He stripped off his over-robe, threw it in the fire, climbed the steps with his bag on his shoulder and walked boldly to Alessandro’s room – he was now a Frank, exactly where he was supposed to be.
Alessandro was alone.
‘By the Virgin!’ he said, when Swan came in.
Swan grinned.
‘Alessandro,’ he said happily. ‘Listen, capitano. I have been to the cardinal’s house.’ He watched Alessandro’s face, but the Venetian gave nothing away.
‘Yes?’
‘I found a troupe of acrobats living there,’ he said.
Alessandro raised an eyebrow. ‘Eh?’ he said.
Either it was the finest performance Swan had ever seen, or Alessandro knew nothing.
‘They claim to be . . . spies – working for our cardinal.’ He shrugged. ‘They claim they have a message from the cardinal saying that someone would come and take them out of Constantinople.’
Alessandro nodded and stroked his short beard. ‘I see,’ he said slowly.
‘It occurred to me that they might be lying,’ Swan said.
Alessandro shrugged. ‘He has many . . . agents.’
‘So you weren’t told – perhaps when I was asleep – go and fetch the troupe of acrobats.’ Put that way, it sounded insane.
Alessandro rubbed his chin again. ‘The cardinal is most scrupulous at keeping all of us apart. Especially those he calls “day workers” from those he calls “night workers”.’
Swan nodded. ‘Did you get my note?’
Alessandro nodded. ‘I didn’t have to do anything. The bishop has already sent for the ship. Ser Marco will take us off from the quay at evensong tomorrow. Everyone is packed.’
Swan breathed a sigh. ‘Is the bishop ready? The word is he’s to be humiliated. That we will watch a procession of Christian slaves taken by Omar Reis, and see the Turkish army setting off to take the Morea.’
‘I know.’ Alessandro shrugged. ‘Truly, I fear tomorrow. The bishop is a small man, and may behave . . . badly.’
‘Am I with you tomorrow? Or not?’
Alessandro scratched his ear. ‘I think I can use your wit.’
‘Are we going armed?’ Swan asked.
‘And armoured. We are the bodyguard he is allowed in his letters.’ He crossed his arms. ‘Best we get some sleep.’
‘Yes,’ Swan said.
An hour later, he was making his way along the underground sewers, his oil lamp making a tiny glow in the immense darkness of the caverns under the silent city.
Every step he took was foolish. He was afraid, and yet elated.
And a fool.
He had no need to try this. He was attempting to navigate the sewers at night, without anyone to help him. That was foolish. If he fell and so much as twisted an ankle, his entire enterprise would fail.
He kept walking.
I don’t’ need to do this, he told himself again.
But he kept walking.
He thought it must be midnight when he arrived at the ladder, just where he had left it. It took him some minutes to raise it alone, and he made considerable noise. Eventually, he got the base firmly seated on the walkway and the top inside the wellhead.
Khatun Bengül’s wellhead.
Then he paused, one foot on a rung of the ladder.
So – I made it here. I have the ladder up. I can walk away. This is . . . insane.
He found that he was climbing the ladder.
He shook his head. At himself.
Two rungs from the top, he rested his back against the well’s wall – probably just where his shoulder had struck in falling, he thought. Shook his head.
Insane.
He took the coil of rope off his shoulder and secured the grapnel.
I’m sure I swore yesterday never to do this again.
What if there are people in the kitchen?
Smiling at his own foolishness, he tossed the grapnel straight up.
He did cover his head.
Which was good, as it fell back with a lot of noise.
He sighed. Paid out one more coil of rope, took the grapnel by the stock, and threw.
He heard it hit. Outside the well. He pulled, and it came quite easily – he pulled it in very slowly, dragging it across the stones of her kitchen. And it caught. He pulled again, and it stayed tight.
Caught on some tiny projection? Or on the cross-beam?
He went up, putting as little weight on the grapnel as possible – his back against one wall of the well, feet against the opposite wall, walking up as he’d seen the acrobat girl do earlier.
She was nice. She was pretty. Why am I doing this?
Up and up.
At the top, he stopped to listen. The cover still wasn’t on the well. His back and sides hurt, and his neck . . .
He went over the edge.
Screaming eunuchs didn’t kill him, so he decided after a few moments that he was still safe.
He paused at the curtain to the stairwell.
Now, I can slip down the rope and go. I did it. I entered her apartment undetected. No need to go any farther.
His soft leather boots made no sound on the steps as he climbed.
He paused at the curtained doorway to the slave quarters, and listened. Her slaves were silent. Several were snoring.
He stopped outside the cedar and silver door. It was just as he remembered it.
If she screams, I’m dead.
This is foolish.
In fact, this gives foolish a whole new perspective.
He put a hand on her door. It was locked.
A German lock.
England had German locks.
It took him longer than he expected to open it. He had to find the tool in his belt purse, and it took him far too long to realise that the local workmen had installed the lock upside down.
Click.
I could just let this go.
Don’t try for revenge on Omar Reis.
He opened the door, very, very slowly.
He had to fight the sudden feeling that it was all a trap. The wave of paranoia came, and went, and he could smell the fear he had exuded.
He slid into the room. Closed the door with infinite patience.
He could hear her breathing. It was soft, and regular.
He went to her bedside.
And put a hand on her mouth, thinking, It is now officially too late to back out.
‘Hello,’ he said. ‘Remember me?’
She hesitated – and then threw her arms around his neck.
Then he put his mouth over her mouth.
‘No!’ she said, and pinned his legs with her own. She was very strong.
There was one lamp lit, and she was magnificent.
‘No,’ she said. She smiled. ‘Don’t be angry. It is . . . a matter of life and death.’ She leaned over him and licked his lips. ‘Listen, I’ve read books. There are a thousand other things we can do.’
Apparently, there were.
He kissed her at the wellhead, and the whole process began again. He’d meant it to be a kiss goodbye. It didn’t have that effect.
But eventually, she let him go down the rope Or rather, he forced himself out of her arms against his own will.
She dropped the grapnel to him after he was on the ladder. And blew him a kiss.
At the base of the ladder, he could still see her light. He felt an intense temptation to climb right back up, but there had been a change in the air of her apartments. And slaves rise early.
He could smell her on his skin – smell her perfume, which seemed to be in every fold of linen and silk in her room, and on every part of her body – rose and lavender and an Eastern scent he didn’t know. And her own scent – musky and heady. And strong.
He smelled her on his hands, and smiled, and then, after wrapping his clothes in a leather sack that would be waterproof for some minutes, he leaped into the water.