| |
In the stained gown, Morena stared out into the world beyond, oblivious to the rising sun that shed a gentle glow upon the town of Savona. Her eyes saw but did not register the merchants who rushed to unlock their shops. Villagers who rushed to purchase the freshest fish from the boats that returned from a long night at sea. Flower peddlers who wheeled their carts that brimmed with a brilliance of colours. The smells of the market, of fresh baked bread, wafted into the air and mixed with the aroma of the fresh ocean breeze, but Morena paid scant mind to it.
Ill thoughts tossed in her gut. This was her wedding day. Fear and revulsion existed in her thoughts. Her heart broke at the loss of Amoro.
Her future looked dismal, hopeless in fact. To savour love for a brief time and then to lose it, to never know such love again gave her reason to mourn. To face a future bound to the cruel villain who murdered her father, she could not fathom. Tears wet her cheeks as she grieved her losses. Freedom, home, everyone she loved. Never had she felt so alone, so trapped.
Her status as Contessa had always protected her. From the whisper of servants, she learned of the brutality a woman might suffer at the hands of a dastardly man, but she never thought overmuch about it. Never believing such a fate would become her reality. How could she face the inevitable nuptials and make lifetime vows. How could she live out such a lie? She loved Amoro. She knew what it meant to be a real and loving wife. It came to her like a revelation, a streak of lightening in the sky. It felt right, as did everything about Amoro. She had squandered the opportunity, had hesitated in the face of his love, and lost all. Her heart ached as though a vice squeezed it. Her hand returned to her breast, as if to soothe and ease the pain. She felt bruised, both inside and outside of her body. It hurt to feel so unfulfilled. She rummaged through the chests in the bedchamber until she found what she looked for – black clothing.
How appropriate to wear black on her wedding day. A ceremony of sadness instead of joy. She shed the tunic stained with Amoro’s blood and donned the plain, black one. Until the very last of her days, she would mourn her life.
At the sound of the lock, Morena wiped her tears. A guardsman entered the chamber followed by a maidservant who carried a tray.
Morena watched as the woman set it down on the small table and rearranged the items upon it. The maidservant glanced at Morena, pulled a small parchment from the pocket of her apron, and tucked it underneath the napkin on the tray.
“Thank you.” Morena smiled.
The maidservant returned her smile. She curtsied and cast one acknowledging look before she followed the guard out of the room.
Morena waited for the sound of footsteps to fade before she ran to the tray and retrieved the note. With trembling hands she unfolded it.
My lady,
I have taken a room at the Osteria Carozza in Savona.
Massimo
She clutched the note to her heart as a million questions rampaged through her mind. The missive said little, an obvious attempt to protect her should the note fall into Ernesto’s hands. Could it mean that Massimo came to rescue her and Amoro? It must be so. A glimmer of hope came to life.
***
LARIA PACED THE ROOM. She must do something before it was too late.
How did her plans go so awry? How foolish of her to trust Ernesto. Her entire life, men took advantage of her, used her, and then discarded her like a piece of refuse destined for the midden heap. Amoro had taken her in and treated her with kindness. Even though he tried to end it between them, he had done so with kindness and offered to see to her future welfare. In return, she betrayed him. The only man who had truly cared for her. An intense shame that turned to self-loathing burned in her gut at her own stupid actions. Her wretchedness pained her. How could she undo that which she created?
The sound of footsteps beyond her bedchamber drew her attention. A key turned in the lock and the latch lifted. A young maidservant carrying a pitcher and clean cloths entered the room. Laria knew she must seize her chance. She watched the maid cross the room and place the items on the vanity table. A ring of keys hung from a rope on her waist. As she turned to leave, Laria reached out to stop her.
“Please stay. I need some help with my hair and undressing.”
“Very well, my lady, how may I serve you?”
“Please search through the chest and help me find some fresh clothes to change into.”
The maid nodded and turned to the chest in the corner. With the woman thus occupied, Laria backed towards the hearth, took hold of the fire poker, and came up behind the hunched maid who searched through an array of colourful garments. Laria raised the poker and whacked the woman hard with it. Without a sound, she slumped to the floor.
Laria checked for a pulse and found one. Relieved that she had not killed her, Laria untied the woman’s belt and pulled off the keys. After she set them aside, she stripped off the wimple and over-tunic. With trembling hands, she exchanged them with her own. Laria knelt beside the bed, lifted the bedcovers, and ran her hand beneath it. She found what she searched for, a small leather pouch that contained a small vial filled with a powerful tincture. A few drops in a cup would render the drinker into deep slumber. She stood and dropped the leather pouch into her pocket and smiled. Then she straightened her clothes and adjusted her wimple to cover as much of her face as possible. After she inhaled a calming breath, she clutched the keys and departed. Laria hurried down the corridor to Morena’s bedchamber. Her hands shook as she unlocked the padlock and lifted the latch. Laria stepped inside, closed the door, and leaned back upon it to catch her breath. She allowed her wimple to fall open.
“Come to gloat again?” Morena asked, her eyes narrowed at the sudden intrusion.
“Hurry and do as I say. We don’t have much time.”
Morena crossed her arms and planted her feet upon the ground. “I have no intention of going anywhere with you.”
“You must. Ernesto plans to kill Amoro after you are wed.”
The words fell like a dead weight between them and brought an eerie reality and a sense of urgency to the situation.
Morena paled and steadied herself by leaning on the bed.
Laria pursed her lips and thrust Morena’s cloak at her. “Put this on. We have little time, so make haste.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’m going to take you to Amoro. Then I’m going to get us all out of here.”
Morena wrapped the mantle around her, adjusted her wimple, and raised her hood over her head. “Why are you doing this?”
“To save Amoro’s life. Because once he is free, he will choose you over me.” Laria’s throat choked with regret. “Come quickly, there is little time.”
“Where are my ladies, Cristina and Silvia?”
“We cannot worry about them.”
“I’ll not go without them.” As a flower rises to the morning sun, Morena straightened her back.
Uneasiness spiced with irritation passed through Laria. Then she nodded. “Very well, but we must go immediately.”
Morena followed Laria as she opened the door, checked the hallway and signalled. Time to go.
***
LARIA AND MORENA UNLOCKED a door. Behind it, they found a surprised Cristina and Silvia. After a brief explanation, tears of relief flowed from the eyes of the two servant women.
Laria and Morena hurried them from the bedchamber. They took great care to hide behind archways or columns to avoid detection. The women whisked down the stairs and out into the courtyard where they spied a partially enclosed conveyance that carried vegetables or wares to market.
“Hurry, get in,” Laria ordered. “The driver comes daily to unload his produce in the kitchens. He stops for a tankard in the kitchens before he leaves the castle and returns to town. There is little time.”
Throughout their exodus, Cristina remained withdrawn. As Morena helped her into the cart, Cristina hesitated and took her hand. “I don’t deserve this. This is my fault, my lady.”
“No, don’t think such a thing.”
“Yes, it is true. I alerted Ernesto as a means of rescuing you from Amoro. If only I realized earlier how mistaken I was. Look at the mayhem I have caused everyone.” Cristina gulped hard. Hot tears slipped down her cheeks.
The shock of the discovery struck Morena with full force. She stared at Cristina as if she saw her for the first time. A woman, girlish in behaviour, yet gentle and loyal. “Shh, this is not the time. If you did such a thing, you did it with the best of intentions. You could not have known how evil Ernesto was. None of us knew.”
“Bless you, my lady.” Cristina kissed her hand.
Morena instructed Cristina and Silvia on where to find Massimo.
“Solicit his help. Ask him to arrange enough men and horses for Amoro and his men.” Morena helped Laria hide the two women behind crates and beneath sack cloths. She prayed no one would discover them.
“What do we do now?” Morena asked. Her fear got the better of her.
She didn’t want to think what would happen to them if Ernesto or one of his henchmen discovered their escape.
“We must go to the kitchens. Our only hope of getting near Amoro is to deliver the meals to the dungeon guards.”
“How is that going to help us get past Amoro’s guards?” Morena whispered.
From her pocket, Laria removed the small leather pouch. “Inside this vial is a strong sleeping potion. A few drops in the guards’ tankards and we can go about our business unimpeded.”
Morena could not help but marvel at Laria’s resourcefulness.
Although she struggled to trust Laria, she knew she had no other choice.
She uttered a prayer of thanks for her aid.
***
LARIA AND MORENA DARTED behind pillars and hid around corners to avoid detection. They made their way down a corridor and beneath a dark archway that lead to the kitchen. Soon a maidservant approached.
She pushed a small wooden cart laden with trays of tankards, two carafes of wine, and a variety of cold meat, bread, cheese, and apples.
The young woman hummed a merry tune as she passed the archway.
Laria pounced upon the poor woman and slammed one hand over the maid’s mouth, the other around her chest. Eyes wide with fear, the young woman struggled.
“Shut your mouth. We mean you no harm.” Laria waved a silver coin in front of the maid’s face. “Here is a year’s wages. All that is required is for you to disappear for a candle mark or two and nary a word to anyone about this. Do you understand?”
The young woman nodded.
Laria removed her hand from the maidservant’s mouth and pressed the coin into the woman’s palm.
“Go now, and make certain no one sees you for a while.”
The maid grabbed her skirts and scuttled away in the opposite direction from the kitchens, and disappeared.
Laria flipped her cloak over her shoulders and adjusted her bodice to reveal as much flesh and cleavage as possible. She cast an unassailable look at Morena who understood and followed Laria’s lead. After they teased their hair, Laria strutted toward Morena with a look of mischief.
“How do I look?”
“Scandalous.” Morena laughed.
“Good. I can say the same for you. Hurry, time is dwindling.”
Laria produced the small leather pouch that contained the vial and poured a hearty amount into the carafe of wine. She put the vial away, tied it shut and dropped it into her pocket. Laria glanced into the corridor. After she deemed it safe, she placed one hand on the front of the cart and motioned to Morena to follow. Morena pushed while Laria pulled and they wound their way through the maze of passageways until they reached the stairwell that led down to the dungeon and cells.
“I’ll carry the tray of wine and tankards. You carry the food,” Laria said as she took the first step down. “Have a care as you step, the dank can make the stairs slippery as oil.”
As they descended, the musty air grew foul with the smells of sweat, excrement, and unwashed bodies. Morena shivered in horror. A sense of urgency possessed her. “Dio mio, please give me strength and deliver us from this atrocity,” she prayed.
At the bottom of the stairs, two guardsmen sat at a small table. The men grinned and rose.
“Well nigh time you appeared,” the taller of the two scowled.
With a toss of her head, Laria flipped her hair back to reveal the plumpness of her fleshy breasts. With a smile that tantalized, she graced the man with a sweet look and moved closer to him. “It takes time to choose the sweetest wine and freshest fruit. I’m sure that you and the other men would not wish anything less.”
The man laughed outright as he pulled Laria to him. “I like a wench with a honeyed tongue.” One hand slipped about her waist while the fingers of his other hand traced the neckline of her gown and strayed to her breasts.
The shorter of the two men sat back down and pulled Morena onto his lap. Furious at the way he handled her, she played her part to appear as if his attentions were welcome.
“I should like to pluck some of this tasty fruit,” he muttered lasciviously as he reached into Morena’s bodice and gave her breast a squeeze.
Morena playfully removed his hand and slapped it. “Fruit is preserved for the end of the meal. Eat and drink first so the taste of the fruit is sweeter.” She pulled herself away from the lout and poured wine into their tankards. Laria distributed the tankards to each man.
“Drink heartily for there is plenty more,” Laria encouraged.
Both men heeded the advice and swallowed the entire contents.
Morena smiled when they held out their empty tankards to her. She refilled both tankards and watched anxiously as they drank again.
Laria brought them each a trencher of meat and cheese. Before both men could take a bite, their eyes began to grow heavy. They slumped lower in their chairs. One dropped his tankard. It crashed on the floor.
Red wine pooled at his feet. They both succumbed to a powerful drowsiness.
Laria shook one and the other. “They are asleep. Search them for the keys.”
Morena knelt beside the man closest to her and patted down both sides of his tunic. “I think I found them.” She reached beneath the garment. They hung from the man’s belt. Her hands shook as she undid the belt and removed the ring of keys.
Without waiting for Laria, Morena turned to flee down the passageway. She searched for the door of Amoro’s cell. A dozen doors, identical in appearance lined the passage. Which door? She could not remember.
“What are you waiting for?” Laria asked. “Open them all. It is Amoro’s men who are in the other cells.”
One by one, Morena unlocked the doors. She looked into each cell to discern Amoro. If it was not him, she moved on to the next cell.
Men stumbled into the dimly lit passageway in a state of disarray, but elated to be free.
Two doors remained, one on each side of the corridor. Vaguely she remembered that Amoro’s cell had been to the right. Morena unlocked the padlock. She inhaled a deep breath and lifted the latch and pushed open the door.