“But surely the Ostrogoths are Christians?” John pointed out.
“Their blasphemous beliefs have been proscribed for two centuries,” retorted Godomar. “I have traveled to Ravenna, Lord Chamberlain. In a church in that city there is a depiction of our Lord being baptized, and whereas the workmanship is undeniably exquisite, yet consider how the Arians view Him.” Outrage and agitation became increasingly obvious in his expression and voice as he continued. “As a created being-admittedly the highest of all such creations-rather than one who shares the substance of God, that’s how they see Him. And this disgraceful work was commissioned by King Theodoric, my remaining charge’s great-grandfather.”
“The young Theodoric did not have the benefit of your excellent guidance,” John replied tactfully.
Godomar swept a codex off the table and into his crate. “Someone should have guided him, Lord Chamberlain. He grew to manhood in Constantinople, after all.”
“Yes, he was an imperial guest just like the twins. Therefore I think you’ll agree that we have an even more compelling common interest in seeing that his great-granddaughter comes to no harm.”
“Indeed we do. This has been a most rigorous summer, Lord Chamberlain. My patience has been sorely tried between infernal machines on one side and fortune-telling goats and magick on the other. Now there has been the unspeakable tragedy of Gadaric’s death. But at least he died uncorrupted. I am convinced that this estate is situated in the atrium of Hell.”
He hefted the heavy crate with a slight grunt and proceeded to bear his burden out of the room.
***
“You must have suffered from far worse neighbors than Godomar in all those military camps you lived in during your years as a mercenary, John.”
Felix’ remark sounded humorous but he looked as morose as Godomar. The Lord Chamberlain had found the stalwart captain looking around the back of the villa, not far from the workshops where one of his excubitors was stationed. The occasional clang of metal striking metal broke the stillness of the hot air.
“You look unwell, Felix,” John replied. “Perhaps you should get out of the sun? There’s a seat under that tree.”
Felix followed him silently across the courtyard and sat down on the lion-footed marble bench. He appeared distracted. After tugging unhappily at his beard once or twice, he finally burst into speech. “I’ve seen something that has greatly disturbed me, John.”
John remarked that he was not surprised since there was much to be disturbed about on the estate, especially from a security viewpoint.
“True enough, but it isn’t anything to do with that. I’m ashamed to admit it. I-” Felix broke off and shook his shaggy head silently.
John waited, hoping Felix would continue. Beside their bench unfamiliar flowers on slender stems swayed, not in the breeze, for there was none, but bent by the arrival and departure of bees. John could hear the insects’ buzzing in the short, quiet intervals punctuating the sound of Hero’s metalworking.
“Well, here we are, two followers of Lord Mithra who have also been comrades a long time,” John finally said. “What could there possibly be that you would be ashamed to confide to an old friend like me?”
Felix attempted a smile. “It’s the sight of the girl,” he finally muttered, looking away from John at the nearby statue of Eros as he spoke. “The young blonde. Didn’t you notice her?”
“The nursemaid? Bertrada?”
“Yes, Bertrada.” Felix looked as if about to strangle on the name. “It is she, John! She’s Berta. The very likeness of my love, even to the name! She has come back to me.”
John thought of Isis’ young employee Berta, a blonde like Bertrada and the girl Felix had wished to marry. “Berta has gone from you, my friend,” he said gently, “and I must say that I do not see any likeness between the two women.”
He tried to persuade Felix of the folly of his strange delusion but his words sounded unconvincing to his own ears. Even as he spoke them, he could not help thinking how much Sunilda resembled the mosaic girl, Zoe.
He did not have time to reflect further on these enigmas because Calyce suddenly appeared, running toward them in a panic. A thin strip of her silk tunic, doubtless torn by some thorn in her hasty passage through the garden, was flying out behind her.
“Lord Chamberlain! Captain Felix!” she gasped out. “It is Poppaea! Someone has tried to murder her!”
Chapter Nine
Greetings, dear Aunt Matasuntha.
Things here are very exciting! Poppaea was found dead in the garden, or so everyone thought because she was so still, but then they saw she was just ill and put her to bed. Livia screamed until she was hoarse and Zeno stood about looking as if he wanted to weep. Bertrada said not a word, although it would have been difficult to hear her if she had, because Godomar said a great deal and sounded worst of all. As for the Lord Chamberlain, he looked very stern and Captain Felix swore in the most awful way, or at least until he saw me listening.
Did I tell you about Captain Felix? He is a big soldier with a beard. He reminds me of the bear that Theodora showed me, the one she keeps in a cage at the palace. The estate is swarming with the soldiers Captain Felix commands. Justinian does have ever so many soldiers, doesn’t he? I would have thought with all the ones he’s sent to Italy he wouldn’t have any left, but they’re everywhere. Ever since Gadaric went away I can hardly go anywhere without someone watching me. It’s very tiresome.
Poppaea is still sleeping so I have nobody to talk to right now. Zeno doesn’t want to play dodge ball any more, Hero is busy in the workshop and that funny little man Barnabas has run away. Livia sits sobbing by Poppaea’s bed or gets into awful arguments with Bertrada and Calyce. I did try to listen to find out what they were arguing about (and why not, when they never tell me anything?) but Bertrada caught me and scolded me for ages.
After that she took me to the atrium and we sat there for hours and hours doing nothing at all. Captain Felix went by more than once and stared at Bertrada very boldly every time. She just pretended not to notice but she did really. When I asked her about him she scolded me again.
Well, since nobody tells me anything I’m not going to tell them that Porphyrio promised he is going to take me to Gadaric very soon. It was on the morning we went to the beach for our picnic. There was a great flock of seabirds sitting along the shore, just like a white carpet. Poppaea and I ran along the edge of the water scaring the silly things and they went flapping off in a big, noisy cloud.
By the time we had done that, Bertrada had unpacked our picnic basket and we started to eat all the nice things she had got for us. Then we saw Porphyrio, swimming out by the island where the goats live. He sprayed water up into the air, just like Hero’s whale does, or so Hero says. I still haven’t seen it working, you know. Anyhow, the water Porphyrio spouted sparkled like the jewels on Theodora’s robe, it really was very pretty. Then he swam right towards us.
Out in the sea he looks like a toy but when he got closer to the beach we could see how huge he is and Bertrada and Poppaea got scared and ran away. I pretended to follow them but hid behind a bush until I couldn’t see them any more because I knew Porphyrio wanted to speak to me privately.
How Porphyrio and I speak is magick and with his magick he explained how I shall soon meet my brother again. Don’t say anything about it yet as I want to surprise everyone, especially Bertrada. I expect she’ll cry a lot when Theodora finds out and she can’t explain where I went, but it will serve her right for being so nasty to me. After all, she’s just a servant.
Now I am going for a walk in the garden.
Chapter Ten
“Why do you stare at me, Lord Chamberlain?”