Madame Serpent by Jean Plaidy Read Free Book Online Page A

‘if any should discover the figure, I beg of you, do not tell whence it came.’
    Poor Lorenzo! He could not hide his thoughts. He was terrified of the ugly Moor. He was picturing what would happen to him and his brother if Alessandro discovered that they had supplied the figure.
    But Cosmo was bolder. ‘It will not be discovered,’ he said.
    ‘I swear I would tell none where I found it,’ Caterina assured them. I must go,’ she went on. ‘I shall never forget what I owe you both.’
    Hurriedly she made her way to the upper regions of the palace.
    In her own apartments she took the image from her pocket and studied it.
    But for its size it might have been Alessandro himself that she held in the palm of her hand.
    She must do this thing. If she did not, poor Guido would surely die― die
    agonizingly of poison. Ippolito was her dear friend, but he could not always be at her side to protect her from the cruel Moor, any more than she could always be with Guido. It seemed to her that the only way to save the dog― and at the same time to make life happier for those poor slaves of Alessandro’s― was to remove him from this world altogether.
    There was no harm in this, only good.
    ―――――――
    Caterina was frightened. At midnight, when she had gone to that drawer
    where she had carefully hidden the figure, it was no longer there. Alessandro had his spies everywhere. They obeyed him because not to obey him meant they would suffer those hideous tortures which he was always inventing.
    She was waiting now for Alessandro’s revenge. She knew that it would be
    terrible, for the Moor would know why she had acquired that figure; he would know exactly what her intentions.
    She was startled when a serving-girl came to her room to tell her that her cousin Ippolito wished to see her. Caterina was surprised, for she had thought Ippolito was out hunting. He must have returned sooner than usual. She was glad. Now she could tell her cousin what she had done ; she could ask for his advice and his protection.
    When she knocked on his door, there was no answer, so she went in. There
    were some books on the table, but no sign of Ippolito. He would come soon, she was sure; and she felt at peace. She need not be afraid of Alessandro while Ippolito was in the palace.
    And then suddenly she heard the swish of a curtain; she turned with a joyful smile of welcome on her lips, and there, peeping between the curtains which he grasped with his ugly hands, grinning at her, was the hideous face of
    Alessandro.
    She jumped up and gave a little cry of horror; but Alessandro did not look angry; he was smiling; he put a finger to his lips. ‘It is a surprise I have for you, Duchessina .’
    She stammered, ‘I― I had not thought to see you here.’
    ‘No? You thought to find handsome Ippolito. But there are some, Caterina, in this palace, who think me as handsome as Ippolito.’
    She gripped the table. She wanted to run, but her legs seemed to have lost their power. Yet she could not control her tongue. She had not really learned those lessons which the Cardinal and her aunt had taken such pains to teach her.
    She cried out: ‘Then they say so because they dare say nothing else. You
    force them to lie.’
    He advanced slowly towards her. ‘You are not pleased to see me, Caterina,’
    he said mockingly. ‘It was to be a surprise. A most happy surprise. I have something to show you.’ He took the figure from his pocket and held it up.
    ‘Where did you get this, Caterina?’
    She kept her lips tightly shut.
    ‘Answer me,’ he said slowly. ‘Where did you get it?’
    ‘I shall never tell you,’ she said, and she smiled suddenly. He was afraid of the magicians, so he would not dare try his tricks on Bartolo or the boys.
    ‘I know,’ he said. ‘You are so fond of me that you wanted an image of me, that you might look at it when I was absent. Never mind now. Come with me, and see what else I have to show you.’
    She knew now that