“As you wish, Messer,” the captain said with a leer.
I followed Lugani to his chamber, hoping I’d be able to defend myself if his misunderstanding went too far. His accommodations were relatively luxurious: a wide berth with a blue velvet coverlet, and a wooden desk affixed to the wall. A portolan chart was spread out on the desk. I’d seen them in the Ospedale scriptorium, printed with black and colored inks on whole lambskin, depicting the coastlines of the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
“I am delighted to see you’ve changed your mind,” Lugani said, motioning me into the room. He closed the door, then positioned himself between me and the exit. I didn’t like that maneuver at all.
“We must not disembark at Messina.”
Lugani raised his eyebrows. “How did you arrive at such a peculiar conclusion?”
“The pilgrims on board have news about a terrible pestilence brewing in the south, with Messina at its heart.”
“How might these shabby pilgrims have better information than I? And if they had such information, why would they seek passage to the city that harbored sickness within its walls?”
I struggled to make the story more convincing. “One told me that in his prayers, he was struck by a vision.” I searched for words from the chronicles I’d read. “A vision of a black dog, devouring everything in its path and leaving a trail of death and darkness behind it.”
“And why, Monna Trovato, would they ask you to be the mouthpiece for their prophecies of doom, rather than speak to me or the captain themselves?”
“They are afraid of you,” I said, knowing he would believe me.
He nodded slightly. “That may be the case, but I am not inclined to follow the ravings of a group of shabby pilgrims.”
“I request permission to stay on board then, until the ship departs again for the north.”
“You are a persistent woman,” Lugani said with a chuckle, “but I am afraid I cannot indulge your wishes. At least not in this matter.”
“Why not?” I tried to keep the desperation out of my voice.
“You are still in my employ, Monna Trovato. I will assure your passage home when your job with me is done, but not before.” He eyed me critically. “You have been quite useful, but Messer Cane has cautioned me to watch your behavior closely. He seems concerned about the ambush on our trip here, and your possible role in it. There are those who make agreements with bands of outlaws—or other undesirables—and benefit as a result, while seeming to be innocent victims. Your consorting with ragged pilgrims who ought to be of no interest to you, and now, your insistence on a change of route, are concerning in light of Messer Cane’s suspicions. I have urged him, because having you in our compagnia has been a great boon, to keep his suspicion at bay, but his interests are rightly meant to protect me and my business. It is also troubling that two passengers from the same city—by which I mean yourself and Messer Accorsi—might arrive separately on the same ship, seek passage at the same moment, and yet not reveal their knowledge of each other. Should I take Cane’s advice in my dealings with you? Perhaps I offered you more freedom than was warranted, or wise.”
“I have done nothing to betray your trust.”
“That remains to be seen. When we land I will ensure that you are not in a position to endanger my business, in the event that Cane’s suspicions are justified. I will enjoy your close company until you are finished with the work I require of you in Sicily. And we will be watching you, Monna Trovato. Now, are we finished?”
Clearly we were. He opened the door to let me out in front of him, following close behind. He left me to consider what his mistrust might mean for my future as he returned to the foredeck to plan our route into the Messina harbor.
* * *
Even with the shipboard breeze, the air held a promise of warmth, heralding our proximity to Sicily. I stared in the direction of our destination until my eyes watered. No degree of scrutiny could tell me what was happening there. Everyone on deck was too busy to notice me as I made my way down to the storage hold where Gabriele stood with his back to me, bent over his belongings.
“Gabriele.” He whirled around quickly.
“Beatrice! Can it be that you have decided in my favor so soon?” His smile faded as he saw the serious expression on my face.
I wished we could talk about his proposal instead of what I had to say. “I’ve remembered something about Messina. Something I know because of where I come from.”
“You are determined to tell me of the future?”
“I have to.”
“Speak, then.”
I chose my words carefully. “A terrible pestilence awaits us in the city. A deadly disease that will someday be called the Black Death.”
Gabriele studied my face as if the details were written there. “I wish I could doubt your certainty.”
“So do I.”
“Is there any hope in fleeing Messina? Can this pestilence be outrun?”
I had an image of the two of us running, with a dark and roiling evil at our heels. “Maybe temporarily, but not forever.”
He didn’t question my authority on the subject.
“Have you spoken to Messer Lugani?”
“Yes, but now he thinks I’m plotting something dangerous, possibly even something with you. Cane has been raising suspicions about me, and Lugani is starting to believe him.”
“He would do better to trust you. I imagine that my support of your efforts would only increase his suspicion of both of us?”
I nodded grimly. “I suppose this is what Cassandra felt like.”
Gabriele smiled at the ancient reference. That history at least we shared.
“Is there no cure for this pestilence?”
“Not now.” I envisioned the victims riddled with festering buboes, doctors with beaked masks bending over patients in their agony. “Your time does not find a solution, and the disease will rage through the world.”
“Is there a cure in your time?”
I thought of the few tablets of antibiotic I had left over from my old life, a tiny symbol of my century’s ability to fight disease. Those pills might save one person, but probably not two, and certainly not a shipload, or a city, or a nation. I wasn’t even sure whether it was the right kind of antibiotic.
“Even in my time, people still die of this disease, but less often.” I took the tablets out to show him. He reached out to touch the small white ovals in my hand.