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In his face, A
“I’m sorry,” A
“What is it?” he asked.
“Unless she is safer where she is,” A
Leo shook his head. “Safety is being with your own people. When you are old, it is better to die with your family than escape and live with strangers.”
Without warning, tears filled A
Simonis came back three days later, nervous, defiant, determined that A
A
“I know it is a great deal to ask you to stay,” A
“I’m staying,” Simonis cut across her, her black eyes fierce. “I do not desert because a battle is coming.”
“It’s not a battle,” A
Simonis shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t going to live forever anyway.” Her voice trembled a little, and that was the end of the conversation.
A
As she walked through its outer aisles and saw the gold of the mosaics, the exquisite, brooding, sloe-eyed Mado
“Can’t make up your mind whether to be on the floor of the men or the women, Anastasius?”
She swung around and saw Helena standing a few feet away. She was magnificently dressed in a dark red tunic and a dalmatica of such a rich blue as to be almost purple, or as close as anyone dared come who was not of the imperial house. The gold borders on it and the reflection of the red made one look a second time to be certain.
A
Why was he here in the Hagia Sophia with Helena, and she dressed almost in purple? Helena Comnena, Zoe’s daughter to the emperor. She had not married Demetrios. If all she wanted of him was his imperial name, there was no point now. In a matter of weeks, the throne would be in the hands of Charles of Anjou, to give to whomever he wished-some puppet who would rule it at his behest.
Nicephoras had assumed it would be Charles’s son-in-law, but perhaps it would not! Could he have something different in mind, something to curb an ambitious daughter, reward a more trustworthy lieutenant, and at the same time buy from a troublesome people a degree of peace with a turncoat Palaeologus queen? What an exquisite betrayal!
She must not let Helena see the thought in her eyes. She must say something quickly, not a polite reply, which Helena would know was masking another truth.
“I was thinking of your mother,” A
Helena’s expression froze. “That was all a waste of time,” she said coldly. “An old woman living in the past. I live for the future, but then I have one. She hadn’t. What about you, Anastasia-is that your name?”
“No.”
Helena shrugged. “Well, no matter-whatever it is, you have no place here anymore. I don’t know what delusion ever brought you in the first place.”
A
If she was pla
Helena was waiting for a response.
“It’s over now anyway,” A
Helena lifted her head a little higher and walked away. In dark, glowing reds, Esaias followed after her.
A
She lifted her eyes to the somber face of the Mado
How much proof would it take for Michael to believe? In this darkening time, might he be more willing than before to perform one last act of clemency? Perhaps she might yet succeed.
She closed her eyes. Mary, Mother of God, forgive me for giving up too soon. Please. Perhaps you can’t save the city. We should have saved ourselves. But help me free Justinian… please?
She looked up at the strong, beautiful face. “I don’t know whether we deserve your help, maybe we don’t, but we need it.” Then she swiveled around and walked quickly and silently after Helena, so she could follow Esaias when the Mass was over. She needed to know everything about him that she could.
She told Leo and Simonis because she needed their help.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked, puzzled.
They were sitting over an early supper.
“I need to know if he’s traveled,” she replied. “I can’t prove where to, but I can gain some idea if I can find out which ships he sailed on-”
“I’ll find out when,” Simonis interrupted.
They both turned to her in surprise.
“Servants know,” she said impatiently. “For heaven’s sake, isn’t it obvious enough? Food, supplies, packing clothes, maybe closing off part of the house! He might have brought treasures for himself, for his house, new clothes. They will know where he went, one of them will have gone with him. And they will certainly know for how long.”
Leo looked at A
“Tell the emperor,” she replied.
“And he will execute Helena,” Simonis said with satisfaction.
“More likely have her murdered in private,” Leo said before turning to A
Simonis blinked, hesitated, looking first at A