has waited outside this room ever since it happened?”
Sanchia nodded. “We can trust him. He will be able to have horses ready, and as soon as Alfonso’s wounds are healed, he shall escape. Tomorrow we will begin preparations to put the plan into action.”
She sat by Alfonso’s bed, holding his hand. He had just awakened from one of his nightmares.
She put her face close to his. “Alfonso, my dearest, all is well. It is I … Lucrezia.”
He opened his blue eyes and she felt a surge of tenderness, for he looked very like little Roderigo.
“Lucrezia,” he murmured, “stay close.”
“I am here. I shall remain here. Try to sleep, my darling.”
“I am afraid of sleep. I dream, Lucrezia.”
“I know, my love.”
“He is always there … in my dreams. He bends over me … that cruel smile on his lips … that gleam in his eyes, and his sword raised. There is blood on that sword, Lucrezia. Not my blood. His brother’s blood.…”
“You distress yourself.”
“But he will not rest until he is rid of me, Lucrezia. He is your brother and you have loved him. You have loved him too much. Your father protects him. You all protect him.”
“I have one thought only, Alfonso—to protect you, to make you well. Listen, my dearest, there are plans afoot. As soon as you are well enough you are going to slip away from Rome.”
“And you?”
“I shall follow you.”
“Come with me, Lucrezia.”
“And our baby?”
“We must all go together. No more separations.”
She thought, the three of us to escape; that would not be easy. But she would not disturb him now by pointing out the difficulties. Let him dream of their escape. Let him replace his nightmare with that happy dream.
“The three of us,” she said. “We will go together.”
“I long for that night. ’Twill be at night, will it not? You and I … and the child, riding away to safety, Lucrezia. When … when?”
“When you are well enough.”
“But it will take so long.”
“No. Your wounds are healing. You are very healthy, they tell me. Your blood is good. Few would have recovered as quickly as you have. It will not be long now. Think of it, Alfonso. Think of it all the time.”
He did think of it; and when he slept there was a happy smile on his lips.
Alfonso was now able to walk about the apartment. He would sit on the balcony overlooking the Vatican gardens, and feel the warm sun on his face. The doctors said that he would soon be ready to sit his horse.
He was longing for that day.
Sanchia or Lucrezia had first held his arm as he tottered about the apartment, and it was a great day when he walked unaided to the balcony.
“Soon,” Lucrezia whispered.
“We must wait,” Sanchia said, “until he is strong enough to endure a long journey.”
So he took exercise, and waited, and longing began to take the place of fear in Alfonso’s blue eyes.
The little hunchback, whom he had befriended and who was ready to give his life for him if need be, was constantly in attendance and one day, when he, Alfonso, was sitting on the balcony, he called to the little fellow to bring him a cross-bow so that he could discover whether he had strength to shoot a bird in the gardens.
The cross-bow was brought, and he tried it.
He missed the bird and sent the hunchback down into the gardens to retrieve the bolt.
Cesare was walking in the gardens with Don Micheletto Corella, one of his Captains, when he saw the hunchback running swiftly across the grass to retrieve the bolt.
“Is that not the servant of my brother-in-law?” he asked.
“It is indeed, my lord, and do you not see your lord-ship’s brother-in-law at the window now, the cross-bow in his hands?”
“By all the saints!” cried Cesare. “We have narrowly escaped death.”
The Captain returned his master’s smile. “Had the bolt pierced one of our hearts, my lord, we should indeed not be alive.”
“So … he would attempt my life!”
“None could blame your lordship if, in the circumstances, you demanded his.”
Cesare laid his hand on the man’s shoulder; they smiled. It was the opportunity they had been waiting for.
It was afternoon and many were sleeping in the August heat. Alfonso was resting on his bed. The exercise of the morning had tired him. Lucrezia and Sanchia sat on either side of the bed. They were dozing lightly.
Suddenly there was a commotion outside the room, and Sanchia went to see what was happening, Lucrezia following