Nobilissima (48 page)

A young sailor looked at me in surprise and saluted. “I’m sorry,” he said, bucket in hand. “It’s still a mess.”

“Are any of my men here?” I asked.

“Yes, Augusta, the ones that were injured were taken over there.” He pointed towards the curtained area with the beds. “And the others…” he paused. “The ones that didn’t make it are at the back.” He nodded in the direction of the stern but I could see nothing in the gloom.

“We’ll have to take them up later,” he said. “You know, to put them in the sea.”

“Thank you,” I said, walked towards the curtain, past other sailors who were intent on cleaning, and gently pushed through into the cramped sleeping space. All of the bunks were occupied and I scanned them quickly, recognizing three of the guards and one chamberlain. Marcus wasn’t there. I went out and looked around. Did I dare go examine the bodies at the back? I felt sick but started wading in that direction, hitting my feet on objects under the murky water. The young sailor saw me coming back and stopped what he was doing. “Can I help, Augusta?”

“I’m looking for Marcus, have you seen him?”

“Oh, aye, he’s in the storage area.”
 

I followed his eyes as he looked towards a small wooden cabin built into one side of the hold.

“But I’d not go in there if I were you,” he added.

I headed straight towards the cabin.

“Augusta!” the boy called out, but I ignored him.

Chapter 42

I stopped at the closed door and listened. There were voices inside, very low and muted and I couldn’t hear what was being said. I put my hand on the knob and hesitated for a second. I’d never knocked on a door in my life but felt that under the circumstances, I should seek permission to enter. Finally, though, I just pushed the door open and went in. The space was small and cramped, enclosed by wooden walls and the low beams of the deck above, and lit by two flickering lamps. On a board across two trestles lay Marcus. Two other men were there, one stripped to the waist, and holding a knife, the other in a sailor’s uniform that was spattered in blood. They both looked at me in surprise, and then the older one nodded and continued to work. He pushed the point of the knife into Marcus’s thigh while the sailor held Marcus down by the shoulders. Marcus groaned and I tasted bile in my throat. I closed the door behind me and went to Marcus, taking his hand in mine.
 

“It’s me,” I said. “Aurelia is well.”

I felt him squeeze my hand very softly and I stayed silent while the doctor worked. He removed something from Marcus’s leg and looked at intently before throwing it in a bucket under the table. Then he took a handful of linen rags and held them hard against the wound. They were quickly soaked with blood and fluid and he replaced them with fresh ones several times before using used a needle and a length of catgut to close up the gash. I gripped Marcus’s hand as his body shuddered with pain and the young sailor took a flask from his pocket and held it to Marcus’s lips.
 

“Strong wine,” he said to me. “It’ll help him sleep.”

“What happened to him?” I asked the doctor, who was wiping his hands on a fresh piece of fabric.

“He had an old injury. Looked like a sword cut?” He pulled on a tunic, and tightened a belt around it.

“Yes.” I nodded.

“Something hit him or he bumped into it with enough force to reopen the wound. I cleaned out a large splinter of wood and a lot of pus and fluid and now we have to monitor him for infection. Seawater isn’t good for open injuries. And God knows what else is floating in it down here.”

I swallowed and glanced down at the black water sloshing around my ankles. “Thank you for looking after him,” I said.

“It’s my job,” he said brusquely. “I’ve got other patients to look after. Will you stay here?”

I nodded and told the young sailor to go up and bring Aurelia at once. Minutes later, my friend appeared, looking pale and tense.
 

“He’s going to be all right,” I assured her and told her what the doctor had said.

When Aurelia bent over him and laid her head on his shoulder, I left them alone and, back in the hold, I watched the clean-up work for a few minutes. The water level was falling and the ship seemed to be slowly returning to level. The sailors had gathered the soaking mattresses and blankets into a large pile that already emanated a musty smell. I found myself staring at it, while thoughts of Marcus and those who had died whirled around in my head. Taking a deep breath, I made my way back to the steps and climbed on to the deck. The captain was close by and came over to me at once.

“Augusta, I’m glad to see you’re not hurt. I’ve not seen a storm like that one in many years.” He paused and looked out at the sea, now calm and sparkling in the sunlight. “Do you know yet how many of your party are lost?”

I shook my head. “I’ve seen five men injured down below and I know there are several deaths. We must arrange a ceremony for them.”

“Yes, the sooner we get the bodies off the ship the better,” he replied.

So practical, I thought, just corpses to be disposed of. He didn’t know them as I did, my loyal household staff, who had volunteered to make this perilous journey with me.

“I want rites read and respect shown,” I said.

“We always treat our dead with respect, Augusta, and I’m sorry if I offended you. I lost my first mate and a few other good men last night. I’ll mourn them when we reach land. For now, we have to concentrate on ensuring the safety of those who remain and plan how to finish the journey with the main sail down.”

His face reflected his anxiety, with deep creases around his eyes and a vertical line furrowed his forehead. His blue-green eyes were the color of the sea but they had no light in them.
 

Over the next day and night, Marcus continued to fight for his life. Aurelia and I visited him every day, urging him to drink broth and keep his strength up until we could reach dry land. After several days, he was able to speak and I allowed myself to believe that he would survive.

“Marcus, how can I thank you for what you did? But for you, many more would certainly be dead.” I took his hand as I spoke and shuddered to feel how cold it was.

He smiled weakly and answered in a whisper, his throat hoarse from the salt water that he had swallowed. “I couldn’t save them all. The water came up so fast that we weren’t able to reach the steps. I found a few air spaces along the top bunks in one of the cabins and dragged some of the ladies there. They were the lucky ones.”

“What happened to your leg?”

“Something was thrown against it, one of the clothes chests I think. Everything that wasn’t tied down was tossed around in the water and it was too dark to see anything. I think many of the injuries were caused that way.”

I looked at Aurelia, realizing how lucky we were to have escaped injury or drowning. The odds had been very much against us.

Two more of the ladies-in-waiting died the following day. The doctor said they had breathed in too much water. I found I no tears left. I had cried all night, tortured by the thought of the disaster I had brought down on the ship in my bid to escape from Ravenna. I was no longer sure that I’d done the right thing to leave. I’d thought it best for my children and for the household. Never had I envisaged a greater peril than lay in the palace in Ravenna, but a different danger had swept down from the skies and claimed its victims.

The weather changed suddenly a few days later and we were blessed with warm days that allowed us to dry out clothes and covers so that the rest of the journey was less miserable. Progress was wretchedly slow with the main sail down, but the crew did everything possible to make up time. Eventually, we heard the long-awaited cry from the crow’s nest that land lay ahead. Wearily, we climbed to the decks to watch as the coastline came into clear view and eventually saw the towers and spires of Constantinople shining in the sun under blue skies.

Chapter 43

Everyone stood on to the small deck to watch the ship make her way into the Imperial Harbor. The sun shone and I felt the heat of it on my limbs. I remembered Constantinople’s clarity of light from my childhood and lifted my face to the sky.

A crowd gathered on the dock, pointing and waving at the damaged vessel, but I saw no sign of a welcoming party from the palace. I realized that they’d have no way of knowing the arrival date of the ship and I would have to dispatch messengers as soon as I disembarked. The most important thing was to move the injured and sick to safety as quickly as possible.

I felt the ship bump up against the straw bales that hung along the sides of the stone-built dock. It bumped again and, within seconds, the crew had dropped the plank. My pulse quickened at the sound of the wood hitting solid ground. I could hardly wait to get off the ship.

The captain issued quiet orders, and the sailors dispersed to their various tasks. Two of them ran down to the dock and talked to some officials there. Sailors appeared from below, carrying the sick on makeshift stretchers. Marcus was first, with Aurelia at his side, holding his hand.

“I have requested transportation, Augusta,” the captain said to me. “And sent a messenger to the palace to let them know you are here. You should wait on board. I don’t want you down there in the port. How many of your guards are fit enough to accompany you to the palace?”

“Six or seven,” I replied. “That will be enough. It’s a very short distance from here to the palace entry.”

He nodded and asked to be excused to continue his work. Sylvia joined me at the rail, with the three children in tow. “Thank God,” she said, looking down at the dock. “I’ll never get on a ship again in my life.”

“Nor me,” said Honoria. “It was horrible. I hated it.”

“Just look at the state of you,” Sylvia said, rubbing dirt from Honoria’s cheek. “And you too, young man, so no laughing at your sister.” She sighed. “We’re all a mess. We can’t meet the Emperor and Empress looking like this.”

“We have no choice, Sylvia, and I doubt they’ll care,” I said. “I’m sure they ‘ll just be glad to see that we are safe.”

My confidence waned a little when I saw several carriages pull up below to disgorge a group of sumptuously dressed dignitaries. They wore the floor-length robes that were common in the East, with heavy gold chains around their necks. Although the reputation of Theodosius’s court was of sobriety and decorum, it seemed that austerity did not extend to the dress and decoration of its members.

I patted at the considerable number of wrinkles in my gown and prepared to go down to meet them. My guards gathered around me and I walked with difficulty down the wooden ramp. My legs felt shaky and my feet seemed unused to the feel of solid ground, but I did my best to hold my head high.

A tall man stepped forward to greet me and explained that he would be responsible for escorting me to the palace. He offered his condolences for the tragedy that had befallen the ship and assured me that the wounded and sick would be taken to comfortable rooms in the palace and attended by doctors immediately. Although his words were warm and comforting, his eyes were cold and I couldn’t help feeling that he regarded my arrival as something of an inconvenience. He kept his distance and wore a faint expression of distaste, and I realized, with some amusement, that I probably smelled badly. When I suggested that they allow me some time to clean up before visiting my nephew he seemed relieved, and told me that fresh clothes would be found for everyone while we bathed.

Thanks to his impressive efficiency, Sylvia, the children and I were soon ensconced in a carriage and on the way to the palace. We passed through beautifully ornamented bronze gates set in massive defensive walls that were still under construction. Once within the grounds of the palace, the carriage wound through glorious flower gardens and past splashing fountains. The palace itself rose up majestically in front of us. Begun by Constantine, it had been considerably enlarged by my brother Arcadius during his reign. Not really a single palace, but a great complex enclosing several palaces within its high walls, it towered over the Marmara Sea on its south side and over the Bosphorus to the east. Its size dwarfed the residence in Ravenna, and still I could see vast empty areas marked here and there with stakes to indicate further building work.

When we reached the main palace doors, we were taken to a suite of rooms that were luxuriously decorated with rich fabrics and thick woolen rugs. Honoria threw herself on a couch and cried when Sylvia told her to move but she followed reluctantly when servants carrying baskets of linens escorted us all to the bath house. The children were excited and their voices echoed among the vaulted ceilings while the attendants scraped away the dirt of the long voyage. When they were finished, we found clean clothes waiting for us. I was given a simple tunic of creamy linen that was a little too big for me, but I reveled in its clean new smell and stroked the smooth, soft fabric. I found my jewelry box and chose emerald earrings and a matching necklace.

Finally, it was time to meet Theodosius and Pulcheria. I wished that Aurelia and Marcus were at my side, but made my way alone to the throne room, with four of my guards in attendance. When I entered, I found a vast hall that was sparsely furnished with couches arranged along the walls. At the far end were two golden thrones, occupied by my niece and nephew and surrounded by statesmen with solemn expressions. I was struck at once by how much my nephew looked like his father. He was tall and thin, with a long nose and dark eyes. Pulcheria, eight years his senior, shared the same characteristics, but where he smiled, she frowned. She looked as grim and severe as her image on the medallions in Tertius’ collection.