Page 45 of The Unraveling of Julia

“I guessI’millegitimate,” Julia blurted out. “I think of myself as adopted, but I was probably born outside of a marriage.”

Gianluca cringed. “What’s the matter with me today? I’m trying to impress you and—”

“No, not at all,” Julia rushed to say. “What you said has a weird application to me. I never thought of it in a historical context.”

“Well, I majored in history and tend to see everything that way.” Gianluca smiled. “History is about the story of human beings over time. We fall in love, and sometimes we make children. It’s profoundly human.”

Julia liked his view. “Agree. Now let’s go to the top.”

They ascended brick ramps that led to one landing after the next, then climbed a cramped, narrow set of stairs, so narrow they fit one person at a time. Julia went first, reached the top, and emerged into the warm sunshine. Wind blew her hair wildly, and she looked around. There was a brick wall at the perimeter with a crenelated stretch.

Gianluca came after her, his hair blowing, too. “Quite a view, huh?”

“Yes.” Julia scanned Forlì from above, a lively clutter of red tile roofs, a church spire, and buildings dotted with cypresses, palm trees, and umbrella pines. Closest to the castle were apartment houses, little shops, and the traffic rotary lined with parked cars.

“These are the battlements, or the ramparts, of the castle.”

“It’s beautiful up here.” Julia found herself taking a few steps down the walkway, which spanned the length of the castle, with arches spaced at regular intervals. Something made her stop in the middle, for some reason.

Gianluca arrived at her side. “This is where Caterina took her famous stand.”

“What stand?” Julia asked, not completely surprised. She’dknownit.

“Florentine history is the story of wealthy families fighting each other for power. When Caterina became a widow, she had to defend Forlì alone. The town was valuable because of its location between Florence and Milan, and the Borgias and the other royal families wantedto rule it.” Gianluca paused. “Caterina faced down an invading army at Rocca di Ravaldino. I meanphysicallyfaced, as a commander, a ruler, awarrior, on this very spot.”

Julia felt a tingle. The thought that Caterina herself was guiding her popped into her mind.

“The army demanded the castle in return for one of her children, whom they had captured and taken hostage. You know what she did? She famously lifted her skirt, showed them her privates, and said, ‘Kill him, I can make more!’”

“What?” Julia recoiled. Itfeltwrong. “She didn’t mean it. She must have been bluffing.”

“I believe that, too. It was simply the most outrageous thing a woman of the time could say, and she knew it. But that story was recorded by historians, all men, chief among them Machiavelli. He made her look like a bad mother, for all time. He did it for revenge.”

“Revenge for what?”

“Because she had previously outwitted even him. He thought she would give up her castle and tried a subterfuge to seduce her. She let him think it was working, then tricked him and threw him out. It humiliated him, since everyone knew about it, even his idol Cesare Borgia.” Gianluca’s dark eyes twinkled. “Anyway, she saved the castle, vanquished the bad guys, and got her children back.”

“Wow.” Julia could see why Rossi idolized Caterina.

“Right?” Gianluca nodded. “She was brilliant, too. She read widely, even as a child. It’s well known that she loved Boccacio’sThe Lives of Famous Women, which was about strong women from ancient history and mythology. I personally think she modeled herself after those stories. She was completely self-actualized, and it’s a testament to the power of books, if you ask me.”

Julia liked watching his face light up when he talked, his intellectengaged.

“She loved the sciences, too, like astronomy and astrology.”

“Astrology?” Julia’s ears perked up.

“Yes, astrology was huge at the Sforza court. Her father employed several court astrologers. One very famous one, Cardona. She employed astrologers too, and consulted them all the time.”

Whoa.“Do you know her birthday?” Julia couldn’t resist asking.

“Historians think it’s probably November 25, in 1462.”

“So, Sagittarius. That means she was bold, liked risks, and was an adventurer. Sounds right, doesn’t it?”

“Totally. I’m a Scorpio. Intense, passionate,magnetic.” Gianluca flared his eyes comically.

Julia laughed, wondering if he was flirting, then had an odd thought. “Was she a gardener?”

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