The Mistress

Chapter 12. Letter From A Friend

12

1492 Rome, Italy

Every chance I got I would get up and move around, although Cesare would yell at me. He would ask "Where are you going in such a hurry?" and I always answer. "I'm off to see the world." Then he would pick me up off my feet and put me back in bed. I insisted that I was fine but he didn't listen. I was no longer hurt but he was acting as if I was going to be in my shroud tonight. It had been almost 3 weeks, I didn't want to lay around all day.

It was a beautiful day, I could feel the warm breeze coming through the window. I wasn't going to sit inside all day. I throw on a silk robe and walk out to the court yard. As I pass a rose bush, I pull out some petals and lay them in my hand. I sit on the stone wall of the fountain and start to place the rose petals in the water. I tried my best to make them float among the lily's that were already there. When I ran out of petals I walked over to get more, then return to the fountain. I had gotten a few of them to float, and I smiled at them. It's the little things that make you smile my father used to say. He use to tell me that when I was just learning to walk I would chase the butterflies and play with the blades of grass. It was always enough to make me smile. He said when I would cry as a baby he would sprinkle flower petals over me and I would stop crying.

I stared down at the petals until the water splashed up in my face. My petals sunk down to the bottom of the fountain, as well as the rock that was thrown in. I look up at Juan who is fiddling with more rocks in his hand.
"You think that to be funny?" I wipe the water from my face.
"I thought it was hilarious." I cross my arms as he walks over to me. "Shouldn't you be in bed? Or perhaps in my brothers bed since you seem to be so comfortable there." He scoots himself closer to me.
"Go away Juan." I shove him away but it only makes him move closer. "I am not in the mood for your games today." His whole attitude is getting old. What scares me is what he will do when he gets tired of simply insulting me and being annoying.
"Nothing about me is a game Lady Lena." He teases me all the time with that name. He does not believe at all that I am a lady. I know what he thinks of me, it is clear since he always tries to make me lift my skirt for him.
"You're a swine." I push off of him and start to walk away but he grabs my wrist. His fingernails dig into my skin and his face turns blood red. This is what I was scared of.
"I grow tired of you denying me my pleasure."
"Let go of me!" I twist and turn my arm but he is too strong. His grip grew tighter as his blood shot eyes stared into mine. He reminded me of a bull. His furious eyes and heavy breathing screamed to me that he was an animal.
"Juan!" Cesare yells from the archway. Juan let's go of me and puts on an innocent look for his brother. Cesare came between me and Juan.
"Don't you have a brothel you should be passing out in?" Cesare snapped.
"Don't you have an ass to kiss?" Cesare raised his hand to Juan but I grabbed it.
"Cesare let's just go." I pull him away. Juan smirks that annoying smirk. Juan struts away with pride, although he should have none.
"Did he hurt you?" Cesare asks when lifting up my arm to view my wrist that had started to bruise.
"It's just Juan, nothing I can't handle." I take back my wrist and pull down my sleeve.
"You always say that my love."
"I will stop saying it when it is not true." Eventually Cesare would stop believing this lie and I would have to come up with a new one. I did not want to be what came between these two brothers.
"But what of your arm?" He lifts up my arm to view my wrist but I snatch it back.
"It's fine Cesare."
"You must get back to bed then."
"I'm not a child, I am fine." I pout.
"But your ankle-"
"It's fine." I reassure him. He embraces me, I wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his chest. His velvet red robes were soft against my cheek. It reminded me of my father. Every time he came home I would run up and hold him tight as if he was gone for years. I would always run my hand along his velvet robes because they felt smooth between my fingers. "Don't you have to go?" I asked.
"Why would you think that?"
"You are wearing your cardinal robes."
"I could always not go." He pulled me in tighter.
"Go Cesare. I will be here when you will return." I have no where else to go I thought.

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I went to the Vatican library, I was going to go find little Gioffre but he was no where to be found. Chess was the game we played. Juan would be angry when I beat him, and Cesare was to good for me to beat so I play with Gioffre. Sometimes he wins, sometimes I win, it wasn't too much of a challenge. But since I couldn't find him I resorted to reading. The Vatican is full of people but none I want to talk too. Cesare was busy, Lucrezia is gone, Juan is a pig and I only get to see Gioffre sometimes. The Vatican is lonely.
I piled books on my desk in my room. The Vatican had infinitely more books than my father. Sometimes he would bring some home for me, he knew I grew tired of reading the same ones over and over.
I didn't know which one to start with, there where just so many to choose from. I decided to go back and grab a few more. I walk out my door and bump into one of my handmaidens, Gabrielle. "Excuse me miss, but this just came for you." She hands me a letter.
"Thank you." I take it from her and look at it. Hopefully it was from my father, I have not heard from him in so long and I want to know how he is.
I close the door behind me and quickly open the letter.

Lena,

I need more time to figure this out. Please be patient, I will let you know when I get it.

Leonardo

That's it? I thought. For some reason the people in my life don't like to let me know what's going on. I guess he thought if someone else read it they wouldn't understand. That's good, but I want more answers. This is taking too long!
"Do you miss me?" Cesare pokes his head through the door. I smile and put down the letter. "What's that?" he questioned.
"It's nothing, just a letter from a friend."
He snakes his arms around my waist, he doesn't seem to care much for my letter. He must believe my lies.
"Have you eaten yet?" I shake my head at him. My thoughts are somewhere else. They are with Leonardo and my father. How much longer did he need before he could figure this out? What if my father is in trouble and he needs me? I don't much care for waiting.
"Good, I haven't either." He takes my hand to starts to lead me from the room. "I'm sure we can find something for you my lotus." But you can't find me the one thing I want, my father.

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Shorter update than normal, I have just been busy with school and work but I hope you enjoy :)