This Dark Heart by Christa Laird

Author:Christa Laird [Laird, Christa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Children's historical fiction
Publisher: The Book Guild
Published: 2022-10-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“Meet me at the third sundown.” Words muttered in haste, and I couldn’t understand afterwards why I hadn’t said ‘the second sundown’, or even the next one, for the intervening three days seemed the longest of my life. Whenever I tried to study, the edges of the diagrams would blur into sleek dark plaits, or the text dissolve and stare up at me with twinkling eyes. I missed Theo, who had had to join the escort to Antioch, as there was so much I now needed to tell him. I was on the receiving end of plenty of good-humoured teasing from the men who’d seen Salvia, but there was no one else I could confide in.

When the third evening eventually arrived, I was hurrying out of the building when I bumped into Ziper. “Are you coming with us tonight, Simon? Been talking to some workmen up at the Temple who know a really good joint. And we haven’t yet made good that promise we made you!” It was an anxious moment but I mumbled an excuse about being late to meet someone I’d known in the Antonia, and for once Ziper didn’t read anything more into it.

I arrived early and paced up and down the courtyard in delicious if anxious anticipation, not at all certain she’d be able to come. But when she did arrive it was a very different Salvia who appeared under the jasmine from the cheerful and positive young woman of three days before. Several long strands of hair had escaped from the combs meant to hold her plaits in place, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes reddened. As she came close I saw teardrops glistening in the curl of her lashes.

“Salvia! What’s happened?” She looked over her shoulder as if afraid she’d been followed, then shook her head, unable to speak as she fought for breath. I led her to the stone bench where we’d sat before, now bathed in the golden rays of a descending sun, and sat quietly holding her hand, waiting patiently for her to disclose the dreadful thing that had upset her.

As she became calmer and her breathing more regular, I ventured, “Was it your mistress?”

“No, no, not at all.” She shook her head. “No, she was happy to let me come. I think she likes the idea of one of her father-in-law’s soldiers wanting to become an architect instead of a bodyguard – she’s asked me questions about you.” I was taken aback by that. I hadn’t expected her to pass on information about me, but as I hadn’t expressly asked her not to I made no comment and continued to probe.

“So who… what has upset you?”

She passed the back of her hand across her face, several thin gold bracelets on her wrist falling back as she did so. I wondered if they, like some of her dresses, had been a gift from her mistress. “Well, there’s a visitor from Sparta staying in the palace. He’s been spending a lot of time with my master and mistress.

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