Читать книгу In the Tudor Court Collection - Amanda McCabe - Страница 14

‘I do not like that girl,’ Elizabeta told Kathryn when they were walking together a few days later. ‘There is something about her—a slyness in the way she looks at you and Lorenzo, particularly Lorenzo. Be careful of her and trust nothing she tells you.’

‘Oh, you are too hard on her,’ Kathryn said with a smile to soften the words, for Elizabeta was perhaps the friend she liked to be with the most. She could not explain what had happened to Maria for she did not wish to ruin the girl’s chances of making friends and she might be looked down upon if people knew that she had spent some time in a harem. ‘She has been…ill. We are looking after her for a while, but she will go home to her family soon.’

‘The sooner the better,’ Elizabeta said. She took hold of Kathryn’s arm as they approached the silk merchant’s shop they had planned to visit that morning. ‘Do look at that lovely green material! It would look so well on you, Kathryn.’

‘Yes, it is very lovely,’ Kathryn said. She turned and beckoned to Maria, who was walking behind with Isabella Rinaldi. ‘Come and look at these silks, Maria. We shall buy material for you today; you must be tired of wearing my old gowns.’

‘Oh, no,’ Maria said, her eyes downcast. ‘You have been so kind to me, Kathryn. How could I be so ungrateful as to resent wearing your things?’

‘Well, you shall have a new gown,’ Kathryn said. ‘Come, look, and choose the silk you prefer.’

‘Oh, I do not know what to choose,’ Maria said, her hands fluttering over the bales of beautiful silks that the merchant had spread on trestles before his shop. ‘There are so many…that blue is lovely, and yet so is the green.’

‘Kathryn was thinking of buying the green for herself,’ Elizabeta said, her dark eyes narrowed and hostile as she looked at Maria. ‘The blue would suit you much better—or that grey.’

‘I do not like dull colours,’ Maria said and for a moment her eyes met Elizabeta’s in an expression of such hatred that the older woman gasped. ‘I shall have the blue if Kathryn prefers the green for herself.’

‘No, indeed, I do not need any more gowns for the moment,’ Kathryn said. ‘We shall take both the green and the blue, Maria. You shall have two new gowns and then you need not wear my old ones at all.’

‘You are too generous,’ Elizabeta said. ‘That green was perfect for you.’

‘It does not matter. There will be other silks,’ Kathryn said. She turned away, speaking to the merchant and directing him to send both bales of silk to her at the villa. ‘Shall we have something to drink at the inn or go back to my home?’

‘We are nearer to my house,’ Elizabeta said. ‘Come, we shall go home once I have ordered the silk I want for myself, and my servants will bring us refreshments. It is too warm to shop any more today.’ She smiled and linked arms with Kathryn.

Kathryn agreed that the sun was very warm and they all returned to Elizabeta’s house, which was situated not far from the Campo de’ Fiori, one of the streets of beautiful Renaissance buildings begun by Pope Nicholas in the fifteenth century.

The house was large, almost a palace, for Elizabeta’s husband was wealthy, though some years older than she. She took her guests through the echoing rooms, which were cool after the heat of the sun, into the courtyard garden, then left them to talk while she went to order the refreshments served to them.

Kathryn and Isabella sat down on one of the small stone seats, which had been set with cushions and placed in a shady spot, but Maria wandered off alone to explore the garden, which she had not seen before.

‘She is a strange girl, is she not?’ Isabella said, frowning a little. ‘She boasted to me that she has a lover and that he has promised to wed her. I thought you told me she had been ill?’

‘Yes, she has,’ Kathryn said. ‘I think she meant that she will be betrothed to someone when she goes home.’ She thought Maria foolish to talk of such things, for it would do her reputation no good.

‘She asked me if I had a lover,’ Isabella said. ‘I am sure she meant that she had…well, you know…’

Kathryn shook her head at her as Elizabeta came back to them, her servants carrying out extra chairs so that they might all be comfortable. Maria joined them as they sat down and the drinks were served.

For a while they sat talking about the things they had seen while they were out shopping, and Isabella told them that her father had said he was taking her to Venice in the spring.

‘He says that there is a family he wishes me to meet,’ she said. ‘I think he means to make a marriage contract for me. I hope the man he has chosen to be my husband is as handsome as yours, Kathryn.’

‘That is unlikely,’ Maria said, having been silent for some time. ‘There are not many men who look like Lorenzo Santorini. He is more likely to choose a rich man than a handsome one, for that is the way of fathers.’

‘Kathryn’s husband is very handsome,’ Isabella agreed with a little secret smile. ‘But I like his friend, Michael dei Ignacio. I would be happy if my father chose him.’

Maria pulled a face and then reached for her drink, knocking Elizabeta’s into her lap so that she jumped up, brushing at her skirts as the liquid soaked through the material.

‘Oh, forgive me,’ Maria apologised. ‘I am so clumsy.’

‘Yes, you are,’ Elizabeta said crossly. ‘You should take more care. This silk was expensive and it is ruined.’

‘I dare say your husband will buy you another,’ Maria said with a little shrug of her shoulders. ‘He must be very rich to own a house like this. One gown means nothing.’

Kathryn saw that Elizabeta was really angry, and poured her another drink from the jug on the table. ‘Let me dry it for you,’ she said. ‘Come inside, Elizabeta.’

‘No, no, it does not matter,’ Elizabeta said and shook her head at her. ‘I am sorry. It was an accident, of course. Do not worry, Maria. I have plenty more gowns—but this was a favourite.’

Maria lowered her head, her hands working in distress. ‘I did not do it on purpose,’ she said, but somehow not one of the other ladies present believed her. Her action had been quite deliberate and was meant to punish Elizabeta for some of her remarks earlier that day. It was a small spiteful thing, but somehow it made the other ladies join ranks against her. She was not one of them and they all thought it would be better when she went home to her family.

Kathryn was disturbed by the small incident at her friend’s house. The ruin of an expensive gown was not so important, for it could be replaced, but if it was done out of spite it was quite another thing. She felt uncomfortable as they returned to the house, for if Maria was capable of doing something like that, what more might she do?

She tried not to let it make a difference to her manner towards the Spanish girl. Maria was in a difficult position and she felt sympathy for her, but as the days passed, she could not but be aware of something in Maria that she did not quite like.

The girl had a way of looking at Lorenzo that Kathryn found disturbing. She seemed to hang on his every word, and to follow him about the house and gardens. It was almost impossible for Kathryn to be alone with her husband, other than when they were in their bed.

The time they spent in bed together was very special. Lorenzo’s loving made Kathryn so happy that insignificant things could not really upset her. She wished that he might love her, but there was still a strange reserve in him at times, and she had woken twice to find the bed cold and empty. It seemed that he left her once she was asleep, and that caused a small hurt inside her, for she wanted to wake and find him still beside her. Yet it was but a small thing, for he did everything he could to make her happy, giving her costly presents and encouraging her to spend money when she went shopping with her friends.

‘I want you to be happy, Kathryn,’ he had told her several times. ‘You must tell me if there is anything you want.’

‘I have all I need,’ she said, for how could she ask for the one thing he was incapable of giving her? She loved him, but he could not return that love—something inside him had created a barrier between them. He was good to her and she knew that he wanted her with a fierce, needy passion, but she did not have his heart.

Even so, she was content with her life. They entertained their friends, visited them at home and were seldom without company.

Lorenzo was often busy, for the galleys were being cleaned and made ready for the next spring when it was thought that a new and much larger campaign would begin. Lorenzo had mentioned a man called Don John of Austria who would lead the enlarged fleet in the fight against the Turks, a man respected by all the factions of the League.

‘There was too much argument and indecision last time,’ Lorenzo told her once when they lay thigh to thigh in their bed, his hand idly tracing the silken arch of her back. ‘If we are to strike a blow that will break the power of Selim, we must bind together and put our differences aside. I have no love of the Spanish, Kathryn, but I will fight with them if it defeats our common enemy. The Turks have become too predatory, too greedy, and we must stop them before it is too late.’

He had made love to her with such sweetness that night that she felt her inner self reach out to him and it seemed that they were one, their hearts, minds and bodies joined so sweetly that they could never more be separate beings. And yet still he had not told her he loved her.

Kathryn saw them walking together in the gardens that morning, her husband and the Spanish girl. It had happened before, but this time Lorenzo was laughing at something Maria had said to him, and she looked up at him as they walked, her smile inviting.

Maria was wearing the new gown of green silk that Kathryn had commissioned for her. She looked very beautiful and for a moment Kathryn was jealous. She felt the pain of it strike her. Lorenzo was not in love with her, his wife, and a man might desire many women. Was he becoming interested in the Spanish girl? Would she lose him to her rival? For she sensed that Maria was trying to arouse his interest in her.

Elizabeta had warned her against trusting Maria, and later that day there had been the incident of the spilled drink. Kathryn had never thought it an accident, because she had seen the look of triumph in Maria’s eyes before she lowered them, pretending to be distressed. And what was it Isabella had said—something about Maria having had a lover who had promised to marry her?

It was not true as far as Kathryn knew, which meant the Spanish girl had lied. And now she was doing her best to capture Lorenzo’s attention…

But this was mere foolishness, an irritation of the nerves. She would not let jealousy poison her thoughts, against her husband or the other girl!

Kathryn lifted her head and went outside to meet them. Immediately, Maria let go of Lorenzo’s arm and moved away from him, pretending to be interested in one of the shrubs in the garden.

‘Kathryn, my love,’ Lorenzo said. ‘Maria was telling me how happy she is here with us—and how kind you have been to her. I think we should give a dinner for our friends to celebrate the coming of Christ’s birthday. It will be expected of us and it will be our farewell to Maria—I have written to Don Pablo and he asks that Maria may be taken to him in Granada.’

‘You are sending me home?’ Maria whirled round, looking at him. Her dark eyes blazed with anger. ‘But you promised—Kathryn promised that I should stay with you.’

‘For a while, until you had recovered your spirits,’ he told her. ‘I think you will find that your father is only too pleased to have you home, Maria. There is no need to be afraid that he will send you to a nunnery.’

‘Kathryn…’ Maria looked at her, eyes wild with such a mixture of emotions that it was hard to tell which was uppermost—fear or anger. ‘Do not let him do this to me, I beg you.’

‘My husband does what is right for you, Maria,’ Kathryn said, hardening her heart against the girl. Elizabeta was right. Maria was sly and deceitful and it would be best for all of them if she returned to her father. ‘I am sorry if you are distressed, but I am sure that it must be best for you. Perhaps your father will arrange a marriage for you—’

‘No! I will not be sent back to him,’ Maria cried and her eyes blazed with anger. ‘You will be sorry for this—both of you!’

She ran from the courtyard, leaving Kathryn and Lorenzo alone.

‘Do not judge me unkind,’ Lorenzo said, misjudging Kathryn’s silence. ‘She is no true friend to you, Kathryn. Another man might have found her tempting, but she wasted her wiles on me. She might cajole many a man for she is comely enough, but I have never trusted her. Nor do I desire her.’

‘She has been through so much,’ Kathryn said, ashamed now that she had been jealous even for a moment. ‘Who knows what such an ordeal may do to anyone? How can we know what she has suffered?’

‘Be careful of her, Kathryn,’ Lorenzo said. ‘I warn you because I must leave you for two days. When I come back we shall arrange our special dinner—but until then do not trust Maria. If my business were not important I would not leave you, but I think she cannot harm you if you give her no chance. You have Veronique and your friends to keep you company while I am gone.’

‘I shall miss you,’ Kathryn said, ‘but do not worry for my sake, Lorenzo. Maria may be capable of small acts of spite, but I do not think she would seek to harm me. Why should she? I have been kind to her.’

‘For some people that means nothing,’ Lorenzo said. ‘Indeed, she may despise you for your weakness. It is a pity that I did not send her to her father immediately. However, the arrangements are made for two weeks hence. We shall have our party and then she shall go.’

‘It must be as you say,’ Kathryn agreed. ‘But I shall still be kind to her while she is with us, for she has suffered much.’

He nodded, drawing her to him, gazing down into her face. ‘I would expect nothing else from you, Kathryn, but be careful. I would not have harm come to you while I am away.’

She smiled, lifting her face for his kiss. ‘Do not worry, Lorenzo. I promise you I shall be careful. Besides, what harm could she do in such a short time?’

‘What is the matter, Veronique?’ Kathryn asked as her companion came to her in the little salon where she had chosen to sit and read her book later that morning. ‘You look upset.’

‘A letter has just been brought to me,’ Veronique said. ‘My sister has been taken ill and wishes to see me. It will be a day’s journey for me and I would be away at least three days.’

‘You are anxious about her, are you not?’

‘Yes—but I do not like to leave you, Kathryn. I know that Signor Santorini will be away for two days…’ Veronique was clearly uncertain and anxious, worried by the letter she had received.

‘You must go,’ Kathryn said. ‘Do not fear that I shall be lonely. I have Maria for company—and Elizabeta has promised that she will come this afternoon.’

‘Are you sure that you do not mind?’

‘You must go,’ Kathryn insisted with a smile. ‘Tell me, have you money for your journey?’

‘Yes—Signor Santorini has been more than generous. I shall return as soon as I am able, Kathryn.’ Veronique was upset, clearly torn between her sister and her duty to Kathryn.

‘Take a few days to stay with your sister,’ Kathryn said and kissed her cheek. ‘Go now, and do not feel guilty. I shall be perfectly all right.’

She smiled as the older woman hurried away. She liked the kindly Frenchwoman, but she would not be lonely. Maria and Elizabeta would keep her company until Lorenzo returned. Besides, she had many new books to read and she enjoyed walking in her garden.

Kathryn was sitting alone in the salon that looked out to the garden when Maria came to her a little later that day. She looked at her awkwardly, standing with her hands clasped in front of her, an expression of contrition on her lovely face.

‘I have come to beg your pardon,’ Maria said. ‘What I said to you earlier was unforgivable. You must know I did not mean it.’

‘I know that you did not,’ Kathryn said with a smile of forgiveness. She understood what it was to be unhappy and could feel Maria’s distress. ‘Sometimes we all say things that we do not mean. I am sorry that you must return to Spain, Maria, but I am sure that once you are home you will be much happier. Your father will not be ashamed of you—why should he?’

Maria looked down at her shoes. ‘He is so strict and not always kind to me, Kathryn. I have never been as happy as I am here with you. Please do not send me away. If you asked it of him, Lorenzo would not make me go home.’

‘My husband is right,’ Kathryn said, knowing that she must be firm. Maria could not stay with them for ever. ‘It would not be kind to keep you with us for always. If you return home you will find a husband to—’

‘I do not wish to marry!’ Maria’s head came up and for a moment her eyes blazed with anger. ‘But if you say I must go, then I have no choice.’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘Only let me stay with you until after Christ’s birthday, I beg you.’

‘I shall ask Lorenzo if you may stay a little longer,’ Kathryn said, ‘though I cannot promise that he will relent. Now, sit with me and I shall order refreshments for us both. It is a lovely day and we should not waste it in argument.’

‘Let me order them for you,’ Maria said. ‘If I try harder to please, perhaps you will allow me to stay.’

Kathryn frowned over the book she had been reading as Maria went into the house. Was she being unkind to let Lorenzo send the girl home to her father? If he was very strict, he might make her life miserable if he considered that she had disgraced him. And yet, would he have gone to so much trouble to get her back, only to shut her in a nunnery? It did not seem likely and Kathryn could not truly understand why Maria did not want to go home. Had she been in her position she would have wanted to be restored to her family.

For a moment she thought about Lady Mary and Lord Mountfitchet. As yet there was no news of them and she could not help worrying that they might have been killed when the Turks invaded the island of Cyprus. Surely if they were alive they would have found a way to let Lorenzo know? Yet she would cling to hope for a little longer, for, as Lorenzo said, it took so long for letters to be delivered in these dangerous times.

She looked up as Maria returned, carrying a tray of drinks and the little almond cakes that Kathryn was so partial to and which their cook made so well. Maria set the tray down and then poured a drink for herself and Kathryn, offering her the plates of sweetmeats.

‘I love these sweetmeats,’ she said, taking two for herself and popping one in her mouth. ‘We had them in the harem, or very similar ones, and they were always so delicious.’

Kathryn took the cake nearest to her and bit into it. It was very sweet, but the whole almond on top seemed to be bitter. She placed it on the table and took another, which was much nicer.

‘Was something wrong with that one?’ Maria asked.

‘The almond was bitter,’ Kathryn told her.

‘Oh, yes, it does happen sometimes,’ Maria said. ‘But do have another, Kathryn. They are so delicious—try this sort, they are softer and very sweet.’

Kathryn tried the one she indicated, biting into the soft sweetmeat and chewing it with some pleasure. Just as she swallowed it she tasted a little bitterness and took a long drink of her wine to wash it down. She pushed the plate of cakes away from her. Something must be wrong with the almonds the cook had used for these cakes.

Maria’s hand hovered over the cakes, choosing with care. She ate three more with every evidence of enjoying them and finished her wine.

‘Would you mind if I went to Isabella’s house this afternoon?’ she said. ‘She asked me to visit her yesterday and I said that I would if you did not need me.’

‘Of course you may go,’ Kathryn said. ‘Elizabeta said that she might call so I shall stay here—but you should take one of the servants with you. It is safer if you do not walk alone, Maria.’

‘Yes, of course,’ the Spanish girl said. ‘You must not worry about me, Kathryn. I shall be perfectly all right.’ Her face was pale but proud, as if she were struggling to be brave.

‘And you must not worry, Maria,’ Kathryn said. ‘I am sure your father loves you and he will be only too pleased to have you home.’

‘Perhaps you are right,’ Maria said and lowered her eyes. She stood up, keeping her head downcast. ‘If you will excuse me, I believe I shall go up and get ready for my visit with Isabella.’

‘Yes, of course,’ Kathryn said, watching as the girl walked away, her head still downcast. Was she being unkind to let Lorenzo send her home?

It was when she was sitting with Elizabeta that afternoon that Kathryn felt the pain in her stomach. At first it was slight and caused her to flinch, but then, as it struck again, she gave a cry and doubled over.

‘What is wrong?’ Elizabeta asked. ‘Are you ill, Kathryn?’

‘Pain…’ Kathryn gasped. ‘I feel terrible…’ She got to her feet, hurrying to the shrubbery where she vomited. Her head was spinning and she swayed as the ground seemed to come rushing up to meet her. She might have fainted if Elizabeta had not come to her, steadying her as she vomited twice more. ‘I am so sorry…’

‘There is no need to apologise,’ Elizabeta said, looking at her anxiously. ‘Have you been feeling ill long?’

‘I felt well first thing this morning, but it has been building up since then—not pain, just an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach.’

‘What have you eaten?’ Elizabeta asked as Kathryn moaned and clutched at her stomach again. ‘I think we should send for the physician at once. Where is Lorenzo?’

‘He had to leave for two days on business,’ Kathryn replied as Elizabeta helped her back to her seat. ‘I do feel very ill—perhaps I should go up to my room?’

‘I shall help you,’ Elizabeta said, looking at her anxiously. ‘And the physician must be summoned. I do not like this, Kathryn. I think you must have eaten something that disagreed with you.’

‘I have eaten very little today other than bread, cheese and fruit,’ Kathryn said. ‘Oh, there were also the little cakes that Maria brought out for us as we sat in the garden this morning. One of them tasted quite bitter.’

‘Did she eat any of them?’ Elizabeta asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

‘Yes, most of them,’ Kathryn said. ‘I hope she is not ill, for if they were the cause she would be much worse than I am.’

‘Where is she this afternoon?’

‘She went to visit Isabella.’

‘That is strange. I am sure that Adriana told me Isabella and her father were invited to their house for the day.’

Kathryn was feeling too ill to argue. Perhaps she had made a mistake? Her head was spinning and she could hardly put one foot in front of the other as Elizabeta helped her to her room. Once there, she vomited into a basin, and then collapsed on the bed, feeling too weak and ill to know what was happening around her. She lay with her eyes closed, unaware of the anxious faces of the servants or that Elizabeta sat with her, bathing her forehead until the physician arrived.

She told him what she feared and he examined Kathryn carefully, checking for signs of poison, and then, after careful consideration, giving his verdict.

‘She may have eaten something that made her ill,’ he said. ‘But I do not think it was poison. Had it been, she would probably have been dead by now—and some poisons leave a smell on the breath and a blueness about the mouth. I believe she has taken a small dose of something that might in larger doses be dangerous, but I think she will be well enough when whatever upset her has passed through. It may be that something she ate was not quite fresh.’

‘Kathryn told me that she ate only cheese, bread and fruit.’

‘It must have been the cheese,’ he said. ‘It was most unpleasant for her, but I have given her something to settle her stomach and I think you will find that she will sleep now.’

Elizabeta thanked him, but she was not satisfied with his explanation. The vomiting had been violent and she suspected that something had been put into the cakes to cause Kathryn to be ill. Perhaps she had not eaten enough to make her ill enough to die, but the results were harmful. Maria was spiteful enough to play such a trick; she had proved that when she knocked Elizabeta’s drink into her lap—but had she meant to kill Kathryn?

The poison must have been something she had taken from the garden, for it was unlikely she could have access to the poisons sometimes used by physicians and apothecaries in their work. And that, of course, would make it more difficult to judge the amount needed to kill, if it had been her intention. She might only have wished to make Kathryn ill out of a spiteful impulse.

Kathryn was resting for the moment. Elizabeta got up from the chair beside the bed and went out into the hall. She knew that Maria’s room was at the far end, and she hesitated only a moment before making her way there. Perhaps it was wrong of her, but she needed proof before she could accuse the Spanish girl of trying to kill her hostess, and she might find what she sought amongst Maria’s things. It was wrong of her to go through the Spanish girl’s private things, but Elizabeta quashed her scruples and began to search the various chests and cupboards.

Her search took only a few minutes, and at the end she found nothing incriminating. What puzzled her was the flimsy harem costume hidden at the bottom of one of the chests, and a beautiful necklet that looked like a huge ruby surrounded by pearls. She turned it in her hand, wondering if it opened somehow for the gold backing was thick and might hold a secret. Then, as she heard a sound behind her, she turned to find that Maria had come in.

‘What are you doing with that?’ Maria came towards her, snatching the necklet from her hands. ‘That is mine! You have no right to touch it. You have no right to be in my room.’

‘Kathryn has been ill,’ Elizabeta said. ‘The physician says that something she ate must have made her so—but perhaps something in the food should not have been there.’

‘You are accusing me of poisoning her!’ Maria cried, her dark eyes flashing with temper. ‘You have always hated me! You tried to turn Kathryn against me!’

‘I do not hate you,’ Elizabeta said calmly. ‘But neither do I trust you. You made eyes at Lorenzo from the start—and if you could get rid of Kathryn, you think he might turn to you.’

‘That is all you know!’ Maria cried. ‘I have a lover who wants me—he gave me this.’ She was smiling now, her eyes bright with triumph. ‘If Kathryn has been ill, perhaps it was you who poisoned her. I was not here—besides, if I wanted her dead, she would be dead.’

‘But you made her ill,’ Elizabeta said. ‘I know that you did it, Maria. If anything happens to her—if she dies of a mysterious illness—I shall see that you are hung for murder’

‘Get out of my room,’ Maria cried. ‘You are a liar. I did nothing to harm Kathryn. She is my friend. You can prove nothing. Besides, I shall be leaving very soon now.’

‘The sooner the better,’ Elizabeta said. She did not believe in Maria’s protests of innocence. ‘I intend to stay with Kathryn while she is ill. If I find you in her room I shall have you confined to yours—and if anything happens to her, I shall make sure that you are punished for it. Kathryn may be deceived in you, but I know you for the evil wretch you are.’

‘One day you will be sorry for your unkindness to me,’ Maria said, her eyes flashing with anger. ‘The man I love is very powerful. You will suffer for this, believe me.’

‘I do not fear you or your threats, whore,’ Elizabeta said. ‘I do not know where you got that ruby or the harem costume you hide in your chest—but I know you for what you are. And when Lorenzo returns, I shall tell him to be rid of you at once.’

Kathryn’s head was aching terribly when she woke to find Elizabeta sitting by her side the next morning. She stared at her in bewilderment for a moment as she tried to remember, and then, as the memory of her illness returned, she said, ‘Have you been here all night?’

‘I was worried about you,’ Elizabeta said and squeezed her hand. ‘You were so very ill that I was anxious—and I would not leave you while Lorenzo is away. I do not trust that Spanish girl.’

Kathryn pushed herself up against the pillows. Her stomach ached, as did her head, but she was feeling much better now the sickness had gone.

‘You should not have sat up with me all night,’ she said. ‘I am sure Maria was not the cause of my sickness. How could she be?’

‘Perhaps she put something into the almond cakes—or your drink,’ Elizabeta said. ‘I do not know, Kathryn, but I am sure that she had something to do with what happened to you. I am not sure if it was just a spiteful trick to make you ill—or something more sinister.’

‘Perhaps.’ Kathryn sighed. She did not feel well enough to think about Maria. ‘Lorenzo had told her that morning that she was soon to go home. She begged me to persuade him to let her stay—but to tell you the truth, I do not really want her here.’

‘And why should you? There is something sly about her—and she tells lies.’

‘Yes, I think she does.’ Kathryn hesitated. She could not tell Elizabeta that the Spanish girl had been imprisoned in a harem for some months, for that would be unfair. ‘You may be right about her being spiteful enough to make me ill, but surely she would not try to poison me?’

‘It was not a deadly poison or you would have died,’ Elizabeta said. ‘Yet I think she intended to make you very ill. Be careful of her, Kathryn. She might be capable of anything.’

‘Yes, I shall,’ she promised. ‘And now you must go home, for your husband will worry about you.’

‘But then you will be alone…’

Kathryn shook her head. ‘I am glad that you were here when I became ill, and that you called the physician—but I do not think Maria intends to kill me. As you said, if she had wanted me dead I would be already. Besides, I shall not eat anything she brings me in future.’

‘If you are sure?’ Elizabeta looked at her doubtfully.

‘I have a house full of servants, who will come if I call,’ Kathryn said and smiled at her. ‘I shall be perfectly all right. I promise you.’

‘Very well, if it is your wish that I go.’ Her friend smiled ruefully. ‘I dare say my husband will be imagining that I have left him. It is foolish of him to think it, for he is kind and generous, and my little flirtations mean nothing. I have never been unfaithful, though I believe he fears it.’

‘Please tell him that I am very grateful for what you did for me.’

After Elizabeta had finally been persuaded to leave, Kathryn rang for her maid and asked for water to be brought so that she could bathe. She had sweated a great deal while she was ill and she felt in need of a bath. The hip-bath was brought to her chamber and filled with warm, scented water. Kathryn’s maid helped her to disrobe and to step into the water.

‘Do you wish me to wash your back, my lady?’

‘Not just for the moment,’ Kathryn said. ‘I am feeling very tired and I would like to relax in the water for a while—but stay within call, for I shall need you in a little while.’

‘I shall be in the next chamber, my lady,’ the girl replied. ‘I am going though your gowns to see if any of them are in need of the services of the seamstress.’

‘Thank you, Lisa,’ Kathryn said. ‘I shall feel better if I know that you are near by.’

She did not think that Maria would do anything to harm her, and she had only Elizabeta’s suspicions to make her believe that her illness had been caused by the other girl’s spite. Yet for the moment she would be very careful.

She lay back in the warm water, closing her eyes and feeling sleepy. Whatever had made her ill was most unpleasant, for her whole body had begun to ache and she felt drained. She would not want to go through an experience like that again.

Kathryn wondered where Lorenzo was and if he was thinking of her. She wished that he was with her—she would have liked to tell him what was on her mind, and she would feel much safer if he were with her. She was on the verge of sleep when she heard the slight sound behind her.

‘Is that you, Lisa?’ she asked and then something struck her on the back of her head. Just before she lost consciousness she smelled the heavy perfume that Maria had been wearing the day she first came to the house.

Lorenzo ran into the house, feeling that odd sense of anxiety that had hung over him throughout the night. It was his unease that had prompted him to cut short his business and return a day sooner than he had anticipated. It was foolish, of course, but he had the feeling that Kathryn was in danger.

As he entered the villa, he heard a cry from the direction of Kathryn’s room and ran towards it, his heart racing. Entering, he saw that the maid Lisa was struggling with someone—Maria! As he hesitated, he saw that Maria had a heavy iron candlestick in her hand, which Lisa was trying to take from her. He rushed in, capturing Maria from behind, holding her as she struggled uselessly against him.

Glancing towards the hip-bath, he saw that Lisa had rushed to drag her mistress upright and was now set on pulling her from the bath. Kathryn had a slight wound to the back of her head, but even as he pushed Maria away from him with a cry of anguish, he heard a faint moaning sound from Kathryn and went to help Lisa lower her to the ground.

‘Who did this to her?’ he demanded.

‘It was her!’ Maria screamed. ‘The maid. I came in and found her. I was trying to help Kathryn.’

‘No…’ Kathryn’s lips moved with difficulty. ‘Maria…’

‘Call for more servants,’ Lorenzo said. ‘She is not to leave this house! I shall deal with her later.’

Maria backed away from him, then turned and ran from the room. Lorenzo let her go. If she succeeded in leaving the house, she would be found. For the moment all that mattered to him was his wife.

He lifted her gently in his arms, carrying her towards the bed and laying her down. Bending over her, he smoothed the hair from her face.

‘The physician shall be called,’ he said. ‘I should never have left you alone with her. I knew she was not to be trusted.’

Several servants had responded to Lisa’s call. Lorenzo asked for towels and dried Kathryn’s body himself, turning her carefully to look at the wound to her head, which was slight.

‘There is only a small cut,’ he said. ‘She could not have hit you hard.’

‘I moved and the blow was deflected,’ Kathryn said and caught back a sob. ‘But it hurts, Lorenzo.’

‘Yes, my love,’ he said. ‘I am sure that it is painful. She shall be punished for what she has done.’ He glanced around the room. ‘Where is Veronique? Is she not here?’

‘She had a letter to tell her that her sister was very ill just after you left, Lorenzo. She asked if she might go to her and of course I told her that she had my permission…’

‘And that wretched girl took advantage of her absence and mine.’ Lorenzo looked furious. ‘She will be very sorry when I have finished with her, Kathryn.’

‘Send her away,’ Kathryn said. ‘I do not want her punished—but she cannot stay here any longer. I think that she tried to poison me yesterday, but she did not know enough about the substance she used and it served only to make me sick.’

‘She tried to poison you?’ His face darkened. ‘The evil bitch! I should kill her—but it will serve well enough if we send her back to her father.’

‘Yes.’ Kathryn smiled at him. ‘I think she fears he will discover the truth—that she has been Rachid’s woman. I think she must have loved him, for she has spoken of having a lover who would marry her.’

‘You suspected that too?’ Lorenzo nodded. ‘It must be the reason she tried to kill you. I think she was angry because he exchanged her for his son—and she wanted to punish us. It is strange, but some women do fall in love with their masters, despite their captivity. She resented being sent away from him and took her spite out on you.’

Kathryn nodded, too exhausted to say more for the moment. She thought that Maria’s plan might go deeper—that she might have been following someone else’s orders. It might be that Rachid had promised to marry her if she could find some way of destroying his enemy. She would tell Lorenzo about it later, but for the moment all she wanted to do was sleep.

‘Yes, sleep, my dearest,’ Lorenzo said in a voice that she had never heard from him. ‘I shall stay by your side. I shall not leave you until that evil woman has been taken…’