A weary Il Moro relayed the events of the day to Cecilia, whose head swam making her faint of breath while tears she dare not shed filled her eyes.
‘Have faith, woman, I have no desire to lose a prize like the maestro.’
‘What is your plan my Lord?’
‘By asserting Milan is a city rife with blasphemy, Father Rodrigo has committed a direct indictment against myself and the Archbishop. He has overstretched his hand and made it a political decision. That is something I will not allow, not from some jumped up priest who thinks he can come traipsing into my city stirring up strife. We have already witnessed what one mad man of the cloth has done to Florence, I will not let another zealous bigot do the same to Milan.’
Mindful that his wife had doubled her efforts to root out his suspected infid
