The apartment doors opened. It was the young
Varangian, Kari.
‘Lady Anna.’ Kari bowed. ‘Lord Constantine Angelos is outside, he wishes to speak to you. He has your father’s permission to enter the apartments.’
‘Show him in.’
Lord Constantine Angelos? Who the devil was this? Anna had mentioned an unwanted fiancé named
Romanos Angelos—could this be his brother?
The newcomer was wearing a red tunic, a heavy court tunic, such as a nobleman might wear in the Imperial Palace. It was slit at the sides and embroidered with gold threads that glistened as he moved. His hair was dark and wavy and cut close below the ears and his lips were curved in a warm smile.
Anna’s face lit up. ‘Constantine!’
Chapter Eight
Lord Constantine Angelos came towards them. When his dark eyes took in Anna and William’s clasped hands, his brows lifted. ‘I was with your father when your guard gave him your message. Welcome home, Anna. It is good to see you.’
Rising, Anna looked quickly towards the door. ‘Father is here?’
Politely, William immediately rose, too.
‘No, my dear. Lord Isaac is very busy on your behalf.’
‘On my behalf?’
‘He returns your greetings and asked me to tell you that he will meet you later, as you suggested.’
Anna stared. ‘But what is he doing?’
‘Finding a number of suitors for your hand in marriage, as I understand it.’
‘I…I beg your pardon? What about Romanos?’
Lord Constantine grinned. ‘My brother married Lady Pulcheria of Limnos shortly after you left for Rascia.’
‘Romanos is married?’
She had gone very still. Ever the courtier, her expression was under tight control, but after what she had told him, William knew she must be pleased. He was glad for her sake. The idea of Anna being forced into a marriage with someone she did not care for had been distasteful.
Lord Constantine drew his head back. ‘I thought your father would have written to tell you.’
‘No, no, he didn’t. Saints, Constantine, I had no idea. So all this time…’ her voice trailed off before strengthening again ‘…is Romanos happy in his marriage?’
‘Indeed, already he has a son and another child is expected at harvest time.’
‘I am glad. Romanos and I were not suited, but I am glad he has made a good marriage.’
‘He is happy. And now Lord Isaac is looking for a husband for you, he has been talking to a number of suitors on your behalf.’
Anna touched Lord Constantine’s arm. ‘How do you know this?’
‘My dear, there is little that goes on in the Palace that I do not know about.’
‘He must still be angry with me, he has not forgiven me for leaving without his permission.’
‘Anna, I think he has forgiven you.’
‘That cannot be true. If he had forgiven me, he would have told me about Romanos being married.’
‘My dear, I cannot claim to read Lord Isaac’s mind, but I do believe you are forgiven. For one thing, his approach to finding you a husband has quite changed.’
Smoky grey eyes fixed on Lord Constantine’s face, tiny lines had appeared in her brow. ‘How is it you know so much about my father’s affairs?’
‘Lord Isaac is making quite a show of choosing a number of suitors who will try for your hand. What has changed since you were last betrothed is that this time you will be the one who makes the final choice.’
‘Me?’ Her eyes lit up and she gripped Lord Constantine’s arm. ‘Father will let me pick my husband? I never thought he would permit me to choose!’
‘I believe your father wants a reconciliation as much as you do,’ Lord Constantine said, with a slow smile. ‘It is his way of making amends.’
Smile widening, he lifted her hand to his lips.
She held back. ‘Constantine, you never answered my question.’
‘Which question was that?’
Slowly, she withdrew her hand from his. ‘How do you know so much about my father’s affairs?’
As William watched them, his stomach sank. He knew the answer before it was uttered.
‘I know, my sweet,’ Lord Constantine said, ‘because I happen to be the first man your father approached.’
A chill crept over William’s skin.
‘You? My father has offered me to you?’ White teeth were biting that pretty mouth, her eyes were alight, dancing. She was trying not to laugh.
Her smile was infectious, the relief instantaneous. The idea of marrying Lord Constantine amused her. A grin escaped William even as he recognised that Lord Constantine did not share Lady Anna’s amusement.
‘Anna, I tell you I am chosen as one of your prospective suitors…and you laugh?’
‘Of course I am laughing. You…my suitor?’ She made a dismissive gesture. ‘Constantine, I could never marry you. I am very fond of you, but you are like a brother to me.’
‘I thought…’ Lord Constantine’s lips curved, but his eyes were watchful. There was no question but that this man did not share Anna’s amusement. ‘A brother—you think of me as a brother.’
Lord Constantine was making light of this, he was smiling to hide that he was hurt by her reaction. Whilst I… William brought his brows together. This should mean nothing to him, he was not interested in the outcome. Lady Anna of Heraklea and Lord Constantine Angelos were strangers whose paths he had crossed. By the time she married, William would be back in Apulia. He was interested because chance had flung them together for a time, he was glad she was to be given a choice.
Lord Constantine recaptured her hand and kissed it. ‘Lady Anna,’ he murmured soulfully, ‘I am desolate. I beg you to reconsider.’
She tossed her head and a long brown curl escaped to tumble over her shoulder, she was so intent on Lord Constantine that she didn’t notice. ‘You cannot expect me to take you seriously?’
Lord Constantine put his hand to his heart. ‘My lady, I would be honoured if you would consider me.’
‘Constantine, who are the other suitors?’
‘That is for your father to say.’ Lord Constantine turned to William. ‘Anna, who is this? You know full well you ought not to be entertaining men in the Princess’s apartment—you are no longer in Rascia.’
‘Don’t worry, Constantine, this is my friend, William.’ The men nodded at each other and Anna continued. ‘William, my apologies for not introducing you at once. I think I mentioned that I was betrothed before I left for Rascia. As you will have gathered, Romanos has married someone else. This is his brother, Lord Constantine Angelos.’
Anna smiled at Constantine. Constantine was one of her oldest friends and although she had not put it in so many words, she knew, she just knew that William had understood from their brief exchange that while she had not been fond of her previous fiancé, she had been very fond of Constantine. It was as though he could see into her mind.
‘You look well, Anna,’ Constantine said, as they settled around the table. ‘Your travels among the barbarians do not seem to have dulled your beauty. In truth, rather the reverse. I am glad I overheard the guard speaking to your father, I had not looked for the pleasure of meeting you so soon.’
When Constantine smiled, his dark eyes sparkled with amusement and affection. With a twist of unease, Anna was aware that William was less than relaxed. Constantine’s unguarded reference to barbarians must have offended him, he would not be disturbed by Constantine’s flirting. In any case, Constantine always flirted, it meant nothing.
Apparently oblivious of any undertones, Constantine directed a polite smile at William. ‘William, eh? You must be a Frank—that’s a name favoured by the Normans. If it were not for your name, Anna’s friend, I would have taken you for a Viking.’
‘I come from the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria,’ William said stiffly.
‘Come, Constantine, don’t start with your
questions.’ Anna glanced at William. Her mind was struggling to take in all that Constantine had told her.
Father is going to allow me my choice of husband! Thank God William never knew the plans I had for him, what a fool he would have thought me. It is better this way. Much better.
It was most perplexing, though, how her heart felt like lead. ‘Constantine has the most insatiable curiosity,’ she managed brightly. ‘Constantine, you are not to pester William with your questions. William is a knight, that is all you need to know.’
‘A knight? So you are Sir William of…?’
‘Bradfer, Sir William Bradfer.’ With something as near as smile as anything Anna had seen since Constantine had joined them, William flexed his sword arm. ‘Bradfer means—’
‘Strong arm, I know.’ Constantine grinned. ‘It doesn’t tell me much else about you though, does it?’
William cocked a brow at him, refusing to be drawn, and the silence stretched out.
After a moment, Constantine sighed. ‘Never mind. Anna, Sir William may be a close friend, but you
really should not have invited him up here.’
‘Do not concern yourself, my lord,’ William said. ‘I shall be leaving soon.’
‘Not yet, I hope,’ Anna got in, quickly. ‘Sir William, you cannot have forgotten that I have to find that…document for you. You will not want to leave without it.’
‘My lady, you are most kind, but I do not consider it essential. It is but a formality.’
Anna stared at him for a moment and gave a brusque nod. There was a faint prickling at the back of her eyes, she blinked it away. Saints, she could wish that William was less eager to get home. She genuinely liked him but he…he simply couldn’t wait to leave.
Still, this morning had seen one problem solved—she need no longer use William to avoid marrying Romanos. One of her suitors must be acceptable, and if not…well, she could do worse than consider Constantine. She and Constantine had always had a liking for each other.
Her other problem remained. Katerina. Where had she got to? Leaning forwards, she caught Constantine’s eye and, conscious of the servants, lowered her voice. Such was the habit of openness between her and Constantine that she had to remind herself that he was unaware that Katerina had taken the Princess’s place. ‘Do you know anything of the whereabouts of Princess Theodora? She was in the City with me when some German mercenaries threatened us. I ran one way, she ran the other and—’
Constantine frowned. ‘You were separated? When was this?’
‘Yesterday. I was afraid…afraid…and…oh, Constantine, it’s a long story but some of the General’s mercenaries were after us and we had to split up. I haven’t seen her since. Juliana swears she returned, but she seems to have vanished again. Have you heard where she might be? I am worried for her safety.’
‘She is well, I believe,’ Constantine murmured. ‘Commander Ashfirth took her to safety.’
‘Thank heaven.’ Relief rushed through her, but worry remained. Katerina is safe! But what shall we do? It was one thing to pull the wool over the eyes of an old and feeble Emperor, but now… If our deception is uncovered, my reputation will be damaged beyond repair—I will be lucky not to be banished! No one will take me as a wife, and as for my father…if this scandal breaks, he will never forgive me.
‘One of my men told me that Commander Ashfirth saw fit to hide her somewhere in the Palace after the General’s men scaled the City walls.’ Constantine shrugged. ‘It is something of a mystery. Some preposterous rumours are floating about, no one is making much sense.’
‘What is being said?’
‘That Commander Ashfirth locked her in the Treasury and the moment Emperor Nikephoros abdicated, he carried her out again and claimed her as his own.’
‘No!’ Anna put her hand on her churning stomach. ‘Surely that is not possible?’
‘My dear, you forget, Varangians swear loyalty to the Emperor in person. They swore to serve Emperor Nikephoros and until the new Emperor sits on the throne and they have sworn their oath to serve him, they are masterless men.’
‘But…the Princess…he cannot have claimed the Princess!’
‘He must be evoking the Varangians’ right to plunder,’ William said, leaning an elbow on the table. ‘Even in Apulia, we have heard of it. When an Emperor dies, is it not the Varangian tradition that they may help themselves to treasures from the Palace?’
‘They call it palace pillaging,’ Constantine said. ‘However, they may only keep what they can carry.’
‘But…but we are speaking about a woman here, not a casket of gold!’ Anna said. ‘And in any case, Emperor Nikephoros is not dead, he abdicated.’
Constantine grinned and reached for an apple. ‘From what I heard, Commander Ashfirth didn’t stop to make the distinction.’
Anna waved toward the doors. ‘Why does Kari remain on duty?’
‘My guess is that he is acting on the Commander’s orders, it is not in the Commander’s interest to alienate General Alexios by allowing a complete breakdown of order.’
‘And the rumour is that Commander Ashfirth has taken the Princess?’ Anna rubbed her brow. If this is true, we are ruined! What shall I do? My only hope is that General Alexios will be so busy with the coming enthronement that he will not have time to summon his wife’s distant relatives to an audience.
‘The Commander was seen coming out of the Treasury with her in his arms.’ Constantine spread his hands. ‘I admit it sounds implausible.’
The attraction between Commander Ashfirth and Katerina was clear from the moment they had met, but Katerina must know that she cannot simply run off with the man!
Green eyes were fixed on her, Anna forced a smile. ‘I cannot believe this outlandish tale. It is almost as unlikely as Emperor Nikephoros abdicating.’
‘The abdication is most certainly true. The Patriarch—the bishop—feared there might be a bloodbath and to prevent it he advised Emperor Nikephoros to abdicate. The miracle is that Nikephoros listened, he must have realised control was slipping from his grasp. Frankly, I had not thought he had so much wit.’
‘Constantine!’
Constantine bit into his apple.
Anna hoped she looked calm. There were so many emotions roiling about inside her and she was very much afraid that the one that was gaining dominance was terror. Now she had time to think about it, she realised that the abdication changed everything.
‘So General Alexios really is the new Emperor,’ she murmured.
‘Yes.’
‘My lady…’ William was studying her ‘…what’s wrong?’
‘Wrong? Nothing is wrong. It is just this coup…I did not think General Alexios would succeed.’
‘You would have done if you hadn’t been stuck out in the provinces,’ Constantine said conversationally. ‘The General is nothing if not ambitious. Did you know he has never lost a battle?’
Nodding, Anna gazed at the sea and tried to remember what she knew about General Alexios and his young wife, Irene.
The new Emperor is not cast in the same mould as Emperor Nikephoros and his wife is a distant cousin of Princess Theodora. God help me, General Alexios will want to meet Katerina, he will have questions for her. And if General Alexios is as clever as his reputation suggests, he is bound to find out that she is an impostor!
The food in her stomach congealed into an indigestible mass.
When I agreed to take part in this pretence, the Emperor was an elderly man who kept largely to his apartments. But now…
‘The enthronement is to take place on Easter Day,’ Constantine added. ‘We are a couple of days away from having a new Emperor.’
‘So soon?’ Heavens.
Constantine set his apple core aside. ‘Anna, have you had enough to eat? You look a trifle pale.’
‘I have eaten plenty, thank you.’ And I could not manage another bite. She stared out of the window, her mind so full she neither noticed the shimmer and shift of sunlight o
n the sea, nor the seagulls rocking on its restless surface. ‘I take comfort in the thought that the Princess was seen in the company of the Commander, that is something to be thankful for. He will protect her.’
William crumbled bread between his fingers. He had been listening to this exchange with some interest and his skin was prickling. Something was wrong here, very wrong. Lord Constantine was right, the
colour had leached from Anna’s cheeks—she was hiding something. She was in some kind of trouble and it was more than the difficulties she had mentioned with her father. Something other than the choosing of a husband was worrying her.
‘Anna…’ Lord Constantine leaned confidentially towards her ‘…I cannot swear as to where the Princess was last night, but I can definitely tell you that she and the Commander were seen leaving the Palace this morning.’
Lady Anna’s eyes were intent. ‘Where did they go?’
Constantine grinned.
‘Tell me!’
‘The Princess is…’ Lord Constantine’s voice was scarcely above a whisper ‘…presently at Commander Ashfirth’s house. He has set a contingent of his men to guard her. You need have no fears on her account—your princess is quite safe, though what effect these rumours will have on her marriage prospects I cannot say. Duke Nikolaos will be most displeased.’
William leaned forwards. ‘Duke Nikolaos?’
‘Duke Nikolaos of Larissa is betrothed to Princess Theodora,’ Anna murmured. ‘He is not at Court at present.’
Constantine took Lady Anna’s hand and raised it to his lips, lingering long enough for William’s jaw to clench.
‘I have pleased you in bringing this news?’ Lord Constantine murmured, his voice as smooth as honey.
‘You have indeed, thank you, Constantine.’
William did not know how it was, because Lord Constantine seemed to be a likeable enough fellow, but he was suddenly filled with a burning need to hit him in the face. William was staring woodenly at what was left on the meat platter when it came to him that Lord Constantine might know what had happened to the little girls, to Daphne and Paula.
‘Excuse me for interrupting your courting, Lord Constantine,’ he said drily, ‘but do you know what became of the children whom the Princess adopted? Are they with her?’
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