20. Sometimes By Action Dignified
Uncle Tiberio did not say a word to Benvolio until they were at home, seated once more in his study, with cups of strong wine in their hands. Benvolio burned with curiosity about the Prince's doom, but he knew that it would do no good to speak before Uncle Tiberio was ready. So he waited, as politely as he could, taking sips of wine that had no taste. Uncle Tiberio regarded him silently for a while, then laid the roll of paper on his desk. Benvolio could see that it was a contract of some sort, not yet signed.
"Well?" Uncle Tiberio asked after the silence had grown too heavy. "Dost thou not wish to know the decision concerning thy fate?"
Benvolio nodded. "Ay. I do. I knew not how best to ask."
Uncle Tiberio stared at the contract, but it did not seem to make much impression on him. "I have learned much about Verona's Prince today," he said quietly. "I know not which is the greater surprise, the information about him or the information about thee."
Benvolio kept his expression carefully neutral. If the information was the same as that which Mercutio had told him, there might yet be hope.
"We spoke of many things," Uncle Tiberio went on. "We spoke of thee, and of Mercutio. The Prince thinks highly of thee, and claims that thy affection has been to Mercutio's benefit. I must admit that I did not expect to hear such things."
"I am glad to hear it," Benvolio offered. "Nothing could be further from my desire than to cause Mercutio harm."
"What harm he has taken was not by thy hand, at least," Uncle Tiberio said, and Benvolio wondered briefly how much the Prince had told him. But Uncle Tiberio went on. "I suppose that thou couldst have done worse than to select the Prince's ward for thy . . . paramour," he said. "The Prince is more learned in the law than I, and has graciously offered a solution to our current problem."
He pushed the contract closer to Benvolio. Benvolio glanced at the opening paragraphs. "I see that County Paris is to marry Helena Pergolesi on Thursday," he said, smiling faintly.
"I take it that this news does not distress thee overmuch," Uncle Tiberio said, with a wry grimace.
Benvolio shook his head. "I am happy for them both. Helena deserves a lord who can give her all of his heart, and Paris should have a loving bride at last."
"There art thou so like my son, it is as though thou were his natural brother," Uncle Tiberio said. "Thou dost always consider the heart first. Well, I suppose there are worse fates. But think now about the greater implications of this match. The niece of Signior Capulet is to wed the nephew of the Prince. That will effect a powerful alliance between those two houses."
"That is why Juliet had been promised to him."
Uncle Tiberio looked mildly startled to hear Benvolio say that. "Well, so thou dost think of the larger world after all. That is good. Thou wilt then appreciate the magnitude of the favor that the Prince was willing to grant the house of Montague."
Benvolio leaned forward, waiting.
"Thou wilt go to dwell in his household on Friday," Uncle Tiberio said. "His clerk is aging, and thou canst train to replace him. It is a worthy position, after all. I had thought, once, to send thee to the university in Padua to qualify thee for such a profession, but now thou canst receive thy training as an apprentice instead. I shall grant thee a writ of emancipation and send thee to the palace. In return for thee, the Prince will grant the house of Montague an alliance similar to that which he will grant to the Capulets upon the marriage of Paris and Helena. Thou needst no longer dwell under my roof, and thou mayst treat with thy employer thyself regarding thy conduct with his ward."
Uncle Tiberio sat back in his chair, folded his hands, and looked expectantly at Benvolio. Benvolio blinked and tried to comprehend what he had just heard. For a moment, he could not breathe, and his body was numb with the shock. "I am taken by surprise," he admitted. "I know not what to say. My noble uncle, have I your leave to consider this news for a time?"
Uncle Tiberio frowned, then nodded. "Thou hast until the hour of six this evening," he said. "I must speak to thy aunt in any event, and perhaps this time to reflect on thy actions and the Prince's extraordinary mercy will do thee good. Return to me at six, and I will sign the deed."
He turned away from Benvolio and made a show of assembling the materials for the rest of his daily correspondence. Benvolio rose, made an awkward bow, and left the room. As soon as he had closed the door, he sent his page to carry messages to Romeo and to Mercutio to ask them to meet him in their favorite tavern.
Romeo arrived when Benvolio was halfway through his first cup of wine. "Sit thee down, cousin," Benvolio said. "Come, raise a cup with me. I intend to drink until I see two of all things."
"What is wrong?" Romeo asked. "All day, I have tried to find the cause of the disturbance in my father's house, but no answer have I had. Juliet is fretting, and when Juliet frets, her nurse becomes unbearable. All I have determined is that thou art at the center of this mess."
"There art thou halfway correct," Benvolio said. He drained his wine and poured another cup. "Mercutio shares my position at the eye of the storm."
It took a moment for Romeo to absorb Benvolio's meaning. "God's me, thou dost not mean – oh, gentle cousin, believe me, it was not I who betrayed thy trust!"
"I know. I do not blame thee. I am most at fault in this, I guess. It was I who entreated Mercutio to tarry a while with me beneath the arbor, and it was there that thy lady mother spied us." Benvolio's hand shook, and he raised his cup to his lips to steady himself.
Romeo sighed. "And she told my father. The tale becomes clear now."
"He would have killed me this morning, I think, had thy mother not been there. As it is, he has merely cast me out of his house."
"What?" Romeo's eyes bulged.
Benvolio summarized the terms of the contract that Uncle Tiberio had drawn up with the Prince. When he had finished, Romeo said nothing at first, but took an enormous swallow from his cup.
"So he will cast thee forth from thy family home, and receive in turn the Prince's favor and alliance and the money that he will not spend to send thee to university," Romeo said. "It is a clever bargain, that much is certain. He will not withhold thy inheritance from thy father?"
Benvolio had not even considered that aspect of the situation. "I hope not," he said. "If I am to be put out, I would prefer not to be penniless as well." He and Romeo both drank, and Romeo filled their cups again.
Mercutio joined them, his expression sober but remote, as if he had troubles of his own that he did not wish to share. Benvolio filled a cup of wine and pushed it across the table to him. "I am sorry," he said. "They have cast me at thy feet, whether I will or no."
Mercutio tried to smile. "Thou needst not fear for thy reception, at least. My uncle will keep thee in style, as he has kept us his nephews, and thou shalt want for nothing. If he does not see to that, I will, for I will not see thee made into a pauper for my sake."
"Dost thou know of this contract, then?" Romeo asked.
Mercutio nodded. "Ay. I wager that I know it better than either of you. Paris and I have both read it in its entirety. As for its basic provisions, it will give me great pleasure to take thee in, Benvolio. I do not resent that, and I welcome thy coming."
At that, Benvolio relaxed a little and reached across the table to squeeze Mercutio's hand in gratitude. Romeo, slightly more sober, frowned for a moment. "There is more that thou hast not told us, Mercutio. I can see it in thy eyes. Something there is about this contract that troubles thee."
"It might be nothing," Mercutio said. "Uncle is not the most imaginative writer in Verona. However, I could not help but notice that the language that he used to describe Benvolio's entrance into our household was almost identical to that describing Helena's marriage to Paris."
Not even several cups of wine could cushion the impact of that information. Benvolio raised his head and stared at Mercutio, who gazed back with a look of bleak resignation.
"I cannot be sure, but I suspect that my uncle has a plan that he will not tell me," Mercutio said. "He believes he is giving us a great gift." He pulled his hand free of Benvolio's, and wrapped both arms around his body. Tremors began to course through him.
Romeo glanced from his cousin to his friend. "Why can they not allow things to come in their own time?" he asked plaintively. "They would have counseled an interminable wait for Juliet and me, yet now they will push the two of you into such a hasty arrangement? There must be something we can do."
"Accept the contract," Mercutio said quietly. Romeo and Benvolio both stared at him. Mercutio briefly met Benvolio's eyes. "It is a gift, though perhaps not quite the way my uncle thinks it is. He is giving us an extraordinary chance to be together. Such a chance will not come again in our lifetimes. If thou dost desire me still, the contract is the only way, and it must be now." He glanced at his untouched cup, then pushed it away, rose from the table, and walked out of the tavern.
Benvolio and Romeo drank silently for a while after that. Benvolio escorted Romeo back to Juliet, then headed for Uncle Tiberio's study to witness the signing of the contract.
The marriage of County Paris and Helena Pergolesi was a grand affair, with music, dancing, and a great feast. Benvolio's arrival at the palace was accomplished with almost no ceremony at all. On Friday morning, Uncle Tiberio's servants packed Benvolio's possessions into trunks and sent them ahead. On Friday evening, Uncle Tiberio and Aunt Susanna delivered their nephew to his new home. They walked silently through the streets accompanied by two servants bearing torches. Benvolio tried to remember that he was not, in fact, marching to his own execution, and that Mercutio would be waiting for him when they arrived.
The palace guards admitted them without a word, and servants bowed to them. Paris, with Helena on his arm, greeted them cordially.
"Welcome," he said. "Will you do us the favor of dining here this evening? Benvolio, thy things have arrived safely, and have been placed in Mercutio's chamber."
No one missed the implications of that. Aunt Susanna stifled a small gasp, and Uncle Tiberio set his jaw and stared straight ahead. Benvolio considered the idea, and realized, with some embarrassment, that it aroused him in spite of his nerves. He shifted his weight a little and tried to tug the front of his doublet a little lower. If Paris noticed, he did not say a word, but ushered them into a small but richly appointed dining chamber.
Mercutio and Valentine were waiting for them there, dressed in their finest clothes. Benvolio recognized Mercutio's deep blue velvet as the outfit he had worn to the feast at Capulet's house, where Romeo had first laid eyes on Juliet. The color complemented his hair and his eyes, and Benvolio could not help smiling at the sight. Mercutio tried to return the smile, though it came out as more of a grimace, and he bowed to Uncle Tiberio and Aunt Susanna. Valentine moved forward and embraced Benvolio.
"Welcome," he said softly. "Mercutio would have said it, but he has not spoken for half an hour."
"I am sorry," Benvolio said. "I promised thee that I would not hurt him, yet it appears that fate is pushing me to do just that."
Valentine nodded. "I understand. Do not fear, I will not really kill thee for it. He trusts thee as he trusts none other, and I know that thou wilt not abuse that trust."
Valentine had no time to say any more, for the Prince entered and bade everyone sit down to dine. The food was rich and abundant, but it tasted like sawdust in Benvolio's mouth. The Prince made pleasant conversation with Uncle Tiberio and Aunt Susanna, engaging them in discussions of faith and philosophy. Paris winked at Benvolio. "My noble uncle is a skilled statesman," he said.
Benvolio listened more carefully to the conversation, and almost let out a snort of nervous laughter. Escalus spoke of the Greeks, of Plato, and of David and Jonathan. Uncle Tiberio nodded, and allowed himself to be carried along in the discussion. He had not been so relaxed and animated in several days. Benvolio had to admire his new employer's skill.
He glanced at Mercutio, and his heart sank. Mercutio had eaten nothing, and had not even bothered to disguise that fact. He sat perfectly still, save only that his hands twisted around each other in his lap. He wore an expression of desperate courage and crushing fear. Benvolio was suddenly reminded of the wedding procession of Bianca Neri, which he had witnessed as a boy in the piazza. She had worn the same expression on her face.
When the last course had been consumed, the Prince and Uncle Tiberio made Mercutio and Benvolio kneel on the floor before them.
"We are here," Escalus said, "to cement a political alliance between our two families. Ordinarily, there would be vows made to a priest of the Holy Church, to solemnize such an alliance. Tonight, naturally, there can be no such holy vows. In their stead, I will require you both to make binding promises of alliance here, to your Prince and to your houses. I will expect you to honor these promises as obedient sons of Verona."
Escalus stated the promises, and Benvolio repeated them by rote, not quite comprehending what he said. Uncle Tiberio nodded to him, an acknowledgement of a difficult job well done. Then Mercutio repeated the same promises in a soft but clear voice that did not shake. Escalus and Uncle Tiberio shook hands, Uncle Tiberio returned the signed contract, and it was over.
Benvolio rose to his feet and bade his aunt and uncle farewell, not quite able to believe that he would not go home with them. Uncle Tiberio could not bring himself to look Benvolio in the eye, but Aunt Susanna embraced him. "Thou art still the little boy I raised as my own," she whispered. "There is naught that can change that." It was not much, but it warmed Benvolio's heart.
After Uncle Tiberio and Aunt Susanna had left, the servants began to clear away the remains of the dinner. Paris and Helena made their excuses and left. Valentine embraced Mercutio fiercely, and Escalus drew Benvolio aside. He murmured a few enlightening pieces of information into Benvolio's ear and pressed a small jar into his hand, then clapped him on the shoulder and left, taking Valentine with him.
Mercutio raised beautiful, frightened eyes to Benvolio. "I am glad that thou art here," he murmured.
Benvolio's heart broke for his beloved friend, but he could feel the rest of his body rising to the occasion. "I love thee," he said. "This cannot change that."
Mercutio nodded, then glanced quickly away. "Come. I will show thee where they have placed thy trunks." He walked off, his head held high, and Benvolio followed him.