Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I claim to own the rights to Casanova. Nor do I own the characters. It belongs to Russell T Davis. I am just borrowing them. I do own the plot and the original characters.
Casanova: Marriage of convenience, or is it?
That night Giacomo was released from prison and told Grimani that he needed to find Rocco, his former man servant. As he was with him all the way from the beginning and he was supposed to be by his side.
Grimani reluctantly agreed and sent for Rocco. When Rocco the next morning was lead to the Grimani estate, he was instantly worried, what would the Grimani's want with him, the former man servant and best friend of Giacomo Casanova?
Rocco, he was stunned when he was lead into a room and found none other then Giacomo, standing by a window, he was looking like his world had ended.
Giacomo had cleaned up, and was wearing black britches and his black knee high boots and a white shirt with a dark blood red tunic and a matching coat and waist coat.
The waist coat had embroidery, of golden vines and leaves, as did the lapels and the cuffs of his coat. And his hair had been tied back with a matching red cord.
Rocco cleared his throat and asked worriedly "why the hell are you here Giacomo? Why the on earth would you, be here, at the family estate of the very same man whom just married the love of your life?"
Giacomo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose and replied "Grimani's father has had me pardoned, under the one condition." Rocco raised an eye brow and asked "which is?"
Giacomo replied "this time tomorrow I will officially be engaged to be married to Astra Grimani, the only daughter of Bryant Grimani, and the sister to Henriette's husband."
Rocco's jaw dropped in disbelief. He asked incredulously "But Giacomo, why would you marry somebody you do not love and the sister of Grimani no less?
Honestly you are going to be around Henriette constantly, but not as her husband but as her brother in law. It will drive you mad with jealousy."
Giacomo snapped "god damn it Rocco, I know that, do you think I am damn well not aware of that? It is better then rotting in a fucking prison cell and wasting away to nothing."
Rocco asked "have you met Astra your future wife to be yet?" Giacomo shook his head "no, I'm due to meet her within the hour. I wonder if she will be like all of those flighty and giggly and spoilt women of the upper class society."
Less then an hour later Giacomo was waiting in one of the main lounge areas. He stood near the fire place with his back to everyone. He did not dare face Henriette or he would lose it completely.
He turned when he heard the door open. It opened to reveal a young woman of mid height with slightly tanned skin. She was very beautiful. (Think Billie Piper)
Light blond almost white hair, pinned on top of her head in barrel curls with a few curls framing her heart shaped face and high cheek bones.
Big and beautiful expressive bright chocolate brown eyes, framed by long curled lashes, eyed him thoughtfully and a little apprehensively.
They were the eyes of a very intelligent woman; there was none of the flirty and batting eye lashes like the other women. She was clearly the calculating kind; well she was a Grimani after all.
Giacomo studied her perfect and shapely hour glass figure and her ample and supple rounded breasts. She was dressed in a flowing gown of pale mint green silk. It had a tight bodice and was low cut, showing the top of her breasts.
The bodice looked like it was a second skin. The bodice was covered in golden embroidery of vines and tiny roses. The sleeves reached a few inches above her elbows and puffed ever so slightly at the cuff.
There was not an inch of lace in sight. Unlike some of the gowns Giacomo had seen the other women wear, covered practically all in lace. He approved of her style.
Bryant Grimani made the introductions. "Giacomo Casanova this is my daughter Astra, you are to be her fiancée by the end of tomorrow night. I shall be holding a ball tomorrow evening. I will then announce your engagement to the entire upper class society."
Astra stepped forward and held out her hand; Giacomo gently took it and placed a delicate kiss upon her knuckles. "It is a pleasure to meet you. So it seems you are to be my husband. I never saw that one coming that's for sure."
She added with a singly raised elegant shaped eyebrow "tell me Mr. Casanova how exactly did you; come to be chosen to be my husband? Last time I checked you were behind bars for various crimes and forgery."
She added "how may I ask did you manage to get pardoned?" Her father spoke up "Astra dear I hardly think that concerns you now does it?"
She narrowed her eyes and replied in a sweet tone of voice with a slight edge of ice. "Oh but on the contrary father, I do believe it to be business of mine. I after all am to be his wife. I'd very much appreciate knowing what I'm getting my self into."
She continued with a smirk, knowing her father hated it when she did that. "But yet again perhaps there is some black mail here, is there not?"
She sighed "you only agreed to pardon him if he agreed to marry me. Christ father, am I worth so very little to you that you have to bribe someone to marry me? Am I that undesirable that he is left without a choice or else rot away in a prison cell?"
She glared coldly at her father. And turned to face Giacomo who was clearly stunned, she was not the shy daddy's girl he expected her to be.
She raised an eye brow and said "don't look so surprised. What were you expecting a daddies little spoilt princess that bends to his every whim?"
She sighed "the truth is, I preferred my mother over my father, and my brother preferred our father. I am more like our mother, where my brother is more like our father."
She turned back to her father and grimaced "why did you choose a man who has had more women then I have had less then innocent dreams?"
She sighed sadly "and why have you chose a man who is in love with his soon to be sister in law. Father I am going to end up living in her shadow. But if it means I gained a husband and am not left to become a spinster then I guess I shall have to grin and bare it as they say."
She turned around and eyed Giacomo who was looking extremely pale and more then a little uncomfortable. She took pity on him and replied "don't worry I am not expecting you to ever fall madly in love with me, it would be highly unpractical of me."
She sighed "well if you'd excuse me father, I am due my Latin and Spanish tutorials in less then five minutes time." Her father nodded and allowed her to leave the room. There was an uncomfortable silence after she had closed the door behind her.
Later on that morning Giacomo met up with Rocco. Rocco asked "so what is the soon to be fair lady Casanova like?" Giacomo replied "she is extremely beautiful. She has an attitude like none other I have ever met before. She obviously is not the flirty and giggly type either.
Christ she even answered her father back. She sure as hell isn't a spoilt little princess and daddies girl. It seems she merely tolerates him. She preferred her mother. Now that her mother Ara Grimani is dead, having died of cancer merely two years ago, Astra is left to deal with her father and older brother."
He shook his head "damn Rocco she even up and said that she knew I did not love her and suspects that I most likely never will. She does not expect anything from me."
Rocco let out a low whistle. "She sounds like she won't take any shit lying down. She sounds head strong." He laughed "you're going to have your hands full with her you do realise."
Giacomo sighed sadly "god Rocco, she doesn't deserve this, she deserves a man that will worship the ground she walks upon."
Rocco nodded he asked "so what is she currently doing right now?" Giacomo replied "she is currently in the middle of her Latin and Spanish tutorials. Her father tells me she is fluent in French, German, not even I can speak German, she is currently close to finishing learning Spanish and Latin."
He added "she is fully inversed in Shakespeare and philosophy. She can play the piano and the violin. She even understands the general gist of politics for Christ sake."
Rocco shook his head in wonder as he said "so you mean she looks to be someone who can match you not only in the intelligent's department but also in wit as well."
Giacomo nodded "if it weren't for the fact she doesn't sleep around, she could well and truly be my female equivalent, it's scary." Rocco chuckled as they continued to walk the grounds of the Grimani estate.