Read Online Dido by Adèle Geras - Free Book Online Page B

wine from the jars set along the tables; others took another handful of dates or a bunch of grapes from the golden platters laden with fruit. Women gathered their robes around them and settled down for a good story and the men bent their heads to catch Aeneas’ words. At first Anna was too preoccupied to listen to him. She went over the whole evening in her head, checking that everything had gone according to her plans.
    The feast had been prepared in something of a hurry, but still, as each dish was brought in, the company paused to admire it: first the fish, their silvery, scaly skin stuck with wild herbs, then the roasted fowl – and Anna congratulated both herself and the kitchen staff on the centrepiece of a beautiful peacock, reassembled in the full glory of its plumage. Then four wild boars turned on the spit till their skin glistened brown and crispy, lying on beds of green leaves with their mouths open, as though even in death they weregrinning at those who were about to tear into their flesh. Heaped platters of honeyed cakes and fruits came after the meats, and even Aeneas, caught up in his story, stopped in mid-sentence and spent some time picking the translucent ruby seeds from the skin of a pomegranate with the point of a small knife. Yes, Anna thought. This is the best Carthage has to offer and no one can say we have failed in our hospitality. It was only when she was sure that things had been as near to perfect as possible that she relaxed and began to listen to their guest’s tales of the great war in Troy.
    When Aeneas finished speaking, no one moved for a long time. Those sitting at the long table were silent, thinking of the city far away, making pictures in their heads of Troy set aflame and destroyed while the night was at its darkest; weeping into their sleeves at the thought of the Trojans either killed or imprisoned and the Greeks triumphant. Then, slowly, talk began to flow again. Anna, sitting opposite Aeneas and her sister, was uncharacteristically silent and listened to their conversation.
    â€˜Your stories have enthralled everyone, Aeneas. I’m proud to welcome you to Carthage. Take more wine. Your throat must be parched.’
    â€˜Thank you, Queen Dido. I’m grateful for your kind words. I’ve not seen such fine rooms for many years. This palace is grander even than King Priam’s.’ The intricate gold leaf painted on every beam; the silver-embroidered hangings on the walls; the gold-plated dishes on which the food had been served: youcouldn’t be in the palace more than a moment without realizing that this queen was a rich and prosperous ruler, well-used to all the luxury that gold could buy.
    â€˜My late husband, Sychaeus,’ Dido said, ‘saw to it that his wealth remained in my hands.’
    One by one the guests took their leave and soon the room was nearly empty except for a few privileged courtiers and the sleepy servants, still standing ready to fetch anything the queen might require. Anna was aware that her own eyelids were beginning to feel heavy, and no wonder. She’d not stopped working, overseeing the banquet, since the arrival of Aeneas and his men the day before. I should go to my bed, she thought, and offer prayers that I do not see the fires of Troy in my dreams. The terrible solid bulk of that enormous wooden horse . . . She shivered, and then a cry made her turn to the main door of the banqueting hall.
    â€˜Father! Father!’ A boy’s high voice rose to the high-beamed ceiling. Ascanius, dressed in his nightshirt, ran across the tiled floor. Such a pretty little boy! Anna looked at him, and as usual when she saw a small child, a sharp pain assailed her, making her heart sore for a moment with longing for a baby of her own. Elissa, who was now the boy’s nursemaid and whom Anna had left in charge of Ascanius, was hovering nervously near the door. Anna rose to her feet and went to speak with her, while the boy