nd his chamberlain--she
was on the balcony of the house at the corner of the Piazza to make her
usual curtsey to the Prince. When the Marchese came home that night, he
told his wife that the Prince had seen Bianca Buonaventuri, and had
enlisted his services to obtain an interview with the lovely Venetian.

Nothing does a woman of the world love more than to be a go-between
where sentimental couples are concerned--be it for their weal or be it
for their woe--and so the Marchesa sympathetically addressed herself to
the diplomatic task of bringing the two young people together. She
struck up a passing acquaintance with Madonna Costanza, and upon the
plea that she wished for the opinion of her daughter-in-law upon the
question of a Venetian costume she was about to wear at a reception at
the palace, asked her to bring Bianca to the Mondragone mansion.

Accordingly, a few days after the affair of the kid glove, the three
women were closeted in the Marchesa's boudoir, where the Marchese joined
them. Calling off Bianca to look at some jewellery, she whisked her into
another room, and presently, leaving her absorbed in the beauty of the
gems, retired.

Bianca looked up, somewhat annoyed to find herself alone, and, as she
did so, she detected a slight movement behind the arras over the door.
The next moment it was raised, and there stepped into the apartment none
other than Don Francesco de' Medici!

Bianca stood there, speechless and embarrassed, but the Prince,
approaching, took her hand in his, kissed it, and placed her beside him
on a couch. When she had recovered from her surprise, Bianca fell upon
her knees and, weeping, besought Francesco to befriend her and Pietro.
Raising her to the couch once more, he folded her in an impassioned
embrace, and promised his protection and what she would besides!

Very greatly moved was the young man by Bianca's rare beauty of face and
form, and by the tenderness of her voice, and, perhaps more than all, by
the undoubting confidence she reposed in him. Bianca was such a very
different sort of girl to cold, unattractive and ill-educated Giovanna.

Immediate steps were taken to obtain the recension of the punitive
decrees of the Venetian Council, but they proved abortive, and nothing
could be done in Venice for Bianca and Pietro. In Florence Don Francesco
could do as he willed. His father, Cosimo, had already made over to him
much of his sovereign authority.

In July 1564, Bianca Buo