continuing. Something about the comparison between Julia and Eve
made him feel vulnerable, naked, hearkening back to the night he’d given her an apple and held her in his arms under the stars.
The audience began murmuring, wondering why a polite pause
to take a drink had extended into a break. Gabriel’s color deepened as he raised his eyes to look at his beloved once again, desperate for her understanding.
Her ruby lips parted into an encouraging smile. Instantly, Ga-
briel exhaled.
“Botticelli’s muse is a saint, a lover, and a friend, not a cardboard cut-out of a woman or an adolescent fantasy. She is real, she is
complicated, and she is endlessly fascinating. A woman to worship.
“As I’m sure you’re aware, the preciseness of the Greek language
allows one to speak more perspicuously about the different kinds
of love. A modern treatment of this discussion can be found in C.S.
Lewis’s The Four Loves, if you’re interested.”
He cleared his throat and smiled winningly at the room.
“Finally, consider the painting to my left, Primavera. One might expect to see the face of Botticelli’s muse reflected in the central figure in the painting. But consider the face of Flora, on the right. Once again, she bears a similarity to Beatrice, Venus, and the Madonna.
“Surprisingly, Flora appears twice in the painting. As we move
from the center of the painting to the right, you see Flora pregnant, swollen with Zephyr’s child. Zephyr is on the far right, hovering
amongst the orange trees with the second depiction of Flora, as
a virgin nymph. Her expression is marked with fear. She’s fleeing
the arms of her prospective lover and gazing back at him in panic.
However, when she’s pregnant, her countenance is serene. Her fear
is replaced by contentment.”
Julia flushed as she remembered how kind Gabriel had been to
her the night before. He’d been tender and gentle, and in his arms she’d felt worshipped. Remembering the myth of Flora and Zephyr
she shuddered, wishing that all lovers would be as tender with their virgin partners as Gabriel had been.
“Flora represents the consummation of physical love and moth-
erhood. She is the ideal of storge, or familial love, the kind of love manifested from a mother to her child, and between lovers who
25
Sylvain Reynard
share a commitment that is not based solely on sex or pleasure, but is between married partners.”
No one but Julia noticed the white knuckling as he held the
edge of the podium with two hands. No one but Julia noticed the
slight tremor in his voice as he pronounced the words pregnant and motherhood.
His eyebrows furrowed as he collected himself, shuffling his
papers for a moment. Julia recognized his vulnerability for what it was, fighting the urge to go to him and embrace him. She began
tapping one of her tangerine colored stiletto heels in anticipation.
Gabriel caught her sudden movement and swallowed hard be-
fore continuing. “In early writings on Primavera, Flora was asserted to be the likeness of La Bella Simonetta, Botticelli’s muse. If that is true, just on visual inspection alone, we can assert that Simonetta is the inspiration for Beatrice, Venus, and the Madonna, for all four ladies share the same face.
“Thus, we have the icons of agape, eros, philia, and storge all represented by a single face, a single woman — Simonetta. To put this another way, one could argue that Botticelli sees in his beloved muse all four types of love and all four ideals of womanhood: saint, lover, friend, and spouse.
“In the end, however, I must return to where we began, with
Beatrice. It is no accident that the inspiration behind one of Italy’s best-known literary works was given Simonetta’s features. Faced with such beauty, such goodness, what man wouldn’t want her by his side not just for a season, but for a lifetime?”
He gazed around the room gravely.
“To quote the Poet, now your blessedness appears. Thank you.”
As Gabriel ended his lecture to enthusiastic applause, Julia blink-ed back tears, overcome with emotion.
Dottore Vitali retook the podium, extending his thanks to Professor Emerson for an illuminating discussion. A small group of local politicians presented him with several gifts, including a medallion depicting the city of Florence.
Julia remained in her seat for as long as possible, hoping that
Gabriel would come to her. But he was deluged with members of
the audience, including several officious art historians.
26
Gabriel’s Rapture
(For it was considered brash if not egotistical for a mere literature professor to analyze the crown jewels of the Uffizi’s collection.) Reluctantly, she trailed behind him as several members of the
media plied him with questions. She caught his eye, and he gave her a tight, apologetic smile before posing for pictures.
Frustrated, she wandered around some of the adjoining rooms,
admiring the paintings until she arrived at one of her favorites, Leon-ardo da Vinci’s Annunciation. She was standing close, too close really, noting the detail in the marble pillar, when a voice sounded in her ear in Italian.
“You like this painting?”
Julia looked up into the eyes of a man with black hair and very
tanned skin. He was taller than her, but not overly, and was of a
muscular build. He wore a very expensive black suit, with a single red rose pinned to his lapel. She recognized him as one of the guests who sat behind her during the lecture.
“Yes, very much,” she responded in Italian.
“I have always admired the depth that da Vinci gives to his paint-
ings, particularly the shading and detail on the pillar.”
She smiled and turned back to the painting. “That’s exactly what
I was studying, along with the feathers on the angel’s wings. They’re incredible.”
The gentleman bowed. “Please allow me to introduce myself. I
am Giuseppe Pacciani.”
Julia hesitated, for she recognized his last name. He shared it
with the man suspected of being Florence’s most famous serial killer.
The man appeared to be waiting for her to respond to his greet-
ing, so she suppressed the urge to run.
“Julia Mitchell.” She extended her hand in a polite gesture, but
he took her by surprise when he grasped it between both of his hands and drew it to his lips, looking up at her as he kissed it.
“Enchanted. And may I say that your beauty rivals that of La
Bella Simonetta. Especially in light of this evening’s lecture.”
Julia averted her eyes and swiftly removed her hand.
“Allow me to provide you with a drink.” He quickly flagged down
a waiter and took two champagne flutes from his tray. He clinked
their glasses together and toasted their health.
27
Sylvain Reynard
Julia sipped the Ferrari spumante gratefully, as it gave her a distraction from his intense stare. He was charming, but she was wary of him, not least because of his name.
He smiled at her hungrily.
“I am a professor of literature at the university. And you?”
“I study Dante.”
“Ah, il Poeta. My specialization is Dante, also. Where do you study? Not here.” His eyes wandered from her face to her body to
her shoes, before traveling to her face again.
She took a generous step back. “At the University of Toronto.”
“Ah! A Canadian. One of my former students is studying there
right now. Perhaps you are acquainted.” He stepped closer.
Julia elected not to correct him about her citizenship and stepped back once again. “Toronto is a large university. Probably not.”
Giuseppe smiled, showing very straight white teeth that glinted
strangely in the museum light.
“Have you seen Piero di Cosimo’s Perseus Frees Andromeda?” He gestured to one of the adjacent paintings.
Julia nodded. “Yes.”
“There are Flemish elements in his work, do you see? Also, notice
the figures standing in the crowd.” He gestured to a grouping on the right side of the painting.
Julia stepped to one side so she could take a better look. Gi-
useppe stood beside her, a good deal too close, watching her study the painting.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, but I prefer Botticelli.” Stubbornly, she kept her eyes on
the painting, hoping he would tire of standing closer to her and
move away.
(Preferably across the Arno.)
“Are you a student of Professor Emerson’s?”
Julia swallowed noisily. “No. I — I study with someone else.”
“He is considered to be good by North American standards, which
is why he was invited here. However, his lecture was an embarrass-
ment. How did you come to discover Dante?”
28
Gabriel’s Rapture
Julia was about to argue with Giuseppe about his characterization
of the lecture, when he reached out to touch her hair.
She flinched and immediately retreated, but his arms were long
and his hand followed her. She opened her mouth to reprove him
when someone growled nearby.
Giuseppe and Julia turned their heads slowly to see Gabriel, sap-
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