Bianca (6 page)

Bianca lay silent now beneath him, her eyes still shut.

“Disobey me,” he said in a pleasant tone, “and I have ways to punish you that you will not like,
cara mia
. Now open your eyes for me, Bianca, and afterwards I shall give you your wedding gift as a reward.”

She didn’t want him to beat her again. Bianca opened her eyes and looked up at him. She struggled to keep her gaze neutral so he would not see the dislike she felt for him now. She would never like this man. Indeed she already hated him. He had forced her into a mortal sin. How could she confess such a thing to a priest? She would never forgive him or herself for yielding to his depraved nature. Better she had died.

“You have the most beautiful eyes in the world,” he told her. “Never have I seen such a color before,
cara mia
.” He continued to fuck her as he spoke. “There was obviously a Northman in your family, Bianca. Do you think your ancestress was violated by one, or was she wed to him? Do you know,
cara mia
? Is there some tale about it in your family’s history?” The thought of it excited him, but then suddenly his crisis overcame him. His juices flooded her, and he fell away from her, groaning. “Sleep now,” he told her. “We will make love again when I have recovered my strength.”

Make love?
Was that what he called what had just transpired? Moving away from him, she curled herself into a fetal position and slept to block out her shame and her disappointment. But twice again in the night, Bianca was awakened by her husband so he might satisfy his lust for her. After the third time, he told her to go back to her own rooms. Grateful, the girl covered herself with her silk night robe, and creeping from the bedchamber, made her way back to her own quarters, where Agata was awaiting her.

Seeing her young mistress’s face, Agata said nothing. Instead, she led Bianca to the bathing room, bathed her, and then bringing her back to her own rooms, fed her a goblet of wine with a sleeping potion. Sleep would restore the girl’s spirits, which Agata could see had been badly broken, but it was only temporary. Bianca was a Pietro d’Angelo, and she would not crumble.

Bianca slept well into the next afternoon. She awakened to have to dress in a sapphire blue velvet gown embroidered in gold and crystals, for their guests were shortly due. Her husband came into her apartment unannounced, bringing with him a dark red leather case. He smiled at her and nodded his approval of her garments.

“I have brought you your wedding gift,” he said. “You will wear them tonight when we entertain.” Opening the case, he displayed for her its contents. Nestled on the ivory satin lining of the case was a magnificent necklace of blue aquamarines set in gold. The stones were large, almost vulgar in their size, but the color was pure.

“The first time I saw your eyes I determined you must have a necklace like this,” he told her as he affixed the jewelry about her throat. “Later when we are alone, you will wear them for me naked with your hair loose.” He kissed the side of her neck.

“If it pleases you, Sebastiano,” Bianca said quietly, restraining a shudder, and using his name for the first time. Could he hear the venom in her tone?

“I like the sound of my name on your lips,” he told her. He set the matching ear bobs in her ears. “And yes, it would please me very much.” Now he kissed her lips.

Madre di Dios!
Was this how it was going to be? Bianca wondered. He had no idea of her distaste. The necklace seemed to burn her skin. Or was it his kiss?

“Our guests will be arriving. Let us go and greet them together,” he said, taking her arm and leading her from the apartment.

It was her first real party, and oddly it was the company that caused Bianca to enjoy it. They were honored by the presence of Lorenzo di Medici, current head of the great House of Medici, who had inherited the position from his late father, known as Piero the Gouty, the son of Cosimo. Though he was considered ugly by the standards of his day, with his dark, bushy eyebrows, long, flat nose, and large jaw that jutted forward, his dark eyes were intelligent, and his long, thick, straight black hair, which he wore at shoulder length and parted in the middle, was admired. He was known for his kindness, his athletic prowess, and his intellect. The House of Medici had never had such a head. The Medicis’ wealth, banking skills, and wise counsel made them the most influential family in Florence.

He was kind and mannerly. Knowing it was Bianca’s first real adult party, he had insisted on being seated at her right hand rather than at her husband’s. “Why would I want to sit next to you, Sebastiano, when there is such a beautiful young woman at the other end of the table?” While disappointed, Sebastiano Rovere was pleased the Medici had taken notice of his new bride. She was already bringing stature to his house.

“My lord, you are very gracious,” Bianca said to him.

Lorenzo di Medici’s dark eyes twinkled. “While I am with you,
signora
, no other man in this room will flirt with you, thereby angering your husband. This should be a happy time for you. You are outrageously beautiful, you know. How on earth did Rovere gain such a treasure as you,
cara
? I had heard your proud mother wished to wed you into Venice and that your princely grandfather was already considering certain families.”

“My father owed my husband a great debt, my lord,” Bianca admitted. “I should not tell that to anyone, but for some reason I trust you. You have a kind face.”

“Your secrets are safe with me,
cara
,” he replied with a chuckle. “So you think my face kind, eh? Neither my brother nor I is considered handsome. Now, my children are thought to be quite handsome, especially by their mother. They have not my face.”

“I would not know that, my lord,” Bianca admitted. “I have lived a most sheltered life until yesterday. My husband says I will be well cloistered for my own safety, for the city can be a rough place.”

“I cannot blame Rovere for keeping you close,
cara
. He is right. Florence is a beautiful but dangerous city, but I suspect the world will come to you.” Reaching out, he fingered her necklace. “I collect rare and beautiful things,
cara
. Your necklace is quite spectacular. A gift?”

“A wedding gift from my husband,” Bianca admitted.

“The stones match your eyes perfectly. It is amazing that he was able to find such perfect gems,” the Medici said. “I might have had them cut a bit more delicately, but it is a striking piece, and you wear it well.”

“It is vulgar,” Bianca heard herself say.

Lorenzo di Medici laughed. “It is, indeed, but you must never tell him that. I am certain he went to great difficulty to find the stones,
cara
.”

After their guests had left, her husband came to her apartment to tell Bianca how pleased he had been with the excellent impression she had made on his guests, particularly the Medici. “They are envied, but they will always hold the power in this city as long as they wish to, wife. Remember it. Having the friendship of the Medici is no small thing.”

“I am glad to have pleased you, Sebastiano,” Bianca told him.

“You will come to my bedchamber in an hour,” he said, and then left her.

“
Madre di Dios!
I had hoped to be spared tonight,” Bianca said when he had left.

“You were with him almost all of your wedding night,” Agata noted. “Did you not enjoy his passion?”

“He is a monster,” Bianca replied. “Do you think my mother will come tomorrow? I very much need to speak with her.”

“Perhaps,” Agata said, and she gave her mistress a small goblet of wine to calm her nerves. Taking a man for the first time was always difficult and especially for a girl who had been as sheltered as the Pietro d’Angelo daughters. In time, Bianca would get used to her husband’s attentions. She might even come to enjoy them. Many women did.

When the hour struck, she escorted her mistress to her husband’s apartment, where Guido awaited to take his new mistress to the bedchamber.

Entering, Bianca was shocked to see a naked woman in her husband’s bed. Was this his mistress? She turned to leave, but his sharp voice stopped her.

“Remove your robe, and come here to me,” he said. He was standing naked by the blazing fireplace.

Bianca shrugged the garment off and walked over to him. “Who is that woman, Sebastiano?” she asked him.

“Her name is Nudara, and she is my slave,” he said.

“I did not know you kept slaves in this house, Sebastiano. My family does not keep slaves. It is a cruel practice,” Bianca responded.

“Slaves are a necessary part of my household,” he answered her. “It is not your duty to criticize how I manage it. Nudara pleases me well.”

“I had been told that you keep a mistress, Sabina Cadenza. Have you disposed of her for this slave girl?” Bianca inquired, unable to keep the scorn from her voice.

He heard it, and slapped her lightly on her cheek. “Be careful,
cara mia
,” he warned her. “I would hardly dispose of a woman who brings me public prestige among my peers. I have married you to burnish my reputation even further, but my appetites are large and varied. They must be serviced in private. Those appetites are in Nudara’s keeping. She is most diligent in her duties,” he said with a chuckle. “Now get into bed with her, Bianca. I will bring us all some wine and join you.”

“She wants to disobey you, my lord,” Nudara said in her smoky voice. “Do you not want to come and lie with me, pretty mistress? I will make you as happy as I do my master. We only need to learn what pleases you.” Her tone was sweet, but Bianca heard the poison beneath the dulcet murmur.

Before Bianca might even think what to answer this creature, she felt the sting of her husband’s dog whip on her buttocks, and cried out in protest.

“Get into the bed,” he snarled, pushing her over to it.

She fell helplessly back upon it.

Nudara giggled and pulled at Bianca so that her whole body was now upon the bed. “Let me suck her breasts, master,” the slave girl begged her master.

“You are so greedy,” Rovere laughed. “Yes, yes! Go ahead and pleasure yourself. You will soon have to pleasure me.”

“No!” Bianca cried, pushing the woman away from her and struggling to sit up.

Nudara pouted, disappointed. “She needs to be strapped, master. She will not play with me. Will you let her defy your orders?”

Sebastiano Rovere came to the bed with a large goblet of wine. He drank deeply, then set the goblet aside as he climbed into the bed to join the two women. “She is inexperienced, Nudara. We must take our time in educating her.” He made himself comfortable, well-stuffed pillows behind his back as he gained a seated position. Legs spread, he dragged Bianca so that she sat with her back against him. His hands reached around to grasp her two round breasts. “You will do as I tell you, Bianca, or you will be beaten. First with a leather strap that will make your bottom blaze, and if you have still not learned your lesson, I will apply the dog whip hard enough to break your skin. The results will be very painful, I assure you.” His fingers pinched her nipples in warning.

Bianca winced with the pain.

“Do you understand me,
cara mia
? Obey, or I will beat you,” he murmured in her ear. “Did you know the sweet conjunction of your buttocks with my cock is warming it?” He dropped a kiss upon her bare shoulder. Then his gaze turned to Nudara. “Lick her and get her ready to be fucked. My member is beginning to stir vigorously. Spread your legs wide, Bianca.” His thumbs began to rub her nipples.

Bianca was ashamed to find herself very fearful. It was disconcerting to learn she was not a brave girl. She believed him when he said he would beat her, and make her punishment painful. She didn’t want to be beaten. She opened her legs, and was horrified to see Nudara crawl between them. It was worse, and she could not help the little cry that escaped her when Nudara’s tongue began licking at her most private place.

Her husband began to whisper in her ear. “I know how skillful her tongue can be. The flat of it will caress the insides of your nether lips,
cara mia
. The pointed little tip of it will tease your love bud to passion. And when your juices begin to flow, and they will, I shall put my cock deep into you, and fuck you until you are screaming with your pleasure. You will give me that pleasure, Bianca
dolce
, whether you wish to or not. You cannot withhold it from me.
I will not be denied!
”

But she did deny him. Her juices flowed, which the teasing Nudara’s tongue forced from her, but Bianca lay as cold as ice in his arms. She felt nothing but revulsion. His cock withered at her lack of response. He screamed his outrage, but Nudara quickly took that shrunken bit of flesh between her lips, and sucked him hard. Shoving her away, he then climbed atop Bianca, fucking her until she fainted from the excess. He next proceeded to use Nudara, but after a satisfactory period of fucking, she forced his juices from him, screaming her delight, praising his prowess and his skilled manhood.

When Bianca finally came to herself again, she saw her husband and Nudara drinking wine. Nudara’s sharp eyes saw that her mistress had regained a conscious state. They forced a small goblet of wine upon Bianca, and Nudara smiled wickedly as they did.

“It has stimulants in it to make you eager to be fucked,” the slave told Bianca. “You disappointed the master greatly with your icy hauteur, but soon you will beg for him to fuck you. First, however, you must be strapped for your disobedience, mistress.” And she laughed, quite pleased with herself for having engineered this scenario with Rovere while poor Bianca lay helpless and semiconscious.

“Kill me!” Bianca said to her husband. “I should rather be dead than suffer this abuse from you and your whore.”

“Ahh,
cara mia
, does Nudara distress you that much? Then she shall go,” her husband said in a kindly voice. “Get out, wench. I can see you have been having too much fun, which does not please me.” He pushed the slave from the bed.

Scrambling to her feet, Nudara protested. “But, my lord, I sought only to please you. We have all drunk the spiced wine now, and I am eager for your love!”