An Echo in the Darkness(109)

She turned and saw he was standing again. His expression was solemn but still not afraid. She looked at him for a long moment, oddly comforted by his calmness. How long had it been since she had felt that way?

“I will keep you,” she said finally, wondering even as she said it why she was doing so. What was she going to do with him? What good was he to her?

A flicker of relief crossed his face. “Thank you, my lady.”

“I’ll have to think about your duties. But not right now.” She trembled with weakness. Perspiration beaded her forehead, and she felt sick. She put her hand out. “Help me to my bed.”

He did so, lifting her feet gently onto her sleeping couch.

“I’m so cold,” she said, shivering. “I can’t seem to get warm anymore.”

Prometheus covered her with a blanket. Without her telling him what to do, he took a dry cloth and gently dabbed the beads of perspiration from her brow. “I’ll add wood to the brazier, my lady.”

“There isn’t any wood.” She avoided looking at him, ashamed of her poverty. How far she had fallen since he had first known her.

Prometheus added another blanket.

Julia plucked at it. “Do you think you could find this physician of whom you spoke?”

“Yes, my lady. He has become well known in the city. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find him.”

“Go, then, and see what he says.” She watched him stride toward the open doorway. “Don’t come back if you don’t succeed in speaking with him. I’m afraid what I would do to you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my lady.”

She saw that he did. “You may go, and may the gods go with you.” He went out the door. She sank back in dejection.

Perhaps Prometheus would have better luck with the gods than she did.





24

Alexander sank onto the soft cushions of his new couch and let out his breath in a long, drawn-out sigh of exhaustion. “If anyone else comes, Rashid, send them away.”

“Where is Rapha?”

“She’s writing the treatments into the log. She’ll finish soon.”

“Do you want to eat now, or will you wait for her?”

Alexander opened one eye and looked at him drolly. “I’ll wait for her.”

“Very good, my lord.”

His mouth curved slightly as he closed his eye again, intending to doze until Hadassah came.

A servant entered. “My lord, a young man is downstairs asking to speak with you.”

Alexander groaned. “Didn’t he read the sign? No patients until tomorrow morning.”

“He can’t read, my lord.”

“Then read it to him.”

“I did, my lord.”

“Tell him to come back tomorrow.”

Rapha entered the room, and he propped himself up. He could tell how tired she was by the way she limped. She sank down onto the couch opposite him and put her walking stick aside. Her shoulders drooped, and she rubbed at her bad leg.

“I’ll tell Andronicus you are ready to dine,” Rashid said and left the room.

Alexander rose. “I’m eager to see what Andronicus has prepared this evening,” he said, grinning at her. “The man is a genius with food and I’m starving. Here. Let me help you.” He braced her back, and she gasped in pain as she reclined. “You’ve overdone it again.” He took hold of her bad leg and carefully straightened it. She caught her breath again. “Sitting for long periods of time makes the muscles cramp.” He began to knead her leg gently.

“I needed to finish making the entries.”

“We’ll hire a scribe to do it.” He bore down with his thumbs and saw her fingers whiten on the cushion. “You need a good soak in the calidarium.”

“Tomorrow, perhaps.”

“Tonight,” he said firmly. “As soon as we finish eating.”

Rashid entered with a large silver tray on which were displayed two succulent partridges artfully arranged in a nest of cut fruit and greens. The aroma made Alexander’s stomach cramp with hunger and his mouth water.

Rapha gave silent thanksgiving and lifted her veils. The partridge was so perfectly roasted that she was able to remove a leg with ease. It was delicious. She had been so intent on her work that she hadn’t realized how hungry she was. As she ate, she watched Alexander in amusement. He was obviously enjoying the meal.

Alexander finished one partridge leg and removed another. “Clementia left another pouch of coins for you this afternoon,” he said, tearing the meat from the bone with his teeth.

Hadassah’s eyes lifted in dismay. “I told her not to do that.”

Swallowing the meat, he wagged the leg at her. “Don’t make your usual objections. She’s grateful to you. Giving you a gift makes her happy. What harm is there in that? Orestes did the same thing.” He took another bite.