City of Swords (7 page)

‘They are my cousins,’ said Ludo, pouring them both some red wine. ‘And I think they would not approve of what I have done.’

‘Then why did you do it?’

‘It is a complicated story,’ said Ludo.

‘I have time to listen,’ said Guido, crossing his long legs.

^*

Fabrizio di Chimici was in such a towering rage he could not keep still.

He paced up and down the great
salone
of the di Chimici castle so restlessly that it gave Princess Carolina a headache.

‘Upstart’, ‘charlatan’, ‘fraud’ were the politer of the names he bestowed on the rival claimant to the throne.

‘But, cousin,’ Lucia said. ‘His claim must be investigated. It is our law, as you know.’

‘Cousin? Call me “brother” rather, for so I would have been to you had the Nucci not killed poor Carlo,’ the Grand Duke replied. ‘Did we survive that terrible day only to see one of our family, the legal heir to her father – who is scarcely cold in his grave – supplanted by a . . . by, saving Your Highnesses, a mere mongrel bastard?’

‘We are grateful for your concern and protection,’ said Carolina wearily. ‘But Lucia is right. There is nothing we can do till we see if the Council approves his claim.’

‘Approves his claim!’ Fabrizio almost snarled. ‘What is his claim? To be a son Uncle Jacopo knew nothing of? Why, any one of us might have sired such a by-blow and not know it!’

‘You forget yourself, cousin!’ Lucia was on her feet and blazing like a torch. ‘Have some regard for my mother’s feelings.’

‘It is as if I never really knew him,’ said Princess Carolina quietly.

She had aged even further since the revelation that, if what was claimed was true, her late husband had fathered a son on some other woman while he had been already engaged to her.

Fabrizio was contrite. Only the sight of the Dowager Princess’s tears could have slowed down his relentless pacing. He knelt by her chair and took her hands.

‘Forgive me, Princess,’ he said. ‘It is only that I am so angry to think that your daughter could be robbed of her inheritance by such a nobody. And it is terrible for you that this has come on top of the shock of losing Uncle.’

‘Of course you knew him, Mamma,’ said Bianca. ‘It was a dreadful shock but it might yet turn out to be a lie.’

‘Papa loved you,’ said Lucia. ‘I know he did. Even if this Manoush’s story turns out to be true, it can’t undo over twenty years of happy marriage, can it?’

‘I think I’d like to go and lie down for a while,’ said Carolina. ‘I did not sleep much last night.’

She let Bianca lead her away.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Fabrizio. ‘You are right to chide me. I was thinking only of what that young man is doing to the family now – not of what your father might have done to bring him into the world.’

‘We’ll never know the truth, will we?’ said Lucia. ‘We can’t ask him now. But I wish Mother had never found out.’

^*

Laura was already feeling the effects of living two days at a time. But she couldn’t keep away from Fortezza or from knowing what had happened to Ludo, even though she had met him only once. Something about him had burrowed into her mind and she couldn’t get him out.

In her English Literature class at school they had been studying
As You Like It
, where people fell in love as soon as they set eyes on each other. She had agreed with lines like, ‘Is it possible, on such a sudden, you should fall into so strong a liking?’ Shakespeare had obviously put those in because he knew how ludicrous it was for people to take one look and be suddenly smitten.

And yet, now she had met Ludo, it seemed that once was enough to set her thinking about him all day and wanting to see him again. And wondering whether there was any chance he had been as struck by her as she had by him. But she knew she must focus on finding out what her task in Fortezza was to be; the others had been quite clear about that.

Fabio’s shop was busier than Laura had ever seen it even early in the morning and, as soon as he had realised she had materialised inside it, again he took her out into the city.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked. ‘Has something happened?’

‘I am not the only one who thinks that the Manoush’s claim will be supported and that war is on the way,’ said Fabio.

‘Where is he now?’ asked Laura, trying to sound casual.

Fabio didn’t seem to think her interest unusual; everyone in the city was interested in this new claimant to the throne.

‘He is lodged in the government building,’ he said, ‘while his claim is investigated. I’ve heard he has a Fortezzan royal ring.’

‘I heard that too, in my world,’ said Laura, lowering her voice. ‘Matt – the one you might know as Matteo – says Ludo told him his mother gave him a ring belonging to his father, just before she died.’

‘Then it is true,’ said Fabio, stopping and looking at her seriously. ‘And our poor city will be destroyed.’

‘But can they do that?’ asked Laura. ‘I mean, the Princess is the legitimate heir. Can the Signoria just overturn that and evict her from the castle?’

Fabio sighed. ‘It won’t be like that,’ he said. ‘First they’ll establish his age and that he really could be Jacopo’s son. Then the faction that doesn’t believe women should rule will hail him as their leader. That’s when the fighting will begin.’

Laura had seen the weapons Fabio made in his shop. Her stomach squirmed with fear. Real people were going to arm themselves with those swords and use them to wound and kill other real people. She knew what a small cut with a sharp blade could do, and that was nothing to what was going to happen here.

‘Do you think that was why I was brought here?’ she asked. ‘To play some part in defeating one side or the other?’

It sounded fantastic to her own ears.

‘There is no doubt about the side,’ said Fabio. ‘Ludo must be defeated. The title belongs to Princess Lucia.’

So if it comes to a fight
, thought Laura,
Ludo and I will be on opposite sides.
She was surprised at how sad that made her feel.

‘The last Stravagante from my world took part in a sea battle,’ she said slowly. ‘And she helped the Talian side win. But this fight would be Talian against Talian. And should I be helping the di Chimici? I thought they were enemies to the Stravaganti?’

‘Not all of them,’ said Fabio. ‘The Fortezzan ones have nothing against our Order. But I don’t know what you are here to do. I only know that the talismans find the right people.’

They had arrived in the Piazza in the centre of town, where a small crowd had gathered. There were raised voices and angry gestures, as if the whole city was already dividing into two opposing groups.

‘He’ll be in there,’ said Fabio, nodding towards the imposing palazzo on one side of the square.

While they watched, a tall red-haired young man came out through the main gate. Fabio took Laura’s arm.

‘I think that is someone you should know.’

He led her towards the red-headed man, who was fending off questions from people in the crowd.

‘Parola?’ asked Fabio. ‘Are you Guido Parola?’

‘Who is asking?’

‘Fabio della Spada. A Stravagante,’ he added in a whisper.

‘Then I am glad to meet you,’ said Guido. ‘I was coming to find you. Ludo asked me to seek you out.’

‘And this is Laura,’ said Fabio. ‘She is another of our Order – from far away, if you take my meaning.’

Guido took her hand. ‘I have heard of you too. Yours was another name Ludo gave me.’

He mentioned me,
thought Laura.
He remembers who I am even after one meeting. Could he possibly feel as I do?

‘We should not be talking about this on the street,’ said Fabio. ‘Let’s go in here.’

He led them into a tavern with a painted sign outside of a red horse on a white background. They were soon sitting round a small wooden table, with pewter cups of red wine. Laura sipped hers cautiously; it seemed rather sharp but the two men drank it like water.

‘So,’ said Fabio, ‘is it true?’

Guido nodded. ‘I’m sure he is telling the truth. He told me what he knew about his mother and father. She never named the city or the prince, just talked about the circumstances.’

‘Was it – excuse me, Laura, but it’s important – something she agreed to?’

‘Oh yes,’ said Guido. ‘There was no suggestion that he forced himself on her. But it was not an affair. Just one shared night in a cold winter.’

‘And he married Princess Carolina soon afterwards?’ asked Fabio.

‘He did. But Ludo thinks Jacopo never knew his mother had a child.’

‘What about the ring?’ asked Laura.

‘We can’t know why he gave it to her,’ said Guido. ‘I suppose for that one night he loved her and wanted to give her something of himself besides his body.’

‘How horrible for his wife,’ said Laura. ‘To find out like that in front of everyone.’

‘And for his daughters,’ said Guido. ‘Especially Lucia.’

‘Have you met her?’ asked Laura.

‘Yes,’ said Guido. And a pensive look passed quickly over his face, to be replaced by a grimmer expression. ‘I was there at the massacre, when she lost her husband.’

‘That family has had to bear a lot,’ said Fabio. ‘But I fear there is more to come. You know that the Manoush will have a lot of supporters in the city?’

‘I suppose that was why he felt it was worth a try,’ said Guido.

‘I don’t understand,’ said Laura. ‘From what I’ve heard, the di Chimici tried to kill him. Why would he want to
become
one of them?’

‘He told me that he had experienced a change of heart,’ said Guido, ‘because of that close brush with death.’

‘Do you think I could see him?’ asked Laura. ‘I mean, if we are going to be on opposite sides, I’d like to see him again to say how sorry I am about that.’

Guido gave her a curious look. ‘Strangely enough, he said exactly the same.’

^*

Fortezza was one of the few Talian city-states to have its own standing army. Its General was Stefano Bompiani and he was fiercely loyal to the city’s ruler. The trouble was, at this time, he didn’t know who that was and it was making him nervous.

If the Signoria’s decision was to be for Princess Lucia, the General would be happy to serve her to his life’s end, but if it was for the Manoush – Prince Ludovico as he would be – then he would grit his teeth and bear it. If you didn’t follow the decisions of your elected representatives then you were done for and civilisation would come to an end. He just wished they would hurry up and get on with it.

He paced the tiny guardroom at the city’s easternmost watchtower in a very bad mood, just waiting for a sign. It had been well over a hundred years since Fortezza had gone to war or withstood a siege, and something told Bompiani the years of peaceful di Chimici rule were at an end – no matter what the decision was about the inheritance. The losing side wasn’t going to take it lying down.

On the face of things, it looked as if it would be worse for the word to be in favour of the Manoush, since the entire might of the di Chimici family would come out against him. And Grand Duke Fabrizio was another whose city had a standing army to call upon. General Bompiani did not relish the thought of arming his men against the Grand Duke of his own region.

‘But if it goes the other way,’ he muttered aloud to himself, ‘and Princess Lucia gets the title as she should, there will still be those who back the Manoush.’

‘Sir?’ said the soldier who was in the guardroom with him. ‘You really think anyone would support the outsider’s claim?’

‘What? Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think so, but we should be ready to defend whichever ruler we have by tomorrow,’ said Bompiani.

Suddenly he felt fizzing with energy and ready for action. He was going to have to fight, whatever the decision. He was a soldier and fighting was his trade. The time for inaction was over.

‘Send one of the men to the Street of the Swordsmiths,’ he said, ‘and then order all the soldiers to check their weapons. Whichever way the wind blows, Fortezza must to arms!’

^*

The guard outside the Palazzo della Signoria let Laura through as soon as she had given her name. But Guido and Fabio said they would wait outside for her.

A ridiculously liveried and bewigged footman led her to a room where Ludo was sitting listlessly on an ornate silver-gilded chair. He jumped up when he saw her, and Laura realised they had not been alone in a room together before.

‘Welcome,’ he said. ‘I didn’t think you would come so soon.’

Now that she was here, Laura didn’t know what to say or do. She really liked Ludo, liked him much more than any male in her world (Charlie was quite forgotten) but they had no future, living in two different times and spaces. But she could not get over the fact that he seemed to like her too – that was the miracle!