Bound to the Barbarian
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Carol Townend
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16
Chapter One
Ashfirth was unable to keep the shock from his voice. ‘The Princess is in here?’
‘Yes, Commander.’
Shooting a disbelieving glance at his captain, Ashfirth dismounted. He was careful to hide the twinge of pain in his leg. Lord, it felt no better, despite the rest he had given it. The ride from the port on the other side of the salt marshes had not been arduous, but his leg felt as though it was being gnawed by wolves. Surely broken bones mended more quickly than this? Removing his helmet, he hooked it over his saddle bow, surreptitiously easing his aching limb. He wanted his men to think he was fully recovered.
‘What did you say this place was?’ He shoved back his mail coif.
‘It’s a convent, sir.’
It didn’t look much. The dome of the church was barely visible above the convent walls. It was cracked like a broken eggshell and someone had attempted to repair it. A botched job. Weeds had taken root in the rendering.
‘I’ll lay odds that roof leaks,’ Ash said.
Captain Brand grinned and shook his head. ‘Only a fool would take that bet on, Commander.’
Ash made a non-committal sound and completed his survey of the walls and buildings. Why on earth would the Princess take refuge in a minor convent outside Dyrrachion? To the military eye, the walls were also in dire need of repair. One section was little better than a tumble of stone; it was splotchy with yellow lichen and clearly had been that way for some time. Even as Ash looked, a bell tinkled and a brown-and-white goat leaped into view in the opening. The goat stood for a moment on top of the stones, its slanty eyes unearthly in the morning light. Then, the bell at its neck a-jangle, it leaped down and wandered into the scrub. Ash lifted a brow.
What the devil was Princess Theodora doing here? The answer flashed back in an instant. Tucked away at the northern edge of the Empire, this convent was to her mind probably ideal. The woman—Ash eased his leg again, he would strangle her when he finally got his hands on her—most likely thought this was the last place anyone would look.
‘It is the last place,’ Ash murmured, realising with a sense of surprise that he was closer to England, his homeland, than he’d been in years. The thought brought no pain, which was less of a surprise. Ashfirth had long ago come to terms with his new life, but come to terms he had, thank God.
‘Sir?’
‘If the Princess thinks that wall will keep us out, she can think again.’
Brand eyed the low wall and grinned again. ‘Yes, sir.’ The sunlight bounced off the razor-sharp edge of his battle-axe. Brand was a good captain, and an excellent scout. Once they had arrived in Dyrrachion, he had been quick to make contact with someone who had mentioned a nearby convent that offered shelter to ladies from all walks of life.
‘Does this ruin have a name?’
‘St Mary’s.’ Captain Brand cleared his throat, opened his mouth, appeared to think better of it and closed it again.
‘There’s more, isn’t there? Come on, man, out with it.’ Brand was struggling to keep a straight face. Like Ash, Brand was an Anglo-Saxon from England and Ash could read him as he might read a brother, particularly when, as now, they were speaking in English.
‘Yes, sir. St Mary’s is renowned hereabouts.’
‘St Mary’s doesn’t look as though it would be renowned for anything except the wretched state of its masonry.’
‘It takes in women, sir…women who choose to leave the world because they repent of their former way of life.’
Ash raised an eyebrow. ‘The Princess has taken refuge in a convent for fallen women?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘The Princess must be desperate.’
‘Sir?’
‘Why else run to Dyrrachion, to a convent for fallen women—she really doesn’t want to marry Duke Nikolaos, does she?’ Briefly, Ash spared a thought for the woman they had tracked to this remote outpost.
‘Why should marriage to the Duke of Larissa be so repellent, sir?’
‘Lord knows.’ Ash had never met Duke Nikolaos, he knew him only by repute. Accounts spoke of a fine soldier, a brilliant commander. A man of honour. ‘The Duke of Larissa’s holding is at the heart of the Empire; he is of the old elite, the military aristocracy. She could hardly hope to do better—her reservations about marrying him are odd, to say the least.’
‘Wasn’t Princess Theodora’s first betrothal to an outsider?’
‘Yes, she was betrothed to one of the Rascian princes. The rumour is that she grew fond of him—that must explain her reluctance to marry Duke Nikolaos.’ Ash grimaced. ‘But the Rascian prince is dead, she has to forget him.’
Brand rubbed his chin. ‘That may be easier said than done, sir.’
‘Nevertheless, she must forget him.’ Ash knew that Greek princesses usually viewed marriages made outside the boundaries of the Empire as something of a penance. He also knew that Greek princesses were highly sought after all over Christendom, possibly because such contracts rarely took place. ‘Prince Peter was only a minor prince. Her new fiancé, Duke Nikolaos of Larissa, is of a different order altogether—he is one of the most powerful men in the Empire. The Emperor considers this marriage important, Princess Theodora will not be allowed to wriggle out of it.’
Ashfirth glanced at the convent. The Princess might be reluctant to return home, but his priorities were clear. As Commander of the Varangian Guard, Ashfirth answered to the Emperor and to no one else.
Back in the Great Palace in Constantinople, the ageing Emperor had summoned Ash to a private audience in an apartment where the walls glittered with golden mosaics from floor to ceiling.
The Emperor, arguably the most powerful man in Christendom, had slumped in his throne like a man sapped of strength. There he had sat, much withered by age, seemingly diminished by the trappings of power that surrounded him. There was the double-headed eagle on the Imperial standard; there were the Imperial robes. It had struck Ash that never had that standard looked more forlorn. And as for the robes, it seemed that they were wearing the man. Surely it ought to be the other way around, surely the man should wear the robes?
The voice was creaking and tired. ‘Commander, the Rascian prince who was betrothed to my niece the Princess Theodora is dead,’ Emperor Nikephoros had told him. ‘You are to bring her home.’
Strictly speaking, Princess Theodora was not the Emperor’s niece; in truth, she was the niece of the previous Emperor, Michael Doukas. But it would not have been tactful for Ash to have pointed this out because the new Emperor—despite his advanced years—had married Emperor Michael’s young and beautiful wife. This made the question of Princess Theodora’s relationship to him a moot point.
‘My niece has been living among barbarians for too long,’ Emperor Nikephoros had gone on to say. ‘In the Palace she may reacquaint herself with more civilised ways and prepare herself to meet her new betrothed, Duke Nikolaos.’
Which was how Ash came to be thousands of miles away from his quarters in the Boukoleon Palace, and now found himself near the port of Dyrrachion, staring at the gate of this out-of-the-way convent.
A convent for fallen women.
The gate looked sturdier than the walls; it was made of seasoned oak bleached by many summers. A small barred window had been cut into it at eye level. At present it was shuttered fast, but a bell-pull hung alongside it.
Unstrapping his battle-axe, Ash hung it over his pommel alongside his helmet. He caught Brand’s eye. ‘You, too, Brand—there is no sense in frightening the ladies.’
Unless we have to. Frightening the ladies might be the only way to get the Princess to accept his escort back to Constantinople.
‘Yes, sir.’
While Brand disarmed himself, Ash gave a final glance at the lichen-splotched walls and approached the gate. The walls would not present much of an obstacle if the Princess balked at going with them; in truth, his men would likely relish a minor challenge after being cooped up on board ship. But he must start with a diplomatic approach; she was a member of the Imperial family.
Brand was watching him, reading his mind. He eyed the walls. ‘We could get in that way easily, sir.’
‘Save that thought, we might need it later.’ Ash gestured at the gate. ‘In the meantime, see if you get someone’s attention, the place appears to be deserted.’
Brand grinned. ‘Perhaps they ran out of fallen women.’
‘With the city and port so close?’ Ash gave a short laugh. ‘Not likely. The Princess and her entourage are in there, I am sure of it. All we have to do is extract her, then we may be back at the Palace by Easter.’
Nodding agreement, Brand heaved on the bell-pull.
Ash shifted, taking the weight off his bad leg. Lord, but it ached—the Princess had better hurry; the thought of a massage from his body-servant Hrodric was becoming more attractive by the moment.
The shutter in the gate clicked open. Ash squared his shoulders.
Princess Theodora might have had him chasing all over the Empire, but finally he had found her. He might feel like wringing her neck, but since she was the Emperor’s niece and a member of the powerful Doukas family, it was probably treason even to think such a thought. So, when a pair of brown eyes—very beautiful brown eyes—came into view on the other side of the grille, Ash had a smile ready.
‘Good day,’ he said, switching effortlessly to Greek. ‘I should like to speak to Princess Theodora.’
The eyes widened. Doe’s eyes.
Ash thought he heard a woman’s voice, and for a moment those doe’s eyes slid sideways. Someone standing next to her was speaking to her. Then the dark eyes met his, directly. A visceral jolt went through him. He frowned.
‘Your name, sir?’ Her voice was light and clear. Courteous.
‘Ashfirth Saxon, Commander of the Varangian Guard. The Emperor has charged me with escorting Princess Theodora back to the Great Pal—’
The eyes withdrew, the shutter closed with a snap.
Gritting his teeth, Ashfirth exchanged glances with his captain. As one, they turned to look at the crumbling wall.
‘I’ll give her half an hour,’ Ash said.
Brand’s face brightened.
Yes, the men are definitely in need of exercise.
On the other side of the gate, the Princess was standing at Katerina’s side. Her violet veil was trembling.
‘Is he there, Katerina? Has the Duke come in person?’
‘Despoina? My lady?’
‘Is the Duke outside?’
Katerina pressed her nose to the grille and peered through a crack in the shutter. ‘I do not know if those are his men, my lady. What does Duke Nikolaos look like?’ Katerina’s gaze was caught by the taller of the two warriors standing at the entrance. ‘There is a man here who calls himself Ashfirth Saxon. He wants speech with you.’
‘Ashfirth Saxon?’ Princess Theodora’s tone was scornful, but Katerina heard the quiver in it and pitied her. Her mistress really did not wish to marry Duke Nikolaos. ‘Who is this Ashfirth Saxon?’
He’s tall and fierce-looking. He has wind-burned skin. His hair gleams like jet and his eyes—Heavens!—how did a man with such dark hair come by eyes so blue? Katerina’s gut clenched as she inched the shutter open, the better to study him. Ashfirth Saxon had eyes that were almost as turquoise as the stones set in the cover of Princess Theodora’s book of psalms. They made a disturbing contrast with the jet-black hair.
‘He says he is Commander of the Varangian Guard and—’
‘The Varangians? Holy Mother, don’t tell me the Emperor has sent his personal guard!’ The Princess tugged at the sleeve of Katerina’s gown, bracelets chinking. ‘Are you certain? Can you see battle-axes?’
‘Yes, despoina. My lady, the men on horseback all have axes and—’
‘They are mounted?’ The Princess’s voice calmed. ‘Varangian guards usually fight on foot.’
‘Not all are mounted, my lady.’
‘Are they dressed for battle?’
‘They are wearing coats of mail, certainly.’
The Princess swore, using an oath that Katerina was certain ought never to be uttered within the walls of a convent.
‘Princess!’
‘Don’t be such a prude, Katerina. You know where most of these nuns have come from—they will have heard far worse, I am sure.’
Katerina doubted it, but she held her tongue. She should not have spoken up, it was not her place to criticise.
The Princess poked her in the ribs. ‘Are you sure you can see no sign of the Duke? His standard, perhaps?’
Peering past the iron bars, Katerina twisted her head from side to side, hoping to see the rest of the soldiers, but her view was limited. It was blocked by Ashfirth Saxon and his companion. So tall. Handsome devil, too. Except that he looks so angry. Ashfirth Saxon’s mouth was no longer smiling, it was set in a thin line. And those startling turquoise eyes might be looking at her past thick dark lashes, but they looked cold. Dispassionate. What did she expect? If this man was Commander of the Varangian Guard, the personal bodyguard to the Emperor, he would likely be more hard and ruthless than the rest.
Katerina cleared her throat. A guardsman’s battle-axe flashed in the sun. ‘I can see no standard, but they are very well armed. If I were you, I do not think I would want to keep this Ashfirth Saxon waiting.’
‘If you were me?’ Princess Theodora’s voice became sharp. ‘You are insolent today, slave.’
Hurt sliced through Katerina like a blade. Slave. Well, that was what she had been until the Princess had rescued her—a slave. She had been one for so many years, it was a wonder the word had kept the power to wound, but wound it did. Particularly when it came from the lips of her princess, the princess who had freed her from the torture that her life as a slave had become. That Princess Theodora had sunk to remind Katerina of her past merely emphasised how repugnant she found the thought of marrying the Duke of Larissa.
Shooting the Princess a bleak glance—she was chewing her lip—Katerina’s heart softened. Her mistress was not by nature vindictive, as Katerina herself had good reason to know, it was simply that she was under too much strain. Duke Nikolaos terrified her. She knew it was not just slave girls who found themselves at the mercy of their menfolk.
Not even a princess can escape what men have planned for her!
The next moment a gentle hand reached for hers. ‘Katerina, forgive me?’
Katerina looked into the Princess’s eyes. Princess Theodora had eyes that Katerina had been assured mirrored her own almost exactly. They were, according to Lady Sophia, one of Princess Theodora’s ladies-in-waiting, the same shade of brown. Their eyes, Lady Sophia had said, had the same shape—they even had the same eyebrows. And the Princess’s mirror had confirmed it.
‘For what? You spoke the truth, despoina. Until you freed me, I was a slave.’
For a moment the old bitterness welled up and Katerina felt her heart harden. Her bitterness was not directed towards the princess who had bought and freed her, rather it was directed towards the man who had sold her into slavery. Her father.
Towards the Princess, Katerina felt only gratitude. She longed to be able to repay her for her generosity in offering Katerina—a peasant girl—a place in her aristocratic entourage and training her. But what could she—a maidservant—possibly have that a princess might desire?
A thoughtful expression came over Princess Theodora’s face. She leaned forwards and a beringed hand lifted to close the wooden shutter. From the other side of the gate, came the jangle of a bell and the bleat of a goat. A man laughed.
‘Katerina?’
‘My lady?’
‘Accompany me to the church. There is something I wish to meditate upon.’
‘Yes, despoina.’
When Princess Theodora, golden bracelets chinking in the light, linked arms with her, Katerina was unsurprised. This was more like the mistress she knew. Princess Theodora, niece of the Emperor himself, was a warm-hearted, even-handed woman who—while knowing of Katerina’s humble background—unfailingly treated her in the same way she treated her high-born ladies-in-waiting. Since taking Katerina under her wing, the Princess had taught Katerina the ways of the Court. She had taught her how to speak in a more refined manner—she had even taught her how to read.
Not many high-born ladies would even notice when a slave was being maltreated, but back in Rascia the Princess had noticed. Not many high-born ladies would then be willing to buy that slave to prevent her from further harm, but the Princess had done exactly that. And it was a rare woman indeed who would then go on to free the slave and offer her a position among her ladies.
If only there were some way of repaying her…
Lady Sophia and Lady Zoë made to follow them, but the Princess waved them away. ‘Leave us. I wish to offer up a few personal prayers, Katerina’s company will suffice.’
The church was cool and dark after the bright sunlight. Princess Theodora led Katerina to an alcove overlooked by a gaudily painted and earthy-looking statue of Saint Mary. Mary Magdalene, Katerina thought, lips twisting, the saint of fallen women everywhere. She shot her mistress a sidelong glance. Of course, how apt.
A couple of tallow candles lit the alcove and two nuns were kneeling before the statue. Reformed sinners? Perhaps. As the Princess and Katerina approached, the nuns glanced up, crossed themselves and scurried into the main church.
‘Katerina, I have a favour to ask and, out of all my ladies, you are the only one who might undertake it.’
‘Princess, from the moment you bought me in Rascia and gave me my freedom, I have been searching for a suitable way of thanking you. I would do anything for you!’
‘Anything? Be careful what you promise, Katerina.’ The Princess’s smile was strained. ‘You do not know what I may ask. It might be—’ she bit her lip ‘—somewhat dangerous.’
Katerina gripped her mistress’s hand. ‘I would do anything! I mean it, how could you think otherwise? What must I do? Tell me!’
‘No.’ Princess Theodora jerked her head away to stare at the cross on the altar. ‘It is too risky, I cannot ask it of you.’
‘Princess…’ Katerina moved closer. ‘I want to help you. Let me help you.’
Brown eyes looked steadily into brown. ‘If it were not for my…the baby…I would not think about asking. If only the Commander had not found us so soon.’ Her chest heaved. ‘Still, we cannot alter that, not now. We shall have to take it one step at a time.’
And then, to Katerina’s astonishment, the Princess’s hands went to the pins of her violet veil. ‘First, we shall see how this suits you.’ Then, gaze flickering towards the main church to ensure they were not overlooked, the Princess kicked off her jewelled sandals and nudged them towards Katerina. ‘And these, I want you to try these on for size.’ There was a flutter of silk as the veil was removed.
Katerina’s eyes went wide. ‘My lady?’
The Princess was looking her up and down, like a seamstress measuring someone for a new gown. ‘You are a little smaller than I, but we are almost of a height. Good. And it is most fortunate that our eyes are a match.’
A cold shiver ran down Katerina’s spine. She found herself staring at the jewelled sandals on the church flagstones.
‘Well? Try them on, Katerina. If they fit, you are going to meet with Commander Ashfirth to see what he has to say.’
Katerina swallowed. ‘That is how I am to repay you?’
The Princess, busily shaking out her veil, would not meet her gaze. ‘Perhaps. Now be quiet while I think, and put this on.’
Some minutes later, the snap of the shutter drew Ashfirth’s gaze back to the convent gate. He straightened and strode across.
Doe Eyes was back.
He knew her at once, even though this second time she was so heavily veiled that her eyes were barely visible. The soft fall of her veil had the look of fine silk, it was violet in colour and shot through with gold threads.
‘Commander Ashfirth!’
Her voice was still light and clear, but something about it had changed. Ashfirth was unable to put his finger on what that change was. Was it more forceful? More confident?
‘The Princess will see me?’
Behind the bars, Doe Eyes withdrew slightly. ‘Commander—’ her voice was cool ‘—it would please the Princess to know exactly why you are here.’
It would please the Princess. Ashfirth narrowed his eyes. This is a delaying tactic, she knows why I am here. ‘Am I addressing the Princess?’
He couldn’t read her, not without seeing her whole face—that damned veil hid too much. Everything but a slight flicker in the brown eyes.
‘Answer my question, if you please, Commander.’
At this moment, she certainly had the tone of a princess. Lofty. Calm. A gold thread winked in the light. This must be the Princess. Most likely she was irritated that he had caught her unprepared when he had first knocked. It didn’t escape him that she had ignored his question. He would be brief.
‘His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Nikephoros has commanded me to escort Princess Theodora back to the Great Palace at Constantinople.’
There was a pause, and again the doe’s eyes flickered. Her head turned to one side and Ashfirth caught a faint mutter of voices. If Doe Eyes was the Princess, and Ashfirth strongly suspected that she was, someone behind the gate was certainly advising her.
The brown eyes met his. ‘Is Duke Nikolaos with you?’
Ashfirth shook his head. ‘Duke Nikolaos will join you once you have reached Constantinople. The Emperor wishes you to reacquaint yourself with…’ Ashfirth paused to search for the right words, the diplomatic words. Peter, the Rascian princeling who had been her fiancé, was in the eyes of many Greeks a barbarian. The Imperial Court had been astonished when word had reached them that the Princess had allowed herself to become enamoured of him. ‘The Emperor wishes you to reacquaint yourself with life at the Palace.’
When Peter of Rascia had been killed in a petty border skirmish at the edge of his territory, the Emperor had been swift to arrange a second betrothal. Byzantine Princesses were valuable commodities, and as a member of a powerful family, this young woman would have been brought up on the idea. Her person could be traded according to the political needs of the time.
Ten years ago Emperor Michael had found it politically expedient to betroth her to the vassal ruler of Rascia. Had the Prince lived, the contract would have been honoured, but his death altered everything.
Today, it was less important to placate a minor kingdom at the far reaches of the Empire. A different Emperor occupied the throne, one who needed to look closer to home for support. The military aristocracy was crying out for change and Emperor Nikephoros needed every ally he could lay his hands on.
In offering the Duke of Larissa this well-born Princess for his bride, the Emperor hoped to placate him. Marriage with the Princess would, he hoped, ensure the Duke’s loyalty should the conflict among his generals come to a head.
The brown eyes stared into his. What is she thinking? Ashfirth was fully conscious that Princess Theodora would likely peg him for a barbarian in much the same way that the Imperial Court had thought her Rascian prince a barbarian. Ash was an Anglo-Saxon, a dispossessed Anglo-Saxon in charge of the Varangian Guard. The Court only tolerated him because of his loyalty to the Emperor and his skills as a leader and warrior. The citizens of Constantinople never forgot that the men of the Varangian Guard were mercenaries, barbarian mercenaries.
The woman behind the grille had her head tilted slightly to one side. She was obviously listening to her advisor, but those brown eyes were fixed on him. While the low muttering continued, Ashfirth was able to watch her quite openly. Something was telling him that this woman, princess or otherwise, had her secrets. He had not given up on trying to read her, but when the long eyelashes swept down, he had learned nothing.
‘Constantinople is a long sea journey away,’ she said, in that cool, carefully modulated voice. ‘You cannot expect a princess to be ready at the snap of your fingers. Be so good as to return on the morrow.’
Ashfirth felt a frown forming, he held it back. ‘Tomorrow? The Princess must have received the Emperor’s summons, she must know how…eager he is for her return to Court.’
He paused, gritting his teeth. The Princess had to have known someone was coming to escort her back to the capital! Ash had been informed that several letters had been sent. Not that a reply had ever been received. The Emperor had given her the benefit of the doubt; he had assumed her replies had been lost en route. Ashfirth was not so sure. Had she replied? Surely the Princess would not do the Emperor the discourtesy of simply ignoring his letters?
However, those doe’s eyes were looking steadily back at him, giving nothing away. And she was right, blast her. The journey was likely to take some time and there was no sense starting off on the wrong foot by naming her a liar. Especially if this was the Princess.
Keep it simple. Non-confrontational.
‘Our ship leaves this afternoon,’ he said.
Doe Eyes tipped her head to one side and listened to her counsellor.
‘Two hours,’ she said. ‘Come back in two hours.’
‘The Princess will be ready to leave?’
‘Yes.’
Nodding curtly, Ashfirth turned away. A light click informed him that the shutter had closed.
Two hours?
Make that four. The woman has not been born who can keep proper time. And this one is a princess who not only leaves the Emperor’s letters unanswered, but attempts to evade his summons to Court.
Catching Brand’s eyes on him, Ashfirth spread his hands. ‘Two hours, Captain. Tell half the men they have two hours before reporting back for duty. Something tells me that Princess Theodora won’t be too punctual.’
‘Two hours? Right, Commander.’
The Princess reached in front of Katerina to slide back the shutter and the tall, dark commander was cut off from sight.
‘Oh!’ Katerina said.
‘What?’
‘He has a limp.’
Princess Theodora looked blankly at her. ‘Who?’
‘Commander Ashfirth.’ The Princess’s dark eyes searched hers and Katerina felt her cheeks warm. ‘Yes, he’s limping. I didn’t notice at first, it is only a slight limp, but…’
When her mistress lifted an eyebrow at her, Katerina trailed to a halt—the Princess wasn’t remotely interested in Commander Ashfirth. Worse, she was looking at Katerina as though she had never seen her before, a slow smile dawning.
Inside the convent, the baby began to cry. The Princess smothered a small groan.
Katerina’s stomach clenched with foreboding. Hastily, she snatched at the pins of the violet veil and made to hand it back.
The Princess brushed it aside, and Katerina caught the glitter of tears.
‘Despoina, what is it?’
‘Katerina, I am sorry…’ Princess Theodora’s voice broke. She gave a weak smile ‘But I fear I am going to have to ask for your help after all.’
Katerina swallowed. ‘Are you?’
The Princess nodded. ‘Yes. I would not do so if I did not have to, you do understand?’
‘Despoina?’
The baby had stopped crying, but nevertheless the Princess took Katerina’s arm and set off in the direction of the convent guest house. ‘I do not wish to marry Duke Nikolaos, and you say you wish to return the favour I once did you.’
The Princess pushed through the guest-house door, her eyes going straight to the tiny child in Lady Sophia’s arms.
‘I have her, despoina, she is all right,’ Lady Sophia said, bending back over the infant. ‘Aren’t you, my dove?’
‘What do you want me to do, my lady?’ Katerina looked at the Princess, at the baby Lady Sophia was cooing over, and then back at the Princess. She was beginning to feel distinctly uneasy.
‘It is simple. I should like you, Katerina,’ Princess Theodora said, ‘to pretend to be me.’
