City of Flowers (31 page)

‘Or clean enough,' said Luciano. ‘They'd have had to fill the fountain with every perfume in Sulien's pharmacy if he'd been invited.'

It bothered Luciano that Sandro was still working for the Eel, even though it was Sulien who had advised the boy not to break off his connections with the di Chimici. Luciano knew what Enrico was capable of, including murder, and he didn't like the idea of the boy risking exposure as a sort of double agent.

Georgia left the square as the candles were being lit in the di Chimici silver candlesticks and the lanterns hanging from the canopy. Sky and Nicholas stayed just long enough to watch a great confection being carried in of spun sugar in the shape of a giant perfume bottle surrounded by lilies. Then Sky had to drag Nicholas back to Saint-Mary-among-the-Vines.

Luciano sat on in the darkening square with Sandro, while the sated guests nibbled silvered almonds and figs and listened to the band of musicians who played on the balcony of the palazzo. When the music stopped, the speeches began, and Luciano realised he must have dozed off, because Sandro was shaking him awake.

‘The Duke's making some big announcement,' he said.

The two of them got up and strolled closer to the banqueting platform, which was now an island of light and flowers in the dark. Duke Niccolò, resplendent in a fur-trimmed scarlet velvet doublet, was standing holding a silver goblet full of red wine. His speech was slightly slurred and he swayed a little but he was still very much the master of the feast.

‘My brother, his Holiness the Pope, Lenient the Sixth, here to celebrate the union of eight of our closest family members in the cathedral tomorrow, has conferred upon me the honour of a new title.'

The Pope also rose, even more unsteadily than his brother, and took the new crown from a page who had borne it to the platform on a purple velvet cushion.

‘By the powers invested in me as Bishop of Remora and Pope of the Church of Talia,' he said, ‘I here declare Duke Niccolò di Chimici, Duke of Giglia, to be the first Grand Duke of all Tuschia.'

He placed the Grand-Ducal crown, which looked rather like one of the kitchen's finer confections, on his brother's white head.

The new Grand Duke adjusted it as the applause rose from all the tables.

‘This crown I hope to pass on, with the title, to my heir Fabrizio and his descendants,' said Niccolò. His eyes sought out one person among his guests. ‘And now, before we adjourn to the palazzo for dancing, I ask you to join me in one final toast, to our most welcome guest, the beautiful Duchessa of Bellezza!'

There was some whispering among the diners at that; such a signal honour coming straight after the announcement of the Duke's new title must mean something of significance. Luciano gripped Sandro's shoulder tightly. But there was no further announcement; the Grand Duke had no secret understanding with Arianna. The most important guests were moving into the central courtyard of the Palazzo Ducale for dancing, and Arianna passed out of Luciano's view.

‘Would you like me to stay here and wait for her to come out?' asked Sandro.

Luciano was touched. ‘I think I'll stay myself, thanks,' he said.

‘Then I'll keep watch with you,' said Sandro.

The servants were clearing the platform, so they went and sat on the edge of the scented fountain and soon found themselves partaking of leftovers from the feast – even Fratello got some fragments of goat liver that had fallen from the tables.

In the piazza outside Saint-Mary-among-the-Vines, carriage races were being held round the wooden obelisks but Sky was not there to see them.

In all the other piazzas of the city bonfires were lit in celebration of the new Grand Duke and of the weddings on the morrow. Silver coins were thrown into the crowds by Niccolò's men and the people cried, ‘Long live Grand Duke Niccolò! Long live the di Chimici!'

*

In the courtyard of the Ducal palace, couples were forming for a dance. Arianna sought out her father for a quick conference but was forestalled by the Duke himself.

‘Ah, your Grace,' he said, bowing rather carefully and unsteadily. ‘Please do me the honour of being my partner.'

Arianna was quite startled till she realised he was just referring to the dancing. All round the first floor of the inner courtyard ran a loggia, to which the musicians had now removed. Torches flickered in iron brackets fixed just under this gallery and the players themselves had their music illuminated by many-branched candelabra. The air was heavy with the scent of lilies and high above the dancers the stars came out. It was the perfect night for romance.

The four couples who were to marry the next day clearly thought so, and so, alarmingly, did the Grand Duke.

‘I have a present for you,' he said to Arianna, as they executed the formal movements of the dance.

‘Your Grace has already been more than generous,' she said.

The Duke took from his doublet a black velvet bag.

Goddess save us, thought Arianna, not during the dance with everyone looking. But it was not a ring. It was a silver sleeve-pendant in the shape of a mandola, encrusted with precious stones.

‘It's lovely,' said Arianna. ‘But –'

The Duke held up his hand. ‘That is a word I do not care for,' he said. ‘There are no conditions to accepting it – let us call it a gift from Giglia to Bellezza.'

‘Then Bellezza thanks Giglia,' said Arianna.

‘Here, let me pin it to your sleeve,' said the Grand Duke, and they stepped aside from the other dancers so that he could fix it to the left sleeve of her blue satin gown. When that was done, he signalled to a servant and led her into a small side chamber. She looked frantically around for Rodolfo but he was nowhere to be seen.

‘There is something more,' said Niccolò.

A servant led into the room two beautiful spotted cats, the size of boarhounds. Each wore a silver collar of entwined fleur-de-lys with a long chain attached. Arianna couldn't help showing her pleasure; she loved animals.

‘You may touch them, my Lady,' said the servant. ‘They are quite tame.'

Arianna stroked their magnificent fur and admired their large brown eyes, which were underlined with black, like those of the most fashionable Giglian ladies. Her own eyes were shining and the Duke looked pleased.

‘Are they really for me?' asked Arianna, like the girl she still was.

‘Another token of Giglia's esteem,' said the Grand Duke. ‘And a sign of the closer friendship I hope will develop between our two cities.'

Completely captivated by the glamorous cats, Arianna was quite heedless of the way this encounter was moving. Niccolò was beginning to feel jealous of the caresses lavished on the animals and ordered his man to take them away.

‘You heard my announcement after dinner,' he said, showing no signs of wanting to rejoin the dance.

‘Indeed,' said Arianna.

‘And saw my crown?'

Arianna noticed that the crown was displayed on its velvet cushion on a small table in the chamber. Niccolò clicked his fingers and another servant brought in a second crown. It was smaller and more delicate but equally sparkling with gems.

‘Can you guess who this is for?' he asked.

Arianna said nothing.

‘I had it made for my Granduchessa,' said Niccolò, taking the slender silver crown from the servant. ‘I should like to see if it would fit your Grace.'

Arianna protested. ‘I couldn't wear it,' she said, adding, ‘and I know not how to address you, my Lord, under your new title.'

‘Niccolò is my name,' he said, lifting the small tiara of diamonds from her hair and putting the crown in its place. ‘There! A perfect fit, I would say. It looks well on you, my dear – Arianna, as I would call you. Won't you honour me by wearing it always and being my Granduchessa?'

It has happened, thought Arianna, and it feels like one of those dreams when you try to run and your legs won't move and everything slows down. At that moment a battery of rockets went up and stars of purple and green and gold exploded above the courtyard, so she was excused from speech. Not as good as Father's, she thought, but they came just at the right moment.

The new Grand Duke looked annoyed. Arianna took off the crown and restored her tiara. ‘Do let us return to the courtyard to see the fireworks,' she said, as calmly as she could manage.

‘There is no need to answer straightaway,' said Niccolò, raising his voice over the sound of Reman candles. ‘You can tell me tomorrow, after the weddings. I'd like to make an announcement in the evening. In fact, you do not have to tell me. Just wear the dress I sent you and I will know your answer is favourable.'

At that moment, all Arianna could think of was getting away from him. ‘Yes,' she said. ‘That would be acceptable.'

Then she hurried out of the room, leaving Niccolò to look at the pair of crowns. Among the crowd whose upturned faces were illuminated by the fireworks was Rodolfo, and Arianna almost ran to his side, she was so relieved to see him. He put his arm round her.

‘He has asked me,' she said simply and pressed herself close to her father's side, suddenly shivering in the warm night air.

‘I hoped I had let off the rockets in time to prevent it,' he said.

‘They saved me from having to give him an answer now,' said Arianna. ‘But the fireworks aren't yours, are they?'

‘I was taking a professional interest,' said Rodolfo, with the ghost of a smile. ‘Unfortunately for the firework master, I set off the display a little ahead of time.'

Arianna was exhausted and, as they made their excuses and farewells and slipped out into the night, her bodyguards closed up around her, carrying torches to light her back to the Embassy. The fireworks continued to explode over the Palazzo Ducale and Luciano, waiting in the square, saw that Arianna's face was bereft of all colour except what their light shed on her.

*

Next morning the Palazzo di Chimici on the Via Larga rang with the cries of ladies' personal maids calling for warm water, curling irons, hairpins and combs, as four brides were arrayed for their weddings. In the Piazza della Cattedrale a baldachino of blue velvet studded with silver stars was erected to provide a covered walkway to the cathedral's east door, and a red carpet decorated with silver fleur-de-lys was unrolled underneath it to reach right to the end of the piazza, where the princesses would descend from the Ducal carriage.

The cathedral itself was filled with lilies – and soldiers. Members of the Duke's private army lined the walls, and up in the gallery above the High Altar a body of archers encircled the base of the dome. In the vestry the Pope was being helped into his silver brocade cope. All morning guests kept arriving and filled up the pews of the body of the building.

Rodolfo and Sulien were invited but not Dethridge, Giuditta, Luciano or Sky. And certainly not Nicholas or Georgia, who weren't even known to be in the city. So two Stravaganti would be inside the cathedral and the remaining six outside among the celebratory crowds. Silvia and Guido would also be among the observers. Many Giglians had been up since dawn establishing their viewpoints and bringing their own food and drink. Every window and balcony that overlooked the Piazza della Cattedrale was filled with spectators.

In the Embassy, Arianna was in a panic of indecision. The cursed di Chimici dress was laid over her bed alongside the equally elegant – and much more comfortable – green and blue brocade she had brought from Bellezza. She paced up and down in her lace shift, her chestnut hair loose and tangled about her shoulders, to the despair of Barbara the maid, who was trying to dress it.

Arianna had not slept the night before and was glad of a mask to wear to conceal the dark circles under her eyes – but was it to be the diamond-studded silver one sent by the Grand Duke to match the dress or the green and blue shot-silk one that went with her Bellezzan gown? Rodolfo had advised against wearing Niccolò's present, once he had heard about the proposal and this way of giving an answer. But Silvia thought not wearing it would provoke a dangerous diplomatic incident at the weddings.

‘How can you be so unsure, my Lady?' asked Barbara, who was about Arianna's age and on very confidential terms with her mistress. ‘I would love to have the chance to wear that diamond one.'

Arianna stopped her pacing. ‘That's it!' she said. ‘You shall, Barbara! Why not? My mother used a double often enough and you and I are much of a size. If I wear the dress, the Duke will take that as my consent to his proposal. But if I can later say it wasn't myself in it, I will have bought myself a little more time. Say you'll do it!'

*

The Grand Duke was visiting the young brides in the Via Larga. There was a flutter of screens and towels and dressing gowns when he put his head around their doors. But the Duke just laughed; he was in an excellent mood and all these pretty young relatives of his just served to remind him that he might have a young bride of his own soon. He had brought them their wedding chests, each cassone painted with the scene that was soon to take place at Saint-Mary-of-the-Lily, of the four couples entering the cathedral under the di Chimici baldachino.