Beauty and the Beast of Venice

by Alexis Adaire

  “There’s a ship sailing in the morning, just after daybreak. We should make our way to the dock under cover of darkness and hope the man I know there hasn’t yet learned of a reward.”

  That would take them dangerously close to the shipyard. One slip and they’d be caught, their life together ending before it could even begin.

  “So tonight we remain here?” Antonia asked.

  “Yes, we can’t be seen outside.”

  “Then I must shed some of these clothes,” she said. “I’m about to pass out because I cannot breathe in this hot, stuffy house.”

  In a heartbeat, eating was no longer Tavros’s main priority. Within minutes, they were both naked in the bed where they had consummated their love. As his hands roamed over her body, Antonia decided this was the time to break the big news, but she first wanted reassurance.

  “My love, does what happened today, and what will be happening over the next few days, mean that we are going to stay together?”

  “Do you recall what happened in this bed a month ago?” he asked.

  Antonia blushed when she recalled the torrid sex they’d had.

  “What happened that night decided our future would be together. We merely had to overcome the problem with your engagement, and that seems no longer to be an issue.”

  “What will we tell people? They’ll talk, regardless of where we go.”

  Tavros thought for a moment. “Simple. We’ll tell them that we’re married.”

  “But…”

  “But first, we’ll have to get married. We’ll do that when we reach Bari tomorrow.”

  “But…”

  “But what?” Tavros grinned. “Would you not have me as your husband?”

  Antonia returned his smile. “Would you not propose marriage formally, as a man should?”

  Her breath hitched as he stared deep into her eyes, his hand resting tantalizingly on her belly.

  “Antonia, love of my life, would you do me the great honor of agreeing to become my wife? I have no ring to offer you, and no gold to my name, but I hold a love for you that is greater than any the Gods have ever known. I promise to you that you will never want for affection and attention. Every day I will attempt to earn your love anew until I am old and feeble, and even at that point, I will—”

  “Yes.”

  Now it was his breath that caught. “Yes? Yes, you will?”

  “Yes, I will be your wife. I have desired it since the day we first spoke.”

  “But the money…”

  “We will find a way,” she replied. “We must, my love. As you said, our future was indeed decided a month ago in this bed; your hand is currently resting atop your son or daughter.”

  Antonia couldn’t help but laugh at Tavros’s confused expression.

  “The seed you planted in me took root, Tavros. I am with child. Your child.”

  Tavros’s joyous smile seemed to illuminate the darkened bedroom. Seconds later, Antonia felt the intense pleasure of him once again easing into her—after assuring him that such an act could not possibly harm their unborn child, of course.

  “Wake up, beautiful. It’s time.”

  Antonia pried open her eyes and saw mostly darkness. A smidgeon of moonlight trickled into the bedroom from the open window.

  Memories from the previous day flooded her brain: the bridal procession, her inability to say her vows, the minotaur rescuing her just in time and their frantic escape. Not to mention the sheer joy of what had taken place in this bed before they both fell asleep, exhausted.

  She nestled her body again her still-naked man, taking his length in her hand to try to pique his interest. “Can we not stay in this bed a little longer? It may be a long time before we find ourselves this comfortable again.”

  The affirmative response she received from Tavros’s body was contradicted by his words. “Alas, I’m afraid we cannot wait. Soon it will be light out, and we can ill afford to be seen. We must leave now.” He kissed her, running his hand across her belly. “I promise you that somehow, I will buy you a bed this fine, even if we have to put it in a hut.”

  She smiled at the thought, then pulled him in for a deep kiss before slipping out of bed to get dressed.

  They descended the circular staircase into the cool Venice night. The alleys were still dark, only occasionally lit by a burning cresset—an iron basket fixed on to the wall of a palazzo with rope coils that had been soaked in pitch and set aflame. Antonia and Tavros passed a few people on their way to the docks but didn’t arouse suspicion. Apparently, the town was looking for a monster carrying a screaming girl, not an elegantly attired couple walking hand-in-hand.

  As they crossed Campo Santo Stefano, Antonia looked toward the Crivelli family’s palazzo. She was heartbroken by the idea that she may never see her family home again—or her family.

  She tugged at Tavros’s hand. “Wait. We will need food for the trip, but we have no money. Come with me, I have an idea.”

  She led him to the side of the palazzo. “My governess’s quarters are on the main floor. I can wake her, and she will bring us food.”

  Tavros argued it was too risky, that she might get caught, but his words fell on deaf ears. If she couldn’t say goodbye to her family and friends, Antonia had to at least see Piera before she left Venice forever. While Tavros waited, she crept along the path on the side of the house, then through the garden to Piera’s window. Finding the wooden shutters closed, she rapped softly with her knuckles.

  Finally, after three progressively louder attempts, the shutters opened and Piera’s eyes flew open wide as well.

  “Antonia! What…? How…?” She took a breath. “You’re safe!”

  “Yes. I’m with Tavros.”

  “Everyone is looking for you. And for him. They’re saying he’s the Beast of Venice.”

  “I don’t have time to explain, Piera. Tavros and I must leave Venice immediately.”

  The shock on the older woman’s face was noticeable even in the darkness of night. “Child, I fear for your life. Are you sure about this man… this… beast?”

  “As sure as I’ve ever been about anyone or anything. Tavros would never harm me. We will be getting married soon, but right now we need food for two days. Can you help?”

  Piera’s brow furrowed. “Meet me at the side door in five minutes. I hope I’m doing the right thing.”

  Antonia waited in the cool night air, then as promised, the governess soon appeared at the door. They wrapped each other up in a huge, warm embrace.

  “My child! I am so worried about you.”

  “I’m fine, Piera,” she whispered. “We are fine. I will try to get word to you when I can, but you must keep it secret; my father must never learn my whereabouts. Tavros’s very life depends on it.”

  Antonia’s lifelong companion nodded, then handed her a surprisingly heavy basket. “This should last you three or four days. And listen, the bald Greek man returned last night asking about you. He said it was imperative that he find the Beast of Venice. Your father told him that everyone wants to find the beast, then sent him away.”

  “What does he want with the beast?” Antonia asked.

  “I don’t know, but Gasparo said that when he showed him to the door, the man offered him a reward for any info that would lead him to you, the beast, or the blacksmith.”

  “A reward?”

  “Yes, a small fortune. Be careful, my dear. It seems the entire world wants to catch you and your love.”

  Antonia nodded and bit her lip. It was bad enough to have all of Venice looking for them; now foreigners had joined the hunt. “I have to go. Tavros is waiting.”

  Thus far she had avoided tears, but the moment she saw the sad look on her governess’s face, they came gushing out. The two women exchanged another big hug, then Antonia pulled away.

  “Goodbye, Piera. Thank you. For everything.”

  “Be careful, cara. Send word, please.”

  Antonia rejoined Tavros, and as they hurried tow
ard the docks, she began to realize that everything and everyone she had ever known in her life were about to become her past.

  Chapter 34

  Tavros

  The sky was still an inky black and the docks relatively empty at four in the morning. Tavros and Antonia walked along the wooden planks, her with her head down and covered by her gown’s attached hood. He himself had nothing to worry about; nobody would recognize him as the blacksmith or the beast if he instead looked to be a well-off young man. Still, he approached nobody and merely scanned the faces until he spotted Enzo, the only dock worker he knew.

  Months earlier, Enzo found him in the forges at the shipyard and asked for help repairing a sword that had belonged to his grandfather. Tavros agreed, and Enzo became his only friend in Venice. Friendship aside, he worked the docks and owed Tavros a debt.

  Enzo seemed excited to see Tavros and shook his hand warmly.

  “Enzo, I need a favor,” Tavros said. “We must board this morning’s ship bound for Bari. I’m aware it’s not a passenger ship; we wish to hide in the cargo hold.” He hesitated, then added, “And I have no money to pay you now but promise to send it in three or four weeks.”

  Enzo looked from Tavros to Antonia, then nodded. “Of course, my friend. The ship leaves in two hours.” He gestured at a nearby storage shed. “You can hide in here and wait for me. I’ll return while it’s still dark and help sneak you aboard. Stay here, don’t go anywhere.”

  Tavros thanked him, relieved that Enzo hadn’t suspected anything too strange. Apparently, nobody had yet made the connection between the escaped blacksmith prisoner and the beast. Maybe Rocco the jailor hadn’t remembered much when he came to.

  He and Antonia entered the shed. The small dark room had an overpowering odor of freshly cut oak and fir, but at least they wouldn’t be spotted. No sooner had the couple cleared a place to sit than his stomach rumbled loudly in the darkness.

  “I’m hungry, too,” Antonia laughed. “I’ll find something for breakfast.”

  He heard her rummaging around in the basket, then the sound abruptly changed.

  “Tavros,” she said softly, grabbing his hand. She opened his palm and dropped some coins in it.

  “Where…?”

  “Piera put them in the basket with the food.”

  Tavros cracked open the door to let in enough torchlight to count the money, then returned to Antonia’s side. “There are twenty silver scudi,” he said breathlessly.

  Antonia gasped. For Piera, that was equal to four months’ salary. She began to tear up. “This must have been her savings. And now my family will no longer have a reason to employ her.”

  Tavros heard her sniffle and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “We’ll keep half of them to buy food and a bed in an inn when we get to Bari. I’ll give the other half to Enzo to pay for his silence; I need to be sure he tells no one where we went. Once we have settled and I’ve found work, we can send money to repay Piera.”

  Shortly after the slightest slivers of light had begun to penetrate the crevices between the shack’s plank walls, they heard voices. They grew louder, then were replaced by footsteps. Tavros stood as the door to the shed opened and Enzo stuck his head in.

  “Enzo! I have good news. We can pay you for our passage, but I need your continued silence on this matter, understand?” He held out his hand and dropped the silver coins into Enzo’s palm.

  Enzo nodded and pocketed the coins. Then he said, “Tavros, please forgive me,” and stepped back out of the shed.

  His place was immediately taken by an older man with a ring of curly black hair around his head, but completely bald on top. His short, thin frame was dwarfed by Tavros’s large one.

  “Tavros, I must speak to you.”

  “Who are you? What is the meaning of this?” Tavros’s anger rose quickly when he saw Enzo run off.

  “Enzo!” He pushed the little man aside to chase after his double-crossing acquaintance, but two determined hands grabbed his bicep.

  “No, don’t go!” the man said.

  Tavros shoved him to the ground and stepped out of the shed, looking in all directions for Enzo. He spotted him running along the dock and began to sprint in that direction.

  “I bring you a message from your grandfather!”

  His accented words stopped the blacksmith in his tracks. He spun around, eyeing the bald man as he dusted himself off. Behind him, Antonia appeared in the door of the shed looking scared and confused. Tavros decided to ignore Enzo for now, as he couldn’t run off and leave Antonia with this stranger. They had to stay together, no matter what.

  “You’re the Greek who came to the shipyard asking about me. Who the hell are you?” Tavros demanded.

  “My name is Phidias Kyrkos. I come from Orpheus, an island kingdom near Crete. I was dispatched by your grandfather with the task of finding you and bringing you home.”

  “You’ve found the wrong Greek. I’m not from Orpheus or Crete, and I have no living grandfather.”

  “No, no,” the man laughed uncomfortably, “I’m quite certain you are the man I’ve been seeking. But it’s not safe to discuss this matter here, with daylight right around the corner. Come with me and I will tell you everything.” He smiled at Antonia. “And your lady should also come, as it seems this now involves her as well.”

  Tavros grew irritated with the man’s nonsense. “Old man, I have already told you I’m not the man you seek. I have no grandfather, and I grew up on—”

  “On Thirio, I know.”

  What? How could he know? The blacksmith was shocked into silence as the stranger continued.

  “Your father was a farmer named Tassos, and your mother was Calista. But you’ll be shocked to learn the truth about your parents, Tavros.” He smiled gently, the ring of dark curls above his ears rising along with his eyebrows. “Come with me and I will tell you everything.”

  The truth about my parents?

  When Tavros hesitated, Antonia squeezed his hand tightly. He saw her looking toward others already arriving at the docks now that daylight was breaking. They needed to hide quickly, and they certainly wouldn’t be boarding the ship for Bari, at least not this morning.

  “Are you staying at an inn? Do you have a private room where we can spend the day?”

  “I have the most private place in Venice,” he laughed. “Come, we should hurry.”

  Phidias took them only a short way, hurrying in the growing light. Just as Tavros had begun to worry that they would be spotted, they stopped along the docks in front of a stunning sailing ship. The vessel was not big enough to be a cargo ship and lacked the square sails Tavros had always seen on ships. Instead its two masts were both rigged with triangular sails, set at an angle to stern. Since it had no galley fittings for oars, it obviously depended entirely on the wind for forward movement. Even just sitting still in the dim light of the approaching dawn, the vessel looked fast.

  The older man gestured for the couple to follow as he boarded the ship. Tavros whispered to Antonia, “We have no choice. We’ll humor him until nightfall. This will give us time to plan again.”

  They followed him onto the ship, where several men scurried to meet them as they crossed the plank. All were wide-eyed in wonder as they dropped to one knee with bowed heads. A baffled Tavros looked at Antonia in amazement, wondering what an obviously important man like Phidias could possibly want with him.

  Phidias led the couple below to a luxuriously appointed stateroom, lit by candles. “Please,” he said, pointing to a table and chairs. Before the three of them could even sit, a man arrived with tea and a plate of fresh fruit, setting it on the table, then bowing before taking his leave.

  “Who are you, and what is going on here?” Tavros demanded, ignoring the food. He looked at Antonia, who seemed as confused by all this as he was. “Why do these men bow to you?”

  “Yes, yes,” said Phidias. “Let’s not prolong this. I can understand how upsetting your situation is. It’s time
I give you some answers. Now where do I start?”

  Phidias set his hands on the table and took a deep breath before continuing.

  “Tavros, I’m afraid Calista and Tassos are not your real parents.”

  He noticed the shocked expressions and waited a second to let the news sink in.

  “I’m very sorry to have to tell you like this, but there is no other way because time is of the essence. Your real father and mother live on Orpheus, and they came down with consumption during a trip to Athens two years ago. Your grandfather sent me to find you because your father has grown dim of mind and is no longer capable of making sound decisions. To be honest, the last report I received from Orpheus about your parents’ health was not encouraging.”

  Tavros stared at Antonia, a look of utter confusion on his face. She responded by gently taking his hand in hers.

  “Why should I believe you?” he asked Phidias.

  “Let me finish; it will all be made clear. About a year ago, your grandfather thought it wise that I attempt to find you. He is physically infirm, but still sharp of mind.”

  “Wait,” said Tavros. “If these are my real parents, why was I raised on Thirio? Who were those parents?”

  “They adopted you from an orphanage when you were very young.”

  “Why would my real parents abandon me?”

  Phidias looked sympathetically at Tavros. “I think you already know the answer to that. The first time you turned into a minotaur—”

  Tavros jumped to his feet, unsure whether to flee or use force against this intruder in his life. Phidias remained seated and calm.

  “Yes, Tavros, I know about you. I’ve known since you were an infant. As Chief Minister of Orpheus, I have long served at the right arm of the King, and it was I who was ordered to take you to the orphanage in Thirio. Please, sit.”

  “You lie, old man,” Tavros said angrily. “I only learned myself when I was four years old. That was the first time.”