Page 288 - The Grotesque Children's Book

Chapter 37.

Panicking with good reason

Allori was indeed panicking, and with good reason. With the painters getting further and
further behind schedule, he became increasingly convinced that the Duke would refuse to pay
him on October 1st (and who would blame him?). There were Allori’s ten mouths to feed. His
crooked aching back was telling him his painting days would come to a sad end sooner rather
than later, but his family’s hunger would continue on to the end of time. Allori needed some
insurance, some financial cushion to fall back on should Francesco not pay. Allori needed cash;
savings.

Allori contemplated simply coming clean to the Duke Francesco, saying, “Your Grace
can see with his own keen discerning eyes that my painters are falling behind, and if you want all
the ceiling painted by the galleries’ opening on October the first, I’ll need more apprentices --”
but he’d hesitated, for he thought he knew with a certainty that the Duke’s response would be,
yes, to hire more apprentices, but simultaneously to prioritize Allori’s time away from the ceiling
and onto Bianca’s portrait. “Anyone can paint those dragons and cherubs, Allesandro,” he
would say, “but you, only you can paint the face of my beloved.” At which point Francesco
would cease paying Allori to work on the ceiling, insisting he spend all remaining waking hours
on Bianca’s portrait. Allori couldn’t risk not being paid for both the ceiling and the portrait.
And simultaneously he had to borrow a reserve of cash, lots of it, in case his Duke did indeed
turn against him and refuse to pay him.

His choice of moneylenders was perhaps not the wisest one. He went to Chimento
Zaccario, the alchemist. Zaccario was close-lipped about exactly how much draw he personally
was receiving from the Duke, but it was clear there was an excess of it, what with all the
alchemical equipment in Zaccario’s office, from glassware to vessels, tubes and cucurbits, and
ceramic incubators, ovens and pots, and chemicals, compounds, herbs, minerals -- and
apprentices! By the dozens, it seemed. And those robes which Zaccario wore: thick, plush
embroidered garments of fabulous quality; no inexpensive items, those. Yes, true, Zaccario
seemed in league with the devil himself, but, Allori reasoned, if you’re going to make a financial
deal with someone, you at least know you can trust the devil, for if he reneges, he loses title to
your soul, which means that he won’t renege.

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