The Plague Doctor's Daughter

32. Matteo

Matteo slipped on his doublet, adjusting the sleeves at the wrists to reveal the white cuff of his shirt. The color of mustard seeds, the snug jacket he'd chosen reflected his current bright mood on what promised to be another dreary day.

"Why did you reconsider, if you don't mind me asking?" Across the room, the ethereal beauty leaned on one elbow as she sleepily beamed at him from the comfort of his bed. Her soft skin the hue of skimmed milk and her loose hair a cascade of brown waves, she rivaled any fine likeness of a Borgia or Medici whether from Sanzio or another esteemed master.

"Ah, you are awake," he said as he finished dressing, smoothing the top's short waist with a pull. Satisfied with the results, he strode across the room and sat at Giovanna's side, causing the mattress to sink under his weight. "But what is it exactly that I have reconsidered?"

She cast her gaze downward and wet her lips with her tongue. "You had indicated your distaste for having to kiss me yesterday morning, and yet last night, you had no qualms in doing so," she whispered.

Matteo's heart ached, hearing now that his diversion during Don Delfini's attack had caused her undue pain. "How do you know I wasn't secretly disgusted last night, as well?" he asked, hoping she'd sense the levity in his tone and grant him forgiveness.

Her eyes met his and the smile slowly spread back across her shapely mouth. "If that were true, you should join a troupe of commedia dell'arte players for you are the best actor that I have ever seen," she teased, playfully poking him in the chest.

With a sigh of relief, Matteo leaned in and kissed her. If at all possible, her touch ignited a fire inside him even greater than the one that had burned within for most of the night. Giovanna also didn't seem to mind, pulling him down with her as she submitted to his advances.

"In all honesty," he said in the brief seconds when he came up for air. "I have dreamed about the prospect of tasting your tender lips since earlier in the week when you hovered over my convalescing state in the room next door."

She giggled. "Given that you had spent several hours vomiting prior to my attention, I am thankful that you did not immediately try to make good on that wish."

He could not fault her for the clever observation, and Matteo also laughed before giving her a final peck on the tip of her nose. "I suppose that once again, you are wholly correct," he said as he reluctantly stood. "And while I would like nothing more than to climb back into bed next to you, there is an urgent need for me to visit the prison. As you surely know."

Giovanna's expression turned serious in confirmation, and she hugged the indigo dyed blankets to her chest as she sat up. "You will check on Stefano?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. The task was repulsive, but the threat his new lover's husband posed had to be eliminated one way or another. "Yes. And if your plan has worked, then it will be a swift visit. But if it has not, then I will make sure that he does not go to your father's house. Instead, I will send word to you at once for where to meet him. I'll rent a room on the other side of the islands for you if I must."

She nodded. "Thank you. If you can just tell me where my dress—"

"You'll find everything behind the screen," he answered as her eyes searched the now empty ground where their clothes had been discarded the night before.

Pretending to busy himself with his sword belt, Matteo sneaked peeks at Giovanna as she tiptoed barefoot across the rug in just a loose, linen shift. She disappeared behind the dressing screen, but quickly poked her head back out.

"What is this?" she asked, holding part of the garment he'd left for her. The cream and pale blue bodice was paired with a similarly colored skirt and would have certainly delighted any maiden. Matteo was therefore taken aback at her less than enthusiastic reaction at the find.