Betrothed to the Barbarian

by Carol Townend

  At Theodora’s entrance, the murmuring cut off abruptly. She was surrounded by faces and did not recognise a soul. It had been too long since she had been at Court, and if her aunt was present, Theodora could not see her.

  And then Duke Nikolaos was before her, taking her hand, bowing over it, smiling at her with those disturbing dark eyes. An irritating tingle shot up Theodora’s arm.

  She lifted an eyebrow. In the hours since she had seen him, Duke Nikolaos had changed. The transformation was undeniably pleasing—his long court tunic, a blue damask liberally banded with silver embroidery, seemed designed to make the most of his masculine form. Underneath those clothes, Theodora was sure the Duke’s body would be honed to perfection. It would be that of a warrior, of an athlete in his prime. His belt had a jewelled buckle; there was a gleam of gold at his throat as well as on his fingers. No sword. Since this was the small throne room, that did not surprise her.

  ‘Princess Theodora,’ the Duke said, kissing the back of her hand.

  This time, Theodora was prepared for the effect his touch had on her and she managed to squash the irritating tingle before it had time to reach her belly. ‘Duke Nikolaos.’ Theodora barely noticed the heavily bearded Lord Basil as he unrolled a beribboned scroll and began the ritual of the formal introduction—listing their titles and rank, their more illustrious forebears...

  ‘...Duke Nikolaos of Larissa, General of the Athanatoi Cavalry Regiment, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army...’

  Theodora kept her head up while the Chamberlain ran through the rites. She was supremely aware of the strength in the hand holding hers. She had not realised that the Duke had command over so many regiments, nor that he was governor of so many provinces. Covertly, she watched him.

  His eyes were so dark as to be almost black, and now she could study him, perhaps they were not so...unsettling as she had first thought. Something had amused him. Dancing eyes, he has dancing eyes. And to Theodora’s astonishment, a tight knot somewhere in the region of her gut eased.

  ‘I am overjoyed to meet you at last,’ he murmured.

  Was it her imagination, or had the Duke laid particular stress on the words at last? Holy Mother, let him be referring to the glimpse we had had of each other in the stables and not to the earlier encounter in the women’s quarters. It would be dreadful if he realised that I am the woman he spoke to in the apartment—he might become suspicious...

  ‘And I you, my lord.’

  The mosaic walls glittered, hard and cold as glass. Compared with the Duke’s dancing dark eyes, the eyes of the staring courtiers looked equally cold. I cannot refuse him, not so publicly. There was thudding in her ears.

  ‘My lord...?’

  ‘Princess?’

  She cleared her throat. Lord Basil was breaking the seal on another beribboned scroll, about to make some announcement about her dowry. The parchment crackled as he began to read. Theodora had quite forgotten she held title to so much land. His Imperial Majesty had been generous, too, there were lands on the list that were new to her. Proof, if she did not already know it, that His Imperial Majesty more than approved of this marriage, he was eager for it. Duke Nikolaos had supported Emperor Alexios in the recent uprising and she was his reward.

  ‘My lord...’ she looked desperately up at the Duke, voice as quiet as she could make it ‘...I need to speak to you most urgently. I cannot...we cannot...’

  She looked past those broad shoulders to where a group of noblemen were pushing closer, greedy for her every word. She couldn’t refuse him, not here.

  The Chamberlain rolled up the scroll and smiled benignly at them.

  Duke Nikolaos nodded briefly at her and set her arm on his blue silk sleeve. ‘Lord Basil?’

  ‘Duke Nikolaos?’

  ‘I am sure you will understand, Princess Theodora and I wish to walk in the gardens a while.’

  The Chamberlain’s beard quivered, his eyes bulged. ‘Alone? You ought not to be alone with the Princess until after the marriage ceremony.’

  ‘Nevertheless, we wish to walk outside.’

  Lord Basil’s mouth opened and closed. Nodding smoothly at him, Duke Nikolaos made for the door. Theodora gripped the dark silk of his sleeve and tried not to think about the strength in the arm she could feel beneath it. With much bowing and scraping, the courtiers edged back, the sea of faces parted.

  She smiled tentatively at the Duke. ‘Thank you, my lord.’

  As she left the throne room on the arm of Duke Nikolaos, Theodora heard the Palace Chamberlain grumbling into his beard, ‘Most unseemly, most unseemly.’ She could hear him urging Sophia and Thetis after her. ‘Ladies, follow the Princess. Guards! You, too. On the double.’

  Behind them Theodora heard a desperate scrabbling as her ladies, the Empress’s ladies and several armed men formed a hasty escort.

  Thus it was that Princess Theodora Doukaina and Duke Nikolaos, General of the Immortals, found themselves leading a ludicrous train of ladies-in-waiting and courtiers through the Palace courtyards. The military escort would have done His Imperial Majesty proud, the walls echoed with all the footsteps. Snowy-white ibis flapped out of the way; doves flocked on to roofs, wings whirring.

  As they took the path towards the gardens, the Duke covered her hand with his. ‘What is it, Princess?’ His dark eyes searched hers, they were no longer dancing. ‘You do not wish for this marriage?’

  Theodora felt her colour rise. He was studying her so closely that for a moment she felt sure he knew her for the lady he had met the previous day. She looked at his mouth and quickly looked away, face burning even hotter than before.

  This man unsettled her. The Duke’s reputation had not led Theodora to expect any sensitivity in him, but here he was, the Emperor’s general, offering to listen. There was sympathy in his eyes. Was it possible that he was not quite as ruthless as his reputation had painted him?

  ‘My lord, I confess to some trepidation.’

  He drew back. ‘Why did you not say something sooner? You returned to the Palace before Easter—you could easily have sent a messenger.’

  ‘I...I...’ Theodora was floundering. She could hardly tell him that it had not been she who had returned just before Easter, but Katerina. And she certainly could not tell him that she had been finding a wet-nurse for her daughter.

  ‘Princess, how hard would it have been to reply to my messages? I entered Constantinople with His Majesty, and as soon as I learned you were in the Palace I sent several—you must have received them. Why did you not reply?’

  The dark features were thoughtful; his smile remained polite, but Theodora realised the Duke was struggling to treat her with the respect he felt was owed an Imperial princess. Not far below the polite veneer, she sensed impatience. And if he had indeed been sending messages that had been unanswered, his impatience was not entirely unjustified.

  * * *

  Nikolaos was determined to hide his irritation.

  Holy hell, what was the matter with the woman? It was bad enough that she had ignored repeated requests for an audience, but now they had met—in full view of half the court—she chose to tell him she was reluctant. He had suspected that this might be the case, but it was a blow to have his suspicions confirmed. With the Emperor’s backing, it was likely their marriage would go ahead eventually, but any reluctance on her part could cause delay. Marriage to a princess was a high honour, but Nikolaos knew he had earned it. He did not want there to be any delay. If the Princess came to hear her betrothed was illegitimate, she might feel she had even more cause to reject him.

  She might not cavil at my barbarian parentage, for apparently she had loved Prince Peter, but illegitimacy...?

  ‘Despoina, far be it from me to press you, but I would know now rather than later. Also, there are others to consider. Lord Basil has informed me we are to be honoured with a betrothal feast next week. Preparations are well in hand, invitations have gone out.’

  Briefly, Princess Theodora’s beautiful eyes we
re lit by surprise. Since this could not be the first time she had heard of their betrothal feast, it seemed a little odd. Nikolaos felt a quickening of interest such as he had not felt since before the coup, when his energies had been channelled into supporting Alexios Komnenos in his bid for the throne.

  Ever since his ambitions had been met, Nikolaos had been conscious of a sense of...not boredom exactly—far be it from him to become a warmonger for the sake of entertainment. However, until the Emperor put the seal on Nikolaos’s proposals for reform of the army, there were only so many reviews and inspections a man could make, only so much training to be supervised. The Princess intrigued him. She has secrets...

  ‘My lady, what is troubling you?’

  ‘It...I...I do not know you.’

  They had come to a latticed gate, from there the path led to a grassy area and the wooded grounds beyond.

  He smiled. ‘I do not know you either, my lady, but I am prepared to take the risk.’

  Her lips twitched and she shot him a look through eyelashes that were long and luxuriant and had been darkened in some mysterious way. ‘You! Frightened of me?’ A small crease appeared by the side of her mouth, she was trying not to laugh.

  Nikolaos nodded gravely, his irritation pushed aside by the temptation to see how she responded to teasing. ‘When Emperor Nikephoros first broached the subject of our marriage, I must admit, I was disconcerted, if not overwhelmed, to find I had been chosen as your husband. Since then, Emperor Alexios has ratified the original agreement and I am well pleased.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘Princess?’

  When she looked up, he saw that her mouth had for the first time relaxed into an actual smile. It was very pretty. Almost as pretty as those exotically darkened eyes. ‘My mother tells me it is time I married,’ he continued. ‘Naturally I have no wish to force an unwilling woman into marriage, but if you refuse me, my mother will be sorely disappointed.’

  A seagull flashed past them. They walked on and Princess Theodora Doukaina gave him another of those slanting, assessing glances. Her eyes were huge in the afternoon light and the pearl pendants in her diadem trembled. She was not a tall woman—without the diadem she would barely reach his shoulder—but when their eyes met, she had a way of filling his vision. The rippling notes of a blackbird floated down from an oak tree, along with the mutterings of their entourage.

  ‘But not you, my lord. You will not be disappointed, surely?’

  It was a question that could be taken a number of ways. It might be an invitation to flattery but, looking at her, Nikolaos did not think that that was the case. It might be an invitation to flirtation, but his instinct told him that that was not so either. He decided to take the question at face value and give her the truth. Part of it.

  ‘I will be disappointed. I am flattered to have been given a princess as a bride, it is a high honour.’

  Her brow wrinkled, she waved at the fluttering ladies-in-waiting. ‘As the Emperor’s right-hand man, surely there are others...?’

  Shaking his head, Nikolaos continued down the path. ‘I want you,’ he said and was startled to realise he meant it, he really meant it. I want this woman. ‘What is it, despoina? Do you want a prince? Is it that you feel I am beneath you?’

  Her eyes widened. ‘Beneath me? Why, no, my lord, you could not be more wrong. It is just as I said, I do not know you.’

  ‘That can easily be remedied. You did not know Župan Peter when you were sent to Rascia.’

  She bit her lip, a tiny movement which caught his attention. ‘That is true, but I was younger then and Prince Peter, he was not at all...not...’ Her voice faded, her cheeks went pink and she jerked her gaze away, focusing on one of the guards patrolling the sea wall.

  They came to a halt. They were at the edge of a grove of cypresses and their entourage stopped a few moments after they did. A lady-in-waiting caught his eye and

  sent him a simpering smile; a nobleman gave him an obsequious bow. Blowing out a breath, Nikolaos shoved his hand through his hair. ‘This is intolerable.’

  She started. ‘My lord?’

  ‘How in hell am I meant to speak to you with that rabble on our heels?’

  Her smile reappeared. Hesitant. Tentative. It had potential did that smile. When Nikolaos found himself exchanging an understanding glance with her, his gut clenched.

  ‘I feared it would be like this, once I had returned to the Palace,’ she murmured, eyes sparkling with fellow-feeling.

  Oh, yes, he thought, as his gut responded instantly. Serious potential. He cleared his throat. ‘You had more freedom in Rascia, Princess?’

  Turning those mysterious brown eyes on their audience, she gave a slight nod. ‘There is no comparison.’ Without warning, her fingers clenched on his sleeve, the sparkle in her eyes was gone.

  ‘Princess, what is it?’ She was ashen. Her gaze was caught—no, transfixed might be a better word—by someone among the attendants. ‘Princess?’

  Her breath was uneven, the pearl pendants trembled. The tassels on her violet shawl shimmered and it was not the wind causing the movement, it was her. The Princess was shaking from head to toe, shaking.

  ‘Princess?’ Taking her firmly by the hand, Nikolaos glared at their entourage. ‘We need a little privacy.’ He pulled her with him into the trees. Manoeuvring her out of sight behind a cypress, he had taken her by the shoulders before he recollected that she was Princess Theodora Doukaina, cousin to the Empress.

  ‘My apologies, Princess,’ he said, letting his hands fall away. He did not wish her to think he was attempting to constrain her, but what was going on? She was still shaking. ‘What is it? Tell me.’

  The diadem tipped back as she searched his face. She took her time over it and it came to him that she had not

  really seen him before. Her chest lifted, her breath came and went several times while overhead the gulls wheeled and screeched. Violets. Nikolaos inhaled, he could smell violets.

  ‘I saw someone.’ Her voice was a thin whisper as she twisted to peer round the tree and her eyes scoured the crowd. ‘A man I had left behind in Rascia. I cannot see him any more, I may have imagined it. I pray so, for I dislike him intensely.’

  ‘You fear him,’ Nikolaos said and it was not a question. He managed to catch her eyes. ‘And you dislike me. That is why you will not marry me. So be it.’

  Vehemently, she shook her head and set the pearl pendants swinging. ‘My initial refusal had nothing to do with you.’ She paused. ‘My decision to allow you to offer for me, however, does.’

  His heart lifted. ‘You are now saying you will accept me?’

  Brown eyes looked deep into his and for a moment he could not breathe. When her small, beringed hand reached towards him, he enfolded it in his.

  ‘My lord, I think...’ she swallowed and held herself very straight ‘...our discussion has reassured me. Duke Nikolaos, I am delighted to inform you that I would be happy to accept you as my husband. Indeed, I look forward to it.’

  For a moment Nikolaos simply looked at her. The mysterious Princess Theodora. Sometimes she seemed to be shielding her beautiful eyes from him, while at others she gave the impression she was watching him with minute attention. His lips curved. No matter. This was the outcome that he hoped for, she had agreed to the marriage. There would be time to learn what she was hiding. It seemed unlikely that he would discover anything that might overset the state, for all her secretiveness, the Princess had a guileless air to her.

  However, for His Majesty’s sake, and that of the Empire, it would not hurt to have her watched. Rascia’s loyalties were not in question, that could not be said of neighbouring principalities. The Princess had spent most of her life within a stone’s throw of several princes whose interests often clashed with those of the Empire and she had been absent for ten years. Who knows what friends she might have made?

  Having her watched would only be a precaution, Nikolaos was almost sure he would find nothing.

  None the less, he felt a prickl
e of unease; he would prefer a wife with whom he could be completely open. Nor did it sit well with him that she was most likely accepting him because she thought she had seen someone in that mill of people whom she feared. He supposed it was something that she was prepared to trust him on so brief an acquaintance. It was a start—not a particularly auspicious one—but it was a start. He found himself looking at a large amethyst on the back of her diadem. She had turned away and was gesturing at the track that led deeper into the copse.

  ‘Shall we, my lord?’

  Nikolaos crooked his arm at her. ‘I am delighted we are agreed, Princess,’ he said. ‘I shall do my utmost to make you happy.’

  She strode on, walking through the trees with such purpose and energy that Nikolaos had little doubt that she hoped to lose their attendants and whoever it was who had alarmed her. He glanced back. Ladies, guards and nobles were tripping over each other, frantic to keep up. ‘I don’t think they will be got rid of that easily, despoina. They are determined to protect your virtue.’

  She gave a small choking sound and shot him a swift glance he was unable to interpret. The wind teased the fringes of her shawl and blew bright colour back into her cheeks.

  ‘That’s better,’ he said. ‘You were as pale as death earlier.’

  She made another choking sound and shook her head. With her face averted, Nikolaos could not see much of her. She genuinely fascinated him. A princess. And she was his. A princess in an amethyst and pearl studded diadem. She had a strong profile, her nose was well formed and her mouth was full and had a slight pout to it. A man might enjoy kissing a mouth like that, but it was too soon for him to be thinking about such things. Never mind that convention dictated they should not enjoy carnal knowledge of each other until eight days after their wedding day—she was an Imperial princess and he must not forget that. For all her assurance, for all that she bore the trappings of her position with dignity, she was far more nervous than he had expected.

  Innocent. She is likely to be a total innocent. That could explain much of her nervousness. She is shy. When we come to bed, I shall have to take care with her.