadows of the palace; to my sun-da$$led eyes it was pitch dark, and I was still blinking when I found myself in a small, richly furnished room with a long window looking out on the la$ily stirring trees. "merighi was handing me a cup of wine, and the metal in my hands felt cold and heavy. 4If you will give me leave, I shall take order for your night's lodging. +e are ill prepared for guests, especially such great ones.4 /e went to the door and paused by it. 4%orgive me, but you have no baggage54 *omenico shook his head, and "merighi smiled. 4Then we must contrive. I will not be long.4 "s the door closed, *omenico turned to me, a brooding look in his eyes. 4+hat do you think of our civil cousin, %elicia54 4That he will prove a generous benefactor.4 4)elike he will.4 The white fingers drummed impatiently. 4)ut that was not what I meant. *o you think we are as welcome as he says54 The (uestion echoed my own uncertainty, and I said after a moment, 4If he has asked you to visit him before, and you have refused, he must be doubly glad to see you now.4 4*o you believe that54 /is fingers gripped my chin and forced it up. 4I do not know what else to believe. I have no cause to mistrust himhe had been kind beyond mere courtesy, and I have scarcely seen him yet. )ut there is something . . .4 I shrugged. 4It is as )aldassare says; he is strange.4 4&istress +isdom.4 The derision in his eyes made my hands clench. 4%or my part, I would be happier if he seemed less kind.4 4+hat do you mean54 4It is all too easy.4 The black eyes frowned. 4If I were %erren$a, I would not deal so gently with a ruffian calling himself a duke.4

&y voice (uivered with a laughter that was close to tears. 40erhaps all men are not as distrustful as you, 6our .race.4 /e stared at me suddenly, piercingly. 4+hat, do you like him, then54 he demanded softly. &y eyes fell before his. 4I . . . I do not know. I have said, I do not know him.4 I could not find words for the unease which assailed me when I looked at "merighi. 4True, and you shall not know him long.4 *omenico's voice was edged. 4I shall speak him fair and get his army from him as soon as I may; then when %idena is mine again, you will not need to suffer his ga$e upon you.4 It was himself rather than me that he should guard from those long, calculating looks of "merighi's, I tried to say; but even as my lips parted, the door opened again, and "merighi came in like a shadow. 4That is done.4 -ot a glimmer of e pression betrayed the fact that he had seen *omenico's hand cupping my face. 4&y valet will attend my good cousin of !abria and supply your wants from my own wardrobeI think we are enough of a si$e. The lady is more difficult, but something is being done.4 The intense ga$e dwelt on *omenico. 4I hope I may have your company at supper, if you are not too tired with travelingI feel we have much to discuss.4 *omenico nodded. 4I shall be glad of it, cousin. There is a matter of great importance to us both on which I would like your opinion.4 4I shall be impatient to hear itI am eager to know what brings you so far from your city%idena, is it not5 2r are you dwelling in *iurno at this time of year54 46ou have a good memory.4 *omenico's voice was toneless. 4+e came from %idena; the court does not remove to *iurno until it is fully autumn.4 4I remember. 6ou *ukes of !abria have always had a fondness for %idena, have you not54 4+e have. . . . I marvel how you found that out.4 42ne hears gossip.4 "merighi's long hands made a slight, dismissive gesture. 4#iving here in seclusion, I have little to do but learn the news. I have always harkened to news from !abria because of our states' old alliance and our friendship.4 4+e too have heard gossip on our way here.4 *omenico sipped his wine slowly. 4There is much talk of this seclusion of yours; they say you have turned hermit. %or a while we were doubtful of our welcome.4

"merighi laughed. 4&y sub1ects cannot understand my dislike of pomp and pageantry7 I have always disliked them. ,ince my cousin )artolomeo has shown himself willing to take on the burdens of public life, I have loaded them on a willing ass and retired to this palace, which suits me better. I care more for superintending my treasures than for governing the state. -o one cares for proper order but myself; the people live out their useless little lives without thought, without pattern74 /e broke off, his face rela ing into a rueful smile. 4)ut where is the sense in repining5 If they will not learn, they will not, and they must be ruled by one who is content to suffer their stupidity. I myself,4 again that slightly deprecating movement of the hands, 4rather choose to withdraw.4 46et I have heard that you keep your private army garrisoned here. Is not that a strange sort of retirement54 4I have said I like to superintend my treasures, cousin, and my army is the greatest of them.4 The thin mouth curved. 4I created my army as a sculptor creates a statue, molding, refining, ever seeking the best men, the rarest skills. -ow I have a collection of mercenaries whose prowess is the vaunt of Italy; a small force, but invincible. Every man is an e pert, proved in his craft, and they have not been beaten yet. I keep them here, close to my hand and my purse-strings, for fear they might be tempted from my service by one richer.4 4I applaud your 1udgment.4 There was the faintest of smiles on *omenico's lips, and he was watching "merighi through his lashes. 4-othing is of worth but what is duly pri$ed.4 4"s you pri$e this lady.4 "merighi glanced swiftly around at me. 4+e weary you, do we not, madam, with all this talk of soldiers and statecraft5 I will send for a servant to take you to your chamber, and you may rest there until suppertime. )y now they should have found you something more fitting to wear, and you can cease to be &arcello.4 I stammered something, hardly knowing whether to bow or curtsy, and as I followed the manservant from the room, I knew that both dukes were watching me. It was with relief that I closed the door of the bedchamber behind me, shutting out the servant's wooden face and curious stare; then, as I became aware of my surroundings, I ga$ed around me, entranced. The *uke of %erren$a was no miser with the beauty he loved; he had s(uandered it in this room, lavishing gold and colors on the walls and silk and damask on the hangings of the bed. It was not altogether strange, I thought, that a man should prefer this inanimate loveliness to the living s(ualor beneath the splendor of the court.

It was bliss to strip the now shabby page's suit from my tired body and to bathe in the steaming rosewater the servant had provided. I scoured myself diligently, rinsing the dust from my hair and glorying in the half-forgotten sensation of cleanliness. +hen I had done, I looked for the fresh clothes that "merighi had promised, but all I could find was a tangle of gold and silver stuff spread across the bed, which looked like no fashion of gown I had ever seen. I picked it up and held it against me, staring at myself in the glass in perple ity. It was a very strange gown. -o farthingale; no stiffened, low-waisted bodice; no ruff, no lacing, no petticoat, not even a collar. Instead it clung to me as closely as a shift, rippling and glinting with every move I made, soft, shimmering silk embroidered in gold and silver. The cuffs of its great gathered sleeves were bracelets of gold and pearl; it was high-waisted, bound close under my breasts by a linked girdle of solid gold set with pearls and fastened with a gold clasp at the neck. The draped skirt whispered freely without even a brooch to clasp it, and I blushed at my own reflection. /ow "merighi had come by such a garment, unless he kept it for his mistress, I could not guess. &y cropped hair looked ridiculous against such splendor, and after several vain attempts I manage to comb the short ends smoothly to the crown of my head and secured them with pins. +hen it was done, it did not look unlike the %rench fashion, but I missed -iccolosa's skill sorely. I stopped short. That was the accent I had been hearing ever since we came to %erren$a, that harsh, faintly guttural speech that had nagged perpetually at my memory. The count, Enrico and his men, even "merighi himself, all spoke like -iccolosa. ,he must be a native of %erren$a, I thought, and she had never told me. )ut then there had never been any reason why she should. There was a cloak the intense blue of the sky which I put on over the gown, and its weight around my shoulders lent me a little more assurance. If I kept it caught around me when I moved, it might hide what the gown revealed; and while I stayed still, I was modestly, even demurely, clad. &y reflection ga$ed back at me, wide-eyed. 2nce again I was a stranger to myself9 There was nothing familiar in the image that met my eyes. Then I remembered something that would remind me of my own identitythe pearl ring I had taken off at ,anti's bidding, my one link with my remembered self in %idena. /astily I shook it out of its hiding place and slid it back on my finger with an odd little throb of relief. &y hand had grown thinner, and the ring slipped around; but it was my own, one accustomed thing in the midst of so much that was strange, and the knowledge of it warmed me. Then I had nothing to do but to pace the beautiful room until I was sent for to come to supper.

+hen the summons came at last, I was dry-mouthed with fright. +hile I dressed, I had kept my thoughts at bay; once I had done, they came flooding back, and I found myself thinking of that first night in %idena, when 0iero had come to fetch me to *omenico. Then, as now, the future had been a blank wall, unguessable, unthinkableand I had stood waiting, loathing the present yet clinging to it for fear of what was to come. ,omeone entered the room, and I looked around with dilating eyes. )ut it was no dapper, mocking ghost who bowed before meonly a blank-faced stranger in the *uke of %erren$a's livery who said stoically that the duke begged for my presence at supper. I did not need to ask which duke, for *omenico would never beg, not even in courtesy. 0iero's shade must have smiled as I followed the man along a corridor and across a broad landing checkered black and white like the floor of the hall below. Time had turned back, and again I was walking barefoot through a strange palace in the wake of a stranger. I turned to go down the staircase to the dining chamber I remembered seeing earlier, but the servant shook his head. 4-o, gracious madam, you are to sup in the duke's private apartments, you and your lord. /is .race has given orders that you are not to be disturbed.4 I should have guessed, I thought, that these great ones would not deign to discuss their affairs before the household; if *omenico were to humble his pride and ask favors, he would do it in private. "t least now I should not have to parade before men I considered my comrades in this immodest gown. Even as I thought so, someone moved out of the shadow into my path. %or a moment I could not see who it wasthen I recogni$ed #oren$o, neat in a borrowed suit of clothes, with trouble furrowing his brow and shadowing his sea-blue eyes. I gasped. 42h, you startled me74 4I am sorry.4 /e blurted the words, and his eyes would not meet mine. 4I meanI wanted to ask pardon for the way I spoke to you on the 1ourney.4 4There is nothing to forgive.4 /e shook his head. !learly he meant to utter every word of his apology and would not be deterred. 4I did not know, you see. I thought you one of those pining milksops who sigh after the dukethere are enough of them among the pages, heaven knows, and they turn my stomachbut if I had knownhad known4 /e broke off and then said simply, 4I think you are very brave, madam.4 I felt my lips (uiver as I smiled at him. 4Thank you, &essire de'%alconieri, but you were right to speak as you did. I was truly a pining milksop, I promise you, and not

brave at all. "nd I have to thank you for protecting me from my lord "ndrea-I did not do so then.4 !olor flooded #oren$o's face, and he stammered, 4It was nothingI am gladI mean I was not then, but I am now that I could be of service to you.4 ,omething in the way he spoke reminded me of Ippolito, and I held out my hand to him in silence, not trusting myself to speak. I e pected him to grip it and let it go, in the way of young boys; instead, he bowed low and kissed it and looked up at me halfshamefaced. It must have been the first time he had kissed a woman's hand. 4)y your favor, madam . . .4 The servant's voice made me start. 4I must go, #oren$o,4 I said (uickly. 4Thank you again.4 "s I hurried away, I knew that the boy was still standing looking after me. Then I forgot him as I caught the murmur of voices at the far end of the gallery. The two men were talking idly, half-silhouetted against the dying sunshine streaming across the checkered floor. "merighi in black, seated in a low chair, his dark head cocked like an attentive bird's; *omenico a startling contrast in creamy white, propped la$ily against the edge of the table, speaking softly. "s I came nearer, I reali$ed what he was speaking of, that the conversation was not idle at all; my apprehension came flooding back, and I stood listening, hardly noticing that the servant had gone. 4. . . so I am forced to ask you to trust me, cousin. )elieve me, you cannot be more reluctant to give your trust than I am to ask it of you.4 "merighi's thin fingers drummed on the arm of his chair for a moment, and then his downcast eyes lifted suddenly, a (ueer green gleam in them. 4,hould I be reluctant to give you my trust54 *omenico's lips tightened; then he shrugged. 4I have told you how fortune has served me. "ll my estate is lost in !abriaI cannot conceive that my mother duchess will give me a pension to wage war against her. I reached your land4 his voice was perilously even4with a few half-starved horses, some paltry followers of my own, and the .reat ,eal of !abria.4 /e moved his hand to catch the light, and the great ring flashed. 4That is the e tent of my pledges, and if you will not trust me to honor my debt when I return to !abria, I can promise no more.4 "merighi murmured thoughtfully, 4To make war on your mother duchess . . .4

4,he will be lost without my brother's guidance.4 *omenico spoke with all his old arrogance. 4I know her; she is too proud to take counsel from her captains. I can take %idena back again if I come upon her (uickly enough.4 4"nd you mean to lay siege to her with my men.4 " shadow crossed "merighi's face, and he stared unseeingly ahead for a moment. Then he said suddenly, 4+hy should I give you my aid to reclaim your dukedom54 4To save %erren$a from the ,panish. +hat chance will you have to survive if .ratiana rules in 0hilip's name5 +ith -aples, !abria, and all the northern states under the /apsburg yoke, 0ope 0ius will be your only bulwarkbut as long as !abria is safe, the two halves of the ,panish force are severed.4 "merighi nodded slowly. 4+ell, I will consider. I am honored by these confidences, !ousin, and but for one trifle . . .4 /e broke off as he saw me, fro$en half-out of his chair, gripping its arms convulsively. "stonishment momentarily drove every vestige of e pression from his face. 4I bid you good evening, lady.4 I walked forward, horribly aware of the way the gleaming gown clung and rippled. I said shyly, 4.ood evening, 6our .race,4 and wished insanely that *omenico would speak. +hen I looked at him, he had straightened out of his lounging pose, all pretense of rela ation stripped from him. I thought he breathed more (uickly, but his face was still; only his narrowed eyes, bla$ing black, betrayed the wild animal under the artificial calm. I met his ga$e for a fleeting instant and shivered as though he had touched me. "merighi gave an odd little laugh, his ga$e flickering from me to *omenico and back again. " flush stained his hollow cheeks, and there was a glint of overe citement in his eyes, but when he spoke, there was only the slightest tremor in his voice. 4I thought to have asked your pardon for those garments I sent you, lady, but I cannot find it in my heart to be sorry. They become you better than the woman for whom they were made.4 4+hy, who is that54 4The )lessed 3irgin, lady.4 "merighi laughed again as he saw my e pression. 4It is true, I assure you. There are no women here to supply your needs save a fat old grandam or twoI have no wife, as doubtless you have heard.4 The mobile mouth twisted. 4"nd if you had scorned those things, I had been lost. )ut I lately commissioned a painting of the "nnunciation from #ombardetto, and he left behind the robes in which

he portrayed the 3irgin &ary. They are for a lay figure and not a living woman.4 /e glanced significantly at the hem of the gown. 4)ut I hope they may serve for this one occasion.4 *omenico said deliberately, 4It must be a fair picture,4 and "merighi seemed to start at the sound of his voice. 4I thought so until now. ,hall we go in to supper54 4"nd your answer54 It was very soft. "merighi shook his head, an almost malicious brilliance in his eyes. 4-ot before we have eaten, !ousin, I beg you7 I will give you my decision soon, but for now, armies and territories are bad sauces to good food, and I will not discuss it further.4 It was lightly said, and he turned away as he spoke, affecting not to see *omenico's involuntary stiffening, but I felt a spasm of dread as I saw the way the muscles ridged about his mouth. The *uke of !abria would have punished that presumption with the full weight of his capricious fury, but *omenico della 8affaelle, landless e ile, must stay silent and humble his fabulous pride to a compelled meekness. I took "merighi's proffered arm and went with him through another, lower arch, into one of the chambers off the long gallery. )y now the sun was almost gone, and candles cast a soft glow over the loaded table, their tiny flames reflected innumerably in the bright gold of plates and goblets. %rom above, within the carved and shuttered minstrels' gallery, the music of lutes fell softly down. It seemed uncanny that we should sit there, leisurely eating and drinking and pretending that nothing lay behind our presence there. It might have been a longawaited state visit from !abria to %erren$athere was no word of armies, of usurping duchesses, of e ile or death. I watched *omenico, seeing the impatience behind his la$y unconcern, and wondered whether his great-uncle's rebukes would have galled him more than this eggshell pretense. I had e pected that talk would flow stiltedly between us, but the *uke of %erren$a seemed determined to leave no awkward silence, and after a little *omenico curbed his temper enough to answer him civilly. "merighi spoke of his collection of art treasures, describing each piece as though it were to him a living thing, his controlled face growing animated as he warmed to his theme. /e talked of paintings, 1ewelry, statues, all beautiful things for use and ornament that he had gathered around him. +atching the ac(uisitive cock of his smooth chestnut head and the sharpness of his profile, I was reminded again of a bird9 ,andra had said,

once, that the della 8affaelles were a family of magpies. *id the *uke of %erren$a, too, like to steal bright things5 )ut there was no greed in the almost ascetic face, nothing in the beautiful voice but a faint sharpening of e citement, and the overbright eyes burned with eagerness rather than rapacity. "merighi was too adult, too controlled, to be betrayed by open boasting, but his e hilaration was that of a child showing its pri$ed possessions to other children. /e had been too much alone, I thought compassionately. The duke's e citement thrilled from him, lending a curious waiting atmosphere to the meal, but I had the oddest feeling that no one was really listening to what was being saidthat the stream of words itself counted for more than its import. "t last, when the meal was over, "merighi sat back in his chair, his eyes brightly mocking. 46ou have been very patient with a man obsessed.4 /e smiled faintly. 4To hear of my collection is nothingthe pleasure is all mine in the recountingbut if you saw some part of it, you might understand my passion better.4 4+e have eyes, !ousin. The fruits of your labors are all around us.4 "merighi snapped his fingers. 4This is paltry stuff, I promise you7 +hat I pri$e most, I do not keep in common sight. In the ne t room, for e ample, is locked the thing I value more than anything I have told you of till now, and no man knows I have itnot even those it most concerns to know.4 4+hat, have you stolen someone else's treasure54 There was a veiled insult in *omenico's voice. 4+ho, I54 The back of "merighi's hand went to his mouth, and I saw him bite his knuckles, but he still smiled. 4-o, I guard it against thieves I know would steal it if they could. )ut you shall see it and 1udge if my care is not warranted.4 46ou honor me.4 *omenico yawned. 4)ut I am a poor 1udge. I can see beauty4his eyes lingered on my face4only in one thing at a time.4 "merighi's curving brows lifted. 4I do not ask you to 1udge its beauty, cousin, only its value. 6ou said earlier, as I remember, that only that which is pri$ed to the full has any true valueI would like your confirmation that this treasure of mine is worth the store I set by it.4 *omenico shrugged. 4"s you will.4

4Then, lady,4 "merighi turned to me, 4will you go with my cousin into the gallery there5 The servants should have set everything in readinessI will bring my treasure to you there. I crave your pardon if I am an unpracticed host,4 he added dryly, 4but I am a creature of habit, and my solitude has been a long habit.4 I rose to my feet and murmured something as his lips, dry and warm, lingered on the palms of my hands. "s he straightened, "merighi's eyes traveled past me and widened slightly; but before I could turn, *omenico had come up behind me and his fingers gripped mine hard. 4%elicia, come.4 <naccountably I shivered and saw a smile, half-sly, half-amused, settle on "merighi's face. 4%elicia5 Is that what &arcello is called when he is not &arcello54 I looked back from the archway, and his e pression was grave again. 46es, 6our .race.4 /e nodded. 4It fits you,4 he said (uietly and vanished out of the circle of candlelight. There were lamps, silver and glass, burning the whole length of the gallery, making it nearly as bright as day. The moment we were out of the duke's earshot, *omenico gripped me by the shoulders and spun me around to face him. 46ou are grown great with my monkish cousin.4 I answered in a tight voice, 4+hy, should I spurn his courtesy5 /eaven help your embassy, then74 4Take care it does not go beyond courtesy,4 he retorted and released me with a brutal little shake. I clutched savagely at the edges of the blue cloak. I knew that this was only a spurt of the anger he had had to hide from "merighi, but the grimness on his face was frightening. I said hesitantly, 46our .race . . .4 but he cut me short. 46ou cannot call me that any longer. I am not *uke of !abria until I have won !abria back again. 6ou must force your stubborn tongue around the syllables of my name or else leave me nameless as well as all the rest.4 4I cannot call you by anything but your title74

46ou must learn. I am not the only duke here, remember unless you call me by my name, I and my cousin will answer you in a perpetual chorus.4 46our .race . . .4 4*omenico. Tne word is not poisoned. ,ay it.4 I shook my head. I was trembling, and I stared at the floor to avoid his ga$e, fiercely studying the black and white slabs at my feet. "t last he said dangerously, 4+ould you rather beg the freedom of my cousin, then5 /e would be glad to have you so familiar, I do not doubt, and spare you this confusion.4 4I could not even if I wished toI do not know his name, e cept his surname.4 4It is -iccolo,4 a grave voice said from the doorway, 4and I beg you to make use of it if it pleases you. I, too, have been wondering how to avoid this throng of graces. *o you dislike my cousin's name, lady54 4-o. )ut it would be wrong for me to use it.4 I could not say that uttering his name would be the symbol of my last defeat, an admission of the love he would despise if he knew it. Instead I said, 42r yours either, 6our .race. +hat is fitting that I could call you54 /e came forward, his charming smile lighting his cadaverous face. 46ou can my-lord me if you wish,4 he responded dryly. 4I think my conse(uence will bear it.4 I laughed, and beside me *omenico drew a sharp breath. "fter a moment he said lightly, 4Is that the treasure you spoke of, !ousin54 46es.4 -iccolo "merighi's fingertips caressed the carved surface of the silver casket he held. 4In a moment I will show it to youforgive me your poor entertainment this evening.4 /is ga$e swept the empty gallery. 4It compares but ill with all I hear of the revels at %idena. 6ou must blame my monkishness.4 *omenico's fingers fle ed slightly, but he made no other movement; the elder man watched him a moment and then laughed. 4I will tease you no longer. +ill you hear my decision on the re(uest you made to me54 The bright head came up sharply, and a hiss like a cat's broke from *omenico. %or an instant "merighi ga$ed as though hypnoti$ed at the bla$ing beauty confronting him, then he said in an unemotional voice, 4I find I am strangely loath to do you favors; I

will not lend you my army out of love, but I will give you the chance to win it from me. +hat will you ha$ard for it54 *omenico's tautness rela ed and he shrugged, the smile on his lips a sneer of selfmockery. 4!ousin, I am indebted to you for the clothes I stand up in74 4"nd it irks you to be indebted to me.4 *omenico gave a small, choking laugh. 4%aith, yes74 4,o you will not go to ha$ard to regain what you have lost54 4+hat will you take54 The lips smiled, but the black eyes were bitter. 4&y stable5 2r the .reat ,eal of !abria5 I have nothing else of value.4 46ou underestimate your worth.4 4I know your army to be worth more than my whole estate.4 *omenico's voice frayed, and I saw the tight rein he was keeping on his temper. 4&ust I be plainer54 4)ut what is worth, my dear cousin5 I might ask half your dukedom as a stake or set my army against a piece of silk ribbon. The army would be unchanged. )ut it would be worth as much, or as little, as I would demand and you could give. ,uppose I set a value on something of yours that would counterpoise the worth of my army54 *omenico took a step forward, and I saw him start to draw off his ring. 4I propose that we each stake what the other deems most valuable.4 "merighi's face was 1udicially calm. 4In your case you will re(uire me to stake my army; in my case what pleases me.4 4"nd on what are we to ha$ard54 42n a game of chess.4 I had to bite my lips to contain my hysterical laughter as "merighi answered. 4)lack against white, a game of subtle strategy not unlike the one we are playing now. It should appeal to you, !ousinyou were taught to play when you were a child, were you not54 *omenico nodded. There was a white look around his mouth, and "merighi smiled. 4I thought so. "nd for my part, I have played whenever I had the means and the opponents, since I was a boy. I played against my sisters until they married and left my father's palace but no matter. 6ou are agreed that chess shall be our game54 " little of the nightmare look faded. 4It will serve.4

4.ood.4 "n e pressionit might have been triumph-flickered over "merighi's face and left it calm again, faintly cunning, intent. 4Then you +ill play for my soldiers, to win back your dukedom for you. "nd I . . .4he broke off. 4+ell54 It was curt with a boy's impatience. 4I will play you for your mistress. ,he is yours, I take it54 I thought the silence would last forever; I know I swayed where I stood. +hen *omenico spoke at last there was a (ueer tremor of laughter in his voice. 4!ertainly, !ousin7 +hat should she be else5 I bought her from her fat hog of a brother for thirty pieces of silver. It seemed apt,4 he added sardonically. 4" bargain.4 "merighi's ha$el-green ga$e ran over me. 4" very fair bargain. I got her for the price of the brother's deafness when my men brought her away, and his dumbness thereafter. Either he did not know what a treasure he possessed, or being her brother, could find no use for her this side of damnation.4 The light, cruel words 1erked "merighi's speculative ga$e away from me with a look that was furtive, almost alarmed. 4Then you are content to stake her54 4!ontent, no, but I will do it.4 The white hand flashed out with the speed of a snake striking and gripped "merighi's pale fingers. 4-ow I cannot change my mind without perdition.4 4True, you cannot.4 "merighi looked down at the clasped hands. 4"nd neither can I.4 I was not listening as they talked (uietly together; my thoughts were circling with a sickened, da$ed fascination around the abominable fact that I had been bought. )ought like a heifer or a mare to fill the *uke of !abria's bed. -o wonder "ntonio had not searched for me when I disappeared. -o wonder he had seemed to be asking my forgiveness the night he was brought to the 0ala$$o della 8affaellehe must have thought I knew then, my loving brother who told me he had made a fine profit in his bargain with the stranger. "nd now it was too late for the knowledge to make any difference, for *omenico was weary enough to let me go. I might have held him for a night or two longer, but the *uke of %erren$a's private army was more important to him now than any woman, and all I could do for him was to ac(uiesce and let the luck of a game decide my future whether I stayed with him on sufferance until he married his ,avoyard duchess or lay with the *uke of %erren$a for his sake and kept his bargain for him.

"merighi had put down the silver casket on a writing desk by the wall and was scribbling rapidly on a piece of paper. *omenico's fair head was bent, watching him, but as I looked, his eyes lifted to my face, and I caught a glimpse of an e traordinary bla$e in them. The white lids drooped again swiftly, but I was shaking as though I had seen into hell. -iccolo straightened and smiled his charming smile as though he had done nothing out of the ordinary. 4&y deed of gift, !ousin; yours, if you win the game. It gives you the command of all my forces, to be maintained at my cost, until you are reseated in !abria. *oes this suffice you54 4"mply.4 The fair face was like a mask. 4*o you also re(uire a deed of gift54 4I will trust your promise. The lady is here9 If I beat you, I have only to reach out and takethe +hite ;ueen.4 /e finished with an odd note in his voice. 4+ell, it is done74 *omenico turned sharply away. 4#et us make an end of this (uickly.4 4+ait74 "merighi's thin hand checked him. 4I have not yet shown you my treasure of treasures.4 *omenico halted, curiosity warring with impatience in his face. 4#ater, good !ousin. I would be done with this folly.4 4I will not play until you have seen this.4 "merighi picked up the casket and put it into *omenico's hands. +ith tightened lips, *omenico flicked the catch, put back the lid, and drew out the casket's contents. It was a sheaf of papers, slightly yellowing, the corners dog-eared as though it had been much read, closely written in a cramped, somehow hasty hand. "merighi's voice (uivered when he spoke. 46ou do not recogni$e the hand54 *omenico shook his head, scanning the lines. 4-o.4 48ead on, then, and you will.4 The silver-fair head bent as *omenico's eyes ran cursorily over the writing, and suddenly he fro$e, e pression draining from his face, leaving it blank as a dead man's. Then slowly, as though he feared the movement might break some spell, he raised his head and looked unbelievingly into "merighi's fanatically bright eyes. 46es,4 the beautiful voice said gently, 4my sister Isabella. ,he wrote that document the night she died, and your creature della ;uercia sent it to mefor a keepsake. I have treasured it for eleven years.4

4I will not read it.4 *omenico's voice was a threadlike whisper. 4I will not.4 4)ut you must.4 "merighi sounded like a schoolmaster reasoning with a willful child. 4It much concerns you and your father. )egin .there.4 The thin ringless hand flicked a leaf where the corner was turned down, and I thought suddenly, he knows it all by heart. *omenico turned the page, and as he looked, a strange little sound of pure animal revulsion tore from his throat; then he stood immobile, a look of terror growing in his face as he read. I wrenched my ga$e away and turned to "merighi, who was watching with a smile on his lips and pure, malign triumph flaming green in his eyes. 4&y lord . . .4 /e answered without moving. 4*o not interrupt me, lady. I have waited eleven years for this moment.'' 4)ut I do not understand.4 In desperation I moved towards him, interposing myself between him and *omenico. The green eyes flickered, wavered, and then rested on my face. 4+hat has this writing to do with your wager54 "merighi smiled. 4It is (uite simple. I want my dear cousinmy nephew, to speak more e actlyto know why I will do him no favors. /e drove my dearest sister to kill herself.4 /is voice twisted. 4"nd damned her soul, so that now I shall not see her in heaven. ,hould I let him think I have forgiven him that54 I faltered, 46our sister . . . Isabella54 46es.4 The duke's thin mouth twisted for an instant. 4The sweetest sister who ever drew breath and the dearest lady to me. I thought my heart would break when she was married to the *uke of !abria, but I did not know then that I was bidding her good-bye for ever. ,he swore when we parted that she would never love another man as she loved me, but I feared for her faith if her swinish husband proved kindI never thought to fear the lust of her stepson.4 *omenico did not move. 2nly his hand clenched on the manuscript, tighter and tighter. 4)ut you are mistaken,4 I protested. 4The duchess Isabella was murdered by a #utheran fanatic. . . .4 4. . . in her chapel, was not that the story5 I know it was the tale that devil's priest invented to hide the truth, but I did not think even !abrians would believe itwhy

should the #utherans kill my sister, who was sweet and .od-fearing, when they should strike at that lecherous "ntichrist, her husband54 4I do not know, but it is truea man was hanged for the murder.4 "merighi said levelly, 4+hat is a man's life to a della 8affaelle5 "ny of them would hang twenty men to prove one lie9 The #utheran did not murder my sister; he was hanged as a scapegoat for the 8affaelle pride.4 I fought the conviction that he spoke the truth, but I knew that pride. Even now it kept *omenico unmoving, his face set in lines of rigid endurance, bearing a waking nightmare without a change of e pression. I turned back to "merighi almost desperately. 4/ow do you know54 4)ecause Isabella was planning to kill herself when she wrote that . . . confession, she called it. ,he dared not tell her father confessor what had happened9 ,he was ashamed. +hen she had written the whole story in that document, she went back into the chapel and stabbed herself. +ell, !ousin.4 /e looked around as *omenico raised his head. 4"re you proud of you con(uest now54 *omenico's eyes were like stones. /e said in a sweet, spine-chilling whisper, 4It was late, and I thought everyone was abed until I heard her voice; I had taken a torch to go back to my own chamber, and I heard her as I passed the chapel door. I went in, and she was kneeling in front of her precious /oly 3irgin with her back to the door, and she did not see me at first. I thought I would stay and hear her prayers, to learn if such a dry stick of a woman could want anythingshe was always a poor, bloodless creature, with nothing but her beads and her pride for company. "nd I heard her praying for deliverance4his voice festered suddenly4from the sin of loving meshe had preached to me of purity and chastity until my head was ringing with te ts; she had even banished some waiting wench of hers I had gotten with child, and all the time she only wanted me to take her . . . my father's wife7 ,he could not endure it, she said. ,he would rather die than live without me if the /oly &other would not purge her of her sin. "ll I thought was that she was not so pure after all; it seemed too good a 1est to let go. ,o I spoke to her and told her she could have what she desired, and she looked at me as though . . .4 4"s though54 "merighi prompted insistently. 4"s though she had seen a ghost.4 2ne white hand reached blindly towards me, and I caught it between both mine. The fingers curled over, tightening, leaving livid marks where they gripped, but I hardly noticed the pain; I only knew that at last I would learn why *omenico's sleep was broken by Isabella's unhappy ghost.

"merighi moistened his lips. 4"nd then54 4I took her, there on the floor of the chapel, and silenced her sermons. ,he was like every other woman, clinging and whining for more, like a bitch in heat.4 I felt suddenly cold, and my fingers were lifeless in his. /e said, still in that icy breath of a voice, 4I left her there, 1ust as she wasthere was no love in it, I told her so; she must be content with that once-and I thought no more of it. )ut when I went back the ne t day to see how she fared, she was still lying there.4 4"s though she had not moved all night,4 I said softly. *omenico's face wore the look of nausea it had had in the throes of his worst nightmares, and his eyes were like black wells of nothingness. 4I thought she was sleeping until I saw the floor . . .4 /is voice choked in his throat. 4"ll red . . .4 "merighi drew a long breath. 4,he would not have spared herself. )ut she could have spared me.4 *omenico looked up sharply. 4-o. It was the work of a creature who hated women. I had the slave's hands cut off for it before my face.4 "merighi responded, watching him. 4It might be that my sister hated her own womanhood . . . then.4 *omenico did not answer. /is e pression did not alter by the flicker of an eyelash, but the hand in mine was suddenly so still that I e pected all its living warmth to ebb away. 4#ady,4 "merighi said reprovingly, 4you must not cling so to my good cousin. 6ou anticipate the ending of our game.4 It was then that I reali$ed how much a sham was his unnatural self-control. <nder the assumed calm his thin body was (uivering with e citement; his greedy ga$e clung like a leech to *omenico's face as it searched for the smallest sign of pain and to the tiny involuntary fle ing of *omenico's fingers as my hand fell away from his. I was reminded of a man prodding at a pain-drugged leopard. 2n "merighi's set face was a look of craving which spoke strangely of the love he had borne his dead sister. "s he watched my hands fall slowly to my sides, he gave a tiny chuckle, like a gleeful schoolboy. 4!ome now, to our business.4

Chapter Eleven

The chessboard was inlaid in a tabletop, s(uares of gold and silver set in shining marble. The table stood at the far end of the gallery, a chair on either side, and from a drawer beneath it "merighi produced the men and set them out, black against white, gold against silver, in gleaming precious ranks. "merighi looked across to where I stood. 4+ill you not watch us54 4I do not know the game.4 &y throat was dry. 4" pity, but no matter. 0erhaps I shall be able to teach you, later.4 " blush burned my face as I moved towards the table, the glinting gown molding every line of my body, and sat down hastily in a nearby chair. The black and white figures of the two dukes were very close as they conferred briefly together; then *omenico moved, with a studied indifference marred by the harsh lines hardening his sensual mouth, to sit behind the white pieces. "merighi took the black. *omenico's hand hesitated over the board for a moment and then moved a piece9 The game was on. To me it all seemed like a fantasy. I could not believe that a mere game would decide the fate of a dukedom, that the whole of my future life depended on the manipulation of those beautiful little toys. I watched intently, trying to 1udge the play, but it was hopeless; my scanty knowledge of the rules made it impossible for me to understand the subtleties of the game being played before me. It was only when the pieces at last began to be lost that I could begin to see the elaborate patterns of check and countercheck. The discarded pieces were ranged beside the board. )reathlessly I counted them, but the score seemed even. "t first the two men played in silence, watching only the board between them, but as more chessmen were captured, the moves slowed, fraught with tension, and they watched each other as they hesitated, each gauging the other's reaction to an intended move. I could read nothing in *omenico's still face. /e lounged in his chair apparently at his ease, supple as a great white cat. The fingers caressing the silver as he debated were as smooth as alabaster, his fair profile impassive, his heavy eyelids drooping; the long dark lashes veiled the e pression in his eyes. "gainst the high back of his bron$e chair, his silver-fair hair looked unearthly. In the dust and mire of the long 1ourney, I had forgotten, I thought, how beautiful he was. "lmost la$ily he shifted a piece, but as he set it down, he must have sensed my scrutiny, because he looked up at me for an instant and I saw him pause. 46ou must keep your mind on the game, !ousin,4 "merighi cautioned gravely. 4I myself dare not look at her too long, for fear I should lose a pawn or a bishop in contemplation of the pri$e.4

4I can guard my own well enough.4 4!an you so5 #ook, you have not regarded your king's pawn; my rook is waitingso.4 There was anger and an odd kind of fright in the very e pressionlessness of *omenico's face as the gold piece swooped on the silver. "merighi continued, gently indulgent, 46ou see, you should never neglect the slightest pawn, or its loss may mar your gamefor myself, I cherish my pawns as long as I may unless their loss is inevitable.4 /e added as *omenico's hand hesitated over the board, 40iero della ;uercia was one of mine, though he fancied himself more at first.4 *omenico's hand checked the merest fraction, then moved smoothly on. 46es, he confessed before I had him killed.4 The chessman landed with a hard little bang. 4I am not (uite blind, !ousin.4 The dark brows lifted. 4,o you killed him5 I thought he must have been discovered when his dispatches ceased so abruptly. I 1udged the man to have more brain than to be discovered so soon.4 4/e was clumsy.4 %or a moment the soft mouth twisted in distaste, then rela ed again, unrevealing. *omenico's mind must have been in a tumult, but not a flicker of it showed in his face as he spoke 0iero's epitaph. "merighi shifted his ga$e back to the board. &oving a man with a careless movement, he remarked, 46et I have always wondered why he entertained my plansa creature of yours who had been yours so long. +as it that he was 1ealous of this paragon54 The 1erk of his head turned the words to an insult. *omenico answered indifferently, 4I do not know what he thought.4 4)ut the lady does. #ook how she blushes. /e wrote of you in his last letters, lady, but I dismissed what he said as the effusion of his fancy; he had ever a way of wrapping what he had to say in dainty terms and salting his spying with a grain or two of poesy. "s I remembered, I cared little for his report save that you might figure as a means for me to in1ure my cousin. )ut now that I see you, I do not wonder he spent so much ink in describing the duke's new mistress.4 *omenico said detachedly, 4/ave you cared for eleven years only to in1ure me54 /e took a white knight $ig$agging down the board. 4+hat else should I care for54 There was genuine astonishment in the (uestion. 4%or your father, I had only to wait for him to mold away, for I knew him white with po .

"nd all he did to Isabella was slight compared to your . . . sport. /e only tormented her it was you who killed her.4 " tall king moved into the white knight's path. *omenico frowned and shook his head as though to clear it, and I reali$ed that on him, as on me, the fatigue of the long day was taking its toll. "merighi watched the countermove intently and smiled a smile that *omenico did not see. I thought9 /e is winning. <ntil that moment I had been thinking only of what defeat would mean to *omenico. The loss of his hopes, far more than the loss of his dukedom, would maim his arrogant spirit; it would be like seeing #ucifer transformed to ,atan before my eyes. )ut now I thought for the first time of what the end of it might be for me, in the unvarnished terms of crude fact. In my heart of hearts I had not really believed that I should have to keep *omenico's bargain; I was convinced that somehow he would always have his way. )ut now . . . "merighi murmured, 4!heck,4 and *omenico frowned. /is hand hovered briefly, and he shifted a man, rela ing as he did so; the glossy brown head made a civil inclination, and as -iccolo studied the board, his face was suddenly stamped with the image of his sister's. There was the same birdlike, bony angularity, the same down-drooping eyes and thin wide mouth, the same sallow skin and the same unhappiness. In the man's face the marks were clearer; he was twice the age of the girl in the portrait, and there were deep lines etched in his hollow cheeks and from nostrils to chin9 )ut the resemblance which had startled *omenico at their first meeting was shockingly vivid. The hands, toying meditatively with a castle wrought in gold, were as bonily elegant as his sister'sbut where Isabella's had been clenched tightly before her, his were rela ed, even graceful. /e said again, 4!heck.4*omenico leaned forward, one elbow on the table, and stared down at the board. Then, with another dismissive little shake of his head as though to dispel a mist before his eyes, he moved a chess piece forward. "merighi's ne t move was so swift that he must have foreseen the counter. .old pounced upon silver, and the bony fingers tightened on the captured chess piece, triumph lighting his gaunt face. 46ou must betake yourself to your defenses, !ousin; you have lost your white (ueen.4 ,omething in his voice made me start, and I remembered the name he had given me earlier. Then I saw the chess piece he held in his hand; the figure of a woman, robed and crowned. The white (ueen.

"merighi's fingertips rested lightly on the little image, gliding with an almost lascivious delight over its cold smoothness. /e was looking straight at *omenico, and his mouth curved slowly, as if he were pleased with what he saw, before he put the piece down amid the captured ranks. There were few pieces left on the board now; the glittering movements were fascinating me, and I could think of nothing else. 4!heck,4 the beautiful voice said, 4and . . . mate, my dear !ousin.4 *omenico said, 4-o,4 harshly, and "merighi shrugged. 42f course, I do not e pect you to concede easily when so much hangs upon the outcome. I will stay your leisure9 If you can free your king from this predicament, I will play on.4 There was something terrible in his patience as he sat waiting, his ga$e fi ed on *omenico's face. The seconds dragged into leaden minutes, and my nails dug agoni$ingly into my palms. "t last "merighi broke the silence. *omenico had not moved. /is bright head was bent over the pieces, obsessively searching, searching for a way out. 46ou will concede, !ousin, that I have won54 The sound that broke from *omenico was so (uiet I was not sure I had heard it, half a sigh, half a groan. Then a breath of a voice said, 46es,4 and I shivered as though the gallery had grown cold all at once. ,lowly, as though he savored it, "merighi rose to his feet. 4I offer you my condolences. 6ou were weary, and much has happened to dis(uiet you. )ut I am not so saintlike as to relin(uish my pri$e for pity's sakethat would savor too much of turning the other cheek.4 Even as my hands began to tremble, I wondered what kind of brother could think of his sister so. 4#ady.4 "merighi had crossed the black and white floor and was bending to hand me out of my chair. 4I claim what I have won.4 I could not answer. The chestnut head turned, and "merighi glanced back at *omenico. 4!ousin, the game, is done. #eave the pieces.4 *omenico swung around sharply in his chair, and his arm swept the board clear in one vicious movement. The precious figures scattered on the flags, bouncing and ringing, and "merighi nodded slightly.

4,o, now you need not ga$e on them any longer. +hat you shall see now will be far more diverting.4 The dark eyes lifted. 4I am not in the vein for pageants.4 4+hat.4 "merighi's eyes were brilliant, 4not the pageant of 3enus5 !ome, I would have seen you invested with the generalship of my armyI crave only so much courtesy of you, that you will see me invested in my . . . rights to this lady.4 *omenico drew a sharp breath, then shook his head decisively. 4-o5 )ut you will watch, my dear cousinI should be loath to have you dragged, and my lady %elicia might love me less if I bade my men cut off your eyelids. Think now,4 the deep voice sharpened, 4think of all I might do to her without the restraint of your presence.4 +ithout a glance behind him, he guided me, with incongruous courtesy, to the doorway through which he had brought the silver casket, and only then did he turn and look back. /is eyes were feverishly bright. 4I regret I must be so crude, but you will appreciate the necessity for my guards, I know. I wish to make sure you lose nothing of this . . . spectacle. The guard, here74 %ootsteps came running up the stairs in answer to his shout. &y fingers felt icy cold as they rested in his, but I felt no fear for myself; this strange man did not want me save as an item in his collection or a counter in his game of revenge. There was more of the connoisseur than of the lecher in the dry touch of his hand. /e had dragged his ga$e from *omenico and was looking down at me almost curiously. /is voice, gentle and reasonable, was a 1arring contrast to the fanaticism in his face. 4I must do this, lady.4 /e sounded like a child, an ious to e plain himself. 4I do not want to in1ure you, but it is the will of .od. I would have killed him if you had not been here, but by sending you, .od delivers me from the sin of murder. -ow he can live and suffer as I did, by losing the woman he loves beyond his life.4 I said, 4/e does not love me, my lord. I only share his bed.4 /e stared at me arrestedly for a moment, and then he glanced over my head and smiled. 4-o, lady, do not bother to lie to me. It is too plain.4 )efore I could try to convince him, the guards came clattering through the arch at the end of the gallery, and all the gentleness drained from "merighi's face.

46ou will stand guard at this doorway here. This man4his voice stripped from *omenico even the courtesy of his name4is to stand before it and watch what passes within; you will ensure that he does not close his eyes or turn away. If he resists, kill him, but not before I have done. Take your stands and bring me a light within here so that he misses nothing. ;uickly74 The sudden impatience in his voice goaded the two guards into action. 2ne of them hurried to the wall and took down one of the lamps to take to the room behind us, eyeing me ama$edly as he passed; both men seemed bewildered by their master's orders and stiffened warily as *omenico rose from his chair and came slowly down the gallery towards us. 4&y compliments, !ousin,4 "merighi said. 4It would have ill become your dignity to be dragged to us. This is dukelike indeed.4 *omenico gave a very faint shrug; his face was set. /e was not looking at "merighi as he drew level but ga$ing at me, his black eyes holding mine with a (ueer insistence. I had forgotten there was anyone else in the room when "merighi tugged gently at my hand. 4)y your leave, lady.4 The guards stamped to attention, and the tasseled pikes crossed behind me as I followed "merighi down the steps into the windowless chamber and looked wonderingly about me. It was like a shrine9 a shrine to the dead Isabella. !andles, their flames darkened by the lamplight, bumed in front of a laughing portrait; a single glove lay there, a child's crucifi , a plain set of ivory chessmen ready to play. " man might have dedicated such a room to the memory of his wife rather than his sister. " couch stood in the center of the floor before the portrait, and I shivered at the thought of the hours the duke must have spent sitting there amid his hallowed relics, reading his sister's confession and dreaming of revenge. "nd now that his revenge had come crowding in upon him, he meant to take it where it had been conceived, here in his sister's room. "merighi halted beside the couch. /is thin hand, sallow and lightly freckled against the ruffle that framed it, gripped my shoulder. &y flesh crept, and I fought to remember that lack of resistance, meek submission to his enemy's desires, was the last and only way I could help *omenico. 2ver the duke's black-clad shoulder, I could see him lounging in the doorwayby his pose he might have been awaiting the start of some common entertainment, leaning idly against a pillar, one hand reaching up to the crown of the archway as though he were leaning in at a low window. The goggling soldiers with their crossed pikes might not have e isted. /e was waiting for me to betray him, I thought despairingly, waiting for me to shudder away from "merighi's touch or recoil

from his unwanted kisses. +ell, I would not9 /e had pledged me, and I would keep his pledge. "merighi murmured, 4-ow he will know what hell is like, a little,4 and drew me unresisting into his arms. /is kiss was calm at first, even passionless; then his arms tightened, and I felt the trembling which shook his thin body. I was afraid suddenlysome thread of selfcontrol in him had snapped, and the detachment I had trusted to keep me safe was lost in the clutch of half-fren$ied, long fingers digging into my flesh. I wanted to twist my mouth away from the rough, ine pert pressure, but I knew I must not. /e lifted his head and drew a long, unsteady breath. 4I begin to think my revenge will be doubly sweet.4 "s he kissed me again, he was fumbling at my throat, and the blue cloak slid rustling to the floor; my fingers were (uivering with the effort not to strike at him, not to fight him as once I had fought *omenico. Then the thin fingers were cupping my face, caressing my neck and my shouldersfor an instant the ha$el-green eyes stared almost blindly into mine, and then "merighi whispered roughly, 4,o beautiful . . .4 and his mouth came down on mine with a sort of blind ferocity, punishing me until the muscles of my face were numb and there was the taste of blood on my lips. I gasped then, in revulsion, but it was so low in my throat that only "merighi heard it. /e said tauntingly, his lips against my ear, 4*id the !abrian teach you no better tricks54 and, catching my hand as it hung by my side, drew my arm about him. " shudder ran through me. I might force myself to keep the letter of *omenico's wager, but I felt nothing but disgust for the gaunt body pressing against mine. I could win, I knew, if I fought him; he was not half as strong as *omenico. )ut I did not fight. I stood tamely, letting him loosen the golden girdle so that the &adonna's robe fell open, seeing the vein throbbing in his temple as he caught the shining folds and lifted them away. "lmost tentatively, his hand came out to touch my breast; it shrank for a second as though I had burned him and then returned, s(uee$ing and stroking urgently. /is head bent, and I hardly noticed the touch of his mouth, for past him I could see *omenico standing still in the doorway, rela ed and casual, one hand lightly clenched as if in impatience at having to see this spectacle through to the end. "merighi's hand ran greedily down my body, pushing me back on to the couch; then, as he parted my thighs, I wondered how I could bear to let him possess me without crying out. *omenico was not ten paces awayif I called him . . . )ut even as the thought crossed my mind, I knew I would not call, for the look on his face had been too clear. Indifference hooded his eyes and stamped a sullen curve to his

mouth; indifference had been in every line of his body. /e would not stir even if I called; why should he risk his skin against "merighi's guards for something so trifling5 I stared up at the vaulted ceiling above me, ga$ing at the beasts of heraldry, grand or grotes(ue, which clustered about the bosses and clung to the ribs of the vaulting. I knew I must not look at the black figure stooping over me, tearing with sudden clumsy impatience at its clothes. I must not think of the man in the doorway. "merighi's breathing had (uickened, and one thin knee was upraised and resting possessively on the unyielding cushion between my legs. /e must look ridiculous, I thought hysterically, like a heron; too e cited to undress himself. Then the impulse to laughter died as ice-cold panic gripped me. I heard "merighi's triumphant gasp as a knot broke, and in the same moment a scuffling sound came from near the doorway, the ring of metal, and a crash as something fell. I struggled to get up, scoring my hands on the crushed bespangled silk of the &adonna's robe, and it was my movement, not the sound, that caught "merighi's attention. /e raised serpent-bright eyes from his own working fingers, and I thought he said, 4-o74 /is hand came out as though to press me back again, but then he checked, and I caught the startled, hawklike poise of his profile before I twisted away from him. ,omething lay doubled on the black and white flags like the parody of a newborn baby the body of one of the guards. The second man stood astride it, pike upraised, trying desperately to beat off his adversary. The sound of the last blow still reverberated as the man tensed to ward off another. *omenico had moved so swiftly that I could barely follow the movement, catching up the fallen soldier's pike and swinging the shaft to catch the second a glancing blow on the head. "s the man reeled back, another caught him, sending him crashing backwards to the ground. /e had no time for more than a startled grunt before the pike head caught him full in the face, scattering his brains on the floor. "merighi's shadow moved between me and the doorway, and when it had passed, I saw *omenico standing on the steps, looking down at him. &y breath caught in my throat. /is face was flushed and working, his black eyes slitted and dangerous and his lips curling slowly back from his teeth in an animal's snarl. I waited for the wrath choking him to find a voice. 46ou shall not have her.4 /is voice was harsh and breathless. 4,he is mine.4 "merighi shook his head. 4-ot now, my dear !ousin. I won her fairly, and I shall take her. :eep back74

*omenico took a slow, prowling pace forward. 4*o not touch her, for your life.4 The chestnut head moved warily; "merighi took a step backwards, and his hand met my arm and slid deliberately to my breast when I tried to twist away. The thin fingers were warm and dry. 46ou yourself admitted that I had won.4 *omenico did not seem to hear; he only watched the hand. Then his eyes lifted, a savage sneer on his beautiful face. 4*o you e pect the devil to keep his word54 4*o you think I will give her up now54 46es, by .od74 +ith one impossibly fluid movement *omenico had thrown the clumsy pike aside and was across the room, his hand gripping the hilt of "merighi's discarded rapier and shaking it free of the scabbard. "s he turned, the blade glinted, and there was an odd smile on his face. 4+e have fought on your termsnow we will fight on mine. *o you have another of these . . . crude instruments . . . in your precious palace, <ncle -iccolo54 "merighi's long face was gray, and the light dusting of freckles stood out against his skin like seared burns. 46es, on the wall out there. )etween this doorway and the one leading to the dining chamber.4 The bright head inclined proudly. 4I will fetch it. *o not think to call the rest of your guardsthey are not as worthy of your victual as the men in your army.4 "merighi's hand (uivered, and as it was withdrawn, I pulled myself up, trying to drag the robe around me again. The flags were icy under my feet as I lowered them to the floor, and then *omenico's voice called, 4-ow,4 and "merighi's own sword spun in a silvery arc towards him. The bony hand caught it deftly, and at once the battle was 1oined. There was no pretense of courtliness in this duel. *omenico was (uivering with impatience as he threw the sword; the moment "merighi grasped it, he seemed to surge forward like an animal on its prey, and "merighi's first upward swinglike a spear at *omenico's breast-met a downward blow in a deafening ring of blades. The furious attack drove "merighi back from the doorway, his free hand groping along the wall as he retreated from the steps that led out of his sister's shrine. /is face was losing its e pression of wariness, and now he looked calm and calculating, the fire in his eyes burned down to a steady gleam. *omenico's face was that of a devil as he forced his opponent back across the shining floor.

)ut he was tiring. /is first blind rage was dying as "merighi managed to parry the murderous strokes, and the fren$ied look on his face altered to grim concentration. /is blade slowed from its hissing arcs, as though he reali$ed that he faced a swordsman against whose cunning fury would avail him nothing. -ow the sword blades rested together, lightly crossed and almost imperceptibly flickering. It was as though the two opponents were constantly testing each other, the tiniest move instantly countered as the two men stood, watching each other's faces. Their swords barely stirred. +atching them, I could feel my heart pounding so hard that it hurt me, and I thought9 I shall die if he is killed. 2nce "merighi thrust, and the blades crossed higher, close to *omenico's cheekbone, so that I bit my lip in an effort not to cry out. )ut the white arm bore down the black, the swords steadied, and I was glad that I had held my peace. "merighi's movements were (uick and deftthere was no ungainliness now about his thin, tensed bodybut *omenico moved with a supple strength almost insolent in its beauty, arm and rapier and slim body in a single lithe curve of destruction. It seemed somehow blasphemous that something so beautiful could be so deadly. They were fighting in the gallery itself now, and "merighi's retreat was taking him through the yawning archway which led to the staircase and down to the great hall9 /e sensed it, for his ga$e was flickering around the gallery walls, assessing, measuring. Then, suddenly, he moved, pressing himself flat against the arch so that *omenico's momentum carried him on, e posing his back to his opponent. It seemed impossible for *omenico to turn in time, but somehow the blade was there, parrying a downward slash; a gasp caught in my throat and was stifled. "merighi attacked again, gripping the silken hanging as he fought, but now they had turned so that it was *omenico who retreated first on to the wide landing. There was a flurry as "merighi launched himself forward. The rapiers locked, and for a moment the two straining figures were breast to breast. "merighi was staring up into *omenico's eyes almost hungrily. Then a shudder of something like revulsion ran through the locked bodies, and *omenico 1erked away sharply. "t once "merighi's knee came flashing up in an ugly foul*omenico stepped back, stumbled, and was driven back against the baluster behind him. The breath was driven from his body in a sharp gasp as he slammed against the railing; then his sword flashed over his head in a di$$ying arc and the duke's thin wrists were gripped and held. "merighi's weight was forcing *omenico back over the railing, the white figure bent impossibly under the black. The bright head shone above the well of space, the empty

floor yawning twilit far below; yet there was no fear in *omenico's face, only a fierce corroding anger. Then, with a convulsive writhe like a cat turning to fall on its feet, he managed to twist partially free. The strength of his arms forced "merighi back, and he straightened out of that tortuous position like a bow when the string is released. /e hefted his sword a little as though it clung to his sweating fingers, and he was panting now. I stood in the doorway, forgotten, my hands clenched uselessly at the breast of my gown, fearing even to blink in case I should miss the fraction of a stroke. Though I was the ob1ect of the duel in name, I was no more than an e cusethe wounds which bred this fight would be healed by nothing less than this. It was not I they fought for, but Isabella. "t first I did not see the shadow on the stairs, for the combatants blocked my view, and I had to look again before I was sure; even when I recogni$ed the discreet bearing and plump, polite moonface of %ilippo &arcionni, I did not stop to wonder what he was doing there. It was only when I saw the gleam of something bright in his hand that I reali$ed what he meant to do. "merighi had not seen him. There was still time. Then, as &arcionni raised the dagger, I screamed, 4*omenico74 %or one eternal moment they all stood fro$en, and *omenico's face wore a look of wild shock, as though one of the statues had spoken. Then, before he could turn his head more than a little, &arcionni took a pace forward and his (uick ears caught the footfall. In a movement so da$$lingly swift that I could not at first see what he had done, he disengaged and stabbed behind him, not bothering to turn but simply driving the rapier backwards in one murderous blow. It was the weight on his blade, not the scream, which made him check. /e 1erked the sword free impatiently, bringing it up to counter "merighi's stroke and, as he did so, bent to grip the dying valet's body by the belt. Then, without pausealmost without efforthe straightened, lifting the body with him, and tipped it over the banisters to fall to the floor below with a smack like a carcass on a butcher's slab. It was only as he turned to stare at "merighi with fury bla$ing afresh in his face that I saw the scarlet stain spreading on his right shoulder. The valet's blade must have found a mark. I clutched at the hangings in agony, my nails tearing the priceless stuff. )ut *omenico paid as much heed to the wound as he might have done to an insect's sting; it only served to infuriate him. %ire-eyed, white-lipped, he drove at "merighi with such ferocity that the older man retreated across the landing and down the stairs. ,tep by hard-fought step they went down, the clash of blades echoing vastly up and down the shallow, curving staircase. I

left the wall against which I was pressing myself and darted to the banisters to look after them. They had reached the floor, and "merighi was flagging seriously now. /is guileful but too-cautious fencing was no match for *omenico's half-insane recklessness and the speed and savagery that anger had lent his arm. "merighi's face was ashen, and his mouth hung open as he strove for breath, the calm slipping from his strokes. /e was backing more swiftly, and now he was not calculating where his retreat was taking him. *omenico's whipping blade was driving him up against one of the great pillars supporting the carved ceiling9 It sang in his ears, sapping his courage, trapping him against the column to be spitted like a chicken. I could see the thin black shape spread-eagled, free hand clutching the stone, the motion of the right arm growing wilder and wilder; and then *omenico's blade wrenched the sword from his hand, and the dark head turned to watch it as it fell. *omenico's arm drew back to make an end, and I waited, my pulses racing as though I were fevered, for him to strike. /e stood still for what seemed like a century, and there was no sound in the whole, vast hall. 2ne thrust would have ended "merighi's life, yet *omenico did not move. /e was staring fi edly at the duke; I could not read his half-averted face, but the tension in the line of his back made my scalp prickle. Then slowly, as though great weights were dragging at it, his sword arm fell to his side. +ithout being aware of moving, I found myself running down the stairs towards him. I could not believe that he would show this mercy to an enemy-something had happened that I could not see. . . . /e did not turn as I came up beside him. /e was still ga$ing at "merighi, and there was a curious look on his face; shock and nausea mingled with something like superstitious terror. Then I followed his fi ed stare and saw why. "merighi's face was wiped clean of the fren$y of desperation; he stood calm and (uiet, straightening his disheveled clothing with compulsive neatness, paying no attention to either of us. /e might have been alone, his fingers at work on a torn cuff, his unfocused ga$e turned inward upon someone or something no one else could see. *omenico whispered, 4!ousin54 harshly, and the blank eyes lifted to his face without a trace of recognition. Then, half-aimlessly, "merighi took a few wandering steps forward, looking around him as though he did not know where he was. 2beying an impulse I scarcely understood, I put out my hand to touch his arm as he came level with me. /e stopped then, and his eyes went uncomprehendingly to my

hand as it rested on his dark sleeve; and then he took it between his cold ones and e amined it as intently as a child might do. %rightened, but oddly moved, I stood motionless. /e touched the ring on my finger and turned it curiously; then, slowly, on his blank face a radiant smile grew. 46ou have it still.4 /is voice was very gentle, and 1oy throbbed in it. 4*ear ,ister, I knew you would not give my ring away in truth. 6ou lied when you wrote that you had given it to your paramour, did you not54 4I said in a dry whisper, 46es, -iccolo,4 and his hands tightened on mine. I could feel *omenico's eyes on me, but I could not bring myself to disillusion "merighi; in his mind I was his sister, miraculously back from the dead, and it was impossible to shrink from such 1oyous tenderness. /e might be mad, but I felt no fearto him it was as though one of the events of this night had never been. /e looked from the pearl ring to my face with a child's an iety. 46ou are here to stay now, Isabella5 The fat !abrian will not come to fetch you back54 I shook my head. 4*uke !arlo is dead. /e died more than two months ago.4 4I remember.4 /e nodded gravely. 4I had a message from della ;uerciayou were right not to trust him, sister; I bought him for less than nothingand I thought you would come to me then, as soon as you were free. )ut I forgot,4 he corrected himseif, watching my face, 4you were dead too, and you could not come. It was for that, was it not, and not because you loved the !abrian's son too well to leave him54 46es, it was for that.4 4&y dearest sister.4 /e kissed my hand. 4I knew you would keep your oath never to love another man as you loved me. "nd I have kept the oath I swore to you, so that now .od will reward our constancy by suffering us to live together for the rest of our days.4 46ou delude yourself.4 *omenico's voice broke the spell. 4.od may suffer it, but I will not.4 "merighi looked up bewilderedly. 4+hy, who is this54 4It . . .4 I felt sick with a new fear as I stared into the dark eyes. 4It is the man who brought me from !abria.4 4+hy does he seek to command you54

4,hould I not54 The whisper was directed at me, and I felt the color flame in my cheeks. 4,ister54 "merighi's insistent voice was almost beseeching. 4*oes !abria grudge you to me even now, that he sends this fellow with you54 4-o . . .4 46es,4 a fraying voice interposed. 4!abria does grudge her.'' 4I will stay with you, -iccolo.4 I turned my back on *omenico as I spoke, looking up into the pathetically strained face of the man who held my hand. "nger was burning in me that *omenico could, even now, be so childishly cruel, and in that moment I meant what I said. "merighi's eyes lit up, and his hands gripped mine urgently. 4Truly, Isabella5 6ou will swear it54 I was about to make my promise to him when a noise at the far end of the hall made me turn to see an armed man blinking in the doorway. 2thers with lanterns stood behind him, peering warily around the hall. *omenico turned swiftly, but "merighi's attention never wavered. The leader, a short swarthy man, called out sharply, 4&y lord the *uke74 There was no response, not a flicker to show that "merighi had heard. The silence was suddenly terrible, and *omenico's voice cut into it like a knife. 4+ho and what are you54 The man turned, eyeing him suspiciously. 4I am the captain of my lord duke's army. The palace guards sent for us when they heard the sounds of fightingthey are cowards, every one.4 <ncontrollable scorn tinged his voice. 4+hat has been happening here54 I saw *omenico tense, then his bright head lifted a little, arrogantly. 46our master and I have had a . . . friendly trial of our strength.4 /e spoke levelly, watching the man. 4I have need of the services of you and your men, and it was a wager between us to prove to him that I know a little of fighting.4 The man nodded slowly, his ga$e resting dispassionately on the scarlet patch on *omenico's shoulder. 4"nd you will tell me that you won this fight, this . . . wager54 4"fter a fashion,4 *omenico agreed negligently. 4"nd the dead man54

4/e tried to help his master. . . . /e did not reali$e that we were fighting in 1est. It was he who gave me this.4 /e touched the wound with a casual fingertip. 4In attacking me he slipped on the stairs and fell on his own dagger.4 The man's eyebrows lifted ironically, and his breath hissed gently between his teeth. 4"nd then54 4+hat else5 6our master, being a man of honor, resigned to me to redress his servant's foulthat is why I say I won after a fashion. "sk your duke if it is not so.4 There was a devilish gleam in the dark eyes. The dark man glanced at "merighi and said tonelessly, 46ou know it is useless to speak to him. /e has fallen into one of his fits, and it may be weeks or months before we get any sense from him again.4 4Is he often so54 4&ore fre(uently of lateit was why he was brought here to dwell out of the capital, for his own good and the state's. /e is harmless, but in these fits he is like a child.4 /e tapped his forehead. 4"nd we have to wait for them to pass, like spots across the sun. +hat began it54 *omenico's smile was not pleasant. 4The heat of combat; I would say so.4 The man nodded again. 46es. "nd what must I call my new master, when my old one cannot gainsay his orders54 " long breath, like a sigh, escaped from *omenico. Then he said, 4I am the *uke of !abria. 6ou and your men will be ready to ride with me tonight, across the mountains to %idena; the ,panish army has possession of my city, and with your help I will win it back.4 4The ,panish74 The man gave a wry smile. 4+ell, it will not be the first time I have fought my countrymen. +hat of the woman54 The (uestion made me 1ump9 I thought he had scarcely noticed my presence. 4The woman is not your concern. .o and warn your men, and take that carrion and thatyour masterout of here.4 *omenico turned his back dismissively, and the captain signed to his men to carry &arcionni's body away. /e himself crossed the floor and put his hand on "merighi's shoulder. 4&y lord *uke, you must come with me. It is urgent.4

%or the first time the ha$el eyes lifted from my face, and "merighi returned petulantly, 4+hat can be so urgent that it interrupts my private conference with my sister5 #earn to know your time, sirrah.4 4I crave your pardon, my lord *uke.4 The man bowed obse(uiously, but I saw a measuring look in his eyes as he glanced at me. 4)ut it is of the utmost import, and if you will come . . .4 4This fellow grows tiresome, Isabella.4 The smile "merighi gave me was wry and completely charming. 4It seems I must go with himyou will stay here until I return54 I nodded, not trusting myself to speak for the choking in my throat. /e let go my hands, and as he turned to go out with the captain at his shoulder, he said sternly to *omenico, 4.uard your mistress well, fellow,4 and went out, his black-clad figure (uickly swallowed up in the darkness. The captain lingered a moment on the threshold, looking back. 4It will be good to fight again,4 he remarked to the hall at large. 4+e grow rusty as nursemaids to a lunatic.4 Then the door closed behind him, and the footsteps died away across the courtyard. "s the sound faded, *omenico's left hand crept up to grip his in1ured shoulder, and I saw for the first time how gray his face had grown with e haustion. )ut his voice was as curt as ever when he spoke, standing with his fair head bowed. 4.o and put on the clothes you came in, %elicia. I will send to tell our men that we leave within the hour.4 +ithout waiting for an answer, he turned towards the staircase and began to climb. I watched him, unbelievingcould the tragedy of a man's shattered mind mean no more to him than so much political advantage, a stroke of luck that enabled him to get what he needed5 !old with fury, I said, 4-o, 6our .race.'' /e looked around then, sharply, his eyes narrowing. 4/ow54 4I will not go with you.4 I spoke steadily, waiting for his anger. It did not come. 4+hy will you not54 I was not looking at him as he spoke. I only heard the level, incurious note in his voice. 4)ecause I am not yours to command any longerI care for your pledged word if you do not. I shall stay here with the *uke of %erren$a.4 4-o.4 The single word made my blood run cold, but I was beyond caution.

4+hy should you care whether I go or stay5 6ou only want me to salve your precious pride7 I will not be hauled through the mountains to pleasure you for a few nights more, 1ust to gape at your triumph afterwards74 I looked up to see him standing unmoving, staring down at me, and then looked away again. I must forget that I love him, I told myself violently, and try to salvage some sort of life for myself out of this ruin. 4*uke -iccolo won me fairly, and I will not cheat him now because he is mad. I shall stay and care for himhe needs me now more than ever.4 /e said, sounding shaken, 4*o you not care that when he takes you to bed he will believe he is at incest with his scrawny sister54 I ignored him; then it was as though my words came out in spite of myself, lashing at him blindly, uselessly. 46ou have had value for your thirty pieces of silver, have you not54 /e did not answer, and I felt the tears rising treacherously in my throat. To prevent them, I continued, 4I am going to find my new master, and I shall look after him in e change for the army you have stolen. "nd he loves what he believes me to bethat is something.4 "nd I turned and left him, walking across the hall to the great door, feeling my heart tearing out of my body with every step.

Chapter Twelve
4I forbid you to go.4 The words were low, toneless. I answered without looking back. 4I am not yours to forbid. !omfort your pride with your con(uest74 I was almost at the door. I was thinking9 It will be cold outside, but perhaps when I find out where they have taken the duke I can borrow a cloak to put around me. Then, as my fingers touched the latch, I heard *omenico's voice. 4%elicia74 The raw anguish of it stopped me. Tears were threatening to spill from my eyes so that I had to bend my head, fighting for self-control, and I did not hear him come up beside me. /is hand touched my shoulder, then dropped again as I shivered. 4*oes this look like pride54 /is voice was shaking. 42r must I grovel54

/e was on his knees at my feet, and as I watched he lifted the hem of my gown to his lips and kissed it. I made some sort of sound in my throat, but I could not speak. 46ou cannot go.4 /e spoke in a whisper, without lifting his head. 4I love you. I have always loved youI bought you from your vile brother because I could not live without you.4 "s I stared down at his bowed, bright head, the earth shook under my feet. This could not be happening, I thought; it was a lie, a trick to beguile me when his force or his threats failed. )ut there was a note of shame in the ragged, shaking voice, and desperation in the white fingers gripping my gown. 4I did not think you would not come to love mewomen have always loved me. I thought that if I kept you long enough you would cease fighting me at last. )ut you have not.4 There was a note in his voice that shocked me. 42nly once or twice I thoughtbut then you were as cold to me as ever, as if you hated yourself, and me for making you yield. )ut you were such a goddess in my arms, I could not forbear you.4 !old to him, I thought di$$ily, when I have had to fight not to kneel to him as he knelt now to me, not to beg for the crumbs of his love5 ,urely my love must have lain in my eyes a hundred times for him to read5 )ut it had not, for now he knelt humbled beside me, his fair cheek pressed, almost unconsciously, hard against my thigh, and I felt him trembling as he had done in the grip of one of his nightmares. 4I meant to wed you.4 The words were muffled and difficult. 4I thought no woman would scorn to be *uchess of !abriaand I knew that once I got your faith, you would not break it. Then when you were mine forever, you might have come to love me at last, for what I had given you if for nothing else.4 The bitterness in his voice hurt me like a physical pain, and my hands went out to him; but he stirred as though he thought I meant to put him from me, and the silk of my gown tore between his clutching fingers. 4-o.4 It was a child's nightmare gasp. 4-ot yet . . .4 I stood very still. 4It was to stop you flying from me that I did not tell you, and I invented ,avoy's bastard daughter to hoodwink you and silence my damned great-uncle. /e would not have a commoner on the throne of !abria, he who turned his church into a brothel before he grew too old for whoring74 /is voice shook. 4,o I sent out messengers, pretending to find out your father and published it in council that it was old ,avoy. I knew he would not gainsay mehe fears !abriaand the tale did him no harm. Those

ancient whoremasters debated for four days, but in the end I wrung their consent from them and consigned my uncle to *iurno to prepare at once for my crowning and my bride.4 4I54 I murmured, half to myself. /e nodded, still without lifting his head. 4Those slaves in *iurno accepted the tale easily enoughno one save Ippolito knew for sure that I had no proof of your parentage. /e forged me your pedigree to show the council. "nd that harlot &addalena guessed the truth; she was spying on me and thought she could stop my intent by frightening you with that story of my father. ,he was 1ealous, the whore.4 4"nd the portraits54 I asked softly. 4"ll you told me of the bride who was to supplant me54 4To get some sign of 1ealousy from you. )ut you did not love me enough, and I had forgotten it when I tried the trick. +hy should you be 1ealous of me5'' I stopped to stroke his hair and felt him go still under my hand; then as he raised his head to look up at me, I saw the look on his face. &y heart seemed to stop beating. 4%elicia.4 It was little more than a whisper. 4,tay with me.4 #aughter shook me, like a surge of pain; on his lips even pleading became an order. I asked unsteadily, 4-othing else54 %or a moment the world seemed to stop as it had on that far-off night in the Eagle. /is lips moved soundlessly; then he spoke my name in a strange choking voice and rose hastily to his feet in the only ungraceful motion I have ever seen him make; then somehow I was in his arms, laughing and crying together. 4I love you. I love your4 /e was whispering it against my lips, breathing the words into my mouth as he kissed me, and I clung to him, past speech and almost past thought. +hen at last he lifted his head, his eyes were warm and slitted, and the white ridges of muscle were gone from his mouth. 46ou love me, too.4 Even a hint of the old imperiousness was back in his voice. 4,ay it.4 I said, 4I love you,4 and in that instant my boats were burned behind me forever. /e made an incoherent little sound and, cupping my face between his hands, kissed me with a sort of punishing tenderness that made my senses swim. +e were both shaking

from head to foot when at last I rested in his arms. I caressed him, loving him, while his eyes searched my face hungrily. 4+hy would you not admit it54 he demanded. 4I thought you would hold me as cheaply as all the others if I told youI have pride, too. )ut if I had known you loved me, I would have been as free with my tongue as I was with my body.4 4I thought you must have guessed it.4 There was tenderness in the smile that touched his cruel mouth. 4*id you not5 Every spy at court was bu$$ing with it before I silenced the greater part and scotched the lessmy hoary great-uncle knew it that first day, and that was why he tried to spirit you away. 2r did you think I always left my father's feasts to seek out a face I had seen in the 3ia !roce54 4I did not know how you got your mistresses,4 I retorted. 4&ore easily4his hand cupped my chin4than I have gotten my wife.4 )reathless and half-drowning in his kiss, I made one last effort to recover my sanity. 46our shoulder, *omenico, your shoulder.'' The black eyes glimmered down at me. 4+ill you only call me by my name for my hurt's sake5 I will take forty such pinpricks to hear you name me.4 I was about to return a laughing answer when the door beside us opened again and the captain of the guard was standing there, a knowing e pression on his face. 4&y lord *uke, the *uke of %erren$a is safely stowed.4 /is eyes rested ironically on the arm which held me bruisingly hard against *omenico. 4+hat orders have you now54 *omenico's hold slackened, and he said sharply, 4"re all your men in readiness54 4They are mustering now. They will be ready in half an hour.4 4Then summon my own men, and tell them we ride out in half an hour. !all me when that is done.4 The man nodded briskly and went out. "s the door closed, *omenico looked down at me and said, 4There is no time to waste, %elicia. !ome.4 /is lips touched mine lightly. 4+e will fire .ratiana and her men out of my city.4

I knew myself forgotten as he turned away. -ow the thought of revenge on his hated stepmother was making him bla$e with inward e citement; but even as I ga$ed ruefully after him, he checked and turned back to me, holding out his unin1ured hand. 4!ome,4 he repeated softly, and I went to him and put my hand in his. &y horse's hooves bit into the churned earth as I urged it down the slope and away from the frowning shadow of the watchtower. It was late afternoon and the sun's fierceness was ebbing, but my tunic and breeches were sticky with sweat and dust from the long, parching hours of waiting. The horses were listless and sluggish and had been so ever since the noise within the city walls had faded to silence. They had been restive and nervous at first, but they soon calmed and began to gra$e indifferently. ,ince the gray hour 1ust before dawn, when "merighi's men had ridden down these slopes toward %idena and left us behind, )aldassare #ucello and I had talked together or been silent, paced restlessly or sat still, trying to divert our own minds and each other's from what was happening below. *omenico had given )aldassare command of half a do$en bored and surly mercenaries to guard me when it became obvious that ,anti had no intention of staying behind in safety when he might be fighting. ,addled with me as he might have been with some inconvenient but valuable piece of luggage, )aldassare had discharged his duty with discretion and tact. /e had chattered like a magpie when I asked him to talk, fallen silent when he reali$ed I was no longer listening, and now and again when he saw my fears plain in my face, he did his best to allay them. 4The ,panish will not be e pecting a counterattack yet,4 he had assured me as the last muffled hoofbeats died away into the darkness. 4+e crossed the pope's lands so swiftly that we will have overtaken their estimations. 6ou shall see, /is .race will surprise the duchess's forces.4 4,wiftly74 I had stared at him in disbelief. 4It has taken five days more to travel here than it did to reach %erren$a, even with the help of *uke -iccolo's safe-conduct74 4True, but we were few when we set out and carried no arms and no suppliesthe cannonry and the sumpter wagons are what slowed us down, and even so we have made better speed than armies commonly do. +e could have forced a greater pace, but that would have meant going into battle without guns and with tired and hungry soldiers. "nd you must own, madam, that we have fared better on this 1ourney than we did on our first.4 I had nodded reluctantly, not truly convinced. 4)ut still hewe may fail. %idena is a strong fortress. . . .4 4,o it is, but the duchess is a poor general. ,he lets her passions rule her head.4 )aldassare smiled with a hint of reminiscence. 4+hen she should have kept her troops

fast within the city, she sent them out scouring the countryside for my lord's .race. ,he has not set men in the old watchtower, because she does not think it important. I swear to you, madam, that it was #ord ,andra's brain which steered the duchess's army. -ow that he is dead, she will be confounded (uickly.4 I had not believed him then but had forced a smile and let it go. It was only as the hours passed and I could see the turmoil outside the city gates and hear the crash of cannon and the shouts of men borne on the humming air that my fears came back to overwhelm me afresh. +orst of all was the sheer monotony of waiting. It was impossible to tell what was happening at so great a distance, and the attacking soldiers made no more than an unrecogni$able stir of activity against the bleak gray walls; the battle sounds were a mere meaningless discord punctuated by the roar and thud of the guns. "fter a while I turned my back on the city, too sick with fear to try any longer to ascertain what was going on. "gain and again as the hours passed, I thought9 I could ride down to the city now and no one would notice that one more boy had 1oined the fighting. 6et the memory of *omenico's set face as he held me during the night before we reached %idena, his feverish lovemaking and broken murmurs, prevented me. I had given him, in spirit if not in words, my promise to wait, and I knew that if I broke my faith with him, I would never be able to restore it. I had begged him to command the fighting from a place of safety, and when he refused that, I had thought I was to go with him into battle. -ow, when I knew he loved me, I could hardly bear him to be out of my sight. It had not crossed my mind that in1ured as he was he would insist on fighting. )ut he had insisted, abla$e with his desire for revenge, and had seemed not to hear my pleas to be allowed to follow him. Then, when I had turned away from him to hide my helpless tears, he had gripped my arms hard and twisted me to face him. 4I will not have you ha$ard your life, %elicia. It is too precious to me.4 4"nd is yours less so to me54 I demanded brokenly. 4*omenico, whether you live or die, let me share it74 The bright head had moved in negation. 4If I could be certain it would be so, you should stay fast by my side; but .ratiana's men will take no account of any man's will. *eath by your side4he had touched my wet cheek4would be a fine thing, but if you were killed and I survived . . .4there had been an odd, harsh note to his voice4I should be back in hell.4

I had thrown my arms around him and held him, and he had taken that as my consent. ,o he had left me, in the midst of a discontented little group of soldiers at the foot of the old watchtower, and had ridden off into the half-light of the morning. "ll I had gained was his promise to let me know how he fared, and I had doubted that he would remember. )ut he did send. " little while after the sun came up, 1ust as the %erren$an cannon began to bombard the city gates, I saw a single horseman break away from the attacking army and come spurring towards the tower. It was one of the !abrian pages, wild with e citement, who poured out to )aldassare an account of the duke's attacking strategy. 4They have mounted an attack on the main gates, messire, with fifty men and one of the guns, but the duke and &essire .iovanni plan to storm the wall by the northwestern gate. They say it is lower there, and the ports for trading are not so well maintained for defense as they are on the southern wall.4 )aldassare shrugged, and for a moment I glimpsed the courtier who scorned to admit the e istence of an area so s(ualid as the trading (uarter of the city. 4&essire .iovanni will know,4 he agreed. 4"re there any hurt54 42nly four or five. 2ur troops had reached the walls before their crossbowmen could raise the alarm, and now . . .4 4Is the duke safe54 I could not control the (uestion. The boy started and crossed himself almost superstitiously. 46es, madam, he leads the attack on the northeast wall.4 +ith a small cry I turned away from him, holding my arms across my breast as if to contain a physical pain. /e cannot be killed now, I told myself. /e must not. The other men beckoned the boy over and began to (uestion him more closely while I stood with closed eyes, fighting my inward despair. " light touch on my arm made me open my eyes again. 4I spoke with one of %erren$a's men yesterday,4 )aldassare said (uietly, 4and he told me he had been champion of his regiment with the pike and halberd. They are all such men, I believe; each is an e pert in his own province, and they have served together a long time.4 46es.4 I spoke with an effort. 4*uke -iccolo told me as much the night we . . . the night we supped with him. I know they are very skillful, messire, but I cannot help being afraid.4 I had more courage once, I thought suddenly, when there was only myself to fear for. )ut love for *omenico made me suddenly, terribly vulnerable.

)aldassare nodded. 4I have orders to take you to *iurno if the worst should happen,4 he said. 46ou will be safe with the archbishop.4 " gasp of hysteria was startled out of me. ,afe with the archbishop7 I would as soon trust myself to the ,panish army. I smiled at )aldassare, wondering why he should think it was my safety I feared for. )ut I knew that *omenico had made the only provision he could; if he were defeated, there would be no more allies, no other safe place to send me. )ut now, after what seemed like an eternity, a rider had come to summon us to the city. I could hardly believe in the reality of what was happening. "fter such an agony of suspense, in which every distant sound seemed like the death cry of the man I loved, I felt as though this were my personal hell9 to be doomed to wait forever, while the sun stood still in the sky, and my whole being, body and mind, was racked with continual dread. &y heart was pounding as I rode, and I schooled myself to patience, trying not to communicate my tenseness to the mare. )aldassare spurred level and touched my arm. 4*o not fear, madam. 6ou would not have been sent for if it were not a victorythe ,panish could not know that /is .race brought you with him.4 4)ut the duke . . .4 I bit my lip. 4I do not care for victory or defeat, so long as the duke is safe. "re you sure there was no message from him, messire54 /e shook his head. 4-one, madam. !aptain 3aldares sent word only that it was safe for us to enter the city.4 I nodded and was silent. I wanted to scream at him for the very calmness with which he sought to soothe me, but I knew that it masked an apprehension almost as great as my own. -ow there was no sign of activity on the city walls other than the triumphant flutter of the silver hawk above the gates. I looked up as we drew near them and saw the frowning walls stretching high above me, seeming to fill the fast-dimming blue of the sky. 2ily smoke rolled la$ily over the ground, and the earth beneath the horses' hooves was scorched and bare. The great gates hung askew, splintered and twisted, and the stone archway showed new cracks. It was hard to tell what had been wrought in this day's fighting and what was the result of .ratiana's own siege. "s I rode under the arch, I was struck by the unnatural silence within, and the sight that met my eyes as I emerged from the shadow made me rein in the mare involuntarily.

The houses clustered close by the gates had been gutted. +hat had been a huddle of prosperous solid, stone buildings now stood stark like broken teeth, roofs fallen in and doorways and windows gaping blindly; the very stones were cracked and darkened by fire. Tiles had been smashed, doors wrenched off their hinges, and everywhere there was the decaying aftermath of looting. I took a deep breath and urged my horse on. The market was unrecogni$able; a broad empty space now, littered with refuse, in which a few people were engaged in some sort of barter. I could feel the impact of their eyes as I passed, but their stares were bleak and incuriousthey did not care who or what I was so long as I did them no further harm. &y eyes searched the shadows ceaselessly as the horses turned down the wide e panse of the 3ia !roce. I could see soldiers sheltering under eaves or in doorways, here and there a cluster of wounded, and, in the open space before the cathedral, a pile of heaped corpses from which I averted my ga$e. It was the first time I had seen the aftermath of a battle, and what I remember to this day is the heavy silence, the sour sense of waste that hung over the streets like a pall, and the tireless clouds of flies. 46ou, &arcello74 " voice from the dimness of the cathedral steps made me start and stare about me, and as the mare halted, a figure emerged from the shadows at the base of one of the massive columns and peered up at me, narrowing his eyes against the early evening sky. I hesitated only a moment. 4&essire .iovanni7 6ou are alive74 The woolly head nodded. ,anti was standing slightly bowed, supporting his huge bulk against the base of the column, muffled up in a heavy cloak despite the evening's heat. " great bruise distorted one cheek and his face and clothes were caked with grime; as he grinned at me, I could see the grit that had settled between his teeth. 4I do not die so easily, lady, though those ,paniards did their best to finish me off7 They put up a good fight, too,4 he added 1udiciously. I wrenched my thoughts back from my own overmastering dread to ask, 4*id you have many losses54 and he made a wry face. 4Eight men, perhaps ten. The count is not finished yet. "nd I lost a valuable servant, too.4 4+ho . . .4 &y voice faltered. In answer, he pushed back the folds of the cloak that swathed his left arm, and I caught my breath as I saw what they had hidden. ,anti nodded, watching my face.

4It might have been worse, lady. If it had been my right hand, now7 )ut I shall do well enough once the surgeon has done his work, and if the duke grants me a pension, I shall be well satisfied. I will be able to go back to my home on the marches and end my days in comfort with my wife and children.4 I ga$ed down into the kindly eyes set in the brutal face with a (uick rush of affection. 4I will speak to the duke about you, messire. I owe you much more than that for your friendship.4 4.od will bless you, lady.4 /e wound the cloak around the bloody stump of his arm again. 4/ave you seen the duke54 I asked uncontrollably. 4Is he safe54 4I heard someone say he was at the pala$$o,4 the big man responded. 4&yself, I saw him not two hours since, when he was pushing the men forward to attack the troops in the east courtyard. /e had a whole skin then,4 he added dryly. I thanked him and set the mare to a trot, )aldassare following behind. ,uddenly I could not bear the suspense any longer. I had to know, for good or ill, what had become of *omenico, to see him with my own eyes or else find his body. I forced the mare onwards with sudden impatience, my hands clammy with fear on the reins. The palace courtyard was in turmoil. !rowds thronged the colonnadespeople came and went, soldiers and commoners 1ostled one another, and a do$en languages clamored in a veritable )abel. Every citi$en who had something to say, every captain with an errand, seemed to be crowded into that seething arena. I stopped, appalled, on the edge of the crowd. Even if I could have forced my way through, there was no way I could find a single man in this bedlamite rout. )aldassare, however, dismounted and caught my horse's bridle, leading it through the throng to the foot of the palace steps. 4/ere, madam,4 he called above the noise. 4/ere is &adonna -iccolosa sent to find you.4 The old woman was standing like a rock amidst the waves of humanity, and at the sight of her grim face, I felt a lump grow in my throat. I slid untidily out of the saddle and ran up the steps to her, leaving )aldassare to cope with the mare. 4-iccolosa, are you safe5 /as anyone harmed you5 I thought I should never see you again74

)ony arms closed around me briefly, and there were tears on the wrinkled cheek laid against mine. ,een so close, she looked a little older; the lines in her face were deeper, and there seemed to be a heavier sprinkling of gray in the severely dressed hair. 4I have been well enough, my lady. Those ,paniards treated us fairly once the city was yielded. )esides, the duchess knows me, and she made sure I came to no harm. )ut now she is to be sent away again in good earnestthe duke is having her conveyed home to ,pain.4 4The duke . . .4 I gripped her arms urgently. 4/ave you seen the duke, -iccolosa54 4Indeed I have.4 /er momentary emotion was gone, and her lips primmed themselves into their usual uncompromising line. 4It is by his orders that I am here.4 ;uick 1oy engulfed me. 4Then take me to him. ;uickly74 ,he shook her head firmly. 4I am commanded to help you change your clothes before you go to him. "nd now that I see you, I know why he charged me so strictly to see it done74 !olor tinged my cheeks under her censorious look, and I said defensively9 4I have been riding with /is .race's army. It was simpler for me to dress so. . . .4 4"nd to cut off all your hair54 she (uestioned sourly. 4+ell, there has been much mischief, I do not doubt. )ut hurry, my lady, there is no time to wastethe duke sent word you are to meet him by si of the clock, and by then you must be ready.4 I followed her up the steps and into the palace, giddy with conflicting emotions. &y fear for *omenico's safety was subsiding under -iccolosa's acid matter-of-factness, and old habits were asserting themselves again at the sound of familiar words. 4The duke sends for you.4 4-o time to waste.4 4/urry.4 4/urry.4 4/urry . . .4 &ost of the faces I saw as we made our hasty way through the palace looked strange to me. ,ome were soldiers I had never seen before, whose very livery was strange; some were townsfolk helping with the business of scouring %idena clean of the ,panish invaders9 but throughout the catacomblike passages was a restlessness, a sense of disturbance, and men scurried fren$iedly back and forth like ants whose nest has been broken open. Through the ban(ueting hall we went, into the duke's anteroom, up the grand staircase. . . .

I checked in my stride. 4The ,panish have not been here,4 I said with a strange feeling of certainty. -iccolosa glanced at me curiously, then shook her head. 4-o, my lady. The duchess made much of her grief for the death of #ord "lessandro and chose to sleep in his old apartments in the west tower. ,he said that to enter the duke's rooms would contaminate her.4 ,he hesitated. 4Is it true, what we heardthat /is .race killed #ord "lessandro with his own hands54 46es, but in a fair fight.4 %air inasmuch as both of them fought foul, I thought. 4+ere you told that54 The old woman seemed to rela slightly. 4-o . . . the tale was of cold-blooded murder. I am glad to know the truth of it.4 I remembered the dusty road, the almost tangible stink of hate, and the sound of ,andro's breathing; I was glad in my turn that she would never know all the truth. Instead, I followed her down the silent corridor to the room I had left to look for *omenico, so many days ago. It was strange, I thought absently, to be scolded by -iccolosa again. ,he would not allow (uestions that might delay her in her work; instead, she e claimed over the calluses that the horse's reins had made on my hands, brought scissors to trim the ragged ends of my hair, and bathed me with a care that rela ed my aching muscles, insensibly easing the tension from my taut body. I submitted to her ministrations with a grateful sigh and let her dress me and rebuke me as if I were a small child again and she my mother. It was stranger still to be a woman again, I thought at last as I studied my reflection. The brief mas(uerade in &a1ano had faded like a dream and now seemed so long ago that I felt as though I had been 4&arcello4 forever. -ow the gleaming black silk of the first gown -iccolosa had sei$ed in her haste, the rustling petticoat webbed with gems, made my reflected image seem as strange to me as it was on that first night, the night I was taken from my prison for the pleasure of the man who had bought me. -iccolosa combed my hair smoothly and severely, pinning the ends high on the crown, and in the mirror I could see no sign of the dusty, shabby fugitive who had peered waveringly at me out of streams or dully from a gun's gleaming barrel, over the past weeks. I met -iccolosa's eyes in the mirror, and she nodded her approval. 46our 1ewels are gone, my ladythe duchess demanded them the moment she entered the palacebut I do not doubt /is .race will have them of her again7 6ou look very fair without them,4 she added in a bracing tone.

4-o matter. I still have my ring.4 I drew it from its hiding place and put it on my betrothal finger; if -iccolosa noticed the change, she made no comment. The bruises made by *omenico's fingers when he spoke of Isabella's death were almost faded; there was only a trace of discoloration across my knuckles now, I noticed vaguely. I said, to divert my thoughts before fear could begin to grow again, 4I did not know you came from %erren$a, -iccolosa.4 ,he paused for a moment, then replied briskly, 4I was bom in the capital, and I served as lady-in-waiting to the duchess and her daughters. /ow did you find out where I came from, my lady54 4)y your voice,4 I answered. 46ou have not lost your accent even after all these years. I recogni$ed it when I heard it in &a1ano.4 The gnarled old hands were still, and she turned a pathetically eager face to me. 46ou you went to &a1ano, you and the duke54 46esour soldiers come from the *uke of %erren$a.4 )riefly, omitting most of the details, I told her of the 1ourney to %erren$a and its outcome. ,he showed no interest in *omenico's motives for going there or what means he had used to get control of the army; she cared only for news of -iccolo "merighi, of how he had looked and behaved, of what he had said. 4/e was charming,4 I told her truthfully, 4charming and kind. )ut he has grieved so much that sometimes, they say, he wants his wits.4 I found I could not tell her of the babbling child who sometimes inhabited the man's body, and I wondered whether she would urge me further, but she only nodded. 4%or my lady Isabella, I do not doubt. /e always loved her more than any other living creature, and I feared for his reason when he found out she was to be sent to live so far away. /e charged me on his blessing to care for her, and I did my best, but4she shrugged4Isabella was too sure that she had heard .od's voice to be guided by me. +hen she found out that the voice was not .od's but her own, it was too late.4 4*uke -iccolo took me for her,4 I said involuntarily, and -iccolosa stared. 4)ut you are nothing like her to look at74 I held out my hand and showed her the pearl ring. 4It was because of this. /e said he gave it to her, and she . . .4 I faltered. 4,he gave it to our duke.4

4*id she so54 -iccolosa took my hand and peered closely. 4I know she used to wear such a oneshe would not be parted from itbut I did not think that was the same. I thought it had been buried with her. It was -iccolo's gift, you say54 46es.4 4Then that was why she treasured it. I never knew sister and brother so fond of each other.4 I let the sub1ect go gladly when she started suddenly and said, 4It is after si , my lady. +e cannot stand talking here7 6ou must go to the duke74 &y heart bounded; my breath caught in my throat, and I began to tremble uncontrollably. "nything that had happened in the past was trifling now against the fact that I was to see *omenico. /e may be wounded, I thought; he may be scarred. /ow could I have stood so long talking of petty things when all that mattered was that I should see him, touch him. . . . I answered, 46es,4 and followed her out of the room. "s we reached the head of the grand staircase, I could hear the commotion below. I heard a harsh, rasping voice utter a shrill cry, then a stream of unintelligible words; then a woman ran out of the duke's anteroom into the hall below, bowed and ungainly, still shrieking abuse. .uards moved with her, mocking her, imitating her cries of distress with shrieks like a parrot's, and as she turned from one to another I glimpsed an eagle profile convulsed with hate. -iccolosa put a soothing hand over my wrist. 4The duchess .ratiana,4 she said (uietly. 4They are taking her back to ,pain.4 The black-clad guards closed in ine orably upon the old woman in gaudy purple and pushed her roughly towards the palace doors. " few fragments of vicious ,panish drifted back as the doors closed behind her and then she was gone. The whole scene had taken less than a minute, but I was left feeling sick. The hand on my wrist tightened. 4/urry, my lady 4 /urry. &y last chance to change my mind. The last chance to turn my back on a glory of happiness that would always hold a drop of poison, for I knew that love would not turn the silver devil into an angel. /e would remain what he wassubtle yet childish, unfeeling yet passionate, lost irretrievably to everything but his own desires. )ut he loved meand I loved him, now and forever.

-iccolosa had gone on ahead, and I (uickened my pace to catch up with her. 4+here are we going54 I asked breathlessly. 4To the chapel. I was bidden to bring you there.4 4The chapel74 I was too astonished even to begin to reason it out. 4)ut why54 4/is .race ordered it, my lady, and you know he is niggardly with his reasons.4 I knew. I knew, too, that whatever -iccolosa might have guessed, she would keep to herself. I could only follow and strive for patience. 4Torches were bla$ing in the passage that led to the chapel, and in that moment I reali$ed that that was one of the reasons the palace had seemed somehow strangein most of the rooms the torches had been doused and men carried lamps to light the way. )ut here the familiar flames licked arrogantly, casting dancing shadows on the ribbed stone walls, and I was stabbed by the poignancy of homecoming. -iccolosa turned the handle of the chapel door and stood back for me to enter. There were only four people in the pool of candlelight before the altar9 )aldassare, the mercenary captain 3aldares, %ather 3incen$oand *omenico. &y first thought was that he was *uke of !abria again, barbered and trimmed, tall and shining and consciously beautiful in black cloth stitched with silver. /e was standing erect, with no sign of any hurt upon him e cept for one ugly red seam across the knuckles of his sword hand, and there was an incandescent triumph in his black eyes. "s I met his ga$e, I ran to him and carried his wounded hand to my lips; he smiled and turned his fingers to cup my cheek. 4+ell, %elicia54 There was a note of teasing in his voice that did not match the sudden hunger between his lashes. I said simply9 4I was afraid for you.4 /e made a slight, negating gesture. 4It was as I thought they did not e pect an attack. They had not even re victualed the city. +e had only to reach .ratiana and order her to call off her ,panish dogs.4 /is tone made light of the whole day's fighting, but I glimpsed a shadow of cynicism on 3aldares's sallow face and wondered where the truth lay. 46ou are not hurt54 I demanded.

4-o. The soldiers say I bear a charmed lifedoubtless I am doomed to suffer a worse fate than death in battle.4 /is mouth twisted wryly, then his fingertips trailed fire down my throat and rested on my thundering pulse. 4I am glad to see you're restored to womanhoodI doubt the good %ather would give consent for me to wed a boy.4 I gaped at him. 4+ed you5 )ut . . .4 /is face hardened suddenly, white and set. 46ou have changed your mind54 4-o, but herenow*omenico, why54 4I have had word that the archbishop has left *iurnono doubt he grew weary of kicking his heels there. /e is due to reach %idena tomorrow or the ne t day.4 The sensual mouth was tight. 4If we are wed before he comes, he will not be able to touch you, but if we wait upon his blessing, the old fo will find ways to hamper our proceedings. I have seen him at such work too often to doubt it7 )ut if you are my wife, he dares not harm you.4 " thrill ran through me at the words. /is wifeI had never truly believed it would happen. )ut he misread my silence, and impatience edged his tone as he spoke again. 4If you long for pomp and ceremony, I will have my uncle marry us again in the capital, with half Italy to stare at us7 -ow we must make haste and the bare words must suffice. The priest here is willing to marry us.4 I glanced at %ather 3incen$o, whose gentle face wore a serene smile. 4"s willing as you are to be wed,4 he said (uietly, and I smiled back at him. 4Thank you, %ather.4 ,o there, in an empty chapel in the midst of a city torn by the wars of princes, I married the *uke of !abria. " mercenary captain gave my hand to him, and a courtier and a waiting-woman were the only witnesses. It did not matter9 It could have been the most magnificent state marriage that ever took place, and I would have not have needed any of it. "ll I saw were the candle flames reflected brilliantly in *omenico's dark eyes, as I felt the clasp of his hand and the firm touch of his white fingers as he thrust the signet ring on my hand. I heard him make his responses after the priest; but my own voice I could not hearI seemed stricken with the dumbness one has in dreams, yet I must have spoken, for the ceremony went on unchecked. "t last %ather 3incen$o said, 4I hope you have not forgotten how to sign your name,4 and I laughed, shaking off the dream as I took the proffered pen. 4I hope so, too. It would go ill with me if the world learned I had to make my mark74

"s I wrote, I could feel *omenico's eyes on me. 46ou must teach me how to write my new name now, %ather,4 I remarked lightheadedly, and *omenico's hand covered mine as I spoke. /e pulled me around to face him and held me so, pressing my imprisoned fingers against the breast of his embroidered doublet. 4I shall teach you,4 he promised softly, 4all the duties that belong to the *uchess of !abria.4

Epilogue
The archbishop was hardly reconciled to what had been done, but at last, after *omenico had threatened to kidnap a cardinal to do the work, he relented and agreed to conduct the state ceremony. It was as the duke had promised, in the !athedral of ,an *omenico, two months later. /alf Italy came to stare, and the *uke of ,avoy, whom I had never seen before, obediently treated me as his daughter. The drought had ended the previous week, and a torrent of rain seemed to scour the streets of %idena of all the filth and fever left behind by the burning summer. "lready the citi$ens were s(uaring their shoulders and beginning to rebuild, and the worst of the city's battlescars were hidden. The court rested in %idena for the rest of that year, and it was there that I waited through the winter and burgeoning spring for the child that now lies heavily in my womb, fighting to be born in this dark, stuffy chamber. It is the duchess's chamber, and tradition demands that the babe must be born here, as *omenico was, and his father before him. )ut it is too hot, and I cannot breathe for the press of people who watch for fear I shall substitute a changeling for the duke's child. . . . I can feel the baby turning, and the pains are coming faster. There is no time now for thought or memory. "ll that matters is the child. I must give *omenico his son. If that woman would only stop screaming, I could concentrate. . . . It is coming. . . . ,uch a small creature to cause so much pain. The sun has gone now, but they are holding up the baby in the light of the torches so that I can see him, lusty and screaming, with black hair like mine. They are firing guns from the battlements in re1oicing, and the echoes are coming back from the bay. I have told them to fetch /is .race the duke to see his son and so that he shall know that I am safe and will not die; he threatened to hang the doctor if he let me die, poor man. "rms around me, lifting me up from the pillows, and a fair head buried in my neck. In a minute or two, when I have comforted him, I shall make him look up and see our baby.

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