The Angel of Soriano: A Renaissance Romance
Page 19
Chapter 37
Hiding her face deep within the cloak, Aurelia strode into the courtyard. The people who’d thrown rotten fruit just months before, cheered. She wasn’t sure how Bernardo managed it, but in the late afternoon light, the old woman’s cloak glowed as it had the night of the battle.
A statue sat in the middle of the square with the words carved into the base, La Vecchia del Carnaiolo,’ meaning ‘The old woman who makes porchetta.’ The sculptor had given her a hump, the face of a witch, and a cat at her feet. One out of three is not so good she thought with a wry smile.
Then shaking, she took a deep breath and approached the pope, the right hand of God. Bernardo smiled broadly with arms crossed over his chest as he sat to the left of His Holiness. Borgia sat to the right smiling evilly at her.
She knelt and kissed the pope’s ring and stared incredulously. The same white marks that she’d seen on Dideco and Bernardo’s nails laced his fingertips. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at Borgia.
He glared back with the same twitch that he’d had weeks ago when she’d confronted him. Like then, she just knew. It made perfect sense. Everyone said Rodrigo Borgia was next in line to become pope. He was just rushing the date along by poisoning the pope! She wanted to shout it out to the world.
Then the holiest man in the world tucked an old finger under her chin and looked into her face with a smile worthy of his name. He kissed both her cheeks and stood with the help of two of his aides.
In a loud but infirmed voice he proclaimed, “This is Aurelia Nardini. She freed Bernardo Carvajal from the dungeon. Risked her own life to guard Lucella Santamaria and her grandmother of Spain. She chose love of our town over her own family. As a reward, and to create goodwill between these two twin cities, we give her to Bernardo Carvajal, the Steward of Soriano.
She’d never seen Bernardo grin more broadly. He held her hand high over their heads while the townspeople shouted. The bell at the top of the church tower rang, followed by chiming in the hills beyond. She was certain she knew which one was Bastia.
Fulvio started clapping, Bishop Carvajal cheered, and Pope Innocent opened his palms and blessed the town. She barely heard him as he implemented a “Golden Bull” and changed the coat of arms of Soriano to include the word, Fidelitas.
How to use this to her advantage? She trusted Bernardo, but would he trust her when she told him what she’d seen?
After the ceremony, she rushed to find him. Together they must find a way to stop Borgia for all time. She was no longer willing to become a sexual sacrifice. Instead, she would fight.
She found him in the great hall just as one of Borgia’s minions tried to pull her away.
Bernardo pulled out his sword and using the flat side, thumped the man onto his knees. “Apologize.”
The man nodded on his knees. “Scusami. I was under the impression she was most willing to go.”
“She is not.” Her husband’s brows creased fiercely as if he might kill.
Borgia swept forward in his red robes and met Bernardo eye to eye. “Are you willing to die for her?”
“Si. Are you?” His hands were clenched and his mighty biceps ready to do battle.
Borgia’s men were armed and ready, but so were Bernardo and his brothers’ men. There were a few unknown to her, standing beside Fulvio that she assumed were Orsini. To Aurelia the battle seemed just about equal.
The pope watched it all, a bit dazed and confused. She walked over and kissed his ring, waiting for everyone to look on. Then she gave Borgia a raised eyebrow. Would he want it to be known that the pope was being poisoned?
“Stand down.” Borgia pointed to his men. “She wishes to stay here. I was mistaken.”
He growled at Bernardo. “You will regret this day.”
“I think not. We leave Soriano to you, Cardinal Borgia. My wife and I have been invited to Naples, indefinitely. The king has sent more men to escort us and I expect them shortly.”
He bowed to the old pope. “I’m sure you can find someone to replace me. In fact, I may know an Orsini, who’s more than willing.”
Fulvio stepped forward, doffed an expensive feathered cap, and knelt. “At your service.”
Chapter 38
Bernardo entered the hall and hung his sword by the door. As of late, there was a sense of comfort in his new lands. A warm breeze blew from the south with the spring equinox only days away.
He bent over and picked a tiny flower from an unknown garden and prayed for the soul of his step mother. She used to love the small string of white bells that smelled sweeter than honey. He added a prayer to remove his father from purgatory, where he no doubt spent a great deal of time.
Sitting by the great hearth, Aurelia rocked to her feet, unbalanced by her growing belly. Uno, a yellow cat who’d somehow found his way into their home all the way from Soriano, meowed, then zoomed across the room. He stared from a tall window ledge, blue eyes locked upon him.
“Best you get used to more noises in this keep, cat.” He glared back, strode across the room, and handed Aurelia his gift.
She put the stem under her nose and smiled. “A ‘Lilly of the Valley,’ sign of virginity. Hardly appropriate, Signore Carvajal.”
He chuckled and kissed both her cheeks. “It’s the only one that’s as sweet as you.”
“Since when have you become such a poet?”
He kissed her belly. “Since you are having my son.”
“And if a girl?”
“I will go to the king, prepare a parchment, have it sealed in red wax, and tell her it is never to be opened.”
She chuckled. “I suppose, upon reflection, I was a mite foolish about that.”
“Not at all. Because the seal was not broken, Pope Innocent was certain it’d not been tampered with. In that, your father was quite correct.”
She shook her head. “Poor Papa.”
“Si, si. But he’s in heaven now, no doubt arguing with the great Plato, Cicero, and endless philosophers.”
She giggled. “Unless they’ve asked for a recipe to cure a stomach ache.”
“God forbid.” She looked to the door. “Where’s Fulvio? I thought he might stay here in Naples for a while.”
“I’m not sure and he wouldn’t say. But I suspect he left a woman behind in Soriano.”
“No doubt. I want to show you what I did today.” She took him up the stairs to their chambers.
“So soon. Before sunset?” He loosened his belt, eager to please his wife.
“Well, we could do that, too.” She laughed and opened the door.
Bright blue linens, the color of her eyes, hung from the rafters. A small white cradle sat waiting beside their bed. She pulled out a trundle that would someday fit two, perhaps even three more children.
The sun shone through the window, creating a halo around her now shoulder length light hair and he was undone. He took her into his arms, kissed her until she blushed, and then took his angel into heavenly bliss.