by C. De Melo
“I would think you would want to remain in England for Anne’s sake, if not for mine.”
“If you divorce me, I’ll take my daughter back to Tuscany with me. I would never leave her behind to become a disinherited bastard.”
He appeared offended. “I would never do that to her.”
“Oh, no? When your new wife starts bearing the sons you so desperately desire, my child will be cast aside—unloved and unwanted.”
“I love Anne as much as you do!”
“You’re a weak, spineless man! You wouldn’t dare risk the disapproval of your new wife or your father. Anne goes where I go.”
“The laws of England favor the fathers, not the mothers.”
Sabina crossed her arms, suddenly remembering the contents of Camelia’s last letter. The new pope, Innocent VII, was a good friend of the Medici. In addition, the pope’s son married Lorenzo’s daughter and Lorenzo’s nephew was now a cardinal.
“I will contest this divorce.”
James shrugged. “It will do no good. It would be better for everyone if you submit to my wishes.”
“You mean the earl’s wishes,” she spat. “I plan to inform Lorenzo of this wicked plot that you and the earl are conspiring against me.”
James was well aware that the Medici controlled the papacy, but he didn’t expect such vehement opposition from his wife. “I’ll have to discuss this matter with my father.”
“Coward,” she seethed, turning her back on her husband.
Sabina ran upstairs to find Teresa. “James is speaking with the earl at this very moment,” she whispered to her faithful maid. “I want you to go downstairs and listen to their conversation.” She ripped a pearl from her bodice. “Here, take this and pretend to be searching for my lost jewel. Be as silent as possible. Go now!”
Teresa set off quietly, stopping only when she heard the earl’s voice. He was in his private study with his son, so she crept to the door…
Thaddeus was furious when James repeated his conversation with Sabina. “Damn her. Your union with that woman was profitable, I admit, but fruitless. The king agrees with me. In fact, he’s already selected a wife for you.”
“Who is she?”
“Lady Catherine of Chartwell. She’s rumored to be pretty. More importantly, she comes from a fertile family. She has many brothers and sisters, and her siblings have many children. Male children.”
“I doubt she’s prettier than my Sabina,” James said churlishly.
Thaddeus bit back an angry retort. “You can still have Sabina.”
“She found the idea of being my mistress repugnant.”
“Do you want a son or not?” Thaddeus demanded, annoyed with his lovesick son. “Has that witch cast a spell on you? An evil love potion preventing you from thinking clearly?”
“No, Father, but I still love her.”
Thaddeus delivered a hard blow to his son’s head. James recoiled and winced as he rubbed the sore spot near his ear.
“Forgive me,” the earl said gruffly. “I had to knock sense into you.”
“Can’t we wait a little longer?”
“You’ve been married for ten years! That Tuscan bitch isn’t getting any younger. Her childbearing years are over.” He put his arm around his son’s shoulders. “Lady Catherine is only seventeen—ripe fruit on the vine. Take my advice and let Sabina go back to Tuscany.”
“What about Anne?” James demanded. “I love my daughter.”
“You’ll love the sons and daughters you sire with Catherine. You’ll be giving up one child in exchange for several more.”
“What if we insist that Anne remain here?”
Thaddeus resisted the urge to hit his son again. “We risk the pope getting involved and voting in favor of Sabina. We don’t want the pope meddling in our affairs.” Seeing the misery in his son’s eyes compelled him to add, “Unless…”
There was an uncomfortable pause as he stared past James with a strange look in his eyes, as though a revelation had just come to him.
“Unless what, Father?”
“Unless there was an unfortunate accident. You would get to keep your daughter and remarry without any problem.”
James stared at his father in disbelief. “Are you suggesting murder?”
Teresa crept away to deliver this disturbing news to her mistress.
Shocked, Sabina paced back and forth in her bedchamber. “I want you to summon Umberto and Maria at once. Bring them here. Be quiet and discreet.”
Teresa left the room and Sabina scribbled a letter to Lorenzo informing him of her dire circumstances. When her maid returned with the two servants in tow, she supplied Umberto with enough money to buy ship passages, and warned them not to breathe a word to anyone.
Sabina interrupted Anne’s lessons the following morning and had a serious conversation with her daughter while Umberto stood by the door like a dutiful sentry.
Anne’s brow creased with worry. “Why must we leave, Mother?”
“You’re old enough to know the truth, so I’ll be honest. Your father wishes to divorce me, take another wife, and keep you in England.”
Anne shook her head. “Father would never do such a thing. He loves us.” Sabina remained straight-faced and said nothing. The girl’s brows knitted together in puzzlement. “Why would father want to rid himself of you? What have you done?”
“Your father needs a male child to carry the Wynne name. I have failed in my duty to provide a male heir and he wishes to be rid of me.”
Anne began to cry and Sabina held her. “I do not wish to leave!”
“I will not force you to come with me.”
“I want you to stay in England, too,” Anne whined.
“Today is the day you become an adult, little one,” Sabina said, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her daughter’s ear. “Life is full of difficult choices. On one hand, you have your father and England and everything that’s familiar to you. On the other hand, you have your mother and Tuscany—it would be an adventure. Only you can decide, but this must remain a secret between us. Tell no one. Do you understand?” She waited for Anne’s solemn nod before continuing, “Tonight, while everyone is asleep, I will depart with my servants. If you wish to accompany me, I’ll be the happiest woman on earth. If you decide to stay, my heart will remain here with you forever. I’ll be waiting for you in my bedchamber at midnight. Remember: I love you no matter what you decide.”
Anne’s face was wet with tears. Sabina hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead before leaving the room and giving the girl time to think.
The day passed slowly. When it was Anne’s bedtime, Sabina kissed her daughter goodnight, just as she had done countless times before.
“I’m going with you, Mother. I don’t want to stay here with a stepmother. She’ll never love me the way you do.”
Sabina’s heart tightened at her daughter’s perceptiveness.
Anne continued, “I didn’t have time to pack.”
“I’ll purchase new dresses for you, and they will be far prettier than anything these English seamstresses can create,” Sabina promised before embracing her daughter. “Come, we must make haste.”
All three servants were packed, dressed, and ready to go. Umberto had secured five passages aboard a ship that would take them across the channel into France. From there, Sabina would figure out what to do. She led the way down the steps to the main floor.
“How will we get past the armed guards?” Teresa whispered.
“I drugged their ale,” Maria replied. “They should be sleeping soundly by now. I took the liberty of adding a little bit to the wine, too.”
“Good thinking,” Sabina said.
They made their way outside without a problem. Umberto fetched the horses from the stable and the five of them rode south beneath a crescent moon. They arrived in Dover before dawn and watched the sun rise from the ship as it headed south toward France.
***
James and his father were su
rprised to have slept much later than usual. The sun was high in the sky before they managed to drag themselves from their beds. The earl quickly ascertained that he had been drugged and sent a servant to check the rest of the castle.
The servant came back with puzzling news. “Lady Sabina is missing. Her bedchamber has been vacated and her clothing is gone. Lady Anne’s room is untouched, but the girl is nowhere to be found.”
“James!” Thaddeus bellowed as he scrambled out of bed.
The earl strode through the castle in his night shift, not caring about the cold stone floor beneath his bare feet. He found his son sitting on his bed rubbing his head.
James looked up groggily. “Father?”
“Your wife and daughter are gone.”
James stood up and swayed. “Gone? How?”
“We were drugged, as I’m sure the soldiers were.”
“Then we shall go after them.”
“No, we won’t, you fool!”
James’s brow creased in confusion, forcing Thaddeus to point out the obvious. “Your wife has deserted you, James, which leaves you free to remarry.” His spirited daughter-in-law was now guilty of abandonment and kidnapping. The pope couldn’t possibly deny his son a divorce on such serious charges.
James stared straight ahead and said quietly, “I need to be alone, Father. Please go.”
The earl closed the door. A moment later, he heard the pitiful sobbing of his brokenhearted son.
Chapter 19
Florence, Tuscany
1491
Sabina arrived in Florence and found it a very different city than the one she had left behind. While Anne admired the city’s unique architecture from within the carriage, her perceptive mother studied the Florentines—more specifically, the expressions on their faces. There was a shadow over the city, even darker than the one cast by the Pazzi Conspiracy over a decade ago. The people seemed to have lost their joy and, in its place, there was something else, something that weighed heavily on their minds and hearts.
In her sudden haste to leave England, Sabina lacked the opportunity to write to Iacopo and inform him of their imminent arrival. Hearing the noise, the old man came out into the courtyard.
“Signora, you did not warn me!”
“Do not worry yourself, Iacopo,” Sabina assured him. Iacopo’s eyes swept over Anne, compelling her to add, “This is my daughter, Anne.”
Iacopo greeted the girl with courtesy before shuffling off to help Umberto, Teresa, and Maria with the few travel trunks. Before long, rooms were aired, linens changed, and inventories made to replenish supplies. Sabina hired two young girls to help with the cooking and cleaning, and in a matter of days, her household ran smoothly.
Anne explored every nook and cranny of her new home, delighted by her foreign surroundings. Sabina sent a message to Camelia announcing their arrival, and her friend came over that same day.
After a tearful embrace, the older woman pulled away and looked Sabina up and down. “Why did you not write to let me know you were coming?”
“I didn’t have the chance to do so.”
“Is James with you?”
Sabina pursed her lips and shook her head. “I came with my daughter. Anne, where are you?”
Anne exited one of the rooms. “Yes, Mother?”
“Camelia, this is my daughter, Lady Anne Wynne of Rochester.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Signora Camelia,” the girl said with a respectful curtsy.
Camelia smiled warmly at the girl. “What a lovely girl you are, Anna! You have your mother’s eyes.” She turned to Sabina. “How long will you be staying in Florence?”
“Forever,” Anne blurted out.
Camelia’s brows came together as she looked askance at Sabina. “Oh, dear. Is everything all right?”
“It is now. Let’s take some refreshment, then you and I shall talk.”
The three of them ate some freshly baked apple cake and Sabina allowed Anne a bit of sweet wine before sending the girl to her room.
“Have you left your husband?” Camelia asked once they were alone.
“He was going to divorce me.”
“On what grounds?”
“Failure to provide an heir. I tried every fertility cure in England but, for some reason, I couldn’t conceive after having Anne. James is going to remarry as soon as we’re officially divorced.”
Camelia made a face. “Men!”
“I don’t seem to have much luck with them,” Sabina said sadly. “Maybe I’m meant to be alone in life.”
“Don’t think such a thing, my dear. Coming back to Florence was a wise decision. I’m surprised he allowed you to bring your daughter.”
“I threatened to take the case before the pope and my father-in-law was against that idea. My maid overheard them conspiring against me. I was an obstacle in the way of their ambition. I think they meant to harm me in some way, although I can’t prove it. We escaped in the middle of the night.”
“You poor girl! At least you’re safe now.”
“Camelia, I feel as if my life is nothing more than a tawdry novel.”
“There are enough lies, intrigues, and affairs in Florence to write thousands of tawdry novels. The cunning know-how to keep dirty secrets, and others pretend not to notice. Never feel as if you’re the only person who has gone through scandal or heartache.”
Sabina felt somewhat better after hearing this.
Camelia continued, “Speaking of scandals, have you heard what has been taking place in Florence?”
“No, but I noticed the Florentines seem grim.”
“It’s no wonder! Sermon upon sermon in the churches proclaiming God’s punishments on the immoral city of Florence. Somber-faced monks walk through the streets shouting warnings of our imminent doom if we do not repent. People crying hysterically and beating themselves bloody in the piazzas to wash away their sins. Things have become intolerable.”
The city Sabina remembered and esteemed supported new ideas, new thinking, and embraced ancient secular philosophies. The bile rose to her throat at the thought of facing more religious fanaticism.
“Who is responsible for this surge of zealotry?”
“A Dominican friar by the name of Girolamo Savonarola. His fiery sermons against social corruption are drawing in many followers—most of them poor, of course. The Florentines are in an uproar. He preaches against the lavish lifestyle of the nobility and the members of the Signoria. Even Lorenzo has not escaped his criticism.”
“He speaks out against the Medici?”
“Repeatedly. He accuses Lorenzo of supporting the artists and writers who produce unholy, pagan works.”
“How does this man get away with such impertinence?”
“The people love him.”
“What of Lorenzo?”
“The last I heard he was taking in the thermal waters to soothe his gout. He spends more time in his villa in Careggi than in Florence. His son, Piero, is already preparing to take over when he dies.”
“Lorenzo isn’t old; he has many years yet to live.”
“He’s very ill, Sabina,” Camelia pointed out gently. “The people are worried. Piero is not as clever or as politically shrewd as his father.”
Sabina and Anne departed for the Palazzo Medici the following morning in the company of two newly hired guards. A page led them to a room where Lorenzo sat behind a desk. Dressed in black, he studied the document in his hand with a grave face. The lines between his brows and around his taut mouth were deep, evidence of stress and chronic pain. At the sight of Sabina in the doorway, he stood and opened his arms. She ran into them without a moment’s hesitation.
Lorenzo gazed deeply into Sabina’s eyes before kissing her forehead. “Ten years, is it? One would think ten hours by looking at you.”
“It’s wonderful to see you again.”
“I read your last letter and was much aggrieved by it. I’ve written to the Earl of Rochester on your behalf. You’re safe now, Sabina.
”
Moved, she inclined her head and kissed his hand in gratitude.
Suddenly, he winced in pain. “This wretched gout is killing me,” he whispered through clenched teeth. He turned to Anne, who stood quietly near the door. “Who is this charming young lady?”
Sabina motioned for Anne to come forward. “My daughter, Anne.”
Anne curtsied with surprising elegance. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance, my lord.”
Lorenzo smiled and chucked the girl under the chin. “Pale and golden like her father, but the mischief I glimpse in her eyes is yours, Sabina.”
Sabina stroked her daughter’s hair. “She is my pride and joy.”
“At least something good came from your union with James,” he whispered. “Please, sit with me a moment. How do you find Florence after being away so long?”
She noticed that he moved with difficulty. “I find it quite changed.”
He sighed tiredly. “I fear for the future of this city.”
“Camelia told me the monk, Savonarola, speaks out against you. Why do you allow it?”
“My grandfather always taught me to keep my friends close and my enemies closer. Whenever he delivers a sermon, I try to attend. If I can’t go, someone from my household attends on my behalf. He challenges me, among others, but I never dignify his words with a response. To do so would make me appear defensive, weak. The Florentines know who I am and they remember everything I’ve done for them.”
“People can be fickle, Lorenzo. The masses have short memories. It’s disrespectful for this monk to speak of you in such a manner.”
“I don’t worry about the poor people who support him, but my rich and powerful enemies see this fanatic as a means to get rid of me.”
“You’re going through so much right now. What can I do?”
“Nothing.”
“There must be something, some way to help you.”
He forced a smile. “Keep your eyes and ears open. Stay loyal to me. That’s all I ask.”
“My eyes and ears are always open. I’m forever your loyal servant.”