Disclaimer: I do not own the Tudors.
Chapter Fifty-Three: Lucrezia de' Medici.
29th of April 1534 - Southampton
Staring out of the window of the chambers that she had been given, Lucrezia de' Medici could not help put think about how things had changed so much since her father had passed; he would have loved to be a guest of the King of England. Her heart ached at the thought, she had greatly missed her parents and she knew that they would have done everything in their power to protect their family from the ruin that had nearly consumed them.
After her father's death, Lucrezia had feared that her family legacy destroyed because of her brother's incompetence; she had been forced to watch as her brothers fled into exile. It most certainly did not help her cause that her husband had been a supporter of the new rulers of Florence; not that it had stopped her sending funds to Piero in hopes that he might raise an army to be restored.
It was only through her brother, Giovanni's election as Pope were, they returned to Florence but she had found herself unable to trust that they would hold Florence forever. Her dear sweet Giuliano had been an amazing man, he had sort her advice when he had been the Ruler of Florence; she had held high hopes for his children only for them to nearly be crushed by Giulio.
Anger filled her at that, Giulio had used his position as Pope to try and fix the issues that plagues their family; wishing to repay the kindness that her father, his uncle had shown him. The fact that he had commanded Clarice to come here and degrade herself like a common whore; she had no doubts that Giuliano had rolled over in his grave for that one. Though it had pleased her when she had heard that Clarice had defied his orders, finding herself instead married into the new Queen of England's family and a confidant to her.
Lucrezia had been a prisoner alongside her cousin when he had been captured by the Emperor, she would not forgive that nor could she forgive Giulio for bowing down to the man and doing as he wished while they were his hostages. It had led not only to the disgrace of the holy seat that he held but Lucrezia knew that even now his actions were called into question; no one would forget the Pope that bowed down to a King and made him an Emperor for his own comfort.
"Mother?" Lorenzo Salviati asked stepping into the cabin, he did not wish to disturb her and her musings but he could not afford to wait anymore; he had been most surprised when she had announced her decision to come to England. He closed the door behind him and edged forward, she looked tired and the trip had not been an easy one; there was no doubt if their intentions were discovered that they would be in great danger.
"Are you certain?" Lorenzo murmured not seeing why him or one of his brothers could not do the task that she had come here to do; he saw no reason to bring in those who had fled Italy and defied the Pope himself. Though he supposed that he too now followed that path, he had accompanied his mother to make certain that she was safe and well; his father having remained in Florence to cover up their absence.
"You may be my son. But a true Medici is needed, the wrong committed by his Holiness needs to be corrected," Lucrezia told him firmly, she did not wish for her sons to get any grand ideas for she knew if this was to work then they would be reward for it. Giulio had been a fool to install Alessandro as the Ruler of Florence, his actions concerned Lucrezia, he was greatly disliked by the people and she would not stand for him tarnishing the name of her family.
"We have arrived," Lorenzo murmured, if his mother would not support him then he doubted that anyone else would; it did not matter if he was the grandson of Lorenzo de' Medici when he did not bear that name. No one would support him when there were better Medici claimants out there, ones that it seemed his mother was willing to back over him or any of his brothers.
Nodding her head firmly, Lucrezia turned away from her son and she prayed that this would work; she feared what would happen if she could not convince them to do things her way.
"Aunt Lucrezia," Clarice greeted with a large smile, she stepped forward to embrace her and was a little surprised that she had not brought her husband with her; she eyed her cousins trying to recall who was who. It had been such a long time since she had seen them and she had not expected them to make the journey with Lucrezia; she could not imagine what had brought them here especially since they had moved so quickly to come and visit.
"It is wonderful to see you again niece, your father would be most proud of you," Lucrezia told her softly, a warm smile on her face and she glanced behind Clarice at the small gathering that had come to greet her. It had been a long journey and Lucrezia had no doubts that her decision to come to England had raised many questions; she was most eager to see the King and Queen so that perhaps they might start to get down to business.
Smiling at Lucrezia's words, Clarice really hoped that she was right and that her father was proud of her along with her mother for everything that she had done; she might have broken away from the family but she had done it to protect herself. Clement would have continued to pressure her into doing something that she did not feel comfortable with; she would have been reduced to nothing but a whore doing his dirty work.
"May I introduce my husband. George Boleyn, the Duke of Bedford," Clarice stated linking arms with Lucrezia and leading her over to where George was with the children. There had been no need for discussion on whether George and the girls were going to be here to greet her family; though the attendance of George's parents at such an event was a surprise.
"It is an honour to meet the beloved aunt of my wife," George greeted with a nod of his head, he stepped forward to greet Lucrezia and tried to hide how nervous he felt about meeting her. This was the first time that he had the chance to meet someone senior in her family, for such a long time it had only been her and Ippolito in England and he had no idea what Lucrezia might think of their marriage. Afterall, his father had only recently been made a Duke and before that he had been an ambassador; he worried that they would not think he was good enough for Clarice.
"The honour is mine, Your Grace," Lucrezia replied with a smile, he was a rather handsome fellow and she could imagine that he made her niece rather happy; she could only hope that he did not suffer from the infliction that seemed to inhabit all men. Her eyes looked passed George to eye his parents, she could imagine that his mother had been a great beauty of her day; she seemed to be growing old gracefully and was dressed modesty. It was the father that made her smile drop slightly, though Lucrezia was certain that no one noticed, there was something about him that unsettled her and she did not like that.
"And our daughters; Contessina and Filiberta," Clarice stated with a smile, her voice breaking Lucrezia from her thoughts about Thomas Boleyn and she turned her attention to the two little girls. Both girls had been fitted with Medici names and it was pleasing to see that no matter where Clarice ended up in the world that she would not forget her roots and allow her husband's world to consume her. Moving on to greet her nephew, Lucrezia could not help but eye the young woman at his wife; she pondered just how ready she was for what was about to happen.
"Aunt Lucrezia," Ippolito greeted stiffly, he had wondered much about her visit and had found himself concerned that perhaps she had learned of his plans to take back Florence. It would not end well if she had come here to announce that she was going to back Alessandro and any advances that he made would not be welcomed; Ippolito was hopeful that he would not have to contend with his aunt and her family as well.
"Nephew," Lucrezia replied, her eyes glancing him over and she was pleased to see that life outside of the one that had been forced on him suited him better. She had argued against Giulio's plans to make Ippolito a cardinal, she had pleaded with him to see beyond his ambition that her nephew was one of the few males left from the main line.
"This is my wife. The Lady Mary Tudor and our daughter, Lucrezia," Ippolito stated turning to look at her, she offered a deep curtsy to his aunt and hoped that this visit would go better than either they both feared.
Highly recommend Athenais Penelope Clemence's story, Chained by Love and War as well as the short prequel An Enchanting Dance in Calais by Countess of Sherwood. I also recommend For Even as Love Crowns You by wizardfantasy and Sanctuary by Cattyfan.
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