Incredible as it may sound, life returned to relative normality in the days that followed at the Hermenides estate. Chrysanthe was absent of course, and Pelleus too, but no mention was made by either Agon or Hippolyta of the events of that fateful night. They carried on as before, and if Agon was colder on his side, Hippolyta had been humbled by her experience, and made every effort to be as patient and loving as possible.

  Marinus, naturally, avoided the house like the plague, though he did trespass on the grounds in his search for Pelleus, who was nowhere to be found. The rest of the time he hid out in Onesimus's house, and was surprised to discover Agatha's bluff about the necklace in a striking twist of fortune.

  After his failed attempt to steal the diamonds, he had slunk away trembling with agitation, sneaking into his room where he passed a restless night. He was roused in the morning by a sound of rustling, and at first he imagined it was just Agatha sweeping again. But the sound persisted, mingled with muttered curses, and Marinus rolled over on his bed to behold the housekeeper ransacking his meagre furniture – looking for the necklace, he assumed.

  "You're wasting your time, I'm afraid," he said in a dull voice.

  The thought of being exposed as a fraud to Onesimus seemed to have lost its edge after all that had happened in the past night. What with Pelleus gone goodness knows where, and Chrysanthe on the other side of Arcadia, he didn't care very much about the success of his former plans.

  "What? You mean you-" Agatha asked, looking at him sharply.

  "I failed, yes," Marinus answered. "In fact I was caught by Hippolyta."

  Agatha turned pale.

  "She let me go... eventually," he went on, enjoying keeping his tormentor in suspense, "don't worry; I haven't breathed a word of this to anyone."

  The housekeeper let out a sigh of relief.

  "I suppose you will want to tell Onesimus?" Marinus asked, rising wearily from his bed. Strangely, Agatha did not stir, nor utter a word in response. She had gone pale again, and shot out a hand reflexively when Marinus moved towards the door.

  "Don't!" she cried, before she could stop herself.

  "What? Oh, very well, you had better go on your own. Unless..."

  He looked at her shrewdly. "Unless you don't want him to know," he said, thinking slowly. "Now why would that be?"

  She was spared from answering by an interruption.

  "Do not want me to know what?" Onesimus asked, entering the room with an air of imperturbable calm.

  "Oh master, I didn't, honest!" Agatha cried pre-emptively, but Onesimus waved her protests aside.

  "Agatha, you may go, I wish to speak to Marinus alone," he said.

  She threw the youth a filthy look as she went out, with much bowing and apologising to her lord. When she was well and truly gone, Onesimus turned to Marinus with a face lined with concern.

  "Marinus, I hope that Agatha has not put you up to anything wicked, or dangerous... I am afraid she has already aroused my suspicion on that front," he explained.

  Marinus saw no other course than to answer him honestly, and he came clean about the necklace and his escape – without, however, mentioning lady Hippolyta's attempted seduction. He did not account for Agatha's leverage over Pelleus, either. Then Onesimus surprised him by asking:

  "And what was young Pelleus's role in this heist, eh?"

  Marinus started to reply before the penny dropped.

  "Why, he... I mean, what? How do you know about Pelleus-"

  "Be content to know that Agatha's blackmail has backfired," was all Onesimus would say. "But where is Pelleus now – is he safe?" he asked.

  "I don't know. And I think so, yes, but I cannot be sure. His disguise has held up with Agon and Hippolyta at least," Marinus said.

  "Then we shall have to wait for him to return, as I suspect he will," Onesimus said. Marinus felt greatly reassured to hear this, though he didn't know if he believed it.

  Within a few days, however, Pelleus showed up on Onesimus's doorstep – while Marinus was out visiting Anneus. By the time Marinus got home, he had missed his friend, who had already gone back to the Hermenides' estate.

  "What, he did not wait to greet me again?" Marinus asked his host, more than a little put out.

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  "Pelleus had much on his mind; he had business to discuss with me – urgent matters which could not be delayed," Onesimus explained, taking Marinus gently by the arm and bringing him inside.

  "I've never known him to keep his affairs a secret to me," Marinus said, but he yielded to the old man's entreaties not to go after Pelleus just yet.

  "All in good time," Onesimus told him. "In fact, I think by tomorrow we shall be summoned to the Hermenides manor, for we have a role to play before this little drama is over and done."

  This is getting stranger and stranger! Marinus thought, but he kept quiet over their evening meal and went to bed earlier than usual.

  Sure enough, the next day Onesimus led them down the road to the estate, just after breakfast, to pay a visit to their neighbours the Hermenides. As they got close to the place, however, the old man asked Marinus to take them aside to the vineyard.

  "It is vital that we not be seen; we must enter by an indirect route," he said, leaning on Marinus's arm.

  Thus they took the now-familiar path through the vineyard and into the gardens surrounding the house, halting beside the steps into the loggia – just out of sight of those within the house.

  It was some time before they heard anything except the buzzing of bees among the flowers and the soughing of wind through the trees; then, all of a sudden, a door slammed, and there were footsteps echoing in the loggia, and Agon was speaking.

  "My darling, Pusanella, now that we can talk alone again, I must renew the offer I made to you a week ago..."

  Marinus's heart gave a leap as he heard his friend's voice raised in reply.

  "You mean the offer to bestow all your goods to me, if I will live with you as your... companion?"

  "Yes; now more than ever I would have your love in exchange for these worldly trifles... I am ready even to leave Arcadia behind altogether, for heaven knows I am betrayed by my own household..."

  Agon's voice was strangely shrill and excited, and besides revulsion Marinus felt pity for the man brought to such a state.

  "The estate is of no interest to me," Pelleus replied haughtily, and Agon let out a sigh of misery. "I would go with you unconditionally, for I am weary of this place..."

  "What!"

  Agon's cry seemed to have been snatched straight from the lips of Marinus, who could not believe what he was hearing. A gentle pressure from Onesimus' hand on his arm held him back from disrupting this scene, however. He would have tried to stop his friend from making such a reckless offer, but his gut told him there was more to this than met the eye.

  "Incidentally," Pelleus went on, while Agon gibbered and babbled incoherently, now on his knees before him, "though it has no bearing on this agreement between the two of us, I feel I must mention a small matter that has been troubling me lately."

  Agon had grabbed the youth's two hands and now peered up at him through tear-filled eyes.

  "What is it, my darling?"

  "Only that, while I am willing to go with you no matter what, certain rumours have reached my ears which have disturbed my peace. I am afraid they impugn your lordship's character in a way that is deeply painful to me."

  "Rumours! What rumours?" Agon cried, stumbling to his feet again.

  "They say you came into this estate by dishonest means; that you cheated a certain Eustathios of Kithera out of his lands and wealth. I am sure they must be mistaken, but still, if there is any truth to this idle talk, I feel it would taint my opinion of your lordship to know that this injustice went on without redress..."

  "I -ah- ...though these calumnies are gross exaggerations of the truth, nevertheless there is a certain -ah- case to be made for this Eustathios; his claim has its merits. But what do I care for lands and wealth? As I am worthy of your love, Pusanella, I cast aside these possessions. I will restore all that is owed to Eustathios – whatever he -ahem- considers his own – and we shall say no more on the matter!"

  "Do I have your word on that? Not that it makes the least difference to our relationship..." Pelleus said meekly.

  "Absolutely, on my honour!" Agon said, still stunned by his good fortune. "As my lady Pusanella is willing to turn her back on Arcadia, it is all one with me! I would dwell in direst poverty for her sake..."

  "You may yet have to!" Onesimus said in a loud voice, choosing this moment to interrupt their meeting, and entering the loggia with Marinus close behind him.