Infinite Devotion Read Free Page B

I’m not alone.”
    He comes closer to me than I thought he would and touches my hair. “I have heard men talk about the pope’s beautiful daughter. I always imagined you lovely, but seeing you, I greatly underestimated your power.”
    I look up in his eyes that are so close, my stomach drops at this unexpected intensity he creates.
    He bends in, kisses me softly, but pulls away too soon. He picks up his satchel, nods to me with a smile, and leaves. Even though I don’t care to hear from Father, I wait every day for Perotto to return.
    Five long days later, my maid notifies me of a messenger approaching, and my heart speeds as I wait to see if he’ll run to me, but everything in me falls as I see it’s Cesare’s messenger. Completely disappointed, I hunch my shoulders and demand, “Read, messenger.”
    The messenger bows and begins:
Loveliest, Reclusive Sister,
I feel I have not seen the sun in months since you have run away. It is not like you to be so weak and guilty, and I am worried all the Borgias are becoming soft. I have received news that Juan is behaving badly in his misappointed dukedom. There has been much talk that he’s not only been ignoring his wife, failing to sire an heir, but has been going about Barcelona at night making repeated visits to the city’s whores and gambling for large fortunes and losing. He has been disrespectful to many of the alliances, and I fear he is on a course to great dishonor and embarrassment for the Borgia name. I seem to be the only Borgia who is striving for something better than that to which we were born. The only Borgia who is helping Father achieve his empiricist vision for us. Please pull yourself together and see what is the right thing to do. Sforza will be fine, Father will allow him to keep his large dowry, and we will leave him alone after he releases you. Please write to me, or I shall have to visit.

Your loving brother,
Cesare
    I give no reply. I know he’ll come anyway. Nothing can keep Cesare away if he wants something. I worry about Juan, though, how he won’t live up to the men Father and Cesare are, and I love him the more for that.
    Cesare comes a week later. He glides into the chapel as I’m finishing my morning prayers and claps his hands. “Enough of this strangeness, sister! Come away with me now to go welcome our youngest brother and his new wife, Sancia, to court.”
    He gets my attention. “Jofre was married? He’s only fourteen.” I rise up from my prayer bench.
    “Yes, while you’ve been praying with the nuns, our awkward brother has consummated his marriage with a much older beauty, Sancia, to Father’s great pride. Even though he’s not one of Father’s favorites, it seems he’s already faring better than Juan.”
    I know I’ll have to go. There’ll be great talk if I’m not there to welcome them both to court. Cesare can tell I relent; he unwinds the rosary from my hand, and claps for my ladies to come at once to prepare me for court.
    ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
    When we arrive at the Vatican, I turn to Cesare and say, “I’m only staying for the week.”
    Cesare smiles. “You’ll have so much fun dancing with me, you’ll take that back.” He helps me out of the coach. Juan’s waiting upon my entrance. He grabs me up in his strong arms and spins me around in circles.
    “Where have you been?” he exclaims.
    “San Sisto.”
    “I know that, but I’ve missed you so much!” He gives me another hug.
    I see something different in his eyes‌—‌the gleam’s disappeared.
    “You better go get all that gold you had Father make. I want a handsome accessory on my arm tonight to match my dress.”
    He gives me a wink and runs off. Cesare looks on jealously.
    Hearing of Sancia’s beauty, I dress in my finest dress, the one worth fifteen thousand ducats. Once I’m adorned, I know nothing could be more beautiful than what I see in the mirror. Feeling confident, I go out to the approaching envoy and everyone