A Roman Holiday
Chapter 6
There was a hushed murmur in the room. The entire orchestra stood in awe of their conductor. The ambrosial cadences of the intermezzo continued ringing in their ears. In spite of the heaviness of his heart or perhaps because of it, he found a delicate balance of melodrama, anguish and hope in its lush strains.
If there had been any doubts over his musical brilliance, that last piece would have swept them all away. As if on cue, the orchestra burst into synchronous applause. The conductor slightly embarrassed, averted his reddish eyes. But the news had already reached their ears… they had known about his predicament What astonished them was how Chiaki had reached into that inner well of emotional turmoil and drawn from it in such a masterly fashion. It was as if they were being witness to something both intensely private… and sublime.
The concert master shook his head in utter amazement. It was an unprecedented outpouring of emotion from this usually stoic Japanese conductor. I wonder if Mascagni meant it to be played like this. If not, it should be. Is that heart cry of a man who fears that he will lose the one he loves?. With characteristic Italian warmth and expansiveness, the concert master left his seat and made his way to Chiaki and embraced him with deep sympathy. Chiaki was taken aback but did not resist this heartfelt gesture of kindness. One by one… each member of the orchestra got up and followed suit… an embrace or handshake… all in the fellowship of music.
The kindness of the people around him made it so much harder cope with the internal disquietude. Part of him strenuously resisted all this generosity of spirit because of what it meant or what it could mean.
"We can postpone or cancel it, Chiaki," The Japanese ambassador had said.
"No, don't cancel it." Chiaki had been firm.
"It's alright… his highness doesn't mind…" The crown prince and the ambassador had both been very compassionate.
"No… don't… I don't want to disappoint her when she returns… She'll be fine, I'm sure of it…" She has to be… I don't know what I'll do… if she isn't.
There was a finality about the word "cancel" and he feared it. He feared what it could mean and as long as there was a chance, he would cling to every vestige of hope. To even consider cancellation was to consider the unthinkable.
"Do you think they suspect anything?"
"I don't think so. As far as they're concerned we're just two docile women who happen to have large appetites."
"But two extra bread rolls and apples each?"
"We will need it when we break out of here."
"Nodame, shouldn't we just wait… and find out what my father decides to do."
"Your highness, I don't know if you've realized it… but if you're right and we are somewhere under the Maltovian embassy, it can only mean that someone, probably a member of your staff is responsible for our being here. Someone who knows about this empty cellar, for instance."
"I've been too afraid to think properly, unfortunately… But why here, of all the places in the world."
"Because it's the last place anyone would think to look. Heard of this expression 'Hidden in plain sight?'"
"So we don't know who to trust…"
"That's true, unfortunately. We don't know if the necklace is the only thing that they're after."
"What else could they be after?"
"No idea… If you ask me, I say we take our chances out there. For all we know we could be left here to die once they get what they want."
"Why even bother giving us meals then?"
"Give us a false sense of security? I don't know… but you do have a point." Nodame mused.
"So what do we do when we get out?"
"We find a way of getting help."
Bethstein couldn't be sure of how many in the embassy were in on the conspiracy. He didn't know who, on the inside, he could trust. It was an untenable position to be in… to even consider that the people he had known and worked with for the last two years were plotting against the royal family. The problem was that he had suspects, suspicious activities and motives but apart from the kidnapping, he had no idea what else was on the agenda. That was what worried him the most. More and more, he was convinced that the kidnapping was a prelude to something bigger. He knew that if he didn't get to the bottom of things soon, lives were going to be lost. Unfortunately for him, there was only one person he could confide in but how much help he would be, was another matter.
He had been sitting in on the entire rehearsal but chose to keep his distance and observe. Bethstein's overworked instincts told him that Chiaki was someone he could trust particularly after being witness to the orchestra's performance of the intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana. That was something deeply personal about the way Chiaki was conducting... no doubt he was affected by recent events. And yet the man was affected to the extent that he was freely wearing his heart on his sleeve. Bethstein was no trained musician but he had dealt with enough riff raffs and villains to know something about sincerity when faced with it. He had heard that the Japanese were a reserved people but from the little he had seen, he could tell that this man's feelings for his fiancée ran deep. There was no reason to think he could be embroiled in something that would cause the woman he loved to be in such a precarious position. In that regard, Chiaki would make an important ally.
Thinking about Chiaki and Miss Noda, caused Bethstein to experience a twinge of shame about how little time he had spent worrying about Marina. However, his good sense reminded him that he was doing what he could for her as much as he was seeking the truth. The ties between them had been riddled with lapses in judgement from the first… of which he was chief culprit. He should have known better than to become involved with a client… it not only showed a total lack of professionalism on his part but had put them both in a precarious position. Still, cupid's arrows took him by surprise. Before he knew it, he was deep in it despite strenuously resisting any initial desires. There was no hiding from it and he didn't want to. He was in love with her as far as a man in his position could and it sickened him that anyone would wish her harm. Marina had been sheltered from the harsh realities of life since birth but he, on the other hand, had adopted a cynical worldliness about life as a defensive mechanism against its harsh assaults… To a large degree, it was a consequence of his profession and an unhappy childhood. Working as a police officer and seeing couples do terrible things to one another did little to alleviate his cynicism. Neither did his own parents give him cause to worship at the altar of everlasting love.
In all honesty, they didn't owe each other anything. They were not lovers in the conventional sense. Furtive looks and secret meetings in quiet spots was the extent of their relationship.Would they last as a couple? It was hard to say. They were thrown together by grief but it blossomed into something else. He admired her youthful fortitude… She shouldered a great deal of responsibilities for someone so young and carried about her an openness that was a far cry from the women he had tangled with in the past. Bethstein, in spite of his good looks and masculine charms, had difficulty holding onto his relationships. Whether it was due to influences from his profession or his lack of family life, Albert was wont to be protective, which many women saw as being possessive. Marina, however, being younger and starving for companionship, embraced his protective instincts completely. The earlier girlfriends scorned it… labelling him a throwback to a caveman type. It was not the first time that he saw the irony of his situation that a princess would want to be with him when no others would have him.
He had been a good cop but felt himself an abysmal failure with relationships… and it had begun to wear him down. It was one of the reasons he moved back to Maltovia... to start afresh. He sometimes wondered if he was doomed to lifelong failure in that department. The situation with Marina didn't bode well for something more permanent… he knew he had pushed Marina too hard but as he confessed to Chiaki earlier, he found the secrecy abhorrent. For a man who believed that honesty was really the best policy, it was a constant thorn in his side.
He felt he could trust Chiaki… he wanted to… Here was someone he could empathize with and it was a very long time since that happened.
Guardedly, he watched members of the orchestra… one by one… making their approach towards their conductor. His eye mainly on the conductor. The next thing he knew, he was up there with the rest of them
"Chiaki, we need to talk…"
"Let me go first…" Nodame volunteered. "If the trapdoor leads to nowhere, you can pull me out with the blankets."
"Alright… but please be careful…" The princess cautioned anxiously.
"Don't worry… I'll be fine."
Nodame had never been particularly athletic her entire life… but the promise of adventure gave her a burst of energy that even an ape would envy as she gradually slid down the blanket rope that they had constructed. She was brimming with untold confidence, the thought of being reunited with senpai foremost in her mind. Of course, having a full stomach helped considerably.
When she reached the ground, she called out to the princess saying that she was in no immediate danger, noting particularly that the ground was dry. She offered to survey her surroundings before advising the princess to join her.
She flicked the lighter for about 10 seconds and looked around her. In so far as she could see, the room that she was in was no larger than a single car garage. She could also see a large opening (not unlike a chute) on the south wall which led to a sloping surface. It was hard to tell how far it went but Nodame was prepared to go all the way.
"Your highness," Nodame called out upwards, "I think I may have found our way out."
"You say you know who the kidnappers are?" Chiaki didn't know what to think but Bethstein looked grim and certain.
"I have my suspicions but I will need to confirm them first."
"Do you have any idea where the women are?"
"Rome is a big place… they could be anywhere. But I'm almost certain that they're still here."
"What are you going to do?"
"Follow up on a few leads…"
"Let me come with you." Chiaki suggested.
"What? No. Besides you have rehearsals…"
"The orchestra can go on practicing without me."
"Are you sure?"
Chiaki looked him in the eye. "I just want to feel that I can do something to help."
"I think Bethstein is on to something… He spent a lot time in his office last night on the telephone. "
"Really. Well, I'm not surprised. I don't expect anything less from him. They'll all find out eventually."
"I don't like it…"
"I didn't pay you to like it, Gunther."
"But it's my neck on the line."
"It's my entire life on the line."
"I don't like it…"
"I can take care of myself."
"Chiaki, I don't know what kind of situations we'll find ourselves in or if I can protect the two of us."
"I promise not to do anything rash."
"What if something happens to you, what will I say to Miss Noda?"
"Tell her… I wanted to do this… tell her…" Chiaki hesitated. I love her?
"Yes?"
"Tell her that the music's not the same without her."
"The music's not the same?" Bethstein echoed doubtfully.
"She'll understand." Chiaki wasn't as convinced as he sounded. Will she?
"Gyabo! That was fun!" Nodame threw a fist into the air as they came to the end of their short journey down the sloping tunnel. "Just like a slippery slide in the playground."
"Nodame…"
"Huh?" Nodame caught the princess' sorrowful demeanour. "Are you alright?"
"Are you never afraid… does life never frighten you… does the possibility of danger never occur to you?" The princess wondered.
"Of course, it does… I'm human too."
"Are you… really…"
"What do you mean?"
"We could die in here and no one would ever know."
"Absolutely…"
"And yet… you don't seem worried or fearful."
"I am just as afraid as anyone else in such a situation and the thought that I may never see senpai again hangs over my head constantly. Yes, I'm afraid of dying but I can't let it stop me from taking action. I learnt some years ago that fear is an opportunity to become better than what you are… if you don't overcome it… you will never know what's on the other side waiting for you.
"Your highness, what you said is true, we could die here. But we would be remembered and know that we were loved."
The princess threw her arms around Nodame and embraced her gratefully. There was something very special about the pianist… an awe-inspiring determination that she had rarely seen. She imagined that life with this soul would be an adventure in itself.
Why can't I say it? Even now? Chiaki had fallen silent in the car, irritated by his own dawdling. She could be dead and I still can't say it. What is wrong with me?
He didn't have any time to brood further. Bethstein had pulled his vehicle right in front of a Mannerist style building that now served as an apartment block. They had arrived at their first stop.
"How can they have just disappeared?" The voice was one of utter disbelief.
"I'm telling you that they have… Both of them... vanished into thin air." The other was adamant.
"That room is as close to a hermetically sealed room as we're going to get in this relic of a building."
"Come and see for yourself."
"Is there a Mr Antonio Moroni living here?"
"No… there's no one called Antonio Moroni here." On saying that, the occupant of the flat quickly closed the door.
"Are you sure such a person exists?" Chiaki asked Bethstein as the two men made their way to the stairwell.
"My sources have never failed me."
"This is the fifth apartment we've gone to."
"I know… I'm sorry… but you didn't have to come."
"It's interesting seeing a real cop at work."
"Ex-cop. A lot of detective work is leg work and unfortunately, without the resources of the Carbinieri or the Surete, I have to do all this the old fashioned way."
"See... didn't I tell you? Nothing... except for a couple of ladies handbags."
"Find the blueprints for this building."
"Don't we already have them?"
"Obviously the ones we got weren't old enough…"
"We're looking for a Mr Antonio Moroni."
"I am Antonio Moroni… what can I do for you?"
"My name is Albert Bethstein, I'm with the Maltovian security detail." Bethstein flashed his identification. "At present, we're looking for a Count Boris Steinhausen. This is Shinichi Chiaki, he's attached to the Japanese embassy."
"Sounds serious. Is Boris all right?"
"Well, that's what we need to find out. He's gone missing and it seems that he comes to see you quite often when he's in town."
"He used to but not lately."
"Can we ask you a few questions?"
Moroni nodded and gestured for them to come into the flat. As they walked in, a quick glance told them that Moroni had seen better days. All his worldly possessions showed him to be a military man or a former military man at least. Two rapiers hanging in a crossed position along the narrow corridor… framed military memorabilia…service medals… photographs of comrades crammed the walls of this very humble abode. He limped around the room and led them to a small but homey lounge facing the main road.
"How long have you known him, Mr Moroni?" Bethstein quizzed as he picked up the photo frame from the mantle piece.
"Call me Antonio. I have known him a very long time… when we were merry, young men, without a care in the world."
"Does he come here very often?"
"Not as often as he used to… I haven't seen him in over a year. When he visits Rome, he will usually pops by. A game of cards or chess… whatever strikes his fancy. And a drink, of course. Never without a drink."
"How did you meet him?"
"Through the diplomatic services. He was the military attaché for the Maltovian government and I for the Italian side.
"He never married?"
"No… but almost did once… or at least that's what he said he was going to do…"
"You didn't believe him?"
"Well, he was a ladies man… Everyone knew that but just before he left the military he claimed he found the woman of his dreams… the love of his life… that sort of thing. He'd sworn off womanizing completely. For a while, it seemed like he did but in the end she left him for someone else."
"She left him?"
"Ironic, isn't it? He came in here one day and announced that the engagement was over and claimed that she did a Cavalleria rusticana on him."
"Cavalleria rusticana?" Bethstein was puzzled.
"It's an opera," Chiaki spoke up for the first time in that apartment. "Pietro Mascagni's most famous work… About betrayal, adultery and revenge. That piece that the orchestra played before you came to speak to me… that's the intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana."
"Interesting coincidence…" Bethstein observed.
"Antonio… did you ever see this woman?" Chiaki asked.
"Yes, I did… just the once… but completely unforgettable. Beautiful creature… petite, angelic… not his usual type. She was the heiress of some landed family in Maltovia. Extremely conservative. I don't think they approved of him. Not that I blame them."
"Do you remember her name?" Bethstein probed further.
"Oh dear… It's been over twenty years… Let me see… it was Christine or Clara… or"
"Clarisse…" Bethstein whispered hoarsely.
"Yes, that's it… You know her?"
"Yeah, I know her…" Bethstein said almost inaudibly.
"What has Boris really done?" Moroni demanded. "Somehow there's a lot more going on than you're telling me."
"We're not sure…"
"He's in trouble, isn't he?" Moroni guessed shrewdly. "Has he run off with somebody's wife again? You're probably private detectives hot on his trail or something."
Bethstein decided that it would be best to be forthcoming. "Mr Moroni, I am really part of the Maltovian security detail and I suspect that Count Boris is responsible for the kidnapping of our princess."
Moroni gave a low whistle. "In his younger days, it was exactly the kind of crazy stunt he would pull for a joke but now… why?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out."
"He took that girl's rejection pretty hard, I can tell you. Sometimes I almost believe that he did love her." Moroni remarked wistfully. " He gave up playing the violin in public not long afterwards."
"He played the violin?" Chiaki was surprised, trying to picture the lecherous Count with a bow and a fiddle.
"Oh yeah, he was really good as well. It helped him get the ladies. Still, I've heard people who know more than I, say that he could have headed for the virtuoso stakes. Who knows? If he had settled down and married that girl, the story might have turned out differently. It's hard to say with Boris, he was brilliant and passionate but he was always restless."
"So you really have no idea where he might be right now?"
"As I said earlier… I haven't seen him in over a year…"
"Is there anyone else he might be in contact with?"
"I wouldn't know… Apart from that Clarisse girl, Boris never really talked about things that mattered…"
"Thank you for your time, Mr Moroni…" Bethstein headed for the door.
"I hope you find your princess… and I hope you're wrong about Boris…" Moroni said quietly.
"I hope I'm wrong too." Bethstein nodded and turned away. He'd always believed Count Boris to be a harmless womanizer.
As the two men left the flat, their minds were full. They had difficulty processing all the information that they had been given.
"It's just like an opera…" Chiaki wondered out loud.
"Pardon?"
"It's just like an opera…"
"What is?"
"This whole story about Count Boris and this woman… what's her name again?"
"Chiaki… tell me about Cavalleria rusticana. The plot… everything…" Bethstein spoke quietly.
Chiaki could see the wheels churning inside Bethstein's head. "It's a famous opera of the verismo school… very moral…violent, lots of angst, betrayal and someone dies at the end. The backdrop of the story is a Sicilian village. A young soldier… Turiddu returns only to find that his fiancée, Lola, has married the wealthy village teamster. Out of spite, he seduces a peasant girl, Santuzza and this in turn causes the jealous Lola to begin an adulterous affair with Turiddu…"
"This is not the first time I'm glad I'm not fat." Nodame remarked breathlessly.
Nodame and the princess were convinced that they had found a tunnel worth exploring except that there was just enough room for them to crawl through.
"Do you think they've noticed our disappearance by now?" The princess wondered.
"Probably… the more reason for us to quicken our pace."
"I wonder who it is… Who planned the entire thing?"
"Unfortunately, it is in all likelihood someone you know… someone who knows you very well."
Conversation was difficult to maintain while trying to hand maneouvre through bumps and crevices. Nodame could see that Marina's enthusiasm was gradually flagging. For her, it wasn't just a matter of physical survival but the weight of betrayal by some who was close to her was depressing her.
"I hope it isn't Albert…" She mumbled.
"From what you've said, I don't think so." Nodame interjected quickly. "He sounds like an honest kind of guy."
"He is… to a fault…"
More movement, scrambling, shuffling… their breathing reverberating gently through the confined space.
"Nodame, what is it about Mr Chiaki that you like?" The princess asked suddenly.
"You mean besides him being a gourmet cook, a musical genius and the handsomest man in the world?"
"Yes…" The princess gave a little giggle.
Nodame thought for a moment. "That he cares about me… and wants to take care of me."
"Just like that…?"
"Just like that."
"How do you know that what you have is the real thing?
"I don't think anybody can ever be 100 percent sure… but if you dwell on the things that hold you together as a couple and if you are prepared to make things work… it helps… a lot…"
"Do you love him?"
Nodame nodded.
"How do you know that you do?"
"I can't speak for anyone else… but I think that you know you love someone when you realize that you can't ever imagine living your life without that person." Nodame reflected. "Even if they drive you crazy some of the time." She added with a mirthful grin.
"I can tell that he loves you a lot…"
"Yeah, really?"
"At the reception… it was the way he was looking at you the whole time. As if nothing or no one else mattered. I was very envious. I don't mind saying that I'm so used to men admiring me and giving me attention that it annoyed me a little. But for him, I was just another person in the crowd… someone to be polite too. It made me curious about you though. I wanted to know what kind of woman could touch the heart of someone like Mr Chiaki."
"So what's your conclusion?"
"You were right… what you said in the bathroom the other night… He is a very lucky man."
"Who are you calling?"
"An old acquaintance in Maltovia…"
"Why?"
"Research."
"By the way, who was that Clarisse that you were talking about?"
"Clarisse Anna Maria Arabelle Ava Marina Adler, the late princess of Maltovia. Wife to Prince Maximillian and mother to Princess Marina."