The Emperor Awakes Read online

  Aristo could see she was deeply moved. He felt invisible fingers clutching at his heart and he involuntarily felt protective of her. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. He was amused but not surprised by her reaction. Katerina turned to him.

  ‘I’ve always dreamed of coming here and seeing this house. It’s beautiful. I’m really glad I’m here.’

  The light was fading fast and the city’s night face was coming alive like little stars switched on by an invisible higher force. They went straight to the veranda. Elli stood up and went to greet them.

  ‘I’m very glad to meet you at last.’

  ‘Mrs Symitzis, it’s an honour.’

  ‘Katerina, please. I’m not the Archbishop. And please call me Elli.’

  ‘OK, Elli. It’s a pleasure.’

  ‘That’s better. Come and join me.’ Elli said and, with Katerina and Aristo following close behind, walked back towards the table and chairs set on the best vantage point of the verandah and enjoying an uninterrupted view of the sea and the city below, a veritable West-South-East feast and, so as not to offend any direction of the compass, if you looked to the North you could just about make out in the distance the Troodos mountain range standing tall and proud.

  They all sat down and there was a short but comfortable silence as they all admired the view. As if on cue, Mrs Manto appeared with a very respectable spread, fit for a regiment. Aristo looked at his mother and smiled. She smiled back. Katerina noticed and her face joined in.

  With Mrs Manto setting the table and chatting away, Aristo turned to Katerina and with a quick look at Mrs Manto could not resist enlightening Katerina on Mrs Manto’s wily and bossy but generous ways.

  ‘Mrs Manto has been feeding us since we were kids. You’ve seen nothing yet. It’s amazing half the animal and plant kingdoms are not extinct. She believes that everybody’s malnourished and needs fattening up. It’s a miracle we are not able to roll down the hill to the beach by now.’

  Mrs Manto paused from her task and reached to pull Aristo’s ear.

  ‘Aristo, I’m constantly amazed by your talent of finding new ways to show your affection. You know how much I adore you too, you scoundrel.’

  Aristo just laughed and the others laughed too. Elli broke the spell.

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Manto.’

  ‘The tea is getting cold. I know, I know.’ Mrs Manto’s face pretended to be stern, but you could not miss the twinkle and warm smile in her eyes.

  ‘Mrs Manto, I’ve always known you are not just a pretty face.’

  ‘Thanks, it’s sweet to be appreciated.’

  Mrs Manto smiled at them and started to walk away, but half-turning she declared in a voice that tolerated no objection.

  ‘Remember I want to see empty plates.’

  Elli turned to Katerina.

  ‘I can never tire of all this mothering. I’ve had enough time to get used to it and get hooked. I’ve known her all my life and, my dear Katerina, I will not lie to you, that’s a long time. Don’t be fooled by this.’ She touched her hair. ‘It all comes out of a bottle. I’ve never had plastic surgery, though. This is my real and pure face and neck. Thank you, God, for small mercies; there are some decent genes somewhere in there. Now my dear, tell me a little about you.’

  Katerina smiled at Elli. ‘Elli, I’m sure you know everything about me and my family already.’

  ‘Too true.’ Elli half-turned to Aristo, still smiling at Katerina. ‘Aristo, she’s smart and beautiful. An unbeatable combination.’ She caught the looks Katerina and Aristo gave each other. They were in love. It was a good match. She had planned it, but it happened anyway. It saved her the trouble. And Aristo was happy. She couldn’t want anything more for her son. She could not be happier.

  ‘Elli, your house is magnificent. The moment you arrive you can almost hear its seductive call, the invitation to fall in its arms and to be hugged tight. Of course that is only partly due to the house itself, which, even from a brief acquaintance, shows the love and care that has been lavished on it. But it’s your warm welcome that makes all the difference. Thank you for the kindness you’ve shown to me. As you’ve just met me, I’m touched and overwhelmed.’

  ‘Thank you. I like you already.’ Elli declared, looking around the table and then at Katerina, an amused smile forming at her mouth, colouring her face and pulling at her eyes, transforming them into pools of liquid warmth for the young woman sitting opposite her.

  Elli was not easily impressed, but she was a good judge of character and could see Katerina was sincere. But most important was that Katerina was her son’s choice and that was what mattered. Elli had already decided that Katerina would be welcomed into the family. She was already beginning to be taken in by Katerina.

  She wondered whether Katerina could see in her eyes the open invitation into her heart. Then again Elli could be a foolishly sentimental woman. And yet she wanted to know more about this charming and intriguing woman who seemed to have captured her son’s heart.

  ‘This house certainly has a very special place in all our hearts. It’s part of us and yet it will most probably still be here long after we are gone, to, hopefully, nourish and shelter generations to come.’

  Katerina wanted to know more about the house. ‘How long has this house stood here?’

  ‘For about eighty years now.’

  ‘In a strange way it looks as if it was built yesterday. It must have been so much ahead of its time.’ Katerina’s comment brought a huge smile to Elli’s face. Katerina was left in no doubt of Elli’s pride in this very special house.

  ‘It certainly was. But, modern though it was when it was built, as you might imagine it has been renovated a few times throughout the years.’

  Katerina shifted in her seat and her scarf came slightly undone revealing the area just above her breasts. Elli did a double-take. She didn’t want to be seen to stare, so she averted her eyes. But her mind was on the pendant hanging on Katerina’s neck. Could it really be the pendant? Could it be the real thing?

  ‘Would you excuse me for a moment?’ Elli said in a relaxed manner and, smiling warmly to hide her shock, she, slowly, got up and went inside and straight to the library. She called Iraklios.

  ‘Iraklios, that story you told me the other day … I think the pendant with the cross attached to it has just cropped up.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You won’t believe it, but it’s hanging around the neck of Aristo’s girlfriend.’

  ‘Katerina?’

  ‘Yes.’ Elli paused. She missed nothing. Iraklios just gave himself away; the name and his tone were clear signs of his betrayal, she thought amused. ‘Iraklios, you have met her already, haven’t you?’

  ‘I confess that yes. Aristo wanted my opinion. The three of us had lunch a couple of weeks ago.’

  ‘I will not pretend to be offended that you met her before me. The two of you have always been as thick as thieves.’ Elli paused and when she continued she feigned hurt. ‘But I do feel a little bit hurt at this blatant act of betrayal. Though, I think, I’ll get over it.’ Elli became serious. ‘Did you not notice the pendant back then?’

  ‘She was wearing a high neckline dress at the time and a scarf over it, so no, I didn’t see anything.’

  ‘If you saw it, would you recognise it?’

  ‘I believe that I would.’

  ‘I think you should come over straight away.’

  ‘I’ll be there in about half an hour.’

  * * *

  Elli went back outside and joined the others. They were talking about Katerina’s recent tour of the Far East on a buying trip for her father’s company when Iraklios appeared.

  ‘Hello everyone.’

  Elli had not warned them, so it was a surprise. Iraklios greeted them all, but saved special affection for Katerina, hopefully soon to be the new member of the family.

  ‘My dear, it’s very good to see you again. My day looks brighter already.’

  Katerin
a smiled and thanked him. Elli could not resist teasing him and threw a scathing remark in his direction.

  ‘Iraklios, sit down. You’ve embarrassed us all already. Katerina may not be used to your killer charm, but we know you and like us she will learn not to be susceptible to your compliments. Yet I may be underestimating her. I think she can see through you too.’

  Katerina reached across the table and touched Elli’s arm affectionately in a placating gesture. ‘It’s alright Elli. No-one can refute a compliment, especially one given with such warmth. We all like to think we are appreciated and a little sweetness does not go amiss.’ She turned to Iraklios. ‘I’m flattered, sir. Thank you again.’

  ‘Spoken like a true beauty. Unaware of her impact on all around her. Humility is not always necessary, my dear.’ His eye caught the food on the table. ‘You haven’t touched a thing. Mrs Manto will have your heads on a platter.’ He took a plate and started to help himself, piling food on it. ‘Let me help you with this to save you from a harsh sentence.’ Then he sat down and gave an imperceptible nod to Elli. It was the signal to get onto the subject preoccupying them.

  ‘Katerina, I’ll be honest with you. I asked Iraklios to come. It was not a chance visit. I’ll tell you why. Earlier when your scarf slipped I could not help but notice the pendant with the attached cross hanging around your neck. May we see it up close, please?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Katerina acquiesced, an expression of puzzlement on her face. She moved her hands to undo the clasp.

  ‘Aristo, could you help her, please?’ Aristo had beaten her to it already and having undone the clasp, placed the pendant on the table.

  ‘Mother, uncle, what is all this about?’

  ‘We will explain in a while.’ Elli said as she took the pendant in her palm and stared at it, before handing it to Iraklios. He studied it carefully for a while in silence. The others did not break that silence and waited. Elli prodded Iraklios.

  ‘Iraklios?’

  ‘I believe this is the cross.’

  Aristo became impatient. ‘Would you please tell us what’s going on?’

  Elli nodded and looked at Iraklios.

  ‘Katerina, how did you come by this cross?’

  ‘It was given to me by my grandmother when I was twelve. Why?’

  ‘Did she tell you how she came to have it?’

  ‘She said it was her grandmother’s, and her grandmother’s grandmother’s before her and so on, that it had been a family tradition for the cross to be handed down from grandmother to granddaughter at the age of twelve and it has been so for many generations going back a few hundred years.’

  ‘Do you know exactly for how long?’

  ‘Not exactly Would you like to talk to my grandmother?’

  ‘Yes, we would. I would be grateful if you could arrange it.’

  Aristo joined in. ‘But, Iraklios, won’t you tell us what it’s for? Why is the cross so important?’

  ‘That cross is not a usual cross. Look at it carefully.’

  ‘It looks valuable, but otherwise I don’t see anything special about it.’

  ‘If it is what we believe it is, that cross has a story. That cross was a gift to each newborn heir to the throne of Constantinople and we have evidence in historical accounts that shows drawings of that same cross.’

  Katerina looked puzzled. ‘But couldn’t anyone who had seen those drawings or the cross itself have reproduced the design?’

  ‘It is possible, I suppose, and that’s why we need to speak with your grandmother. She may be able to shed light on this matter. But for verification we will need the cross to be examined by an expert, an archaeologist who specialises in this period and more specifically the Palaiologos dynasty and the last Emperor.’

  Elli knew the answer. The thought passed through Katerina’s mind as well, but at that moment did not properly register. ‘Katerina, I think your brother would be the right person to examine the cross and confirm this.’

  ‘Giorgos?’ Katerina was still confused. ‘Yes, of course. You are right. But would he not have mentioned something about it all these years? After all I have been wearing it in full view for sixteen years.’ Katerina said, her tone pregnant with doubts, and a strange feeling of guilt she couldn’t shake, as if she did something wrong and she had to fix it.

  She looked at Elli with eyes full of unanswered questions, hoping for a satisfactory explanation, for help to extricate herself from her predicament.

  Elli saw Katerina’s suddenly furrowed brow and felt a bit uneasy for worrying this lovely young woman sitting opposite her, only a few minutes earlier relaxed and nonchalant making pleasant conversation. She wanted to try and put Katerina’s mind at some rest at least.

  ‘It is possible that he never paid real attention. He must have seen it just for what it was, a cross, a gift from your grandmother, a family heirloom. Like when we don’t notice something that is under our nose, perhaps it was the same with this and the thought never crossed his mind.’

  ‘But he’s always been extraordinarily observant and inquisitive. He would have asked to study it closely.’

  ‘Not necessarily. He must have become so accustomed to the sight of it that his curiosity was not aroused.’

  ‘It sounds plausible. I’ll call him and arrange a meeting. But Elli and Iraklios, you are not interested in it solely for its historical significance.’

  Iraklios explained. ‘No. If it is what we believe it is, it could be the one worn by the last heir at the time of the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Almost four weeks before the fall of the city, the heir, a child of three years old at the time, was kidnapped from the Palace of Vlachernae. He was never found, nor was a body ever discovered. Nobody ever found out what happened to him. And he was, probably, wearing this cross when he disappeared.’

  * * *

  At the same time, at his apartment in Athens, Giorgos was on the phone to James Calvell in New York.

  ‘Giorgos, I’ve got the information we wanted.’

  ‘Already?’

  ‘I told you the guy was a genius.’

  ‘Well?’

  ‘I think he may have made a mistake. I’ll ask him to run the program again. It must have a bug or something.’

  ‘James, don’t play games. Just tell me. Come out with it.’

  ‘Giorgos, the donor of both icons was Ariana Paresteris.’

  ‘What? But that’s my grandmother’s name. It can’t be. It must be a coincidence.’

  ‘Giorgos, I’ve asked him to dig deeper. There’s no doubt. It was your grandmother.’

  ‘But how? It can’t be. It just can’t.’

  ‘Why not? Why do you find it so hard to believe?’

  ‘I don’t know. I guess I’m just surprised, that’s all.’

  ‘What will you do now?’

  ‘I need to speak to her. I need to see her. I need to know. Now. James, thank you. I have to go. I’ll call you in a couple of days.’

  ‘Alright. Call me, if you need anything else. I’ll help you with this.’

  ‘Yes, I know. I will call you in a couple of days when I will know more. I’ve got a feeling there’s more to this story. James, I just had a thought. The icon, the Imperial ring. Do you think all this may be connected to my project?’

  ‘It’s very possible.’

  ‘My God, do you know what this means? James, I have to go. You are a good friend. Speak to you later.’

  * * *

  Giorgos was on the first flight out of Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport. He landed at Larnaca International Airport shortly after seven in the evening and took a taxi straight to Limassol and his grandmother’s house.

  It was just before nine o’clock at night when Giorgos found himself knocking on his grandmother’s front door. She opened the door herself and, hiding her initial surprise, her face opened up with a huge smile for her grandson. She pulled him into the entrance hall and into her arms and they exchanged kisses.

  ‘My dar
ling Giorgos. It’s so good to see you. When did you get back to Cyprus? And what are you doing here at this time?’

  ‘I arrived in Larnaca less than two hours ago and I’m back for good, or, at least, until the next project. And do I need a reason to visit my grandmother?’

  ‘You certainly don’t. You don’t need to give advance notice either. It’s just that I was not expecting you, that’s all.’

  ‘I’m not interrupting anything, am I?’

  ‘No, not at all. Come in. Go to the sitting room. I’ll ask Alina to prepare some coffee for us. I’ll only be a moment.’

  Giorgos walked towards the sitting room and Ariana Paresteris turned to the direction of the kitchen where she found Alina busy preparing the marinade for the lamb that would be the following day’s centrepiece for lunch. Alina looked up as Ariana entered the kitchen.

  ‘Mrs Ariana, I thought I heard Giorgos’ voice. I thought he was still in Athens. I didn’t know he was back. Is everything alright?’

  ‘Yes. And it seems he may back for good. I know it’s late, but you know his crazy schedule. If he can spare a moment for his grandmother he will use it to visit me irrespective of the time and, perhaps, crossing a couple of continents in the process. And I am glad for that. You know how much I love him. He’s very precious to me. We’ll be in the sitting room. Alina, bring us some coffee, would you?’

  ‘Yes, Mrs Ariana.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Ariana left the kitchen and walked back to the entrance hall and from there to the sitting room. Upon entering she noticed Giorgos’ worried and pensive expression before he looked up and smiled at her giving her his full attention.

  She walked briskly to the sofa facing Giorgos and sat down. She did not want to allow him the opportunity to hesitate as she sensed that he was debating with himself how to broach a difficult subject.

  She decided to save time and to make it easy for him so she avoided further pleasantries and went straight for the jugular. Seated in the late evening coolness of the sitting room, Ariana turned to her grandson.