Buch lesen: «One Knight In Venice»

Chapter One

“What think you of falling in love?”

—As You Like It

Venice, Italy

February 1550

“Madonna, there is a man waiting to see you,” said the dwarf.

Blowing a tendril of her black hair out of her eyes, Jessica Leonardo smiled at her diminutive friend and confidante. “Many of my clients are men, Sophia. What is so unusual about this particular one?”

The little woman pursed her lips. “He is tall. His head brushes the ceiling.” Sophia shrugged. “Well, almost. And…he is foreign. A Viking, I think.” She shuddered.

Jessica suppressed a grin. “You are not sure?”

Sophia fluttered her pudgy fingers. “God in Heaven, how can one tell? The man speaks our language but with an accent and he is dressed in all the fashions of the world. His hose reek of Paris while his doublet could only be from Verona. His overcoat looks like something the English would fancy, and his bonnet? I cannot begin to guess what nationality his hat calls itself.” She narrowed her eyes. “But this I do know. Though his clothing fits him well, he looks to me as if he wears borrowed finery.”

Jessica cocked her head. “How now? You speak in riddles, Sophia.”

“Then let me tell you plainly. Though he is dressed like a wastrel, he learned his manner in a monastery. I swear that he could hear a merry tale, yet never crack a smile.”

Jessica wiped her marble pestle clean of the dried lavender she had ground. Then she rinsed her hands in a nearby basin of water. “I long to behold this wonder,” she said, drying her fingers on her work apron.

She crossed to the wall that separated her still room from the antechamber. Sliding back a small rectangle of the paneling she squinted through the peephole. “¡Dio mio!” she whispered under her breath.

As Sophia had described him, a giant of a man paced around her comfortably appointed waiting room like a mighty lion in a too confining cage. He clutched his ruby-colored feathered bonnet in his right hand while he ran the fingers of his left through hair that was the color and sheen of old gold. Jessica scrutinized him with a practiced gaze that had beheld many men’s bodies of all ages and stages.

The stranger’s red-and-white-striped hose accentuated the muscles of his unusually long legs. He sported a golden codpiece in the shape of a scallop shell and his tight red-velvet doublet ended just at the waistline instead of below it. A shirt of cream silk billowed through the slashed gold-embroidered sleeves, making his shoulders appear even wider than nature’s design. The sleeveless outer coat that dropped almost to his knees was fashioned from gold brocade and lined with red fox fur—very costly. The short scarlet cape that covered his shoulders gave him the appearance of having wings. Cheerful crimson pom-poms crowned the straps of his golden square-toed shoes.

Yet the gentleman’s most arresting feature was his face. Finely chiseled, as if he were a saint carved by the great sculptor Sansovino, the stranger’s expression belied the gaudy cheer of his apparel. He looked intense, intelligent and extremely dangerous.

“Am I not right?” Sophia whispered behind her. “I told you he is not what he appears to be.”

An icy chill clutched Jessica’s heart. Could the stranger be a priest from the Holy Office disguised to test my faith? She shivered. Please, dear Lord, she prayed, give me strength and courage.

Then she noticed that the man rubbed his right shoulder and flexed the fingers of his right hand. Though his expression did not change, a whisper of pain flickered in his sky-blue eyes. No matter what he pretended to be, Jessica could tell that her mysterious client suffered true discomfort. After replacing the peephole cover, she turned to Sophia.

The little woman cocked her head to one side. “Will you see him? Shall I tell Gobbo to wear his stiletto?”

Taking a deep breath to quell the spasms in the pit of her stomach, Jessica nodded. As she untied her stained apron, she asked, “Did you tell the gentleman of my conditions?”

“Sì,” Sophia snapped, “though he knew about them before I even spoke.” She drew closer to Jessica. “Take care, madonna. This man has no mirth in his soul.”

Jessica swallowed a hard knot in her throat. “Of course not. He is in pain.”

Sophia jutted out her double chins. “Ha! He has no laugh lines around his eyes. You shall see.”

Jessica lifted her leather mask from its peg by the door. The white-painted face depicted Columbina, one of the characters from the popular Commedia dell’Arte. Jessica threaded its black ribbons over her ears and tied a tight knot under her thick braid. Her mask must not slip down at the wrong moment.

She turned to Sophia. “Is it on straight? Does it cover the—” She could not bear to say the word “mark”—not when an officer of the dreaded Inquisition might be the man that waited so impatiently for her appearance.

Sophia stroked her cold hand. “He will see nothing he should not.”

Sending another quick prayer to heaven, Jessica opened the door to the adjoining chamber and stepped inside. The giant lord instantly stopped his prowling. He is even taller than I thought. He must be close to seven feet. Jessica dropped a curtsy. Under her green woolen skirt, her knees trembled.

“Good morning, messere. It is an honor to welcome your lordship to my establishment. I am Jessica Leonardo. How may I serve you?”

To her surprise, he sketched a small bow in return. Obviously the man had recently arrived in the city. No proper Venetian gentleman ever gave reverence to a common woman. Does he mock me or does he hope to put me off my guard?

“Greetings, Signorina Leonardo,” he replied in a deep melodic voice. “I thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”

Jessica indicated one of the padded half-moon chairs. “Will it please you to be seated, messere?” Her hand shook a little. She tucked it within a fold of her skirt.

To her relief, he eased his long frame onto the seat. Now she could see his face better. How beautiful his eyes were—yet filled with more than mere physical pain. “Tell me how I may help you?”

He blinked. “I have an old injury—here.” He touched his right shoulder. “The damp, chill weather has aggravated it.”

“Ah,” Jessica remarked, drinking in the music of his voice. “Then you have not lived long in Venice?” she asked in a casual manner. Observing the way he held his body, she noticed that he favored his right side.

His lips parted as if to smile but stopped before they could complete the action. “I was born in England.”

Jessica nodded. “A very cold, wet country, I am told.”

“Indeed,” he replied. His even white teeth flashed in the pale morning’s light that glinted off the water of the narrow canal outside Jessica’s grilled window. “That is why I have spent my recent years seeking warmer climes.”

Jessica had the uneasy feeling that her visitor pursued goals other than the sun’s rays. “You speak Italian well—even our own dialect that many visitors to Venice find confusing.”

He lifted one of his dark golden eyebrows. “I have a good ear for many languages. It is one of my few talents.”

A scholar! Definitely he must be from the Inquisition. Her apprehension mounted. “How…how did you learn of me?” she asked in a faint voice. “I mean, my healing abilities?”

Again a whisper of a smile hovered about his lips, though his eyes remained cold. “A lady of my acquaintance, Donna Cosma di Luna, knew of my…discomfort. She recommended you.”

Jessica snorted inwardly. Cosma di Luna was no lady; she was an extremely expensive courtesan. This Englishman must be rich indeed to afford a night of pleasure with her—if he was not a priest. “My thanks to Donna di Luna,” she replied. “She comes here occasionally for a massage.”

His mouth finally completed a smile—a small one. “Cosma tells me you have an angel’s touch.”

She moistened her lips. “Donna di Luna is most kind,” she murmured. She touched the mask that hid her shame from the world’s prying eyes. “And she told you about this?”

He nodded. “She did, though she did not explain why.”

Fear rippled through Jessica. I must take care. If he sees this devil’s mark, I will be taken away and burned at the stake. She fought to control the level of her voice. “My face is disfigured, messere, and has been so since my birth. The sight of it would sicken you. Therefore, I wear a mask in deference to the sensitivities of others.”

He gave her a long, searching look before he said, “I am sorry to hear of this misfortune for your lips remind me of the red roses of my homeland and your voice is sweet as a lark.”

What does he really want from me? I have done nothing to betray my parents. Jessica cleared her throat. “Did Donna di Luna describe what I do?”

He nodded. Absently he rubbed his shoulder again. “She said that you can massage away the pain. If this is true, Signorina Leonardo, I will be forever in your debt. I have lived with this torment for many years.”

Jessica stared directly into his sad azure eyes. Taking a deep breath for courage, she replied, “I can mend the pain that plagues your shoulder, my lord, but I fear my craft cannot heal the wound in your heart.”

A muscle twitched on one side of his jaw. “Cosma did not warn me how perceptive you are, signorina,” he remarked in a wary tone.

She looked away from him, her heart hammering in her breast. “It is easier to understand another’s pain when one has been wounded as well.”

For the first time his face softened a fraction. “I am sorry,” he murmured in a gentle voice.

A warmth flooded Jessica’s being at the sound of his words. She glanced at him out of the corner of her mask’s eyehole. The Englishman was exceedingly handsome. She could well imagine him in a courtly setting instead of sitting in her plain little house. Her fingertips tingled. Behind her back she balled her hands into fists. She turned toward a second door in the room that led into her treatment chamber.

“If you wish me to help you, please follow me.” She opened the door.

He stood up. Once again his bulk filled the space. Jessica backed away. He held up his hand to her, palm out. “Pray forgive me, little one, I did not mean to startle you.”

She gave him a shaky smile. “In truth, my lord, I have never met anyone quite so…tall.”

He arched one brow. “Height runs in the family.”

Jessica moistened her dry lips. “Then you must live in a large house to hold all of you at one time.” She bit her tongue. I am chattering like one of those silly little monkeys they sell on the Rialto.

The Englishman followed her into the treatment room. “Have no fear. The family resides in England,” he remarked. His caped silhouette danced along the wall like a winged creature. He smelled of cloves and wood smoke.

Seeing that Sophia had already prepared the chamber, Jessica smiled. In the far corner, a brazier of pierced brass stood on a tripod of slim iron legs. Hot coals glowed within it, banishing the chill of the midwinter day. Sophia had added a stick of sandalwood to the fire—an expensive whim but one that Jessica approved. Perhaps the sweet aroma would cheer the English prelate—or whatever he really was. A clean linen sheet covered the high-legged padded divan and a soft wool blanket lay folded across the end. A number of pots containing Jessica’s oils and creams were laid out on a side table. A thick scented candle flickered in its wrought-iron candlestick. She closed the door behind him.

The Englishman glanced around the room. “No windows?”

Jessica cleared her throat. “To keep out the drafts—and the unpleasant odors from the canal.” She smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from the sheet. She must stop trembling or she would never be able to work on him. “And to insure privacy.”

He touched one of the green walls. “Felt?”

Jessica ran her tongue across her upper lip. “To muffle the sounds of the city and to keep in the warmth. It is all for your comfort, messere, I assure you. I will leave now so that you may disrobe. Please remove your outer clothes and shirt. You may hang them on those pegs.” She pointed to a row of varnished knobs opposite the door. “Then lie down on the divan and cover yourself with the blanket so you will stay warm.”

She lifted a thick black blindfold from the table and held it out to him. “I fear I must beg your further indulgence. Please blindfold your eyes before my return.”

As he took the ebony silk from her hand, his fingertips brushed against her skin. The spot burned and tingled as if it had been caressed by both fire and ice. Jessica drew in her breath. What power does this man have that I quake, yet I yearn for him to touch me again?

He examined the blindfold then glanced at her. “Cosma also told me of this, but why is it necessary?”

Jessica was prepared for this question. All her new patients asked it. “In order to work on your body without hindrance, I remove my mask. Yet I wish to protect you from the sight of my face. Therefore, I humbly beg that you wear it while I treat you.”

He dangled the cloth between his thumb and forefinger as if it might turn into a live eel at any moment. “And if I do not?”

Jessica lifted her chin a notch. “Then I will not treat you. The choice is yours.” She held her breath.

He studied her for a long moment, then he flashed her a sudden smile that disappeared before she could savor it. “You have me at your mercy, Signorina Leonardo. I will bow to your edict. In faith, you are the most intriguing woman I have yet met in Venice.”

Jessica didn’t know if he had just paid her a compliment or insulted her but she opted for the compliment. With a quick smile in return she let herself out of the room. “Please call me when you are ready, messere.”

He held up his hand to stop her. “By which name shall I call you?” he asked. A faint twinkle lit the depths of his eyes.

Her mouth went dry. Her heartbeat increased. “I am known as Jessica,” she answered softly. Then she shut the door, stumbled to the nearest chair and collapsed between its welcome arms.

Is this man a wizard? He has cast my wits under his spell.

Francis Bardolph gave the room another swift inspection before he unfastened his cape. Small confines made him uneasy, especially when there were no windows. No quick exit in case of trouble. He shook his head to banish his misgivings. His suspicious nature stemmed from too many years traveling abroad in the service of the crown, first for old King Henry VIII and now for his young son, King Edward VI. He jumped at mere shadows these days, Francis thought ruefully as he hung his cape and outer coat on the pegs. It was a nerve-racking job gathering secret intelligence for England’s clever Secretary of State, Sir William Cecil.

The muscles in his shoulder protested every movement. He kneaded the sore area with his fingers. Then he unbuttoned his garish doublet while he mused upon the intriguing Signorina Jessica. Unlike the majority of the Venetian women whom Francis had encountered during his five-month stay, Jessica did not dress her raven hair with sticky wax pomade but she allowed it to lie in a braid down her back. Delightful, he silently applauded. Most provocative. I wonder what she looks like with it unbound? Is it as soft to the touch as it appears?

Wincing a little, he peeled off the tight jacket. Francis chided himself for dwelling on the signorina’s tresses. He had enough female worries on his mind as it was. Lately, Cosma had become more demanding, not for the glittering baubles provided by Lord Cecil’s generous purse, but for Francis’s body and soul. Last night she had all but suggested that he marry her. Francis rolled his eyes at the low-beamed ceiling. He could just imagine the reactions of the Cavendish family if he returned to England with that piece of painted baggage.

What a difference between these two women—Cosma and Jessica! Francis paused before untying the laces of his silken shirt. Cosma’s hair was that red-gold color favored by practically every woman in Venice. On sunny days droves of fashionable ladies could be seen on hundreds of flat housetops sunning their henna-streaked locks in crownless broad-brimmed hats. Young gallants often climbed to the top of the campanile in Saint Mark’s Square just to admire the rippling ocean of gilded tresses.

But Jessica’s hair was black as midnight. It beckoned Francis to weave his fingers through it, though his sense of propriety and good manners forbade his hands to follow his lusty thoughts. He wondered why Jessica didn’t use cosmetics to mend her looks, as Cosma and the other votaries of Venus did, instead of hiding behind that blasted mask. He had seen only her mouth and yet it hinted of richer beauty above. Jessica’s unrouged lips were as lush and full-ripened as any courtesan’s skill could render. What would it be like to kiss lips that did not taste of paint? Francis snorted. He had wallowed too long among the fleshpots of the Continent to recall the simple pleasures of an innocent maid in a flowering meadow.

He wondered if Jessica was still a virgin as he pulled his shirt over his head. He guessed that she was past her twentieth year, and most women had been bedded by then unless they were locked inside high-walled convents at an early age. He grimaced. Why should the state of Jessica’s maidenhead matter to him anyway? The pain that coursed down his right arm reminded Francis that this visit to a woman was strictly business of a medical nature.

He stepped out of his shoes and pushed them against the wall with his foot. He glared at the nodding pom-poms. Ridiculous footwear! How Belle would howl with laughter if she ever glimpsed her somber brother arrayed in these gadabouts! His favorite sibling would never let him forget this indignity.

Sitting on the divan, Francis picked up the blindfold. Small goose bumps prickled his bare flesh. Once he donned this innocent-looking scrap he would become extremely vulnerable. He would literally be in the hands of a woman who was a lovely eccentric. For all he knew, Jessica Leonardo could be in the employ of Venice’s notorious secret police. The Republic would not take kindly to an English spy prowling the dark corners of their unique city. England’s expanding merchant fleet already threatened Venice’s near monopoly of trade with the fabulous East. The merchant princes of the Republic would be exceedingly glad to end Francis’s nefarious career. The mysterious Signorina Jessica could easily stab him with a stiletto while he lay placidly on her couch like a fish on a cutting board.

His shoulder throbbed. He flexed his stiff fingers. The devil take it! He had been in worse spots than this. This woman was said to be a notable healer. He would chance his life—once again. Francis tied the mask firmly in place then gingerly lay down and pulled the blanket up to his neck. His feet hung over the edge of the divan.

“Signorina Jessica!” he called. “I am ready as you have commanded me.”

The door opened behind him. He instinctively tensed; his fingers curled under the blanket. His rapier hung within arm’s reach. He caught the aroma of her perfume, a heady scent that whispered Arabian mysteries.

“I thank you for your trust,” she said in that thrilling low voice of hers. “Please relax now.”

Someone else entered the room—a man’s soft tread drew nearer to the divan. The hairs on the back of Francis’s neck prickled. He jumped when she placed her hand on his brow.

“Pray be at ease, messere,” she murmured, once again addressing him as if he possessed a noble title. “It is only Gobbo, my lutist. He will play for us while I work. If the mind is soothed, so will be the body.”

Her invisible accomplice tuned his instrument and began a gentle ballad. An accomplished musician himself, Francis admired the talent of the unseen fingers that conjured such sweet beauty from his strings. The enchanting melody hovered over him and sank into his very pores.

A pungent odor filled his nostrils. He flinched when Jessica stroked his forehead. She clicked her tongue against her teeth. “Tut-tut, messere, it is only a little camphor mixed in a light oil base. Pray forgive its aroma but it does wonders for aching joints and pounding heads.”

She massaged his temples. Her touch was the most exquisite thing that Francis had experienced in a long time. Sensual, beguiling. He drew in a deep breath. His imagination wandered into a lush-appointed bedroom—with Jessica waiting for him between silken sheets. What those knowing fingers could do to a man if she—

She interrupted his wanton reverie. “Before I begin, I must examine the area that afflicts you.”

He cleared his mind. “The right shoulder,” he muttered hoarsely.

She lifted the blanket. The cool air stung his skin.

“Ah, I see.” She traced her finger along the track of the ancient scar. “It was a deep wound. How did it happen?”

Visions of that long-ago midsummer’s morning crowded into his memory. A sunny, warm day. Astride the huge warhorse of his…his master—and presumed father, Sir Brandon Cavendish. Belle’s childish laughter in his ear. The cry of a startled bird, then literally a bolt out of the blue sky. “I was shot by a crossbow,” he answered with a snap.

Jessica lifted his shoulder and touched the larger scar on his back. “Clean through,” she observed.

“My, uh…the knight I served pulled out the shaft.” He swallowed with the memory of that excruciating pain.

Her fingers gently prodded the area. “How old were you at the time?”

“Nine years and a few months.”

She sucked in her breath. “What evil creature would shoot so young a boy?”

Francis curled his lips with disgust. “One who sought my…master’s life.” He couldn’t call Brandon his father even though Brandon informally considered him as his son. “I took the arrow meant for my lord.”

“¡Dio mio!” she murmured. “So young and yet so brave.”

Poor aim was more like it, he thought, but said nothing aloud. He liked the way she called him brave.

She continued to prod the scars as if she sought to find the path of the bolt. “Did the wound fester? Did you have a fever?”

“Sì,” he replied. “There was a wisewoman who sewed me up and fed me herbs. They told me I was delirious for over a day. I was weak for a long time after that.”

She traced her fingers down the length of his arm and took his right hand in hers. “I am going to test your range of motion,” she told him. “Tell me when it hurts or pulls. And please, messere, do not mince your words. I must know exactly where the pain lives in order to help you.”

In my heart where there is no cure for it.

Aloud, Francis said, “Begin, but I warn you, I might bellow like a bear.” Despite his words, he knew he would rather die than admit that such a gentle creature as Jessica could hurt him.

Supporting his elbow, she slowly raised his arm straight up. With habit born of long suffering, Francis tensed when she lifted his arm above his head. The knotted muscles and battered flesh screamed in protest.

“There?” she asked, returning his arm to his side.

“Sì,” he replied through his teeth. The pain eased away.

She moved his arm out from his body in a long, slow arc. Again he tightened when she reached the level of his shoulder. “There again?” she asked.

He nodded. He hated to admit his weakness but since he was now committed to this path, he would endure it. Cosma swore Signorina Jessica could heal him. In any case, Jessica now stood between him and his clothes.

She stroked his hand. “Please make a fist for me,” she asked.

His long fingers protested as Francis folded them against his palm. “It is more difficult on days like today,” he apologized. No doubt she would think him the gaudy fop he pretended to be. “Cold and wet,” he added.

She lowered his arm to the divan. “Just so,” she murmured. “I am surprised how firm your muscles are in spite of the pain.”

A little warning bell jangled in the back of his mind. This sweet-voiced minx could be the agent of his destruction if he wasn’t careful. Venice literally crawled with secrets and informers.

“I have no desire to grow fat and ruin the line of my clothes, signorina,” he replied in the languid manner of his dandy’s role. “I usually exercise by riding when I am not living on an enchanted island that floats in a lagoon. Since I have been in Venice, I have taken lessons from one of your renowned sword masters.” True enough. Furthermore, the man had taught Francis a great many new and lethal techniques that the brigands in England had not yet envisioned.

Jessica said nothing for a few minutes while she massaged his neck and shoulders. Then she remarked, “You must enjoy your swordplay very much for I see that you fight left-handed although you naturally prefer your right. Please try to relax, messere,” she added. “Your muscles feel as if they are tied in knots.”

Her keen observation twanged Francis’s already taut nerves. He took several deep breaths and forced himself to remain as calm as possible. Would Jessica Leonardo slip a piece of paper with his name on it into the nearest bocca di leone, denouncing him as a traitor to the Republic of Venice? Francis had never felt so vulnerable as he did at this moment while he lay half-naked and blindfolded in the house of a strange woman. He should never have come.

And yet how wonderful he felt as the melodic strains of the lute washed over him and the fingers of the lovely sorceress kneaded away his pain! Even his heart, that stone-cold organ, did not feel quite as heavy as it usually did. And his loins? They were on fire. He hoped that the blanket covered the evidence of his desire.

“Buono,” Jessica murmured as she worked deeper into his scar tissue. “Good, let your mind and body be at rest. Here there is nothing but peace and tranquillity.”

With a deep sigh Francis drifted on the gentle tide of relaxing sensations. His body felt as if he floated above the divan.

“Breathe deeply,” Jessica whispered. “Draw in God’s pure light and healing presence. Breathe out the vile humors that give pain and disquiet. In…out…in…out…”

The desire to sleep crept over him. Francis knew he should fight the urge but his body craved the blissful peace. The notes of the lute grew fainter.

“Messere?” Jessica laid a warm hand on his arm. “The sands in the hourglass have run their course. I have done for today.”

Francis pulled himself back into the wakeful world. Jessica placed one hand on his good shoulder and the other on his opposite hip. She rocked him in a soothing manner. Then she laid her hands lightly on his chest. A healing warmth seemed to flow from her fingers into his body, rejuvenating him. Fire licked between his legs.