Madame Serpent Page 7

  The little procession rode silently through the city. Aldobrandini had chosen the quiet streets, but it did not take long for the news to spread. ‘They are taking the little Medici out of Florence. They seek to protect her.’

  Rough jests passed from hp to hp; obscene threats were murmured, then

  shouted.

  Aldobrandini wanted no violence. If anything happened to the girl now, he would be held responsible at a later date. Already Clement’s brief humiliation was over. He had made peace with the mighty Charles of Spain, who, for a consideration, was now his ally; and Florence was realizing her mistake in siding with France and England instead of with Spain.

  ‘Give us the Medici!’ shouted a voice. ‘Give to us the daughter of tyrants.

  Let her learn to suffer― as we have.’

  The hoarse cry was taken up. ‘Give us the Medici!’

  Caterina had need of all her courage, but her long training helped her to hide her fear, and she was glad of it now. She looked neither to right nor left; she sat her horse with haughty grace and seeming indifference to the snarling cry of the mob.

  Suddenly there was a rush, a flurry of blows and cries, and the ranks of her guards were broken. The little Medici was seen clearly for the first time.

  ‘It’s a nun!’ shouted a voice. ‘A holy nun!’

  ‘They’ve tricked us. They are not bringing the Medici this way. They have tricked us with a nun while she makes her escape.’

  Even now Caterina looked straight before her and continued to ride on as

  though what was happening about her was no concern of hers.

  There was a pause in the rush of the rabble, which gave her guards a chance to close around her again. The crowd fell back.

  ‘They’re tricking us!’ shouted a voice. ‘They’ve dressed her up as a nun!

  Come! Shall we allow them to trick us?’

  But the people were unsure; they were afraid to harm a bride of Christ.

  The fear in Caterina’s heart was replaced by triumph. She had formed a

  miracle no less than that Reverend Mother had with her cloak. She had saved herself from she knew not what― perhaps death itself. How wise, she told

  herself, to rely, not upon prayers, but on her own Medici wits.

  ―――――――

  A few months after that terrifying ride through Florence, Caterina was in Rome. Florence had surrendered; Clement was command, so he sent for his

  young kinswoman to join him; she was getting very near a marriageable age.

  How wonderful it was to meet Ippolito after all these years! How exciting to find him more handsome than ever, and that so was a change in his attitude towards her! She was no longer the little girl whose company he had enjoyed at the Medici Palace; she was nearly fourteen; she had lost that angularity of form and was budding into womanhood.

  Life had become miraculously pleasant once more. She had grown fond of

  her friends at the Murate, but how she enjoyed gaiety of Rome! There was

  another reason for pleasure: Alessandro was not in Rome; he had been installed in the Medici Palace in Florence, for Clement had kept his promise to p boy and had, to the horror of all Italy and the terror of Florence, made the monster ruler of that great city. Ippolito had been stunned when he had heard that Alessandro was to have what had been promised to him; he was still bewildered; he could not believe that the Holy Father could treat him so shabbily; he was angry for himself and afraid for Florence. It was Caterina’s chief concern to try to lift him from the frustration and melancholy which enveloped him.

  They were both lodged in one of the palaces of Vatican City, and life there, with the coming and going of ambassadors and the ceremony which surrounded the Papal Court, was varied and full of interest for the girl who had lived so long behind convent walls. But she must make Ippolito happy; she must prove to him that there was greater joy in life than ruling Florence. She saw that she delighted him with her quick retorts, her plump little body, her rich fair hair and those fine, flashing eyes of hers. He had been happier since her return.

  They rode together. Caterina was an excellent horsewoman. With a few

  attendants, they would spend the whole day on horseback whenever they could manage it.

  It was to Caterina that Ippolito unburdened himself of his unhappiness; he could speak of little else during their first weeks together, for not only had he been robbed of his inheritance, but he was being thwarted in his choice of a career.

  ‘Caterina, the Holy Father has sent for me. He dismissed Excellency and

  said he would speak with me privately. Then he told me of the future he has planned for me.’

  She saw her dream of happiness threatened. ‘Ippolito! You are not going

  away from here?’

  ‘It is not that. He wishes me to go into the Church.’

  ‘You― into the Church! But you are not a churchman!’

  ‘So I told him. I said, “Holiness, I consider myself unfit for the honour you would bestow upon me. I am not a man of God. I have been brought up to

  believe that Florence would be mine.” Then he grew angry. “Enough!” he cried.

  “Florence has been provided with a ruler.” He was angry; but I was angry too. I forgot I was in the presence of the Holy Father. “I marvel, Holiness,” I said,

  “that one of such uncertain parentage should be put above me.” He clenched his fist and all but shouted at me, “You are so certain of your parentage then?” I said proudly that my father was the honoured Duke of Nemours and my mother was a Florentine lady, whereas, though it was known who was Alessandro’s

  father, his mother was said to be a Barbary slave. Then was he truly angry. “It is no concern of yours,” he said. “I am determined you shall go into the Church.”’

  ‘Oh, Ippolito, can you not hold out against his wishes?’

  ‘Our lives are in his hands, Caterina. And there are times when I forget that he is our Pope. There are times when I hate him. He cares nothing for us; little for the Church. Power is his god. He has made Alessandro, his secret bastard, ruler of Florence; and Florence under Alessandro, Caterina, resembles Rome under Nero. No one is safe from his lust and his cruelty. People are flying from the city when they can. Do you remember the two Ruggieri brothers?’

  ‘Cosmo and Lorenzo!’ she cried.

  ‘They have escaped from Florence. They bring sad tales with them. You

  knew Alessandro as a vicious boy; he has become a monster. I hear His

  Holiness has arranged a marriage for his bastard with none other than the daughter of Emperor Charles.’

  ‘Poor Emperor’s daughter!’ said Caterina.

  Ippolito turned his eyes upon her. ‘Caterina, I thank the saints that His Holiness let the monster masquerade as your brother. If he had not, it might have been you who would have been married to Alessandro.’

  Caterina could not speak. There were no words to express the horror such an idea brought to them both.

  It was so great that it made Ippolito forget his troubles; Caterina, lifting her eyes to his, thought she saw a response to her own delight.

  Ippolito took her hand and kissed it.

  ‘Life has consolations to offer, Caterina,’ he said. And they laughed and whipped up their horses.

  Never had Caterina been so happy. She sent for the brothers Ruggieri. She gave them orders for perfumes and lotions. She begged them to look into her future. It was exciting to wrap herself in a cloak and slip quickly through the streets of Rome to the room these brothers shared. She begged them to let her look into the magic mirror. She would see the face of the man who was to be her husband. The brothers had fled from Florence; they had not, here in Rome, the necessary articles for their study. They would do their best for their little Duchess.

  Soon they would find some means of showing her the face of her future

  husband.

  But Caterina believed she saw it; it was noble and dark, a handsome
face

  with eyes that flashed and sparkled― Medici eyes very like her own.

  This was to be in love. To sing for happiness, to see the river sparkling as it had never sparkled before, the grand and imposing buildings softened, more lovely, the faces of those about her more gentle, the sun more warming; in this new emotion was the dread that she might not see Ippolito this day, then the overwhelming delight when she did.

  Ippolito could not remain ignorant of this joy which had seized her. He must see it in the shine of her eyes, in the inflexion of her voice when she spoke to him.

  They spoke of their love when they rode out together. This is the happiest day of my life, thought Caterina, looking back at that most gracious of cities glittering in sunshine that had never been so bright as it was on this day of Caterina’s happiness.

  Ippolito said: ‘I pray the saints that you are as happy as I am, Caterina. I bless them because the Pope cannot marry you to Alessandro.’

  ‘Do not speak of him on such a day as this.’

  ‘No,’ agreed Ippolito. ‘Let us speak of ourselves instead.’ ‘Oh yes― of

  ourselves, Ippolito.’

  ‘I love you, Caterina. I loved you when you were a little girl and we were together in the palace in our beloved Florence.’

  ‘I loved you also, Ippolito. I have never ceased to think of you during the years of our separation. I knew that we should be together again.’

  They had stopped. The attendants kept some distance behind; they had

  known, before the young people were aware of it, of this state of love between them.

  Ippolito took her hand and kissed it.

  ‘The Holy Father means us for each other,’ he said. ‘Depend upon it. He

  would not allow us to be together if that were not so.’

  ‘You are right, Ippolito. Oh, how happy I am!’

  ‘I too. Caterina, since you love me, it does not seem to matter that I have lost Florence.’

  ‘I understand. I have been unhappy; I have suffered― loneliness and horror.

  But I do not care now, Ippolito, because life brought me this.’

  They longed to kiss, to embrace, but how could they, here in the open

  country with their attendants behind them? The talk of their future, though; they could promise love and passion with their eyes.

  ‘Caterina, I do not believe the people of Florence will long submit to

  Alessandro’s tyranny.’

  ‘No, Ippolito. I am sure they will not.’

  ‘And then, my love, I shall rule Florence― and you with me. We shall be

  together in the palace where we spent our childhood.’

  She said: ‘Ippolito, can one die of happiness, for if one can, I fear you will lose me.’

  He answered: ‘I cannot bear to look at you and not kiss you. Let us ride.’

  Later there were embraces; there were kisses; it was not possible to keep such a charming love affair secret. And why should it be secret? Ippolito, Caterina, cousins and both Medici. Why should their union be denied the Papal blessing?

  The happy days marched quickly past.

  Such a matter could not be kept long from the Pontifical ears. The news was whispered among the Swiss Guards and Palatine Guards and the palace lackeys until it came to the ears of the bishops and cardinals, and through them, it reached Monsignor, who in his turn passed it on to the Master of the Household, his Excellency, whose duty it was to live close to the Holy Father himself.

  His Holiness was furious. He hated Ippolito― hated him for his handsome

  face, his charming manners and his popularity. He knew that, if he were not very careful, he was going to have trouble with Ippolito. The stubborn youth had tried to turn his back on an brilliant career in the Church, and all because Alessandro had been made ruler of Florence. Ippolito would be another such as his father and Lorenzo the Magnificent. Ippolito did not fit into the papal schemes.

  Now, Caterina did. Great wealth and power were to come to Clement

  through this girl. Her marriage was his first consideration now, and great plans were afoot.

  The Pope looked at his long hands and seemed to see pictures of men as on playing cards that he would hold fan-shape and wonder which to play. There was the Duke of Albany― not a good choice, for he was Caterina’s uncle by marriage; there was the Duke of Milan, ailing and old enough to be her

  grandfather, though his declining fortunes went against him rather than his age.

  The Duke of Mantua? The life this man had led was similar to that led by

  Caterina’s own father and that which Alessandro was now leading in Florence.

  Such a marriage was not desirable. Caterina’s father had made a grand marriage with a lady related to the royal family of France, and what had happened? Death for the parents, after the birth of one child― a girl, Caterina― who had by a miracle escaped the result of her father’s sins. No! He wanted a husband who was rich and powerful, though power and birth came before riches, as it was with Medici wealth that he should be drawn into the net. There was the King of Scotland. But that was a remote and poor country.

  It would cost me more than her dowry to bring me news of such a place! he said to himself. There were others. The Count of Vaudemont, and even the Duke of Richmond, illegitimate son of Henry VIII of England. The Pope frowned on illegitimacy, although he himself was illegitimate and had risen to power in spite of it.

  But now into the marriage market had stepped a dazzling bargain. A bride

  was wanted for Henry of Orleans, second son of none other than the King of France.

  When His Holiness had heard of this, he had kissed his fisherman’s ring and asked the Virgin’s blessing. The house of Medici allied to the mighty house of France!

  First sons had a way of dying; some were hurried to their deaths. The wives of second sons could become queens. Queen of France! Breeding children that were half Medici, and ready to be very kind to their mother’s family! If this marriage could be arranged, it would be the brightest event that had ever taken place in the Medici family. The marriage of Caterina’s father to a connexion of the Bourbons would be nothing compared with Caterina’s marriage with the

  house of Valois.

  He must go carefully. He had spoken of the proposed French marriage to the Emperor Charles, who, laughing slyly up his sleeve, had suggested the Pope try to bring it about. He thinking that a sharp rebuff from France would do Clement good.

  Does a royal house mate with such as the Medici? They were rulers of

  Florence, it was true, but they had their roots in trade. No, thought Charles.

  Francis would laugh down his long nose at the effrontery of the Pope, and make some witty remark at his expense. But there was something Charles had

  forgotten which the Pope remembered. There were always ways of tempting the French King. He had ever cast covetous eyes on Italy and if Clement promised the Duchy of Milan as part of Caterina’s dowry, he might bring this about.

  Tentative negotiations were already going forward, and the Pope was optimistic And now this news. This crass stupidity. These absurd people! It seemed

  that the whole of Rome was talking about ‘the Medici lovers’. And Ippolito―

  the eternal thorn in his side― was the cause of it.

  The Pope sent for Caterina.

  Through the long series of halls and rooms, past the papal lackeys and the guards, she came. She was in that dream of soft happiness which was always with her now; her thoughts dwelt constantly on Ippolito. She and Ippolito together, all through their lives; and if Alessandro did not die or was not displaced, well then, it would still be Caterina and Ippolito, happy, in love forever. Being together was all that mattered. Where they were was

  unimportant.

  Monsignor was waiting for her in one of the outer chambers. He looked so

  sombre in his purple cassock that she felt sorry for him; indeed she felt sorry for all who were not Cateri
na and Ippolito.

  ‘His Holiness awaits you,’ said Monsignor; and he led her into the presence.

  She knelt and kissed the fisherman’s ring, and felt relieved that it was not to be a private audience, for Excellency did not leave them.

  ‘My dearly beloved daughter,’ said His Holiness, ‘I am making

  arrangements for you to leave Rome immediately.’

  ‘Leave Rome!’ she cried out before she could stop herself. Leave Rome!

  Leave Ippolito?

  The Pope expressed silent surprise at such bad manners. ‘To leave Rome

  immediately,’ he went on.

  She was silent. Tears were in her eyes. She was afraid His Holiness would see them. Why was he sending her away? She sensed in this some threat to her love. She could not help it; she must speak.

  ‘Holy Father, I― I do not want to leave Rome, now.’

  Excellency was standing very still. Even the Holy Father was silent. They could not understand her. Could she have forgotten that it was not for any to argue with the Pope of Rome?

  The Holy Father’s lips were tight. ‘There is a threat of plague in Rome. We cannot allowour dearly beloved daughter to take the risk of remaining here’

  It was untrue. There was no plague in Rome. She knew, instinctively, that this was a plot to separate her from her beloved Ippolito.

  She forgot decorum, forgot the dignity due the Holy Father. ‘Where―

  where shall I go, Father?’

  ‘To Florence,’ he said.

  ‘Oh, Father, is― my cousin Ippolito to come with me?’

  There was a horrified silence. Excellency’s face was a blank mask that hid surprise. The Holy Father looked down into the anguished eyes of his young relative and found himself answering her question instead of reprimanding her.

  ‘Your cousin Ippolito is to go on a mission to Turkey.’

  She did not speak; her lips trembled. She knew that she had been living in a dream. There was to be no happiness with Ippolito. It was not the wish of this all-powerful man that they should marry. They had been together through

  carelessness, indifference to the torture separation must mean to them both.

  Perhaps the Holy Father had some pity in him. He looked down at the