Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett Page A

they were properly buried. I gave in and told her that we needed something. Before she could ask what it was, I slipped into the chapel that was near our play area, and took the heavy silver chalice Father Agathos used for the sacramental wine.
    Maria’s eyes widened when she saw it. “Put it back, Anna!” she said. “What if Mother were to see?”
    I knew that my punishment would be swift and sure if we were found out—probably I would have to kneel on the bare stone floor of the church for half a day, saying prayers in penance. My knees ached at the thought. But the added danger just made the chalice more special to me.
    “Don’t worry,” I assured her. “I’ll tell her it was my idea. You won’t get in any trouble.”
    I was administering the last rites to the captain of Maria’s forces when a sudden rustle of silk told me that our mother was coming through the cloth hanging on thedoorway. I hastily picked up the chalice to stuff it in the pouch hanging at my waist. To my horror, it didn’t fit, so I whipped my hand behind me and stood with my heart thumping and my head properly bowed, awaiting her.
    I looked upward under my eyelashes at my mother. She was accompanied by a barefoot girl somewhat taller than I, whom I had never seen before. The girl was dressed in the garb of a household servant. When my mother drew near, she said, “You may approach, Princesses.” We walked to her, heads still down, and kissed her hand. I hoped she would not notice that my left hand was behind my back. I then raised my head and looked at her companion.
    A round brown face looked back at me. The muddy brown eyes were unattractive, although they shone with an intelligence that disconcerted me. The girl had long, curly hair that would have benefited from a good brushing. She must be new, I thought, and doesn’t know how to keep herself like an imperial slave. She seemed to be about my age, although with barbarians it is often hard to tell. We looked at each other in silence.
    “This is your new maid,” my mother said. “She is my gift to you.”
    The maid kept looking at me. The impertinence of her direct gaze made me want to slap her, but I did not like to do so in front of my mother, who believed in treating slaves like people. I wish Grandmother were here, I thought. She would soon have her spirit broken the way it should be.
    “She seems untrained,” I answered, “but I think I can make her useful.”
    “She is indeed, as you say, untrained,” my mother answered. “You have started learning your new duties. It seemed wise to me to have the two of you learn together. That way you can teach each other.”
    I felt my cheeks flame hot. A slave teach
me!
I knew what my grandmother would say if she heard such a thing: “A Comnenus to be taught by a slave, indeed! Only a Ducas would find such a thing suitable.”
    “How could
she
help me, Mother?” I asked, my voice rising high in protest.
    “You are no longer a child, Anna,” she said gently. “You will find that you will need someone trustworthy, who is not involved in politics, in whom you can confide. If this girl proves worthy of your trust, perhaps she will be that one. She has no stake in what our families do. Besides, you need to learn how to train a maid. You will soon ally the Comnenus and Ducas families and will have a large staff to handle.”
    She looked me full in the face, smiling. I knew she was proud of the blood of her Ducas family, which had been noble while most of my father’s family—I was forced to admit—were merely wealthy landowners.
    “Don’t play too long in the heat,” my mother said. “Give me a kiss before I return to my chamber.”
    My face felt hot as I realized the impossibility of embracing my mother as she expected. My new maid was watching me, her head on one side, and she suddenly approached me.
    “Your Grace has gotten dirty,” she said with a thick accent. “You don’t want to soil your mother’s lovely robe.”She