The Medici Girl

Bickering Over Breakfast

December 1476, Florence 

The morning was unusually brisk for Florence. Contessina was warm when she woke up in Ezio's arms, but when she eased herself away from him, she felt the chill of the air. The fire had gone down to smoldering embers, so she added another cut log to the rack and stirred the fire awake. Ezio would likely sleep for another hour or so since he had come in late during the night, so she dressed in a simple red dress that hugged her figure nicely. Instead of doing her hair in an elaborate style as she used to before she married, she let it fall over her shoulder in a golden twist. She went over to the table by the bed and picked up the book of poems she had been reading before quietly leaving the room. 

The sun had barely risen when she stepped into the courtyard of her new home. She stopped short when she saw Giovanni walking in from his latest adventure in the red and white attire she had seen him in on more than one occasion. Giovanni did not deny that he knew she saw what he was wearing, but Contessina did not mention any of it to him. There was a quiet understanding between her and Giovanni. 

"Good morning, Contessina." He said with a smile as he removed his gloves. "It is a little chilly this morning." He told her as he walked to his study. 

"Yes, a little." She told him with a smile on her face. She knew that Giovanni did more than banking. Quite a few times she had seen the hooded man walk into the Palazzo Medici to speak with her cousin, Lorenzo. "Messere, is it possible to speak with you later on a matter I've been thinking about quite a bit lately?" 

"Contessina, you know you can talk to me anytime you like." He put a hand to his chest and she gave him an apologetic look. "Do not worry, we can talk later after breakfast." Giovanni bowed his head before walking through the door and closing it behind him leaving Contessina by herself. She walked over to the bench in the far corner and opened the small leather bound book to the page she had left off on the night before. 

Flipping the page she began to read the next stanza as the birds began to flutter about the yard. Mornings gave her the time to be by herself. The stillness of the day before Florence became bustling with activity was the only time she had to reflect before the Auditore household came to life. Breakfast was always a mild affair with Ezio always coming in late with disheveled hair and half awake. While Federico and Cammilla were always down for breakfast right on time. Petruccio was absent sometimes due to his health, but Contessina always made sure to bring him broth later. She would often sit and read to him as she had a soft spot for her little brother.

She did not know how long she sat in the courtyard before she realized the sun was fully above the horizon. Breakfast was about to begin, but she could not find the courage to put down the book just yet. The poems were a tale of a bittersweet romance between a Goddess and a mortal, however their love was obviously doomed from the moment the mortal man saw her bathing. The goddess was merciful to him because he did not mean to stare at her naked form, but only to drink from the spring she bathed in. Thus, the tale of their love began with her mercy towards him. If only her own tale could be as dramatic as the poems. 

Contessina begrudgingly closed the book before making her way to the dining room where she found Maria sitting with her own book. The matriarch loved to read just as much as her daughter-in-law, however their tastes in material were dramatically different. Maria preferred more realistic and tragic tales, such as those of the Greeks. Contessina was a hopeless romantic in any case, only because she had not had the whirlwind romance she dreamed of with her husband. That was not to say that she had not loved Ezio before they were betrothed; she did, but it was more of a platonic love. Any seeds of romance had been promptly stepped on by Ezio himself and his wanting to stay away from love. That was until he met Cristina.