The Royal Pawn of Venice

by Mrs. Lawrence Turnbull

  XXVII

  It was the Bernardini whose swift thought had sent the first faithfulaccount of the revolt of the Council of the Realm to the Signoria--hisingenuity which had secured the delivery of this true statement beforethe false story under the signature forced from Caterina had reachedVenice--his prowess that had generaled the uprising of the citizens forthe Queen's release--his devotion that had rescued the infant Princefrom captivity--his foresight that had sent warning to the AdmiralMocenigo before he could be summoned from Venice to the rescue. Suchhonors as might be decreed to a fidelity beyond reward had come uponAluisi Bernardini from the Republic, apt in recognition: and the undyinggratitude of the Queen was already his.

  "What shall I give thee, beloved Cousin?" the Queen had asked him. "Wiltthou be a noble of Cyprus?"

  "Dear Lady," he answered, "I want but thy favor. Doth it not suffice methat I am a noble of Venice?"

  "Nay--but to prove how thou art in my grace--with rich fiefs andholdings in this land for which thou hast spent thy service rightroyally."

  "He doth not spend 'right royally' who seeketh reward," he answered,smiling down upon her, as he stood before her.

  Caterina answered him by quoting the Cyprian proverb, "_Assai dimandache fidelmente serve_." (Who hath faithfully served hath made a largedemand.)

  But he shook his head, still smiling.

  "Other than I have done, what true knight would do?" he protested."There could be no question of reward between us--thou being royal Ladyof our Casa Cornaro, and I sworn to thy faithful service--my cousin andQueen. But, if thou wilt grant thy favor----"

  He had grown suddenly grave.

  "Nay, Aluisi, how may I grant what thou already hast?"

  "I thank thee, fair Cousin. See how I trust thy favor to bring theewarning--being so much thine elder--dealing so much more with men thanthou--being now of thy Council of the Realm----"

  "Doth it need so many words from thee to me to excuse a counsel?--from_thee_, who gavest me back my child!"

  She held out both hands to him impulsively, as a daughter to a father,her beautiful face radiant with gratitude and affection.

  He closed the fair hands for a moment in his own, very tenderly. "Ishould have envied any," he said, "whose fortune it had been to do thisthing for thee. My star hath favored me. Heaven keep our little Princeto bless his realm of Cyprus!"

  After a moment's silence, Caterina spoke playfully, to recall him to histheme. "Was it for this fervent vow of loyalty that thou didst crave mygrace?"

  His face deepened to a seriousness that was almost compassionate.

  "Thou knowest that I would fain help thee: thy people would verily spendthemselves for thee--thou hast won their hearts. But, among the ancientnobles--it were wise to tell thee frankly--there is some discontent."

  "Is it new matter?" she asked, frowning a little. She had motioned himto a seat, for she saw that he had much to say.

  "It hath been spoken of before, but since--since the treachery of theCouncil and--other things--and the most unbounded confidence by theSignoria reposed in me to uphold the Queen--I have sought more nearly tosift the causes of this disaffection. They seem to me to be not beyondconciliation."

  "'_Not beyond conciliation_,'" she echoed, "it _seems_ to thee! It is asad word to bring me of my people, Aluisi, since I would give my lifefor them." Her eyes had filled with tears.

  "It is sad, beloved Lady: but nothing is hopeless that is not finished.Is it not better to see wisely than to ignore?--Let us be brave."

  She folded her hands very tightly for a moment, as if struggling withherself; then she lifted her eyes to his.

  "Teach me," she said. "What wouldst thou?--Thou shalt verily be made oneof the Counts of the Chamber, that I may know _one_ loyal among myCyprian nobles."

  "Nay, nay"--he made an effort to assume a lighter tone--"there is noneed; else would it be wise to sail for Venice with the fleet of theMocenigo! But, pardon me, fair Cousin; there is no need to bind _my_loyalty with Cyprian titles and Cyprian lands. Let the Sovereign ofCyprus seek _her own nobles_ for such favors."

  "Shall I stoop to _buy_ the people of my kingdom?" she asked, a littlebitterly. "Is this thy honorable counsel?"

  He rose at once. "My Cousin," he said, "thou art not thyself--thineanger doth color thy speech. I crave thy promise to listen fairly to myhonest thinking--which it is not over-easy to bring thee." He spokecompassionately.

  "Forgive me, Aluisi; I listen."

  "Out of thy generous heart, thou wouldst have covered me--who am aVenetian--with Cyprian honors. I thank thee. But I will translate theeto thyself. Was it 'to buy my loyalty?'"

  "Nay, nay--but of appreciation--to show thee grace. Thou knowest it,Aluisi!" Her repentance came swift and warm as that of a child.

  "I know it well," he answered heartily. "Show but this thy grace to thyCyprian nobles and win them to thy court. They should come _first_ infavor of their Queen."

  "Have I been found lacking?" she asked, slowly; "and if--and if thereseemeth little to reward?"

  "Reward that little openly, and there shall be more. Bethink thee: therehath been great honor shown the Mocenigo."

  "It was so ordered by the Republic," she began in a tone ofself-justification; then stopped with a sudden perception of his point.

  "Was it for this, perchance, that the Cyprian nobles came lessheartily?" he pursued. "Is there no honor that might yet be granted tothat most noble knight, the Admiral Costanzo?"

  "Whatever favor he would have is already his:--he was the friend ofJanus and my own," she answered in a tone of surprise that was almostindignant. And then, with a lingering on the words that wasindescribably pathetic, she added:

  "Janus hath written of him, '_Nostro caro, fedel a ben amato Sieur Mutiodi Costanzo_' (our dear, faithful and well-beloved seigneur) thou mayestread it in our '_Libro delle Rimembranze_.' Could I do aught to addthereto?"

  For answer he bowed his head, in tender reverence for her thought: forthe loyalty with which she sought and treasured every token of nobilitythat had been chronicled of her husband--for the proud discretion withwhich she taught herself such utter silence on her wrongs--for the greatlove which, growing to a _culte_ through those years of girlish dreamsand of fair anticipation, had made this attitude possible for her,--whowas all truth.

  "His Excellency the Admiral is verily the champion of Cyprus," theBernardini resumed after a little silence; "and methinks he would holddear the royal order to re-man the galleys which have been disbanded--asit is now thought, by advice of the traitor Rizzo, or of some otherCouncillor _in favor of Ferdinand of Naples_. I would fain bring thismatter for consideration before the Council, if it hath your Majesty'sfavor."

  "It is well," she said, in a tone of perplexity, "if it seemeth so tothe Council of the Realm. But our counsellors of Venice who brought usaid, spoke not of this."

  She lifted her liquid dark eyes to his face, as she spoke--a girl ofnineteen, bewildered with the intricate jealousies and strifes of herisland kingdom--no wonder that she felt her hands weak to hold thesceptre so disputed!

  "It may be that _Venice_ hath not so closely at heart the interests ofCyprus as the Queen herself might hold them," he answered slowly andwatching her as he spoke. "We must win the Cyprian nobles to ourcouncils and consult their needs and bring them before the people as inthe grace of your Majesty. _Let us not always think the thoughts ofVenice._" She started and flushed slightly at his last words, but howcould he help her else?--"We must do this to bind the hearts of thenobles to our Prince," he added, to give her courage.

  "Let us not always think the thoughts of Venice!" The meaning was new toher, and for a few moments she struggled with it silently; then shelifted her eyes to his face and searched it artlessly, as a child mighthave done, to see if she had fully comprehended his strange speech--moststrange from her Venetian Councillor.

  But he met her gaze as frankly, having nothing to add to the simplestatement wherewith he had sought to arouse this new consciousnessw
ithin her, and which he wished her to ponder.

  "Thou art more Cyprian, my cousin, than any member of the Council hathever shown himself," she said at length, "and it heartens me--for thouart right. But now--just now--what may be done?" She spoke eagerly, asif from a new standpoint.

  "There is Stefano Caduna, a man of the people--most worthy of yourMajesty's grace. And there is Pietro Davilla, Seigneur and Knight, whohath proven his loyalty--how if he were to be named Grand Constable ofCyprus? Shall these be spoken of to the Council which will meetto-morrow, that some favor may be decreed them?"

  "It is well; it should be done, thou art strength to me, Aluisi."

  "Is there aught else that should be brought before the Council?" heasked.

  She hesitated a moment, and then added with visible timidity andreluctance, flushing a vivid scarlet:

  "There are other things that seem too petty--but since the death of theAuditor, our Uncle Andrea, thou hast perchance noted much scantiness ofour treasury, though when it is a question of pageantry, the Councilhath ever found enough and to spare. But the land is a rich land; yetthere are no moneys in my hand wherewith to reward a favor or grant adole of charity. If this be a symbol of power----"

  "I will replace the voice of Messer Andrea in the Council," he hastenedto assure her. "And, meanwhile--we are of one house, my Cousin----"

  "Because thou art generous, shall the Council do less than its duty?"she asked proudly. "Or shall I be content to know that measures wise forthe ruling of the realm may be frowned upon by those who hold the keysof my treasury--_yet render no account_? The knowledge of this addedtreachery hath come to me but recently; and this also was of Rizzo'smalfeasance. Dost think that moneys shall be found for the manning ofour fleet? Or that I have any voice in the spending of them?"

  "The Madonna be praised that Rizzo and that Minister of Satan are fled!"he exclaimed devoutly.

  "While Rizzo held office, I might ask _no_ question," she said, turningtowards him a face of pathetic appeal; for she had never before dared tospeak freely of her grievances even to him--in so comprehensive a mannerhad the Chief of Council known how to assert himself: "and now, that Iwould fain have knowledge, that I may rule my people wisely, so muchthere is to set in order, that my heart doth fail me. I have written tothe Serenissimo to tell him my perplexities--to pray that he might makeit lighter for me to rule."

  The Bernardini knew that she had cause for her failing courage, whileyet he keenly felt that the remedy should not lie in an appeal toVenice, whose power was the unacknowledged core of bitterness in thegrowing disaffection among the Cyprian nobles. It might not yet be toolate to save the kingdom for Cyprus; and what it lay within his power todo, Venetian though he was, he would do, rather than see this '_isolafortunata_' slip without a struggle, into a mere Venetian province. Theknowledge had been painfully growing within him that Venice was playingher hand skilfully--that Caterina would find herself simply a pawn to bemoved at will of the Republic, and that "check" would be called wheneverthat masterful will should elect: there had been signs, too many toignore, of splendor of movement and expenditure whenever the prestige ofthe Republic might be concerned--of indifference when the grievances ofthe Queen were confessed, or the autonomy of the island was inquestion--of slowly increasing assertion of Venetian power and rights.

  He had accepted his mission, at the hands of his Government, to protectthe rights of the Queen--not to enslave Cyprus; and his duty stood forthto him in firm, unwavering lines. Yet how should he dismay Caterinafurther in the attempt to force her fuller comprehension? He hesitatedfor a moment, but there seemed no other way. For very pity of her hespoke decidedly, with slow insistence holding her attention.

  "The Queen of Cyprus _holdeth her kingdom by no favor of Venice_; but ofinheritance, through her husband, the King. The failures in theGovernment should be righted by Cyprian wisdom; we must fill thevacancies with Cypriotes. I will take counsel with His Excellency theLord Admiral of Cyprus."