Chapter Five
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks".
- Hamlet Act III, Scene II
I THINK BACK TO EARLIER THAT morning when I believed that death was the worst fate I could come to. As the man's hungry gaze moves from my face to the rest of my body, I know that I would gladly spend the rest of my life in the dungeons. Drawing and quartering is a better fate than having his hot wine breath on me.
You are naught but a street whore ... and I am a gentleman.
Who will they believe if I complain? I hold back my scoff. If I tell the queen? She might execute me for the inconvenience. If I tell Giovanni, will he believe a thief or a gentleman of the court? My scorn makes me laugh.
"There." The old man smiles an ugly sneer. "We both know you want it."
I cringe as his lips graze my neck.
His grasp lessens, for he thinks I have resigned to my fate. But I have not. I do not care if anyone believes me or not. I will not let this behemoth treat me so. He sees the re-newed spark in my eyes and mistakes it for interest; his own glassy eyes flare with the heat of desire.
I lean in closer to him, my hands through his tangled hair.
"Signore ..." I pout, one hand moving from his hair to unbutton his doublet. I swallow the distaste that rises in my mouth.
Right when I feel he is relaxed, I knee him between the legs - hard and satisfying. He crumbles to the floor with a horrid shriek and rolls around with a painful groan.
"You whore!"
I kick him in the ribs, then I fumble with the balcony door. I do not look back but run away from him, down the first hall I see, only to run into the last person I want to.
"Signora!" Giovanni de Luca grabs my arm and spins me to him. At first he does not recognize me, but as I look up into his eyes, annoyed recognition masks his initial concern. "Oh. It is only you," he says. "I thought you were a maiden in need of aid."
I have no energy to play this game between us. I feel disgusting and shamed. I want to bathe and runaway.
"Let me go!"
But Giovanni's quick eyes do not leave anything amiss. I can feel his eyes move from my messed up hair, tear stained face and ruined dress. And although I can feel his steely eyes upon me, I do not feel the same disgust. I look away before he can come up with any conclusions. I do not want to see him blame me.
I can hear a roar from behind me and know that the man caught up to me.
"Signor de Luca. Good, you have caught the little seductricce."
My eyes dart from the floor to Giovanni's, but he is looking beyond me, at the council man.
"Return her to me, my good man. Things were just getting heated." I could feel his slimy gaze on my back. "The little witch enjoys it rough. I am only obliging."
I hold still. Not a breath escapes me. Giovanni's hold on my arm tightens and I fear I may bruise. Does he believe him? Of course he does. Why else would his jaw tick like so? I can feel tears pricking my eyes. I knew it. I knew that he would not believe me. For he already made a judgment of my character.
After some silence, Giovanni states curtly, "The queen requests her presence."
The man laughs. "Very well. Afterward then -"
"No. There is no afterward."
I am surprised at the finality of Giovanni's tone. He does not look at me, his gray gaze still on the man behind me.
"Perdono?" the man asks. "What do you mean no?"
"I mean that she is under the protection of the queen."
"Protection?" The man's tone is bewildered. "You speak as if I wish her harm!"
"A maiden would not run away from a lover."
My ears burn. I do not think I could ever look at Giovanni de Luca again, from the shame, the embarrassment and ... gratitude
"We are only playing a game ..." the councilman continues.
"You seem to be the only one enjoying it."
The councilman's good humor evaporates. "What do you know of what women want!"
Giovanni keeps silent, his eyes unwavering from the councilman. "This is my last warning to you Signor Marchisio."
"She seduced me!" Signor Marchisio continues to spew. "She asked me to follow her to the balcony! I am a nobleman, what need do I have of a peasant! She used her witchcraft -"
Giovanni pulls me along with him, away from the blubbering fool of a council man.
"You believe that puttana over me!" come the cries from down the hall. "Perhaps you want her for yourself! You sly bastard!"
I keep my gaze on the floor as we walk away. Giovanni does not speak until we reach my door.
He lets go of my arm abruptly, as if I am diseased. I do not blame him; he has every right to be revolted, for I am as well.
"I will leave you to compose yourself."
Yet, he remains standing in front of me. I do not dare lookup, even though I can feel his hand beside my face, his fingers close to the tendrils of curls that cover the bruise the signore caused.
Just as quickly he snatches his hand away. How disgusted he must be. How revolting he must find me. I watch him curl his hand into a fist as he turns away and briskly walks down the hall. I do not have the strength to look at his stern form. Instead, I run into my room and lock the door behind me.
I sink to the floor and with my knees to my face I cry. It has been years since I have cried so. I have never felt such helplessness before. I do not know how long I am sitting on the floor, but a knock comes from the door. I still, my heart beating so painfully, I fear it may burst.
"Signora?" comes a timid female voice. "It is me. Your maid. Signor Giovanni sent me ..."
I open the door to face the doe eyed maid who ran away from me earlier that day.
She walks in and closes the door behind her. She places the dress and a bowl of ice on a table and turns around to hug me.
"Oh, signora!" The young girl walks me to the tub and helps me in. "You must be careful of signor Marchisio. We all know of his ... ways."
I sink in the tub of bubbles. His ways. So he has done this to other girls. I come up for air and ask the young girl, "What is your name?"
"Annabella, signora."
"Do not call me that. Just Petra. Petra is fine."
The girl blushes. "Very well, signo - Petra."
She helps me dry and says, "Signor Giovanni says that you did quite the number on Mostro."
"Mostro?"
"Si, monster. That is what we call him."
I smile as she lays the black high neck dress for me to wear. It is an ugly gown, made of coarse rough clothe - a dress made for a spinster or for a funeral.
It is perfect.
I can feel a calm darkness settle within me. "Yes," I whisper. "It might be several weeks before signor Mostro decides to bother another maiden again."
***
I WALK out to the garden where Mad Queen Meridian and her courtiers await. Despite the ice Annabella brought, my face is still swollen and tender; the slight breeze is too much and so I free my hair from its bun so that it may conceal my face.
I walk to where the royals are gathered. Lanterns and candles light the path. They sit in small tables; music plays from a band hidden somewhere in the gardens.
"There she is!" I recognize the Queen's shrill voice. "Now you can astound us all."
I curtsy and say, "But of course your highness!" I spin around to my audience and despite my swollen cheek, I grin my most dazzling smile. "Prepare to be amazed!"
There are around twenty courtiers. I walk around the various tables, discretely studying them: their clothes, the manner in which they sit, the way they talk, the manner in which they look at each other. Of course they do not know my intent; they believe it is all part of the show.
In one table sits a devastatingly beautiful young lady with blonde hair as pristine as pure gold. She wears a bored smile and holds the eyes of almost every young man at the gathering. Besides her sits another young lady, nowhere near as beautiful, but she makes up for her lack of beauty with obscene jewelry. My fingers itch at the sight of them.
I smile as I approach their table. The pretty blonde arches an elegant brow at me. Up close I realize quite a few things. The dress the beautiful lady is wearing is from last year's fashion, whilst her uglier friend is wearing a gown that was fashioned to fit just her. The blonde does not wear nearly as much jewelry, and her friend is covered in it.
From their mannerism I can tell they are both highborn ladies of court; the only difference is that the blonde's family must have lost their riches whilst her friend remained wealthy.
The golden haired beauty scowls at me. I am not sure whether it is because of how intently I am studying her, but her cool blue eyes make me uneasy. They are familiar, but I do not want to spend too much time dwelling on her. I focus on her friend instead. The chubby brunette is not nearly as intelligent.
"Milady." I curtsy to the richer one, but I do not miss the blonde rolling her eyes at me. I hide my smile for it is obvious that she is offended by my slight to choose her friend over her.
The brunette jumps out of her seat. "Mio dio! Will you read my fortune? Are you sure you do not mean Cecilia?"
Ah, so the blonde is Cecilia. I smile. "No! I feel a special bond with you, signora!"
She beams, although it makes her face look like a tomato. So, it seems my volunteer feels overshadowed by her friend's beauty, thus she overcompensates with her jewels. I lead her to the center of the gathering and pull two seats for us. I motion for her to be seated.
My Grams lessons come back to me as naturally as breathing.
Use a calm and sympathetic demeanor.
Use a soft voice.
Pleasant smile.
Constant eye contact.
Sit with your legs closed but not crossed. Leave your arms at your side.
There are four things most people care to talk about: their health, their wealth, their ambitions and of course their love.
I hold the young lady's hand. She has wealth. She is not smart enough to be concerned with power. She is chubby and of course well fed. So the one thing this particular noble would care to know about is love.
"My name is Petra. I am from the Shazastar. A land in which all magic originates. I will use that power to help you today. May I ask your name?"
The girl stares at me wide eyed. "Patty. I mean to say Patricia, but everyone calls me Patty."
"Well, signora Patricia. I can already feel a conflict within you."
"Oh?"
I keep my gaze on hers. I make a show of studying of her face. She is a little anxious, which means that yes, there is indeed a conflict.
"I feel it has to do with a friend ..."
Patty gasps, her hand flutters to her mouth as her eyes dart to Cecilia.
I bite down on my smile.
"A friend named ..."
I close my eyes and turn away from Patty.
"Named ... "
"No!" Patricia stands up from her seat. "No more! I don't want you to say!"
Astounded gasps resound through out the garden.
"Why not!" The queen shrieks. "I do very much want to know!"
"I'm sorry your highness! But it is private!"
I shrug and say, "If she does not feel comfortable your highness I cannot force her. It will conflict with my magic."
The queen groans with frustration. "Honestly! Just when it was getting good!"
Patty moves back to her seat, but before she passes me, I whisper to her. "It is Cecilia, no?"
Patty's eyes widen with shock. She says nothing, but it is more than enough for me to know that I am right and that she believes in my powers.
"Please signores and signoras. No need to get alarmed. If you do not feel the need for me to divulge what I know, you can come and visit me privately, of course."
I spend the rest of the night doing harmless acts: card tricks, horoscope readings and the like. I am not alarmed for I know I won the confidence of not only the queen but her courtiers. Although the event has been a success, an uneasiness lurks around me.
I catch Cecilia's glare many times throughout the night. I try to rack my memory ... I am sure I have seen her some where, for her cold blue eyes are familiar. She smiles slowly, an ugly sneer that still looks beautiful on her face, but sends cold chills through me.
"Who is that lady, Cecilia, related to in court?" I ask the Mad Queen. "The pretty one, Patty's friend."
Queen Meridian does not bother even looking at her, before answering. "Why, that is my councilman's daughter ... Signor Marchisio. Have you met him yet? A complete bore of a man."
A/N:
SOOO?! What do you guys think about Gio, now? what about petra and especially Patty and Cecilia? What is going on there?!?! Things are definitely not what they seem in the palazzo ;)