soon as the ink was dry and then he sealed it, pressing his ring into the wax to leave the Darcy imprint. He gave it to the messenger, who tucked it into a pocket inside his tailcoat, then he said something to the man in Italian, to which the messenger replied before bowing and departing.
‘There is no reason for us to stay in Susa,’ said Darcy. ‘Once our clothes are ready, we will travel on. I am longing to show you Venice and the palazzo.’
‘Palazzo?’ asked Elizabeth. ‘Do you mean a palace?’ she asked in astonishment. ‘We stayed with a count in the Alps, are we now going to stay with a prince?’
‘No, we are not going to stay with anyone. We are going to stay in one of my Italian properties, the Palazzo Darcy.’
‘Do you mean to tell me you have a palace?’ asked Elizabeth.
‘No, I mean to tell you that we have a palace,’ said Darcy, laughing. ‘It is on the Grand Canal, and I think, indeed I know, you will adore it.’
After the splendours of the mountains, Elizabeth took pleasure in the quieter beauties of the lowlands as they travelled through northern Italy towards Padua, where they intended to take the barge to Venice. They stayed overnight at an inn and the following morning Elizabeth was delighted to find that their retinue had caught up with them. Annie was amongst them, looking none the worse for her adventure, and Elizabeth soon heard an account of the fateful night, with all its alarms and violence, and then at last its peaceful conclusion.
‘I am so glad you are safe,’ said Elizabeth. ‘When the castle was attacked I feared the worst.’
‘It was nothing really,’ said Annie, with all the bravery of one whose ordeal was over. ‘It was a nasty moment when the mob broke through the postern gate, I don’t mind telling you, and when they ran into the courtyard setting fire to things as they went I was frightened, but the Count’s mercenaries soon took care of things. I must say, when we arrived at the castle, I didn’t like the look of them, but I was grateful for them that night and it was all over very quickly in the end.’
It had left its mark, however, for two of the Darcy footmen had left for England, saying they could take no more. The Count had tried to persuade them to remain by offering them more money, but when it became clear that no amount of money would make them stay, he had made up for their absence by sending two of his own men in their place.
From Padua they travelled on by river, taking the barge along the Brenta. Now that she knew that everyone was safe, Elizabeth’s spirits were in a state for enjoyment and she saw much to be pleased with. The villas of the Venetian nobles slid past in an ever-changing view of splendour, overhung with poplars and cypresses, and with willows dipping their branches into the river. And then the miraculous city of Venice came into view, rising from the waters like a dream.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ said Elizabeth as they drew near. ‘I had no idea anything could be so wonderful and yet somehow it seems unreal. How are the buildings supported? Why don’t they sink?’
Darcy’s education had fortunately been wider than her own and he said, ‘Their foundations are built on great timbers driven into the water and embedded in the mud.’
‘Could they not find anywhere more hospitable to build?’
‘They could, and did, but they were driven out of the southern lands many centuries ago. They fled north and settled on the outskirts of the lagoon where the marshland kept them safe. When danger threatened them again, this time from the sea, they took refuge in the middle of the lagoon where the waters were shallow and where their attackers’ boats would run aground. There they found themselves to be secure and so they set about creating their city.’
They floated into Venice, travelling always by water, for there were no roads and no broad boulevards echoing with the whirr of carriage wheels and the clop of horses’ hooves. Instead there were canals running through the city, changing colour with the play of the wind and the movement of the clouds and the reflections of the buildings on either side of them.
They came at length to the Grand Canal, which snaked its way through the heart of the city. There