When he left, I at last wept; but even as I spilt angry tears, I swore I would never again permit any man, least of all the Duke of Calabria, to make me cry.
I spent the next two weeks in torment. I saw only the servants. Though I was allowed outside to play if I wished, I refused, just as I petulantly refused most of my meals. I slept poorly and dreamed of Ferrantes spectral gallery.
My mood was so dark, my behaviour so difficult that Donna Esmeralda, who had never lifted a finger against me, slapped me twice in exasperation. I kept ruminating over my sudden impulse to kill my father; it had terrified me. I became convinced that without Alfonsos gentle influence, I should become a cruel, half-crazed tyrant like the father and grandfather I so resembled.
When the two weeks finally passed, I seized my little brother and embraced him with a ferocity that left us both breathless.
When at last I could speak, I said, Alfonso, we must take a solemn oath never to be apart again. Even when we are married, we must stay in Naples, near each other, for without you, I will go mad.
I swear, Alfonso said. But Sancha, your mind is perfectly sound. With or without me, you need never fear madness.
My lower lip trembled as I answered him. I am too much like Father-cold and cruel. Even Grandfather said it-I am hard, like him.
For the first time, I saw real anger flare in my brothers eyes. You are anything but cruel; you are kind and good. And the King is wrong. You arent hard, juststubborn.
I want to be like you, I said. You are the only person who makes me happy.
From that time on, I never once gave our father cause to punish me.
Late Spring 1492
II
For the first time, I saw real anger flare in my brothers eyes. You are anything but cruel; you are kind and good. And the King is wrong. You arent hard, juststubborn.
I want to be like you, I said. You are the only person who makes me happy.
From that time on, I never once gave our father cause to punish me.
Late Spring 1492
II
Slightly more than three years passed. The year 1492 arrived, and with it a new pope: Rodrigo Borgia, who took the name Alexander VI. Ferrante was eager to establish good relations with him, especially since previous pontiffs had looked unkindly on the House of Aragon.
Alfonso and I grew too old to share the nursery and moved into separate chambers, but we were apart only when sleep and the divergence in our education required it. I studied poetry and dance while Alfonso perfected his swordsmanship; we never discussed our foremost concern-that I was now fifteen, of marriageable age, and would soon move to a different household. I comforted myself with the thought that Alfonso would become fast friends with my future husband and would visit daily.
At last, a morning dawned when I was summoned to the Kings throne room. Donna Esmeralda, could not entirely hide her excitement. She dressed me in a modest black gown of elegant cut and fine silk, with a satin brocade stomacher laced so tightly I gasped for air.
Flanked by her, Madonna Trusia, and Donna Elena, I crossed the palace courtyard. The sun was obscured by heavy fog; it dripped onto us like soft, slow rain, spotting my gown, covering my face and carefully arranged hair with mist.
At last we arrived at Ferrantes wing. When the doors opened onto the throne room, I saw my grandfather sitting regally on his crimson cushions; beside him stood a stranger-an acceptable-looking man of stocky, muscular build. Next to him was my father.
Time had not bettered Alfonso, Duke of Calabria. If anything, my father was more temperamental-indeed, vicious. Recently, he had called for a whip and flogged a cook for serving his soup cold; he beat the poor woman until she fainted from loss of blood. Only Ferrante was able to stay his hand. He had also dismissed, with much cursing and shouting, an aged servant from the household for failing to properly shine his boots. To quote my grandfather, Wherever my eldest son goes, the sun retreats behind the clouds in fear.
His face, while still handsome, was a portrait in misery; his lips twitched with barely-repressed indiscriminate anger, his eyes emanated an unhappiness he delighted in sharing. He could no longer bear the sound of childish laughter; Alfonso and I were required to maintain silence in his presence. One day I forgot myself, and let loose a giggle. He reached down and struck me with such force, I stumbled and almost fell. It was not the blow that hurt as much as the realization that he had never lifted a hand against any of his other children-only me.
Once, when Trusia had believed me to be preoccupied, she had confided to Esmeralda that she had gone one night to my fathers chambers only to find it in total darkness. When she had fumbled about for a taper, my fathers voice emerged from the blackness: Leave it so. When my mother moved towards the door, he commanded: Sit! And so she was compelled to sit before him, on the floor. When she began to speak, in her soft, gentle voice, he shouted: Hold your tongue!
He wanted only silence and darkness, and the knowledge that she was there.
I bowed gracefully before the King, knowing my every action was being sized up by the common-looking, brown-haired stranger beside the throne. I was a woman now, and had learned to funnel all my childish stubbornness and mischief into a sense of pride. Others might have called it arrogance-but ever since the day my father had wounded me, I had vowed never to let myself show hurt or any sign of weakness. I was perpetually poised, unshakable, strong.
Princess Sancha of Aragon, Ferrante said formally. This is Count Onorato Caetani, a nobleman of good character. He has asked for your hand, and your father and I have granted it.
I lowered my face modestly and caught a second glimpse of the Count from beneath my lowered eyelashes. An ordinary man of some thirty summers, and only a count-and I a princess. I had been preparing myself to leave Alfonso for a husband-but not one so undistinguished as this. I was too distraught for a gracious, appropriate reply to spring quickly to my lips. Fortunately, Onorato spoke first.
You have lied to me, Your Majesty, he said, in a deep, clear voice.
Ferrante turned in surprise at once; my father looked as though he might strangle the Count. The Kings courtiers suppressed a gasp at his audacity, until he spoke again.
You said your granddaughter was lovely. But such a word does no justice to the exquisite creature who stands before us. I had thought I was fortunate enough to gain the hand of a princess of the realm; I had not realized I was gaining Naples most precious work of art as well. He pressed his palm against his chest, then held out his hand as he looked into my eyes. Your Highness, he said. My heart is yours. I beg you, accept such a humble gift, though it be unworthy of you.
Perhaps, I mused, this Caetani fellow will not make such a bad husband after all.
Onorato, I learned, was quite wealthy, and continued to be outspoken concerning my beauty. His manner towards Alfonso was warm and jovial, and I had no doubt he would welcome my brother into our home whenever I wished. As our courtship proceeded rapidly, he surprised me with gifts. One morning as we stood on the balcony looking out at the calm glassy bay, he moved as if to embrace me-and instead slipped a necklace over my head.
I drew back, eager to examine this new trinket-and discovered, hung on a satin cord, a polished ruby half the size of my fist.
For the fire in your soul, he said, and kissed me. Whatever resistance remained in my heart melted at that moment. I had seen enough wealth, taken its constant presence for granted long enough, to be unimpressed by it. It was not the jewel, but the gesture.
I enjoyed my first embrace. Onoratos trimmed golden-brown beard pleasantly caressed my cheek and smelled of rosemary-water and wine, and I responded to the passion with which he pressed his strong body against mine.
He knew how to pleasure a woman. We were betrothed, so it was expected that we would yield to nature when alone. After a month of courting, we did. He was skilled at finding his way beneath my overskirt, my dress, my chemise. He used his fingers first, then thumb, slipped between my legs, and rubbed a spot that left me quite surprised at my own reaction. This he did until I was brought to a spasm of most astounding delight; then he showed me how to favour him. I felt no embarrassment, no shame; indeed, I decided this was truly one of the greatest joys of life. My faith in the teaching of priests was weakened. How could anyone deem such a miracle a sin?
This behaviour occurred on several occasions until, at last, he mounted me, and inserted himself; prepared, I felt no pain, only enjoyment, and once he had emptied himself in me, he took care afterwards to bring me pleasure as well. I so delighted in the act, and so often demanded it, Onorato would laugh and call me insatiable.
I suppose I am not the only adolescent to mistake lust for love, but I was so taken by my future husband that, during the last days of summer, as a whim, I visited a woman known for seeing the future. A strega, the people called her, a witch, but though she garnered respect and a certain amount of fear, she was never accused of evil and on occasion did good.
Flanked by two horsemen for protection, I travelled from the Castel Nuovo in an open carriage with my favourite three ladies-in-waiting: Donna Esmeralda, who was a widow, Donna Maria, a married woman, and Donna Inez, a young virgin. Donna Maria and I joked about the act of love and laughed all the way, while Donna Esmeralda pursed her lips at such scandalous talk. We passed beneath the glinting white Triumphal Arch of the Castel Nuovo, with Falcons Peak, the Pizzofalcone, serving as its inland backdrop. The air was damp and cool and smelled of the sea; the unobstructed sun was warm. We made our way past the harbour along the coast of the Bay of Naples, so bright blue and reflective of the sky that the horizon between the two blurred. We headed toward Monte Vesuvio to the east. Behind us, to the west, the fortress of Castel dellOvo stood guard over the water.