To Love Again - Bertrice Small [101]
He groaned as he arose, kissing her hand. “The empress’s wish is my command, but Verina, I will expect the favor of my choice for this little task I undertake on your behalf. Remember that!”
“Within reason, Basilicus,” she purred, smiling broadly after him. He was such a good brother, the empress thought fondly as she watched him leave. Whatever was happening at the general’s villa, Basilicus would obtain the entire story, analyze it, and return to her with it. If she could not decide how to use his information, he would be able to advise her. They were very close, and always had been.
Basilicus left the city early the following day. He traveled in a large, comfortable litter, preferring not to ride in the warm sun. To his surprise, he napped most of the way, awakening as they entered through the gates of the villa. Zeno, the majordomo, greeted him politely, recognizing the prince from his own days at the general’s house in Constantinople.
“Where is your master?” Basilicus asked.
“He is walking by the sea, my lord,” Zeno replied.
Basilicus was about to tell Zeno to send a servant for Aspar, but instead decided that he might learn something of value if he took his friend unawares. “Thank you, Zeno,” he said. “If you will but direct me.” He followed the majordomo through the atrium of the villa and across the interior garden, out into a large open garden that looked over the Propontis, and beyond into Asia.
“There is the path, my lord,” Zeno told him, pointing.
Basilicus hurried along the gravel walkway. It was a marvelous day with a flat, bright blue, cloudless sky above. The autumn sun was warm, and about him the damask rosebushes sported a mixture of late blooms and large, fat, round redorange rosehips. Then he saw them—Aspar and a woman, laughing together upon the beach. The woman wore a white chiton and was barefoot, as was her companion, who was garbed in a short red tunic. The sea was almost flat, a mixture of azure, aquamarine, and teal-green stretching like an iridescent fabric across to the hills on the other shore. Above them the gulls mewled and cried, swooping to the water and then pulling up sharply to soar in the windless sky.
Basilicus watched them for a long moment, enchanted by the picture they made, and then he called out, raising his hand and waving at the couple. “Aspar, my friend!” He stepped from the pathway to the sandy beach and began walking toward them.
“Jesu!” Aspar swore softly beneath his breath. “It is Basilicus.”
“The empress’s brother?” Cailin replied. “Did you invite him?”
“Of course not. He has obviously heard something, my little love. He is a clever, and a sly fox. He has come with a purpose, you may be certain. I can only wonder at what it is.”
“He is very handsome,” she observed.
Aspar felt a twinge of jealousy at her words. He had no cause, he knew, to doubt her. She was simply making an observation, and yet he felt resentful. He did not want to share Cailin with anyone, he thought, as Basilicus finally reached them. “Is there some emergency that you invade my privacy?” he said ungraciously to his friend.
Basilicus was somewhat taken aback by the unfriendly tone of the general’s voice. Dear lord! Caught between his sister’s unbridled curiosity and the annoyance of the most powerful man in the empire. No one would envy him his position at this moment. “There is no emergency,” he said. “I simply felt like a day in the country, Aspar. I did not believe my arrival would cause you to behave like a bear with a sore paw,” Basilicus replied, put off but determined to remain.
“Your guest will be thirsty and hungry, my lord,” Cailin said quietly. “I will go and make certain that Zeno has refreshments prepared.” She nodded politely at the prince, and left the two men on the bench.
“What a glorious creature!” Basilicus