Mary Reed - Four for a Boy

Recalling the young Anatolius’ near fatal adventure, John agreed. He watched the boys as they picked up their ball and disappeared, squabbling noisily, between two buildings.

When he looked back at Anna he was shocked to see she had picked up a large black olive. She wiped it clean on her cloak and popped it into her mouth.

The servant, on his knees hopelessly trying to sweep up the ruined olives, gaped up at her.

“Oh, I do apologize,” Anna told him. “That must have belonged to you. Here, allow me to pay for it.” She produced enough coins to refill the basket twice and handed them to the stunned man.

John and Anna continued on for a short distance, past shops where John and Felix had conducted fruitless interviews. Several beggars, having observed her generosity, now proffered their own stolen olives for sale, but at a glance from John did not press the matter.

The pair walked until they reached the entrance to the Augustaion.

“Perhaps we should return home now, Lady Anna. I’m pleased your father relented and allowed you this little excursion. Might it be best not to worry him by being away too long?”

“Don’t fret about father, John. He’ll never know I was out of the house. In fact, I have a small errand to run. A friend is soon to be married and I’ve given her gift a great deal of thought. I’ve decided to give her a perfume flask engraved with a portrait of Venus. I shall have it filled with rose water.”

“That sounds most appropriate.”

They continued on and before long the incongruously sweet odor of flower gardens filled the cold air. Perfumers were welcome shopkeepers here in the Augustaion. When the wind was in the right quarter, their fragrances would drift into the grounds of the Great Palace.

“Tell me, John, did you ever buy perfume for a woman?”

“No, she was not very fond of perfume.” He stopped abruptly. He had been taken by surprise and answered without thought.

“So there was a woman then?”

John nodded silently.

“I doubt I will ever marry.” Anna sounded more determined than wistful at the prospect, not to mention seemingly unperturbed that she was overstepping the proper boundaries between slave and mistress. “I try to avoid mentioning the subject since the prospect disappoints and distresses my father.”

“Naturally he wishes your happiness.”

“He sometimes appears to think I have no more sense than those unruly boys playing in the street. Dominica visited again yesterday and lectured me on how to conduct myself. She pretended we were having a conversation about art, but it kept returning to her business affairs. Not that she handles details since she employs a steward. But, as she pointed out, one must keep an eye on one’s employees. On the other hand, she kept telling me I wouldn’t need to face these problems because a good husband looks after such tiresome matters, leaving his wife free to pursue her learning and artistic interests.”

Anna’s lips tightened. “More than anything, father seems to fear that if he should die and leave me alone in the world I would be lost. Perhaps it’s because he feels lost without mother. Do you think I would be lost, John?”

“No, Lady Anna,” John replied uncomfortably.

“He insisted I attend a dinner party the other night with Trenico. That is intolerable, wouldn’t you say?”

“It is not for me to venture an opinion.”

Anna laid her hand on his arm. “Wait! Before we go into the perfumer’s shop there’s something I must tell you. The street is one of the few places we won’t run the risk of being overheard.”

She had moved close enough to speak in a whisper. John’s mouth felt suddenly dry and heat rose in his face.

“I heard certain conversations about Justinian during that dinner party,” Anna began. “Some claimed that not all the senators support him, as is commonly believed. What distresses me is that father’s name was mentioned as one of those in opposition. I’m certain it was because he championed Vitalian, but then so did Justinian and the emperor.

I have never heard father utter an ill word against Justinian and despite the wagging tongues, he doesn’t hold secret meetings at home. The only thing he’s plotting is my marriage.” “I am sure you don’t have to worry about your father. He is a man of experience and will take the right course.”

Anna drew away. “You’re right, but it worries me to hear such slanders bandied about. There’s always the chance they’ll reach the wrong ears. But now we’re here, let’s choose that gift.”

Filled with many clashing scents, the perfumer’s shop reminded John of Isis’ house more than a flower garden. Tall cupboards, their doors ajar, displayed alabastrons of assorted sizes, delicate glass flasks, and large bottles of perfume.

An immaculately dressed man with smooth cheeks and a faint hint of lilies about him greeted them in a soft voice.

“May I offer you a sample of our latest import? Our best violet perfume, very refreshing and a delicate scent most suitable for a lovely young woman like yourself. Made with the lightest grade of oil, needless to say. We use only the finest materials for our wares. Or perhaps you might care to try the lily water? It’s very popular with certain ladies at the court.”

Lady Anna declined politely and described her quest.

“A flask engraved with Venus filled with perfume made from her sacred flower? What a charming notion. As it happens, we have just received a shipment of beautiful blue glass flasks.”

The flasks were exquisite, as Anna remarked.

The perfumer looked gratified. “Being situated so close to court we are patronized by many of high birth and we offer only the finest wares. We’re well known, if I may say so, for just that reason.”

“Business must flourish then?” Anna responded politely.

“Indeed it does, and that despite the riots and the new perfumery that’s just opened a few doors down. Owned by a grocer, it seems.” The man sniffed. “What would a grocer know about perfume? I wouldn’t want to wear a scent bought from a seller of cooking oil!”

Anna tactfully agreed. After inspecting a fine array of flasks, she chose one that was elegantly tapered and gave instructions on its engraving. Then the proprietor bowed them out of his emporium with a promise to deliver her purchase as soon as it was engraved. “Filled with the finest rose perfume in the empire, that you can depend upon.” ***

The air outside was invigorating after the heavy atmosphere of the perfumer’s shop. Too long in such a place, John thought, and his reason would begin to reel.

“We need to clear our heads!” Anna said with a slight smile. “Let’s stroll up to the Strategion before we return home and let the sea breezes refresh us.”

Little sign remained of the horrific spectacle

John had recently witnessed at that location, only a scorched area on the base of the obelisk. The open air market, so recently a slaughterhouse, displayed its usual crowds. The visitors did not seem to linger as long as usual, haggling over their purchases, preferring rather to complete the transaction as soon as possible. Doubtless this was met with favor by those whose tables and stalls held colorful piles of merchandise, since their customers were by and large willing to pay the asking price. John and Anna paused beside the Baths of Actaeon. Its side, facing away from the windswept seawall above the Golden Horn, sheltered several small stalls.

“Buy a beautiful chicken for your evening meal tonight,” a rotund, fresh-faced woman coaxed as

Anna looked at her pile of plump, dimple-skinned fowl. “Fresh from the country this very morning. Killed so recently, if they hadn’t been plucked, they’d fly into your cooking pot! I can tell your lady wife would make a most tasty dish for you and afterward, who knows…?” She gave a knowing smile, holding up a particularly large bird enticingly. Anna blushed. Ignoring the chicken seller’s loud complaints about parsimonious husbands, they moved hastily away and escaped around the corner of the building.