Everyone knew Aurelia loved riding, especially early in the morning. But she had a secret that lured her out to the edges of the casetllo's lands. Far from the sights of the watchtowers, in a clearing atop a small hill, beneath a large tree. There she indulged in her secret twice a week.
It was an accident at first, she had raced to the hilltop and caught him one morning. A young man, her companion in age, trespassing across the casetllo's lands. He was on his way to the town, and the border of the Melini lands offered a convenient shortcut. He confessed he did not know he was trespassing and swore he had no ill intentions. He frequented the path moving between his grandfather's home and the town, where he worked as an assistant to one of the bakers.
Aurelia did not hold his error against him, and invited him to talk with her on the mornings he traveled. 'Mind your status,' was a phase she had heard all too often when she conversed too friendly with the servants and common folk. Here in the wilds, away from the sights of others, she could converse with this man without fear of reprimand.
They talked, laughed, and shared many stories. Eventually, Aurelia would start packing a basket with breakfast for them to enjoy. She would sneak into the kitchen early, and together with the head cook, would bake them a small sample of bread. Adding to the basket: cheese, meat, fruit, and a sample of light wine, she set off before much of the castello awoke. She also taught him the letters for reading.
As the weeks passed, the months faded and the season changed, Aurelia and the young man deepened their relationship. Niccolo was his name. He told her of the wrongs done to his family. How the man who would be his father tricked his mother into lying with him on the promise of making her his wife, then abandoned her once she was with child. The man had made arrangements to have them killed, but his grandfather had found an abandoned house for them to live safely in the woods. Aurelia's heart went out to Niccolo. She wanted to comfort him more than by being his friend. Mind your status.
They carried on with their meetings and a year passed. They were closer now and met frequently. Their closeness, had anyone else seen them, would have ruined Aurelia's reputation and led to Niccolo's death. But under the shade of their tree, in the early hours of the morning, on the far wooded borders of the castello's lands, no one saw them.
One day in late spring, the most wonderful thing happened. Like every morning she met Niccolo, Aurelia was up early before the servants moved about. She had had the most wonderful dream. She dreamt of having a family with Niccolo, of living a simpler life with him, every day filled with bliss. She couldn't wait to see him that morning and rushed through her preparations.
When she approached their tree, Niccolo was already there, staring up at the fading night sky. He turned to look at her with the brightest smile she had ever seen on his face. Before she dismounted, he was at her side, his arms raised to assist her.
"I could hardly wait to see you this morning." He said as he helped her down.
"As could I." She answered, falling into the pools that were his eyes.
Niccolo's hand framed her cheek; he brushed his thumb lightly along her lips. Aurelia gripped handfuls of his shirt, staring at his loving expression as he stroked her skin.
"I had a dream—"
He pressed his thumb on her lips and shook his head.
"I can go no further without confessing." He said as he reached for his pocket. Niccolo pulled out a small pouch, and from it withdrew a pendant. It was a small enamel heart attached to a ribbon.
"It is not much, but it is the best I can offer. I love you, Aurelia."
Aurelia's heart skipped a beat, her breath left her, and she gasped. She looked at the pendant then back at Niccolo. The pendant was simple, far below that which was respectable to gift a noble woman. Aurelia didn't care; she knew Niccolo was genuine in his intentions towards her. More than the simplicity of the gift, she worried about his coin. This would have cost him a great deal. Still, that mattered little to her now. She needed to hear more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, snuggling against him.
"Ask it. Ask it of me."
" Would you consent to being my wi—"
"Yes!"
Niccolo squeezed her tightly in his arms. He lifted and spun her around wildly. They laughed as they fell to the ground, giddy and ecstatic. Aurelia sat up and looked down at Niccolo.
"I will convince father and grandfather." She said, as she lovingly brushed her hand through his unkempt hair. "It may take some time, but I will convince them."
She lay her head on his chest, listening to the familiar drumming of his heart as she had done several times before. "I Love you, Nic."
Niccolo and Aurelia agreed on their next day to meet, and she returned to the castello overjoyed. The pendant hidden safely in her handkerchief at the bottom of the basket. But upon her return to the castello, she found everyone in sombre spirits. Her uncle Ludovico had been murdered, the third murder in their family for the year. Her father and grandfather would not be in the mood to entertain her. So she put off her request.
Aurelia's father and grandfather feared for her safety in the weeks following her uncle's murder and forbade her from leaving the view of the watchtowers. She was also assigned guards who accompanied her on her trips into town. Unable to meet him privately, Aurelia prepared a short note and went into town with her guards.
To avoid suspicion, she walked among the shops slowly, paying attention to the items on display. When she got near the baker Niccolo worked for, she saw he was tending the shop. When she approached, Niccolo's face lit up, but Aurelia did not regard him. Her gaze swept over him the way nobles did the common folk. Niccolo was visibly dejected. This ached Aurelia's heart as she watched him from the corner of her eye. She ordered several sweet baked goods, handed him a coin pouch, and walked away.
Niccolo opened the pouch and saw the note, but made a count of the coin first.
"Mistress, your change." He called after her.
"Keep the coin." she answered without a backward look.
For a while, they exchanged notes by way of the coin pouch. Niccolo would write his responses on the back of Aurelia's previous notes, then swap the notes when he returned the pouch with her change. This continued while her father and grandfather remained vigilant against the threat to the family.
Soon it was discovered that Aurelia's cousin, Lorenzo, was behind the murders. He feared their grandfather would leave the title and estates to someone else and began to kill off others in the family. He fled the wrath of their grandfather, Francesco, and took up hiding in the halls of opposing lords.
The threat unmasked and dealt with, Aurelia was free to roam once again. She and Niccolo resumed their secret meetings with much passion. But their reunion was short-lived as her cousin began raising an army to attack the castello. Several lords that opposed the Melini joined her cousin to fight against them. Fearing they would be overcome, Francesco arranged to marry Aurelia to an influential man of the Odescalchi family.
Despite her love for Niccolo, Aurelia agreed with her grandfather's decision. And in the middle of summer when news of her finalised engagement arrived, she rode with a heavy heart towards her lover.
Niccolo greeted her with open arms and held her as she wept. He kissed her when her crying lessened. She returned his kiss with desperation. The knowledge that they would never be together in this life fueled their passion for each other. And there, on the open field of the hill top, Niccolo knew Aurelia intimately.
They lay holding each other. The knowledge of what they had done worried them, but the memory of their passions was still very fresh in their minds. Aurelia and Niccolo confessed their love for each other again and swore to only love one another.
"In this life, only you have I loved." Aurelia whispered against his chest.
"If only I were able to aid you. Another wouldn't marry you. He would never touch you or force you to bear his child. You would be mine alone."
"He will never have me, I am yours forever."
As the morning wore on, Aurelia and Niccolo could not let go of each other. This would be the last time they met in secret. They both wanted the moment to last longer. But Aurelia had to leave. If she stayed too long, they would search for her.
Reluctantly she left him. As she rode away from the hill, tears streaked down her face. This hilltop would always be her secret haven. Her memories of Niccolo would remain there, untouched by the interference of others.
Aurelia walked into the castello's main hall, her face wet with tears, a new flood threatening to fall. Her father, Emilio, sees her and tries to comfort her.
"Aurelia, I am sorry, my child."
"No papa..I sacrifice for the family."
As chance would have it, the pope disagreed with Aurelia's marriage to his nephew, and her betrothed called off the engagement. This greatly pleased Aurelia. But harder times were ahead for the family. Not only had the pope's intervention cost them a favourable partnership, but other strong families loyal to the pope refused the Melini's offer for marriage.
Aurelia's grandfather, anxious and enraged, began taking extreme measures: squeezing out smaller holdings and forcing their loyalty to Melini, blocking the trade of opposing holdings' goods and hiring mercenaries. One evening, he called Aurelia to his study to discuss another step in his plans to secure the family.
"Aurelia, child, it is not that I do not trust you. I would have left everything in your hands. You have no equal among your cousins, but you are a woman. If times were quieter, you would face less resistance as head. As things are now, the family needs a man to lead. As such, there is one I can leave that task to. Come in!"
Aurelia's heart skipped a few beats. Niccolo, dressed in noble attire, stepped into the room. She was overjoyed. But his face was grim, and he refused to meet her eyes.
"This is Niccolo. He is the bastard of your uncle Ludovico. I have taken him as my ward. He is the heir I have chosen, support him."
"Yes, grandfather."
"Greetings...Lady Melini." Niccolo fumbled his words.
"Niccolo! You and Aurelia are equals; address her as such."
"Yes, sir."
"Aurelia, teach him what he needs to know."
"Yes, grandfather."
Aurelia and Niccolo left Francesco's study and headed to the library. They walked in silence, but Aurelia was so overjoyed she could barely contain it. When they entered the library, she dismissed the servants. Once they were alone, she rushed to Niccolo, embracing him.
"A day has not passed where I have not thought of our last moments. I have missed you."
Niccolo did not return her embrace; instead, he pushed her away and stepped back.
"Aurelia, we cannot." He said, still unable to meet her eyes.
"Nothing stands between us."
"We are kin! It would bring a curse."
"I would take any curse as long as I can have you."
"Do not tempt the Lord Aurelia!"
"I do not. I loved a man with the fire of my soul, swore everything to him. Now I find he is my kin. Is this not a sick game played at the whims of God? You and I were not burned by the fires of hell for our passions. Why now would we?"
"We sinned once before in ignorance. I will not sin again now that I know the truth!"
Aurelia had believed in the promises they made on the hill. The promises they made were the oaths they swore to one another until death. A trifle thing as being kin should not prevent them from loving each other as they did before.
"...When we swore our love for each other, I believed our affections were mutual. It seems...I was wrong."
The next morning, Aurelia, still undaunted by Niccolo's rejection, approached her grandfather in his study. Her father was accompanying him, discussing the advancement of her cousin's forces. Francesco looked at Aurelia concerned. He sees sadness weighs heavy on her. Leaning against the front of his desk, he holds out his hand to her.
"What troubles you, child?"
"Nonnuccio will you give consent for my marriage?"
"There is a man you wish to marry?"
"Yes"
"You approach me in this manner. I assume he is not of nobility or the merchant class."
"He isn't."
"Who is this young man that has captured your heart?"
"Niccolo."
Francesco's eyes widened as he processed what she'd just told him. He looked at her eyes and saw she was every bit as serious as he. Francesco's demeanour did not change until after he had backhand slapped her.
Aurelia held her cheek, her eyes swimming with tears as she met her grandfather's angry stare. A trickle of blood ran from the edge of her lip where his signet ring struck her.
"How dare you ask this of me? He is your kin!"
"I love him."
"Zitto! Go repent at the altar!"
"I will not."
Francesco shook his finger at her, exhaling heavily.
"He knew me...before we discovered our blood ties."
Francesco paced angrily in front of her, tempted to strike her again. He moved back behind his desk and shook his finger at her again.
"Is this how we raised you?! You are a noble woman, not a harlot!" He spat.
"Nonno, please."
"Go, there is nothing left for us to discuss."
Aurelia's heart fell; she felt cold and clammy. The world crumbled around her; her lover rejected her; her grandfather denied her love; her father would never intervene; there was no happiness in this world. Her heart broke as tears poured from her eyes nonstop. Her chest tightened, as she felt a numbness spread from her heart. It left her with a hole in her chest. A hole bigger than her heart, and deeper than her love for Nic had been. The common folk believed the nobility to be empty and heartless. Now she was truly empty.
Something snapped in her mind. Aurelia burst into uncontrollable laughter and ran from her grandfather's study. No thoughts were in her mind as she ran; she just wanted to get away from everything and everyone. She raced through the halls of the castello and made her way to the gate. The passage to the bridge over the gate was always left open.
When she stepped onto the bridge, a gale from the valley below blew at her, whipping her hair about. The bridge was as high as the third floor of the castello. She had run there with no thought or plan other than escape. Now, here she stood atop the wall looking down at the yard. Servants and guards men stopped to look up at her, pointing in alarm.
Her father and grandfather joined the onlookers. She saw him in the crowd that gathered below, Niccolo. Hours ago, the sight of him made her heart race. Now she looked at him and felt nothing but the tightening of the hole in her chest.
The crowd called to her, begged her to step down from the ledge. The wind on the bridge carried their voices away. It was better that way; she didn't need to hear anyone else right now.
Francesco walked up to Niccolo.
"Stop her."
"How?"
"Promise to wed her."
"I can't..."
"She is worth more than you!" Francesco shouted grabbing Niccolo by the collar and shaking him violently.
In the midst of the confusion, Aurelia's father had made his way to the bridge. He stood near the door and called to her, asking her to step down as he slowly approached her. Aurelia tilted her head and smiled at him, before stepping off the ledge.
When she stepped off the ledge, Aurelia felt freer than she ever had in all her life. It was a beautifully exhilarating feeling, freedom. There was a brief moment of pain and then nothing.
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