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Torres' thoughts were filled with Barbara. He hadn't had a moment of rest or peace since he was informed by the spy he placed closed to Leonardo's home that she had traveled. He knew she had left accompanied by Jonas and the same man had informed him that Jonas had returned a few days later alone.
"Where is Barbara? What has that monster done to her?”
He reprimanded himself for not having acted faster. He should already have had the inquisitors throw Leonardo into the dungeons. But he was wary of the reaction of Leonardo's friends. They were all very powerful people in the city. If these men were to side with Leonardo, what would he do then? Arrest all of them?
He remembered his campaign against the masons in his home town on Madeira island. When the persecutions and arrests began, they didn't stop. The torture system ensured the prisoners would rat on each other. If they were to incarcerate all of them, the whole island would be in prison. He couldn't use the same strategy. This was why he was being so careful but now everything seemed irrelevant.
He asked his servant to fetch him another jug of wine. Maybe if he numbed his brain an idea would emerge. He approached two of the housemaids to ask them for information but the poor creatures knew only what he knew - that the lady had traveled to some unknown destination.
When the servant brought the jug, Torres lifted his glass. He drank it and lifted his glass again. The servant made a gesture with his head, as if to say something. Torres held out his glass in front of the lad and the boy kept his silence. He poured again and left with a bow. The archbishop drummed his fingers on the table, fidgeted with his ring, which was a symbol of his power, rearranged his sitting position and drank from the glass again. This time he would pour it himself.
Barbara may have gone to visit her grandmother. If so, he wouldn't see her for months. He thought maybe Leonardo had sent her to a convent but he dismissed the idea with a shake of his head. Leonardo would not take her to a place where Torres had influence. Maybe she had gone to one of the larger cities to shop. Lisbon. Maybe Paris. But no, she would not go alone. From the information he had gathered, only Jonas was with her and he had returned. If it was a shopping trip, he would have accompanied her and returned with her.
Jonas. He would know where she is. But what could Torres do? Order him to be arrested? Under what accusation? He could have him kidnapped but the disappearance of his trusted servant, would alert Leonardo.
There were only two options to consider in this situation. He either waited for Barbara's return or he arrested Leonardo. His spies had noticed that Leonardo had changed his routine after Barbara's departure. He would leave the house, go to the vineyard and stay there for days. He would then return home. "Maybe he is thinking of running away and meeting Barbara someplace. If that is true, then she is somebody's prisoner. Yes, it is possible." He recalled that Leonardo had received the visit of a friend, maybe another mason from another city, Lisbon or Coimbra, he couldn't remember the details. Barbara had told him. But he was not sure where this man came from nor his name. Timothy maybe. Torres was not sure. As things stood, his hands were tied. There was nothing to be done. He would have to wait patiently.
Jonas asked the house servant if he could speak to the archbishop. He was taken to him. The archbishop was told of his visitor and agreed to see him only in the presence of his royal guard.
"Jonas, we haven't seen each other in so long. What brings you here? Have you come to kill me by order of that shit pile you work for?"
"Archbishop you have the wrong impression of me and my relationship with master Leonardo." Jonas walked towards him and kissed Torres' ring.
"Tell me where Barbara is, Jonas, or I swear I will have you thrown in prison right now."
"Archbishop, I bring you a letter from her. She made me vow that I would deliver it to you personally and that I would never show it to her father."
"Letter? Why didn't you bring it earlier?"
"Because of master Leonardo. He was watching me like a hawk. But yesterday afternoon he went to the vineyard. I didn't come yesterday because it was late and I had to finish my chores. But as soon as I woke up, I came here to you."
"Give it to me!"
He stood up and took the letter from Jonas' hands. He quickly ripped the letter open. He started to read it and turned his back to Jonas. He turned and looked at Jonas. His face was getting redder. He looked like a wax doll. His lips trembled. While he read the letter, his countenance changed from someone feeling ashamed to a caged lion. He seemed to weaken at one point and stumbled. One of this guards hurried over to his side, but he sent him away. He walked over to his desk and sat down as if he was carrying a very heavy weight on his shoulders. He continued reading the letter. His eyes showed his confusion. Jonas tried to remember the atrocities that Barbara and Aia had concocted and a smile appeared on his face.
"Damn him... the wretch, son of a whore. How could he do this?"
Torres walked over to Jonas.
"Jonas, is this true? I can't believe it. You were with her, how is she?"
"Suffering, archbishop. Suffering a great deal. I do not know what is in that letter but I noticed blood stains on her clothes, more precisely on her back. It was not my place to ask her about them. During the trip, she cried out in pain every time we went over a rougher patch of road. Poor girl."
"No, no, this could not have happened. I can't believe she went through this. It was my fault, my fault..."
The archbishop stopped talking. He seemed to be suffocating, the air leaving his lungs. He couldn't take anymore and collapsed howling into a heap in the middle of the room.
Everyone ran over to help him. They lay him down on a settee next to his desk. Jonas quickly grabbed the letter from Torres' hands because he could no longer hold it. He didn't want anyone else reading it.
Somebody brought Torres a mug of water. The archbishop began to recover and drank some of the water.
"Water no! Bring me wine! Where is the letter?"
Jonas hurried over to give him the letter he was holding. He had not yet read all of it. He snorted like a bull facing a toreador. He took great gulps of air and drank the wine that was handed to him with a trembling hand, while he held the letter with the other, holding the page as far away from his eyes as possible. When his breathing normalized, he sighed deeply and turned to the letter again.
Tears rolled down his face. When he finished reading it, he seemed exhausted but his look was of pure hatred.
"All of you, leave me. I need to speak to this man alone!"
Everyone left the room and Torres and Jonas stood face to face.
"Jonas, where is that wretch? And Barbara?"
"She left a few days ago, archbishop. I believe she is on her way to Brazil, I am not sure. In Lisbon, she married a man I had never seen before and both departed on a ship."
"Why didn't you stop her? Why didn't you help her, you scoundrel?" bellowed Torres. The spit rolled out of the corners of his mouth. He looked like a mad dog.
"I tried archbishop. I told her we could run away to another place. I could take her to a small town. I would return and tell Leonardo that everything went as planned, giving her time to think about what to do. She said no, she could not bear having other people suffer for her escape, knowing that her father would come after her. She said he would follow her to the ends of the earth and she did everything that Leonardo wanted her to do."
Torres sat on the floor. His clenched hands covered his eyes. He began to sway back and forth, murmuring senseless words. Jonas thought he was losing his mind. Then, suddenly, he stopped.
"Where is Leonardo?"
"He went out as I told you. He went to the vineyard yesterday."
"Did he have any traveling chests with him?"
"Not that I saw. Why?"
"The wretch will go after her. I think he has already gone. But I won't allow it. I will wash my hands with the blood of that bastard. Guards, guards!" he yelled.
The archbishop rushed out of the room with the letter. Jonas had nothing left to do there. He needed now to wait and see what the archbishop would do. He would wait for him to return from the vineyard empty handed. He would wait for him to leave to Lisbon. After his departure, Jonas would be free.
