Veronica
COURTESAN
SIOBHAN DAIKO
First Edition 2015
The English used in this publication follows the spelling and idiomatic conventions of the United Kingdom.
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by the copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the email address below.
This is a work of fiction. The locations are a mixture of real and imagined. All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Siobhan Daiko
All rights reserved.
Cover design J.D. Smith
Edited by John Hudspith
All enquiries to Fragrant Publishing
In loving memory of Veronica Joyce
More delicious than Venus
1
The wooden pew is rough against my fingers. I breathe in the heady fragrance of incense mixed with the perfume of the courtesans sitting at the back of the church. I squirm, the bodice of my pink damask dress so rigid it pinches, and the neckpiece at my throat will surely choke me. I fan myself, but to no avail: the dark-blonde curls that escape from under my veil stick to my damp brow.
My husband, Paolo Panizza, is on my left, his head bowed in prayer, greasy grey hair hanging limply around his wrinkled face. Wed last year at the age of seventeen to a widower of fifty summers or more, my future has been sealed before I’ve even begun to live it, and my heart feels wretched this warm Venetian morning in the year of our Lord 1563. I had dreamed of a true love such as Petrarch described in his sonnets, those verses I have tried to emulate in my own writing.
Movement in the pew opposite, and a tall stranger catches my eye. Dark brown hair flows to his shoulders. His features are handsome: full lips, firm cheeks and a well-trimmed beard. How tightly his doublet covers broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist. He beams at me and I lower my gaze, a flush creeping up my already hot neck.
After mass, the courtesans pick their way across the campo on their high platform shoes, chopines, which make them seem like troublesome galleys, their full skirts billowing like sails, their hands held by their maids so they do not overbalance. I’ve heard they sometimes wear men’s hose and breeches under their skirts, but no one has told me why they would do such a thing. One woman towers over the rest; her chopines must be vertiginous, three or four hand-breadths high, and she’s smiling and pouting at potential customers, reeling them in like fish to her net. What is it like to lie with a man? And to do it for money, no less? I often wonder…
My skirt, below a V-shaped waist, soft and gathered into folds, is not as full as those the courtesans wear but it does allow some air to circulate around my nether parts. Paolo steers a path through the throng. ‘Come, Veronica! We mustn’t be late for lunch.’ Then I catch him muttering, ‘Filthy whore,’ under his breath.
Holding my veil in place, I trot along behind him like a puppy following its master. Head down, I struggle to keep up, for Paolo’s stride is greater than mine. A tap on my shoulder, and I turn around. ’Tis the man I saw in church. He bows and I dip a curtsey. ‘Jacomo di Babolli,’ he says.
‘Veronica,’ my husband calls over his shoulder. ‘Hurry!’
‘My husband,’ I tell the man.
He raises an eyebrow. ‘I thought he was your father.’
‘I must go.’ Then, why not? ‘I shall see you at mass next Sunday.’
I sit through the interminable lunch at home with Paolo, where we are waited upon by his servants. How can he lack spare flesh? I have to watch him devour course after course at every meal like a pig at its trough. I think about Jacomo and long to find out more about him. ’Tis the lack of dialogue, the age difference and my husband’s treatment of me that allow thoughts of another to creep into my mind. But thoughts are not actions, are they?
Paolo pushes back his chair and belches. ‘Wait for me in your room, Veronica.’
Our routine. Every day, without fail, since he wed me. No one sees the marks, for they’re hidden ‘neath my skirts.
Paolo strides through the door. He bends me over face-down at the side of the bed, my feet on the floor, and lifts my skirts. Thwack! The thin cane stings as it cuts into my flesh. I yelp and wince. His aim is good, and he finds a spot to beat that has healed from a previous session. ‘You’re a filthy whore, aren’t you? Repeat after me, and then I’ll stop. I’m a filthy whore.’
‘I’m a filthy whore.’ I don’t resist him. I learnt early on it was futile.
‘I shall sleep the siesta now. Take care to not disturb me!’
I no longer cry; I have no tears left, and my heart has hardened to Paolo’s cruelty. Jacomo di Babolli was right in thinking of him as my father, for he’s one of Papa’s contemporaries. Papa never whipped me, however. He won a drinking game with Paolo and was able to pass me on with the bare minimum settlement.
For young women of my background, at a time when dowries have become so inflated that only the wealthiest find husbands, the options are limited. And I held out longer than most; marriage at fourteen is normal for those of us lucky enough to get an offer. I had the choice of marrying Paolo, going into a convent or following in my mother’s footsteps.
To be honest, I was persuaded by him being a doctor and, if not wealthy, at least he has a comfortable house not far from St Mark’s. I thought I could put up with the difference in our years. I had no idea what else I’d have to endure.
There’s just the one godsend to my existence, though. Paolo Panizza possesses an amazing library and I have free rein to read as much as I wish. The room is just off the portego, at the back of the piano nobile, not large, but stacked from floor to ceiling with leather volumes. Venice is at the centre of the printing industry, and Paolo has taken full advantage. There’s a wonderful smell in here, musty and enticing.
I pick up the book where I left it yesterday, the one containing the story of Danaë, a tale which strikes a chord with me for she was a woman cast adrift by her father. I lift the volume to my nose and breathe in the scent of paper and ink before devouring the words. Soon I have reached the end, for I only had a few pages left from yesterday. I get up from my chair and stretch, letting out a yawn. On Paolo’s desk is a dusty tome. I pick it up and flick through, my eyes widening with every turn of the page. There are drawings of men and women. Naked. Their bodies contorted in what can only be described as fornication. (I’ve not seen it, but I’ve heard about it from my brothers.)
There are lewd verses, too, that speak of “fucking”. Heat rises from between my thighs. I hurriedly replace the book and go to my room, where I practise scales on my lute, determined to banish the pictures from my mind. I sing a sonnet of Petrarch’s set to music.
‘Without eyes I still gaze, and even without a tongue I cry out;
I wish I could die, but at the same time plead for help;
I despise myself, but love another.
I’m nourished by grief, yet crying, laugh;
loss and life alike disgust me;
and to this condition I have come, my lady, because of you.’
All the songs and poems I know have been written about unattainable women. I would rather sing about a handsome man like the one I met this morn. I dip a quill into ink. There�
��s a piece of parchment on the desk, and after writing and re-writing I’m happy with what I’ve written:
I will show you my love if you will leave,
everything you now hide from me,
and my joy will be to delight you;
you'll find me more delicious than Venus.
My heart sinks. When shall I ever get the chance to emulate Venus, the goddess of love, and please a man? And how will I ever become more delectable than her when the pleasures of the bedroom are denied to me?
’Tis night, and I lie alone in bed; I can’t help thinking about those drawings. My body burns and my imagination, always a fertile part of me, starts to soar. Cupping my breasts I rub my thumbs around the areola. My nipples harden against my palms, sending a sharp shiver of pleasure down to my figa. What to do? Those engorged phalluses in that book were huge. I have never explored down there before. How big is it? Big enough for a prick?
I spread my thighs and reach under my nightdress, caressing the soft downy thatch. There’s a wetness that makes it easy for me to push a finger inside. As I brush against a tiny mound that feels like a large pearl, a raw tremor jolts through me. My hips tilting upwards, I suck in a breath and delve further into my fleshy folds.
Hotness spreads to my core. There’s space now for more than one finger, and my figa is crying out to be filled. A glass vial from Murano stands on my bedside table, empty of the herbal mixture it contained, the remedy for a recent cough. Round in diameter, wider and longer than my fingers. What will it feel like? The bottle is cold and I place it in my mouth to warm it. Sucking on it sends further quivers through me, my tongue becomes alive with sensation, and I let out a soft moan.
I lower the glass, and slide it against my swollen flesh, brushing it against my nub. A ripple of desire. I buck myself against the bottle, pushing it into me. A sharp pain, only momentary. Maria santissima! I’ve deflowered myself, which is more than what Paolo managed on our wedding night. His prick remained flaccid so he beat me instead, and said I was just like my whore mother.
I thrust the bottle deep into me, in and out, in and out, again and again and again. It feels wonderful. Then something happens, something so unexpected it makes me gasp. It’s as if a wall of pent-up pleasure has broken and the joy it releases cascades through my body like waves against the shore. My fingers are covered with my juices. I lift them to my nose, inhaling the musky odour; I touch my tongue to my fingertips. The flavour is sweet like the apple I ate after supper, and there is also the taste of blood. I wish it were not a sin to have enjoyed fucking myself. I shall have to confess to the priest for committing an impure act…
The weeks pass, Signor Jacomo and I exchange surreptitious glances at mass (my husband keeps me close) and, by night, I pleasure myself so much I am fair worn out by my exertions. That book is no longer on Paolo’s desk. I’m tempted to look for it, but tell myself ’tis probably something he leers over in the secrecy of his chamber – and I want nothing to do with that. Truthfully, my husband disgusts me. I don’t fear him; I pity him. Surely there must be some way out of this bind?
Finally I send Domisilla, my maid, with a note to my mother, pleading for a visit. She is back within the hour. ‘Madonna Franco will come tomorrow.’
Paolo has been called to see a patient this morning. I sit by the window overlooking the rio. Dust motes pirouette in the sunshine and gold glimmers on the water below. There’s a reek of effluent from the content of myriad chamber pots dumped into the canal; I pick up a sprig of rosemary from the table to hold against my nose. The creak of an oar as a gondola passes, curtains drawn around the covered midsection. I’ve heard that sometimes courtesans entertain their clients on the water. I think about the choice given to me a year ago when Papa said I had to marry Paolo: become a nun (my dowry would have gone to the convent), or take up the only other profession open to me. At that time I balked at what I thought would be my ruination, little realising that the alternative has turned out to be even worse.
Last night, I made my decision. I’m eighteen now and want more from life. I know my mother will be pleased. It will be a way out of semi-poverty for her if I’m successful. And I will be. For when I set my mind to something, I always achieve it.
’Tis common knowledge that Mamma was a courtesan before she married my father, one of her regulars. She’d made the mistake of falling in love with him, she told me many times. As soon as they were wed and she started giving him children, his eye had wandered. He’d gone on whoring with the prostitutes who frequented the Ponte delle Tette, that bridge where they bared their breasts and enticed wayward husbands like my father, who squanders his money on wine and women. The church and state ignore prostitution, for they believe it discourages sodomy.
‘You will have much to learn,’ Mamma says after I’ve explained the reason for my change of heart. ‘But you are fresh and beautiful. Some man will pay highly to take your maidenhead. I shall be your procurer like my mother was mine.’
I look Mamma in her heavy-lidded eyes. ‘I’ve sparked the interest of a man. His name is Jacomo di Babolli.’
‘Ah, I was wondering if there was more to it.’ She nods, her dark curls streaked with grey. ‘Is he wealthy?’
‘He seems so.’
‘I’ll find out. But first, you’ll need to learn the tricks of the trade. You can tell Paolo that your marriage is over. Ask him to return your dowry or you’ll expose his impotence to the world. I’m sorry you were married to that man, my daughter. Life will be better for you now.’
‘I hope so.’
My mother places her hands on my shoulders and kisses my cheeks. ‘You will need your own fragrance. A perfume made just for you that will differentiate you from all other women and drive men mad. Also the right clothes. Setting you up will cost money. A lot of money. I shall have to pawn my jewellery in the Ghetto.’
‘Thank you, Mamma. You’ll be paid back and more. Don’t worry.’
‘I know, cara. With my help and your beauty and intelligence, you’ll be the best courtesan in Venice.’
’Tis only when Mamma leaves that I remember I’m no longer a virgin. Lifting my fingers to my nose, I catch the scent of apples and musk. Even if I scrub my hands, the fragrance remains. Perhaps ’tis only my imagination…
Paolo’s face turns puce when I tell him my intention. ‘You’re my wife, and will stay with me.’
I put my hands on my hips, determined to show I’m not afraid. He could kill me if he wished, for he’s far stronger than me. But I’ve taken enough of his bullying. I shall never let a man bully me again. Ever. ‘I’m leaving you, and I want you to return my dowry. That, or I’ll get an annulment; our marriage hasn’t been consummated.’
Paolo laughs. ‘Never. Those silver spoons grace my dining table nicely. And I’ve heard your moans at night which signal to me you’re no longer intact. You’d be branded a liar at the medical examination.’
I feel my cheeks burn. ‘You are despicable.’
‘And you, my wife, are a decadent whore.’
How dare he spy on me? Speechless, I turn on my heel and march to my room.
I wait until he goes out then put on the mask worn by Venetians at all times when out of doors, a simple one to hide my identity. Mamma has sent a porter to carry my belongings. Domisilla accompanies me to my old home. We cross the Grand Canal by gondola ferry. The wide watery thoroughfare is busy, packed with boats taking goods to the warehouses and trading establishments. Last night’s rain has washed the foulness from the air; the salty tang catches the back of my throat. In the Dorsoduro quarter, ’tis but a short walk to Campo Sant’Agnese. My maid goes to find Giulia, our family’s faithful servant, while I sit with my mother in the portego. Domisilla is young, blonde, and pretty. I know she has a soft spot for Giulia’s nephew, Maurizio, a handsome youth, tall with red hair. I came upon them canoodling in the pantry the last time I visited Mamma. We shall have to organise a wedding before the year is out, methinks.
Mamma grabs my h
and. ‘Jacomo di Babolli is the richest merchant in Ragusa on the Dalmatian coast. You have done well, cara. When the time comes, I shall be your go-between and ask him to bid for you.’
‘What do you mean, bid?’
‘Your virginity will go to the highest bidder. ’Tis how things are done.’
I take a deep breath and let it out again slowly.
‘Mamma, I’m no longer a maid.’
A hand flies to her throat. ‘Didn’t you say that Signor Panizza has never bedded you?’
Blushing furiously, I explain how frustration led me to seek my own pleasure.
‘There’s a trick.’ She’s laughing now. ‘For women who need to fool their husbands on their wedding night. You can use it too. A plug made up with gum alum, turpentine, and pigs’ blood. Poof!’ She snaps her fingers. ‘Instant virginity.’
She laughs again and I join in. ‘Do you think it will work?’
Mamma gives me a look. ‘Of course it will. Lessons first, however, and then pleasure. Not your pleasure, cara. You have to forget that for your job will be to give pleasure not to receive it.’
I nod, thinking of Paolo’s book. My eyes practically fall out of my head when Mamma reaches under the cushion and pulls out a loaf of bread shaped like a prick. ‘Lesson number one. You’ll need to take this into your mouth, all the way down to the back of your throat, without making any marks with your teeth. But first I must teach you how to touch a man so that his member swells to this size.’
‘You mean it isn’t always as big?’ I think of the bulging codpieces that poke out from between men’s legs. Then I remember Paolo’s lack of arousal and shudder.
‘Sometimes it’s as small as a mushroom. You’ll be surprised how quickly it can grow when you stroke it. Your movements should be slow and subtle. Don’t touch it straight away. Gently rest your hand on your patron’s leg, then brush your fingers on his cheek. Let your shawl slip down so that he can see your breasts. All these things you can do after you’ve entertained him.’
Veronica COURTESAN (Fragrant Courtesans Book 1) Page 1
