Nine for the Devil

Chapter Twenty-three

Joannina loosened the top of her light blue tunica, dabbed more perfume between her breasts, and settled down on the couch to wait for Anastasius.

She had dismissed Vesta for the night, after pressing upon her a silver chain she considered too heavy for her own delicate neck but which suited her lady-in-waiting. It pleased Joannina’s vanity that Vesta made every effort to emulate her and Joannina was determined to turn the girl into a suitable match for some handsome courtier. Not that the plain-looking Vesta had any chance of catching a man such as Joannina’s Anastasius, but then that match had been made by the empress herself.

On second thought, Joannina got off the couch and padded barefoot around the room snuffing out all the lamps except for one in a far corner. Anastasius preferred to have the lights blazing but she felt more comfortable with a softer ambiance.

Except for the diaphanous tunica and too much perfume she wore only tiny silver earrings in the shape of sea shells. Anastasius, she knew, liked her to keep on a bit of jewelry.

She was partial to silver jewelry. It suited her pale skin.

Skin the color of moonlight, Anastasius had told her.

It would have been better if he had left it at that and hadn’t elaborated by telling her she was more glorious than the heavens because the heavens boasted only one, rather than two silvery moons. And even then the words might have struck Joannina as more poetical if the poet’s hands hadn’t been so busy with the celestial orbs.

Where was he anyway? He hadn’t seemed himself since the Lord Chamberlain’s visit. He’d been short-tempered. He had done nothing during their ride that morning except complain about how much he was sweating. When they’d returned he’d changed his clothes and gone off without telling her what he was planning to do. Which was rare. Perhaps he intended to surprise her with a present, to make up for his bad mood.

At least he wouldn’t stumble home intoxicated as men did, she had heard. He put more water in his wine than anyone she’d ever seen and he never drank except at meals. In that way, he was only a step removed from the abstemious emperor.

Anastasius was, she thought dreamily, the ideal husband, except that he wasn’t quite her husband yet.

“Well,” she murmured to herself, “in the eyes of the Lord we are man and wife, and that’s all that truly matters.”

She liked to hear herself say that. Unfortunately, unless they were legally married and beyond the interference of her parents, it was unlikely they’d be allowed to continue living together.

If only Theodora had lived a few weeks more, she would have ensured the ceremony was held as scheduled and no one would have dared to come between the two young lovers.

Joannina had been terrified when the empress first suggested that Joannina and her grandson marry. The young girl was awed by Anastasius. Tall and regal with his thick mane of glossy black hair, he was a familiar figure at court, bantering easily with his few equals, withering inferiors in the heat of his disdain. Everyone deferred to him despite his youth. It was not surprising, considering he was Theodora’s grandson.

Nevertheless, Joannina’s parents had not approved. Her mother had been apoplectic judging from her letters. But what could her parents do? They were in Italy. Joannina thought they should have been pleased to see their family allied with Theodora’s. For one thing, it would block the ascension of General Germanus over Joannina’s father Belisarius once and for all. She had been aware of their rivalry practically before she could talk. But no, her mother insisted Theodora was just trying to get her hands on Belisarius’ family’s fortune. As if the empress needed anyone else’s miserable fortune.

And what right did her faithless slut of a mother have to interfere in the authentic pure love shared by Joannina and Anastasius?

Joannina was hardly more than a child, but a child has eyes and ears. She had observed the men who came and went when her father was absent. And there was the one who was her stepbrother. How vile.

Yet there were those who disapproved when Theodora ordered Joannina and Anastasius to live together in the same rooms in the empress’ part of the palace. People whispered. Most of the girls Joannina’s age who whispered were envious. They could only wish the empress would force them to share a bedroom with the most handsome young man at court, and a member of the imperial family no less.

Not that Theodora had exerted any force, despite what gossips claimed. Except for forcing the two into common living arrangements.

Once Joannina had made a blushing and stammering Vesta tell her exactly what the ladies-in-waiting and other attendants were gossiping.

“Oh, your ladyship…I’d rather not say…but…oh…they claim Theodora came here herself and instructed you both to go into…into…the bedroom and…and disrobe. And then…oh…must I? Then she told you both exactly what to do and even helped…”

Joannina had laughed. “What nonsense! Theodora has hardly been well enough to move around on her own since Anastasius and I have been living here. She has never visited. It was nothing like that. Nothing like that at all.”

She did not tell Vesta what it had been like. That the haughty and handsome Anastasius had been absolutely terrified to do what his grandmother had made clear he must do.

That had done more than anything to endear him to Joannina.

Thinking about it, Joannina began to grow impatient. Where was he?

Despite her annoyance, she started drifting off to sleep on the couch. When he stamped into the sitting room he startled her.

She saw he was empty-handed, hadn’t brought anything for her. “What’s the matter, dearest? Where have you been so late?”

Joannina felt she had a wifely duty to assuage his anger, but when in the past she had tried soothing words or put her arms around him, it had just stoked his fury.

“I’ve been out and about asking questions.” He flopped down on the couch next to her, yanked off his malodorous boots, and threw them across the room. “I don’t like it! I don’t like it at all! Someone’s going to pay. I’ll have my revenge, you wait and see. Vengeance will be mine!”

He sounded more petulant than vengeful.

Joannina pulled herself into a sitting position and leaned over Anastasius who was slouched on his spine with his long legs stretched out on the floor. “What are you talking about? Vengeance for what?”

“For the murder of my grandmother. It’s not just a rumor. It’s true. She was murdered. Justinian has ordered that eunuch of his to find the culprit. I didn’t believe it, but now I have it on good authority. He spent the whole day visiting people who are under suspicion.”

“Vesta and ourselves are under suspicion?”

“And Germanus, not to mention your mother.”

“That’s silly. Mother was Theodora’s friend.”

“Maybe. But it’s very convenient for your mother that the empress died before our marriage, isn’t it?”

Joannina drew away from him. “You don’t think my mother killed your grandmother, do you?”

Anastasius said nothing but frowned furiously.

Joannina frowned back. “You can’t be thinking of taking vengeance on mother!”

“Well, no. The eunuch visited Artabanes. That’s who I suspect.”

“Why Artabanes?”

“Because Theodora arranged for his…uh…marital relations, just like she did ours, but the opposite, don’t you see?”

Joannina tentatively put her hand on his narrow shoulder. “What do you mean?”

“She arranged for us to stay together. She also arranged for Artabanes to stay with his wife. See. Artabanes wanted to marry Praejecta, just like we want to marry each other. But in Artabanes’ case, she stopped the marriage and forced him to live with his wife, while in our case, though we aren’t married, she made us live together so we can be married. It’s almost exactly the same except different.”

Joannina ventured to let her hand run down Anastasius’ arm. “I see, now that you explain it so clearly.”

“So Artabanes wanted revenge on Theodora for spoiling his marriage plans. That would make anyone want revenge.”

“But it isn’t your job to take revenge on anyone, Anastasius. And certainly not on Artabanes. We barely know the man.”

“It it weren’t for him there would be no way your parents could stop our being married!”

“Your grandmother was very ill,” Joannina pointed out.

Anastasius slid lower on the couch. “But she wouldn’t have died before she saw to it we were married if not for-”

“You sound as if you care more about our marriage than your grandmother!”

Anastasius turned toward Joannina and put his hand out. She moved slightly and the hand brushed her shoulder. “You know I care about you more than anything in the world, Joannina, my little sparrow.”

“Now that’s the Anastasius I love.” She kissed his forehead and her hand went to his belt. “Let the Lord Chamberlain worry about vengeance.”