I don't know about you guys, but I am about ready to slap myself. I almost went off my outline for this chapter. Bad me for straying away from the outline, but I went back to it. This chapter is not really that centered on the historical part, but it is more about internal conflict. New things are happening that will be a test for Contessina's will power and how she deals with her new environment. In other words, she left one fire and jumped into another, this time it is more personal.
Please leave a review and let me know how you guys are doing! I like to hear from you!
The feast that Mario had gone on and on about the day Contessina arrived in Monteriggioni was nothing more than a dinner between the family. That did not mean that she was not suspicious of what he really had planned in the weeks following the dinner. Every morning she walked through the quiet streets of the little village trying to get acquainted with the people, but they all seemed to avoid her at best. Every now and then one of the womenfolk would smile at her as she walked by, but that was all. It was as though she were not welcome into this small world of theirs because of her maiden name.
Contessina found it difficult to walk through the streets after a couple weeks of feeling shunned and invisible. She wondered if she even belonged there at all, but when she brought up the subject to Ezio, he was very sure that the people were glad she was there. He also seemed a little concerned at their behavior since when he spoke to some of the villagers, they seemed to be genuinely excited about Contessina. If anything, he expressed his confusion over the matter to her himself. This did not dull her concerns, but she at least put herself to work by beginning to weed out the garden herself.
She was not the queen of gardening but having spent time with the Medici gardener as a child gave her some knowledge on the subject. She had spent many mornings as a child speaking with the gardener about the different flowers that grew there and what it took to keep them alive. Now she was recalling these things to benefit the village, if not her own sanity. Within the two weeks she had been there, she had properly weeded the west side of the garden which allowed for the growth of the flowers already planted. Taking a step back from her work, she felt accomplished in her task.
"This is looking better by the day." Ezio said coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist before giving her a kiss on the cheek. She put her hands on his and leaned back into him, smelling the musk he gave off. He had been practicing his combat skills again, but the smell was almost intoxicating to her.
"If I can weed it all within the next couple weeks, I may be able to have it survive the winter without issue." She said looking at her handiwork and then down at her dirty hands. "What about you, any word on Salviati?" Contessina asked him before turning around in his arms.
"That is what I'm here to tell you." Her face fell as she realized the news was going to take Ezio away from her for a day or two. "We found him." Ezio told her before pulling away. "I leave tonight, and I will try to be back in a day or two."
"So, I get the bed all to myself tonight?" She said with a smirk on her face and he was caught off guard by the question. Contessina laughed before giving him a kiss. "I'm only joking."
"It didn't sound like a joke." Ezio responded before kissing her back with a little more force behind it. He was sure that if he went any further than kissing her at that moment it would be a disaster. So, far she had not given him any indication of having intimate marital relations besides their wedding night. He did not want to push her either. Ezio loved her and respected her enough to let it be her choice, just like he had been taught to do by his parents. "Will you see me off?" He asked her breaking the kiss.
"Of course. Why would I not?" She said giving him a very endearing look that seemed to go through his soul at that moment. The blond put a hand on his chest feeling the warmth he gave off and his hot-blooded nature kicked in at that moment. He had to restrain himself from acting on those urges, especially when she smelled so sweet with her natural scent and the smell of earth on her. "You will be careful, won't you?" She asked him with pleading eyes.
"I will do my best." The smirk that Ezio plastered on his face made Contessina glare before she hit his arm in protest to his remark. He knew she did not take what he did for a living lightly, but sometimes he did, and she often protested.
"You better come home in one piece." She jammed her finger into his chest with the glare still on her face. Ever since coming to Monteriggioni, it was as though the weight of the world had lifted from her shoulders and Ezio could tell. "I mean it." He smiled before grabbing the back of her head and locking his lips with hers. The groan she made heated his blood and he did not know how much longer he could go before something had to be done. He had to tell her soon.
"If I don't come back in one piece, what will you do Contessina?" Ezio asked her when he pulled away leaving her a little breathless. It took her a moment to think and he could see her eyes darting back and forth in thought before she answered.
"I don't know, actually. I did not think that far." Contessina almost put a finger to her chin, but she looked at how dirty her hands were. "I should go clean up before you leave." She said with a smile before she reached up to kiss him on the cheek.
Ezio watched Contessina as she walked away in her dirty green dress with her braid swinging side to side with the movement of her stride. Over two weeks they had learned more about each other than they had in their entire lifetime, regardless of their marriage. Contessina smiled more; not the suppressed smiles she put on when she lived in Florence, but the kind that reached her eyes. When she did smile, her blue eyes lit up with a life he had never seen within them before. That in itself was enough to make his heart beat a little faster when she entered the room.
He was acting like a lovesick dog and he did not know what to do about it. Contessina was a distraction when she was around. Ezio's entire thought process halted when she was near leaving him to tread high water and pull himself out. There was no going back now that he had finally admitted to himself that he did love her unconditionally. He was still in that stage of life between growing and finally growing up. At sixteen he thought he was a man, now on the cusp of being nineteen he felt like a twelve-year-old boy who fell for every woman he saw. The only difference was he was well on his way to be the most wanted man in Italia. Ezio shook his head realizing there was a lot more to love than what his parents presented to him.
Contessina stood by the fountain at the top of the first landing in the village square watching Ezio adjust his horse's tack. The big bay gelding was fidgeting because he knew he was about to go somewhere. She had been told that the horse was from Portugal and had been in a war or two before coming to Italia. Contessina could think of no better horse for Ezio until a better one came along. She made her way down the steps to see the horse up close before putting a hand on its roman nose.
"I never asked what his name was." Contessina said as she noticed Ezio looking at how she stroked the horse's nose. The gelding was gentle for a warhorse and it was impressive that he calmed down at Contessina's touch.
"Uncle calls him Orgullo." Ezio told her as he rubbed the horse's neck. Orgullo was enjoying the attention from the blond woman as the young man went back to making sure everything was correct. "Uncle brought him from Spain years ago."
"Once a warhorse, always a warhorse." She said scratching behind the old gelding's ears. "He must be getting tired now." Orgullo bumped his nose against her when she stopped scratching, longing for more attention and she switched to his other ear. "He has a personality for sure." She said with a smile as Ezio came up to her.
"He can be a pain." Her husband responded with a smile of his own before grabbing her hand. "Will you be alright while I'm gone?" There was that concerning tone laced in his voice again. Of course, she would be alright, she survived in Firenze for two years without him. What was two days? She sighed.
"Ezio, I'll be fine, but will you be alright without me?" The mischievous smirk that came across her face made him close his eyes and sigh in return. She could see him trying not to say something he might regret later along the lines of being without her. He was holding in his emotions then, because just like her, he was bursting at the seams. Instead of saying anything he grabbed on to her waist and pulled her close before kissing her again. This time he put a lot of energy into it. Contessina's mind went blank and she suddenly forgot about everything in that moment except for the man kissing her. He had such a hold on her it was unbelievable as to how deep her love went towards him; for him. When Ezio finally pulled away from her, she was left breathless again and it did not go unnoticed that he was in the same state.
"It's only for two days." Ezio gave her a smile. "I think I can manage after that kiss." He said before pulling away from her and climbing onto Orgullo's back. The bay gelding nickered knowing he was about to go on a journey somewhere outside of his stable for once. "Stay out of trouble, Contessina." Ezio said turning his horse around.
"When have I ever been trouble?" She said loudly as he rode out of the village. Contessina smiled to herself as she watched him trot through the square and towards the gates without a backwards glance. Her question went entirely unheard except to those standing in the streets with strange looks on their faces causing her to blush. She quickly turned away to go up the steps but found herself coming face to face with Mario. "Uncle!" She yelped and almost fell backwards, but the older man caught her by the elbow. "You scared me." Contessina said placing a hand on her chest to calm her breathing.
"Mi dispace, Contessina." He said politely with an apologetic look on his face before looking off in the direction Ezio rode off to. "There he goes again. If I were younger, I would go with him more often."
"I'm sure he would appreciate it too. He speaks so highly of you that one can't help notice that admiring gleam in his eyes." She told Mario who seemed to be dismissive of it in a humble way of course. "What have you been up to today?" Contessina asked her uncle as she clasped her hands together and began to walk with him as he went down the steps.
"Settling matters with the local farmers. I am more or less the sole means of protection to the local farms and there is always someone causing trouble." He said with a chuckle as they reached the bottom step. "One person accidently misplaces a goat, or a pig and they scream theft while another is facing a grain shortage. It is always one thing after another, but such is the life in Toscana." Contessina smiled as Mario talked about his duties as a sort of 'magistrate' to the area. He was very tolerant of the people and from the last two weeks he cared deeply for the farmers and people in his village.
"Ezio said there was a grain shortage last winter. How are the crops looking for this year?" She asked as they walked through the square together. The two women she had seen the day she rode in were standing by the tailor again talking to one another with smiles on their faces before saying something to the tailor. Contessina paid them no mind as she was more interested in what her uncle had to say.
"Better, thankfully. We had more rain this year and let us hope it continues into the summer." He said waving to one of the young women who bowed her head in return. "What of you, niece? I see you toiling around in the garden trying to bring it back to life. Can you make it beautiful as it once was?"
"I don't know, but I will try." Contessina gave him a smile. "It gives me something to do at least, though, I really hope it will be spectacular when it is done." She could not help the proud smile that came over her face at the thought of her work attracting folk from across the Italian countryside. "Claudia thinks it a waste of time and money, but I'm certain it will bring in revenue." The blond woman had high hopes for her garden project, and she would be damned if she let anyone get in the way of that.
"I believe you." Mario told her with a genuine smiled stretched across his face. "When I was a boy, Giovanni and I played in that garden from dawn until dusk pretending to be knights on crusade." For a moment there was a faraway look on his face as he told her of his memories. "Happier times." He said with a shrug as a woman came running up to him in huff. Contessina saw the deep worry in the woman's brown eyes as she struggled to catch her breath. Her hair was wrapped up in a cloth and she wore an apron around her waist that was covered flour just like her hands. "Goodness, Nannia, what is the matter?" The older man said looking at the huffing woman.
"It is Fiona, no one can find her." Contessina saw the worried look on the woman's face as she straightened up after breathing a little. "Rita hasn't been seen all day, or for the last few days for that matter."
"Forgive me, but who is Rita and Fiona?" Contessina asked giving the woman a questioning look herself. "I know I have not been here long, but if there is someone in trouble, I would like to help." The woman looked Contessina up and down trying to measure her worth. The blond knew that there was likely a bit of animosity going around with the women of the village, but she wanted to prove herself.
"Tell her, Nannia. She is here to stay." Mario said to the woman in front of him with a hard look in his eyes. It was obvious he would not tolerate any badmouthing of a family member and Contessina was a good woman. Nannia sighed and then looked to the young woman standing next to the Auditore man.
"Alright." The woman said. "Fiona is a little girl no older than six and she lives with her grandmother, Rita." Nannia's reluctant tone told Contessina that she was not trustworthy enough to know the names of the villagers.
"If we are going to find little Fiona, I suggest you two split up. Nannia, gather some of the women and search everywhere." Mario said giving orders to the woman in front of him before turning to Contessina. "I will go see to Rita." The older man said as he began to leave the two women in the square. Nannia looked at the blond with a scowl on her face at the prospect of having Contessina meddle in the affairs of the village folk.
"You should go back to the Villa where you belong, Medici." Nannia's tone was spiteful but this did not phase Contessina in the least. Instead, the blond found herself wanting to fire back. She held off spitting venom to the other woman before saying something more diplomatic.
"I know you must think me some Medici princess who sits around and toils over needlework all day, but I promise you that is not the case." She said giving Nannia a honest look. "I'm not here to order people around or have things done for me. I am here because I love my husband and his family." She said aloud and then her eyes went wide upon realizing the words that came out of her mouth. Contessina put a hand over her mouth trying to stifle the gasp that was about to make its way out of her. The look on Nannia's face changed from distrust to a look of surprise at Contessina's absent minded confession. "Mio Dio..." The blond said breathlessly after moving her hand and blushing.
"You love Ezio?" Nannia's eyebrows shot up when she asked the question and Contessina said nothing as she nodded slowly. "Ha! Now that is something." The woman started to cackle before walking away. "So, do half the women in this village." She said with her back turned. "Fortuna is laughing at you, Medici. You are going to have a fight on your hands." Then all at once, Contessina's emotions plummeted to her stomach as doubt of Ezio's love came crashing in.
Women were vile to each other when it involved a man's affections. Contessina knew this and she sometimes wondered if Ezio still loved Cristina or if he had at all kept in touch with the Vespucci girl. Part of her wished she had stayed in Firenze at that moment. Nannia's words affected Contessina so deeply that she questioned herself on if fighting for her husband's affections was worth it.
The Sun was almost to the horizon when she snapped out of her trance and began to walk up the steps to the Villa. Contessina felt pulled to the garden again as it was her place to sit and contemplate all that had been said to her. Weeding seemed especially tempting as she wanted to relieve some of the tension within her instead of crying. She thought about going to sit in silence with Maria, but for some reason, she wanted to suffer alone in this. How did one woman's words turn her into a complete wreck? Was it because she secretly doubted her own love? No, she was certain beyond a doubt that her heart belonged to Ezio.
So, what was it that had her reacting the way she did? Contessina could only guess as she came around the corner of the villa where the garden laid. The sight of all her hard work gave her a little comfort as some of the flowers were beginning to come back now that the weeds were gone. She took a little pride in that at least. However, the doubt did not seem to go away, and the words spoken by Nannia buried deeper into her mind. The woman was going to be a thorn in Contessina's side.
She was about to get on her knees and continue weeding when she heard the faint sound of someone sniffing towards the other end of the garden. In the red light of the sun, Contessina could barely make out the small form sitting on the bench by the statue of Aphrodite. The figure was definitely a child, a girl by the looks of it, with dark curly hair that went midway down her back. If Contessina had to guess, this was Fiona. The missing child.
The blond woman slowly walked over to the girl on the bench trying not to startle her. She felt that if she scared the little girl, Fiona would run and then the search would continue. This was not the case when the girl looked at Contessina with the most pitiful look she had ever seen. It was as if the girl was looking for her in some way and she was sure Fiona came here for refuge away from the sorrows at home. For a moment, the blond woman wondered what story the little girl had to tell, but she dared not ask.
"Fiona?" Contessina asked as she approached the girl, who slightly scooted herself further down the bench thinking she was in trouble. "Please, stay right there." The blond held out a hand to stop Fiona. "I'm Contessina."
"I know." She said sniffing and wiping her eyes of the tears that fell. "You're the princess Ezio brought home." There was a hiccup and then Fiona scooted back to where she sat at first. She was very well spoken for a girl her age.
"I am no princess, but if it pleases you, I will be." Contessina said as she stepped a little closer to the girl. "May I sit down?" Contessina asked trying not to intrude on the six-year-old who nodded slowly in response. The blond sat down on the bench next to the little girl and looked at the sunset with all of its colors. "So, what are you doing in my garden?"
"Ezio said I could come here whenever I wanted and that you wouldn't care." Fiona said pulling her knees up to her chest. Her little dress was in taters and her hair was knotted beyond belief.
"I suppose he is right about that." Contessina said looking down at the girl with a small smile on her face in hopes of giving Fiona some comfort. "I would never turn away a friend of Ezio's" She dare not touch Fiona yet. As much as she wanted to lay a hand on the girl's shoulder to comfort her, Contessina knew that doing so would be a violation of trust.
"Grandmother wouldn't wake up." The little girl said burying her face into her knees as she began to sob. "I kept shaking her and shaking her and she wouldn't wake up." Fiona said through her cries as she began to lean over towards Contessina. She was looking for comfort and the woman put an arm around the girl as she cried.
"It's alright. I'm here." A complete stranger in every sense, but of course, Fiona knew Ezio. It was not a long shot to guess that the girl was now completely alone and while the village women did keep an eye on her, it seemed they did little more than that. If they had bothered to realize one of their own had been absent for days before realizing it, there were several problems going on within.
After a few minutes, Fiona had climbed into Contessina's lap and continued to cry. The blond had wrapped her arms around the little girl and held her tight while sobs wracked her little body. She was small for a six-year-old. Contessina remembered Bianca's daughter, who was also named Contessina, being a bit taller than Fiona at that age. Perhaps it was the lack of good nutrition and poor living conditions, but it was concerning. The one thing Contessina gathered was that Rita had taught the girl to speak well and that was something rare among the common folk. She made a reminder to herself to inquire to Mario about Rita's past later.
In the meantime, the sun had dipped far below the horizon when Fiona's sobs ebbed, and she had gone limp in Contessina's arms. She had cried herself to sleep and the woman carefully arranged Fiona in a way so she could be carried inside the villa. Contessina put her forearms bracing against Fiona's bottom and let the girl's head fall on her shoulder before she slowly stood up. Walking inside she was met with Claudia who seemed to do a double take when she saw what Contessina had in her arms.
"What on Earth?" The younger Auditore said as Maria appeared from the sitting room upon hearing Claudia's remark. "Where did you find her?" The dark-haired girl said with a soft tone as to not wake Fiona.
"She was sitting on a bench in the garden." Contessina said as Maria came up and moved a lock of Fiona's dark hair away from her face. The look on Maria's face was that of tenderness upon seeing the child's dried tear streaks. "Apparently, Ezio told her she could go into the garden any time if she needed too."
"That sounds like him." Claudia told the blond. "He has a soft spot for Fiona." All Contessina thought about when she heard that was having a little girl for competition over his love. God help her if she and Ezio ever had a daughter. "You should bring her back to her grandmother."
"I don't think that is possible. From what Fiona told me, Rita may have passed away." Contessina said with a sad look. Claudia sighed upon hearing the news and then looked down at her feet while Maria put a hand on Contessina's arm in comfort. "She can stay with me tonight. I don't think she will want to be anywhere else."
"Very well, I will go fetch Uncle and tell him Fiona is here." Claudia said with a particularly drab tone in her voice about having to do any extra work. The Auditore girl turned away leaving Maria and Contessina standing in the foyer together.
There was not much else to be said as Maria followed Contessina up the stairs and into the bedroom where a fire had already been lit for the night. The blond carefully laid the sleeping girl on the bed before removing the tattered dress that Fiona wore. Maria said nothing as she brought over the water basin and a few squares of cloth to wash away the dirt on the girl's feet and hands. Contessina went over to the wardrobe and dug out one of her husband's clean shirts for Fiona to sleep in. Of course, it was going to be a little big on the girl, but this was all she had to work with until the morning.
There was a knock on the door a few minutes later as Mario stuck his head in. Thankfully, Fiona had already be cleaned up and Maria was gently tucking the girl in before giving her a loving kiss on the forehead. Maria gave the blond a comforting, yet prideful look as she walked by giving the young woman a light touch on the shoulder before leaving the room. Mario wasted no time in going over to the little girl and watching her sleep soundly.
"I am grateful you found her." Uncle said quietly before moving to stand at the foot of the bed where Contessina had moved to. "She may have been gone for days."
"Yes, and no one had thought to go inquire on Rita." Contessina said bitterly addressing her feelings on how the villagers were not helping each other. "Is she gone?" The blond asked looking at Mario with a hard gaze.
"For a couple days now at least." He said looking down at his feet in shame for how his people had handled the situation. "Rita only trusted one person to look after Fiona once she died, so when she is able to leave, she will go to Nannia." For some reason, Contessina's heart dropped at the mention of Nannia. The woman's spiteful words to her earlier had cause such a conflict within Contessina that she did not like the idea of Fiona going to that woman. "That is, if Nannia is willing to care for her."
"Where will she go if Nannia refuses?" Contessina asked wanting to know if the girl had any family that could care for her the way she needed to be. This worried the blond to a point where she would gladly take in a little girl she barely knew just to save her suffering.
"She has an older sister in San Gimignano, but she lives in a brothel. I could not condemn such a sweet girl to a life of prostitution." The Auditore man said putting a hand over his heart. He cared for the girl just as much as Ezio did it seemed. "Nipote would never forgive me if that were to happen."
"And neither would I." The former Medici stated with a hard look on her face and a threatening glare in her blue eyes. She meant every word she said. "She should live in happiness. Not in sin or suffering."
"On that we both agree." Mario said as they looked upon the sleeping girl. Ezio had barely been gone for a few hours and already Contessina felt as though her duties to Monteriggioni and its people were already more than she could take. She would get through it though. One step at a time.