The door opened. Lorenzo entered, still dressed in the formal attire from the negotiation. She appeared weary, her face drawn, yet she maintained that same quiet authority.
Marie tensed in her seat, her hand tightening about her wine glass.
"All of you, depart,"Lorenzo said quietly. The servants bowed and filed out with haste. Bess hesitated, glancing toward Marie.
Marie offered her a small nod.
Bess curtsied reluctantly and withdrew, closing the door in her wake.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and uncomfortable. Lorenzo moved to the sideboard and began to make idle conversation, her voice deliberately casual.
"Does the chamber please you?" Marie offered no reply.
"You may arrange this place as you see fit," Lorenzo continued, pouring herself wine. "Alter whatever you wish. Redecorate as you please. I desire that you be comfortable here." Marie's jaw tightened.
If anything, she appeared more distressed. Lorenzo took up her glass and seated herself at the table, though not at the head, she selected a chair nearer to Marie, maintaining a respectful distance between them. She drank her wine in silence, observing Marie's profile.
At length, Marie spoke.
"What happened at the meeting?"Her voice was cold, detached. "What has been decided?Am I to remain here with you?"
Lorenzo set down her glass. "You are now my wife. Nothing can alter that."
Marie's head turned sharply, her eyes blazing. "Yes, you ensured that most thoroughly, did you not? You ensured they all know how depraved I am!" Her voice rose, trembling with fury. "I threw myself at you—according to your account! You made me appear some desperate, wanton... "
"Marie—"
"Do not!"Marie interrupted her. "Do not dare attempt to justify it!"
Lorenzo exhaled loudly, pressing her fingers to her brow.
"The favorable news," she said carefully, "is that you shall be permitted to spend six months with your family each year. And the remaining six months with me."
Marie rose abruptly, her chair scraping harshly against the stone floor. She seized her wine glass and cast it down, shattering it upon the floor. "The gift that continues giving!" she cried, her voice breaking.
"Compose yourself, Marie,"Lorenzo said, her tone firm yet not wrathful.
"You possess no right to—" Marie began, but Lorenzo spoke over her. "Furthermore," Lorenzo continued, her voice heavy, "I have been appointed permanent Italian ambassador to England by your sovereign."
Marie wiped at her tears with anger. "My felicitations!" she said bitterly. "How does this concern me?" Lorenzo opened her jacket, loosening it, and consumed the remainder of her wine in a single swallow. When she spoke again, her voice was strained. "This concerns you entirely. For it means I must remain here—in England—no less than four months of every year."
She looked directly at Marie. "You remain in peril. Henry still possesses access to you. I cannot convey you to Italy where you would be protected. Yet neither can I keep you confined here."Marie whimpered, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks. "I do not believe you. William must hold me in contempt now. You have ruined me for naught!"
Lorenzo's expression hardened. She stood abruptly, exasperation finally breaching her careful restraint. "What would it require for you to believe me? Speak. What must I do?"
Marie's voice was as ice. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I shall never believe you nor forgive you for what you have done to me."
Lorenzo sighed deeply, a sound of pure frustration. She moved toward the door. "Your obstinacy shall not alter reality." She paused at the threshold, looking back. "All I have done was preserve you."
Marie turned her face away, ignoring her entirely. Lorenzo departed, closing the door quietly behind her.
***
Marie remained in the dining chamber until late into the night. The fire burned low, yet she could not compel herself to move. She could not go to that chamber—the chamber where it had occurred. Where he had claimed her. The thought made her flesh crawl. Bess stayed with her, wrapped in a shawl, dozing in a chair nearby like a vigilant guardian.
***
In Lorenzo's study, she sat at a heavy wooden desk, a glass of wine in her hand. Marcello reclined in a chair opposite her, his own drink half-consumed. A knock sounded at the door. One of the elder maids entered, curtsying. "Mio signore," the maid said in Italian, "vostra moglie non ha lasciato la sala da pranzo. Dice che non dormirà in quella camera." *(My lord, your wife has not left the dining hall. She says she will not sleep in that chamber.)*
Lorenzo studied her wine glass for an extended moment, swirling the dark liquid thoughtfully. Then she replied in Italian, her voice weary. "Preparate una camera separata per lei." *(Prepare a separate chamber for her.)*
The maid hesitated, evidently surprised, but curtsied and withdrew. Lorenzo fell back in her chair, drawing a hand through her hair in frustration. "Questa donna sarà la mia morte," she muttered. *(This woman will be my death.)*
Marcello laughed, the sound rich with amusement. "You possess but two choices, kiddo. Either you yourself sleep in that spare chamber as well, or this becomes your nightly circumstance, your wife refusing to share your bed at every turn."
Lorenzo regarded him, uncertain. "Are you certain that shall not provoke her further?" Marcello stood, retrieving his coat. "She is already provoked beyond measure. At the least, make clear that she shall not dictate the terms of this union. You claimed her. Now conduct yourself accordingly."
He moved toward the door, then paused. "Your wife should not define what is and is not permitted. You are her husband and master."
Lorenzo called after him in Italian, "Se questo fallisce, ti sfiderò a duello fino alla morte!" *(If this fails, I shall challenge you to a duel to the death!)*
Marcello's laughter echoed down the corridor as he departed.
***
Lorenzo rose and consumed the remainder of her wine. Then she made her way to the dining chamber. Marie slumbered in a chair beside the hearth, her head inclined at an uncomfortable angle. Bess sat nearby, watching over her like a hawk, her eyes sharp and protective. When Lorenzo entered, Bess stood swiftly and curtsied. "Your Highness," she said, her voice measured. "Your wife does not wish to sleep in that chamber." Lorenzo paid her no mind whatsoever. She walked directly to Marie and bent down, sliding one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back. She lifted Marie into her arms as though she weighed nothing at all. Marie's eyes flew open.
"What...release me!" She began struggling immediately, pushing against Lorenzo's chest. "Put me down this instant!"
"Your Highness, I beg you!" Bess protested, following behind them and attempting to reason. "She does not desire..."
Marie firm and unyielding continued to fight, twisting and pushing, yet Lorenzo's strength proved overwhelming. Bess followed, her protests growing more insistent. "Unhand me!" Marie cried. "You possess no right..."
They reached the bedchamber. Lorenzo pushed the door open with her shoulder, stepped within, and then closed it firmly with her foot, leaving Bess without.
"Your Highness!" Bess's voice came muffled through the door, accompanied by frantic knocking.
"I beseech you! My lord!"
Lorenzo set Marie upon her feet. Marie immediately stumbled backward, placing distance between them.
"This is your home now," Lorenzo stated, her voice firm. "Desire it or not."
Marie's eyes blazed with fury. "You cannot simply..."
"I am your master," Lorenzo continued, advancing. "Accept it or not."
Marie's face flushed with rage. "The audacity is beyond comprehension! You abducted me! You forced yourself upon me! You possess no authority over me!"
In one swift motion, Lorenzo closed the distance between them. She grasped Marie by the neck, not roughly, but firmly enough to hold her in place, and kissed her with profound intensity.Marie made a sound of protest, her hands rising to push against Lorenzo's shoulders. Yet Lorenzo bit her lower lip with deliberate gentleness, causing Marie to gasp, and in that moment, Lorenzo's tongue entered her mouth, exploring, claiming. The kiss was demanding, possessive, overwhelming. Marie felt her knees weaken despite herself, felt that same treacherous warmth bloom within her. Lorenzo withdrew only when breath became necessary. She maintained her hand upon Marie's neck, her thumb resting against Marie's racing pulse.
"Here are the terms," Lorenzo said, her voice low and dangerous. "You conduct yourself with civility, and I shall refrain from uncivil treatment of you."
She leaned closer, her lips brushing Marie's ear. "Yet should you provoke me, or offer me insult, I shall act as I please. As is my right as your husband and master."
Marie said nothing, her chest heaving with anger and confusion and that traitorous warmth she refused to acknowledge. Lorenzo released her and stepped back. She moved to a sofa positioned near the window and seated herself, appearing remarkably calm for someone who had just kissed their captive wife into submission.
"Are you going to leave your maid standing outside to die of worry," Lorenzo asked conversationally, "or shall you permit her to enter and assist you in changing for bed?"
Marie's jaw clenched. She refused to look at Lorenzo. "Come in, Bess," she called out.The door opened immediately. Bess entered, her face flushed with worry and barely concealed fury. She glared daggers at Lorenzo as she crossed to Marie. Lorenzo merely reached for a book that lay upon the side table, some volume in Italian, and opened it, beginning to read as though this were a perfectly ordinary evening. Bess guided Marie behind the dressing screen in the corner and began unlacing her gown. Her hands trembled slightly as she worked.
"Are you well, my lady?" Bess whispered urgently. "Did he..."
I am fine, Bess," Marie said quietly but firmly. "You need not worry yourself over it. I am a grown woman, and I shall ensure I find my way out of this myself if my family will not help me." She spoke without lowering her voice, without attempting to hide her words from Lorenzo. From behind the screen, they heard Lorenzo sigh heavily, though she continued reading. Marie emerged a few moments later in her nightgown, a thin white linen shift that reached her ankles. It was modest by intent, yet the candlelight rendered it somewhat translucent. Lorenzo glanced up from her book. And immediately looked away, swallowing hard. *Dio mio.* *(My God.)*
The nightgown concealed nothing. Lorenzo could see everything beneath the fabric—the curves of Marie's body, her full breasts, the shape of her plump backside, even the outline of her nipples pressing against the linen. And worse still, Lorenzo could hear everything, Marie's heartbeat, steady and strong; the rush of her blood through her veins, warm and intoxicating. Lorenzo's grip tightened on the book. She forced her gaze back to the page, though she could no longer focus on the words.
*So this is it,* she thought grimly. *The lust and the thirst are connected. One feeds the other. I must keep my eyes away from her. I must.*
Bess curtsied to Marie, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "I shall be just outside if you need me, my lady," she said pointedly, with another venomous look at Lorenzo.Then she departed, closing the door behind her. The silence that followed was oppressive. Marie folded her arms across her chest and turned to face Lorenzo. "Dear husband," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "please do me the favor of sleeping upon the floor. I have asked nicely, so please oblige."
Lorenzo looked up at this small, fiery creature before her and found herself unexpectedly captivated. Had she ever seen this side of Marie? So bold, so defiant? Even now, terrified and violated and furious, she possessed such spirit. *I should spank you for that insolence,* Lorenzo thought, and immediately the image bloomed unbidden in her mind, bending Marie over the bed, lifting that thin nightgown, bringing her hand down upon that plump backside until Marie gasped and writhed and Lorenzo's gums began to ache.
Her fangs threatened to descend. She dropped the book abruptly and stood. "Listen to me," she said, her voice strained but plain. "What happened yesterday shall never occur again without your full consent. I give you my word."
She moved toward the far side of the room, putting distance between them. "For now, I must remain in this chamber. Soon enough, I shall find a way to intrude the least upon your life. Please... bear with me."
Marie rolled her eyes dramatically and climbed into the bed. The linens had been changed, at least—fresh sheets that smelled faintly of lavender. *What brutes,* she thought bitterly. *They change the bedding but leave me to sleep beside this jerk.*