A Devil of a Man (15) - Games that People Play

Caterina d'Eboli was deep in thought as she walked along the river Arno's banks basking in the morning sun's warmth.

Often described as an ice maiden for her reluctance to commit to a romantic relationship and rejecting the advances of numerous suitors, she had felt more alive since meeting Giovanni Acuto, the English condottiere.

Despite his notorious reputation, he behaved like a gentleman during their first encounter, but his body language clearly revealed his intentions. Her admission that she was undefiled may have had something to do with it.

She saw him as a multifaceted rough diamond waiting to be polished and appreciated and she relished the challenge.

He was obviously proud of his military achievements and it was such a pity he had not heeded her warnings to be careful which had resulted in the failure of his first mission as a commander of the White Company due to inclement wheater, a factor he had unwisely neglected to take into consideration, and insufficient knowledge of the local terrain.

While musing, she noticed her friend Lucrezia del Borgo - who was usually escorted by her fiance Ludovico, who was very jealous and did not trust her to stray - approaching the Ponte Vecchio from the Tramontana side and proceeding in the direction of the Mezzogiorno side. But this time Lucrezia was alone. Could it be that he had let her off the leash?  

The last time Caterina had seen them had been the year before during the carnival in Piazza degli Anziani where he had taken part in a game of Mazza-Scudo, a fierce conflict fought with wooden clubs and shields by two opposing factions, called Gazza (magpie) whose colours were vermillion and Gallo (rooster) in golden attire.
In 1264, after a successful battle against Lucca, the Pisans played Mazza-Scudo under the walls of the rival city to celebrate the victory.

They squealed with delight at meeting each other after such a long time. Caterina was the first to speak.

“How nice to see you, dear LuLu. What, no Ludo?”

“Don't talk to me about that wretched swine!”

“Why, what has it done now?”

“Well, he decided that it was his duty to go on a crusade but to ensure that I am faithful to him during his absence, his mother is supposed to chaperone me twenty-four hours a day.”

“Oh, poor you. Where is she now? I don't see her around.”

“You must have heard of soporific potions. I've used my initiative and now the old hag is dead to the world while I am on my way to a new paramour. “

But that's enough about me,” she added, “How is your love life? Has your prince come yet?”

Caterina was not surprised at the directness of her friend's question; they had always shared confidences and knew each other's secrets intimately. 

“He hasn't yet but he soon will. I've just met the man who may melt my heart,” she replied and went on to describe the dashing English condottiere that had come to her warehouse and the conversation that ensued.

Lucrezia was astonished that a foreigner could succeed in softening a frigid maiden's resolve where many hot-blooded Italians had faded.

“I see that I will have to give you some instructions for when the happy event happens,” she joked.

“I  appreciate that you have a lot of experience in these matters and I thank you for your offer,” Caterina quipped, “but my mother told me all about the birds and the bees.”

***

The subject of the two girls' gossip was at that moment reflecting on more serious matters. 
He had been informed that due to the heavy losses of personnel incurred during the first expedition under his command that had ended in failure, the Pisan authorities had procured reinforcements and a new group of mercenaries led by Hanneken von Baumgarten was going to supplement the troops of the White Company.

Giovanni Acuto, as he now was called by everyone and quite liked the appellation, was pleased not only that replacements had been found but also that he could avail himself of specialised engineers who were able to dig tunnels under a city's walls to bring them down and facilitate the invasion.

He still intended to attack Florence but for the moment it was a waiting game.

© Luigi Pagano 2024