Page 276 - The Grotesque Children's Book

“And -- her getting older. Would you be able to assure her she'll be fine, even improved,
the older she gets? She's worried, you know, that she might lose her appeal to me and I'll start to
look elsewhere for, what's the proper euphemism to say to a doctor...?”

“'Fornicating' would be fine. No need for a euphemism.”
“Fornicating!” laughed the Duke. “How refreshing you are! What I'm trying to say,
Doctor, is she's very important to me, and I want to do everything I can to ensure she's healthy
and happy, whatever combination of lies and truth accomplishes that for her. That's what I
want.”
“Excellent! Most excellent!”
And so it was that Dr. Ludovico Valerius set up an office at I Magistrati and began
treating Bianca Cappello.
For the aging, Dr. Valerius prescribed liniment of almond oil, but kept Bianca's
expectations very low. “More beneficial to you by far, your Majesty, would be to get plenty of
fresh air and exercise, to keep all the internal organs active and fulfilling their natural
functions....”
As for the shivering, Valerius privately worried it was a symptom of tertiary fever, which
could be destructive and even lethal.

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