Michael

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia rose from the table when Cesare did, and he embraced her. "Do not leave me for so long again, my Lucrezia," he said quietly in her ear. And then, a nod to Michael. "I will see you later tonight." Then he swept off.

Lucrezia picked up her purse and turned to Michael. "Do you have a pressing engagement, Michael? If not, I would be happy for some company on my walk home."

Comments

[trustearned]

"Of course," Michael agreed, since he did not in fact have anything planned until that night, when Cesare would need him again. He could have filled the time, and would after seeing Lucrezia home, but there was no reason not to agree to her request. He held her coat out to her, then grabbed his own.

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia shrugged into her coat and then smiled at Michael. "Good. It has been too long, we should catch up." Even though she knew just how little he would care for that.

Once outside the restaurant she said, "I would like to know how my brother has fared in my absence," she said. "I trust you have kept him safe?"

[trustearned]

"He's been just fine, ma'am," Michael confirmed with a nod, although he hoped that she knew better than to think that he would tell her anything of the past months that his employer had not seen fit to.

[borgiafatale]

That was about the answer Lucrezia had expected.

"And yourself?" she asked him. "I hope you have had some happy days."

[trustearned]

"I've been just fine too," Michael answered, although there was a hint of something to his words that suggested amusement, or approval.

[borgiafatale]

Just that little hint of emotion from Michael was enough to make Lucrezia smile brightly. She sometimes wondered if he had any life at all outside of her brother.

"I am glad to hear that," she said. "And I thank you again, for how well you serve my family. I think we should make you an honorary Borgia, Michael. We love none so much as each other."

[trustearned]

"Probably for the best to leave me out, then," Michael simply pointed out. "Will you want to resume our lessons?"

[borgiafatale]

"Yes," said Lucrezia, with more vehemence to the answer than she had intended.

[trustearned]

"Found anyone to pursue them with in Italy?" he asked.

[borgiafatale]

"No one like you," Lucrezia said simply. "I don't want self defense classes with insipid housewives. I want you to teach me what you know."

[trustearned]

"You're probably as close to a housewife as I'm ever going to teach," Michael replied. "How's Mr Aragon?"

He still wasn't certain that the man wouldn't end up raising a hand to Lucrezia. He had taught her enough to know that she could handle it, but that did not mean that Cesare would suffer him to live, if he did.

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia knew she should not have told the truth, but at the mention of her husband she could not school away the scowl fast enough. So she said, "Very well, I assume. With his mistress."

[trustearned]

"That'll keep him off your back, at least," Michael very pragmatically stated.

[borgiafatale]

It wasn't as if Lucrezia hadn't had that same thought herself. Not that it had kept him from wanting her in his bed when she'd returned from Milan - though it had felt more perfunctory than pleasant, which she blamed on her husband.

"It's still insulting," she said irritably. "And you know that should I do the same, it would be seen as a terrible transgression."

[trustearned]

"Do the same, and don't get caught, if that's what you want," Michael remarked. "It hasn't stopped you before."

It was a simple statement of fact. Paul and she had seemed happy together, until...

[borgiafatale]

"And I was punished for it," Lucrezia said, looking away.

The baby's death weighed on her enough, but she was not entirely convinced that Paul was still alive. Supposedly he had fled to escape Juan's threats, but for all she knew that had been a lie.

[trustearned]

"The world will be unfair no matter what you do," Michael told her, looking ahead as they walked side by side.

[borgiafatale]

"At least he needn't fear me," Lucrezia said as they continued. "I should have poisoned Giovanni, but was too concerned about divine retribution. But Allan is not him." She could say these kinds of things to Michael.

[trustearned]

And if she didn't want to do it herself, she had to know that she only needed to say a word to her brother. There was no use to Michael pointing it out, if she did not want her husband dead.

"Little does he know what fate he has escaped," he simply answered.

[borgiafatale]

"He is also lucky I spared Cesare the details of my suffering," Lucrezia said with a note of bitterness. Then she looked at Michael. "But I am not the woman I was then. No man will ever treat me like that again, I can promise you that."

[trustearned]

"I am glad to hear it," Michael told her, and even though he did not particularly sound it (when did he ever), he actually was.

[borgiafatale]

They walked in silence for a few moments and then Lucrezia said, "This man that Cesare has asked me to meet, do you know him?"

It was rare that Cesare made such requests of her, to involve her in intrigue no matter how small, but she relished them, truth be told. This time it seemed quite simple. Cesare wanted to begin to ingratiate this man towards their family, in hopes that he would be a supporter of their father in upcoming elections. And he had apparently made an offhand remark to Cesare about having seen her photo in a magazine. Cesare thought that arranging a meeting would be innocent enough, since Lucrezia was married.

[trustearned]

"I've read his background check," Michael answered, glancing at her.

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia nodded. She had not expected Michael to give her any more information than Cesare had.

"I am always happy to help, you know," she said. "I think that you may have a better sense of my capabilities than my brother does. Or at least, that he's willing to admit."

[trustearned]

Michael might very well have, if she asked him specific questions. There was no reason not to give her the intel she might want about her mark.

"He's wary of putting you in danger, that's all," Michael replied, although he was not telling her anything she did not know.

[borgiafatale]

"Yes, I know," Lucrezia said with a little sigh. "But do feel free to speak up for my capabilities should the occasion arise." She arched an eyebrow at him.

Then she asked, "So this man I am to meet, is there anything in his background check that suggests the best strategy to ingratiate myself? Shall I play the madonna or the whore? Figuratively, of course."

[trustearned]

Michael would do no such thing, of course. He knew better than to encourage his employer to put his sister at risk. He liked working for Cesare.

"Be yourself, and take your cues from him," he advised her after a second. "On the paper, it's hard to tell either way." You didn't get to be an MP by leaving your dirty laundry where anyone could find it, so there was no telling just yet.

[borgiafatale]

Lucrezia nodded. "Does he know my husband?" Though Allan was not a politician himself, his father was one of some importance.

[trustearned]

"He knows his father only peripherally, chances aren't very high," Michael answered.

[borgiafatale]

"I see," said Lucrezia.

They turned towards her and Allan's brownstone, and she led him up the steps. Though instead of opening the door, she turned to Michael. "You have always been good to me, dear Michael," she said. "You will tell me if there is ever anything I can do for you? You know that I can bend my brother's ear even farther than you can."

[trustearned]

Michael could not remember anyone ever calling him that, dear Michael. On anyone else's lips, it would have sounded ludicrous, but Lucrezia had a way about her. He had his own loyalty to her, for all that Cesare came first. So instead of turning her down (he would never take her up on her offer, after all), he only nodded. "Let me know when you want to resume our lessons."

[borgiafatale]

Even though she suspected he may not like it much, Lucrezia leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Perhaps this weekend," she said. "Thank you for seeing me home, Michael." And then she opened the door and slipped inside.

[trustearned]

Michael both disliked the gesture, and was oddly touched by it. So he failed to react in any way, and then simply turned around and walked away.