Freak of Time, History's Game ( I Medici Masters Of Florence)

Chapter 14

Vittoria didn't show joy.
She looked at him in disbelief "Father, don't do that. You can't surrender to a childish caprice".

"That's not what I see. You never asked anything from me. You just obey, follow your duties and use your rebel attitude to wreak your frustration. If you love Riccardo, you just have to tell me".

The girl gasped troubled "Love is something we cannot afford. Father, there is much more that is in danger".
He sighed "I know. Life isn't easy, but we can't do anything if we are sick. And sadness is a sickness. We nobles are blinded by our ambitions so we sacrifice our desires to get advantages. I fought so much to marry your mother. Her family hated me, but we won. Because we never stopped believing that our union was possible. And I'm proud to say I had a happy life with her and never had regrets. Cosimo comes from very humble origins, so he sacrifices everything to reach the top of the social scale" he reached to take her hand  "The  good news is that you're not  a servant who could never be a proper wife to his son. You have noble origins, you have a good dowry and I can give the best trade deals that Cosimo can't ignore. So just tell me that you want it, and I'll take it for you".

She wiped her eyes with trembling hands "But... What if it's just a crush? I can't know how long Riccardo can love me. What if we risk so much... For nothing? I'm afraid I can regret this someday".

"You just have to trust your heart. If you love him, marry him. I know love usually doesn't last long. But what if you surrender now? You will surely regret it. You'll think of what it would have been and regret forever for not having tried enough. But if you fight and win, you'll never regret it and you can bear it if in the far future your marriage won't be happy anymore".

She nodded still dumbed by that unexpected hope "So there's a chance? I know how long Milan fought against Florence. I don't want to be the cause of a new war".
"You will not. Just think about your life and what you want. Let the politics to the old men".

Cosimo wasn't happy when his friend came to offer a dangerous deal.
He almost lost his temper when Antonio said that Lucrezia Sforza was just a sick girl who wouldn't survive more than a couple of years. It was a rumour he already knew and tried to ignore it. He wanted to trust his new ally from Milan and didn't care about the girl's health. If she would have died soon, it would have been possible to Riccardo to get a new wife. So he could even marry Vittoria.

But Antonio stated that his daughter would have never been a second choice. He wouldn't give the hand of his last child to a widower.
Cosimo asked for time to ponder the offer and to be his guests for some more days. Then he left for distracting himself with hunting.
He was right to suspect that people was starting to scheme against him.
His own son started that new war.

Back from the hunt late in the afternoon, he had to deal with his wife.
Contessina had always been a very rational woman. He had to marry her to give his family the prestige necessary for ruling the city. He never regretted it.
She never shared her opinions on her last son's destiny.
Now she just wanted to say that she would agree to change the deal with Milan and give to their son the life he was choosing.
She also found some strategic advantages he never considered.
Family comes first.

She didn't complain whe years before Cosimo came back home with a son had from another woman. She just welcomed him as her own child.
It was time to return the favor.
Riccardo was old enough to choose for his own life. He would have learned from his mistakes.

Author's note
Guyss!! Yesterday (4th October 2016) the official song for the series #IMedici #MastersofFlorence had been released!  It's called #Renaissance by #Skin and #PaoloBuonvino
Check it coz it's really a great song and a very good music video
It's a masterpiece!! 💖