Page 306 - The Grotesque Children's Book

Chapter 41.

Snakeskin

What poor Valerius did not know, nor could not know, indeed would never know, was
that Zaccario had been in the Duke’s chamber, eavesdropping poloniously behind an arras the
entire conversation, at the invitation of the Duke (who wanted to end Zaccario’s sense of
paranoia and suspicion surrounding Bianca’s personal physician). At the conclusion of the
meeting, Francesco said to the arras, “Well, are you satisfied? As I thought, he’s trying to cure
Bianca.”

Zaccario stepped out from behind the arras which, ironically, was a tapestry of a
medieval miracle cure involving mermaid and a wounded sailor on some fantastical seascape
populated with crabs, fish, bulls, scorpions and so forth as though they had traveled from Land of
the Zodiac. “I couldn’t hear very well from behind there,” said the wily alchemist. “All I could
understand was ‘poison’ and ‘arsenic.’”

“He said that was in small doses, and actually helped cure some people.”

“How can poison cure people?” asked Zaccario.

“He explained that. It’s all very scientific.”

“And if it comes to that, will there be a scientific inquiry into the cause of Bianca’s
death?”

Francesco bristled, and spoke very quietly and low. “Zaccario. Listen carefully. It was
you who caused me to plot this clandestine meeting with Valerius, whom I trust, and still do.
You heard me press him on all the issues, and I still find no reason to be suspicious of him. You,
on the other hand, you must be very careful, my friend. There might come a day, for instance,
when I could become justified into re-opening an investigation into the matter surrounding
Joanna of Austria and her tragic fall down the staircase. If you take my meaning.”

Zaccario cleared his throat, then countered without betraying any emotion, “Do you no
longer trust me, my Grace? Is that what I’m understanding from your line of questioning?”

“You know I do trust you very much, Zaccario. And I cherish our time talking about
alchemy and astronomy. Without your tutelage, I’d never have been able to cast Bianca’s
astrological chart.”

“Yet you favor the scientific approach to curing your wife. Medicine, not the infinite
power of planets and transmutation of --”

“Stop, stop. I believe in both. Your planets and in the doctor’s science. And I know
they can’t both be true. So I am unwilling to put my wife’s life solely in the hands of either of
you alone. One of you is right, so both of you will attempt to cure her. In the meantime,
however, I will no longer hear any arguments from you in an attempt to discredit Dr. Ludovico
Valerius. He must have free reign to do as he sees fit. I have had enough of your casting

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