For her part, Shakuntala was torn in a different way. Garmat and Ousanas were not certain, for the empress spoke of the man only rarely, but they suspected that Shakuntala’s feelings for Raghunath Rao went well beyond the admiration of a child for her mentor. She had been in Rao’s keeping since the age of seven, and the Maratha chieftain had practically served as her surrogate father—uncle, say better. But—for all the difference in age, Shakuntala was now a woman, and Rao was as attractive as any man in early middle age could possibly be. And since he was not, in actual fact, related to her in any way, there was no real reason for their relationship not to develop into romance.
Except—those rigid, hard, ingrained Indian customs. Especially that bizarre (to Roman and Ethiopian eyes alike) insistence on purity of blood and avoidance of pollution. Shakuntala was of the most ancient lineage, the purest of kshatriya ancestry. Whereas Rao, for all his fame, was nothing but a chieftain—of the Maratha, to boot, a frontier people who could not trace their ancestry beyond two generations.
So she, like Eon, was also trapped between sentiment and honor. It was a different trap, but its jaws were not less steely.
In the end, Belisarius knew, the two youngsters had managed to carve out a relationship which was a bit like that of brother to sister. Very close, very intimate—and much given to quarrel.
The glares, he saw, were not softening. He decided to intervene.
“Explain yourself further, Eon, if you would.”
The Prince tore his eyes away from Shakuntala. Looking at Belisarius, the glare faded.
“I am not criticizing your ruthlessness, Belisarius. Quite the opposite, in fact.” A quick angry glance at the Empress; then: “I wonder if you were ruthless enough.”
Belisarius shrugged. “What should I have done? Tortured them? I would have had to do it myself, you know. Valentinian would have refused. So would Anastasius or Menander. They are cataphracts. Torture is beneath them.”
That was not, precisely, correct. Neither Valentinian nor Anastasius was squeamish, in the least, and they had both had occasion, in times past, to subject captured soldiers to methods of interrogation which were referred to by more delicate souls as “rigorous.” But the spirit of the statement was true enough. Belisarius was not sure, actually, what Valentinian would have done had he commanded him to torture a family for the amusement of Malwa. It was quite possible that the cataphract would have done so, if in a quick and crude way which would have left the Malwa appetite unsatisfied. But Belisarius had not the slightest doubt that it would be the last service the cataphract would ever do him.
Eon clenched his jaws, waved his hand in a gesture dismissing a preposterous proposal.
But Belisarius did not relent.
“What, then? Those were my choices. My only choices.”
Eon sighed. His shoulders slumped.
“I know. I was there. But—” He sighed more deeply. “I’m afraid you may have given our plot away in any event, Belisarius. Or, at least, so offended the Malwa that they will no longer pursue their courtship of you.”
Belisarius began to reply, but Ousanas interrupted.
“You are quite wrong, Eon. You misread the Malwa badly.”
The dawazz rose lazily and came to stand where he could be seen.
“You were watching Venandakatra, boy. That was your mistake.”
His huge grin erupted.
“Natural mistake, of course! Such a comical sight he was, prancing around like a fat hen covered with her own broken eggs! I, myself, found it hard not to savor that delicious spectacle.”
Everyone who had been at the scene chuckled. Ousanas continued:
“But still a mistake. You should have watched the Emperor. And—most important—his other advisers. As I did.” He grinned down at Belisarius. “The Emperor was paralyzed, of course. By Belisarius’ gaze more than the bloodshed. Which is good. For the first time, now, he will fear Belisarius—just as Venandakatra does.”
“Why is that good?” demanded Eon. “That fear will lead him—”
“To what? To avoid the Roman personally? Oh, to be sure. The Emperor has underlings to do that work. But do you think he will avoid the Roman politically? Quite the contrary, Eon. Once the Emperor settles his nerves, you can be sure he will raise suborning Belisarius to the highest priority.”