Francesca (38 page)

She missed Rafaello and regretted the years they would not have together. But they had done their duty and produced two children. A son who would one day rule, and a daughter for whom she would make the most advantageous marriage. A marriage that would be of value to this duchy. How odd, Francesca thought. She no longer thought of Florence as her country. Terreno Boscoso was her country, her home.

And while her bed was empty now, her heart was full and grateful for the time she and Rafaello had had together. Their children were the only things that counted now. Francesca smiled to herself. She had never considered it until recently, but she was indeed Orianna Pietro d’Angelo’s daughter. She wondered if the world was big enough for both of them.

Epilogue

A
s she had promised the duchy, Francesca turned over the responsibilities of the duchy to her son, Duke Carlo, when he had reached the age of eighteen. A year later he married Carlotta, the youngest daughter of his father’s old friend, Valiant Cordassci and his wife, Louisa di Genoa. Both families were pleased, especially when a son was born to the young couple within a year.

In the years during which her son had reached his majority his mother had built alliances with other countries and raised an army to protect the duchy. Never again would Terreno Boscoso be vulnerable to others. True to her word, Francesca had never remarried, although Orianna Pietro d’Angelo had tried her very best to convince her otherwise. Captain Arnaldo and Bernardo grew old in the ducal service.

The young duke had been educated by the finest tutors his mother could find, brought from Florence and Rome. He learned the art of warfare from the captain, and how to hunt and be a man from Bernardo, who began taking the boy into the forest when he was only five. His elegant manners were learned at his mother’s side. He grew into a kind man and a wise, just ruler.

People said he reminded them of his late father, and when they did Carlo thanked them, for Rafaello Cesare had been well loved. But only in his features did he resemble his sire. Unlike the gentle and trusting man who had given him life, Carlo had learned to be practical, resourceful, and observant, like his clever mother was. He could not be taken unawares, as Rafaello had been.

* * *

F
rancesca had not neglected her daughter, Giovanna, although most of her attention had been focused on the duchy. Giovanna was educated as her brother had been, and taught, with the help of the faithful Terza and Roza, the female skills her mother was too busy to teach her. Her marriage at seventeen to a French duke was considered a coup for her family and a great triumph for Terreno Boscoso. Within ten months Giovanna fulfilled her duty as his wife by producing twin sons.

No longer needed now by either the duchy or her children, Francesca spent much of her time traveling to visit her now-elderly parents and her sisters. She was always accompanied by Captain Arnaldo and Bernardo, until they could no longer travel. She then settled into her own small home back in the duchy, finally dying at the age of eighty.

Those observing her body as it lay in state in the duchy’s cathedral said she had a smile on her face. Duke Carlo had been with his mother at the end, and only he had heard her last word as that smile had touched her lips.

It had been
“Rafaello!”

About the Author

Bertrice Small
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of fifty-four novels and four novellas, as well as the recipient of numerous awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from
Romantic Times.
She lives on the North Fork of eastern Long Island in Southold, which was founded in 1640 and is the oldest English-speaking town in the state of New York. Now widowed, she is the mother of a son, Thomas, and grandmother to a tribe of wonderful grandchildren. Longtime readers will be happy to learn that her beloved felines, twelve-year-old Finnegan, the long-haired black kitty, and eight-year-old Sylvester, the black-and-white bed cat, are still her dearest companions. Readers can contact the author by going to her message board on her Web site, www.bertricesmall.com, or writing to her at P.O. Box 764, Southold, NY, or [email protected].