"And made her your mistress into the bargain, eh?"
"Nay, Altess." Roger could reply with perfect honesty. "She is unmarried, and I have treated her with every respect."
The Grand Duke evidently did not believe him, as he retorted with a sneer: "I will ask you a riddle. 'When is a Senorita not a Senorita?' And lest you lack the wit to find the answer I will give it. 'Tis: 'When she is lying at a lodging with a young man of your name and calls herself Madame de Breuc.'"
It being unthinkable to give a royal personage the lie, Roger was momentarily at a loss what to reply; but Donna Livia intervened on his behalf. Pretending to smother a yawn, she said:
"Forgive me, dear Prince, but I am hungry, and our supper waits. You must surely appreciate that if some young lady has granted her favours to Miester Brook, the elementary dictates of chivalry would restrain him from admitting it to you. In any case, his private affairs can be of no interest to a person of such exalted station as yourself."
He shot her a swift glance. "The trouble is that his private affairs are also those of others; and I have myself been dragged into them this very afternoon. 'Tis a niece of the Frescobaldi that he has seduced, and they are clamouring for his blood."
Roger endeavoured to conceal his perturbation at this alarming intelligence; and, feeling it more essential than ever to attempt to establish Isabella's innocence, he cried: "Your Highness, I do beg leave to protest. The lady adopted the married style only because her duenna died on the journey; and afterwards it provided a more circumspect appearance for our lodging at the same inns that she should pass as my sister-in-law."
"Where is she now?" demanded the Grand Duke.
"On her way to Naples, Altess."
" 'Tis well for you that she left when she did. Had the Frescobaldi caught you with her they would have killed you out of hand. And they may catch you yet. This afternoon they asked the assistance of my police to trace you, and if you are apprehended you will be brought before me."
"Then, vowing my innocence, I take this opportunity of throwing myself on Your Highness's mercy, and craving your protection."
The Grand Duke gave Roger an unsmiling stare. "As to your innocence, I cannot bring myself to believe it. The circumstances against you are too strong. And if my judgment is at fault in that, you have still placed yourself in a position where you must pay the penalty for what you might have done, had you had a mind to it. You do not seem to appreciate the iniquity of your offence, and must, I think, have been crazy to compromise so great a lady."
"Altess, I am now deeply conscious of my folly," Roger admitted, in consternation at the way in which matters were going. "But I beg to remind Your Highness that the lady is not yet compromised; nor will she be if her relatives have the sense to refrain from making the matter public."
"In that your hopes are vain, for 'tis already the talk of Florence. And should you be brought before me, I shall have no alternative but to deal severely with you. Were not proper safeguards maintained against young men ruining the reputations of unmarried girls of high station there would be an end to all society. The Frescobaldi have incontestable grounds for demanding that I send you to cool your ardour in prison for a term of years; and they are too powerful a clan for me to go contrary to their wishes in any matter where a major policy of the State is not concerned. Besides, did I quash the case, on learning of the insult to his daughter. General Count d'Aranda would ask His Most Catholic Majesty to make representations on the matter to me. And I have no intention of allowing so trivial an affair to be magnified to the extent of creating bad feeling between Spain and Tuscany."
At the threat of a term of imprisonment Roger felt again all the dismay he had experienced while in de Vaudreuil's custody at Fontainebleau; and more, for now it would mean his losing his beloved Isabella. Hastily he pleaded:
"Altess, since I sloughed off the identity of a Frenchman at midday, 'tis possible that I may escape the attentions of your police while lying at Meggot's tonight. As I have already informed Your Highness, now that I have fulfilled my mission, I am most anxious to return to England. If I remain uncaptured I shall leave Florence first thing tomorrow morning. But it may be that by this time your police have already concluded that de Breuc and myself are one. If so, on my return to Meggot's, or in a few hours' time, I shall be arrested. May I not beg your clemency at least to the extent of affording me your protection for tonight?"
The Grand Duke shook his head. "Nay. That would entail my withdrawing the order for your arrest, and I am not prepared to compromise myself that far. I have no personal animus against you, so I will take no steps to prevent your leaving Florence if you can. But by your folly you have made a bed of nettles for yourself, and if you are caught must lie upon it."
Roger's mind began to revolve in swift, desperate plans for evading capture. He dared not now return to Meggot's. Would it be possible to get out of the city by dropping from one of its walls during the night? If not, he must hide himself somewhere till morning. But in either case he would now have no horse, and it would take him several hours to walk to Pontassieve. He was about to beg permission to take his leave when, suddenly, Donna Livia came to his rescue.
"Dear Prince," she said quietly. "I trust you will not take it amiss if I recall to you that you owe a debt to this gentleman. He has travelled far upon your business, and shown both wit and courage in executing his mission. Indeed, he has actually sustained wounds while bringing Her Majesty, your sister's, letter to you. However incensed you may justly feel at his personal conduct, surely his request for a night of grace is but a small reward for the service he has rendered?"
"True, true!" muttered the Grand Duke. "With the complaints of the Frescobaldi still fresh in my ears I had forgotten about the letter." Then, his expression changing to one of suspicion, he gave her a dark look, and added: "But what is he to you? Why should you take up the cudgels on his behalf? Tell me. What is he to you?"
Roger's heart missed a beat. For a moment it had seemed that Donna Livia's good nature had saved him. But now his hopes were in jeopardy once more. Would she dare to continue in the role of his champion? And if she did might she not further inflame to his disadvantage her royal lover's jealous mania ?
She shrugged her shoulders. "He is to me no more than a foreigner whose opinion may redound to my dear Prince's credit or otherwise. Should he succeed in escaping unaided he will carry but a poor opinion of Your Highness to England and elsewhere. Therefore, for the honour of Tuscany, I pray you give him a pass so that he may leave the city tonight, and thus at least have a fair chance of eluding his enemies."
In horrible suspense Roger waited for the Grand Duke's reply. At length Leopold nodded. "You are right. To let him be caught through having remained here on my business would ill become me. And if I do as you suggest it cannot afterwards be proved that I did so knowing that he was Sis Monsieur de Breuc that the Frescobaldi are seeking."
Fishing in his waistcoat pocket, he produced a small gold medallion, that had his head on one side of it and a figure of Mercury upon the other. Holding it out to Roger, he said:
"This is a talisman carried only by couriers bearing my most urgent despatches. Even should the police already be at Meggot's, on your producing it they will not dare to detain you; and on your showing it at the guard-house of the Pisa gate the gate will be opened for you."
As he took the medallion Roger went down on one knee and murmured his gratitude; then, his boldness returning, he begged permission to kiss Donna Livia's hand, as that of his protectress.