I had the hardest time getting this one complete. I really did. Not going to lie. I struggled with writer's block even though I had an outline. Most of my problem was stress and anxiety over the events going on in my country. I'm going to keep politics out of it, but it is worrisome, and it does affect me as an American. Anyway, there are only two more chapters left and then I can move on to what I really want to write. Ya'll, I'm excited about this!
I hope everyone is doing okay in these troublesome times. I hope this is a distraction for everyone.
She was getting bored with sitting around all day and night doing nothing. Sometimes it felt like there was a storm on the edge of the horizon, close enough to hear the thunder, but far enough just to know it was there. Contessina hated feeling at any moment a man could walk through the door or bust through the windows and kill each person within the room she was lounging in. She was bothered by it and felt helpless from it as well. The anxiety between her and Lucrezia could be seen when they both looked at one another occasionally with a forlorn expression on their faces. Clarice was still very much in the dark with this, but for good reason.
The Medici woman was so very close to giving birth that worrying her could do more harm than good at that point. Both Contessina and Lucrezia agreed that the subject was never to be brought up in front of Clarice or the children. For now, Contessina had to endure the suspense of an oncoming attack they may occur without warning. Of course, Lucrezia was doubly worried about Contessina's condition as she was still early in her pregnancy and this somewhat annoyed the blond.
The Sun had set hours ago and even though dinner had been uneventful, save for Giovanni throwing grapes at his brother because of something he said. Other than that, Contessina found herself sitting in the parlor with her feet up on a footrest and a book open in her lap. Of course, she had another half-eaten pear in her hand and at her side on the small table was a cheese board that Serafina had obliged her with. Clarice was unable to attend dinner that evening saying she was unwell, which was to be expected since her child was due any day. Contessina wondered if her pregnancy could give her as much trouble as Clarice's seemed to give her and the thought alone almost made her squeamish. Flipping the page of her book she heard footsteps come into the room and she turned her head to look at who it could be.
"You should be resting." Lucrezia said as she sat in the chair next to Contessina and began to read her own book.
"I'm too hungry to rest." The blond took a bite of her pear and put her book down in her lap to rub her hand on her growing bump. Not much longer and the whole world would know she was carrying a child without her even having to say a word. "Besides, I'm too nervous."
"I know. I am too, but that doesn't mean you cannot find rest when you should." The older woman gave her a comforting smile before turning back to her book. "I know half of your nervousness comes from not having your husband here with you." There was a knowing glance thrown in Contessina's direction and the young woman knew her aunt was very right.
"It's strange really." Contessina put the pear down next to the cheese on the table and sighed. "When I left Monteriggioni I almost thought he was angry with me and he probably was. When he gave me that one kiss before turning around for Firenze, I swear his anger had disappeared completely."
"That is because it did." The older woman leaned over with a very wise look on her features and she seemed to be giving Contessina more reason to have faith in Ezio. "You are new to marriage, but one thing to know is that men never stay angry with those they love for long. Women do. We stay angry for a long time and we like to see our men suffer for it." There was a sly smirk on Lucrezia's face. "Ezio loves you and he does show it openly."
"Let's hope he loves me enough when he learns he will be a father." She was still unsure of how he felt regarding children.
"I can see why you think this way. Ezio does not expect you to provide him with children for the sake of succession or having an heir so it does bother you, but you need not be afraid." Lucrezia was trying to reassure her. "He will love you no matter what and I even suspect he will love the child just as much." The words did nothing to comfort Contessina and she would not be satisfied until she saw Ezio's reaction herself.
"I hope so." Contessina said looking down at her hands before picking up the book in her lap and opening it to the page she left off on.
She was so involved with the book that she had not noticed when Lucrezia stood up and bid her goodnight before leaving the room. At some point she did not even know she was sleeping because she was dreaming about reading the book in her hands. It was not until she felt a hand on her shoulder when she realized she had fallen asleep in the chair and when she looked up to see who it was, she blinked. Serafina stood above her with a nervous look on her face and suddenly Contessina felt wide awake.
"Signora, there is a man in the stables asking for you." The maid removed her hand from Contessina's shoulder and backed away. "He says it's urgent that you go to him." Something did not feel right. Why would someone be asking for her in the dead hours of the night?
"Did he give you a name?" Contessina asked as she put her book on the table and stood from her chair carefully so she would not get dizzy. There was a pool of dread in her stomach and she could feel strange fluttering sensations in her belly.
"He said his name was Marcello, Signora." Contessina said nothing in return before walking out of the room as quick as she could leaving poor Serafina behind.
She flew through the kitchen and out of the servant's entrance through the small vegetable garden outside. Opening the gate that lead to the stables she stopped when she saw her husband's back turned towards her. He was loosening the girth on a grey mare she had never seen before as he spoke to Miguel. Contessina put a hand on her stomach feeling the strong flutters more than before and she could not help but to feel relief upon seeing Ezio before her. He must have known something was wrong or he may have gotten word that there was a spy watching the villa. Either way, she felt half of her worries dissipate. Miguel's eyes found their way to her and he cleared his throat to signal to Ezio that she was there.
"I'll go get the carriage ready." The Spaniard said leading the grey mare away from the assassin who turned to face his wife. The moment that he laid eyes on her form he noticed how she had her hand on her stomach, but when she noticed him looking she quickly dropped it to her side as if there had been nothing to see.
"Where are Clarice and the children?" Ezio asked her point blank trying to avoid the subject that was in the back of his mind. She looked nervous and shaking, but at the same time she seemed to want to shy away from him. "Contessina?" He went closer to her so he could touch her.
"Asleep." She nearly blurted out as he put a hand on her arm. Ezio gave her a soft look before nodding. "What are you doing here?"
"Riario's spies have been watching this place for months." He confirmed to her causing her heart to sink to the bottom of her stomach. Ezio noticed she put a hand on her abdomen again but ignored it after a moment knowing that Volpe's words were true. "He sent men out at first light yesterday morning." He watched as her eyes widened.
"So, they could be here right now?" Contessina looked around the stables nervously as Miguel was pulling horses out of there stalls to hitch the carriage. Ezio did not answer her, only pulled her closer to snap her out of looking for a threat.
"They are close behind me for sure, so we need to get you and your family out of here." He spoke urgently enough to make her heartbeat faster and also cause her to feel dizzy. She started breathing heavier, but after a moment of thinking she calmed a little. Clarice was in no condition to move as she could go into labor at any time.
"We can't leave, Ezio. Clarice cannot be moved because she will have a child at any time." Contessina said putting a hand on his. Ezio understood his wife's plight well enough or as much as he could since he did not completely understand pregnancy or childbirth, but he could try.
"I assume you have a plan already?" He asked her and she looked up at him with a small glint of hope in her eyes.
Contessina had woken Clarice and the children from their rest as Ezio made himself scarce. She led the heavily pregnant woman through the villa into the kitchen with the boys in tow and Lucrezia following closely behind them with a worried look on her face. The darkness in the building kept them from being seen by anyone and it was only when she reached the kitchen that Contessina lit a candle. She handed it to Lucrezia as Miguel seemed to appear out of the shadows to open the storeroom door and then open the trap door to the hidden room beneath.
"Where is Serafina?" Contessina asked the Spaniard and his wife appeared moments later with a bag of sweet breads for the children. "Now, remember do not let us out until Ezio gives the word." She told the groundskeeper who nodded as he held Clarice's hand as she went down the narrow steps. She stopped halfway giving out a moan in pain. "Clarice?" The blond looked down at her cousin who seemed to be very uncomfortable in that moment.
"It's nothing. Just a cramp." The woman tried pushing it off however Contessina and Lucrezia knew that 'just a cramp' really meant something else. The Medici woman was about to make another step when she doubled over in pain.
"Mama!" Giovanni's voice cried out seeing his mother in pain and rushing to her side. The boy looked up at Contessina pleading for her to do something, however there was not much she could do other than help comfort Clarice as she labored.
"Of all the things in this world, Lorenzo's child has horrible timing." Lucrezia said before making her way down the steps to grab on to Clarice and help her down the rest of the way. "Contessina, towels and boiling water! Quickly!"
"No Madonna, I will see to it!" Serafina said before going to the fireplace in the kitchen and lighting it. Contessina could clearly see how everything became complicated very quickly and what was worse is that they were about to be under attack.
Outside everything was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the croaking of frogs from the pond near the villa, but other than that there was nothing. The smell of rain was in the air which would explain the dense humidity that had been building all day. With the rain and the darkness, it would be very hard to see anyone coming from the woods surrounding the villa, but Ezio could rely on his gift to help with this. He stood on the roof watching and waiting for something to catch his eye in the darkness. He even hoped the weather would be enough to spoil plans of the men sent to kill his wife and her family.
Ezio watched the tree line closely on all sides looking for any sign of movement, however with the night growing darker it became difficult. A drop of water landed on his hand making him look up at the sky before a second drop found its way below his right eye. Being wet never bothered Ezio, what did bother him was the buildup of electricity in the air that normally came with lightning. It took twenty seconds for him to realize that he should get off the roof before a bright stroke of natural power illuminated the night followed by the loud clap of thunder. The bolt of lightning hit a tree in the far distance, but it gave Ezio a split second to see what he was looking for.
Seven men seemed to appear out of the shadows like phantoms just as the rain fell from the sky. They were sneaking slowly towards the bottom floor of the villa with every intention of not being seen by the occupants. Ezio's eyes followed the figured bathed in red aura as they crept closer to the building he was on before he made the decision to slide down the incline. As soon as he hit the gutters, he grabbed hold of the edge and swung down onto the veranda on the second floor. When he landed, he crouched down to make himself as invisible as possible while keeping an eye on the men below. There was a chance that the men would quietly sneak into the villa and try to take everyone by surprise or even silence their sleeping targets.
Ezio stealthily moved to the wooden doors that led from the balcony into the house where he knew he could use the shadows more affectively. The doors were locked, but that had never been a problem before considering locks were easily picked with a pin he kept on his belt. With a satisfying click the doors unlocked after a little manipulation on his part and then he opened the doors going into the darkness of the villa.
The sounds of Clarice's labored breathing were kept as quiet as possible while Contessina stood at the top of the steps leading down into the room beneath. The sound of the fire crackling in the kitchen provided a little comfort to her while Miguel leaned up against the doorway to the storeroom with his arms crossed. Despite the anticipation of an attack, the atmosphere in the kitchen was rather calm compared to the stormy weather outside. With every flash of lightning, Contessina could feel the oncoming chaos building up elsewhere and she hoped that Ezio could dispatch the attackers quickly if they even appeared.
"Breathe." Lucrezia was trying desperately to keep Clarice from making too much noise. "That's it." The blond turned her attention to her cousin who was biting her bottom lip in order to keep from crying out as a pain came on. "At this rate, the child will be here by morning." Lucrezia said looking up at Contessina.
"How long does it normally take?" Contessina said as she sat down on the top step while the two women down in the room sat on a blanket that had been placed on the stone floor.
"At least a few hours. That is if there are no complications, then it can take longer." The older woman moved to rub Clarice's back as she moaned out in relief as her contraction eased.
"I need my rosary." The pregnant woman said leaning back against her mother-in-law with her eyes closed. "I need to pray." She said as the older woman took a towel to pat the sweat off of her forehead. "Get my prayer beads." It was more of a demand than a request and Contessina looked to the kitchen door. She did not think twice before moving to the door and walking out of it with Lucrezia yelling after her to stop.
The entire hallway was dark to the point where she could not see her hand in front of her face. Flashes of lightning allowed her to see the objects lining the walls for a brief moment before the world around her went into darkness again. Clarice's room was at the other end of the villa from where she was and to get to it, she had to go through the dining room, parlor, foyer, and the den. At least the doorways were all in line, so it looked as though there was one long corridor through the villa. Contessina held her breath before moving forward through the dining room, groping the air to feel for the table and chairs that were in the center. The moment she came in contact with something solid she almost gasped then realized it was the big chair at the end of the table.
Letting out a breath she continued through the room slowly until she entered the next room which thankfully had a sconce on the wall with a lit candle. Contessina could barely make out the shape of the fireplace and the dim embers that glowed within the firebox. The room was quiet enough to where she could hear her own heartbeat thumping hard in her chest as she thought of what to do next. The sound of a footstep in the other room caused her to freeze where she stood and search around in the parlor she was in for a hiding place. Whatever she did, she had to be quick about it, as it appeared someone was in the next room. Her eyes scanned the dark room for someplace to obscure herself from view, however there was no place to break line of sight except for the other side of the fireplace. The corner was just dark enough to hide her in plain view while managing to break the line.
She quietly tip toed to the corner as fast as she could before tucking herself into the darkness of the room. The more she tried to make herself fit in the corner, the more uncomfortable she became when she felt something poking her in the back just above her hip. The footsteps had moved into the same room with her, causing her to peek around the mantle of the fireplace enough to see a tall black figure. He was obviously looking for either her or the family that was behind the kitchen door and if he made his way into the next room there was no doubt, he would discover them.
Contessina knew she had to do something. Anything to draw his attention away from Clarice and her children. She felt behind her for whatever was poking her in the back and she suddenly had an idea when her fingers found the wrought iron handle of a poker. She carefully reached down to remove one of her slippers before throwing it in the opposite corner from her. The blond watched as the man swung around to the sound of the slipper hitting the floor and then she carefully grabbed the iron poker from its place. The man strode over to where the sound came from and bent down to inspect the slipper with his back facing to Contessina.
Taking a deep breath, she quietly moved away from her hiding spot with the poker held upright in her hands. The hook used to grab burning wood looked lethal enough to do some damage and she could get away from him easily if she swung hard enough. Her heart was beating wildly as she snuck up behind the man who had begun to stand upright. It was now or never, and she had to make the swing. If she did not, she was caught. Taking a deep breath, she swung the metal rod as hard as she could.
There was a sickening crack as the hook on the poker landed right above the man's ear. There was no doubt in Contessina's mind that the poker had done its job, but the wobbling man seemed to disagree. He immediately put his hand up to his head and pulled it away to inspect for blood, which coated his palm. Contessina could see the wet shine in the dim light from the candle as the man turned around to question her with his eyes. She did not care for the look he gave her and bit her bottom lip before glaring at him, and then she hit him again, this time on the opposite side of his head right on his temple. This time though, the hook of the poker hit hard enough to pierce through the man's skull enough for it to become stuck for a moment before Contessina jerked it out.
She watched as the man fell to the floor in a heap which created enough noise to possibly draw attention to her location. If there were other assassins besides her husband and the man at her feet, they were surely going to investigate the noise. The young woman did not want to stick around to find out, so she pulled her other slipper off and left it there with the dead man before making her way to the next room. If she had to defend herself again, she at least had a poker to act as a weapon. The iron stick was no sword, but it would have to do.
Just as she went through the doorway to the next room, she tripped over something sending her down on her hands and knees. The poker in her hand fell to the stone floor, making a loud clang as her eyes widened. The sound of boots stepping beside her made her start to panic a little and her stomach tightened as another pair of boots came up from the other side. She closed her eyes putting a hand on her belly as it tightened causing a little discomfort and she began to fear the worst as hands wrapped around her upper arm. She was pulled up from the floor without any gentleness before the feeling of cold steel was pressed to her throat.
"Signora." The man holding her had a familiar voice while the one that stood beside him moved to stand in front of her. "If you would be so kind to give me the location of the Medici women and children." He asked her as lightning lit up the room for a moment. From what she could see, they were both dressed in travelers' cloaks and wore hoods to cover their faces. The man behind her put his other arm right below her breasts to keep her close which made her start shaking in fear. She was terrified that they were going to hurt her, or even worse, hurt her child. She had to think of something.
"They left for Pisa this morning." She managed to whimper out. "They are going to Genoa." Tears started to pool in the corner of her eyes.
"Somehow, I don't believe you, Signora." He pressed the blade to her skin enough to draw a little blood. "You arrived with Lucrezia de' Medici. Who are you to her?" She winced as the blade cut a little deeper.
"I am just a friend to her daughter, Bianca." Contessina gritted out after feeling the sting of the cut on her neck. Her hands reached up to grab the man's forearm as lightning struck again. "My husband is a banker in Firenze, and he sent me with Lucrezia to stay out of harm's way."
"I still do not believe you." He said before another flash of light revealed the gaping expression on the man in front of her and the familiar white cowl she had come to love. It was clear that the man holding her had not seen Ezio in the light, but it was clear he heard the other man's body drop to the ground. "What devilry is this?" Contessina felt the knife move away from her neck as the man became defensive.
"Let me go!" She said before elbowing him in the gut as hard as she could making him grunt as the sound of footsteps came up behind them. She managed to get out of his grasp before the sound of bones and sinew twisting could be heard in the darkness. In another flash of light, she saw her husband standing there with the man falling at his feet. She would never forget the fierce look in Ezio's eyes that moment before he disappeared into the darkness again.