Under the Witches' Moon: A Romantic Tale of Mediaeval Rome

  CHAPTER V

  MAGIC GLOOMS

  Floods of soft and mellow light dazzled Tristan's eyes at first, buthe soon realized the luxurious beauty of the retreat into which he hadbeen ushered. It was obvious that, despite a decadent age, all theresources of wealth had been drawn upon for its decoration. The wallswere painted in frescoes of the richest colorings and represented themost alluring scenes. Around the cornices, relics of imperial Rome,nymphs and satyrs in bas-relief danced hand in hand, wild woodlandcreatures, exultant in all the luxuriance of beauty and redundancy ofstrength; and yonder, where the lamp cast its softest glow upon her,stood a marble statue of Venus Anadyomene, her attitude expressive ofdormant passion lulled by the languid insolence of power and tingedwith an imperious coquetry, the most alluring of all her charms.

  Tristan moved uneasily in his seat, wishing that he had not come,wondering how he had allowed himself to be thus beguiled, wonderingwhat it was all about, when a rustling of the hangings caused him toturn his head. There was no more attraction now in bounding nymph ormarble enchantress. The life-like statue of Venus was no longer themasterpiece of the chamber for there, in the doorway, appeared Theodoraherself.

  Tristan rose to his feet, and thus they stood, confronting each otherin the subdued light--the hostess and her guest--the assailant and theassailed.

  Theodora trembled in every limb, yet she should have remained thecalmer of the two, inasmuch as hers could scarcely have been theagitation of surprise. Such a step indeed, as she had taken, she hadnot ventured upon without careful calculation of its far reachingeffect. Determined to make this obstinate stranger pliable to herdesires, to instill a poison into his veins which must, in time, workher will, she had deliberately commanded Persephone to conduct him tothis bower, the seductive air of which no one had yet withstood.

  Theodora was the first to speak, though for once she hardly knew howto begin. For the man who stood before her was not to be moulded by aglance and would match his will against her own. Such methods as shewould have employed under different circumstances would here and nowutterly fail in their intent. For once she must not appear the dominantfactor in Rome, rather a woman wronged by fate, mankind and report. Lether beauty do the rest.

  "I have sent for you," she said, "because something tells me that Ican rely implicitly on your secrecy. From what I have seen of you, Ibelieve you are incapable of betraying a trust."

  Theodora's words had the intended effect. Tristan, expecting reproachfor his intentional slight of her advances, was thrown off his guardby the appeal to his honor. His confusion at the sight of the woman'sbeauty, enhanced by her gorgeous surroundings, was such that he did butbow in acknowledgment of this tribute to his integrity.

  Theodora watched him narrowly, never relinquishing his gaze, whichwandered unconsciously over her exquisite form, draped in a diaphanousgown which left the snowy arms and hands, the shoulders and the roundwhite throat exposed.

  "I have been told that you have accepted service with the Lord Alberic,who has offered to you, a stranger, the most important trust in hispower to bestow."

  Tristan bowed assent.

  "The Lord Alberic has rewarded me, far beyond my deserts, for ever soslight a service," he replied, without referring to the nature of theservice.

  Theodora nodded.

  "And you--a stranger in the city, without counsellor--without friend.Great as the honor is, which the Senator has conferred upon you--greatare the pitfalls that lurk in the hidden places. Doubtlessly, theLord Alberic did not bestow his trust unworthily. And, in enjoiningabove all things watchfulness--he has doubtlessly dropped a word ofwarning regarding his kinswoman," here Theodora dropped her lids, asif she were reluctantly touching upon a distasteful subject, "the LadyTheodora?"

  As suddenly as she had dropped her lids as suddenly her eyes sank intothe unwary eyes of Tristan. The scented atmosphere of the room and thewoman's nearness were slowly creeping into his brain.

  "The Lord Alberic did refer to the Lady Theodora," he stammered, lothto tell an untruth, and equally loth to wound this beautiful enigmabefore him.

  "I thought so!" Theodora interposed with a smile, without permittinghim to commit himself. "He has warned you against me. Admit it, my LordTristan. He has put you on your guard. And yet--I fain would be yourfriend--"

  "The Lord Alberic seems to count you among his enemies," Tristanreplied. The mention of an accepted fact could not, to his mind, beconstrued into betraying a confidence.

  Theodora smiled sadly.

  "The Lord Alberic has been beguiled into this sad attitude by one whowas ever my foe, perchance, even his. Time will tell. But it was notto speak of him that I summoned you hither. It is because I wouldappear lovable in your eyes. It is, because I am not indifferent toyour opinion, my Lord Tristan. Am I not rash, foolish, impulsive, inthus placing myself in the power of one who may even now be planningmy undoing? One who on a previous occasion so grievously misjudged mymotives as to wound me so cruelly?"

  The woman's appeal knocked at the portals of Tristan's heart. Wouldshe but state her true purpose, relieve this harrowing suspense. Shehad propounded the question with a deepening color, and glances thatconveyed a tale. And it was a question somewhat difficult to answer.

  At last he spoke, stammeringly, incoherently:

  "I shall try to prove myself worthy of the Lady Theodora's confidence."

  She seemed somewhat disappointed at the coldness of his answer,nevertheless her quick perception showed her where she had scored apoint, in making an inroad upon his heart. And her critical eye couldnot but approve of the proud attitude he assumed, the look that hadcome into his face.

  She edged a little closer to him and continued in a subdued tone.

  "A woman is always lonely and helpless--no matter what may be herstation. How liable we are to be deceived or--misjudged. But I knewfrom the first that I could trust you. Do you remember when we firstmet in the Navona?"

  Again the warm crimson of the cheek, again the speaking flash fromthose luring eyes. Tristan's heart began to beat with a strangesensation of excitement and surprise. To love this wonder of allwomen--to be loved by her in return--life would indeed be one maddelirium.

  "How could I forget it?" he said, more warmly than he intended, meetingher gaze. "It was on the day when I arrived in Rome."

  Her eyes beamed on him more benevolently than ever.

  "I saw you again at Santa Maria of the Aventine. I sent for you," shesaid, with drooping lids, "because I so wanted some one to confidein. I have no counsellor,--no champion--no friend. The object ofhatred to the rabble which stones those to-day before whom it cringedyesterday--I am paying the penalty of the name I bear--kinship to oneno longer among the living. But you scorned my messenger. Why did you?"

  She regarded Tristan with expectant, almost imploring eyes. She saw himstruggling for adequate utterance. Continuing, she held out to him herbeautiful hands. Her tone was all appeal.

  "I want you to feel that Theodora is your friend. That you may turn toher in any perplexity that may beset you, that you may call upon herfor counsel whenever you are in doubt and know not what to do. And oh!I want you to know above all things how much you could be to me, didyou but trust--had not the drop of poison instilled by the Senator setyou against the one woman who would make you great, envied above allmen on earth!"

  Tristan bent over Theodora's hands and kissed them. Cool and trusting,yet with a firm grasp, they encircled his burning palms and theirwhiteness caused his senses to reel.

  "In what manner can I be of service to the Lady Theodora?" he spoke atlast, unable to let go of those wonderful hands that sent the hot bloodhurtling to his brain.

  Theodora's face was very close to his.

  As she spoke, her perfumed breath softly fanned his cheeks.

  She spoke with well-studied hesitancy, like a child that, in preferringan overbold request, fears denial in the very utterance.

  "It is a small thing, I would ask," she said in her wonderfully
melodious voice. "I would once again visit the places where I havespent the happy days of my childhood, the galleries and chambers ofthe Emperor's Tomb. You start, my Lord Tristan! Perchance this speechmay sound strange to the ears of one who, though newly arrived in Rome,has heard but vituperations showered upon the head of a defencelesswoman, who, if not better, is at least not worse than the rest of herkind. Yes--" she continued, returning the pressure of his fingersand noting, not without inward satisfaction, a soft gleam that haddispelled the sterner look in his eyes, "those were days of innocenceand peace, broken only when the older sister, my equal in beauty,began to regard me as a possible rival. Stung by her taunts I leapedto her challenge and the fight for the dominion of Rome was wagedbetween us with all the hot passion of our blood, Marozia conquered,but Death stood by unseen to crown her victory. The Mount of Cloistersis my asylum. The gates of the Emperor's Tomb are sealed to me forevermore. Why should Alberic, disregarding the ties of blood, fear awoman--unless he hath deeply wronged her, even as he has wrongedanother who wears the crown of thorns upon earth?"

  Theodora paused, her lids half-shut as if to repress a tear; in realityto scan the face of him who found her tale most strange indeed.

  And, verily, Tristan was beginning to feel that he could not dependupon himself much longer. The subdued lights, the heavy perfume, theroom itself, the seductive beauty of this sorceress so near to him thather breath fanned his cheeks, the touch of her hands, which had notrelinquished his own, were making wild havoc with his senses and reason.

  Like many a gentle and inexperienced nature, Tristan shrank fromoffending a woman's delicacy, by even appearing to question the truthof her words, and he doubted not but that here was a woman who hadbeen sinned against much more than she had sinned, a woman capableof gentler, nobler impulses than were credited to her in the commonreckoning. It required indeed a powerful constraint upon his feelingsnot to give way to the starved impulse that drove him to forget past,present and future in her embrace.

  A sad smile played about the small crimson mouth as Theodora, with asigh, continued:

  "I have quaffed the joys of life. There is nothing that has remaineduntasted. And yet--I am not happy. The fires of unrest drive me hitherand thither. After years of fiercest conflict, with those of my ownsex and age, who consider Rome the lawful prey of any one that mayusurp Marozia's fateful inheritance, I have had a glimpse of Heaven--aHeaven that perchance is not for me. Yet it aroused the desire forpeace--happiness--love! Yes, my Lord Tristan, love! For though I havesearched for it in every guise, I found it not. Will the hour everytoll--even for me? Deem you, my Lord Tristan, that even one so guiltlost as Theodora might be loved?"

  "How were it possible," he stammered, "for mortal eyes to resist suchloveliness?"

  His words sounded stilted in his ears. Yet he knew if he permitted theimpulse to master him he would be swept away by the torrent.

  The woman also knew, and woman-like she felt that the poison rankled inhis veins. She must give it time to work. She must not precipitate ascene that might leave him sobered, when the fumes had cleared from hisbrain.

  Putting all the witchery of her beauty into her words she said, with atinge of sadness:

  "I fear I am trespassing, my Lord Tristan. It is so long, since I haveunveiled the depths of my heart. Forget the request I have made. It mayconflict with your loyalty to my Lord Alberic. I shall try to fosterthe memories of the place which I dare not enter--"

  She had ventured all upon the last throw, and she had conquered.

  "Nay, Lady Theodora," Tristan interposed, with a seriousness thateven staggered the woman. "There is no such clause or condition in theagreement between the Lord Alberic and myself. It is true," he added ina solemn tone, "he has warned me of you, as his enemy. Report speaksill of you. Nevertheless I believe you."

  "I thank you, my Lord Tristan," she said, releasing his hands."Theodora never forgets a service. Three nights hence I am giving afeast to my friends. You will not fail me?"

  "I am happy to know," he said, "that the Lady Theodora thinks kindlyof me. I shall not fail her. And now"--he added, genuine regret in histone--"will the Lady Theodora permit me to depart? The hour waxes lateand there is much to be done ere the morrow's dawn."

  Theodora clapped her hands and Persephone appeared between the curtains.

  "Farewell, my Lord Tristan. We shall speak of this again," she said,beaming upon him with all the seductive fire of her dark eyes, and he,bowing, took his leave.

  When Persephone returned, she was as much puzzled at the inscrutablesmile that played about her mistress' lips as she had been at Tristan'sabstracted state of mind, for, hardly noting her presence, he hadwalked in silence beside her to the gate, and had there taken silentleave.--