Chapter 9

Cesare sat in the popes office in a red, over stuffed armchair. He was alone in the room with his thoats. The fire crackled in the hearth as the light danced across Cesare's down cast features. He did not want to watch her leave with Giovanni Sforza. He knew that in twenty minutes time, the love of his life would be leaving by horse back with the man she was married to. But not the man she loved, he hoped. Cesare rubbed his face with the sleeve of his red robe. He had not slept that night and had drank too much wine in his sadness. There was something wrong with Giovanni Sforza and he wanted to know what. He decided to dispatch Micheletto to do some searching. Cesare heard the door to his fathers office creak open slowly and looked up.

"Hello, your eminence."

xxx

Lucrezia sat atop the mare her father had chosen for her to ride to the Sforza house. She felt akward beside this man whom she did not know what to say. If she had been with Cesare, they would be laughing and joking, enjoying each others company. She vowed to make her father happy so she just quietly sat, trying to make it seem like a companionable silence.

"Did you sleep well last night lady Lucrezia?" Giovanni Sforza suddenly asked, startling her out of her reverie.

"Like a child, my lord." She responded quietly. She remembered every moment of last night. She only hoped Cesare did too.

"I'll bet." Giovanni muttered. She was not sure what that meant and looked over at him. He was starring straight ahead. She put her eyes back ahead of her and before she knew it, a large castle came looming into view. "Sforza castle my lady." Giovanni announced. "Yours to do with as you wish." They rode up to the front and she had to admit that she was in awe of the beautiful home. The garden at the front was spectacular. There was colorful flowers blooming everywhere, even up the walls of the castle. The air surrounding her was perfumed with the flowers scents. A pretty stable boy reached up and helped her down off her horse.

"The castle is breath taking." Lucrezia said as she took a step forward, towards the large entrance. Sforza just grunted in reply.

"I have business to attend to." He said briskly as he proceeded to turn his horse back towards the road. "We will dine together at 6 sharp. Be sure to be dressed accordingly. Then we shall retire to our bedchamber." With that, he dug his heels into his horse and they were off.

Lucrezia was a little surprised that he had not shown her around the castle or even pointed out to her where she should go. She sighed softly and walked into the grand entrance.

xxx

"How did you get in here?" Cesare asked as Gertrude turned to face him. She was wearing a long red cloak that hid what she was wearing underneath with the hood pulled over her head.

"Everyone was so engrossed on lady Lucrezia's farewell that it was easy to just walk in unnoticed." She said as she reached up and tugged the hood down from her hair. She had piled it atop her head to keep it out of the way.

"May I ask what this intrusion is in regards too?" Cesare questionned as he watched the woman in front of him warily. He was pretty sure that she was the actress from last night. The one whom his brother Juan had been so infatuated with.

"Why I came to see you dear Cesare. I came to offer my services to you. Full time that is." Cesare raised his eyebrow at her.

"And what service may those be? I do not require an actress. Nor do I require a whore." He said sardonically.

"I think you are being inprudent your eminence. You see, I require someone who can take care of me. I am tired of working in the brothels and being subjected to brutes such as your brother. But for you, I will do as you please in exchange for shelter and food. Some money to buy clothes and frivolties."

"You have insulted me by suggesting I require such a thing and have insulted my brother by calling him a brute. Why would I want such a woman?"

"Because I know something I am sure you would not want other to know. Especially someone like the Pope." Cesare took a deep breath, praying that she did not know about him and Lucrezia.

"What might you know that I should be so concerned about, my lady?" He said mockingly. She sat down gently in the armchair across from him.

"I know that a certain brother has ruined his dear sister. That she is not so virginal as her white wedding gown suggests." She said boldly as she stared directly into his eyes. Cesare felt the space around him get tight. If it was just about him, then he would not care. She could shout it from the roof tops if she so wished it. But Lucrezia... This was his fault, he should have heeded his mothers warning.

"You can stay in the room you were last in. I will come to discuss your allowance later this evening." Gertrude let a smile slide across her face.

xxxx

Lucrezia layed in a steaming tub of hot water as her maid helped her wash her hair. She reached up and poured some of her smelling oils into the tub with her. Today was lavender. The garden outside had inspired her. She smiled as her maid scratched her nail gently against her scalp, then poured the hot water over her. Once all the suds were washed out of her hair, the maid sat beside the tub, waiting for her next duty.

"Have you ever lain with a man Catherine?" Lucrezia asked the maid, waiting for her reaction. The maid just blushed a becoming pink.

"No, your ladyship. I have not. I am not married yet." The maid responded. Well neither am I, Lucrezia thought. "Are you nervous, my lady?" The maid asked her.

"No, I am not nervous per se. It's just, I do not love Giovanni Sforza. What if it is awful because of that?" Lucrezia pondered. Surely she could not feel the same way with Giovanni that she had felt with Cesare.

"I am sure it will be fine my lady. Just relax." Her maid smiled as she held up a fluffy white towel. Lucrezia just smiled and stepped into it, allowing the maid to rub the water gently off her body. She would soon find out her answer.

xxx

"Micheletto, I am being blakc mailed. By a whore, no less." Cesare raged to his confidante. Micheletto was the only one he had expressed his feelings to in regards to Lucrezia. Micheletto even knew what had transpired that night. He knew that Micheletto would take his secret to the grave for as an exchange, he had admitted that he had a penchant for men and not women. They were both heathens together.

"Would you like me to remove her from the picture?" Micheletto asked quietly as he stared at his master.

"Not yet. I do not know if anyone knows she is here. I do not know if she even has any family at all. I was never suppose to see her again."

"Do not worry my lord." Micheletto said, trying to assure his master that everything would be fine. "I will do some research and find out all of this. Give me a fort night or so and I will bring you answers."

"Very good Micheletto. But do be quick about it. I do not want her around more then is necessary." Micheletto got up to leave then looked back at Cesare.

"Giovanni Sforza is not a good man." He said softly and Cesare's head shot up. He looked at Micheletto quizzically.

"Go on."

"It is said that he likes to hit the women he is with. That he seeks his pleasure through their pain."

"Surely he would not do that to the Pope's daughter!" Cesare said in outrage. Micheletto just shrugged at him.

"I do not know my lord, but I suggest you make a visit." Micheletto turned and left Cesare alone with his thoughts. He would have to convince his father to allow him to go see his sister. But how?

xxx

Lucrezia was content with the fullness of her tummy. The food had been delicious and cooked perfectly. The wine that had been served was every bit as good as what she was use to at the vatican. Giovanni rose slowly from the table and waved at her to do the same. Suddenly her stomach was in tight knots. She was anxious about what was to happen next.

"Come my lady. We will now retire to our bedchamber." Sforza said quietly as her took her hand and propelled her up the stairs. He led her into a large room with dark oak panel walls. In the middle of the room sat a very large bed, covered in blue silk bedding. She stumbled slightly in her nervousness. "There no need to be nervous my dear. It is not like this is new." She spun to face him in surprise. What was that suppose to mean?

"I do not understand what you mean my lord." She whispered softly as she looked at her feet. He jsut laughed softly.

"You do not think I know. You are soiled by your brother no less. A disgrace to your family and mine. And now I am stuck with you, a black spot on the Sforza name. The pope's daughter." Giovanni sneered at her and she started to feel fear deep in the pit of her stomach.

"You are wrong." She murmured as she backed away from him. He reached out and grabbed her hair so she could go no farther. Her scalp stung where he tugged her hair but she refused to allow tears to fall from her eyes. She would not give him the satisfaction.

"I am never wrong, you little whore. You will quickly learn that here." She let out a yelp of surprise as his palm hit her cheek. She had never been striken before, especially not in the face.

"How dare you! I am the Pope's daughter, and as such you have to treat me with some repect." She cried out.

"In my house, you are not the Spanish bastard pope's daughter. You are my wife whom I can do with as I please." With that he twisted her arm painfully behind her and lifted her skirts. He laughed softly and then dropped her skirts again. "I would have liked to bed you, but all I can imagine is you and your brother and it is sickening. Your maid will have to do." He growled as he strode out of her room and locked her in. Lucrezia banged on the door, praying Catherine had locked herself into her room. The door would not budge. Lucrezia just slid to the floor and cried.

xxx

"Out of the question Cesare. We have a meeting in Florence. We are to leave at once. Your sister will be busy in wedded bliss anyway." Cesare ground his teeth and tried not to shout at his father. He knew he could not say the Giovanni was bad because his father would never listen to him. He would believe it was his jealousy talking.

"But your holy father, should we not check to make sure the man is treating Lucrezia with courtesy?"

"Cesare he is a gentleman. Besides, Lucrezia is the Pope's daughter. She is a treasure that any man would be proud to own. That is the end of it. Go get our horses, we leave at once.

"Yes father." Cesare replied. He would write Lucrezia a letter and ask her if everything was ok. That way, if it was not, his father would have to believe him. Cesare headed to the closest desk and scribbled a quick note. He passed the paper to a choir boy and gave him the mission. The boy nodded and ran off as Cesare headed to the stables. God had already let him down once today, he was hoping this would not be two.

xxx

Lucrezia awoke with a sore everything. She had fallen asleep crying on the floor in front of her door. Her cheek was swollen from Giovanni hitting her and her head was pounding. She reached up and tried the door which she found to now be unlocked. She walked out into the hallway, hoping she would see Catherine. She did not. She wandered around and finally found herself in the kitchen. A plump lady was in there making something that smelled delicious.

"Good morning my lady. You look like you could use a hot meal. Come and sit. It will be just a moment." Lucrezia sat at the table the cook waved at. She looked around nervously. "He is not here." The cook said as if she could read Lucrezia's thoughts. "He has gone out hunting. He probably will not be back for a few days."

"Do you know where my maid is? Her name is Catherine." I asked quietly hoping that she was ok.

"She has taken ill my lady." The cook replied. "His lordship was mighty upset when he realized she was on her courses." Lucrezia let out a loud sigh of relief.

"That is good news." She whispered as she rubbed her sore cheek gently. The cook placed a plate of hot food in front of her and handed her a cold cloth.

"Put this to your cheek my lady. It will make the swelling go down and help the pain." Lucrezia just nodded and gratefully took the cloth from her.

While she ate, she heard a loud commotion at the front door. Lucrezia cautiously got up and headed towards the front door. An elderly man was there with the pretty stable boy, an older gentleman whom by his clothes she judged to be the butler and the cook. Two large men were carrying a wrapped body in through the entrance.

"This is your fault Paulo!" The wrapped body cried. It was Giovanni Sforza. "You were suppose to check the saddle."

"I did your lordship. Everything was fine when you left." The pretty stable said quietly. Sforza did not dignify that with a response. Lucrezia followed the two karge men and the elderly man into a guest room that had a small bed in it. The place Giovanni in it delicately and the two men left.

"What happened, my lord?" Lucrezia asked, smiling inside. It looked like God had punished him for his wicked ways.

"My saddle broke and I fell from my horse while gallopi-" He gasped before finishing his sentence as the doctor poked and prodded his leg.

"It is defeintely broken. You are going to have to stay in this bed for at least two months." Lucrezia could have jumped for joy. "You will have to take care of him young lady." The elderly man said as he looked at her.

"I will sir. Please treat my husband gently. I shall wait outside for you." Lucrezia turned and exited the room, closing the door softly behind her. She could no longer hide the smile on her face. Just then Paulo, the pretty stable boy walked up to her with a paper in his hand.

"This came for you, my lady." He said as he handed it to her. He then quickly strode away, leaving her to read it. She sat at the couch nearby and read it. It was from Cesare, asking how she was and informing her he would be in Florence for a bit. Luckily, she was no longer worried as her husband would be indisposed for at least two months. She tucked the letter into her pocket and then headed outside to visit her horse.