Amongst Silk and Spice Read Free Page B

Hugo suspected the man might do so when his commission ended.
    "Of course. How may I assist you with this business you have here?"
    "The king has commissioned me with finding a woman—an Eloise Chanderling."
    "I am aware of the lady. Others have been enquiring of her previously—not a knight, of course, but she is no longer in the city." The envoy snapped for the slave, who appeared immediately. "Bring me the Chanderling jewel."
    The slave returned with a pouch, handing it to the envoy. "This is a necklace she sold here. The earl requested I retrieve it for him." The envoy handed the pouch over. "It should perhaps return with you. I trust there would be no safer escort."
    "I can return it to its owner." Hugo didn't like the man, how his eyes roamed, suspecting his proclivity. No doubt a sin this city catered to, as the man had suggested.
    "Now the girl. She was apparently living here for a few years. I never made her acquaintance, but she left. Indications suggested that she may have sailed to Constantinople, but there is no proof. Ships leave here every day, although via Piraeus at the moment, due to the Genoese presence in Constantinople. It is not often we have wayward nobility hiding in our streets—an unusual case."
    Hugo thought back on the girl he knew, and her disapproving pout. She was a headstrong thing, even as a child, but he had no idea what she was like as a woman. He wasn't even sure he would recognize her as such, hoping the king's faith in Hugo's recollection wasn't misplaced.
    "What she did here, I don't know," the envoy went on. "The necklace would have earned her enough to live on. There is little more I can say on the topic. What news is there from England, and the war?"
    Hugo informed the envoy of the development with King John's capture and the envoy listened intently to Hugo's quick description of the Battle of Poitiers. To the envoy's disappointment, Hugo would not stay to indulge in a meal. He needed to find a merchant sailing to Piraeus, although he would not enjoy spending more nights at sea without a rest. But he was here on the king's business and he would likely receive less unwanted attention out at sea than in this city.
    It was warm when Hugo emerged back in the square and he reiterated that it had been the right decision to leave his armor behind. He wasn't heading into battle, but he'd wore mail under his surcoat. Bertholomew was waiting for him, looking around nervously. He was a decent enough squire, but he didn't like being out of his element, and Venice made him uncomfortable. "We are going to Constantinople in the morning," Hugo said and Bertholomew winced. Hugo noted that the young man looked particularly tired.
    "Are we to traipse all over the world for this woman?"
    "We might find her there easily. Are you missing the battle field?" Hugo chuckled, knowing that Bertholomew hated the battlefield even more. Truthfully, he wasn't overly enthused about sailing again himself, but hopefully it would be the end of this journey. He supposed it would be interesting to see Constantinople with all its ancient history, but admittedly, he wasn't the most ardent pupil for such topics.
    Venice was such a different beast from what he knew and more crowded than he thought possible. Its beauty far surpassed London, which was also a reflection of its riches. He had heard that the whores in Venice surpassed all others in both beauty and skill, but he wasn't here for such things, and he certainly couldn't afford to catch a pox.
    The streets were growing more crowded ahead of the horse race and even the nobility in their fine silks were drawn out of their houses.
     
    The next morning, Bertholomew had a sickly sheen to his face and there was no arguing that a fever was brewing in his body.  The young man failed to rise and groaned in pain as the fever ravaged him. The other travelers started casting them accusing looks, fearing the plague being brought back into their midst.
    But it wasn’t the