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Katerina’s stomach gave a sick lurch. Sergeant Toki was stalking towards their ship, the parchment crushed in his fist. Some straw from one of the packing cases was wafting across the dock; he strode straight through it.
Oh, no!
And there stood Princess Theodora amidst the bright, sparkling flutter that was her ladies. The Princess was affecting carelessness as baby Martina, snug in Lady Sophia’s arms, was being clucked over by an enormous Varangian with legs like tree trunks.
Had the message been intercepted before or after it had been delivered?
Katerina bit her lip. Commander Ashfirth was by the handrail, head tipped to one side as he watched his sergeant’s approach. No more than curious yet.
Holy Virgin, this was not good.
Katerina’s heartbeat quickened; she wanted to wave at the Princess, to jump up and down and catch her eye. Had she read the letter before it was intercepted? Katerina had to know.
With a frown, Commander Ashfirth pushed away from the handrail and went to meet his sergeant. His eyebrows became a black line. The sergeant pointed, first at the galley, then at Katerina. There was a brief exchange of words and the parchment exchanged hands. And then Commander Ashfirth was striding towards her, the heels of his boots loud on the deck.
‘Lady Theodora?’
Katerina stood tall. The look in those turquoise eyes alarmed her, the set of his mouth was unyielding. She cleared her throat. Her mouth was dry with fear, but she would die before he knew it. ‘Sir?’
His jaw clenched as he took her arm above the elbow. It was not a gentle grip.
Heart banging like fury, Katerina lifted a brow. She glanced loftily down at the hand on her elbow, as though startled that he had dared to touch her. React as a real princess would react.
‘Really, sir!’ She was pleased with the way her voice came out. Shocked. Indignant. With a small hint of outrage.
It had no effect. The Commander’s fingers tightened like steel, and she was swivelled towards the canvas shelter.
Anna made a movement as though to come to her aid. Hastily, Katerina shook her head.
‘This way, my lady,’ Commander Ashfirth spoke through gritted teeth.
Strong fingers bit into her as she was hauled towards the pavilion and unceremoniously bundled inside.
Chapter Four
He paused in the entrance, and for a brief moment the glare of light from the deck made a silhouette of him. Time seemed to stop, and for a heart-stopping moment he was stripped of his individuality. This was not Ashfirth Saxon, Commander of the Varangian Guard, but a broad-shouldered, powerful man such as she had seen striding across the side of an antique vase. A man with no face. He was invincible, one of the heroes of myth, and she was entirely in his power.
Katerina’s hands began to shake.No, no, no. Not now. I am no longer a slave forced to do every man’s bidding.
Bile rushed to her mouth and she was swept back in time to the moment when Vukan—a fellow slave—had pushed her into a storeroom and issued her with an ultimatum.
‘Bed with me,’ Vukan had said, ‘and I will keep you safe from the others. No one else will come near you.’
Outside, the gulls were screeching in Dyrrachion’s harbour.
I am no longer in Rascia. Think about the gulls scrabbling for leftovers from a fisherman’s haul; think about anything, but do not let the old fears take hold. You must act at all times as though you are the Princess.
Ashfirth Saxon stepped towards her and the instant the light fell on his face—proving beyond doubt that this was the Commander—the blind terror left her. Her pulse remained jumpy, she was still afraid, but this was a different type of fear; she had battled with it before and had survived. This was the fear of a woman when confronted by a strong man. Thank God, she had kept her head high, she did not think he had noticed her moment of abject terror.
‘Really, sir! How dare you manhandle me in such a way? And how dare you come in here? Toki assured me this shelter was for my personal use.’ Her voice did not tremble, the blind fear was entirely gone.
He towers over me, but then he would tower over most men. He cannot hurt me, I am the Princess.
Ashfirth Saxon was furious. It had been there in the hard grip of his fingers and it was still there in the set of those wide shoulders. Katerina put her chin up. It was most strange though, because even though she knew this man was angry her terror had quite gone. Men, yes, she remained wary of men in general, but not this particular one. It was incredible. Was it because she had finally met one who could control himself? She had begun to think no such man existed.
Don’t be a fool! The only reason this man will not harm you is because he believes you to be the Princess.
With an impatient noise, he turned away to close the tent-flaps. The shadows deepened, and Katerina was alone with a man as she had not been since the dark days of her slavery.
And the abject terror did not return, though her heart thudded like a drum.
‘My lady, explain yourself, if you please.’ His voice was strained, his fist clenched and unclenched on the parchment.
He is angry but he will not hurt me. He is not Vukan. He will not demand sexual submission as the price of his protection.If she repeated this to herself often enough, she would believe it.He will not hurt me, he is not Vukan …
‘What do you mean by sending this frivolous piece of nonsense—’ he waved the letter under her nose ‘—to the other ship?’
‘Frivolous nonsense? Sir, I do not care for your tone.’ A glint in his eyes warned her that she was testing his patience. She gave a careless shrug. ‘Some of my belongings were packed in the wrong coffer. I asked one of my women to bring them over.’
‘You were missing some belongings? Oh, dear, Lady Theodora, that will not do.’
His tone was blistering; she squirmed inside.
Unrolling the parchment, he started to read. Holy Virgin, the man could read Greek! ‘"To Katerina, my body servant. Greetings, “ it says. “I have discovered my favourite ivory comb is not with me, the one engraved with Celtic patterns. It is in the holly-wood box, along with my silver hairpins and tortoise-shell comb. I need those too. Anna says we will need them to dress my hair properly. Please be so good as to find them. I order you to bring them to my ship at once. I cannot sail without them. “’ His lip curled. ‘"A comb…hairpins…I cannot sail without them. ” Lord, my lady, I thought I made it plain. We cannot be seen to communicate with the other ship.’ His blue eyes burned like flame. ‘It was not a light request. This is no palace game. Your person—’ a long finger stabbed at her breastbone ‘—is at risk here, your person.’
Again his hand came towards her, but before he touched her a second time, his fingers curled and the hand was lowered. It came to her that he had not intended to touch her and that he had startled himself by so doing. He glared at her. ‘Do you understand, my lady?’
‘Thank you, sir, you have made your views plain. I shall not attempt a second communication with my woman.’
‘No, my lady, you will not. I have seen to that.’
At her puzzled expression, Ashfirth Saxon lifted an eyebrow. Opening the canvas door-flap, he pointed outside.
They were moving! Their ship was sliding slowly by the large vessel, indeed, it had almost reached the edge of the dock. She saw the bright flash of silk, a burst of female laughter, the flash of a silver bangle. Close to hand, a rope creaked; a sailor shouted an order. A deckhand ran past the entrance to the pavilion. Another shout. The ship gave a slight jolt.
‘We have cast off!’
‘Yes, we are underway. That should put paid to any further attempts to communicate with the other ship.’ He leaned towards her. ‘Tell my, my lady, do you usually ignore advice when it is offered? Or only when it suits you?’
‘Sir?’
He spoke through clenched teeth. ‘I am the Emperor’s right hand. His sword arm. When I command you, it is your Emperor who commands you. Is that clear?’
Katerina tried to look down her nose at him which, given his height, proved impossible. ‘Perfectly.’
‘Good. I am going to give you some more advice, and this time you are going to heed it.’
‘Oh?’
‘You are remain in this tent for the rest of the day. Sergeant Toki will be posted outside.’
She drew in a breath. ‘You would confine a princess?’
‘Until I know she will do as she is told, yes. As I said, this is no game. I have my orders. I shall send Lady Anna to join you, and you will both remain in here until all chances of bribing one of the sailors is past.’ He let the tent-flap fall back into place and the shadows closed in again, creating an illusion of intimacy. He sighed. ‘I am sorry if you consider that I have violated your privacy, my lady, but we could hardly have this conversation out on the deck. With the exception of the captain, the sailors of this ship believe you to be a Greek noblewoman returning to Constantinople. Only my men know the truth. My main concern, my only concern, is to ensure your safety. And to that end I am prepared to sacrifice anything.’ He tucked the parchment into his belt and made a sound of exasperation. ‘I thought you were intelligent, I thought you could be relied upon to understand the gravity of your situation. I seem to have misjudged you. Hairpins, indeed! I will not make that mistake again, I can assure you.’
So tall and assured. With every moment spent in his company, the conviction was growing that Ashfirth Saxon was a rarity in Katerina’s world, a dependable man. The Princess had insisted that such men existed and that Katerina was a fool if she let her experiences blind her to them.
He might confine me, but I really do not think he will hurt me.
Determination shone in those turquoise eyes. This man appeared to mean it when he said he was prepared to sacrifice anything for her. She was the Princess and he had been ordered to see to her safety. Many men would pay lip service to their orders, but if she could trust her instincts, this one was a rarity. He would carry out his orders with ruthless thoroughness, he would ensure her safety, he would die for her.
He thinks you are the Princess. If he knew your real identity, he would toss you overboard sooner than breathe.
Katerina thought quickly. Was Ashfirth Saxon dependable enough to be trusted with the truth? With matters as they stood, the real princess was in danger!
No, she could say nothing, it was not her truth to tell. She must remember her place—she was but a maidservant carrying out her mistress’s orders. It was not up to her to reveal Princess Theodora’s deception. I do not like lying to this man, but I have no choice. What an irony! The one time in her life she needed a man who was not dependable, and the Emperor sent this one! She could have done with someone like Commander Ashfirth years ago; God mocked her to send him now.
His eyes had darkened. He cleared his throat and shifted back a pace. ‘My lady, I will send Lady Anna to you.’
Katerina’s pulse quickened. Is he attracted to me? Yes, I think he is. He is watching my mouth, his fingers are digging into his palm, and …
The realisation that Ashfirth Saxon might be attracted to her sent panicky thoughts flying this way and that. Her stomach clenched; she could not cope with this!
Remain calm. Concentrate. This man is not driven by his baser instincts, he does not expect sexual favours from you, nor will he force compliance on you even if he desires you.
Indeed, there appeared to be a steadiness in his character that was at odds with what little Katerina knew of his comrades in the Varangian Guard. They were known to be wild, fierce fighters who fought to the death. Mercenary barbarians. If they had a fault, it was loyalty. No, they had another fault, Varangians had something of a reputation for drinking themselves insensible. It was hard to visualise this man doing such a thing, Commander Ashfirth was all control; anyone could see that.
Unfortunately, as far as she was concerned, this presented something of a challenge.
What if something happened to the Varangian galley while she was masquerading as her mistress? She would never forgive herself if the Princess and her baby came to harm.
What could she do? She was following the orders of her mistress. It would help if she knew more about Ashfirth Saxon’s background and nature. Perhaps he was not quite as honourable as she imagined. If she could only question him without raising his suspicions, she might discover another way to get word back to the Princess. But he was so angry with her! She must try to make amends.
He tipped his head, his attention caught by one of her earrings…that is, by one of the earrings Princess Theodora had given her. It was a gold filigree butterfly, Katerina had been told it came from somewhere in the East, somewhere beyond the land of the Turks.
‘Thank you, sir—’ she kept her expression carefully neutral ‘—I should enjoy Lady Anna’s company, but I do have some questions.’
His gaze shifted from the butterfly. ‘My lady?’
‘Will we make landfall this evening?’
‘No, tonight we will anchor offshore.’
‘Shall we be dining on board?’
‘Yes…but I should warn you, my lady, you will have to accustom yourself to simple fare. You and Lady Anna will be served here in the pavilion.’
‘I understand. It is Lent, I was not expecting a banquet.’ She smiled. ‘Sir, I have a favour to ask.’
A dark eyebrow lifted, his eyes were fixed on hers.
‘Since you have seen fit to deprive me of the company of my other ladies, and since you have confined me in here, I would be grateful if you would join us for the evening meal.’
His eyes were briefly lit by what looked like surprise. And was that a disarming hint of uncertainty? Yes, it was uncertainty; she had wrong-footed him with her invitation to dine. The tension lifted a little.
Then he bowed and shielded his eyes. ‘Thank you, my lady, I would be honoured.’
With a slight smile, he ducked out onto the deck, the parchment still in his belt.
Katerina stared at the swinging tent-flap.
Good, she would use tonight to learn as much as she could about Commander Ashfirth. She would test him. Subtly, of course. She would begin by seeing if he was one of the men who had helped the Varangians earn their hard-drinking reputation; she would try loosening his tongue with wine.
It was vital to find out exactly who she was dealing with, and not only for the Princess’s sake. If the unthinkable happened and the Princess did come to harm, the letter exonerating Katerina from blame might prove worthless, not to mention the promise of land and the gift of jewels. And as for that other precious document that was hidden in the jewel chest—the document of manumission that proved she was no longer a slave—that would become irrelevant. Would it weigh in her favour that Katerina had been obeying orders? She certainly hoped so, but she could not be sure.
Commander Ashfirth might appear to be able to control his temper, he might appear to be dependable, but he was a man. When he discovered how Katerina had deceived him, even he must be roused to anger. And men, as she had so painfully learned, became vicious when angry.
How confusing it was! She put her hand to her aching forehead. For years Katerina had longed to meet a reliable, temperate man, and now she thought she had found one, she felt as though she was stumbling about in a blindfold. But one thing she could see—their ship might be on its way to the capital, but that need not prevent her from helping the Princess.
The pretence must go on, she thought, as the ship’s bow lifted on a wind-blown wave.
The sun had set some time ago. The huge red-and-white striped mainsail had been furled, and above the mast the heavens were velvet black and patterned with stars. They were anchored in a secluded bay off the coast of Epirus. No Normans had been sighted this far south, but even though it was known to be a safe area, Ash had taken the precaution of putting extra men on watch.
He made sure to present himself outside the Princess’s quarters in plenty of time. It wasn’t polite to keep a member of the Imperial family waiting. His lips twisted. Princess Theodora might not be entertaining him in the Great Palace, but he felt he owed her this courtesy. She had taken the loss of her ladies and his punishment for attempting to summon her body-servant far better than he had anticipated. Her invitation to dine had surprised him.
A horn lantern swung gently from a pole set outside the pavilion. The light from a lamp inside was filtering through the canvas, like a full moon shining through cloud.
He straightened his belt and shoved his hand through his hair. In honour of the occasion—dining alone with a princess was not something Ash had done before—he was wearing a blackberry-coloured silk tunic, one that up until this moment had seemed fine enough. By rights Ash should be wearing his dress uniform, but the necessity for secrecy had made that impossible. The crew had no idea who he was, any more than they knew that the lady they were returning to Constantinople was in truth a princess.
He straightened his tunic. Why the devil do I feel so ill at ease? The tunic had been an extravagance; it was banded with metallic embroidery at the neck and hem. Tonight it did not seem nearly fine enough. At his wrist there was a dull gleam of gold—his father’s armring. The arm-ring was the only tangible reminder of his former life in England. Conscious that the Greeks must view Anglo-Saxon adornments as barbaric, Ash usually kept it out of sight beneath his sleeve. Tonight, on a rare impulse, he had left it showing.
He cleared his throat. ‘Ladies, it is I, Ashfirth Saxon.’
The flap lifted back, Lady Anna gestured him inside.
‘Come in, sir.’
In the past few years, Ash had made it his business to learn Court protocols. The Great Palace was ordered by rules, and soon after he had arrived he had realised that, if he were to succeed in his new life, he had best learn them.
However, this situation was unlike any he had encountered. He was dining with a princess who had but a single lady-in-waiting in attendance. He doubted there were protocols for a situation such as this.
‘Good evening, Lady Anna.’
Princess Theodora’s bed had been made up to resemble a couch and she was lying on her side, propped up on her elbow in the Roman style. Cushions with great silken tassels had appeared; she was surrounded by furs and richly coloured rugs. In a flowing green gown and diaphanous veil, she could have been an Empress of the old Empire. Her headband glittered with gemstones.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Lady Anna’s bed had been made up in the same way; there was a camping stool and.
An emerald ring flashed as a small hand was extended from the furs. Her doe’s eyes glowed in the lamplight. ‘Good evening, sir.’
