The Warrior's Princess Page 19

  ‘I thought I saw Dan,’ she said. ‘Didn’t you say he had gone back to England?’

  There was a moment’s silence. ‘That’s what he told us,’ Will said at last. ‘Is he coming back here?’

  Jess shook her head. ‘I didn’t speak to him. He was on the other side of the road. He disappeared.’ She hesitated. ‘Maybe it wasn’t him. It looked very like him.’

  ‘A doppelgänger,’ Kim said. She smiled. ‘We all have them.’

  There was another long silence. Will leaned forward. ‘OK, Carmella. Let’s hear what you have seen in the cards.’ He glanced down at the table. ‘One thing I don’t understand. This is presumably a different – what do you call it, a spread? – from the one you did earlier. So how do you know that it is going to say the same thing?’

  ‘The cards never lie.’ Carmella looked up at him sharply. ‘They will give the same warning, maybe in different ways, that is all.’

  Jess took a sip from her glass, savouring the cold crisp wine on her tongue for a moment. ‘So, do I gather that this is about me?’ she said at last. Her voice was sharper than she intended.

  Carmella shrugged. ‘Forgive me, but yes. It is about you. We did not finish last time. We were interrupted. I was worried. About the child and about you.’

  ‘And Dan. You warned me about Dan,’ Jess went on softly.

  Kim glanced at Will and frowned. His eyes were fixed on Jess’s face. She tried to read his expression and failed. Clearing her throat she smiled at Carmella. ‘So, shall we go on where we left off,’ she said quietly.

  Carmella shook her head sharply. ‘We were going to have a séance. That is not what I intend to do. Jess does not need us for that. The child will speak to her direct, is that not so?’ She looked up at Jess.

  Jess’s mouth went dry. She nodded. ‘She spoke to me last night. Soon she will no longer be a child,’ Jess said slowly. ‘Soon she will be a young woman.’

  ‘That is good.’ Carmella smiled. She too was watching Jess’s face. ‘But this reading is not about Eigon. This is about you.’ She tapped the cards with her fingernail. ‘And now I shall shuffle the cards and we will start again with you here to cut the pack. Then if we get the same message, we know the cards speak the truth!’ She transferred her gaze to Will for a moment. Sweeping the cards together she gathered them up and shuffled them slowly. When the deck was neatly together to her satisfaction she put it down in front of Jess. ‘Do it.’

  Jess put down her glass. She leaned forward and put her hand over the cards.

  ‘Wait,’ Carmella instructed. ‘Before you touch them. Think for a moment, what it is you want to know. Do not tell me, just think about it and when you are ready then you take the cards.’

  ‘This should be a question about Eigon?’

  ‘Anything.’ Carmella squinted up at her for a moment. ‘Anything at all.’ She sat back and reached for her glass. ‘My grandmother always lit incense in the room before and after consulting the cards,’ she commented quietly. Again she had had that strange feeling of unease, as though someone else, faraway was tuning in to the reading. ‘She said the cards were sacred. This is not a game. This is a ritual.’

  ‘So, you have incense?’ Will looked more quizzical than ever.

  Carmella shrugged. ‘Stefano was horrified by such things, wasn’t he, Kim?’ She laughed. ‘He loved the cards, but for him they were a joke. For other people. Part of me feels bad about doing this here. He would not have liked it. But I take seriously what it says. No, I have brought no incense in respect to Stefano’s wishes, but here,’ she thumped her breast, ‘in my heart, I say a prayer as I did for your little girl.’ She took a sip of wine, set down her glass, and sat forward again. ‘You are ready, Jess?’

  Jess nodded. Suddenly she was feeling nervous. She waited for several seconds then cautiously she cut the pack as instructed.

  ‘OK. I need you to concentrate.’ Picking up the cards, Carmella divided them into three piles.

  ‘Wait a minute.’ Will sat forward. ‘Surely it is for Jess to pick out the cards.’

  Carmella glanced up and frowned. ‘That is not the way I usually work.’

  ‘But in this case I think you should let her do it. The reading is supposed to be about her.’

  ‘Will, I don’t mind. I don’t know how to do it,’ Jess said quickly.

  ‘You know about reading the cards, Will?’ Kim put in. ‘You sound like an expert suddenly.’

  ‘I want to see it done right.’ Will pursed his lips. ‘No, I’m not an expert; no, I don’t believe in this stuff, but I don’t want to see you, Jess, being set up to panic about some ridiculous event that is not going to happen –’

  ‘So, how exactly will who chooses the cards affect what Carmella says if you think the whole thing is a set up?’ Kim retorted. ‘I suggest you take a glass of wine and go and sit next door while we get on with this.’

  ‘No.’ Carmella held up her hand. ‘No, he is right to be cautious. And he is right, sometimes people let the querent – that’s the word they use in English, Will – choose the cards. I don’t mind. Jess, please take out nine from the pack and lay them on the table face down for me in three groups of three.’

  Jess glared at Will. She leaned forward and picking up the pack she dealt the cards and laid them down in front of her as she had been instructed. She reached to turn the first one over but Carmella stretched out her hand.

  ‘No, I will turn them up, if Will does not object, and I will read them for you.’ There were a few seconds of silence as she adjusted the cards to her satisfaction then finally she turned over the first. She caught her breath.

  Jess frowned. ‘What?’

  Carmella said nothing. She proceeded to turn over the rest of the cards. They watched her as she studied the layout for a long time, then at last she looked up. ‘I am not accustomed to being accused of cheating,’ she glanced sternly at Will, ‘but this reading proves that what I have read before and said before is right. The same card has come up.’ She pointed. ‘Il re di coppe. The king of cups and he is ill-dignified. Upside down. This is the man who pursues you, Jess. He came up before when Steph asked me about you, do you remember, Steph? He speaks of danger to you. This is a dangerous, vicious man. A man who is jealous and who feels threatened by you.’

  Jess looked at Steph. Her face was white. ‘I told you.’

  ‘See here, and here.’ Carmella pointed to first one card and then the next. ‘Il sei di spade e il otto di spade.’ She shook her head. ‘Both, negativo. This is so bad. You do know who it is I am talking about?’

  Jess nodded. ‘Dan,’ she whispered.

  ‘Oh per-lease!’ Kim said impatiently. ‘He said you would say this. He told us you were completely paranoid about him!’

  ‘He said what?’ Jess looked at her angrily.

  ‘He said –’ Kim looked at Will. ‘Back me up here, Will! Look, Dan left because of you. He told us what happened in London.’

  Jess froze. ‘What did he tell you?’

  ‘He’s gone.’ Kim scowled. ‘There is no point in going over it!’

  ‘There is every point!’ Jess flashed back. ‘What did he tell you?’

  Kim shook her head. ‘Leave it, Jess, please. I shouldn’t have said anything.’

  ‘I don’t want to leave it.’ Jess looked from one to the other round the low table. Carmella was staring down at the cards. Will was staring deep into the glass he was holding between his knees, twiddling the stem between restless fingers, refusing to meet her eye. Steph was staring from Jess to Kim uncomfortably.

  ‘I think you should tell us exactly what he said, Kim,’ Steph said at last. She glanced back at her sister. ‘Jess has a right to know.’

  ‘I’ll tell you what he said,’ Will said suddenly. He looked directly at Jess and held her gaze. ‘He said that after you and I broke up you developed a serious crush on him. He said you threw yourself at him and when he didn’t respond you accused him of raping you.’

  ‘I knew
it!’ Jess stood up. ‘The bastard! He’s turned it all round! Tell them, Steph!’

  ‘You knew about all this?’ Kim swung to face Steph.

  ‘Jess told me last night,’ Steph said quietly. ‘We had a long talk about it after Dan followed her to the Forum.’

  ‘Like he followed her this afternoon?’ Kim said. She raised an eyebrow.

  The colour flared into Jess’s cheeks. ‘I’m not sure about this afternoon, I told you. It probably wasn’t him –’

  ‘It probably wasn’t him yesterday either, Jess,’ Will said gently.

  ‘Excuse me,’ Carmella put in at last. ‘May I speak, please?’ She looked at them all in turn. ‘The cards do not lie. They see a dangerous man in Jess’s life. They see a devious man. A man who can lie and cheat to get his way. They see accidents. They see the past catching up with Jess. They say she can no longer run away.’

  ‘This is not about Dan!’ Kim said firmly.

  ‘Why not Dan?’ Jess narrowed her eyes. ‘What is it between you and Dan, Kim?

  ‘Enough!’ Will stood up abruptly. ‘Let’s stop all this right now. Take your cards, Carmella, and go home please. We don’t need to listen for another moment to all this nonsense.’ Stooping he swept the layout into a heap.

  ‘No!’ Carmella threw her hands across the cards to protect them.

  ‘This is at best a party game, at worst, downright evil. You are exploiting someone’s unhappiness and weakness. It is a complete nonsense!’ Will said angrily.

  ‘This is none of your business, Will!’ Jess burst out, furious. ‘How dare you interrupt.’

  ‘Oh, I dare! Believe me, I dare. When I see you being exploited and damaged by all this superstitious clap trap!’

  ‘I am not being exploited and damaged!’ Jess stood up and faced him. ‘It is you who should leave, Will. No one asked you to come here. None of this is anything to do with you any more. Go back to England and leave me alone!’ To her fury she felt her eyes fill with angry tears. She turned away, determined he wouldn’t see them and headed for the door. ‘Forget it, all of you. None of you believes me. Just forget it!’

  Carmella climbed to her feet. Stepping quickly round the table she caught Jess’s arm. ‘Wait. Here.’ She pulled a wallet out of her bag and extracted a small card. ‘If you need me, call me, OK?’

  Jess stared down at the card. ‘Thanks.’ She pushed it into her pocket.

  ‘Jess! Wait!’ Will called after her but she had already opened the door and was heading down the hallway.

  Will ran after her. Slamming the door on the other three he raced after her and caught up with her near the front door. He grabbed her arm and swung her to face him. ‘Jess, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I care about you, that’s all. You can’t believe a word Carmella says. She thinks she’s helping you but she’s not, believe me. You have to face up to the truth.’

  ‘Face the truth?’ Jess retorted. ‘But you don’t know what the truth is!’ A tear trickled down her cheek and she dashed it away furiously. ‘It is my word against his. Why does everyone believe him and not me? Except Steph. And Carmella. She believes me because the cards have shown her what kind of a person Dan is.’

  ‘I can quite believe he has behaved like a bastard,’ Will said quietly.

  She wrenched her arm away from his hand.

  ‘It’s the whole thing. The drama. The accusations. The ghosts!’

  ‘The ghosts?’ Jess stared at him. ‘You think I’m mad because of Eigon?’

  ‘Not mad, Jess –’

  ‘Not mad, but –?’

  He shrugged. ‘You’ve been under a lot of strain. Dan said they had asked you to resign.’

  ‘And you believe him, of course.’

  He hesitated.

  ‘Did you actually ask Brian why I resigned?’

  ‘I did actually.’ He shrugged again. ‘He said it was a private decision. Your decision.’

  ‘Of course!’ Turning away she almost stamped her foot in frustration. ‘And so it was. I was hardly going to tell him that Dan raped me!’

  Will stared at her, appalled. There was a long silence. She saw anger, disbelief, sympathy, flash in turn across his face. When at last he spoke his voice was gentle. ‘If he raped you, Jess, why did you not go to the police? Why did you not tell someone. Anyone.’ He put out his hand again. ‘I still don’t understand.’

  She stared at him. ‘Why not? What is so hard? I was violated physically and emotionally in my own home. For a long time I didn’t know who had done it. I thought it was Ash. I thought it was you, for God’s sake! I trusted Dan. I never suspected him. I confided in him.’ She gave a sob of anger. ‘I took his advice!’

  Behind them the door opened. Steph appeared. ‘Are you OK, Jess?’

  ‘No! No, I’m not OK. Apparently I am a deluded paranoid liar!’ She turned away and ran towards her bedroom. Reaching it she slammed the door in Will’s face and turned the key.

  There was a figure standing in the middle of the room.

  ‘Eigon?’

  Jess stood, her back against the door, adrenaline pouring through her stomach as the figure turned to face her. This was an older Eigon, tall, leggy, perhaps fourteen or fifteen, dressed in a creamy mantle and gown, her hair black as a raven’s wing, bound with deep blue ribbon, gold jewellery at her wrists and throat.

  It’s not safe to go out. He’s out there, watching. He’s waiting. I didn’t know it! I had made myself forget!

  She was fading before Jess’s eyes. Jess slumped where she stood, leaning against the door, too exhausted to move or react as the figure disappeared completely.

  ‘I’m mad,’ she said out loud. ‘They are right. I am completely mad.’

  Pushing herself away from the door she walked over to the window and looked out. It was growing dark. The courtyard seemed deserted as always although someone must go there occasionally, she thought wearily. Gardeners. The janitor. Perhaps even the tenants. The peace down there was tangible, broken only by the gentle patter of the water in the fountain and in the distance that all pervasive constant hum of traffic.

  A movement in the shadows caught her eye. She frowned, aware suddenly that she was silhouetted in the open window against the dim light from her bedside lamp.

  She leaned forward, trying to see what was out there. ‘Eigon?’ It was a whisper. Then she saw him. Dan was standing on a patch of neatly trimmed grass, surrounded by small immaculate box hedges, arms folded as he stared up at her window. She drew back sharply. Flying over to the bed she snapped off the light then she crept back to the window on tiptoe and peered out again, her heart hammering in her chest. There was no sign of him.

  Behind her there was a soft knock at the door.

  ‘Go away!’ she called. Her voice was shaking.

  ‘Jess, it’s Steph. Please, let me in. We need to talk.’

  ‘No.’ She was scanning the garden, trying to see as the dusk thickened into darkness.

  ‘Please, Jess.’ Steph tapped again.

  Jess could see nothing out there now. Only the sound of the water splashing into its wide stone basin disturbed the emptiness.

  She went to the door and unlocked it.

  Steph stepped into the room. ‘Why are you in the dark?’

  ‘Because –’ Jess stopped herself in time. Because Dan is out there in the dark, watching my window. She had almost said it out loud. But he couldn’t be. How would he get down there into the centre of the palazzo, into a courtyard surrounded by high walls with no door that she could see, save the French doors from the four downstairs apartments which led directly out onto the gravelled paths around the edge of the gardens. None of them had been open. All were locked and shuttered, their owners away to the cooler climate of the coast or the mountains. She sighed. Walking over to the bed she snapped the lamp on again, then she went to the window and pulled the shutters closed against the night. ‘Has Carmella gone?’

  ‘Yes.’ Steph sat down on the bed. ‘Apparently Dan had a long talk with Kim
and Will before he left. He told them his version of what happened in London, and told them not to tell me.’

  ‘And did he tell them what happened at Ty Bran?’

  Steph shrugged. ‘I don’t know. They didn’t mention it. He’s done a good job of trying to destroy your credibility, but they are your friends, Jess. They are not convinced. Not for a moment. Not even Kim, who used to be besotted with him.’ She hesitated. ‘Will is still in love with you, you know.’

  ‘You said that before.’ Jess sniffed. She came and sat down on the bed next to Steph. ‘It doesn’t seem to stop him thinking I’m mad. Perhaps I am mad.’ She gave a watery smile.

  ‘No. You are under a lot of strain.’

  ‘Rhodri could tell you what happened at Ty Bran. He saw the way Dan was.’

  ‘Rhodri Price?’ Steph shook her head. She grimaced. ‘He’s in Milan.’

  ‘And probably wouldn’t back me up anyway.’ Jess slumped back against the pillows. ‘What am I going to do?’ She glanced towards the window. Was Dan out there at this very moment, waiting for the chance to climb up to her window? She shivered.

  Steph noticed. ‘Can you try and put all this behind you, Jess? We’ll pretend none of it happened. Dan has gone. Will says he will go home too, if you want him to. Then you can relax and have a really nice holiday. Go on sightseeing and concentrate on your painting. Get some colour back in your cheeks.’ She reached out and put her hand over Jess’s. ‘For what it’s worth, I never cared for Dan much. He’s too plausible. Too charming. And he’s got cruel eyes.’ She shuddered. ‘It’s funny how I never noticed that before. I believe Carmella. God knows how she does it but she does seem to be very accurate with those cards of hers. Perhaps she’s very intuitive or just a shrewd judge of character, but for whatever reason I think she’s got Dan right.’ Sighing, she shook her head. She drew her knees up to her chin and hugged them.

  ‘And what about Eigon,’ Jess said softly. ‘Do you believe in her too?’

  Steph glanced at her sideways. ‘I believe that Ty Bran is haunted.’