Chapter 10

1 Month Later

Lucrezia closed the door to her husbands room quietly and stepped out into the hallway. She had been taking care of Giovanni for the last month as he has been bedridden. The opium the doctor had prescribed him for the pain made him abrely lucid, but she hoped that he would remember her kindness in the future and leave her alone.

As she walked towards the kitchen, the smell of food wafted out and made her feel suddenly nauseous. She stopped and took a moment to take some deep breaths. Lately she had not been eating much and she felt nauseous all the time. She knew her courses were do anytime and she wished they would just come already so she could feel better.

"Lady Lucrezia! A letter has arrived for you." Paulo said as he walked towards her. She had become close with Paulo since she had moved here. He was very sweet to her and helped her make sure everything was in order while Giovanni was bedridden. At first she thought he was interested in her, but she quickly learned that Paulo did not like girls. He was so pretty he could be a girl.

"Thank you Paulo." Lucrezia replied as she gestured for Paulo to come sit with her in the seating area. She sat gracefully on the couch and slit the seal on the letter. It was from her father. He was delayed in Florence and sorry he could not visit. Her mother would come and spend time with her in a couple of days. "This is wonderful Paulo! My mother is coming." Lucrezia smiled happily as she tucked the note into her pocket.

xxx

Cesare sat quietly beside his father as he gave a sermon to the people of Florence. He was hoping to prove to them that he was a noble Pope, and they had spent the last month doing charitable services there. Cesare was just dying to go see Lucrezia. He had sent her a note and she had responded that everything was fine would continue to be so for the next two months. He had no idea what that meant so he wanted to speak to her in person.

The crowd all rose and started to leave the church where they were sitting. Cesare looked up, not realizing he had day dreamed through the whole thing.

"Are we going to visit Lucrezia soon?" Cesare asked his father as they too stood and headed towards the back of the church to remove their ceremonial clothing.

"Cesare, you are much to eager to see your sister. She is a happily married woman now and she is busy enjoying it. You do not want to ruin her happiness by intruding apon it." Rodrigo said as he removed the sash from around his neck.

"But holy father, how do we know that she is in wedded bliss if we do not see her?" It was the same old arguement they have had for the last month. Cesare begging to go see Lucrezia, Rodrigo denying him.

"I know you are worried Cesare. I sent your mother to visit her to put your mind at ease. Now I do not want to hear another word on it. Your mother will let you know if there is an issue." Cesare knew that to his father, the case was now closed.

xxx

Vanozza had decided to bring Guilia with her for company. The had a lot in common considering they shared the same bed with the same man. They had rode in a companianble silence until the reached the Sforza castle.

"Do you believe she is happy?" Vanozza asked Guilia. Something in her heart was telling her that all was not well.

"We will soon find out." Guilia replied as they reached the front of the castle. Paulo came up to greet them and help them down from their horses. He turned to Vanozza.

"You must be lady Lucrezia's mother. It is easy to see where she gets her beauty from." Vanozza smiled at the outspoken stable boy.

"I am. This is her...aunt Guilia." Vanozza said, not really knowing how to explain Guilia and Lucrezia's relationship. Paulo gestured for them to follow him as he led them into the house.

"Where is Lucrezia?" Guilia asked as she looked around. The house seemed dead, like no one was moving in it.

"She is upstairs my lady. She has not been feeling well as of late." Paulo stopped in front of a large wooden door and knocked twice.

"Come in." Lucrezia called from inside. He swung the door open for them and they entered eagerly, each sitting on one side of the bed where Lucrezia laid.

"Oh dear. Lucrezia, what is wrong with you? You look dreadful. Have you seen a doctor yet?" Lucrezia shook her head no as she wiped her sweaty hair off her brow.

"Vanozza, I do not think lady Lucrezia is sick. This symptoms are very familiar indeed." Guilia said gently as Vanozza looked over lady Lucrezia again. She looked very tired and like she felt too hot. There was a large bucket beside the bed where Lucrezia had clearly been getting sick into.

"You are with child?" Vanozza said aloud as she looked at her only daughter. Lucrezia's eyes went wide then she looked terrified. "Darling, do not look so worried. I have had many children and I am still fine. You will make a great mother."

"Vanozza you should find the stable boy and have him send for a doctor. We want to make sure she is in good health too." Vanozza nodded, while she had a huge smile one her face.

"My baby is going to have a baby." She cried as she walked out of the room. She closed the door gently behind her.

"You are not afraid of having the baby, are you?" Guilia asked and Lucrezia slowly shook her head no.

"Is the baby your husbands?" Again Lucrezia slowly shook her head no. Tears started to fall from Lucrezia's eyes.

"Mother is going to be so mad." She whispered as she used her hands to scrub her tears away.

"She loves you. No matter what you say to her she will still love you. Many woman take lovers when they are not pleased with their husbands."

"I know it can not be Giovanni's. We have never consumated our marriage. He has been bedridden due to a ridding accident. Mother will never forgive me."

"Lucrezia, you are being much to hard on yourself. A mothers love is unconditional. Who could you possibly have a child with that would make her hate you so?"

"It's Cesare's."

xxx

1 month later

Lucrezia was starting to feel her clothes were a little tight around her middle and was having her maid work on them. Giovanni had been up and around for two days now and luckily he has not bugged her. She has continued to feel worse and worse from her pregnancy and she knew her mother was fretting. Guilia had let Lucrezia tell her mother in her own time and when she had, Vanozza had burst into tears. After an hour she had pulled herself together and said no one need know.

The door to her bedroom swung open and she saw Giovanni standing in the doorway.

"I have heard some interesting rumors from my personal butler. He mentioned that you have been sick for the last two months." Giovanni stepped closer in and Lucrezia felt fear grip her heart. She pulled the covers to her bed up to her chin and nodded.

"I have my lord. Must be a bug or something." She murmured softly, praying for him to leave.

"I know you do not think I am as dumb as that." Giovanni spit angrily as he grabbed her hair. "You are with child. And it can not possibly be mine. Which means you are carrying the bastard child of your brother." He threw her back against the headboard of the bed. She hit her head hard and everything turned fuzzy. "I thought you had changed, acting wifely while taking care of me while I was bedridden. But your whore ways of shone through." He grinned cruelly as he slapped her hard enough for her to see stars. She pulled her knees up to protect her stomach, praying fervently that he would not hurt her unborn baby. "I will show you how a complacent wife should act." He flipped her onto her stomach roughly and yanked up her night dress. Lucrezia allowed one tear to slip from her eye.

xxx

Cesare rode hard towards the home of Giovanni Sforza. His mother had told him about Lucrezia's condition and part of him wanted to weep for what he had done to her. The other part of him wanted to beat his chest and cry out in joy. The only woman he ever loved was carryin his child inside her.

Cesare pulled up to the front of the castle and jumped off his horse. A stable boy ran up and he seemed to have been crying.

"Can I help you sir?" The pretty boy asked as he walked towards the front door with Cesare.

"Please let lady Lucrezia know that her brother Cesare is here to see her. Feel free to not let Sforza know."

"Oh thank the lord." Paulo cried as he grabbed Cesare's hand and hauled him into the house and up the stairs. Cesare felt fear at the urgency the boy was taking him. What had Sforza done?

They reached a large wooden door and Paulo swung it open and shoved Cesare inside. He closed the door quietly behind him. It was dark in the room and he saw the small form of Lucrezia on the bed.

"Lucrezia?" He whispered as he reached the bed and sat beside her. She moved gently then slowly turned towards her.

"Oh Cesare, I prayed you would come. God has finally answered my prayers." She flung her arms around his neck but he pulled away gently. He took in the features of her riund face. She had a cut on her lip by the side of her mouth, her right eye was a dark purple bruise and there was swelling on her cheek.

"Lucrezia did he do this to you?" Cesare all but roared at her. She pulled back quickly, suddenly afraid. Cesare took her chin gently and search her eyes. "Get Catherine to pack your stuff, I will be back momentraily." Cesare muttered as he pressed a soft kiss on the side of her mouth that was not cut. He then quickly strode from the room.