The Florentine Emerald: The Secret of the Convert's Ring

by Agustín Bernaldo Palatchi

  Lorena knew that many people supported Savonarola unconditionally, believing him to be a true prophet, while others did so in a calculating way, realizing it was a way of reaching positions of power. In fact, the new constitution ensured that government posts would not be filled exclusively by members of a small dominant oligarchy, but be open to all those who received the backing of the Grand Council. At this moment in time, anybody who was a faithful follower of Savonarola was backing the winning horse. Luca was a perfect example of this: he not only shared the same religious outlook as the friar but was sufficiently astute to make the most of the opportunities for promotion in these changing times. But what about her sister? What was her opinion?

  “What do you think of Savonarola? Do you like the way he is educating your children?”

  “Friar Girolamo is a righteous man who preaches by example. I am not sure if he is a new prophet, but I do know that he is a saintly man devoted to the mission of converting Florence into the city of God. Luca is full of enthusiasm for him and so are the boys. And although, as you know, brother Girolamo considers that a pious and illiterate Christian is wiser than Plato and Aristotle put together, he nevertheless does not neglect the boys’ education, but in fact teaches them Latin and Greek as well as he can. Obviously a man with such great responsibilities cannot take care of everything, and so he delegates a lot of the educational work to Brother Domenico Pescia.”

  Lorena was unable to share her sister’s point of view, for although she regarded Savonarola as a righteous man who preached by his example, there were other aspects of his teachings she found difficult to accept. After all, she had been happy in the days of Lorenzo de Medici when beauty, art, literature, and philosophy were celebrated in all their forms. Now beauty was looked at with suspicion, as if sin lay in the object and not in the eye of the beholder. The most beautiful paintings were considered impure for the simple reason that they did not depict religious scenes, and even those were condemned if they contained the slightest trace of anything that could even remotely incite lust. In the days of Il Magnifico, efforts were made to forge links with the great philosophers of antiquity so as to ensure that their ideas might be absorbed into Christianity. But now, with Savonarola, eminent thinkers of the past were considered as little less than premature heretics, born before the birth of Christ. Lorenzo used to delight in music, balls, and beautiful garments. The stern friar would allow no other music than the Miserere and abominated not only dances, but also any kind of celebration. However, she had to be careful with her sister, because Savonarola inspired passionate reactions in his followers as well as his detractors, to such an extent that family ties had been broken because of him.

  “Well if you are satisfied with the education brother Girolamo is giving your sons, I also share your happiness.”

  “Pretence was never your strongest point, Lorena, but I do appreciate your goodwill.”

  “Why do you say that, Maria?”

  “Because I know perfectly well that Friar Girolamo is not to your liking. Your character is far too rebellious and headstrong for you to accept his doctrine, despite him being a holy man who has come to bring humility to a far too arrogant city. Florence must learn to bow down without duplicity before God.”

  Lorena had to tread carefully. For some reason, maybe due to her husband’s prolonged absence, she noticed that her sister was slightly touchy, which was very unusual for her.

  “You are right in as far as many of his opinions do not convince me. However, I was sincere when I said that my greatest wish was that you and your children should be happy. For that reason, if you are content then so am I.”

  “I know, Lorena, that you have worried about my well-being for a while. Even when you say nothing I can feel your eyes observing my every move when I am with Luca, attempting to find some gesture or other that will reveal to you whether I am happy or sad.”

  “How could I ever stop doing this, even if I wanted to? You are my sister and I have known you since the day you were born. It is natural for me, that on certain occasions I cannot help but ask myself if you are truly happy with your husband. You know that sometimes I find him somewhat cutting in his manner. It is difficult to explain, but it is as if venting his frustrations on to you were a marital obligation you have to endure without complaining.”

  “And do you feel guilty about this, sister?”

  Lorena realized that she had gone too far in her appraisals. She had let herself be carried away by her dislike of Luca and her tactlessness had offended Maria.

  “Why do you ask me that?” enquired Lorena, feeling a sudden emptiness in her stomach.

  “Because I might be naive but I am not stupid. We are both adults, we are on our own, and we can talk freely. Although you always acted with the utmost secrecy, I knew from the beginning that Luca wanted to marry you and that you contrived a way to avoid it.”

  Lorena froze in her seat, incapable of uttering a single word. Her greatest secret was in fact no such thing, but an elaborate game in which everyone had played their part by keeping silent.

  “There is no point in pretending any more, you and I. Despite no one ever saying a single word, I was neither blind nor deaf when I was a little girl. I could see perfectly well how you used to walk around together on our country estate under the approving look of our parents. Papa was delighted with the possibility of your marriage. Nobody uttered the slightest word, but you know how walls have ears, looks talk, and gestures are more eloquent than any speech. Just one thing, I implore you to keep this conversation between us and never mention any of this to anyone. Luca’s honor does not deserve something like this and perhaps yours does not either. Naturally, Luca and I have never broached this subject. It is as if nothing had ever happened as far as we are concerned.”

  Lorena was struck dumb and incapable of breaking the pregnant silence that followed. Finally, she managed to string a few words together.

  “I am so sorry. It all happened in such a way that it went beyond my control. And of course I never thought that you would marry Luca.”

  “Why not? Was I not beautiful enough? Did I lack your penetrating intelligence?”

  Lorena was overcome by the situation. She had never seen her sister so offended. Whatever she said only seemed to make matters worse.

  “I did not mean that, it is just that at the time I saw you as my little sister, a young girl still playing games who had not yet reached the moment when she would flower into womanhood. Look, when I acted as I did, I was thinking exclusively of myself. I could never have imagined that Luca would end up being your husband.”

  “That is the problem, Lorena. You only think of yourself and then afterward you worry if others are happy. Yet your actions entail consequences that affect other people. You cannot act selfishly then expect everybody else to be contented.”

  “What are you trying to say, Maria?”

  “I am talking about your false concept of happiness. Ever since you were small you have always had your own way. But we often have to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others without thinking of our own desires.”

  “I sacrifice myself for my children because I want to, Maria. One thing is not incompatible with the other.”

  “What would you know about sacrifice? I am talking about something completely different. When Papa wanted you to marry Luca, the downfall of Lorenzo de Medici seemed imminent and his downfall could have plunged our family into ruin. Luca Albizzi was a good match who would have guaranteed a safe raft to hold on to if the Medici ship had sunk and you must have been aware of this. And yet you did not take into account the honor or the well-being of your parents or your siblings.”

  “My marriage to Mauricio was beneficial for us all in the end,” said Lorena defensively.

  “The Goddess of Fortune, who is blind, wished it to be so. If the coin had fallen on the other side you could have well seen all your loved ones ruined and the effort of generations lost forever more. Were you worried then about my h
appiness or that of your beloved brother, or your mother’s or father’s?”

  “Maria, I thought of nothing. It was an impulse in which thoughts were mere nutshells adrift in the midst of a raging storm.”

  “This is what I reproach in you, sister. When your interests are at stake, the rest of the world disappears, engulfed by the sea of your desires. And afterward, when calm has returned, you lack time to see if the crew of the ship you were sailing in is happy after the storm. Look, when Papa first mentioned my marriage to Luca Albizzi, Lorenzo de Medici had embarked on a voyage that very few believed he would ever come back from alive.”

  “Yes of course, I remember perfectly. Il Magnifico, with all the odds against him, played his last card by going to Naples in order to personally negotiate a peace with King Ferrante.”

  “Exactly,” said Maria. “And in a situation very similar to the one you had found yourself in, a short time before, I considered no other option but to face up to my obligations. Had Lorenzo perished in Naples, Mauricio, a close friend of Il Magnifico, would have been banished from Florence and our family would have been left in a very delicate situation. My marriage to Luca Albizzi was a life insurance for all of us. On the other hand, if Lorenzo were to have obtained peace it was still a perfectly honorable marriage. What I’m trying to tell you, Lorena, is that if we are chosen to sacrifice ourselves for the good of the family, we have to follow the will of God, without being swept up by the demons of our own personal desires. You did not do this, you did not think of the fate that could have befallen the rest of us Ginori by you following your own personal feelings. You were lucky and it all turned out for the best. I am happy, truly so, but I am annoyed that you are acting like a good Samaritan and are now worrying about my emotional well-being. Luca might have his faults, like any other man, but he is an honest and faithful husband and our children are wonderful.”

  Lorena felt ashamed. Her sister had never been so hard. Perhaps Maria was right to accuse her of being selfish. When the magic surrounding the pond possessed her as she felt Mauricio’s naked body, she never weighed the consequences that her conduct might have on her family. Her sister, however, had all of them at heart when she willingly accepted her union with Luca. But there was one wound that mortified her. Was all that anger truly directed at her for being selfish? Or was there another cause for her resentment? Might she be unhappy with Luca and consider her responsible for her misfortune? Or maybe her sister had let herself be influenced by the vehemence with which Savonarola flagellated those who did not share his sense of virtue? Whatever it was, for someone as cautious and as loving as her sister, these words steeped in anger were the indication of a profound pain. Perhaps at that precise moment the invisible strands that bound her to her sister were slowly being torn apart. At the very best, it would take time for their relationship to return to what it had been in the past.

  92

  “I have bad news for you,” Mauricio announced after dinner, looking serious.

  Lorena felt her heart miss a beat. Her husband had been very uncommunicative all afternoon and had hardly paid any attention to the children.

  “What has happened?”

  “Sandro, a friend who works as a secretary in the Court of Commerce, told me that a court order has been presented that claims we have to leave the mansion we are living in.”

  “But that makes no sense!” exclaimed Lorena.

  “Unfortunately, it does,” said Mauricio. “Tommaso Pazzi’s heirs allege that the debt that caused this house to be adjudicated to a company controlled by Lorenzo de Medici was inexistent, which is very probably true.”

  Lorena was thunderstruck. She had been immensely happy in this marvelous palazzo and now they would probably have to leave it. What a dreadful day it had been. First, those terrible accusations from her sister, and now this. It seemed that all the bad news had conspired to come at once.

  “In which case, I suppose the Pazzi family will be obliged to pay us a large financial compensation.”

  “We shall see. The claim alleges that the sales contract ought to be completely annulled because it was really a donation made by Lorenzo to us, though it did not belong to him.”

  “But that is quite untrue,” protested Lorena. “Although Lorenzo sold it to us below the market price, we still paid a considerable amount of money.”

  “Indeed, but all we have as proof is the purchase document and the registers of the Medici Bank, where, to make things worse, an important loan I was given with which to buy the mansion, is recorded.”

  “I always thought we bought the house without having to get into debt!” exclaimed Lorena with surprise.

  “In those days, my only wish was to see you as radiant as the sun, so I decided not to tell you details that might cloud your happiness. Anyway, I repaid the loan, bit by bit, although it is possible that the courts might not believe the notes left by the accountants as proof of this.”

  “Why ever not?” asked Lorena indignantly and very annoyed.

  “Because the court handling the case has received a bollettino from the Signoria in which they recommend that it should accede to the demands of the claim.”

  Lorena knew that there was no better way in Florence to influence a judge’s decision one way or another. It was not common practice, but when a judge received a bollettino he preferred to follow its recommendations and not make life difficult for himself. In which case, the cause was as good as lost.

  “And to think that Luca Albizzi is one of the nine members of the Signoria! A fine brother-in-law, to be sure!” Lorena vented her anger.

  “As the votes are secret, we shall never know with any certainty which side Luca took.”

  Lorena knew the procedure. Each member of the Council of Priors had one white and one black bean in his hand and had to place one of them into a red velvet bag. Afterward, the votes were counted: the black beans were in favor of the proposal, the white ones were against. The majority won and the next subject was then dealt with. Lorena had better get used to the idea—they were now on a countdown to get out of the mansion.

  “How long do you think the trial will last, Mauricio?”

  “I have already been in touch with a lawyer today to seek advice. We shall try and prolong the trial as much as possible, but if the Signoria puts any kind of pressure on us it is impossible to make any predictions.”

  “Perhaps it might be prudent to start making plans to buy another house.”

  Although Lorena found it difficult to assimilate such dreadful news, it was necessary to start thinking of all possible alternatives. Mauricio’s only answer was a worried expression.

  “What is the matter, Mauricio? Is there something else you have not told me?”

  “Yes,” his countenance was grim. “We do not have sufficient funds to buy another mansion.”

  “But how can that be possible?” Lorena was alarmed. “I thought we had more money than we needed.”

  “Things have changed in a very short time. Let me explain. Just recently a ship was lost at sea, in which I had invested a large part of the money I possessed in cash. It was insured, but the insurance company has gone bankrupt. We have also suffered grave setbacks in the textile business. Ever since Savonarola has condemned ostentation as a way of dressing, sales have plummeted in Florence. And as it never rains but it pours, the San Marcos convent cancelled an important order that we had nearly finished. We therefore have a large amount of stock in storage that can only be placed if we find buyers in other cities.”

  “That will be difficult,” lamented Lorena. “Rome is under siege from the French army and it will be Naples’ turn next. All because of the French, Pisa, Sarzana, Pietrasanta, Fivizziano, and Luligiana no longer belong to us. Without these strongholds the borders are no longer safe. Transporting merchandise under those conditions must be extremely risky.”

  “Indeed it is,” agreed Mauricio. “For now, we shall just have to shoulder the cost of what we have produced. And the final straw
is that the Signoria is now demanding a loan of a hundred thousand gold florins from the citizens to cover the essential costs of ensuring the security of the city. I do not know how much we shall have to pay, but whatever the amount, it will be too much.”

  Lorena noticed that her husband was very concerned but not completely crushed. In fact, Mauricio was keeping the necessary presence of mind and lucidity in spite of the gravity of the situation. This reassured her. It was now only a question of finding the necessary opportunities to help them rise above this critical moment.

  “What about your share in the Medici Bank of Florence? How much would you get if you were to sell it?”

  “I might get a pair of old shoes for it, but I would not bet on anyone wanting to give their shoes away to me. The Signoria has confiscated all the money they found there.”

  Another blow, thought Lorena. “At least we still have the lands we bought outside Florence.”

  “True. However, they are leased out for the next ten years. Even if we were to sell them, by no means would we have enough to buy a similar mansion in Florence. In spite of all this we must not despair. Even if we lose the house, what is most important is not to lose face with people, so as to continue doing business. Otherwise they will go for our throats like rabid dogs. Fortunately, if we do have to leave the mansion we have enough money to keep up a similar style of life for about a year. My plan would be to rent a large mansion while we commission various projects for the construction of a little palazzo. Everyone will be convinced that we are still rich and this will allow us to carry out some of the schemes I have in mind.”