Medici ~ Ascendancy by Matteo Strukul

Author:Matteo Strukul [Strukul, Matteo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786692085
Publisher: Head of Zeus

34

The Incident

Laura was satisfied: the wig with its long mahogany-red curls was perfect and so was the mole she had applied next to her mouth, which highlighted the curve of her smile.

The magnificent aquamarine dress she wore contrasted perfectly with the wig, and she had ensured that its neckline was low and wide enough to leave nothing to the imagination. The tight bodice had an inner lining containing a short dagger which was perfect for what she had in mind.

To hide her face, she wore a moretta, one of the small black masks worn by Venetian ladies.

She let her eyes wander across the splendid halls of the building and its beguiling architecture, the tapestry-covered walls that rivalled those of the most beautiful Florentine residences and the exquisite coffered ceilings in carved wood, decorated in gold.

The room was crowded with the cream of Venetian aristocracy, and echoed with the chattering and vivacious laughter of the ladies and the jokes of the gentlemen, who included some of the city’s most illustrious personalities. Francesco Barbaro, Leonardo Bruni and Guarino Veronese had all been invited by Loredana Grimani, a noblewoman who loved to surround herself with the most learned humanists and philosophers. Her salon of intellectuals was well known and, as was already the case with the other arts, had become a remarkable meeting place for Venetian and Florentine thinkers. At that moment, the two cities enjoyed a formidable alliance, and this was another reason why Laura’s trip to Venice had to seem not only carefree but also above suspicion.

She must in any case be wary of danger, since that magnificent patina of splendour and opulence concealed myriad political intrigues as individuals sought to increase their own power. The Republic in Florence was being fought over by the Medici and the Albizzi, but Venice was more complex, with a greater number of patrician families engaged in a fight to the death to obtain the doge’s favours and take possession of the most prestigious political and judicial positions. Laura would have to be wary of the many spies who certainly crowded those rooms and who were ready to intervene and report to the Ten, the supreme magistrates of the Serenissima – the Most Serene Republic – who were legendary for their cruelty and ruthlessness.

Somewhere, Reinhardt Schwartz was watching over her and would ensure her escape. Or so, at least, she hoped.

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