The Warrior's Princess Read online

  ‘You know it’s not that!’ Eigon was indignant. ‘Melinus has great respect for your faith. He went to the city to visit your grandfather yesterday.’

  ‘So?’ Antonia was not to be deflected. ‘Do you not think my brother deserves a visit too? Do you not find him attractive?’

  Eigon smiled. She glanced up under her lashes. ‘You know I do.’ She heaved a great sigh. ‘It’s just not going to happen, Antonia. You know it can’t. I shall never marry. My parents are in no position to give me a dowry. They have no money. Anyway, we are prisoners here. Slaves, in a way. The Emperor would have to be asked and he would never allow me to marry.’

  She closed her eyes, feeling the sun on her lids. This was a subject she did not want to pursue. She was human. She had longings and dreams and Julius appeared in all of them. From time to time she abandoned herself to tears in the dark loneliness of her bedroom, after allowing herself to wonder what would happen if she gave way to her longing to follow him into the darkness of the gardens in the evening and raise her face to his for a kiss.

  ‘Grandfather could persuade the Senate to agree; and he would not insist on a dowry!’ This time Antonia was not going to be deterred from her theme. ‘It is nonsense to say you are slaves. Your father is a king! No one will stop you if you both want it. But maybe your parents would not want you to marry a Christian? Have you told them that’s what we are?’

  Eigon shook her head.

  Antonia shrugged. ‘Our next door neighbour on one side became a Christian himself last year. He comes to the meetings in our house. The senator on the other side is an old friend of grandfather’s. I am sure he would ignore any rumours about us. He must have guessed.’ She smiled and the sadness vanished from her eyes. ‘You do like Julius though, don’t you?’ she persisted.

  Eigon nodded.

  ‘And his religion wouldn’t be a problem for you?’

  Eigon shook her head. ‘I love hearing stories of your Jesus and his miracles. And he was one of the greatest healers of all time from what I hear.’ She grinned. ‘If I’m honest I think Melinus is halfway to believing that your Jesus was actually a Druid.’

  Antonia looked shocked for a moment, then she laughed. ‘Maybe he was.’

  ‘Julia likes Julius, you know.’ Eigon changed the subject abruptly.

  ‘I thought she loved young Flavius. You said they had been a couple more or less for years.’ Antonia smiled. ‘She’s always out with him.’

  Eigon nodded. ‘They’ve been friends since we were all children. The trouble is that Flavius is nowhere near her league socially. His father is our steward here. He’s a freedman. Julia’s uncle was governor of Britannia. She could never marry Flavius. He knows that and so does she. She’s set her cap at your brother since that first day we met you.’ She sat back for a moment with a sigh. ‘How does it feel to have two women in love with your brother?’

  ‘Ah! So you do love him!’ Antonia pounced.

  Eigon smiled. ‘Only one of us is in a position to do anything about it and that is Julia. He could do a lot worse. Her family is rich and well connected. And her aunt is a Christian.’

  Antonia shook her head. ‘I don’t think Aulus Plautius knows that even now! I doubt if he would allow Julia anywhere near Julius if it was suspected that we are Christians.’ She broke off abruptly, turning towards the house. ‘Who’s there?’

  The doorway was empty.

  Eigon frowned. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Someone was there, listening, I’m sure they were! They must have heard me.’ Antonia had gone pale. She jumped to her feet and running to the doorway she stared into the atrium. There was no one there. The place drowsed in the silence of the hot afternoon.

  ‘I don’t think anyone heard,’ she whispered as she came back to the chairs. ‘But we must be careful. Even here there are spies.’

  Especially here. Melinus had warned Eigon to be on her guard with Aelius a long time ago. If he had been listening how much of their conversation had he overheard? Her heart sank.

  But already Antonia was laughing again. ‘I’m talking nonsense. This must be the safest place in the world!’

  ‘… Safe! The safest place in the world!’

  The words echoed in Jess’s head. She woke again, her eyes wide, staring round the room. It was still dark, but thin rays of sunlight were beginning to find their way through the closed shutters onto the carpet.

  Eigon had met St Peter. Jess sat up, amazed and energised. Had that been a dream, or was it real? She stared round her again, half-expecting to see the room filled with shadowy figures, the men in togas, the women in gowns of beautiful colours with stoles around their shoulders, the old man with white hair bestowing his blessings amongst them with so much love and warmth she could feel it now herself. And the two girls. Friends. Chatting about love in the afternoon sun.

  She glanced at her watch, memories of the previous day suddenly flooding back. It was just after six and the shadows had gone. Rising wearily from the bed she went over to the window and threw the shutters open. The street was dazzling in the early sunshine, the traffic already heavy.

  There was a quiet knock at the door. ‘Are you up, Jess?’ Steph pushed it open. ‘Kim has told Jacopo to call a taxi. We’ll all help you down with your stuff.’

  Jess turned round. ‘Let me jump in the shower and I’ll be with you.’

  ‘Any sign of Dan out there?’

  Jess shook her head. ‘The street is already crowded. He could be anywhere. Are you sure this idea is going to work?’

  Steph shrugged. ‘I can’t think of a better one, can you?’

  Kim had told Jacopo to call a taxi for the airport. The instruction was to be given loudly to the taxi driver as well. If anyone was listening, or if the old man was bribed to tell, the story would be the same. Jess was going back to England.

  Rhodri was waiting for her at his hotel. Within seconds her bags had been whisked away, the disappointed taxi driver paid off and she was with Rhodri in a corner of the restaurant garden. They settled at a small table, surrounded by vivid clusters of plants. The early morning was wonderfully cool and fresh. He smiled at her. ‘Are you OK?’

  She nodded wanly. ‘Will?’

  ‘I’ve been in to see him first thing. He’s fine. They will release him later this afternoon. I have suggested he goes straight home.’

  ‘Home?’

  Rhodri nodded. ‘Back to London.’

  ‘So Dan will think we are both going back there.’

  ‘Will will be OK, Jess.’ Rhodri put his hand over hers for a fraction of a second. ‘He can go straight to his parents. He said they live somewhere deep in the country.’

  Jess smiled. ‘They do. Cornwall.’

  ‘He’ll be safe there. Stop worrying.’

  ‘And what about me? Where am I going to go? I can’t stay here.’

  ‘You can. As long as you like. I’ve checked you in with me.’ He chuckled. ‘Sorry. Will it ruin your reputation? The thing is, I have a suite here. Stupid extravagance, but you have to allow the star a few perks!’ He signed the chit as the waiter brought them some coffee. ‘As soon as we are sure that Dan has gone racing back to England after you, you can, if you’d rather not stay with me, go back to Kim’s flat and get on with your holiday.’

  ‘And if he doesn’t go?’

  ‘I’ll smuggle you back to Wales.’

  Their eyes met for a moment and he grinned. ‘Best I can do for now!’

  She shrugged. ‘You’ve been fantastic, Rhodri. I’m so grateful.’ She gave a small embarrassed smile. ‘Sorry. That seems a bit inadequate considering you probably risked your life to rescue Will.’

  He considered for a moment. ‘I probably did, didn’t I. But then, so did you. I hope he’s duly grateful. He has at least asked me to convey his apologies to Carmella for ever doubting her abilities. He’s not such a bad guy, Will.’ With another quick glance at her, he leaned forward and picked up his cup.

  She sat for a moment in
silence, frowning. He sat back in his chair, watching her, content to wait for whatever thought was distracting her to surface. When she spoke it was the perfect non sequitur. ‘Are you a Christian, Rhodri?’

  He looked startled. ‘Now, that is a question I was not expecting! Why do you want to know?’

  She hesitated for a moment. ‘I had a strange dream last night. About Eigon. I dreamed she met St Peter here in Rome.’

  ‘Ah.’ He nodded. ‘I see. Well, the answer to your question is yes and no. Officially yes. I was baptised. I sing a lot of religious music and it moves me. But I’m not a churchgoer as such.’

  ‘Nor am I. I never have been,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘My parents weren’t into that sort of stuff, so I missed out on the family tradition thing and I’ve never really understood what it was all about. I absorbed my philosophy of life from literature and it’s pretty eclectic. But I felt the most extraordinary love coming off him. Magnetism. It was so real I can still feel it.’

  Rhodri raised an eyebrow. ‘You’ve been blessed then.’ He gave a bark of laughter. ‘Literally perhaps.’

  She smiled. ‘I suppose I have. It was a shock to wake up and think about Dan.’

  ‘That would be a shock for anyone.’

  A shadow fell across the table and they both looked up.

  ‘Did I hear someone mention my name?’ Dan was standing looking down at them, his hands in his pockets.

  Jess gasped. For a moment she was too shocked to speak. She had allowed herself to relax. To feel safe. How could she have been so stupid?

  ‘How did you know I was here?’

  ‘I followed you. All that loud talk of airports. Did you really think I would be fooled by that?’ He helped himself to a chair from a neighbouring table and beckoned the waiter. ‘Oh you sad people! How pathetic. So, Rhodri. Has she been filling you up with more lies? More madness?’ His face was set with dislike.

  Rhodri hadn’t moved. He contemplated Dan almost idly from behind his dark glasses. ‘It was not Jess’s madness which left Will drugged and imprisoned in the countryside yesterday.’

  ‘Oh but it was. Yes, I heard from Jacopo that he had returned a gibbering wreck. Jess filled his mind with drivel and he chose to believe it. Was he drugged? No, I don’t think you’ll find he was. Was he imprisoned? No. He was, so I hear,’ he smiled, ‘holed up in a cosy B and B in a popular tourist area outside Rome where he had gone in order to recover and probably hide from our Jess’s terrifying revelations. I expect she’s driven you the same way with her talk of ghosts and hauntings. Has the beautiful Eigon scribbled on any more of your drawings, sweetheart?’ His voice was heavy with sarcasm.

  Jess bit her lip. ‘I don’t think that was Eigon. I think that was you. You had keys to the flat.’ She managed to keep her voice steady.

  ‘Ah yes, I told you that, didn’t I.’ He laughed out loud. He seemed perfectly relaxed, enjoying himself. ‘So, Rhodri. What has she been telling you? The latest instalment in the great Roman saga?’

  Jess went cold. Only minutes before she had been confiding in Rhodri that she had been blessed by St Peter. She glanced at him helplessly but his face was impassive, his eyes hidden behind the dark glasses.

  Dan picked up on her moment of hesitation at once. ‘Ah, I see she has. So, what was it this time? Packs of Roman ladies rushing down the street pursued by satyrs and gladiators?’ Once again he gave a chilling laugh.

  ‘Jacopo did not see Will last night,’ Rhodri put in at last, his voice lazy and unconcerned. He still had not removed his glasses. ‘We took him straight to the hospital where they gave him blood tests while I stood and watched to make sure all was done correctly.’

  For a moment Dan seemed disconcerted. Then he shrugged. ‘So, Jacopo got it wrong. He’s such a drunken sot I doubt if he is on the same planet as the rest of us most of the time.’

  Rhodri said nothing, his face falling into a sardonic half-smile as he inclined his head, waiting for Dan to go on. Which he did.

  ‘So, did they find any drugs? I’ve always had Will marked down as a user on the quiet.’

  Jess opened her mouth to protest. Then thought better of it. She followed Rhodri’s example and smiled.

  Dan glanced from one to the other. ‘Oh, I see. A conspiracy of silence. Pathetic!’ He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. ‘Well, you might like to know that I have been busy. I thought it wise to tell a few people about Jess’s mental condition. It seemed kinder to warn them before she starts blurting her fantasies to all and sundry and putting them in the embarrassing position of having to work out what the hell she is talking about.’ He paused. ‘Starting with Nat. Nat has always thought you were a bit of a fruitcake, Jess. She wasn’t even surprised when I told her about your nervous breakdown. And of course she wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear that you thought you’d fallen in love with me!’

  Jess was about to retort when Rhodri put his hand on her arm. He gripped it firmly. ‘Take no notice, Jess. Don’t give him the pleasure! I think it’s time you went on your way, Dan. They have very strict stalking laws in Rome, you know.’ He hauled himself up out of his chair and stood looking down at Dan. Jess suppressed a smile. Rhodri was a big man. It was only seconds before Dan was intimidated into standing up himself.

  ‘Don’t say I haven’t warned you,’ Dan retorted smugly. He turned away. Then he stopped. ‘You’re right about the stalking laws,’ he threw over his shoulder. ‘As it happens I have already reported Jess to the police myself. If you had gone to the airport I think you might have found a big fat policeman there ready to escort you onto the plane after stamping your passport to make sure you don’t come back to Italy. Ever!’

  He turned and walked away.

  ‘No, Jess, leave it!’ Rhodri commanded sternly. Flinging himself down into his chair he leaned over and took her arm again, preventing her from standing up. ‘We both know that’s rubbish. He’s just making himself sound even more crazy by the second. Let him go.’

  ‘The bastard!’ She was spluttering with fury.

  ‘He’s trying to wind you up and he’s succeeded. What a poisonous worm. At least I’ve seen him in action myself now.’ He released her. ‘Drink your coffee, girl. We’ve got to think about this.’

  ‘So you don’t think he’s really reported me?’

  ‘No. Not for one second. Besides, it doesn’t work like that. They’re not going to take his word for something like that, any more, unfortunately, than they would yours. They would want proof.’

  ‘I can’t believe he just followed me here. I was so confident. You’d made me feel safe.’

  He grimaced. ‘I’m sorry. I underestimated him.’

  She took a long gulp of her coffee. It was cold. ‘It was clever of him to tell Nat. Now whatever I say she won’t listen. No one is going to listen to anything I say ever again. I’ll never get another job.’

  ‘I think you will. But we do need a master plan at this stage. We’ll let him go now. See what he does. You’re safe as long as you’re with me. I think Will is safe too.’

  ‘Won’t he be afraid of what Will is going tell people?’

  Rhodri thought about it for a minute. ‘I doubt it. Will is in love with you.’ He raised a hand. ‘Yes, he is! So his evidence would be regarded as biased. Do you both know Dan’s wife?’

  ‘Nat? Yes, we do. We’ve all been friends and colleagues for years. Of course we know her.’

  ‘Hmm.’ Rhodri leaned back in his chair again. Then he frowned. ‘Jess, what is it?’ Her eyes had opened wide and she was staring across the terrace. ‘Has he come back?’ He followed her gaze.

  ‘It’s Eigon.’ She whispered. ‘Look.’

  ‘I can’t see her, Jess.’ Rhodri scanned the terrace. Several people were wandering about. He could see a waitress with a tray heading for a neighbouring table. He frowned uneasily. ‘Tell me what you can see.’

  She turned to look at him suddenly. ‘Oh shit! You think I’m imagining it. Perhaps I was.’ She sigh
ed. ‘She’s gone. Of course she’s gone. What would she be doing here in a hotel, for God’s sake!’

  ‘This hotel like every building in Rome will be on an ancient site, Jess,’ he said gently. ‘Eigon could have been anywhere in her lifetime. And who’s to say she had to have been here anyway. Perhaps she is looking for you.’

  Jess stared at him miserably. ‘You think?’

  He smiled. ‘If you actually saw her, there must be a reason.’

  ‘If.’ She shrugged. ‘That crucial if. Don’t think I haven’t wondered if Dan isn’t right. Who’s to say I’m not completely mad.’

  ‘Then so is your sister. She’s seen Eigon too.’

  ‘We don’t actually know that. Steph thinks Ty Bran is haunted. That’s all. It’s an old house, full of funny noises and shadows.’ Her voice trailed away.

  Rhodri followed her gaze. She was looking into the middle distance. Two women were sitting at a small table, facing away from them, examining the contents of a carrier bag with a Via Condotti address on it. As they giggled softly together a waiter brought them a bottle of mineral water and two glasses. He chuckled. Both on a diet then, but what woman wasn’t, in Rome. Beyond them he could see faint moving shadows as the sunlight began to ease its way through the leaves of some carefully sited lemon trees. Was that a ghostly figure in the corner? Frowning, he leaned closer.

  ‘Is it true?’ Cerys stared at her daughter coldly. ‘Are you seeing this young Roman?’

  ‘Not really. We talk sometimes, that’s all. I like him. Mam, please –’