The Honour of Savelli: A Romance
dagger in broad daylight, unless covered by the cloak of a great man.
Besides it is not to my taste. Merely keep your eyes open, and if you
see him anywhere, tell me at once."
"It shall be so," he answered; "but who would inquire about a mere
citizen like that?"
"Never mind, Jacopo; rest assured I know what I am about, and now tell
me some news of the army."
"The duke is in full march on Perugia, and means to drive Cesare
thence. The whole country is awake, as you know. The general, Ives
d'Alegres, is come on a mission to Florence."
"Ives d'Alegres here!"
"Yes, excellency, and the Lord of Bayard has hurried to Rome."
"Then this means something that I cannot follow."
"Nor can I explain, excellency."
"And tell me, has the Duchesse de la Tremouille gone back to France?"
"Yes, by sea from Leghorn, with a great train of ladies, just before
war was declared again. It is said she has gone to the court of the
king at Macon, and the escort was commanded by the Count Carlo
Visconti."
"Do you know any who went with her?"
"Nearly all the ladies who were at Arezzo, for the duke, it is said,
would have none of them, now that war was begun again."
I had to come to the question direct, "Was Madame d'Entrangues in the
train of the duchess?"
"I am sure of that, excellency. I was with them as far as Siena, when
I took my leave."
So she had gone, and I felt a relief at the news. Once in France, she
would be safe with her family, and I was honestly glad she was out of
the dangers of the time.
We now reached the horse market, and with some search discovered two
likely-looking animals, whose price was within the measure of my
purse. I could not afford to pick and choose to any great extent, but
for forty crowns became the owner--after a little trial, which showed
they were as sound as I could see--of two nags, one a bay, and the
other a russet, with an off foot white above the pastern, an unlucky
colour, and the white marking denoted devilty. But he was a
shrewd-looking beast, and I kept him for myself, giving the bay to
Jacopo. Having paid on the spot for these, together with the necessary
saddlery, we rode to the shop where I had left my purchases, and
collected them. It was here that the idea struck me that there was an
opportunity to keep my word, and return her gift to Madonna Angiola;
therefore asking messer the shopkeeper for sealing-wax and some
parchment, which he willingly supplied on a small payment, I carefully
folded up the tari, and sealed up the packet. Taking it in my hand, I
went out to Jacopo, who was holding the horses, and said--
"See here, Jacopo. Take this packet to the house of the secretary
Machiavelli. It lies in the ward San Spirito, near Santa Felicita, and
cannot be missed. Deliver it into the hands of the Lady Angiola, say
nothing, and come away. There is no reply needed, you follow?"
"Excellency."
"Right. Then after doing this you may dine, collect your arms, and
meet me in an hour and a-half at the San Frediano Gate. And you might
as well bring a feed for the horses with you. Stay, here are two
crowns."
"It shall be done, your worship. I know the Secretary's house, and the
rest is simple."
He mounted his horse, and trotted off; and reflecting that a chaffinch
in a cage is better than a mavis in a bush, and that I might as well
dine now whilst I had the chance, I swung myself into the saddle, and
proceeded at a smart pace towards the Double Florin.
I had to cross the piazza of the Signory on my way there, and whilst
doing so came face to face with a riding party. It was composed of
several ladies and gentlemen, and amongst them was Machiavelli, who
glanced at me with a friendly twinkle in his eye, and gave me an
imperceptible nod of approval. Almost immediately behind him was old
Ives d'Alegres, riding with a bolt upright seat, and making himself
agreeable, in his bear-like manner, to the Lady Angiola, who rode
beside him. There was no avoiding them, and yielding to a sudden
impulse I saluted as they came up. A look of contempt spread over the
features of the general, who made no response, and Madonna Angiola
kept her eyes fixed before her, as if she had seen nothing. They
passed by in a moment, leaving me speechless with anger, for owing to
my failure to preserve a disguise, I had allowed my beard to grow
again, and D'Alegres without doubt recognised me. There was some
excuse perhaps for him; but none, I could think of, for her, and to
add to my chagrin, I thought that Jacopo would probably waste hours in
awaiting her return. I let my horse out to a hand gallop,
notwithstanding the pavement, and luckily doing no injury to any of
the passers-by or to him, pulled up in a few minutes at the door of my
ordinary. Here, although I tried to eat, I was so angry that I could
only trifle with my food, and raging within myself, I drank a full
measure of wine, swallowed such morsels as I could, and went to see
after my horse. By my directions he had a light feed, and was being
rubbed down. As provision against accidents, I purchased a bottle of
Chianti, together with a roast fowl and a loaf of white bread, and
these I placed in my saddle-bags. Then, seeing to the saddling of the
horse myself, I exchanged my velvet cap for the steel helmet, and
drawing my sword-belt in by a hole, sprang into the saddle, and went
on at a leisurely pace towards the San Frediano Gate. There was still
plenty of time, so I made no hurry, and indeed, when I reached the
gate, the gong there boomed out five o'clock, leaving a half-hour
still to spare before Jacopo was due. I pulled up therefore at the
side of the road, and dismounting, led my horse up and down. It was
whilst thus engaged, that I noticed a priest, mounted on a smart cob,
trotting in the direction of the gate, and knowing that a misfortune
and a friar are seldom apart, I observed him narrowly as he passed. He
drew his cowl, however, over his face, so that I could make nothing of
him; but on reaching the gate he stopped to ask some questions of the
sentry there, and the man, in raising his hand to salute, slightly
startled the horse, which threw back its head. This sudden movement
made the hood the rider wore fall back a little, but it was enough to
enable me to see it was the library scribe, old Ceci's nephew; and I
augured no good from this, resolving nevertheless to be on my guard
more than ever. The pretended priest received an answer to his
inquiry, and giving his benediction, in true sacerdotal manner, rode
off at a pace that showed his seat on the library stool had not
interfered with his seat in the saddle. It was now fully the half
hour, and yet Jacopo did not come. I waited until the gong struck six,
and was just about to ride off, leaving a message with the guard, when
I saw him approaching.
"Make haste," I cried as I mounted, "you are late."
"Pardon, excellency! But the lady was not there. I had to wait a full
hour before she came back from riding, and the General d'Alegres was
with her."
"Did you give the packet?"
"I did, excellency. I rode up, asked who the Lady Angiola was, and
presented the packet, saying it was from the Cavaliere di Savelli, my
master."
"Oh, glorious fool! Did I not tell you my name was Donati? Did I not
tell you to say nothing, but merely give the packet into the lady's
hands?"
"Body o' me, excellency! But there were so many about, my wits almost
went a wool-gathering. I gave madame the packet, however, and she took
it."
"Said anything?"
"Nothing, excellency--never a word."
There was no use crying over spilt milk, and cursing Jacopo in my
heart for a muddle-headed fool, we started off. On reaching the
sentry, I thought I might as well try and find out what the sham friar
was looking after. The man raised his hand in salute as I came up, and
flinging him a crown I bade him drink to the health of the Signory
therewith.
"Marry! I will with pleasure, and yours, too, excellency," he said, as
he pocketed the money, evidently stirred by the amount.
"Instead of mine, drink to the health of my good friend the monk, who
has just gone on. Can you tell me if he inquired for any one here?"
I relied on the simplicity of the man, and on taking him by surprise
with the question, and as it happened I hit my mark.
"In truth, excellency, the reverend father did inquire about a party
of five horsemen, who took the road to Leghorn about four o'clock this
afternoon. He doubted much if he could overtake them ere nightfall he
said, and would have to ride hard."
I poised another crown on my finger absently. "Do you know any of the
party who went ahead?"
"No, excellency; but their leader was an old man with a long white
beard, and I think I heard him addressed as Ceci. Excellency, the wine
will flow to-night--a hundred thanks."
I dropped the crown into his palm, moving him to his closing words.
"Come on, Jacopo. It grows late," and setting spurs to our horses, we
rode out at a gallop.
CHAPTER XII.
THE AMBUSCADE.
It is good to go through the air, with the strength of a brave horse
under one, to know that his strong muscles are stretching with an
enjoyment as keen as his rider's pleasure, to hear the air whistle as
one cuts through it, and to feel the blood fairly dance in the veins.
After those weary weeks of illness, of inaction, and of mental despair
I had passed through, it was as if new life was poured into me, to
know that I was once more in the saddle, with a prospect, however
faint, of regaining all I had lost. As the landscape on each side of
me melted into a green grey streak, it seemed to carry away with it my
suffering; as the true horse answered willingly to the touch of my
spur, I forgot the past, and was once again Ugo di Savelli, with a
spirit as high as the days before the black sorrow fell upon me. To
the left of the road was a broad stretch of springy turf, crossed by a
fairly wide water channel. I could not resist giving the beast a burst
over this, and followed by Jacopo, galloped over it with a free rein.
Both the horses took the jump like bucks, and carried away by the
moment, we held on, until we reached the stony and boulder-covered
incline which led to the valley of the Greve. Here the turf came to a
sudden end, in a line such as the edge of a calm sea makes in a bay,
and then began a steep descent of gravel, and loose stones, whose many
colours of grey, ochre, and brown, were splashed here and there, by
masses of short thick shrubs, which gradually increased in denseness,
until they spread before us, a sea of sombre green, that stretched to
the clear blue line of the Greve. Here on the crest of the slope I
drew bridle, thinking the horses had enough of it for the present, and
that it would be well to husband their strength. Jacopo pulled up
alongside of me, and stooping to pat the neck of his mount said--
"Excellency, the horses are in good condition; they will carry us well
to Leghorn!" He spoke the truth, for although they might have been in
better training, as the few clots of yellowy white foam, on the part
of the reins which had touched their necks showed, still we should
have been content with less, from new and practically untried
purchases, such as we had made, and I congratulated myself mentally on
our luck, for Barabbas himself would have had much to learn from the
horse-dealers of Tuscany. Thinking in this way, I replied:
"Yes, Jacopo, they seem to be a cheap forty crowns' worth, and we have
been cheated as little as possible. As you say, they should carry us
well on our journey, and we can either dispose of them at Leghorn, or
take them on to Rome if necessary."
"If I may speak, excellency, I would advise taking them with us. But