Chiara – Revenge and Triumph

by Gian Bordin

  "Chiara." It was barely a whisper.

  "Yes, Veronica."

  "May I lie down next to you?"

  "Can’t you sleep? Am I keeping you awake?"

  "I don’t know. May I come?"

  "Yes, my little sister."

  She held the blanket open and Veronica slipped in, snuggling up to her. Chiara folded an arm over her.

  "Are you still upset about what happened with Pepe?"

  "Yes, it was inexcusable."

  "Don’t be so hard on yourself. Nothing happened, and it was amazing how fast both of you recovered. It looked as if it were part of the display. You’re so skillful."

  "But it wasn’t. I could have hurt Pepe. But I will never let it happen again."

  "You’re always so strong. I wish I were like you."

  "Veronica, don’t become like me. Sometimes I’m afraid of what I’ve become."

  "But you’re always so kind to all of us… I love you very much."

  Chiara hugged her closer. "I love you too, and I’m glad you and Jacomo are with us."

  Veronica remained quiet for a while. "I think that Jacomo is in love with you… I mean not like a brother would love you, but like a man."

  "I know, Veronica. I’ve talked to him about it."

  She was again silent.

  "I think you want to ask me something else, don’t you."

  "Have you ever been in love with a man? … Oh, please don’t be angry that I asked."

  "It’s all right … Yes, I think so."

  "Is it Orlando?"

  "No, it’s not somebody you’ve ever seen. Even I’ve only seen him three times."

  "Please Chiara, tell me about him."

  "What would you like to know?"

  "What does he look like?"

  "He’s tall, as tall as Pepe. Strong, hair the color of ripe corn, eyes a deep blue like the sea."

  "I’ve never seen the sea."

  "Like a very blue sky. When he smiles, it’s like the sun is breaking through clouds. He has a full, deep voice."

  "Oh, I would love to see him… Does he love you too?"

  "Veronica, I don’t know. I don’t think so. We only exchanged two words each, the first time we met. It was on the Santa Caterina."

  "The ship where you were …"

  "Yes, the ship on which I was violated, and I’ve only seen him twice more in Siena, in Casa Sanguanero."

  "But he is not one of them, is he?"

  "No, he is one of their slaves."

  "Oh, …"

  "Does that shock you? Shock you that a woman of noble birth could love a slave? … Love is a strange thing. It knows no barriers, doesn’t recognize status, wealth, age, origin. It just happens and there’s little you can do about it. I guess, if it’s not nurtured, it will die sooner or later, but it may take a long time. That’s what will happen to my love for the sailor."

  "Oh, Chiara, don’t say that. It’s so sad."

  "I’ll get over it. Let’s now try to go to sleep."

  "May I stay with you?"

  "Yes."

  Veronica snuggled closer. Chiara kept her eyes open. She conjured up the rugged face of her sailor as he responded to her smile, and stayed with that image. A warm feeling grew in her heart, and she held on to it.

  After a while, she noticed Veronica’s regular breathing, telling her that the girl was asleep. She turned onto her back, staring into the black night. She still did not know what to do about the letter of credit. It would be so simple if she had an accomplice who would take over and deal with that aspect. Best of all, a banking house. They would have the know-how and the means. But I don’t have such an accomplice … or do I? What started out as idle, wishful thinking, as an outrageous idea, slowly blossomed into a real possibility. Averardo di Bicci of Casa Medici. The corner of her mouth turned up in a broad smile. He had been rather taken with her. She had no doubt that he was a ladies’ man and felt no qualms using that to her advantage. She also suspected that he had a grudge against Casa Sanguanero. His comments about them had been rather scathing. Would he do it for her? He might though want more than just a sizeable cut. She was not willing to offer him sexual favors. Would she be able to handle him? She put this aside for the moment, simply dwelling on that glimmer of hope that she would be able to twist his arm. She would ponder about the whole thing tomorrow and consider all facets, all eventualities and her best responses to them. Sleep found her quickly and carried her away.

  * * *

  Chiara woke up refreshed and carefully stepped over the sleeping girl, curled up at the edge of the mattress. She was tempted to stroke her relaxed, peaceful face, but resisted. Nobody else was up yet. So she stripped in the crisp dawn air at the fountain in the garden and washed herself from head to toe, rinsing off the soap with two buckets of water. Her skin had goose bumps all over and the nipples of her breasts had contracted painfully. After drying herself superficially, she slipped into a loose tunic. Then, she picked a sage leave from Alda’s herb garden and rubbed her teeth vigorously to freshen her breath. Alda was just stoking the fire to heat water when she entered the kitchen.

  "That obsession of washing yourself with cold water will be the death of you," she said, but her eyes were smiling.

  "Oh no, it will harden me, and I love the feeling of being clean… No grudge against me anymore, mamina." She hugged her. "I promise that I’ll never again let my concentration slip when I work with Pepe. It haunted me half the night. I would never forgive myself, if I injured him."

  "I love you, Chiara. I was more worried about you than him… And have you resolved what troubled you?"

  "How do you know something troubled me?"

  "My child, I know you. That knife would never have slipped your hand otherwise."

  "Oh mamina, I don’t deserve you." She pressed the woman again against her.

  "Let me breathe. You’re suffocating me with your love. And have you resolved it?"

  "Yes, I think so. At least I’ve an idea to work on."

  "And? … Will you tell me?"

  "No, not yet, but I would like that you help me into my Lucrezia look later on, will you?"

  "I see. It is one of your hair-raising schemes again, but then I’m used to it by now. Anyway, with your luck …"

  Chiara responded with an embarrassed smile.

  * * *

  Midmorning Chiara went to Casa Medici. She carried the scroll of the marriage contract, but the letter of credit remained safely in their little house, guarded by Pepe. Jacomo trailed a short distance behind her. His task was to observe after Chiara came out again if anybody from Casa Medici went to the nearby Palazzo Pubblico and entered the offices of the Podestà. He would report immediately if this happened.

  In contrast to the busy activity she had seen in Casa Sanguanero, an air of sober solemnity reigned in the spacious, marble ground floor hall of Casa Medici. A clerk left his desk next to the entrance where he had stood making entries in a ledger and approached her, bowing repeatedly: "Good morning, Signora, how may I help you?"

  "Good morning. I would like to speak to Signor Averardo di Bicci," she replied, cultivating her southern accent.

  The clerk’s attitude became more eager. "Does Signor di Bicci expect you? What name may I announce, Signora?"

  "I have no appointment. I am Lady Lucrezia Alberti de’ Morrone of Naples."

  His solicitous smile became a worried frown. "Of Naples? I will check whether Signor di Bicci is receiving visitors, Signora. Please, be seated." He pointed to a set of chairs along the wall, waited until she sat and then disappeared through a door at the back of the hall. She saw di Bicci quickly look into the hall, and the clerk returned, bowing several times again.

  "Signor di Bicci will see you shortly."

  She was surprised when the old man came out to fetch her himself. He greeted her very formally, but there was a puzzled look on his face. After offering her one of several high-backed, elaborately carved chairs, more beautiful than comfortable, he sat in ano
ther one facing her, rather than take his usual place behind the big oak table.

  "Lady Lucrezia, what fortuitous circumstance gives me the honor to make your acquaintance."

  Dropping her southern accent, she replied: "Chiara da Narni, Signor di Bicci. It is not my intention to deceive you."

  A faint smile appeared at the corner of his eyes. "I thought that the resemblance was more than simply coincidence. But I must admit you look stunning. That dress suits you well and the decorations on your belt are rather unique."

  She removed one of the small knives from its silver-embossed leather sheath. Its double-edged steel blade flashed in the rays of the sun that entered the window. "They are real, not decorations. You could shave yourself with one of these." She slid it back. How odd that this was one of the first things he noticed, as if she had bewitched him to ask that. In fact, she had wanted him to be aware of them.

  "I see. You are not only well-armed with words. But why the disguise?"

  "So that your employees do not have to lie if they are ever questioned whether I visited your office. Chiara da Narni never came here."

  When he did not reply, she continued: "I seek an accomplice, somebody cunning and courageous enough who will help me ruin Casa Sanguanero."

  "Was it not enough revenge to blind the old man?"

  "That was only to stay alive and escape. They stole my inheritance. I want to make them pay for it with their ruin."

  His only response was to raise his eyebrows.

  "I know that they plan to break into the spice trade. They have taken up contact with Venetian merchants, but their talks are stalling, as is to be expected. Venice does not want any outsiders competing with them, but then one never knows."

  "How do you know all that?"

  "I overheard Niccolo and his father talk about it."

  "How? Where?"

  "You do not expect that, while our troupe waits behind the curtains for a show to start, we just twiddle our thumbs. It is surprising what we are not supposed to overhear."

  He chuckled. "Thank you for that warning, Lady Chiara. I will take it to heart… And how do you as a woman plan to make use of this knowledge?"

  "I plan to dangle the promise of a huge dowry in front of his nose in the form of a quarter share of the proceeds of a trading mission to bring back two armed galleys full of spices from Alexandria. The major condition is that they share half of the cost of the forty thousand florins needed for supplying the galleys and its cargo out of Naples." She had switched back to the southern vernacular.

  He smiled appreciatively. "Interesting. And who is the bride to be?"

  "Lady Lucrezia Alberti de’ Morrone."

  "And you expect Niccolo to fall for that?"

  "Yes."

  "Admitting that he does, and I doubt it seriously — he is dumb and greedy, but hardly dumb enough not to have your credentials checked out carefully —"

  "You would not expect me to jump out of the window without knowing that I would land safely, would you?"

  He shrugged his shoulders. "And what do you see the role of Casa Medici to be in all this?"

  "A simple one. Present the letter of credit to the Florence agents of their banking house for payment and transform the proceeds into different forms so that they cannot retrieve it anymore … obviously for a commensurate commission."

  "Is that all?"

  She nodded. So far his reactions had been completely noncommittal, even a shade negative. Had she misjudged him? Her spirit sank a bit, but her face continued to express confidence that she would get her way.

  "Lady Chiara, you disappoint me. I think you have let your imagination run away with you. You will only get yourself into serious trouble from which even I cannot extricate you. I now see why Contessa d’Appiano is worried about you. Forget about it. Stick to what you are good at, being beautiful and one of the best actresses I have seen. This plan of yours is crazy. It will never work."

  "Won’t it?" The smile on her face was genuine. "Signore, answer me at least a hypothetical question. Would you be willing to do that last simple act if I put that letter of credit into your hands?"

  He paused. Her whole stance and the manner she had asked it seemed to make him unsure. His gaze tried to pierce her mind.

  "Would you or do I have to approach Casa Buondelmonti?"

  "The answer is ‘yes’, simply because I do not like Casa Sanguanero, but it will never come to that point."

  "Signore, I have a document here that might interest you. Are you willing to read it?" She retrieved the marriage contract from the satchel she had placed at the side of her chair and handed it to him.

  He started reading and after a few seconds looked up and met her gaze. His usually inscrutable face went through surprise, disbelieve, embarrassment, ending in a smile that got bigger and bigger. Once he reached the end, he went back to the top and finally held the seals into the light of the window. Then he returned the document to her. It took another moment, before he finally spoke: "Lady Chiara, will you forgive me for having doubted you —"

  "— only if you also admit that you are not disappointed in me any longer."

  "No, I am not. I should have trusted my instincts that told me otherwise, before I said these unjustified words. And you have the letter of credit for ten thousand florins?"

  "Yes, but not here. There are still a few aspects that we have to negotiate on."

  "I guess I should have expected that from you. I once told you that I would not want to have to sit opposite you in a negotiation. Do I now have to eat my words?"

  "I think you misjudge me again. I am only looking for an equitable deal."

  "Obviously, Casa Medici is taking considerable risks. We could be accused of all sorts of things, from being an accomplice, to being negligent, or worse to having been duped. So I would expect a commission of fifty percent."

  Chiara smiled and rose, picking up her satchel at the same time. "Thank you, Signor di Bicci, for indulging me. I am afraid I came to the wrong banking house. I doubt that we can do business."

  He also rose, rather abruptly, holding out both hands, as if to appease her. "Lady Chiara, I was not serious. I was only testing you. Please, sit down again and let’s talk seriously."

  Maybe he was testing her, but she had her doubts, but her face only revealed a smile.

  "What did you think would be a fair deal?" he asked.

  "Let me first tell you what I intend to do with most of my share. I look to invest it with a reputable banking house for several years. My troupe supported me throughout this whole venture, and I want to give each several hundred florins. I am certain that at least four of them will heed my advice to invest it too. So if we look at this in the form of a balance sheet, then on the positive side Casa Medici would get a commission, it would get several thousand florins as investments, and it would help giving Casa Sanguanero a serious blow from which it might never recover. The fact that it took Niccolo Sanguanero almost three weeks to arrange for the letter of credit and he wanted three months to supply the cargo for one galley lets me deduce that their financial position is not as strong as he would like others to believe. You may even be able to speed up their demise by planting the right rumors, get their creditors worried. And let us not forget that Florence itself aims to break into the spice trade and would not like to see Siena get in ahead of them. Stopping Casa Sanguanero will give Florence welcome breathing space, and if you whisper this news into the right ears, you will even get recognition for it —"

  "— very perceptive —"

  "— and what appears on the negative side? The slight possibility that some competitors may try to slander you a bit — a slander that will hardly stick, since you legally presented a valid letter of credit for payment on behalf of Casa Alberti to pay them the proceeds in various forms less the usual commission. Am I right so far?"

  He nodded, his eyes reflecting his amusement.

  "So I would think that a fair commission would be ten percent."


  "Twenty-five."

  "Twenty, and that is my last word." Her voice had taken a hard edge.

  He already started to shake his head as if he wanted to turn her down and then his smile returned. "Agreed."

  She shook his outstretched hand, pressing his firmly.

  "When will you bring the document?"

  "Messer Antonio da Quaranta, the procurator of Casa Alberti, will bring it in this afternoon."

  "And how do you want to have your share split up?"

  She handed him a small sheet of paper. "Five hundred florins each in these four names, one thousand for the fifth name, the balance in my name. All except the one for one thousand as one-year renewable investments. You will have to ask Messer da Quaranta himself how he wants his share."

  "No coins?"

  "No, not for me."

  She stood up again

  "Lady Chiara, you truly are a woman of many facets. It is a pleasure dealing with you. But before we part, I need to satisfy my insatiable curiosity. Why do you trust that I will not betray you?"

  "I trust my instinct and my assessment of the pros and cons for you."

  "And betraying you could be costly."

  "You said it, Signore, not I."

  "Lady Chiara, I sincerely hope that this is not the end of our association. I would like to get to know you closer, and you might appreciate what I can offer you."

  "Signore, when I have finished with Casa Sanguanero, it would be my utmost pleasure to be spoiled by you at one of your splendid parties." You can interpret this anyway you feel like, she mused silently to herself, while showering him with a charming smile.