City of Swords (37 page)

The Barnsbury Stravaganti had voted mainly in favour of telling Luciano’s parents of the danger he was in, but with the proviso that they should wait till after the next stravagation to Talia. Nick had been dubious about this but now he was glad that he had let Sky and Matt persuade him.

‘Luciano’s done something pretty cool,’ he told Vicky the next morning when they were back.

‘Cooler than getting married at eighteen or becoming a duke?’ asked Vicky.

She had become used to these peculiar conversations with her adopted son about her first one.

‘He saved a man’s life,’ said Nick. ‘Just by being brilliant in a court of law.’

Nick had always found it hard to talk with his adoptive parents about the boy he had replaced. He knew how upsetting they found it and it upset him too. But this was a case where he thought he had to say what Luciano had done, since he had been in such danger and, apparently not fearful for his own life, had pleaded so eloquently for someone else’s.

But Vicky didn’t seem quite as impressed as he had hoped.

‘That’s all very well, but what’s happening about my talisman?’ was all she said.

‘I don’t honestly think they’ve thought any more about it,’ said Nick. He was a bit miffed. ‘They’ve had other things on their minds.’ He didn’t know about Rodolfo’s reservations.

He suddenly wanted to ruffle her composure, to tell her that Luciano had been this close to being hanged because of Fabrizio’s vendetta, but he managed to hold back. He could see that Vicky had no concept of Luciano’s life in Talia.

Instead he went off to the café to meet the others.

‘I’m not stravagating for a while,’ said Laura. ‘I’ve got English tomorrow and then two days of French and English.’

She didn’t add – though she thought it – that there was no point going back. She had seen Ludo for the last time. Or at least the last time until she could work out how to get to Romula.

In Remora, the Horsemaster of the Ram, Paolo Montalbano, was surprised to hear from Rodolfo but understood the urgency of his call. He set out straight away for the Papal palace.

Getting in to see His Holiness was harder. The Horsemaster had a certain status in Remora but it was not an obviously ecclesiastical one. It was only when Paolo said he had a private message from the Pope’s nephew, Duke Alfonso, that he was shown in to see Lenient Vl, also known as Ferdinando di Chimici, Prince of Remora.

The Pope did not rise; indeed he looked as if rising would be an operation requiring the assistance of both his chaplains. He was enormously fat. But he waved benignly for Paolo to approach the Papal throne.

‘Holiness,’ said Paolo, bending his knee.

‘You have a message for me from young Alfonso, they say,’ said the Pope. ‘I don’t know why he didn’t send it straight to me, but still I am happy to receive it.’

‘It relates to your other nephew, the Grand Duke,’ said Paolo. ‘And is of a delicate nature.’

He looked at the chaplains.

The Pope waved them away.

‘Go and fetch some refreshments,’ he said (an order they looked quite familiar with). ‘This fellow has been searched, I am sure, and represents no threat.’

When they were alone, he beckoned the Horsemaster closer to him.

‘What is it?’ he said. ‘And why does it come through you?’

‘Holiness, you may be aware of a certain Order in Talia known as the Stravaganti,’ said Paolo.

The Pope nodded. ‘Rodolfo of Bellezza belongs to it,’ he said. ‘A good man.’

‘I too belong to that Order, Holiness,’ said Paolo. ‘And we have means of communicating with one another more speedily than most. That is why Duke Alfonso went to Rodolfo in Fortezza, where they both are at present, so that he could take advantage of that swiftness.’

At the mention of Fortezza, the Pope looked more alert.

‘It has come to a satisfactory end, the siege?’ he said. ‘I have heard something of it.’

‘It has come to the end that the di Chimici family would have wished,’ said Paolo. ‘Princess Lucia has taken her rightful place on the throne of Fortezza. And the Stravaganti were supporting her claim.’

‘I’m glad to hear it. But what of my nephew?’

‘He is set on taking a terrible vengeance on all the rebels,’ said Paolo. ‘He has already hanged the rebel General, although the Manoush pretender has been allowed to go into exile. Your other nephew, Prince Gaetano, is escorting him to Romula.’

‘It is not unknown for the victors who have crushed a rebellion to execute its leaders,’ mused the Pope.

‘I know, Your Holiness,’ said Paolo, ‘but – forgive me – Duke Alfonso seemed to think the Grand Duke was motivated by more than wanting to make an example of a few rebels.’

‘So like his father,’ murmured the Pope. ‘You mean he is going to execute Fortezzan citizens in large numbers?’

Paolo nodded. ‘Duke Alfonso thinks Your Holiness is the only person who can prevent a bloodbath.’

‘These are citizens of a di Chimici city-state,’ said the Pope. ‘What does my nephew think old Jacopo would have to say about that?’

‘I believe the Grand Duke is very frustrated by Princess Lucia’s recent decisions,’ said Paolo, as diplomatically as he could.

‘To marry the Bellezzan? I have been told Guido Parola is a decent young man, in spite of his past.’

Paolo was surprised at how well informed the Pope seemed to be.

‘I think the Grand Duke would have preferred her to choose Prince Filippo,’ he said.

‘Huh. That one is a fool,’ said the Pope. ‘I hate to speak ill of a member of my family, but I think Lucia has made a better choice.’

One of his chaplains returned with a tray of wine and a huge plate of pastries.

‘Thank you for your information,’ said the Pope. ‘I shall send a message straight away. Now, please have something to eat. I can particularly recommend the ones with the almonds and cream.’

^*

In Fortezza they were relieved to get Paolo’s mirror-message. There had been three more hangings in the city, and although Princess Lucia was doing everything she could to distract her bloodthirsty cousin, he did not want to spend any time with her.

Rodolfo sent a message to Sulien in Giglia to see if he could persuade the Grand Duchess to call her husband home.

Gaetano may still be there
, Rodolfo told the friar.
If he is, he will do what he can to help
.

As it happened, Gaetano
was
still in his native city. It was very irregular to house a prisoner in his own palace, but the Prince desperately needed some time at home with his wife. And he had come to believe that Ludo represented no further danger to his family. He was just a sad, misguided young man.

It might have been different if Gaetano’s brother had been in the city, but he was too far away to supervise the progress of the Manoush into exile.

Brother Sulien was a welcome visitor in the palazzo on the Via Larga and had been missing his daily visits from Princess Francesca. So they were not surprised when he was announced.

‘Ah, Your Highnesses!’ Sulien said as soon as he was admitted into their private
salone
. ‘Gaetano is back. That is the reason Princess Francesca has been neglecting me.’

‘I’m so sorry, Sulien,’ said Francesca. ‘We should have let you know Gaetano was here. But it is very unofficial.’

‘I am playing truant from my main task, which is to escort this young man to Romula,’ said Gaetano. ‘May I introduce Ludovico Vivoide?’

‘I know your cousins,’ said Sulien, ‘and am always happy to meet a friend of Gaetano’s.’

Both men looked embarrassed.

‘I thank you,’ said Ludo. ‘But I should tell you that I am the Prince’s prisoner.’

‘I see no chains or shackles,’ said Sulien. ‘But that is not my business. I am here with a message from Fortezza.’

Then something clicked in his mind.

‘Oh, I see. You are
that
Manoush,’ said the friar. ‘And now in exile?’

‘Yes,’ said Ludo. He fell to his knees. ‘I am not of your religion, Brother, but will you please give me your forgiveness? I am truly sorry for the deaths I have caused.’

‘It is about that that I have come,’ said Sulien. ‘I cannot hear your confession now but I can give you a blessing.’ He made the sign of the cross over Ludo, placed both hands on his head and murmured some words in Old Talic.

Then he addressed himself to Gaetano again. ‘Shall I deliver the message?’

‘Is it from Rodolfo? Yes, tell me what he says.’

‘He says that the Grand Duke your brother is wreaking terrible vengeance on the Fortezzan rebels,’ said Sulien.

Ludo remained on his knees, the relief of the friar’s blessing shortlived.

‘General Ciampi was hanged as soon as you left the city and three more rebel leaders since.’

Ludo groaned and sank with his head in his hands. This was his fault.

‘Rodolfo has sent word to your uncle, the Pope,’ continued the friar, ‘but he wants you to talk to Caterina too. He thinks that between them they might persuade Fabrizio to leave Fortezza and come home.’

‘I shall go straight away to the palace,’ said Gaetano.

‘I’ll come with you,’ said Sulien.

^*

The Pope’s man rode to Fortezza with all speed, carrying the Pontiff’s message on a scroll impressively hung about with seals.

When he was shown into the
salone
of the Rocca, he found the Grand Duke with Duke Alfonso, who had not yet dared to return to Volana.

Both men were relieved by the interruption. But when Fabrizio had broken open the seals, his brow darkened. He might screw the message in his fist but he could not defy a Papal order. He bit his lip and dismissed the messenger with as much courtesy as he could muster.

‘Uncle Ferdinando wants the trials halted,’ he said.

Thank God and the Goddess
, thought Alfonso.

‘He does?’ he said aloud. ‘Well, perhaps he is anxious about creating further rebellion among the citizens if they have too many martyrs.’

‘I think you must be right,’ said Fabrizio through clenched teeth. ‘Excuse me, cousin – I must speak with your brother, the Cardinal.’

He left the room in haste and Alfonso breathed a sigh. But he would not have been so relieved if he had known what the Grand Duke was going to talk to the Cardinal about.