“Come, captain,” Kamal said. “I will drink with you. There is no poison, I assure you.”
Sordello gulped down the sweet red wine.
“Have you been treated well, captain?”
“Yes.”
Kamal eased back, and Sordello was struck by his barbaric splendor. He was reminded of pictures he had seen as a child, of the ancient pashas, fierce-looking men. But this man was young, and seemingly kind, at least to him.
“How long have you sailed with the Earl of Clare?”
Sordello stared at Kamal, wondering if his question was simply an amusement or if what he said would determine his fate. He cleared his throat. “The earl allowed me to be a cabin boy when I was but ten years old.”
“And what is your age, captain?”
“Thirty-five. I have captained my own vessel these past five years.”
“Then you have known the Lady Arabella since she was born.”
“Yes.”
“When you were a boy, did you know the earl?”
Sordello nodded. “I was his gate boy, but he knew I wished to be at sea.”
“Did you know the earl’s half-brother?”
Sordello started. “The earl’s half-brother? I remember him, yes. He died when I was very young.”
Kamal had prayed that the captain would tell him that there had been no half-brother. But that, at least, then, had been no fabrication. “How did he die?”
“I don’t know. There were many things happening then. My master, the Earl of Clare, had brought his countess to Genoa, but all was not well between them for some time.”
“Was she his countess, his wife, when she arrived in Genoa?”
“I don’t believe she was. I also remember that she fought with him, but always he treated her gently.”
Kamal looked thoughtfully into his wine goblet. Another truth. Did Arabella lie to him, or did she not know? “Tell me about this half-brother.”
“His name was Cesare Bellini, if I recall correctly. Again, I was but a child. He was a foppish young man, but pleasant enough, I suppose. Why do you question me like this?”
Kamal waved away his question. “Do you also recall a Genoese contessa, Giovanna Giusti?”
Sordello gazed at him warily. “Vaguely. I saw her several times in Genoa.”
“Was she to have wed the Earl of Clare?”
Sordello started, and shook his head in confusion. “That would not have been possible. It was his lady he wanted for wife. No one else. He nearly lost her. I remember his rage, like a demon possessed him.”
Kamal sat forward. “What do you mean, captain?”
“I know little of it, only that Joseph, my friend, was with her and they were taken by bandits. Joseph was killed and the lady badly hurt. It was an awful time.”
Kamal realized that Sordello was speaking from his child’s memories. What child could understand treachery? It was becoming a puzzle, Kamal thought, and only the earl and his mother knew the true placement of the pieces. But he had heard at least two damning truths from a man who had no reason to lie. “Tell me about the Lady Arabella, captain.”
Sordello smiled, despite his fear. “Ah, such a lively little sprite. Not a bone of fear in her body. The earl, her father, spoiled her shamefully, I suppose, but it didn’t change her. So bright she is. I remember her telling her father that she had no wish to marry until she found a man like him or her brother.” Sordello came to an abrupt halt. “Why do you ask about the lady?”
“She is here,” Kamal said.