When they reached the top of the staircase, Cesare pulled on a switch which made the door before them, slide open. He moved to the side and held out his hand and Claudia walked past him into the large room.
When she had been brought here previously by Micheletto, she hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings and assumed that the room had been Cesare's office. But when she spotted a large decorative bed with columns in the corners and a large carved wood wardrobe, she realized that it was Cesare's bedroom.
Behind her, the bookcase slid close and Cesare pushed back a book that had shifted. Claudia looked at him with a frown.
"Do all your whores come from the secret entrance too?" She said caustically.
Cesare remained unperturbed by his sarcasm and she found it increasingly frustrating to not be able to dent his ego.
"No, only respectable women come from secret entrances." He playfully winked at her. "That's because they have a lot to hide. Whores enter from my main door."
"How classy!" Claudia jibed, rolling her eyes.
"Isn't it?" He said, walking past her to the large door at the end of the room. When she heard a click and saw Cesare pocket a key, her heart sank. She was all alone in his bedroom- his rather large bedroom that was sparsely furnished. There was a chair in the corner, a desk near the window that stood before the bookcase and a bed and wardrobe, right across from it.
There were no decorative pieces, except for a large portrait of Cesare, hanging near the desk. In the portrait, Cesare was holding a sword and his chin and neck was up, signifying his arrogance and nobility.
Claudia wondered if she had fallen for the man in the portrait. He had seemed so different and approachable in Monteriggioni that she would have never guessed who he really was.
"Thinking about the past?" Cesare asked.
Claudia almost jumped when she found him standing right behind her. He put one arm around her waist and kissed her shoulder.
Claudia cringed and made to move away, but Cesare made her turn towards him. His hand brushed away tendrils of her hair from her face and then brought her closer so that she was pressed against his chest.
Claudia felt cold fear, seep into her heart. She hadn't anticipated Cesare making his move so quickly. All she had planned was to deliver her uncle some ammunition and a weapon. Then she was going to make excuses or jump out of the window before Cesare would force himself on her.
Before she could react, Cesare lowered his head and captured her lips with his. His lips were gentle on hers and his hands stroked her neck before proceeding lower. Claudia stood numbly, not allowing herself to let Cesare overwhelm her.
He pulled away and his thumb brushed against her lips. "I missed you." He said and she saw the sincerity in his eyes. Claudia wanted to pull away then as memories of the time she had spent with him, returned in full force. He had looked at her that way in Monteriggioni and she had assumed that was love in his eyes.
He was pushing her back and Claudia realized to her horror that they were heading towards the large bed.
"No!" she cried and struggled in his arms.
Cesare caught her wrists and she saw the frustration and anger on his face. "Will you stop this?"
"I don't…let me go!" Claudia said, suddenly terrified at the thought of what Cesare was going to do to her.
Cesare shook her and then made her sit on the bed. He bent until he was at her level. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"You already did!" Claudia said venomously.
She thought she had imagined the hurt flashing in his eyes. Cesare stood, but didn't let go of her wrists.
"We made a deal, Claudia. We are married now." He reminded her. "I don't need permission to love my wife."
"Do not use the word love in front of me." Claudia said. "What would you know about love? You used me before and now you're forcing me to lay with you."
Cesare dropped her wrists and pushed away. "Nobody is forcing you. You were supposed to keep your end of the deal."
"I didn't agree to be your whore!"
Cesare let out a cry of frustration. "If I wanted a whore I would have called one. Don't you get it, Claudia? I want you!"
Claudia got up from the bed and stood away from him. "As some sort of ridiculous revenge against my family? You're sick!"
"Claudia, you don't understand how frustrating you're being! I…"
A knock on the door interrupted his tirade and they both looked at each other, wide-eyed. Cesare put up a finger, signaling her to remain quiet.
Claudia decided to defy him when she heard the man on the other side speak.
"Cesare, open the door!"
Claudia muffled her gasp. Rodrigo!
Even though she was numb with shock of hearing Rodrigo's voice, Cesare moved into action and grabbed her upper arm. He dragged her to the large wardrobe and opened the doors.
"I need to speak to you, son!" Rodrigo seemed angry and she saw Cesare pressing his lips together in a grimace.
He pushed her inside the wardrobe. "Remain quiet." He said, closing the doors.
Claudia sank down to the bottom, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She wasn't ready to face Rodrigo. Cesare was as it is difficult to handle. And now Cesare and his father? She would definitely lose.
She heard Cesare walk to the door and unlock it. Claudia pushed the door open slightly and saw Rodrigo walk into the room angrily.
"Close the door." He instructed his son.
"What do you want?" Cesare asked, tiredly. He closed the door and turned to his father.
Rodrigo shook his head. "I am disappointed in you." He told him. "Making you the captain, was terrible judgment on my part."
She saw Cesare cross his arms. "And now how did I disappoint my father?"
"The Assassins are wreaking havoc in Roma and you dare to still ask me that question?" Rodrigo bellowed. "They have torn down our tower and weakening our defenses" He pointed a finger at Cesare's chest. "You were not supposed to let that happen."
"I am doing everything I can." Cesare replied in a controlled tone.
Rodrigo turned and Claudia sunk further into the darkness within the closet. She could only hope she wouldn't be found out. To her relief, it appeared that Rodrigo was too angry at his son to take notice of anything else.
"Ha! You were supposed to finish off Ezio Auditore. Your attack at Monteriggioni was a complete and utter failure!"
"I wouldn't call it that." Cesare said.
"Oh really?" Rodrigo asked, tucking his hands behind him. "All you and your men were able to do was tear down the walls of the city. All the citizens escaped and Ezio was nowhere to be found. Even his mother and sister survived. So tell me, dear son, how was that a successful attack?"
Claudia put a hand over her mouth as she recalled the memory of Cesare appearing in her room the day before the attack. He had requested that she and her mother leave the city and even though she had begged him to tell her why, he had remained secretive.
She looked at him through the small space between the two doors. Why had Cesare come to warn her? He could have easily let her get hurt or die in the attacks.
"I killed Mario Auditore." Cesare said. "He was giving you a lot of trouble, now wasn't he?"
"That drunkard?" Rodrigo scoffed. "He would have died from disease or old age sooner or later. That's hardly a victory."
Claudia swallowed. Cesare had spared Uncle Mario when he could have killed him. And he was lying to his father. But why?
"Is that why you came into my room? To insult me?" Cesare asked.
"What did you expect?" Rodrigo said in a condescending tone. "After I made you Captain general, I had hoped you would make me proud of you by leading us to victory against the Assassins. Instead, we are nowhere close to destroying them. My spies tell me that Ezio has been recruiting citizens to their Order. And what are you doing about it?"
"According to you, nothing." Cesare said sarcastically. "I have an army to lead. I'm also working on having the Apple deciphered. I have a lot to deal with at the moment."
Rodrigo shook his head in disappointment. "Your brother's progress has been greater than yours." He said. "Juan is holding a party in a few days to entice many important men to invest with us. He is making sure that our army will remain properly funded. He is playing his part well, unlike you."
Claudia saw Cesare frown and holding back his anger. "I am doing whatever I can."
"Not enough." Rodrigo replied. "It is unfortunate that I have so many children and most of them are unworthy to call themselves Borgia."
Claudia saw Cesare clench his hands into fists. "I am doing everything you asked me to do. You told me to attack Monteriggioni and I did. You asked me to build towers all over the city, and I did that too. I have obeyed every one of your commands."
"Your attack on Monteriggioni was supposed to be my revenge on the Auditore!" Rodrigo yelled. " Ezio was supposed to suffer for attacking me and then taking the Apple."
"What's done is done." Cesare said. "I would rather that we use the army…"
"To unify Italia." Rodrigo finished for him. "I want to rule over the whole country."
"That is quite an ambitious plan, Father." Cesare said. "We don't have the resources for it."
"Your brother is working on funds while the French are helping me." Rodrigo said. "They are capable men who are doing something worthwhile. But you? You were always a disappointment, Cesare."
"What do you want me to do?" Cesare asked.
"I want you to build more towers. Replace them with the ones Ezio destroyed." Rodrigo said. "I want you to find Ezio's family and kill them. Leave Ezio. I'll make him suffer with my own two hands."
Cesare had his head bowed as he spoke to his father and Claudia caught herself pitying him. He didn't deserve it, but next to Rodrigo, Cesare had some redeeming qualities. At least he had tried to warn her before the attacks and he hadn't killed her uncle. If it had been Rodrigo in his place, he would have made them all suffer.
"His family is nowhere to be found." Cesare said. "They either perished in the attacks or fled to Firenze."
Claudia looked at him in surprise. He was lying…again! But why?
"They didn't die." Rodrigo said. "I have a spy placed among them. He tells me that his mother and sister are in Roma. They run a brothel. Get them and kill them."
Cesare looked up then, at the wardrobe where she was hiding and she was sure that he had seen her peeking.
"I'll have my men apprehend them." Cesare said, solemnly.
Rodrigo nodded at his son. "Make sure they don't survive." He said. "Next, I want you to find out how to use the Apple. You said you had help with it."
"I do." Cesare said. "We are getting close."
"Finally some good news." Rodrigo muttered. "I am leaving now. I have a meeting with some government officials. Get to work as soon as possible."
"It's the middle of the night." Cesare said.
"We don't have time to sleep." Rodrigo said and then turned and left the room without another word.
Cesare closed the door behind him and locked it.
"You can come out now." Cesare sighed.
Claudia pushed open the doors and came out, looking at Cesare who was avoiding looking at her. He walked over to his desk and spread a large parchment on it.
"Apparently I have no time for you tonight." He said. "You can leave through the secret entrance."
Claudia wanted to ask him so many questions. She wanted to know why he was lying to her father and why had he not captured her instead of marrying her. Then she stopped herself. She didn't know the whole truth yet. Cesare had lied to her before. He could be playing his own games that his father didn't have knowledge of.
He had married her for a reason and she would have to find out the reason behind it. Claudia walked over to the bookcase, avoiding looking at him too. Rodrigo had inadvertently saved her tonight by interrupting them. If he hadn't come in when he did, Cesare would have put his claims on her.
She shuddered at the thought and started to look for the switch which would open the hidden door. Cesare walked over and pulled down the switch in the corner of the shelf. As the bookcase slid back, Claudia was conscious of Cesare staring at her.
She started to leave when he grasped her arm and pulled her close to him. Then without warning, he kissed her hard and with urgency. Before she could react, he let go of her and then gently pushed her to the other side.
He pulled on the switch and as the bookcase slid back into place, Claudia gaped at him, unsure of what to feel about him.