Duel Love by Barbara Youree

Author:Barbara Youree
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2013-09-25T00:00:00+00:00

twelve

Albret spent the eve of the new year, 1613, traveling back from his critical meeting with the king’s emissary in Pisa. He and his attendant, Massetti, stopped for the night in the little village of Empoli and rented a room. After settling in, they went downstairs to the local tavern and ordered a light meal of lamb stew and bread. The two men sat at the end of a long wooden table crowded with other merrymakers. The tavern became unruly and boisterous as midnight approached.

Just as the bell in the church tower pealed twelve times, Albret and Massetti tinked goblets.

“To the new year,” said Massetti. “Prosperity, happiness, and God’s blessings!”

“To the brave peasants of Tuscany,” said Albret. “May they, too, find prosperity, happiness, and God’s blessings in the coming year!”

In the room, cheers and toasts soon lowered to whispers so that all could hear the crashing noises from the village. Some in the crowd even rushed outdoors to watch as the townspeople dropped pots and pans, pottery, and metal objects from their windows. Albret recalled that in the past this tradition was meant to scare away evil spirits. But now in the modern seventeenth century, it served only as a means of welcoming the new year.

When the patrons began to disperse, Albret and Massetti were better able to hear each other.

“We could not have wished for better words from the king’s emissary,” said Albret as he held up his goblet to be refilled by the young girl waiting tables.

“Certainly from the part I heard, they could not have been more welcome,” agreed Massetti, motioning to the girl to refill his goblet as well. “The emissary simply read the declaration that gives the peasants the right to compensation if they must leave the conte’s land or employment if they stay. Then a fairer distribution of taxes among the peasants. And what was the third?”

“Unfortunately, no reprieve on working on the roads. How-ever, they may choose to split their month of labor contribution into two segments. That will help some,” said Albret.

“And I don’t dare to ask the amount of the purse, signore, that you received in commendation from King Philip.” Massetti looked away in mock disinterest.

“He never stated the amount of pesos, but as you can imagine, the two heavy bags of silver coins make up a substantial amount.” Albret suddenly stood up and laid some coins on the table to cover their fare. “We need to return to our room as that money lies unprotected.”

Upstairs in their room, Albret immediately set a burning candle on the floor, dropped to his knees, and pulled the bags from under his bed. “They seem to weigh the same,” he said with relief before putting them back. He set the candle on a stand by the bed. “One, of course, is for Captain Gaza for leading the fight, and mine is for—as the emissary termed it—the persuading argument. The irony is in the source of the purse.”

“And what is the source, signore?” said Massetti, eager to hear the complete story.

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