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.You saw the letter I had from your father, and I am certain that Damiano would let you see most of the reports he has received.”Margaret pounded the table with her fists once.“I am generally a calm and self-possessed woman,” she announced to the room.“Yet when I am here, and I think of what Henry Tudor has done to my father and our family out of pique, all the emotions I have rise in me like bubbles in boiling water.”Lodovico was relieved.The worst of this tempest was behind them.“Poets are said to be made of emotions, he reminded her with his most tolerant smile, and wondered if it were so.“I also understand,” Margaret went on in a more reasonable tone, “that il Primàrio’s son was said to be in England.I had that from Cecily Howard, who is a lady-in-waiting to Mistress Boleyn.”“His son? Which one?” Lodovico was suddenly cold.The remote troubles of that distant island had not touched him, but with this revelation, he felt the whole might of Henry Tudor become a threat.If one of Damiano’s sons was there, and decided to cause trouble, he could find no more effective way than to keep King Henry apprised of Medici family politics.“I believe it was Renato.” She frowned over the name.“That’s the second one.” He remembered the boy he, had taught.Renato had a facile wit and a superficial charm that masked his inner rage.“Does Damiano know of this?” It was difficult to speak to il Primàrio about any of his sons, but he hoped that in this case, someone had told him about Renato.“I showed him the letter.He said nothing.He was displeased.” She paused, giving Lodovico a quick, knowing glance.“They’re none of them in Italy, are they?”“Leone—he was named for his uncle the Pope—is, I believe, in Austria or Hungary.Arrigo was reported to be in Spain, but that was a year ago.And now you say Renato is in England.” He found himself wishing he could return to his little room, to his desk and his papers for the joy of losing himself in his work, in a world where sons were assets to their fathers.“There has always been difficulty with them.From the beginning.Yet Damiano’s daughters are women of learning and sense and integrity.”Margaret took one of the sheets of vellum in her hand.“I wish I could write to my father, but there is no way, I suppose.’’“We know where he is going to be, but it is not possible to send messengers after him on the road.If we were to do that, Damiano might as well send a delegation to the Grand Duke of Muscovy himself.We have his letters, and will for a time yet.Be grateful that so much is possible.If we were still at war with the Turks, it would not be safe to make this journey, and impossible to get messages back.” He held out a trimmed quill to her.“You may want to write him letters, in any case, and keep them to give to him when he returns.It’s not quite the same, but he will be able to read how you learned and what you did as you did them.” “Write him letters and keep them.”Margaret gave the matter some thought.“If it were you, Ariosto, would you do that?’’Lodovico could not answer any way but honestly.“Probably not, but I write few letters, only the ones I must.All other writing is saved for my poetry.I don’t want to sacrifice one quatrain to a letter.” He patted her hand.“Don’t let my obsession change your mind.Poets are quite mad, you know.”Margaret smiled at him, but her frown returned quickly.“There was one thing that Sir John Howard said in a letter to my husband, and I don’t know whether or not I should bring it to Damiano’s attention.”“What is it, Donna Margharita?” He knew from her expression that the matter had given her perplexity.“Sir John has said that Renato is encouraging King Henry to send expeditions to the New World for the express purpose of destroying the trade that has been established with Italy.Renato knows about the three trading ports, and has said that he could force a surrender with little bloodshed.Sir John doubts that Henry will give Renato the money and ships because he is more interested in Russia and France than the New World.” She plucked at an imaginary bit of lint on her dress.“I think if Damian were told, he would be distressed.”“Distressed!” Lodovico wanted to howl with laughter as a dog would at the moon.“Even if such a mad venture came to nothing, Damiano would be incandescently angry.” This new treachery, coming so close on the heels of Graziella’s departure, would wound Damiano nearly to frenzy [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]