Chapter 5

R at's instructions from Lord Langley hadn't been as detailed as he might have wished. In truth, that was because the Secret Service Bureau's information was not as detailed as they wished. As tensions had been ratcheting up across Europe, the levels of distrust between the various countries had soared. The European powers had always spied on each other, but the level of espionage had never been higher than it was now. There was little doubt that war was imminent. Battlelines were being drawn across the continent, and the major antagonists wished to ensure that the odds were stacked in their favour before the first shot was fired. Military, and especially naval, innovation would help determine dominance. Even the most well-guarded designs and plans had somehow been stolen on occasion, on all sides.

Rat had the names of a few people he was to keep under observation, most suspected spies and agitators. However, Langley's feeling was that the real danger was not from the Germans and Austro-Hungarians that the British Government had long kept a nervous eye on. Instead, it was from less likely characters, perhaps even traitors within their ranks. Britain's own espionage efforts had uncovered evidence of a new German warship that bore a suspicious resemblance to one that was being built secretly in Southampton.

While Rat had enjoyed the puzzle-solving aspects of cryptology, it had been almost too prescribed; there was a code, a cypher, and a solution. Once he became adept at cracking the codes, the challenge was over. While there were always increasingly complex codes, which should have ensured his continued interest, it did not.

Rat often thought back wistfully to his days working for Wolf on the streets of Whitechapel and then those first few months in Mayfair helping with investigations. That was before Milady Tabby Cat insisted that Wolf stop putting the young boy in harm's way. This expedition was an opportunity to return to the life of adventure he had secretly been missing since he was a child.

Even as he thought this, Rat felt guilty; he would always be grateful to Lady Pembroke for taking Melody in and making the little girl her ward. And Rat knew that his life was also immeasurably better than it might have been. Nevertheless, there was a part of him that had chafed at the constraints of life amongst the British upper classes. Now, he was away from all that on his first secret mission and he should be thrilled. Yet, all he felt on that first day in Venice was self-doubt and fear that he would fail, disappoint Lord Langley, and let down his country.

As Rat had listened to Melody and Lady Bainbridge at breakfast discussing the invitation from Xander Ashby, it occurred to him that Ashby was the perfect person to help Rat break into the diplomatic circles in Venice. The two men had hit it off the prior evening, and it was clear that the eager Englishman was quite smitten with Melody. Surely, he would do whatever he could to ingratiate himself with her brother. Melody had to be chaperoned on this proposed tour of St Mark's. Who was more appropriate to be that chaperone than her brother?

Making up his mind, Rat rose from his seat in the palazzo's library, where he had been pretending to read as he wool-gathered and went in search of Melody's room. After asking a young maid, whose command of the English language was minimal, and receiving an answer that he had little confidence in, Rat finally knocked on a door that he hoped was correct. When Mary opened the door, Rat breathed a sigh of relief.

"Rat, is that you?" Melody called out, hearing his voice. "Come in, I'm just trying to choose an outfit. You can help."

Rat doubted that his sister had any true faith in his ideas on fashion, such as they were, but he entered the room and told her his suggestion about her afternoon tour. Of course, he omitted the part where he hoped to get close to Xander Ashby to gather information on possible spies. Instead, he said that he was also interested in seeing St Mark's Basilica and that he'd found Ashby a good sort.

Melody wasn't sure how she felt about her brother's suggestion. On the one hand, Rat was not nearly as malleable as Mary and was likely to play the big brother and try to spoil all her fun. On the other hand, Rat's presence was far more likely to deter any romantic overtures from Xander. Finally, this consideration won out over any other.

"That would be lovely, Rat. Mary, do you still wish to accompany us or would you prefer to stay behind?"

Mary had not been as excited to leave British shores for the first time as her young mistress. She had a deep distrust of foreigners, their exotic food and their funny ways. It had never occurred to her that she might not accompany Melody on the trip, but she was also far from enthusiastic at the opportunity to explore Europe. On top of that, she did not enjoy boats and had been in a state of abject terror for most of the gondola ride the day before. If she could postpone repeating the experience, then she would leap at the chance. She indicated her preference for remaining at the palazzo.

"Rat, I told Mr Ashby to collect me at two o'clock," Melody announced. "Do you think he has his own gondola?"

"I have no idea. I assume that just as with carriages in London, they are mostly owned by the upper echelons of society."

"Is it possible to get around without going by water?" Mary asked, suddenly wondering if it would be possible to spend the rest of their stay in Venice without ever setting foot in another gondola.

"I believe that it is quite a walkable city. Certainly, Venice is far smaller than London," Rat observed. "But having looked at a map, I can see how it would be easy to get lost," he cautioned. "However, if one were determined not to travel by boat, I think that would be feasible."

Melody had thoroughly enjoyed the gondola ride the previous day and had no intention of having that be the only one of their stay. While she had noticed Mary's fear in the gondola, it had been a casual observation and quickly forgotten. "Anyway, why would one want only to walk around Venice, Mary? It is not as if we do so in London." Given the dowager's many pronouncements over the years about the inappropriateness of members of the Chesterton family perambulating for anything other than a healthful stroll through Hyde Park, this statement was hardly surprising.

Whatever brief hope Rat had given Mary was shattered by her realisation that her young charge would not only be undeterred from future gondola rides, but she would likely enthusiastically seek them out. Given this likelihood, Mary was even more determined to bow out of any outings when she had the option to do so.

The issue of how they would be travelling to St Mark's was put to rest over an early luncheon when Lady Bainbridge remarked that, while they were more than welcome to make use of one of her gondolas whenever they chose, she believed that the consulate had various ones at its disposal. She imagined that Xander would call for Melody in one of those. Hearing that Rat would be joining the party, Lady Bainbridge nodded her approval and exchanged a knowing look with the young man; given the circumstances, she believed he was a far more appropriate chaperone.

Melody had changed her outfit three times before settling on a light grey walking dress with a pale pink bolero jacket. The temperature in Venice was significantly hotter than London and Mary insisted that she accessorise her outfit with a pink parasol that complemented the jacket nicely. Looking at herself in the mirror, Melody felt that the outfit conveyed youthful sophistication and that she would not be embarrassed on the off chance that they did run into Alessandro.

At the stroke of two o'clock, Rossi announced that Mr Xander Ashby awaited Miss Chesterton in the vestibule. As Rat and Melody exited the salotto, they saw Xander waiting eagerly, a straw boater in hand. His enthusiasm waned noticeably when he realised Rat would be joining their party.

Noticing Xander's crestfallen face, Rat said, "I hope that you do not mind me tagging along, Ashby. My sister's companion is not fond of boats, and I would like to see the Basilica."

Schooling his face in an attempt not to show his disappointment, Xander replied, "Of course not, Sandworth. The more the merrier." He followed these words with an insincere chuckle and a forced smile.

As the host, it was incumbent upon Xander to allow Melody and Rat to board the gondola first. So, he was denied the opportunity of sitting next to the delightful Miss Chesterton as Rat made a point of sitting by his sister. However, Xander decided to make the best of the situation; at least he could now sit opposite her and gaze upon that angelic face, watching the delight dance across her features as she turned her head back and forth, trying to take in all the views along the Grand Canal.

Melody was quite grateful to Rat for saving her from the discomfort of having to sit next to Xander. However, he now was sitting opposite her with a soppy grin on his face, watching her every move. Even before they had reached St Mark's she was wondering how long good manners demanded that the outing must be before she could escape. Remembering one of Granny's lessons on how to extricate oneself from boring social events, Melody considered that a terrible headache was a tried and trusted possible solution. In truth, if Xander Ashby kept looking at her with those puppy dog eyes, she might develop an actual headache.

Luckily, the gondola ride to St Mark's Square was not long. Melody was fascinated by all the boat traffic on the canal. Seeing her interest, Xander explained that everything that horse and cart might deliver in London had to be transported by boat within Venice. "Why, even the police force, such as it is, usually arrives in such a manner."

After disembarking from the gondola, Xander led them on a short walk on the fondamenta running alongside the canal. Xander pointed ahead, drawing their attention to a beautiful building with cream-coloured bricks and all manner of ornamentation. "This is the Doge's Palace," he explained. "We should return another day to tour this if we are to do it justice."

Neither Melody nor Rat missed his use of the word ‘we'. Clearly, Xander considered this outing the first of many. Turning left before the Doge's Palace into St Mark's Square, or Piazza San Marco, as the Venetians called it, Melody caught her breath. Ahead was a building so exquisite and highly decorated that it could only be the Basilica San Marco with its four magnificent enormous bronze horses guarding the entrance. Its Gothic and Byzantine-influenced exterior was a riot of gorgeous mosaics, lavish marble columns and intricate arches. The building was topped with five great domes.

Melody was so entranced by its stunning facade that she didn't even notice the imposing, red-brick clock tower on her other side. Wrenching her eyes from the basilica, she took in the rest of St Mark's Square, which was full of people but even more full of pigeons. Interspersed with shops selling lace and glass, lively cafes and restaurants lined the square. Tables, full of patrons drinking wine and espressos and eating large bowls of pasta, spilt out into San Marco.

As Xander led the way into the basilica, Melody gasped at the opulence that greeted her; it seemed as if shimmering gold mosaics covered almost every surface, depicting biblical scenes intended to inspire religious awe and fervour. Xander led them through the marble-floored nave of the basilica to the highly ornate gold altar, which he explained was called the Pala d'Oro. Xander was certainly a knowledgeable tour guide, with an endless supply of trivial details that Melody quickly found quite annoying.

"The altarpiece is studded with 1,300 pearls, 300 emeralds, 300 sapphires, 400 garnets, and 100 amethysts, rubies, and topazes," Xander explained.

Melody couldn't imagine why anyone would bother remembering such details. She whispered to Rat, "It would have been sufficient to say, a lot of jewels."

Rat smiled at the comment. He didn't disagree but was impressed with the amount of information that Xander Ashby had bothered to acquire. This was a detail-oriented person, which was likely a very useful skill for someone working for the consul. Certainly, he would always have even the smallest details to hand about the local political situation.

Picking up on Rat and Melody's reaction, Xander said in an almost apologetic tone, "I have a photographic memory. I know that I can sometimes sound a bit like a walking encyclopaedia."

"Well, at the very least a walking Baedeker," Melody said teasingly.

At her words, Xander asked, "I do not see a Baedeker guide in your hand Miss Chesterton. Are you not as much a devotee as seemingly every other British tourist to Europe is?"

"I do not wish to fall into the Baedeker trap that Lucy Honeychurch does," Melody explained.

Rat rolled his eyes, "Why would Mr Ashby know what you are talking about, Melody?"

Before Melody could explain, Xander said eagerly, "Oh, are you a Forster fan, Miss Chesterton?"

"You know A Room with a View ?" Melody exclaimed. Suddenly, Xander Ashby seemed far less a tiresome obligation and far more a rather handsome and charming potential beau.

"Indeed! I find Forster's illuminations on the hypocrisy that underpins so much of British society to be a revelation."

Melody was far less taken with any political and social themes in the writer's work than she was with the very relatable story of a young woman taking her first steps out of the confines of her family's and society's expectations for her. Nevertheless, their differing reasons for enjoying the novels did not diminish Melody's thrill at finding someone with whom she could discuss her favourite book. After this revelation, Melody found that Xander's detailed knowledge about the basilica was far more interesting than she had first thought. She also decided that if she squinted, the young man might be a reasonable likeness to George Emerson, Lucy Honeychurch's eventual love interest. George had opened Forster's heroine's eyes to the world around her, and perhaps Xander might do likewise for Melody.

Emerging from the gloom of the basilica, it took a few moments for Melody's eyes to adjust to the bright sunshine. She put her parasol up, grateful for Mary's insistence that she carry one. Granny was quite a stickler about staying out of the sun, particularly given Melody's predisposition to freckles. Personally, Melody had no problem with the light spray of freckles that would emerge across her nose during summer, but the dowager insisted that well-brought-up young ladies did not succumb to freckles; only farm girls were so afflicted. The dowager had impressed upon Mary the vital importance of Melody using a parasol whenever she was outside, and the maid, sometimes companion, was far too intimated to do anything but take that counsel as canon.

From what Melody could see, there were exits out of each of the three sides of the piazza, in addition to the way they had entered. Deciding on the spur of the moment that she did not feel like another gondola ride just yet, Melody said, "I believe that I would like to walk back. Is that possible from here?"

"Well, I…" Xander stammered.

"You do not have to accompany us if you would prefer not to," Rat said. "I am sure we can find our own way back." Actually, he was not sure that was true but sensed Melody's eagerness to get caught up in the bustle of the city.

"I would not dream of abandoning you," Xander exclaimed, finding his voice at this outrageous suggestion. He considered himself far too much of a gentleman to consider deserting Miss Chesterton to find her way through the maze of calles that wound their way back to the palazzo. "Please wait in the shade for me for a few minutes while I return and tell the gondolier that we will not need his services."

Five minutes later, Xander returned and indicated that they should follow him through the north exit.