Georgiana left the castle and came to a bridge in the northern garden. It spanned the canal, with four Mermaid statues at either end, surrounded by tall maples that shaded passersby like enormous umbrellas.
She walked to the middle of the bridge and looked at her reflection in the water.
This garden was nothing like the garden of Venus painted by Botticelli, filled with flowers and trees laden with ripe oranges.
In the usual depictions of Hermes or Mercury, there was no black knife, and the Hermes in the painting bore some resemblance to Giuliano de' Medici. Both had black hair.
More importantly, the painter's inspiration had come from a poem by the poet Poliziano, dedicated to Giuliano de' Medici. In 1475, Giuliano entered the tournament holding a portrait of Simonetta and proclaimed her "without equal."
Simonetta's husband was Marco Vespucci, cousin of Amerigo Vespucci, the man who discovered "America." Rumor had it that she was Lorenzo de' Medici's mistress, but as Lorenzo was occupied with state affairs, the romantic Giuliano pursued her instead. That was why the joust had been held: whoever won, she would belong to him. Poliziano's poem had been written for that occasion, celebrating Giuliano's victory in the contest.
Just then, she heard a meow. Looking down, she found a black cat rubbing itself against her ankle.
She casually picked it up, then lowered her head with it to look at their reflections in the water.
People said Brescia produced beautiful eyes. That Moretta Venetian mask would suit General Lechi's sister perfectly. It could cleverly conceal features that were less than perfect, leaving only those lively eyes that seemed able to speak.
Fantasy was always more beautiful than reality.
Though the old saying constantly warned people not to judge by appearances, people generally still believed there