Part 19 (1/2)
”He dipped the branch in holy water. He has blessed the doge.”
Pilot boats leapt ahead of the bucintoro, to guide it, and the bucintoro and the patriarchal piatto followed. The rest of the procession crowded behind them.
”Now what?”
”Not much until we reach theLido .”
William looked disappointed, and looked back the way the way we had come. ”I want a better view of the war galleys. I am heading back.”
William walked to the stern of our gondola, had a look about, and then turned to look forward. He stayed where he was, however. I smiled; it appeared that the young lord was tired of tutoring. For that matter, I was content to just watch the spectacle myself.
I didn't know it at the time, but he was under observation.
The procession finally reached theLido . The patriarch poured water into the sea from a largeampulla .
The doge raised his arm above the waves.
”What's going on, Mister Hobbes?” asked William. ”Isn't there enough water in the ocean already?”
”The patriarch just blessed theAdriatic with holy water. The doge holds a golden ring in his hands. He will say, 'Desponsamus te mare, in signum veri perpetuique dominii.'”
William's Latin was equal to this challenge. ”We marry you, oh sea, as a symbol of perpetual domination.”
”Yes.Venice rules the sea even as a husband rules his wife,” I said. ”In theory, at least.” I didn't explain which proposition was true only in theory.
The crowd roared as the doge dropped a golden ring into theAdriatic .
”How long has this ceremony been performed, Mister Hobbes?”
”There has been aSensa celebration for over six centuries; it honors a naval victory on the Ascension Day of 997. It used to just be the blessing of the waters. But in 1177 Pope Alexander III gave a ring to the doge, and said that it was a symbol of Venetian naval supremacy. The ring which is cast into the sea each year is modeled on that original.”
”Is this the original bucintoro?”
”I don't think so.” I conferred with the gondolier. ”No, there have been several of them, over the years.
This bucintoro first sailed in 1606. It cost seventy thousand ducats.”
”Did the one before it sink?”
”No. It got too dilapidated and leaky, so the Venetians replaced it.” I chuckled. ”It would be funny if the bucintoro sank with the doge on it. AllEurope would say, 'he finally decided to consummate his marriage to the sea.'”
I settled into a chair and pulled out a book to read. After a while, I closed my eyes. I felt the pleasant, warm caress of the afternoon sun and relaxed. I needed to relax; the Sensa ceremony had been the culmination of two weeks of carousing inVenice and I had to keep constant attendance on William. But now I could relax.
The next thing I knew, it was dark outside and I was hungry.
”Geoffrey? I would like to speak to His Lords.h.i.+p.”
”He's out, sir.”
”Out? Out where?”
”A gondola came to pick him up.”
”Whose gondola?”
”Some lady or another. Very finely dressed. Lots of pearls.”
”My G.o.d-you let him go without telling me? You didn't find out her name?”
”There was fancy writing on her gondola, sir. Ask our gondolier. He was up and about at the time.”
I rushed down to our townhouse's little dock. Our gondolier was napping, inside his boat. I shook him awake.
”His Lords.h.i.+p, where is he?”
”He is in the best of hands, sir. He went off with Lucrezia Cognati.”
”Who might that be? Some contessa? Acittadina ?”
”Oh no. Acortigiana honesta . Of the first rank.”
A courtesan. ”We must rescue him at once.” The gondolier rolled his eyes but said nothing. ”Where does she live?”
”Near the Campo San Ca.s.siano. On the Ponte delle Tette.”
I stormed into the courtesan's house, followed closely by Samuel and Geoffrey. The lady's bodyguard, a muscular Moor, appeared and asked our business. When he refused to let us interrupt Lucrezia and William, I rushed past him and the estimable Samuel clipped the bodyguard when he turned to follow.
What a team we were.
The second line of defense was the lady's maid, who was screaming at us like a harpy out of the myths.
Even though she was the servant to a bawd, she could not be treated so forcefully.
”Calm yourself, woman. We are here to claim what is ours.”
She stopped screaming, and suddenly looked sly. ”Oh, what might that be?”
”A young gentleman, entrusted to my care.”
”How young? An infant?”
”Certainly not.”
”A pity, for every woman yearns to hold an infant in her arms.”