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‘It is a tempting idea, but it would be selfish to consider only myself and Martina. I must also consider Katerina, it is not fair to expect her to keep up the pretence indefinitely. Sooner or later she will give herself away. For Katerina’s sake, I must resume my position as Princess Theodora Doukaina—I must return to the Palace.’
‘I am sure that would be best.’ Sophia leaned forward. ‘What will you do? If you admit that Martina is yours, perhaps Duke Niko—’
Theodora cut Sophia off with an imperious jerk of her head. ‘Sophia, I should not have to remind you, that would not be safe for Martina.’
‘What will you do?’
Theodora frowned at the closed door of the guest chamber. There were too many unanswered questions for her to be as decisive as she would like. How long do we have? What has been happening at the Palace? Does Captain Brand suspect …?
‘Have the men in our escort shown any curiosity about Martina?’
‘Why, yes, my lady.’
‘What did you say? Did you claim her as yours?’
‘Mine?’ Sophia’s eyebrows shot up. ‘I am unwed, my lady, so, no, I said nothing of the sort. I told them Martina’s mother had died in childbirth and that one of our maidservants was acting as her wet-nurse.’
Theodora let out a snort. ‘Her mother died in childbirth, eh? Well, it’s certainly true that I am no longer the woman I was.’
Red-cheeked, Sophia hastened to reassure her. ‘I meant no insult, my lady, truly, but I could not claim Martina is mine. If my mother heard rumours … the very thought of me giving birth to an illegitimate child … it would kill her.’
‘And the entire Court would probably ostracise you. Don’t worry, Sophia, I am painfully aware what it is like at Court—the rules, the protocols. I understand.’
‘If you so command, I could pretend Martina is mine,’ Sophia said, doubtfully. ‘It is just that my mother …’
‘We are about to return to the Great Palace and you are willing to assume responsibility for my transgressions? You are very loyal.’ Theodora shook her head. ‘I appreciate your generosity in making such a suggestion, Sophia, but it will not be necessary. If there is any shame to be borne over my daughter’s existence, it is I who must bear it.’ She stared thoughtfully at the whitewashed wall. ‘I am in hopes that we shall be able to avoid shame. Let me think. Take Martina, will you?’
Carefully placing Martina in Sophia’s arms, Theodora went to stand in the shaft of light coming through the window slit. A light breeze played over her cheeks. The stone walls of the building opposite were blurred by rain, the opening was too narrow for her to see much else. After a moment, she turned. ‘Sophia, I like your story about Martina’s mother dying. We shall embroider it a little and with luck I shall be able to convince everyone at the Palace that I am exactly what I ought to be … a dutiful, obedient princess returning home from a vassal state to meet my fiancé.
‘When I resume Princess Theodora’s mantle, we must take pains to ensure that I appear perfect. Pure. Duke Nikolaos must have no idea that I am not the virgin he has been promised.’
Sophia glanced at the infant on her lap. ‘And little Martina? What of her?’
‘Martina shall be the child of a slave who has died in childbirth. Princess Theodora has taken it upon herself to care for her.’ Her smile twisted. ‘That way I may keep her. No one will question her presence in the entourage of an unmarried princess.’
‘Very well, my lady,’ Sophia said, slowly. ‘If you think that will work.’
‘You might look a little more convinced. This will work, it has to. Martina is my life, I cannot give her up.’ Theodora brightened her tone. ‘I shall say I have adopted her. Stranger things than that have happened in the Great Palace, I can assure you.’
‘And the Duke of Larissa? What if he objects? A good princess, a perfect princess, must obey her betrothed.’
Theodora bit her lip. She had almost managed to put Duke Nikolaos of Larissa out of her mind. She had yet to set eyes on the man whom the Emperor had decreed she must marry. ‘If fortune favours me, I shall not meet him for some time.’
Sophia nodded. ‘I heard the Duke was recalled to Larissa.’
‘Yes, his mother is gravely ill,’ Theodora said.
‘Thank goodness.’
‘Sophia!’
Sophia grimaced. ‘I am sorry, my lady, that did not come out quite as I meant it. Please don’t think I wish illness on the Duke’s mother, it is just that it must have occurred to you that the Duke’s absence from Court will be a relief to Katerina and Anna.’
Theodora nodded—that had occurred to her. It had also occurred to her that with any luck the Duke might remain in Larissa for some time and her meeting with him would be delayed. A reprieve of any sort would be most welcome.
Sophia looked at Martina. ‘I pray he lets you keep her.’
‘I shall make sure of it.’ Theodora spoke confidently, even though she was convincing herself as much as Sophia. In truth, she had no idea how her fiancé would react to news that Princess Theodora Doukaina had a baby in her entourage. Duke Nikolaos was a noted general in the Imperial army, a man surely more given to command than to being persuaded. What might he say? What might he do?
She dreaded the moment of their meeting. She wished she could avoid the marriage.
Sophia looked up at her, eyes large with concern. ‘Will you marry him, despoina? Will you be able to after Župan Peter …?’
Theodora’s gaze misted. Swiftly she looked away and was vaguely aware of Sophia’s hand fluttering apologetically in her direction.
‘Theo—my lady, my apologies. I have hurt you by mentioning him.’
Theodora swallowed down the thickness in her throat. ‘Prince Peter is never out of my mind.’
‘Of course not.’ Sophia bent over Župan Peter’s child. ‘Are you ready to marry Duke Nikolaos?’
Blinking rapidly, Theodora lifted her head. A strand of brown hair uncoiled and fell across her breast, briskly she tucked it back in place. ‘I am as ready as I shall ever be.’ Her voice became a thread of sound. ‘No one can replace Peter. But, despite my many failings, I remain a princess of the Imperial House. If the Emperor insists that I marry Duke Nikolaos of Larissa, I shall obey him.’
Lady Sophia nodded and adjusted Martina’s shawl. ‘Of course. I am glad we have thought of a way you may keep this little one.’
Theodora sent Sophia a watery smile. ‘I have you to thank for that. We are simply embroidering your story.’
‘Yes, my lady. I am pleased to have been helpful, but …’
‘Yes?’
‘I want you to be happy. Can you be happy with Duke Nikolaos?’
‘I shall strive to be,’ Theodora said, firmly. ‘I am the Princess Theodora and it is my duty to cater to my husband’s happiness. My happiness will depend on his.’
Sophia opened her mouth to reply, but brisk footsteps sounded outside the lodge.
‘Hush, that will be Captain Brand.’ Deftly, Theodora dragged her shawl over her brown, simply dressed hair, arranging it so most of her features were concealed. ‘We have come this far without him realising that I am the Princess—we must not fall at the last hurdle.’ When she was satisfied that all Captain Brand would see was a pair of dark eyes, she nodded at Sophia to admit him. Not wishing to draw attention to herself, Theodora tried to speak to him as little as possible.
‘Come in,’ Lady Sophia called.
The latch clicked and Captain Brand stepped on to the threshold. Theodora nodded distantly at him. He was Anglo-Saxon, as were many men in the Varangian Guard. Because of his origins, to those born within the Empire, the Captain was as much a foreigner as Peter had been. A barbarian, an outsider. Pain twisted Theodora’s insides, a sudden cramp. She recognised the pain for what it was, an impossible longing for Peter to be brought back to life, for her life to have continued in Rascia.
Peter, why did you have to die?
She kept her features clear of emotion. She had been trained.
As had Captain Brand. Even though the man had been born in England, far beyond the reach of the Empire, he had a firm grasp of Palace protocols. In the Imperial Palace, men and women lived almost separate lives unless they were married. The unmarried women’s quarters were in one section of the Palace, the men’s in another. And Captain Brand, God bless him, had displayed his understanding of the protocols during the voyage from Dyrrachion. He had spoken to Theodora and her ladies only when absolutely necessary, and then never when one of the ladies had been on her own.
It was all so different from the friendly informality of the Rascian Court. And doubtless, when they finally reached the Imperial Palace, everything would become even more formal. Theodora’s days of freedom were over.
‘So, Captain …’ Sophia smiled politely at him ‘… have you discovered what was happening the night our galley reached the City?’
‘Yes, my lady.’ The Captain remained on the threshold. He was carrying his helmet and his hair was rain-dampened. He looked over his shoulder. ‘It is a … delicate matter.’
‘Come in, do,’ Theodora said, her hunger for news temporarily overcoming her resolution to play the part of a quiet, shy lady. ‘We are not back at Court yet.’
The Captain’s eyes widened, nevertheless, he did as he was asked, closing the door behind him.
Sweet Mary, the news must be grave indeed. And I was too forthright. I must take care not to betray myself. It was a struggle constantly having to pretend, particularly when she was impatient to learn what had been going on in Constantinople. I must keep Martina. Somehow I will find a way to keep Martina.
‘Ladies, as you know, I sent scouts back to the City after we arrived here.’
Captain Brand’s accent betrayed his foreign, barbaric birth, yet he was perfectly comprehensible. In any case, Theodora had had much practice in understanding barbarians.
‘The lighthouse, yes, of course,’ Sophia said, correctly interpreting Theodora’s subtle nod as meaning that she should take over and speak for her. ‘And the fires, the smoke drifting across the water—you thought we were in danger.’
Captain Brand nodded. ‘I was afraid there may have been some …’ he was picking his words with care ‘… unrest in the City.’
Theodora cut in, despite herself. ‘Captain, the Palace has its own walls, its own fortifications. Surely unrest in the City would not penetrate the Palace?’
‘I did not wish to take the risk, my lady. Not with Princess Theodora’s entourage. As it turns out, my instincts were right.’ His voice became confidential. ‘Ladies, my scouts tell me that, while we were at sea, there has been a palace coup.’
Theodora’s breath left her. Indeed, she was so startled she loosed her grip on her shawl and it fell away from her face. Irritably, she retrieved it. Until she was once again the Princess Theodora Doukaina, she must keep hidden. ‘A revolution?’
‘Yes, my lady. One of the generals has seized the throne.’
Theodora exchanged stunned glances with Sophia. Has the Emperor been murdered? It had happened before. Theodora’s mind began to race and her next thought was, shamingly, that perhaps the tide had turned in her favour. If the man who called himself her uncle was no longer Emperor, she might not have to marry Duke Nikolaos.
My secret will be safe, Martina will be safe. Finally, she found her voice. ‘One of the generals? Which one?’ It could not be Duke Nikolaos. It must not be the Duke. If it is the Duke …
Her mind seized up. It was bad enough to consider deceiving a general, but the thought of deceiving an Emperor …
‘Alexios Komnenos is now Emperor,’ the Captain said.
Not Duke Nikolaos. Thank God. ‘And what of my unc—?’
A sharp kick from Sophia had Theodora’s mouth snapping shut just in time. As she herself had said, they had made it thus far without mishap, it wouldn’t do to fall at the last hurdle. ‘What of Emperor Nikephoros? What has happened to him?’
‘He abdicated, my lady, about two weeks ago.’
The Emperor had abdicated.
‘Two weeks ago,’ she murmured. ‘That would have been about the time we sailed past the Palace.’
‘Yes, my lady. His Imperial Majesty Alexios Komnenos was enthroned on Easter Day. Both he and his wife—Empress Irene—have been crowned.’
Theodora struggled to control her expression, but this news had turned her world upside down.
Sophia gave her a subtle nudge and smiled sweetly at the Captain. ‘Empress Irene is a cousin of our princess, is she not?’
‘Yes, my lady, so I understand.’
Theodora shifted. This would take time to absorb, her young cousin was wearing the Imperial crown. ‘Captain, do you know if Emperor Nikephoros has come to harm?’
‘He is safe, we were informed he has retired from public life. I believe it was at the instigation of the Patriarch.’
Theodora nodded. That made sense, the Patriarch was Bishop of Constantinople, one of the most influential men in the City. That the Patriarch had suggested Emperor Nikephoros should abdicate bore testimony to the weakness of her ‘uncle’s’ regime, he had never been popular. She sighed, not much about Emperor Nikephoros had filtered back to Rascia. He was old, that much she did know.
Theodora had no genuine blood ties with Emperor Nikephoros. The man had seized the throne from her real uncle, Emperor Michael, forcing him to abdicate and retire to a monastery. He had then legitimised his claim to the throne by marrying Emperor Michael’s wife.
‘How ironic that Emperor Nikephoros should himself be forced to abdicate,’ Sophia observed.
Theodora’s thoughts raced on, the coup changed everything. It might invalidate her betrothal to Duke Nikolaos … The old Emperor had pushed for the marriage, but if he were gone …
Can I escape the marriage? Theodora looked longingly at the infant on Sophia’s lap. If I escape marriage with Duke Nikolaos, it will surely be easier to keep Martina.
‘General Alexios Komnenos has become Emperor,’ she murmured.
She might have to revise her plans. Alexios Komnenos was nothing like his aged predecessor. Theodora had a chance of hiding what she had done from the old Emperor. But the new one? Alexios Komnenos was young and vigorous, he was reputed to be highly intelligent. Holy Mother, the last thing she needed was a young, vigorous and intelligent emperor! It would be hard, if not impossible, to pull the wool over his eyes. And extremely dangerous if she were found out …
‘Yes, my lady,’ Captain Brand said. ‘Komnenos had the backing of the generals. The army was camped outside the City walls for weeks.’
‘The army?’ Theodora went very still. She had gone sharply, horribly cold. ‘I don’t suppose you know if Duke—General—Nikolaos of Larissa was with them?’
The Varangian Captain reached for the door latch. ‘Yes, my lady, I believe he returned from Larissa shortly before the coup. Duke Nikolaos is loyal to Emperor Alexios. He is his Commander-in-Chief.’
‘Where is he now?’
‘The Emperor?’
‘No, Duke Nikolaos, the Commander-in-Chief.’ Theodora watched Captain Brand’s eyebrows lift, her question had surprised him, as well it might. She rushed to explain. ‘I … I was wondering if you had heard whether … whether the Princess and the Duke have had a chance to meet?’
‘My lady, I have no idea. But if you would care to warn the other ladies about what has happened at Court, I would be grateful.’
‘Certainly, Captain,’ Sophia said. ‘Thank you for keeping us informed.’
The Captain bowed. ‘Lady Sophia, please ask the ladies to gather their belongings together. We shall board within the hour. It is only a short sail down the Bosphoros. The galley should reach the Palace Harbour early this evening.’
‘Thank you, Captain, I shall inform the others.’
When the door clicked behind the captain, Theodora sank on to the bench. ‘Holy Mother—he’s in the City! Duke Nikolaos is already in the City.’
Sophia nodded. ‘Yes, my lady.’
Martina gave a small murmur. Theodora’s throat tightened, somehow she straightened her spine. ‘I can put this off no longer, there must be no more delays. We must get to the Palace, and quickly. I can’t expect Katerina to meet the Duke in my stead.’
Chapter Two
