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

Chapter 6

The silence of the night was broken by the tragedy.
Gradually everyone woke up from the noises that came from the place of the murder.
Struggling to control her shock, Ginevra realized she would have been safer with the guards than being hiding alone in a place where everyone could find her and suspect of her.

Weakly she walked back to the crime scene, already crying when she stepped in the middle of the mourning crowd of guards and servants.
She fell on her knees when she saw the blood on the floor when some men removed the body. They were inspecting his body, realizing the mortal wound was caused by a strong stab and his unsheathed sword meant that he fought against a possible stranger man. Then someone noticed the opened window where he killer escaped.

The masters reached the place.
Someone took Ginevra by her arm and helped her stand up.
She wiped her face and when she realized it was Lorenzo she froze. She regretted visiting him into his room. He saw her just few minutes before the crime. He was the only one able to rise suspects against her and made her sentenced to death.
But he only gave her a sad look, then had to approach his worried mother who was calling for him.

Cosimo appeared causing the disapproval of his relatives, but he took control of the situation as the real master of the house.
He ordered to the guards to surveil better the whole villa and surroundings, announcing that a tragedy like that was unacceptable and could never happen again, so new skilled and trustworthy guards were needed and the culprit discovered and executed with no mercy.
Ginevra kept her head down, pondering if it was better for her to tell him the truth or make justice by herself.
When she felt a hand touching her arm she winced finding herself staring at the worried eyes of the master of Florence.
He softly asked her to walk him back to his chamber, saying words that were meant to comfort her when actually she felt more troubled.
"He was a loyal and skilled swordmaster. He didn't deserve to die like that, into my villa" Cosimo sighed and laid down on his bed "I wish I'm stronger enough to find the murdered myself".
"He will be found, I'm sure of that" she whispered, dark thoughts storming in her mind.
Silence fell and she realised Cosimo was staring at her with a penetrating gaze, so deep that she felt naked. Like he was able to unveil all her secrets.
Or maybe he was suspecting of her.
"You weren't here when I woke up" he said quite coldly.
Ginevra felt her blood freezing. She trusted him, she felt save next to him, but in that moment she was almost panicking. If Cosimo turned against her, she was doubtlessly dead.
"Yeah" she mumbled, her fear was evident, she was trembling like a leaf in the wind.
He sighed "I welcomed you into my house and still I know very little about you".
"Cosimo..." She whispered feeling about to pass out. Saying his name sounded like a blasphemy now that she believed she lost his trust.
"I don't mean to scare you. Come here" he said suddenly sweetly, extending a hand to her.
But she didn't move. She wasn't able to act anymore.
And he didn't insist.
After a long silence when they just stared at each other, he said quietly "You know you're free to tell me your secrets. They'd be safe with me. But if you don't want to, I'll understand".
She knew he knew something, but she couldn't guess what he found out.
His offer was inviting, she wished to share all the hell she'd been through and all the things she knew. It would have been such an enjoyable relief to get rid of heavy secrets.
But then she remembered who she was. Just a nameless peasant. While he was the most powerful man in the city, even if now he looked just like a weak, ill man.
Ginevra walked to him falling on her knees and she grabbed his hands into her, kissing it.
"Listen to me carefully, my Lord" she said firmly staring at his shocked eyes "I'll never betray you. Never. Not you, nor your family. I swear".
He blinked confused  "I know. I trust you. I just hope I can protect you in a better way".
She retreated with the same confusion "Protect..me?".
"Of course. Ginevra, what were you thinking of?".
She stood up walking away from him, her lips were trembling uncontrollably.
"Did you know? Is it why you insisted to make me move here?".
"That you have secrets? We all do" Cosimo laughed nervously "No, it's not that. It's just that finding a pretty poor girl who learns so fast and knows how to appreciate arts is not that common. I felt it like a God's gift. You needed some help and I could help, so I did it". 
The way he said that made it impossible to say he wasn't fully sincere.
The girl tried to control herself, she almost revealed herself her darkest secret. She was seeing ghosts everywhere, mistaking every little thing that could be related to her past. In her mind it seemed easy to tell him that fra Goffredo was an impostor and a murdered. But she didn't know well Cosimo's relationship with him and such a big revelation would have brought too many uncontrollable side effects. She decided it was her only mission to deal with that demon.
Cosimo fell asleep after she went back next to him, saying sweet nothingness.