Valperga (37 page)

She had covered her head with her veil, and folded her capuchin
round her; when an attendant announced the arrival of Castruccio
himself at the castle. This unexpected news made her turn pale; and
again the blood, flowing from her heart, dyed her cheeks and even
her fingers with pink; she hardly knew what caused her agitation;
but she trembled, her eyes filled with tears, her voice
faltered;--Castruccio entered.

He was no longer her lover, scarcely her friend; no joy sparkled
in the eyes of either at this meeting after a separation of months;
she had loved him passionately, and still dwelt with tenderness on
the memory of what he had been; but she saw no likeness between the
friend of her youth, beaming with love, joy and hope, and the
prince who now stood before her; his brow was bent, his curved lips
expressed disdain, his attitude and gesture were haughty and almost
repulsive. Euthanasia was not to be daunted by this shew of
superiority; she instantly recovered her presence of mind, and
advanced towards him with calm dignity, saying, "My lord, I
was about to visit you, when I find that you prevent me by
honouring my castle with your presence; I was coming as a suppliant
for the life of a dear friend."

"Countess, perhaps my errand is of more serious import,--at
least to yourself: and, since it may include an answer to your
supplication, I intreat you to hear me before we enter on any other
subject."

Euthanasia bowed assent, and Castruccio continued.

"Madonna, you may remember that I have often in friendly
terms intreated you to place yourself under the protection of my
government at Lucca; you have ever refused me, and I indulgently
acceded to your refusal. I have subdued all the castles around,
several stronger than this, but I have left you to enjoy the
independence you prized. I did this, trusting to your promise,
that, although you were not my ally, you would not become my enemy,
and that, in whatever war I might engage myself, you would preserve
a strict neutrality. On my return from Genoa, forced to this hasty
measure by the intimation of a plot being formed against me, I find
that you are at the head of my enemies, and that, in violation of
your faith, if you have not declared war, you have acted a more
injurious part, in fomenting a conspiracy, and giving traitors
those opportunities for maturing their plans, which, unless you had
done this, they could never have dreamed of."

Euthanasia replied earnestly; "My lord, your mistake would
be pardonable, had you not known me long enough to be assured that
I am incapable of acting the part you attribute to me. But,
although you have forgotten that treason and artifice are as
foreign to my nature as darkness to that of the sun, you will at
least believe me, when I give you my solemn assurance, that until
this morning I knew nothing of the conspiracy entered into against
you. And now--"

"But how can this be? Did not Bondelmonti and his
associates reside in this castle for two months?"

"They did; they came to urge me to enter into the
Florentine war against you, which I refused."

"And was it necessary to hesitate during two months for
your answer? or, did it not rather enter into your plans, that they
should remain as spies and plotters for my destruction? but enough
of this?"--

"Enough, and far too much, my lord. You doubt my faith, and
disbelieve my word: these are outrages which I did not expect to
receive from you, but to which I must submit. And now permit me to
speak to you on the subject of my intended visit."

"Pardon me, but you may remember that we agreed I should be
the first heard; and I have not yet mentioned why I intrude myself
into your castle. I am at war with Florence; you are not; and you
believe yourself permitted, not only to hold correspondence with my
enemies, but also to afford them an opportunity through your means
to carry on plots with my traitorous subjects. This may have been
done very innocently on your part; but I cannot permit a repetition
of the same mime, or of any other, which, though differing in
words, shall be the same in spirit. If you have not taken advantage
of my forbearance, you have at least shown yourself incapable of
sustaining the trust I reposed in you. But, Euthanasia, in you are
indeed innocent, I am unmannerly in being thus stern with you; and,
since you deny that you entered into this plot, and I would fain
believe you, it is with repugnance that I enter upon the subject of
my visit. You must surrender your castle to me; prudence no longer
permits me to suffer you to enjoy independence; and, however
painful the alternative, you must submit to become my
ally."

"It were of little moment to enter into a treaty with
me," said Euthanasia, with a bitter smile: "since, if I
am capable of treason, I may be more dangerous as an ally than an
enemy."

"Not so, for the first article of our alliance must be the
razing of this castle; in exchange you shall have a site afforded
you in the plain for the erection of a palace, nor shall you incur
any loss in fortune or revenue; but you must descend to the rank of
a private individual, and this castle, and your power in this
country, must be resigned into my hands."

"My lord, I am afraid that we shall not agree on the first
article of our intended treaty. I will persevere in the neutrality
I promised, and endeavour to be more prudent than I was in this
last unfortunate affair. But I cannot surrender my castle, or
permit the seat of my ancestors to be razed to the ground. And now
allow me to speak of what is nearer to my heart. Leodino de'
Guinigi has conspired against you, you have discovered his plot,
and have thrown him into prison. I know that you consider his life
a forfeit to your laws; but I intreat you to spare him: if neither
the generosity of your character, nor the impotence of your enemy
will incline you to mercy, I intreat you by our ancient friendship.
His wife, Lauretta dei Adimari, is my cousin, and my friend;
Leodino, although your enemy, is a man distinguished by every
virtue, brave, generous and wise. If you would obtain a faithful
and trust-worthy friend, pardon him, confide in him; and his
gratitude will be to you as a guard an hundred strong: if you have
not sufficient magnanimity to trust your enemy, banish him; but for
my sake spare his life."

Castruccio appeared somewhat moved by her earnestness, but he
replied;--"It cannot be; I am sorry to refuse you, but the
example would be too dangerous. Put aside this from your thoughts,
and let me intreat you to consider what I have just said. You
answer me slightly; but be assured that I have not mentioned this
alternative of war or peace between us, until my purpose was fixed:
reflect seriously on the evils that resistance may bring upon you,
and send me your answer tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, or today, it is the same. But you, Castruccio,
reflect upon the misery you cause, if you refuse to spare my
unfortunate friend."

"Do not torment yourself or me any more on the subject of
Leodino; your intercession is fruitless; he is already dead; I gave
orders for his immediate execution before I left Lucca.--But why
are you so pale?--What agitates you?"

Euthanasia could not speak; the horror that she felt on hearing
the violent death of one she loved announced so coldly by his
murderer, overcame her: she struggled violently not to faint; but,
when Castruccio drew near to support her, he found her hand cold
and lifeless; and her trembling limbs alone shewed that she still
felt: her lips were pale; she stood as if changed to stone:--

"Euthanasia, speak!"

"Speak! What should I say? Leave me! You touch me, and your
hands are covered with blood, your garments are dripping with gore;
come not near me!--Oh! God, have pity on me, that I should know
this misery! Leave me; you are not a man; your heart is stone; your
very features betray the icy blood which fills your veins. Oh,
Leodino!"

And then she wept, and her features relaxed from the rigid
horror they had expressed into softness and grief. After she had
wept awhile, and thus calmed her agitation, she said: "My
lord, this is the last time that we shall ever meet. You may attack
my castle, if you will; you may tear it down, and leave not a stone
to shew where it stood; but I will never voluntarily submit to a
tyrant and a murderer. My answer is brief;--Do your worst: it
cannot be so bad as that which you have already done! You have
destroyed every hope of my life; you have done worse, far worse,
than my words can express; do not exasperate me, or let me
exasperate you, by a longer stay: I can never forgive the death of
Leodino; farewell!--we are enemies; do your worst against
me."

She left him, unable to retain any longer even the patience to
behold him. But she had no leisure afforded her to indulge her
grief or indignation. Lauretta had heard of the death of her
husband; and her despair, and the convulsions it occasioned,
entirely engrossed Euthanasia's attention, so that she forgot
her own feelings and situation; nor did she recur to the threats of
Castruccio, until they were recalled to her recollection by other
proceedings on his part.

He did not doubt in his own mind, that, when pushed to
extremity, the countess would surrender her castle. When he first
heard that it had been selected by the conspirators as their
rendezvous, he believed that she had had a principal share in the
plot; but now, when assured of her innocence (for it was impossible
not to believe her words, so clearly were truth and courageous
sincerity painted on her noble countenance), he did not for that
relent in his purpose of depriving her of the independence that she
possessed, in the midst of a territory subject to himself. Like
many of his predecessors and successors in usurpation, Castruccio
had a method in his tyranny; and he never proceeded to any act of
violence, without first consulting with his council, and obtaining
their sanction to his measures. On his return from the castle of
Valperga, he called together this friendly assembly, and
represented to them the evil he incurred by permitting so violent a
Guelph as the countess Euthanasia, to preserve her power, and erect
her standard, in the very heart of his principality. His council
replied to his representations with one voice, that the castle must
be reduced.

The following morning Castruccio bade Arrigo di Guinigi carry a
message to Euthanasia. Arrigo had always been a favourite with the
countess; and Castruccio thought that it would be more delicate and
forbearing, to send one so young and unpresuming as the bearer of
his most displeasing message. Euthanasia received the youth with
kindness; they talked on various subjects; but she carefully
refrained from mentioning Castruccio's name, or alluding to the
late transactions at Lucca; and it was long before Arrigo could
summon courage to introduce the topic himself; at length he said;
"Madonna, I bear a message to you from the prince."

Euthanasia changed colour when he was alluded to; he, whom she
now feared, as formerly she had dwelt on his idea with love. She
replied hastily; "What is Antelminelli's pleasure with me?
Speak quickly, that there may soon be an end of a subject, which I
cannot even think upon without agitation."

"Yet I must intreat your patience, for my message is
neither short nor unimportant; and you must pardon me that I am its
bearer: you know by what ties I am bound to Castruccio; and if I
now obey him, do not, dearest countess, condemn me too harshly. He
intreats you to remember what he said when he visited you two days
ago; he has since discussed the affair in council; and it is agreed
that you can no longer be permitted to retain your independence.
You know that the prince is all--powerful here; his army is well
disciplined and formidable; his commands every where submitted to
unquestioned. Look at every castle and village for miles around;
they acknowledge his law; you cannot dream therefore of resisting;
and, if you refuse to submit, it is because you believe that he
will not proceed to extremities with you. My dear Euthanasia, this
is a grievous task for me, and one which no earthly power but
Castruccio could have persuaded me to undertake; pardon me, if I
appear unmannerly when I repeat his words.

"He says, that he does not forget the friendship that once
subsisted between you, and that he deeply regrets that your
coldness and violence caused a division between you; but this is a
question of state, and not a private altercation; and he would be
unworthy of the trust reposed in him, if he permitted his
individual inclinations to interfere with his duty towards the
public. He is commanded by the ruling powers of his country, to
compel the submission of the castle and rock of Valperga; and he is
resolved to obey them: he intreats you to spare both yourself and
him the unhappiness you will inflict on him, and the blood that
must be shed, if you resist. It would be absurd to attempt to
defend yourself alone: to give your cause the least chance of
success you must call in foreign aid; and, by bringing the
Florentines into the heart of this valley, you not only introduce
war and destruction into the abodes of peace, but you act a
treasonable part (forgive me if I repeat his word), in taking
advantage of the power which you hold through his indulgence, to
endeavour to bring ruin upon him. But, whatever you determine upon,
whether to hold out with your own small forces, or to call
strangers to your assistance, he is resolved to spare no exertion,
and to be stopped by no obstacle, until he has reduced into his own
hands Valperga and all its dependencies; at the same time that you,
so far from being a loser, except in nominal advantages, shall be
fully compensated for your present possessions."

Euthanasia listened attentively, although sometimes disdain
hovered on her lips, and at times her eyes flashed fire at the
words she heard. She paused a moment to collect her thoughts, and
then she replied: "My dear Arrigo, I pardon most freely all
the part you take in these unfortunate circumstances; I would that
the prince had not so far degraded himself, as to veil his tyranny
with hypocrisy and falsehood; his is the power, and not the
senate's; to him I reply; and, casting away all the vain
pretexts with which he would hide, perhaps to himself, his
injustice and lawless ambition, I reply with plain words to his
artful speech; and I beg that without any alteration you faithfully
deliver my message to him.