The Art of Power and Love ( A Medici Masters of Florence the Magnificent fanfic)

Chapter 2

Florence

The city looked different when Ginevra came back. It was like she betrayed it somehow and the city's roads were accusing her of it.
She reached the house she was used to stay in and started to gather her few ownings, taking off the dress she borrowed from her previous masters and changing into her travel clothes.
A young man stormed into the room right when she was done.
"You're late. Overwork?" He frowned noticing she packed everything "What are you doing?".
"I'm leaving" she announced smiling "You won't believe what happened to me today".
"Leaving. Going where?" He inquired with diffidence.
"To the villa in Careggi".
"Careggi?" He repeated shocked.
"I met Cosimo de Medici" she said breathlessly "And he took me to his villa in Careggi. I visited his academy and now he wants me to move there".
Her enthusiasm was unstoppable, but it didn't influence the boy, who just stared at her in disagreement.
"Medici, huh? And why does he want you? You already have some masters. Or did they sell you to him like you're one of their works of art?".
"I'm not an object, Giacomo. He doesn't want me to serve. He made me join his accademia. I think he wants my company. I can work for them in order to pay my staying".
Giacomo shook his head "They're powerful and rich. They might just use you".
"Well, I prefer them to the Vespuccis. I'm tired of their housekeeper's rudeness, even if it's like I have the gift of attracting houseworkers' antipathy. But the fact is that messer Medici made me feel welcomed when the Vespucci didn't. They just kept me because I know how to move into a palace".
"You never explained why you can do that".
She crossed his questioning look and stifled a swallow "There's nothing to explain".
Giacomo inhaled deeply "Be careful, okay?".
"Always" she smiled and walked to him for a hug "Thank you for everything. The few coins I earned are yours. I'll give you something more if I can get some more".
"I don't want your money. I don't want anything" he waved his hand and stepped away from her to take something from behind a door "Take this. It'll be useful".
She looked at the thin sword he made for her when he taught her to fight and duel.
"I can't" she said touched "I wouldn't be allowed there with a sword. But I still have this".
She showed her dagger hidden into her bag.
"Anyway, this is not a goodbye. I'll come to annoy you whenever I'll get the chance" she added elbowing him.
He laughed pulling her into another hug "You're always welcome here, remember it. And you're never alone. Come to find me when you'll get hard times. And if the Medici won't treat you well, tell me and I'll come to kick their delicate asses".
"I can do that myself" she protested with a smile "But thank you. Take care of yourself while I'm away".
She leaned towards him and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek, making him slightly blush.
"You too" he said taking her light bag and walking her to the carriage that was waiting on the road.
Cosimo allowed her to travel back to Florence to take her stuff, using his carriage. But the servants who led it didn't speak to her at all, like they were just doing their duties.
She waved to Giacomo from the window one last time, then she got anxious when the carriage stopped after a couple of roads.
She looked outside and recognized the Medici palace. A guard approached the carriage and jumped up to sit next to her.
"So you are the new girl" the man said scanning her "Messer Cosimo ordered me to accompany you, I'm sorry if I'm a bit late. I'm Bernardo".
"Ginevra" she replied timidly.
"Lovely name. I presume you're nervous".
She nodded, unable to understand if he was pretending to be kind or he really was.
"Don't be. We're not criminals and our masters are not evil. You just need some time to get used to your new home".
"Thanks" she couldn't find what else to say.
"So this is the dress you have to give back?" He took it from her bag before she confirmed it "I'll bring it back to Vespucci. You have nicer ones waiting for you".
Ginevra swallowed, troubled by what could be its real meaning.
When they arrived, she was glad to see Cosimo again, who inquired about her journey like a caring father. Then he walked her to her new room. A real room that made her gape in surprise.
Some wonderful dresses were on the bed and she enjoyed trying them, just to choose the simplest one, needing to avoid rising envy into the other servants who started to dispise her anyway.
Bernardo was the first one to welcome her with an approving smile "You're so far the painting I've always wanted to paint".
She frowned "Are you a painter?".
"I'm a swordmaster first, but I like painting whenever I get the chance. I draw with the paintbrush what I can't paint with the sword".
She laughed but soon stopped when she noticed Cosimo joining them and his gaze was able to make any woman blush.
He accompanied her to visit the most interesting parts of the house and soon it turned evening.
The master dismissed her for dinner. He showed her the kitchens where she was allowed to eat something, but he ordered his servants to bring her dinner into her new room.
When Cosimo walked away from her, it was like he took the sun with him and it turned off all the happiness Ginevra felt until that moment.
Suddenly a woman entered the room catching the girl by surprise.
"I'm Livia. I'm the housekeeper here" the woman said scanning her with a look full of aversion.
"Nice to meet you" Ginevra said with a small bow and smile, that didn't affect her.
Livia closed the door behind her and lowered her voice, making it sound menacing "I can't say the same. Careful, girl. We don't want troubles here. Messer Cosimo might have taken you because of your lovely face, but here not everyone are ready to welcome any peasant that the master find in the streets".
Ginevra stopped acting and rolled her eyes, moving to sit on the bed "I already noticed that".
"Don't be insolent" Livia hissed.
"I'm ordered to shut up the whole time?" The girl protested.
"You're ordered to be polite. And let me list all the rules you must follow while you stay here. And remember, messer Cosimo is sick. He won't be here forever to protect you".
Ginevra listened carefully to the flood of rules the woman listed, but they were similar to those she had to follow in the Vespucci Palace. She lost herself in her gloomy thoughts. Livia mentioned that Cosimo was ill and the darkest prediction started to haunt her.
She just replied with nods to the housekeeper's questions, who left believing that she tamed the girl. Ginevra learned to tell people what they wanted to hear from her, but sometimes some people just need silence as an answer.
Sleeping on a real bed was heaven compared to the rough blanket on a stack of hay.
Ginevra wished to lay on there forever, but dawn came soon and she couldn't afford to be lazy.
She didn't dare to wander around, so she waited until Cosimo came to accompany her.
They didn't chat long when an aged woman crossed their path and made them stop.
Cosimo sighed loudly.
"Who are you?" The woman asked scanning impudently the girl.
Cosimo rolled his eyes "Contessina..".
"Do you have a name?" His wife insisted.
"Ginevra" the girl replied fast, humbly lowering her head and feeling her mouth dry.
"Ginevra what?".
"Just Ginevra".
Contessina turned to her husband with exasperation "A servant, again. And should I allow this? Cosimo, why are you humiliating me again?".
"Stop talking nonsense. She's our guest. I welcomed her into the accademia because she deserves it".
"How can you say that? And a girl, in the accademia?".
"Just give her one chance, wife. She knows how to behave, she offered to work for us for free, we just have to let her sleep under our roof and give her some food. Nothing personal".
"What people will say about this? Don't you see how our servants are already talking about it?".
"When did we start to care of what people say? They can come and complain with me if they dare".
Ginevra only wished that the floor would eat her and make her disappear. She stood still like a statue while the argument stormed, when she wanted to intervene and ask to leave.
Finally Contessina walked away angrily.
"Maybe she's right" Ginevra interrupted Cosimo's apologies "I'm so sorry, I don't want to be a burden. I know that they don't want me here. I can go back to my previous life".
"Don't joke. I'm the one who must apologize. They're just diffident towards strangers. But you're not a stranger anymore. I welcomed you into my family. And I won't allow you to quit it" he said softly.
She crossed his eyes "But why? Why me? I know you don't take many peasants as guests".
He stared at her for a long time, making her anxiety growing.
"I don't know" he whispered in the end "Maybe because you're beautiful, you're kind and smart. And also.."  He swallowed "You remind me of someone".
"Who?" She asked alarmed.
He shrugged "I don't know. I just have the feeling I have to take care of you. I don't want to let you go and turn back into a stranger".
Ginevra lowered her head, speechless. Her hands had turned into fists behind her back and they were annoyingly sweating. For a moment she thought he could know and all her fears crashed on her. She needed to be brave. And she had just been so close to break like the thinnest slab of glass.
"Oh, Lorenzo" Cosimo's voice turned lively and broke the embarrassing silence.
Ginevra followed his gaze and noticed a teenage boy carrying some books stepping out of one of the many doors.
"This is my grandson" Cosimo explained to her, waving to the boy to step closer "You didn't meet yet. Lorenzo, this is Ginevra".
"Enchanted, miss" the boy smiled widely, taking clumsily her hand to bow on it. She smiled back, glad that someone else didn't take prejudice on her.
When he straightened his back and crossed her eyes, she noticed he had Cosimo's eyes.
"Ginevra. You have a lovely name".
His kindness partially washed away the feeling of being unwanted.
"Thank you" she said gratefully.
"She's our guest. You'll have time to know her" Cosimo said quite impatiently nodding to his books "Aren't you studying?".
"Yes. Marsilio wants me to translate some Greek pages. But I guess miss Ginevra would find it boring".
The two young people smiled to each other.
"You guessed wrong, my dear Lorenzo" Cosimo rested his hand on her shoulder "She's fond of art and literature. I had to drag her away from the library when I showed it to her yesterday".
Lorenzo smiled widely to her "Really? So I can show you what I'm working on..".
"That is Marsilio's job, not yours" Cosimo interrupted him "Go back to study".
The boy lowered his eyes and obeyed, after bowing again to her.
"He's such a good boy" Cosimo said with a loving smile while they headed to the accademia's quarters "It was the greatest blessing when God sent him to us. He prefers arts to politics. He's just like me. And he's already writing poems".
Ginevra couldn't hold her smile "You're so proud of him. It's clear from the way you talk about him".
Cosimo nodded and a bit somberly continued "He's our family's hope. I'm dying and Piero isn't healthy too. Thanks to God Lorenzo is mature for his young age. I want him to be strong enough to deal with a hard future".
That word "dying" hit her like a stab.

~~~

Author's note:
It was announced few days ago that Jeremy and Lily joined the cast of the sequel of the movie Mamma Mia and this is so exciting. At last they act in the same movie and they even have romance there!
Okay I should stop spoiling lol.
His appearance in the movie Great Expectations is the closest to how he would look if he played Lorenzo and lived in the Renaissance: long hair when he was young, shorter when he grew adult.
Yesterday they announced some new names of the actors who joined the cast and I'm quite disappointed. Only Sean Bean and Sarah Parish sound fitting to me, so I decided to keep my own cast.
Anyway I hope these first chapters aren't boring. The plot will soon develop in a better way, now it's just introduction. But you all feel free to comment and share your impression! and if you have suggestions they are warmly welcomed :)