So sorry for the slow update! I've had so much to do, being on a three-day training camp and being behind on all of my stories! I hope this chapter makes it up for you! Jazzy, once more a big thank-you for your support 3 Love y'all!

You never know how far you can go before you've been there.

Chapter 5:
November 4th 1497

Jane's arm was wrapped around Julio's as they walked through the market. Because of the cold weather, Jane was wearing a brown short-sleeved gown of sorts on top of her red everyday dress. Her hair was braided around a hairnet on the back of her head, ending in a thick braid trailing down her back.

Jane looked around the market place, a square that was full of booths, people, animals, food and new smells even on a cold morning like this one. Her eyes fell on a monkey that was crawling up and down on a tall stick that was attached to one of the booths. She giggled when it suddenly jumped down and snatched a fruit from the neighboring booth before quickly returning to its place on the stick.

"What is it?" Julio glanced towards her with an affectionate smile.

She pointed towards the ape. "Look."

Julio looked around for a while before laughing as his eyes followed the monkey's movements.

"Come on," Jane said and pulled Julio along towards the booth.

The stall was built pretty much like any other stand at the market; wooden planks attached to each other so that they formed a table with a sort of roof on top of it. Except of course that this booth was decorated with colorful scarves and golden chains decorated with moons and stars. The man behind the booth was dark and wearing just as colorful clothes as the ones displayed on the planks in front of him. Even the monkey seemed colorful; it was wearing a red vest with rich golden brocades in foreign patterns.

"Good morning, fair lady." The man's accent was heavy and just as strange to the Italian people as his products.

"Good morning, signor." Jane smiled at him for a moment before returning her attention to the goods in front of her. "These are all wonderful," Jane said as she ran her fingers over the fabrics.

"And cheap."

Jane looked up, shocked for moment over his forwardness, but then she just laughed. "I have no doubts."

She stood in silence for a while, looking at different items until she finally looked up. "I like your monkey."

"It's not for sale."

Jane chuckled. "That was not at all what I was suggesting – I merely said I liked it."

The man nodded and Jane returned her focus to his products. "Julio, how do you like this?" Jane held up a long golden chain with a large pendant resembling a flower with a small, blue stone in the middle.

Julio stepped forward and touched the pendant. "Wonderful," he murmured.

"Then I will take it," she said, looking him into the eyes for a moment before turning her attention once more to the shopkeeper. "How much is it?"

"Two tenth of a florin."

"And you said you were cheap." Jane took her pouch out and began rummaging around in look for a tenth.

"You obviously don't know the worth of that." The man hesitated then reached for the chain. Jane let it go freely. "See the chain, it's pure gold. Even the pendant is. And that stone, it's a topaz. They're very valuable."

"I would take your word for it." Jane handed him two tenths that she had found at the bottom of her pouch. "Thank you very much, signor."

Jane turned around and walked away from the booth as she put the locket into her pouch and once more hid it in her dress.

She and Julio walked around the marketplace for another half hour before leaving it and walking towards the Sankt Peter's Square where Jane had promised to meet Giulia.

"You know, I wonder what brilliant scheme that you are planning with this Giulia," Julio mused.

Jane looked at him with a smug smile. "Perhaps one day you will."

He shook his head at her disbelievingly before kissing her hand and saying goodbye. When Jane turned around her eyes instantly began searching the Square for Giulia or Vanozza. Her eyes quickly found Giulia standing ever so graceful on the top of the stairs to the Sankt Peter's Church clad in a dark red dress that was simpler than most of the dresses that she wore in the Vatican.

Jane hurried through the crowd and when she finally reached the steps Vanozza had arrived. She was looking youthful and happy, her hair braided and wearing a purple dress.

"Giovanna." Both the women bowed their heads to the newly arrived who returned the gesture.

"Are you ready to leave?" Vanozza asked.

"As soon as I have heard where I am going."

"To a brothel." Giulia smiled mischievously. "We will explain it to you on the way… somewhere more private than here."

Jane nodded and followed behind the two women as they walked down the stairs. Apart from the occasional sideways glance from men or the jealous look of a woman, the three ladies went through the crowd swiftly and unnoticed and had in no time found their way to emptier streets.

"I pray that we need not prostitute ourselves to gain the information needed about the cardinals." Jane's pace quickened until she had caught up with the two women.

Giulia smiled. "I am relieved to say that we need not go to such desperate measures."

"But there are others that must go to desperate measures," Giulia said in a mysterious voice. "Namely the brothel."

Jane turned her head, now finally beginning to see the meaning. "It is obvious to all that the cardinals are not keeping their oaths of poverty; the same is the case, as you surely know, with the ones of celibacy," Giulia continued.

"So we are going to a brothel to get…"

"Names, dates, sums," Vanozza finished for Jane. "There is a brothel here in Rome that we know for a fact has their share of cardinals, and we also know that this brothel is having a hard time with the finances. A part of their house burned down and they have no means to rebuild – and if half their rooms are closed there is only half the space for costumers."

"So we would… make a deal with them?"

"Exactly." The three women now entered a way busier street, though it wasn't close to being the busiest in Rome. Giulia nodded towards a three-story building across the road. "And there it is."

They crossed the road and Giulia opened the door, letting them all three in. Inside there was a great hall in dark tree with a staircase leading upwards and a hallway leading to – assumedly – the 'guest rooms'.

The hall was decorated with plants and couches where poorly clad women had launched themselves, some of them resting after a probably hard night of work and other playing games, drinking or doing drugs.

"How can I help you?" a sullen voice sounded from the side.

"Are you Bianca?" Giulia asked. The woman didn't bother answering; instead she called the name loudly before turning around and smiling a very fake smile at them. "Just a moment."

And it was only a moment until a woman began walking down the stairs. She was dressed very differently from the rest of the women in the house, even though it was obvious from her face and eyes that you shouldn't be tricked by the modesty of her clothing; she was far from innocent.

"Can I help you, signoras?" She was far more polite than the other woman.

"I think we can help you, though some more privacy would be needed." Giulia's voice was suggestive and she seemed to make no effort to show the hidden innuendos.

"What help would you offer?" She looked at Giulia intently, her gaze sharp like a knife from years of being taken advantage of. "And what will you have in return?"

"I heard that bad luck had paid your business a visit in the form of a fire. Luckily, we can help you with that."

Bianca observed the three women closely for a few moments. "Fine. Follow me."

She led them down the hallway to a larger room. Three women were on the floor, their dresses scarcely on and their eyes empty. "You there, get out."

The three women hurried up and quickly followed Bianca's orders. When the door had closed behind them, Bianca turned to face the three guests. "What is it exactly that you are offering?"

"Money, financial help for the rebuilding of your house," Vanozza said matter-of-factly.

Bianca nodded. "And what will you have in return?"

Vanozza spent a second or two thinking about how to put it into words. "It is very simple and quite easy; all we need is some information about certain of your costumers."

Bianca raised an eyebrow. "You were a concubine once, weren't you?" She didn't wait for Vanozza's answer. "You would know that we have very strict politics when it comes to discretion."

"No one would know," Giulia said in a low voice, "if only you apply discretion on these matters as well – as we would prefer."

Bianca sighed; Jane knew that she had been placed in a corner. "How many clients are we talking about?"

"It can't be many," Jane said, taking a step forward. "After all, the clients we talk about have made oaths of celibacy."

"Cardinals?"

"Indeed."

Bianca looked to her left as if to find a way to escape this. "How much are you offering?"

"Whatever you need to rebuild this place to its former… glory."

"And for how long would I have to spy on my clients?" Bianca's eyes went back to the women.

"As long as we need it." Giulia thought what she had said over for a while. "If our need of your services surpasses how long the restoration will take, we will still donate some money for your business every month."

Bianca nodded. "What sort of information will you need?"

"Names, on the cardinals. When they visited, dates, how they paid and how much they paid." Vanozza thought it over for a while. "Also, it might be usable to know if they had any… special interests."

"Fetishes?"

"Yes."

Jane nodded in silent agreement; it could be very useful to know if the cardinals liked the 'usual' stuff, or if they had preferences; if they did it would make the possibility of a true scandal that much bigger.

"Would there be anything else?" Bianca asked.

"No," Giulia said thoughtfully. "We will exchange money for information every month at this date around midnight, if that suits you." Bianca just nodded.

"Actually," Vanozza suddenly said, "there is one more thing."

"What is that?"

"I would like to know if the Pope himself has ever visited."

Jane could see that Giulia wasn't too happy that Vanozza had asked by the look that she sent her. Bianca didn't need much thinking; you would remember if the Pope of Rome was visiting your brothel. "No."

Giulia let out a barely noticeable sigh while Vanozza nodded and thanked Bianca, who led them out into the hall again.

"It was a pleasure to do business with you, signora," Giulia said and Bianca curtseyed as Giulia left with Vanozza and Jane. As soon as they were out of the door, Giulia let go of her anger.

"Why did you ask that?" she hissed at Vanozza.

"About the Pope?" She seemed to have no idea why Giulia was so frustrated.

"Yes. Why?"

Vanozza shook her head. "You needed to know, did you not?"

"He is not unfaithful."

"You were the one who questioned him in the first place," Vanozza said matter-of-factly.

"Wait." Jane looked at the two women. "Rodrigo is unfaithful?"

"We are not sure."

"We are now." Jane could tell that Giulia's pride had been hurt and she understood her fear; the Pope wasn't exactly known for keeping to one woman.

"My darling, there is more than one brothel in Rome." Vanozza's voice was soothing even if what she had said hadn't exactly been reassuring.

But Jane could tell that it wasn't the brothels that worried them; the Pope, after all, didn't need a brothel to find himself a bedpartner – Rome was filled with women who were more than ready to cast themselves at the Pope's feet, all of them hoping to achieve power the way Giulia had through her position as the Pope's lover.

Too bad they didn't know: Giulia wasn't one to let go of what belonged to her.