The Medici Girl

Letters from Firenze

Nearly three weeks had passed since the party and the first week of June brought enough rain with it to bring Contessina's garden to life. She had been thankful to have all the weeds cleared by the time the rain did come because the flowers were blooming out of control. Even the vines that covered the fountain seemed to want in on the mass blooming. Every morning she sat out on the covered balcony above the courtyard in her garden and read one of the books Mario had given her. Then around breakfast time, she went inside before Fiona made her presence known in the villa.

The little girl, despite having to live with Nannia, delighted in visiting Contessina every day in the garden. Of course, the little girl had to do this without Nannia's knowledge even though Mario protested against it saying it gave the bitter woman a reason to keep spreading lies. This did not bother Contessina in the slightest since she knew where Ezio stood in their relationship. Still, Fiona's safety was something the blond worried about constantly and her husband even shared the same sentiment.

"Contessina." She smiled when she heard Ezio's voice as he made his way down from the rooftop and landed in front of her on the balcony. The past few days he had been coming to sit with her for a while, but he usually came from his study at the top of the villa the less traditional way. He sat down in the chair next to her before giving her a kiss on the temple and propping his feet upon the railing.

"Amore, there are such things known as stairs. Why do you not use them?" She said not looking up from her book and hearing him chuckle at her sarcasm. Ezio said nothing before he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips.

"I'm an assassin, not a banker." He told her as he held her hand in his before she closed her book and sighed. "What is it?" Ezio's voice went from sarcastic to concerned as she put the book down in her lap and looked up at him.

"I don't know. I feel as though I am forgetting something important, but I cannot figure out what it is." He let go of her hand and began to run his fingers through her hair as she seemed to be upset over it, but at the same time he felt that she had changed since the night of the party. To be fair, they had both felt different since then, but that did not change his priorities. "I'm sure it is nothing, maybe an important date or something I am forgetting." She smiled before she stood up.

"Maybe." Ezio said before removing his feet from the railing and standing up as well. Lately, Mario had him training heavily for his next target, whoever it may be and she often watched. "It will come to you eventually." He told her in confidence knowing she would figure it out.

"That doesn't solve the problem of the nagging feeling I have." She said hitting him gently on his arm with the book. "Come, I'm sure Uncle is waiting for us downstairs." Contessina grabbed his hand and drug him off of the balcony and into the villa before letting him go to follow her on his own. He did not mind, but sometimes she could be a little demanding and he realized this was how she had always been. It was refreshing to see the old Contessina in her natural ways and he could not help but to smile as he followed her down the stairs and into the dining room.

"Buongiorno." Mario said from his spot at the head of the table with Maria sitting across from him as the matriarch of the Auditore for now. Claudia sat at Maria's right while Ezio went to sit at her left. Contessina took her usual spot next to her sister while Mario was practically alone at the other end of the table. The Auditore man had made a comment a week ago about the empty seats being filled eventually, which caused Ezio and Contessina to look at each other with uncertainty.

"Buongiorno, Uncle." Contessina said with a happy smile on her face at seeing the man who she had started to see as an actual uncle to her. "Any news from Firenze?" She asked with curiosity but the man shook his head as he stabbed at his eggs with a fork before putting them on a thin flat bread with sun dried tomatoes and Italian peppers before folding it up to take a bite.