Brothers at Arms (29 page)

Another stipulation, on which he insisted, was his right to a few hours of privacy each week. They did not begrudge him the free time, for it meant they could do other things. They might chuckle at the thought of him spending hours whispering prayers, but decided he must derive some benefit, because he always seemed in a good humour the following day.

Dr Hawley had changed since his illness. He was still precise in his manner, but there was a difference in his demeanour. They speculated on the cause, but could find nothing to account for the secret smile on their tutor’s face when he left the villa to take his evening walk. He set out at the same time every other evening with Sergeant Percival walking alongside.

Maybe that was it. The acrimony between the two men had gone. The question was – where did they go on their walks?

They knew their tutor was devout, but if he was going to church, why did the former solder go with him. It was almost as if they had an assignation.

The puzzle teased Charlie’s mind. “I wouldn’t have thought Percival was religious,” he said one night.

“It all depends whether his inclination is for church going, or temple worship,” said Gilbert, their manservant.

“What’s the difference?” Charlie wanted to know.

The servant tapped the side of his nose. “Never you mind, young sirs. I daresay you’ll find out before you’re much older.”

They might have accepted it if the man had not laughed, but now, Charlie wanted to investigate. “I think we are missing out on something, Josh. It is time we learned more about this other kind of temple.”

The next evening, having shared their meal on the terrace, Dr Hawley left them to debate the merits between remaining in the garden, and walking towards the city walls – a matter already decided by their English attire.

The air was warm and it would be several hours before the sun was set. Charlie waited until the tutor closed the outer door, and then ran upstairs to the balcony, which gave a clear view of the street below.

“Can you see them?” Joshua called to him.

“Yes,” said Charlie. “I’m going to follow. Do you want to come?”

“He said we’re not supposed to.”

“No, he said he wanted some privacy, but we are entitled to walk in the same direction if we want to.”

“Why do you want to follow him?”

“Because I don’t think he goes to church. I asked one of the maids about the directions, and she said there isn’t a church near where he said he goes.”

“Well, maybe he found somewhere else.”

“I think Gilbert’s right. He’s found another kind of temple at which to worship,” Charlie said with a grin. “Come on, Josh, or we’ll lose him.”

Soon they were clattering down the stone steps, out into the street. The light was changing, but it was clear enough to see what they wanted. One minute, Dr Hawley was strolling along the street ahead of them with Sergeant Percival beside him, and then they disappeared down a side alley. There was not a church in sight.

By the time Joshua and Charlie turned the corner, they were just in time to see their tutor passing through a dimly lit doorway. Charlie ran down the alleyway and said, “Let’s have a look for ourselves.”

Joshua was prepared to look at the entrance, but Charlie marched up to the door and gave a resounding knock, which echoed around the street.

“What did you do that for?”

“It can’t do any harm. He’s inside, and we’ll say we are looking for him.”

The door opened and a huge, dark skinned man in a turban loomed out of the shadows. Surprise made Charlie struggle with his Italian language, and he blurted out, “The gentleman who just entered. We’re with him.”

The attendant called into the interior, and Dr Hawley appeared at the top of a staircase, clad in a loose robe. He seemed unperturbed by their appearance.

“Good evening, gentlemen. I wondered when your curiosity would get the better of you.” He spoke to some unseen person and the door closed behind them. “As you are here, you might as well continue your education. There is a first time for everyone, and tonight is your rite of passage.”

Joshua blinked as two young women appeared, clad in flimsy togas. The one nearest beckoned to him, and Charlie went away with another. The candle-lit chamber he entered had a sunken bath and two women similarly clad stood waiting to assist him to undress.

One of the two seemed older, but that did not seem to matter. She knew what to do, and he forgot all his cares after he stepped down into the bath. Heady scents of aromatic vapours enveloped him. His head was in a whirl, but the rest of him was aflame…

When he came to his senses, he was sprawled on a couch. He felt so relaxed, it did not seem to matter how long he had been there. He yawned and looked around the candle-lit room, but the women had gone. What was he supposed to do now? Then he noticed his clothes on a chair, and quickly dressed himself. He wondered if Charlie was awake, and whether Dr Hawley was still there. How would they explain their curiosity in the morning?

Just as he was wondering where to go, the door opened and a Roman goddess beckoned. He followed her down the staircase, and saw Charlie emerge from another door; looking as dazed as he felt.

Dr Hawley awaited them downstairs. “Come, gentlemen,” he said. “Your beds await you in the villa. I think in the light of your nocturnal activities, it is permissible for you to be excused the first lesson of the day.”

The two lads looked at each other and silently followed their tutor through the door. Last night was an unexpected lesson, which they would never forget. On other occasions, they had seen the system of aqueducts, transporting water across the city. In the bagnio, they sampled the delights of the heated springs.

Joshua vowed never to underestimate his tutor again. He could not, because anyone who could rise refreshed from a night at the bagnio deserved his respect. On the other hand, maybe he only went for the bath. It was too perplexing a subject on which to waste time.

After a leisurely luncheon, their tutor said, “I trust you both slept well, gentlemen?”

“Yes, sir,” they said with a broad grin. “Extremely well.”

“That is good, because today, I would like you to commit your recollections of the Villa of Hadrian to your notebooks, and then recall your thoughts on the Mount of Vesuvius and the lost city of Pompeii.”

It was no good thinking their knowledge of Dr Hawley’s nocturnal visits meant they would be given extra leisure time.

“Next week, I thought we might consider visiting Lombardy, the area captured by Charlemagne. I don’t know if I have mentioned this was quite my favourite part of history.”

Many times
, thought Joshua, stifling a yawn.

“The trouble with youth,” Dr Hawley said in the driest of voices, “is that it is wasted on the young. You will both need more stamina, if you are to survive as army officers.”

It sounded as if their tutor was making fun of their tiredness. Surely, even he must have been young once.

Charlie looked to be in the same state he was.

Joshua could not remember drinking any wine so the aromatic fragrances of the oils must have melted his bones. He closed his eyes for a minute…

Then he realised Dr Hawley was still talking.

“It is fortunate I sent my latest report on your progress a few days ago…”

What did he mean? Last night applied equally to Dr Hawley as for himself and Charlie. Then he realised he must have missed something his tutor said.

“If you wish to repeat the pleasures of last night, you must be aware of the hazards to your health and be prepared. I would be failing in my duty if I did not warn you that one must take precautions to avoid disease. It is something you must remember when you are soldiers.”

Joshua was stunned. He could not imagine having such a conversation at Linmore. Charlie’s expression told of the same degree of surprise. Then it dawned that Dr Hawley was taking advantage of their stupor to say things he did not normally say.

“You must beware another time of allowing curiosity to lead you into temptation. It is fortunate I was there last night to ensure your safety.”

How could he say that when he was already at the bagnio when they arrived? And it was obvious he was known.

“I think it would be safe to exclude the events of last night from our next monthly report home, don’t you, gentlemen?”

Joshua and Charlie nodded in mute agreement.

“Where was I? Ah, yes, Charlemagne, and our visit to Lombardy. I think that would be a fitting place to end our visit to Italy. Then we must set arrangements in motion for our journey home.”

Two days after their nocturnal adventure, they received invitations to a ridotto at the residence of an Italian diplomat. Given a choice, Joshua and Charlie would have foregone the experience in favour of another visit to the bagnio, but it seemed some unknown person had especially requested their presence – almost like a royal command.

The Villa Borghese was a mansion about which they had heard on their study tour, but not been permitted to enter. They had seen many museums, but this was a family home, with the finest art collection in the city.

Usually Sergeant Percival provided them in advance with information about the entertainments they attended. On this occasion, all he could elicit was that the wife of one of the family of diplomats was reputed to be the most beautiful woman in Rome.

“Ah well,” said Charlie with a laugh. “Bring on the ladies, and let us see them. As long as there’s one for each of us, we’ll be all right.”

Doctor Hawley’s reason for attending had less to do with dancing than a curiosity to see the house where family connections of Pope Alexander lived. Having studied the subject in detail, Joshua and Charlie knew what that meant.

The staff at the British Embassy advised them on the mode of travel, and sent a carriage to transport them to their destination. The first intimation of the grandeur ahead came when the coach turned into the grounds and they saw the vast cavalcade lined up waiting to discharge the guests at the entrance.

So stately was the pace, they had ample time to admire the extensive grounds through which they passed. To catch a tantalising glimpse of shimmering water or a folly through the trees, and wish they could explore; to see a riot of colour and breathe in the almost hypnotic scent of the flowering shrubs that bloomed to perfusion, and observe the crisp white lines of the mansion with five arches at the entrance. It was magnificent.

When they finally moved inside, they found that the reception hall had marble walls and fluted columns, and was wonderfully cool after the enforced wait in the carriage.

While Dr Hawley enumerated the artistic treasures of Caravaggio, Titian and Rubens that he hoped to see; Joshua looked around with a sense of anticipation tinged with trepidation. It was a strange feeling for he had moved comfortably in aristocratic and diplomatic circles in Athens and other parts of Rome, and yet the elaborate invitation to the function that specified his name, came from an unknown source.

Before them and amongst the guests that followed, there was a vast array of elaborate masquerade costumes, while others wore fancy dress, and some plain domino cloaks in numerous colours. All were incognito and yet Joshua felt conspicuous.

Not being disposed to vainglory, Doctor Hawley wore a powdered wig, mask, and a black flowing cloak over his evening suit. He walked at Joshua and Charlie’s side as they ascended a magnificent marble staircase, and stood waiting in line for the dignitaries to receive them. With the sheer volume of people, it was difficult to do more than bow and shuffle past the unknown people of importance – whoever they were, for they wore masks like everyone else.

Once the introductions were complete, their tutor left them to circulate and find their friends. They guessed he would spend the evening contemplating the artwork, and not reappear until the lure of the supper gong enticed him towards the Orangerie and adjoining terrace for the cold collation.

With the late invitation, there was little time for them to prepare for the occasion. Beneath his black domino cloak and mask, Charlie wore a bottle-green satin evening coat, with knee breeches, lace cravat and gold interwoven waistcoat, whilst Joshua favoured midnight blue, an embroidered silver-grey satin waistcoat, with his cape and mask of a darker hue.

Normally, they wore their hair au naturel. On this occasion, they opted for powdered wigs, but even with their unaccustomed disguise, they were distinctive amongst the hundreds of ornately attired figures, the painted society fops and portly Lotharios milling around.

The ballroom was huge, and magnificent, with a preponderance of gold in its decoration, though one could not tell whether it was gilt or gold leaf that edged the corners and cornices.

Although the evening was young when they arrived, an abundance of crystal chandeliers blazed overhead, running through the entrance hall, and down both sides of the ballroom, each lit by not less than fifty candles. Along one side of the ballroom, several pairs of glass doors opened onto long galleries exhibiting a vast collection of paintings and statues – all illuminated in the same extravagant manner.

In this light, the intricate artwork on the ballroom ceiling shone to advantage, but to appreciate it fully, Joshua thought one would need to stand alone on the floor of the room, not surrounded by upwards of five hundred guests in costume.

Forever after, he determined to judge a masquerade by this standard. While Charlie wasted no time in finding a partner, he was content to look at the elaborate costumes, and the intriguing selection of masks, some of which were of birds and animals. His appearance was plain by comparison, as was the outfit Charlie wore, which made him easier to recognise.

Having learned that Lady Rosie intended to dress as Queen Catherine de Medici, Joshua assumed she would be easy to find. How wrong he was. Now it seemed as if every tall woman in Rome wore a variation of the same regal costume. There was no easy way to find her in this throng of swirling figures. It was a process of elimination – and he might have to dance with them all.