Page 20 of The Courtship Trap
Lorenzo straightened in alarm. “Did you not?”
“Of course I agreed.”
His friend exhaled in relief. “Just so. I knew you would not let me down.”
Sebastian crossed the room, taking a seat across the table to wave at the books.
“Did you find anything illuminating?”
“I found your British history is bloody and complicated,” Lorenzo replied in a frustrated tone. “Other than that, tell me about the painting again.”
Sebastian leaned back to think, as if they had not discussed this a thousand times. Lorenzo’s mission to uncover Matteo’s body of work was why they were in England.
“It references an Arthurian legend.”
“And your King Henry believed he was somehow linked to this King Arthur?”
“Yes, but the subject must be symbolic,” Sebastian began. “Matteo worked in the workshops of Botticelli, so he would have had a rich understanding of metaphor. When Botticelli wished to depict the enlightenment of the Renaissance, he chose to paint Spring—a celebration of rebirth, knowledge, and beauty.At the center stands Venus, the goddess of love and harmony, but he was a religious man who did not believe in Roman gods, so she represented not mere romantic love, but the elevation of the soul through reason and beauty—hallmarks of Renaissance ideals.”
Pausing, Sebastian allowed a smile to curl at the edge of his mouth as he recalled the beauty of the piece. “It is a scene rich in allegory. Botticelli did not simply paint springtime. He painted the awakening of man’s spirit, the harmonious blending of earthly pleasures with intellectual pursuits.La Primaverais not only a tribute to nature’s renewal but to the rebirth of thought, art, and philosophy that defined the Renaissance. Which to my mind means that Matteo’s choice of Arthurian mythology had little to do with his message, if there was any message at all and he was not just pursuing a whimsy.”
Lorenzo straightened in protest, his face contorting in the stubborn lines he was infamous for.
“There is a message,” he insisted, his voice taut with conviction. “You always dismiss this too easily, Sebastian. But you forget, Matteo worked with da Vinci after Botticelli closed his workshop. And da Vinci was fanatical about secrets.”
Sebastian studied Lorenzo with a faint smile. “Ah, yes. The ever-elusive da Vinci. Genius, certainly, but prone to seeing mysteries where none were intended.”
“You underestimate him. He hid knowledge—scientific, political, personal—because he understood its power. You really think Matteo spent time in da Vinci’s workshop without learning how to bury meaning beneath the obvious?”
“He learned symbolism from Botticelli,” Sebastian replied evenly. “TakeLa Primavera, a painting steeped in allegory, representing enlightenment and humanist ideals. Matteo would have understood the art of metaphor well enough. But that does not mean that this painting hides some grand secret.”
Lorenzo gave a sharp laugh, without mirth. “But this is not Florence, Sebastian. It is England. And Matteo painted it after his time with da Vinci—after he came here, of all places, with this British society as his patrons.” He leaned forward, eyes glinting with the familiar intensity that had dragged them both across half of Europe. “England, under Henry the Eighth. A king obsessed with Arthurian legend. Henry believed he was Arthur reborn—the destined ruler to unite Britain and restore a golden age. The Winchester Round Table, repainted with Henry’s own face at its head. Everything Henry did dripped with Arthurian symbolism.”
“Coincidence,” Sebastian said, but his tone lacked its usual certainty.
“Coincidence?” Lorenzo scoffed. “Arthurian legend, secrecy, da Vinci’s influence—do you truly believe Matteo would paint such things without purpose? He came to England for a reason. And that reason is tied to Henry’s obsession. This painting references Arthur, which must mean theRegis Aeterniwas linked to your monarch. Perhaps they even instigated or encouraged his obsession so he would ascend to religious leader of England. You know it.”
Sebastian glanced back at the pile of books, his brow furrowed. “And you truly believe Matteo buried a clue?”
“I think he wrote to his sister and mentioned that painting as a signal. This secret society,Regis Aeterni, brought him to England, for whom he painted for decades, yet he left not a single known work of art until you found your painting in the attic of your ducal home. Matteo wrote of the painting and the duke to point the way to his body of work, and when we finally find that body of work, we will claim Matteo’s rightful place in history as one of the greatest artists to ever live!”
Sebastian admired the tenacious nature of his friend. He did not know what they would find when they finally retrieved thepainting, but he hoped that one way or the other, finding it would bring peace to Lorenzo and his family who had pursued this mystery for three centuries.
The painting in question had moved Sebastian, made him feel things that no other art had done until he had reached Florence and beheld the work of Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo, and the other Masters. If he had not witnessed the splendor of Matteo’s work firsthand, he might dissuade Lorenzo from his crusade with more persistence.
However, having seen the delicate brushstrokes himself, Sebastian knew it could be argued that Matteo was indeed fitting company for the most talented artists to have walked the earth. He owed it to his friend to help solve the mystery of Matteo’s journey to England and his subsequent disappearance.
CHAPTER 4
Two brilliant sapphires are your eyes,
Reflecting light from azure skies;
No gem on earth can e’er outshine
The radiant glow that in them lies.
The New Ladies’ Valentine Writer (1821)
