The Devil's Concubine

by Goyanes, Ángeles; Johnson, Kasia

  “ ‘Shallem, I’m back,’ I told him in the happiest voice I could feign. He didn’t say a word. It didn’t even seem like he heard me. Obviously he knew something had happened, something very bad. ‘I’m taking the meat to the kitchen,’ I continued, using the same fake tone. He didn’t move an inch.

  “I wanted to waste as much time as I could in the kitchen. I put the meat away and decided to warm some milk. I intentionally filled the saucepan to the brim so the milk would spill over as it started to boil thus giving me something to clean. I moved chairs and furniture to dust and then moved them back to where they were. I readjusted the utensils in their container and I was about to watch the milk boil over when I heard a door slam.

  “I carefully poked me head out of the kitchen. He wasn’t in the hallway. I walked up the stairs silently and looked into the living room but neither was he there. I tiptoed through the rest of the rooms, he had definitely left. I peaked over the balcony but he had already gone.

  “For a moment I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t how to confront the situation. Suddenly, a shiver ran through my body. Leonardo! Could he? No, it can’t be! Had Shallem gone to look for him? Would he punish an innocent mortal whose only crime was loving someone he shouldn’t? Would he punish Leonardo like he did those boys in that alley during that black night in Paris? What crime had Leonardo committed other than fall in love with someone he shouldn’t, just like I had?

  “I felt incredibly cold. My hands and feet felt frozen. The hair on my body stood on end and my legs were trembling from uncontrollable fear.

  “Why? How could Shallem inflict such an atrocious punishment on an innocent and harmless man? I remembered how Leonardo’s dark eyes sparkled when he looked at me as he nervously chattered. What a sweet and platonic love! A love that wanted everything and hoped for nothing. He was a strong confident man who turned into a trembling 15 year-old fool when he spoke to me. That was so endearing!

  “I remembered some of his clumsy sentences which had flustered me on the way home. He had mentioned a place. A place where students would meet and, according to him, turn my name into poetry and my existence into a muse of inspiration. He was so sweet and romantic! “The Art Inn” yes, that’s what it was called. I knew exactly where it was since Shallem and I had walked by it countless of times.

  “I made a desperate decision. I would go there, look for him, find him, and save him at any cost.

  “Due to my haste, I twisted my ankle and almost fell down the stairs. The pain grew worse as I ran down the city’s streets but I didn’t stop for a second. Nightfall was approaching.

  “I limped across street after street until I finally spotted the iron sign hanging from the wall that read The Art Inn. I frantically opened the door and was startled by all the noise inside. Men were everywhere: sitting, standing, straddling chairs, dancing, laughing, reading aloud, playing music... Suddenly the scene changed. They saw me. Every face that looked at me turned into a pale, bewildered and silent mask. All laughter, talk and movement abruptly stopped. In a question of seconds, all merrymaking faded away until it turned into a weak murmur and then, complete silence. Twenty pairs of dumbfounded eyes turned to look at me.

  “Every young man stood in a unique and static but natural pose. It was as if they had been surprised by an unexpected photographer and stopped all activity to turn their faces toward the camera, freezing the scene for a few seconds.

  “I searched for Leonardo in every face, hoping that his jovial silhouette would suddenly rise above the crowd, look at me, and call my name triumphantly with his violet eyes sparkling. That didn’t happen.

  “I casually looked around and caught one of the young men looking uneasy and embarrassed as he surreptitiously studied a large picture hanging on the wall. It was a picture of a woman. A very beautiful woman who was dressed lavishly. The skillful play of light and shadow with graphite left no doubt, the necklace and long pearl earrings, the perfect oval face and small delicate nose, the sparkling eyes, the loose hair, the arrogant air. Yes, it was I.

  “I turned my astounded face toward the men, not one of them dared to look me in the eye.

  “ ‘Where’s the painter?’ I asked. ‘Where’s Leonardo?’ Silence and guilty looks.

  “ ‘He’s in his studio, Miss.’ The inn keeper’s hoarse and resounding voice broke the silence. He pointed toward the ceiling and said, ‘On the second floor.’

  “I walked with purpose through the narrow aisles between the heavy oak tables, all the while cursing the Spanish farthingale beneath my dress.

  “The young men looked at me stupefied. I didn’t realize it at that moment but what I had done was absolutely extraordinary in those days. A woman breezing into an inn searching for a handsome young man was in itself shocking but, on top of that, I was determined to go to his room. Together alone! I didn’t give a damn about any of their petty human social graces.

  “The gold beads hanging on my dress jingled in the abrasive silence as I quickly climbed the stairs.

  “ ‘Room six!’ The innkeeper yelled when I was three steps from reaching the landing.

  “Room six. I turned to the right, it wasn’t there. I nervously retraced my steps and there it was, room six. I pounded on the door and screamed Leonardo’s name; I didn’t think it was going to open. It opened. Very slowly, it opened a crack. I was horrified. Could those be Shallem’s eyes peaking through the crevice, shining like smoldering coals after committing a crime?

  “Dark hair, a pale forehead, and the corner of an eye became visible. Then, half of a puzzled, astounded and frightened face.

  “ ‘Juliette! Good heavens, Juliette! How did I get so lucky?’

  “He was alive! Thank God I had arrived in time!”

  “ ‘Let me in, Leonardo.’ I was thrilled, filled with joy.

  “ ‘But, it’s just that... I’m not adequately dressed for the occasion. Give me a minute to make myself presentable, I beg you.’

  “ ‘No Leonardo, there’s not enough time. Open the door for God’s sake! Now!’

  “He opened the door but, with chaste modesty, hid himself behind it. All he wore were a pair of baggy, twill knee breeches with a shell-shaped zipper and a white shirt that was splotched with small, multicolored stains. The room was filled to the brim with painting materials: palettes, meticulously wrapped linen and hemp canvases, a pair of frames leaning against a wall, boxes of coloring utensils and new paintbrushes, paint, and other items whose names and purposes I didn’t know. Everything was in perfect order. There was an easel, covered with a sheet, next to the window.

  “I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t thought about it. I didn’t think I was going to find him alive. I was in the center of the studio and he was still glued to the door. He didn’t dare shut it, that would have been improper.

  “ ‘Close the door,’ I ordered. He hesitated for a few seconds, completely flabbergasted, and then he obeyed my request.

  “ ‘Did my husband visit you?’ I asked him anxiously, more to start the conversation than to receive the obvious response.

  “ ‘Your husband, here? No, my lady.’ He approached me. ‘What happened? Do you need to tell me something?’

  “ ‘Your life is in inconceivable danger, Leonardo. Do you love me?’

  “Theatrically, he knelt at my feet and clasped one of my hands, kissing it again and again.

  “ ‘My lady,’ he whispered. ‘My angel of love... don’t you believe me?’

  “ ‘Angel of love,’ I thought to myself. Although the expression was amusing, it made me even more uneasy.

  “ ‘In that case, you must do as I say, even if what I ask seems cruel and confusing. Please, stand up.’

  “As he stood, I looked into his seductive, astute eyes. He must have dishonored many women, with impunity, after stealing their hearts! But even that doesn’t make him deserve the hideous punishment I wished to impose.

  “ ‘Leave, abandon Florence. Now, at this very instant,’ I begged with all
the desperate persuasion I could muster, but I knew it would be useless.

  “ ‘Leave? Leave Florence and leave you now that God has answered my prayers and I’m about to touch heaven? My lady, what are you asking me?’

  “ ‘You’ll die, you have to believe me! My husband will kill you. He’s killed dozens of my admirers,’ I insisted dramatically.

  “ ‘My lady! You’re worried about me! I matter to you! Praise heaven!’ he exclaimed as he grabbed my hand again and kissed it. I pulled away with a forceful jerk.

  “ ‘You don’t understand!’ I screamed uselessly. ‘Your death will be horrible, atrocious! Didn’t you say you loved me? If that’s true, do as I say or I’ll think it’s a lie.’

  “ ‘No, no,’ he whispered trying to appease me. ‘My love is pure and true, like no other I have ever known. I would swear it before God.’

  “ ‘Then, do as I say. Believe what I say!’

  “Leonardo lowered his eyes in thought, turned his back to me and walked to the other side of the room. Then he walked back toward me shaking his head no.

  “ ‘If I run, I’ll lose you forever,’ he said listlessly. ‘Die without even fighting for your love. If your husband kills me, as your lack of confidence in me makes you predict, I would die without any regrets, satisfied that I hadn’t wasted my opportunity. I’ll never leave without trying to win your love because after my departure, death in life would await me. I will fight. And if I die, I’ll die like a man. And if I live, I’ll live with you as long as God allows.’

  “His words were exactly what I expected to hear, what I feared to hear. I felt dizzy. I had raced down streets to reach Leonardo and now the bone corset I wore was squeezing my chest, making it difficult to breathe. Searching for something to hold on to before I fainted, I approached the easel beside the window. All I managed to do was grab the sheet that covered the easel and with it in my hand, I feel. Leonard was beside me in a second and kept my head from hitting the floor. He muttered some words that I couldn’t understand.’

  “ ‘I’m fine,’ I said. ‘I’m fine.’

  “He helped me stand. After I recovered, I looked at the painting that had been covered by the sheet. It was the most amazing and beautiful painting I had ever seen. I heard Leonardo’s trembling voice as he said:

  “ ‘It’s an oil painting, a modern technique. I didn’t want you to see it yet. It’s not finished. The theme is based on Roman mythology: Venus and Adonis.’

  “Of course, he didn’t want me to see it. There I was, portrayed as Venus, my naked, portentous body holding on to the reins of Adonis’s bucking horse. An Adonis that, of course, was none other than Leonardo himself.

  “ ‘I hope it doesn’t bother you...,’ he stuttered. ‘I dared to... I imagined you... naked.’

  “I looked at him and lowered my eyes. I studied the painting carefully and marveled at its beauty. I had never seen such fine and exquisite brush strokes in so many thousands of different hues. It was truly fascinating, meticulously detailed, suggestive, exciting and perfect. In the forest you could almost count the leaves on the trees; a single cloud floated through the sky; a deer, undoubtedly Adonis’s prey, with huge antlers gazed at the scene from afar; and in the background, the mountains. It was nothing like the boring, pale and flat colors and perfect contours that were so popular in that era. There was no doubt I was Venus. She had my facial features and even my anatomy, which Leonardo had never seen and which my clothes never insinuated. Every detail was recreated with amazing accuracy. The technique wasn’t really that modern; it had been used in Flanders for almost a hundred years. However, in Italy it was a complete novelty, at least for amateurs.

  “Leonardo watched as I observed the painting, scared to hear my opinion.

  “ ‘Do you like it? For nothing in the world would I ever want to anger you. If I did I... I’ll destroy it right now, right in front of you.’

  “ ‘No! What are you saying! Don’t destroy it! It’s the most amazing painting I have ever seen. You turned me into a goddess, Leonardo.’

  “ ‘Yes, my lady. You are a goddess.’

  “ ‘I have to go.’ I started moving toward the door.

  “ ‘Give me a second to get dressed and I’ll walk you home, Juliette.’

  “ ‘Don’t even think it!’ I yelled furiously, the doorknob already in my hand. ‘Are you crazy? Will you ever stop tempting destiny? I’ll be the death of you. I’m the Grim Reaper, not Venus. You’ll die if you continue to pursue me. Control yourself or you’ll regret it forever.’

  “Appearing somewhat amused and impressed, Leonardo listened to me.

  “ ‘I’m sure you’re exaggerating, my lady,’ he answered with a smile. ‘But your words, shrouded in subtle and appealing mystery, do nothing but entice me even more. Being in your company is tempting death, so you say, but your absence is death within itself. At first, I loved you for your beauty and appeal and all the veiled secrets they implied. Now, I love you for the hidden mysteries I see behind your eyes, for the extraordinary emotions your words awaken inside me, and for the thousand and one unknown perils you threaten me with due to my love for you. You were wrong to come here if all you wanted was to dissuade me with your threats of death since, instead of freeing yourself of me, you’ve only made me love you even more.’

  “After hearing such arguments, I had nothing more to say except good-bye.

  “ ‘Good-bye Leonardo. I know everything I’ve said is useless, but I don’t love you, nor could I ever love you.’

  “ ‘Give me time, Juliette.’

  “ ‘You don’t understand, Leonardo. You don’t want to understand,’ I said in a low and rather severe voice. ‘I love my husband and I’ll never love another.’

  “ ‘Yes,’ he answered, his ever present smile slightly saddened. ‘I know. He’s the ambrosia and I’m just the honey. However, haven’t you ever thought that ambrosia, like honey, has distinct qualities and that you may find a more superior quality in honey?’

  “I was paralyzed, dumbfounded. How had he discovered one of my most intimate thoughts? Who else on Earth could use that metaphor with as much ownership as I? No one. Right? The word coincidence was not applicable.

  “ ‘How are you able to read my mind?’ I asked him bluntly. I was already accustomed to quasi-miraculous feats.

  “ ‘It’s a gift I have.’ His expression was benign but the glint in his eyes revealed a certain flirtatiousness. ‘Many people have it. Didn’t you know that?’

  “ ‘And what else do you know about me? What else have you been able to read?’ I asked suspiciously.

  “He looked me in the eye, shifted his eyes from right to left, slightly wrinkled his forehead, bit his lower lip, and pretended to make a profound mental effort. Pure theatrics. Finally, he feigned an expression of innocence, arched his eyebrows as high as possible, opened his eyes wide enough to show their dark violet trim and responded: ‘Everything.’

  “He incited me with his insolence. I was afraid that what he said was true. ‘How’s that possible?’ I asked as a cloud of disbelief sailed through my mind.

  “ ‘I already told you. It’s a gift,’ he responded very calmly.

  “ ‘What exactly do you know? Tell me what it is you know,’ I demanded.

  “ ‘I wouldn’t want to bring up such painful topics.” he stated without a hint of sarcasm. It seemed he felt sorry for boasting he knew everything.

  “ ‘Don’t worry. Speak,’ I insisted.

  “ ‘Your life has been a heavy cross to bear. A living hell, I’d say.’

  “ ‘Details,’ I demanded. I needed to know exactly what he knew.

  “ ‘Your parents were murdered, your children as well.’ He stared at me, his eyes plunging into mine like frozen daggers.

  “ ‘My children?’ I asked.

  “ ‘Yes. Your own child and your adopted child.’

  “ ‘And my husband?’

  “ ‘I don’t know anything about him,’ he answered.

&nb
sp; “ ‘And my son? Who was his father?’

  “ ‘I don’t know. Certain parts of your mind are inaccessible. You won’t let me enter those parts and I respect that. I refuse to force my way in. There are memories we must shuffle away to hidden corners in our mind, because otherwise, they would torment us for the rest of our lives. Some of your memories are hidden, and they must stay that way.’

  “I couldn’t think very clearly but what he said sounded like the truth. I wanted to believe he was sincere and, in some way, I felt reassured.”

  “ ‘Okay. I should go,’ I said.

  “ ‘When can I see you again?’ his eyes lit up.

  “ ‘If everything goes well, never. Good-bye Leonardo. Do not follow me again. Forget about me, there are many beautiful women in Florence.’

  “Leonardo shook his head no.

  “ ‘They are but simple caricatures of you, there’s no comparison. You expect me to chase honey after having met ambrosia?’

  “I let myself out, started walking and didn’t look back until he called my name.

  “ ‘Juliette, don’t worry about me dying,’ he said with a wide smile. ‘My father dipped me in the River Styx when I was born and he even included my heel.’

  “He was referring to Achilles in Greek mythology. I’m sure you already know the story. When Achilles was born, his mother dipped him in the magical waters of the Styx with the intention of making him immortal. However, she made the mistake of holding him by his heel. Thus, his heel became the only vulnerable part on his body.

  “Saddened, I watched Leonardo for a few moments. He was so daring and such a braggart! I kept walking.

  “ ‘Juliette!’ he called again.

  “ ‘Yes?’ I looked at him.

  “ ‘I’ve gone around it seven times,’ he said, his expression severely somber. ‘Completely.’

  “I watched him closely trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind his words. The River Styx circles Hades seven times and flows into its center.

  “ ‘What do you mean?’ I asked him. He smiled at me sadly and went inside his studio.