Francesca (28 page)

“It will not be pleasant,” he said.

“But we will stand together,” she replied.

Their guests were already breaking their fast. The Comte du Barry rose from his place at the high board as the duke and
duchessa
joined him.

“Have you made your decision, my lord?” the Frenchman said, and reseated himself as they sat.

“I have,” Rafaello answered him.

“And that decision is?” the comte persisted.

“You already know,” the duke told him. “I cannot in good conscience sign a treaty of any kind with France, my lord. Terreno Boscoso has been a sovereign realm since the days of Titus Flavius, its first lord. The key to our survival has been our neutrality, and so we will remain. We will not favor any side, as we have done all these centuries. I would not offend King Louis, but neither can I offend my other neighbors. If your king needed to access my lands in time of war I could not prevent him from doing so. Yet the French have always taken an even more northern route into the south. Your king has my respect, but I will not cede my duchy to him.”

“I beg you to reconsider, my lord,” the Comte du Barry said with false courtesy.

“You ask the impossible of us, my lord,” the duke replied. “When you have finished your meal I will expect you and your men to depart.”

The Comte du Barry acknowledged this request with a polite nod, but then he turned to Francesca. “Tell me, madam. Do you agree with your husband’s decision?”

“I do,” she answered, “and if I may speak frankly, my lord, I find it ridiculous that King Louis would attempt to take our little duchy from its rightful ruler. Terreno Boscoso has never been a threat to any of its neighbors.” She was surprised that he would ask her such a question, as if he expected her to publicly disagree with her husband.

“My king consolidates his own rights, madam,” the comte answered her. “He has already this year annexed Burgundy, and will soon possess both Artois and Franche-Comté. With the death of his brother, King Louis has also seen Guyenne revert into his hands. France is a mighty power.”

“So mighty it must bully a peaceful neighbor?” Francesca asked him sweetly.

“Your wife shows intelligence and spirit, my lord,” the comte said to the duke. “What a pity you do not have an heir yet.”

“We Cesares are slow to produce, but when we do our sons are strong,” Rafaello answered. He did not miss the suggestion that if the young duke had chosen Aceline du Barry instead of Francesca he would now have a son. “As you may or may not be aware, my wife’s mother birthed seven healthy children for her husband.” Then, seeing his guest’s plate empty, he continued. “You will want to be on your way now, for the day is new and you have several days’ travel ahead of you. You will, of course, give King Louis my respectful felicitations.”

The Comte du Barry had no choice, having been so firmly dismissed. He arose from his place at the high board, bowing to the duke and Francesca. He signaled his men, and Rafaello couldn’t help but notice that the comte traveled with more men-at-arms than had escorted his own daughter last year. The duke gestured silently to Matteo, and the serving man hurried to his master’s side.

“Make certain that the Comte du Barry departs the castle quickly,” he said. “And send Captain Arnaldo to me.”

“Very good, my lord.” Matteo hurried off.

“Why do you want the captain?” Francesca asked her husband.

“I want the comte shadowed for a few days. I would make certain he leaves my lands with all possible speed,” Rafaello answered her. “I do not trust him.”

“Should you perhaps send a missive to King Louis, asking if the Comte du Barry is actually acting in his name?” Francesca asked him. “Perhaps this attempt to usurp your authority was not King Louis’s idea. Perhaps Terreno Boscoso was brought to the French’s attention by the Comte du Barry. As a distant cousin of Queen Charlotte he has access to the court. He may have suggested the king acquire your lands, as he is acquiring so many others right now. To destroy your family and our duchy’s sovereignty is in his mind a supreme act of revenge for his daughter’s shame. Du Barry would, of course, say nothing to you in that regard. Such an act is unworthy of a man of honor.”

“If he has indeed done as you suggest, then he has no honor,” Rafaello replied. “To attempt to steal another’s man’s birthright lacks integrity. He is unworthy of our sympathy and our scorn.”

“I cannot disagree, but it does not change the fact that Terreno Boscoso is threatened by outside forces,” Francesca responded. “You need to learn if it is the French king behind this maneuver or the Comte du Barry.”

“If I send to King Louis with this tale and it is untrue, I risk attracting the attention of an acquisitive man,” Rafaello told her. “Du Barry is correct in one thing: France has become a power with which to be reckoned.”

“What will you do, then?” Francesca asked him.

“We will wait to see what will transpire. If it is indeed the French king behind this matter I do not see how I can fight such a takeover,” the duke told his wife. “But if this has all been Raoul du Barry’s doing, then we will hear no more of it.”

Captain Arnaldo arrived, and the
duchessa
left her husband to speak with him.

Rafaello explained what the Comte du Barry had wanted of him, and his refusal to yield to such a demand.

The captain listened intently as his master gave him his instructions.

“I will want the comte and his men shadowed right to the border, so I may be certain he is gone. Send only one man, for I do not want him seen.”

“I have just the man for such a task,” Captain Arnaldo said.

“When he is certain that the comte is gone he is to return to us with all possible speed to make his report,” the duke instructed his captain.

“Very good, my lord,” was his reply, and with a smart bow the man-at-arms hurried from his master’s presence.

At that moment Matteo returned to report. “The comte and his men have gone, my lord. I followed them through the town and saw them gain the High Road.”

“Excellent!” the duke said.

A number of days later Captain Arnaldo’s man returned to tell the duke that the Comte du Barry had gone over the border without incident. The duke now waited to see what would happen. If the French king was indeed attempting to take Terreno Boscoso from its rightful rulers it would be weeks before they would learn anything. A watch was set up at the border between the two countries so that the duke could be warned in advance of any aggressive action towards his duchy. They could do nothing now but wait.

Chapter 14

T
he duke called a rare meeting of his advisory council. They had not met since the late Duke Titus had brought them together to announce that as soon as Rafaello married he meant to abdicate in his son’s favor. The council was made up of the town’s three most important merchants, the heads of the three families who descended from the three tribunes who had come to what was now Terreno Boscoso with Titus Flavius Caesar, and Terreno Boscoso’s bishop. He told them of the visit he had had from the Comte du Barry, and his claim that King Louis wanted the duke’s fealty and to quarter troops in the duchy.

“I have refused both requests, my lords, madam, and good sirs. However, if King Louis does indeed request these things of me it is possible my rejection of his demands may cause him to act in a hostile manner towards the duchy. He could send his troops to force his will upon us.” Rafaello looked down the council table at the six men and one woman who were gathered. “I realize that I have put us all in possible danger, but I could not yield to such a request. If Milan learned that the French had put troops in our duchy we would make an enemy of a friend and a trading partner. I regret that I must bring you this news.”

The council murmured among themselves. And then the bishop said, “The sovereignty of this duchy must be preserved at all costs, my lord.” His companions nodded in agreement.

“Is it possible, my lord, that the French may attempt to force their will upon us?” The question came from the only woman on the council, a merchant who exported beautiful gold and silver jewelry to the Italian states. Her wares were in great demand. “Soldiers have a habit of stealing from the local population when they occupy a country. And as you are aware the artisans in my employ are all women. I would not put them in danger, my lord. Certainly you can understand.”

“I do,” the duke answered her, “but I have no certain answers to give you. I can tell you that it will take weeks before we know what is to happen. The Comte du Barry must report to his king, and King Louis must then decide if Terreno Boscoso is worth the trouble he must go to in order to force us to his will. Whatever I learn I will communicate with you as soon as I know it. I ask you to have faith in me, and not to gossip and frighten the townspeople.”

“We can ask no more of you, my lord,” the bishop said. “I shall pray for us all.”

The council was dismissed.

Rafaello sought out his wife and told her what had transpired.

Francesca was concerned. “You cannot expect the council to keep silent about this,” she told him. “They will seek to move their families out of harm’s way, and you cannot blame them. I have written to my parents, asking them to tell the di Medicis what is happening here. I do not know if Florence can help us.”

“It is not likely,” Rafaello answered her, “and I dare not seek aid from Milan. If they should learn of our difficulties it is entirely possible that their duke’s uncle would seek to take my duchy for himself. He would excuse himself by saying he could not have French troops on his nephew’s borders. We had best pray King Louis decides we are not worth the time or trouble.”

“And if he does?” Francesca asked. “What will we do then? We have no army to defend us, my lord, nor influence with our more powerful neighbors. What will we do if the French march into Terreno Boscoso?”

“I do not know,” he admitted.

“And yet you refused King Louis’s request,” she said.

“I had no choice,” he told her proudly.

“We have to defend ourselves,” Francesca replied. “We cannot simply allow a foreign power to force their will upon us. You must hire mercenaries. The di Medicis do it. All the important families do. My dower was paid you in gold; let the important families and merchants pay as well.”

“We have never had the need to impose a tax on our people,” he said.

“If they wish to be defended they will pay,” Francesca replied simply.

“My father was correct about you,” the duke told his wife. “You are clever.”

“It is obviously better you wed a merchant’s daughter than a French nobleman’s,” Francesca told him with a smile. “I know how to be practical, my lord. If you do not wish foreign troops to be quartered in Terreno Boscoso, then you must defend it.”

“Where can we find mercenaries?” he asked her.

“We must ask Captain Arnaldo,” she answered him. “He is a soldier and will know. I do not, but I do know if we present a strong front to the French we can drive them off. They will not depart without a fight, of course.”

“I love you,” he said quietly.

“And I love you,” Francesca replied. “We must not be driven from our duchy. At least not without a fight.”

Captain Arnaldo was sent for, and when he heard the duke’s idea of hiring mercenaries to defend the duchy he nodded in agreement, then said, “If you will permit it, my lord, I will go to Milan to seek the men we need. I have a cousin in the service of the Duke of Milan. He will direct me and advise me. It will be better if I choose them myself, for mercenaries are not loyal by nature except to the highest bidder. To obtain the best fighters you will have to pay very well indeed.”

“I have no choice,” the duke told his captain. “If we are to defend the duchy from the French we must obtain the best mercenaries we can find. You will have your hands full with these men.”

“There will be one among those I choose who is a natural leader, and he will be the man I appoint as my secondary,” the captain said. “I will depart today, my lord.”

The duke nodded. “Offer what is fair, perhaps a bit over the going rate, and hold out the promise of a bonus when their term of service to me is completed and the French are successfully discouraged,” he said. “Your kinsman will know.”

“I will, my lord,” Captain Arnaldo agreed. Then, bowing smartly, he turned and left his master’s presence.

“He will do his best,” Francesca said to her husband when the man-at-arms had gone. “We can ask no more of him than that. Let us pray his cousin is willing to help.”

“Mercenaries are not known for their delicacy of behavior,” the duke replied in a worried tone. “Bringing that many armed foreigners into the duchy could prove as dangerous as being invaded by the French. They will have no loyalty to Terreno Boscoso as their motherland. I had hoped to keep this unfortunate possibility from my people because I did not wish to frighten them, but the mercenaries we need cannot be hidden from them. While I can house them in the castle, their numbers will attract attention, and some of them may get into the town to cause havoc. I am damned without protection, yet I place us all in an equally dangerous position with this protection.”

“You must decide, then, which are the lesser of the two evils we face. You can stop Captain Arnaldo from going, and we will take our chances that the French threat from the Comte du Barry is a hollow one. An attempt on his part to curry favor with his king by delivering the duchy into his hands. Or we can believe Raoul du Barry, and take precautions to defend Terreno Boscoso from an invading force.”

He had never in his life been faced with such a decision. Either way he risked the peaceful life they had always enjoyed here. They had avoided the recent wars between the Italian states that fought with each other and with the French. Those altercations had come to an end with the clever diplomacy and bravery of Lorenzo di Medici. But who would look after Terreno Boscoso if its own duke didn’t? Who would keep it safe from the invading French? He had not aided his neighbors, nor had they even considered his duchy enough to ask. Many were not even concerned with its existence or aware of it. They should have made alliances with other countries, but it had never been necessary. Now they had no one to turn to for aid or support. The French king, however, had become acquisitive during his reign. Now that his troops were home he was obviously looking about to see whose lands he might acquire, and his eye had fallen on Terreno Boscoso. Should he have sworn fealty to Louis XI and permitted him to quarter troops within the duchy? Rafaello questioned himself again as he had these past few days, but the answer that always sprang into his mind was a resounding
no
.

Fealty alone he might have managed for necessity’s sake. Who would have known? It was not something that King Louis would have publicly bragged about, because Terreno Boscoso was really of no great importance to anyone save its duke and his people. And the French ruler would have wanted to have a certain hidden advantage over the governments in the Italian states. But the quartering of troops would have been untenable to his larger neighbors. It would draw attention to them. Milan would not have been contented at all by such a turn of events, nor would they be pleased to learn what had happened. Now Rafaello wondered what they would do when they learned that the French were attempting to force their will on the duchy and might very well succeed.

They waited as early summer moved to late summer and then early autumn. Captain Arnaldo had returned with at least two hundred mercenaries. Among them one man seemed to be a leader, and the duke’s captain had wisely appointed him as his second in command. If the French meant to attack it would not be before much more time had passed. Armies did not like battling in the winter months.

The duke had stationed men on the border to watch. It was a wise precaution and would give them a tiny bit of warning, as the border was at least several days from his castle. Poor Aceline du Barry had been only a few miles from France when her party had been attacked. An army, even a small one, would take a few days to reach Terreno Boscoso. Rafaello had no choice now but to warn the townsfolk. The great bell in the little cathedral was rung, an age-old sign that the duchy’s citizens were required for an important public announcement. Surprised, for it was rare they were called, they came to learn what it was their duke would say.

The duke’s council had been called in to a short session just prior. They had been unhappy, but not surprised, to learn the French were preparing to attack the town. “I will send the small defensive force I have had brought from Milan to meet the French before they reach us, but I can guarantee nothing with regard to our safety.”

“You will do your best for us, my lord,” the bishop said. “The Cesare family has never failed Terreno Boscoso.”

“The duchy has never before faced such peril,” the duke answered the cleric.

Now Rafaello faced the anxious men and women of his duchy. Francesca had insisted upon being at his side. It was her duty as their
duchessa
. She believed that while the news would be extremely frightening to the people, for in their own history Terreno Boscoso had never been faced with the danger of invasion by a foreign power, nonetheless their united appearance would hopefully do something to allay the citizens’ fears, if only briefly.

The hum of voices died as the duke and
duchessa
arrived in the town’s main square. Rafaello, seated upon his stallion, with Francesca on her own horse by his side, began to speak. “Citizens of Terreno Boscoso, it is with great regret I must bring you bad news,” Rafaello began. “Several months ago the French sent a demand that I give their king my fealty and that I permit them to quarter their troops in our duchy. I refused, for never have our dukes been subject to a foreign power.”

A small patriotic cheer arose from the assembled.

“Quartering French troops here would have caused Milan concern, but more important, I thought the French demand bold. I was threatened by their emissary with armed retaliation if I did not accede to King Louis’s demands. I might have reluctantly given my oath of loyalty to this king and then pleaded that no troops be quartered within our borders. I could not for honor’s sake. Now, however, the French have sent their forces over our borders. They are approaching the town slowly. I have sent the mercenaries that I hired in Milan this summer to meet them. We will do our best to defend the duchy, but if you can, take yourselves and your families south quickly, for safety’s sake. I am sorry to have put you in danger like this.”

“Will the
duchessa
Francesca be going south too?” a voice from the crowd called out, and expectant faces looked to her.