Giuseppe and Maribella

"Good thinking, I'll wait for you. Thank the Saints for your safe return." Giuseppe kissed both her hands several times before releasing her, reluctant to see her go.

They all made their way past the vendor's stands into the main area of the market square, with Giuseppe waiting until they arrived at the mouth of the street that would take them back to the ladies' homes before parting. He couldn't help but let his hand rest against Maribella's. Just as they were passing the fountain, a harsh voice stopped them.

"You there, student! What are you doing with my Master's wife?" It was Bruno, Sfortuno's tough servant. His hand rested on the hilt of his dangerous-looking sword.

"We were helping her to buy herbs to ease your master's illness." The quick thinking Francisco replied.

"Harrumph. Master expected you home by now, he's already feeling much better. Come along." Bruno glowered at the students as if he'd like nothing better than to draw his sword and attack them. Both Giuseppe and Francisco kept their hands near their daggers.

"You can accompany us back to Signora Rosetta's house, then to your Master. I'd like to examine Signore Sfortuno again to see how well my treatment worked." Francisco deliberately turned away from Bruno to speak to Giuseppe, showing his contempt for the bully. "Giuseppe, thanks for your advice on this matter, I'll see you tomorrow."

Taking his cue from Francisco, Giuseppe said his good byes, gave a bow to the ladies and stalked slowly away across the market square. He wasn't sure how clever Bruno was with a sword, but the bully was strong and experienced. Giuseppe resolved to go better armed next time. The foursome headed back the way they came.

They arrived at Rosetta's door first and Francisco paused long enough to kiss the lady's hand. Rosetta's house was only a few short blocks from Sfortuno's villa. Francisco made another examination of the miserly ship owner and pronounced him to be on the road to recovery. He quickly exited and dashed over to the abandoned garden next to Rosetta's. Agilely scaling the wall, he found her waiting for him in the garden. They greeted with a passionate kiss her lips parting in invitation.

"Rosetta, dolcina mia - my sweet. I have something for you."

"What is it?" Rosetta was curious, Francisco didn't seem to be carrying any packages.

"Just this." Francisco started reciting a little poem, not telling her that he composed it during the walk between her house and Sfortuno's.

She squealed in delight and grabbed him for another deep kiss when he finished with his short verse. He deftly undid the laces of her gown, letting the bodice fall open and caressing her small, firm breasts through her chemise. She moaned.

"Let's go inside, dolcina mia, and I'll sing you some poetry without words." Francisco led her into the house.

======

The next day Maribella appeared at Rosetta's door with a large canvas bag full of curious items.

"Maribella, what's all this?"

"You said you wanted to make your hair lighter and with a sweeter scent so Francisco would pay more attention to it." Maribella hefted the bag. "I've got what you need right here."

"I've always admired your hair, I wish mine were that color." The dark-haired woman invited her friend in.

"I'll tell you a secret. My hair's just as dark as yours, but I lighten it. Here, let's go into the garden and I'll show you." Maribella went over to a garden bench and started taking items out of the bag.

There were several lemons with a bowl and knife, waxed parchment packets of dried herbs, a mortar and pestle, a few towels, a couple of soft brushes, a jar of a resinous-looking material and a pair of wide-brim straw hats with the crowns cut out. Maribella set things out and explained the procedure to her friend.

"Cut these lemons and squeeze the juice into the bowl while I crush this dried sap. This is sap of cocklebur and I use it along with marigold, rosemary, nettles and a few other herbs to make my hair lighter. Let's mix everything together."

"What are the hats for?"

"After I brush this mixture on your hair, put on the hat with your hair spread out on the brim. We'll sit in the sun for a while and that will make it even lighter."

The two women gossiped as they fixed their hair and sat basking in the sun, chatting about their lovers, husbands and things in general. Maribella reached into the bag and brought out a copy of Boccaccio's book The Decameron. When they ran out of gossip, she would read one of the racy stories aloud and they would titter. After a while, the sun eased its way towards the western horizon and the shadows of the garden wall were close to ending the sun bleaching treatment. Maribella noticed some movement out of the corner of her eye. A loaf-shaped student hat appeared over the garden wall, followed by Francisco's head and shoulders. The young student scaled the wall, jumped down onto a mound of earth and headed for the house before noticing the two ladies sitting in the garden.

"Rosetta, dolcina mia, I have another poem for you. This one's better than... Oh I didn't realize someone else was here. How are you Signora Maribella?"

Maribella just nodded at Francisco in greeting, but Rosetta protested, insisting that she wasn't fit for company with her wet hair.

"Nonsense dolcina mia. Let me help you dry off, then you can hear my poem."

"She has to rinse the herbs out first." Maribella cautioned. "There's a bucket of water around here somewhere."

"Here it is." Francisco gently urged Rosetta to her feet and over to the bucket. She was still protesting, but only halfheartedly. Francisco helped her gather her hair forward and slipped the sunshade off while she leaned on a trellis, bent far forward so the rinse water wouldn't soak her clothes. Francisco dipped the large ladle into the bucket and poured a trickle of water along Rosetta's long hair, combing the bits of herb out with his fingers and massaging her scalp. Rosetta sighed in contentment.

"What is this in your hair? It smells nice." Francisco put his face near her hair, right by her ear and inhaled, then quickly ran his tongue along the back of her ear causing her to shiver in delight. He straightened up to finish the rinse, leaving her with her head turned towards him so that she found her face just inches from his straining codpiece. Rosetta reached over and rested her hand on Francisco's firm bottom.

"Finish with that so we can go inside." Rosetta whispered.

Francisco dipped one more ladle full of water and rinsed out the last of the lightening solution. He wrapped a towel around her hair before she stood and took his arm. Wordlessly, they went into the house, oblivious to Maribella still sitting in the garden, only a few feet away. Maribella sighed, shook her head and went to rinse out her own hair. After wrapping it in a towel, she stared for a moment at the open doorway to Rosetta's house. Curiosity getting the better of her, she slyly entered and looked for the couple. Hearing noises from upstairs, she quietly ascended the steps. Near the top of the staircase she paused, finding that she had an unhindered view through the open door into Rosetta's bedroom, brightly lit by the setting sun through the windows. Maribella flattened herself against the banister, staying in the shadows so that her friends wouldn't notice her watching.

Rosetta had stripped off her outer dress, leaving her only in her thin chemise. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Francisco, who had pulled the sleeves off his doublet and untied it in the front. His hands teased her breasts through the thin fabric of the chemise as they kissed. Rosetta leaned back, reached down and undid the points or laces in front that held his tights to his doublet, leaving them only supported in the back. This gave her enough access to slip her hand into the waistband, behind his codpiece. Maribella watched, fascinated, as her friend pushed Francisco's doublet back off his shoulders, dropping it and his tights to the floor. Rosetta then hoisted Francisco's shirt about halfway, exposing his erect member for her to suck for a moment, taking the head completely into her mouth. Maribella was surprised and had to stifle a gasp. Except for a kiss on the mouth, she had never heard of anyone putting her mouth on a man this way. Certainly Rosetta never mentioned anything like that, even though they talked of some of the intimate details of their experiences with men. Perhaps, she thought, it was something new that only students did.

Her amazement increased by leaps and bounds when Francisco eagerly stripped off Rosetta's chemise and dropped to his knees to bury his face in her dark muff. Rosetta squealed in pleasure, masking Maribella's unstifled gasp. She ducked behind the newel post and caught her breath for a moment, then leaned out a bit to continue spying on her friends. Francisco had discarded his shirt and lifted Rosetta onto the bed, but still had his face firmly lodged between her thighs. Rosetta was slowly stroking him with one hand and playing with her own nipple with the other. Francisco had hold of her other nipple and rolled it like an olive between his fingers. It didn't take long before Rosetta signaled her climax with a loud, ragged moan.

Maribella moved up a couple of steps for a better view as Francisco mounted atop of Rosetta. Spying on her friends had made her so stimulated that she had reached under her own skirts and toyed with her clitoris through her underwear while they coupled. She had to bite her lip when she came, careful not to let her friends hear her. When Francisco gave a soft bellow and Rosetta voiced her second orgasm, Maribella sneaked down the stairs on shaky feet and tried to compose herself in the garden. Her friends emerged from the house a few minutes later to find her sitting quietly on one of the benches, reading from her copy of Decameron. She looked up to see the bright smiles on the couple's faces. She was torn, happy for her friends yet a bit envious.

"Ah, you're back." Maribella deliberately gave an exaggerated sigh. "I wish I had a private place like this where I could meet with Giuseppe."

Francisco took that as a cue. "Don't you have an extra room, dolcina mia, one that's not being used? I can bring Giuseppe here tomorrow."

Rosetta's smile evaporated and she shook her head. "But what if Bruno sees him? He'll blame me. I don't trust that man, he looks like he'd be rough with anyone, even a woman. Especially a woman."

"He'd come after Giuseppe and me first. We can protect you."

"I just don't know..." Rosetta folded her arms, her mouth set.

"Rosetta..." Maribella wrapped her arms around her friend. "Giuseppe is very careful and I'll be cautious, too. You've finally found happiness with your scholar, now help me to find mine. Please?"

Rosetta lifted her head to find two pairs of pleading eyes looking at her. She drew a deep breath and let it out all at once.

"All right, you can bring Giuseppe tomorrow. But be careful. A widow doesn't have much protection under the law."

"Oh thank you, thank you." Maribella was practically bouncing with excitement. She kissed her friend and even gave Francisco a peck on the cheek. "I'll be back the same time tomorrow with more hair treatment."

Francisco looked confused. "Hair treatment? Why do you have to do anything with your hair? It always looks beautiful."

He didn't understand why Rosetta gave an annoyed snort and turned her back to him to help Maribella gather her things.

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Rosetta and Maribella were waiting in the garden when Francisco and Giuseppe climbed over the wall. This time the ladies had dried their hair well before the students arrived. The young nobleman was instantly in Maribella's arms and sharing a deep, passionate kiss. Maribella was the first to break the kiss and lean back.

"Let's go inside, Rosetta has a room waiting for us." She whispered.

Giuseppe eagerly followed her up the stairs to a small room down the hall from the main bedroom. The student tossed his cap aside and took Maribella in his arms again. She started undoing the points of his doublet, reaching in to press her hands against his strong chest. He deftly undid her sleeves, then the bodice of her dress, allowing him to caress her full breasts and urge her nipples into hardness. Their passions soon overtook them and they hurriedly stripped the rest of the way, strewing their clothes about the room in their haste. Giuseppe stepped back, admiring the curvy body of his lover, revealed to him for the first time. He let his gaze travel up her shapely legs, soft belly and full young breasts before returning to rest on the dark thatch between her rounded thighs.

Giuseppe thought that Maribella was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and told her in flowery terms. For a breathless moment they both stared at each other, then leapt onto the bed and once again locked their mouths together. Giuseppe reached down between Maribella's legs, slipping his fingers into her wet folds and seeking the opening to her inner depths. She grabbed his hardness and swiveled her hips against his hand causing his finger to slide in even deeper and pressing his thumb against her clitoris. A few moments of this intense stimulation had her moaning in orgasm.

As her spasms eased, she pulled his member towards her wet muff, guiding him into place. Giuseppe moved slowly as he entered her, wanting to make their first time last as long as possible. But his desire soon had him moving quicker and quicker until he was lost in his own orgasm as Maribella moaned yet again. They stayed together as he grew soft inside her, neither wanting to separate. There was a knock at the door.

"Maribella, it's time for you to go." Rosetta's voice urgently whispered through the wood of the portal. "Bruno is here to take you back home."

"What? Oh, no!" Maribella squirmed out from under the startled Giuseppe and quickly gathered up her clothes. "You'll have to hide, don't let Bruno see you."

He helped her into her chemise and gown, tying the laces for her and finding her discarded shoes. With one last glance around her to make sure her clothing was in proper array, he gave her a kiss and hid behind the door while she exited. There wasn't even time for a proper lingering goodbye. Giuseppe donned his clothes right after she left and waited to hear the front door close before exiting the bedroom. Francisco was just coming out of the other bedroom, still adjusting his clothes. Rosetta waited for them at the foot of the stairs.

"That was close, what if Bruno saw you? You've got to be more careful next time." Rosetta cautioned.

"You'll have to give us a sign if Bruno gets here before we do." Giuseppe thought a moment. "How about hanging a towel on the railing of the little bedroom when Bruno is here? We can see it over the wall. That way if the towel is there, we know not to climb over."

======

The lovers kept up their trysts for several weeks, trying to meet at the same time each day. Sometimes Bruno would accompany Maribella into Rosetta's house, other times he would show up to escort her home. Both Sfortuno and Bruno were suspicious of Maribella's continual trips to Rosetta's house, but they had no proof of any scandalous activity. Every chance they had to be alone, Maribella and Giuseppe explored their new intimacy, learning how to give each other pleasure and finding out what each liked the most.

Their sexual adventures quickly progressed beyond their first hurried coupling to a more intense, yet slower lovemaking. Maribella asked Giuseppe about the oral contact she had seen between Francisco and Rosetta, saying it was something she had only heard about. Giuseppe had only heard about such things, but was willing to try it with Maribella. He soon found out how to use his tongue to make her squeal in pleasure.

One day in the fall, Maribella quickly broke off their welcoming kiss and motioned for Giuseppe to sit down on the nearby bench.

"Giuseppe, my darling, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Giuseppe looked into her eyes. "You've seemed a little bit shaky lately and you look pale. Are you well, my love?"

She took both his hands between hers. "I... I think I'm pregnant."

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The church clock chimed the hour bringing the day's lecture to a close. Maesto Grassello gathered up his notes with an unusual grin on his face, but before he exited he had one more thing to say.

"One more thing, I'm happy to announce that I'll soon be a grandfather. Class dismissed."

The students stood while he sauntered out of the room. Two of them snickered at the impending birth.

"It's about time someone bedded Grassello's little girl. Old Sfortuno certainly can't, I bet he hasn't any seed left."

"I wouldn't mind bedding her myself, she looks rather plain but she ought to be good for a quick one." They continued making rude comments about Maribella, noting the size of her breasts and the way her bottom swayed when she walked.

"Don't be talking about Signora Maribella like that, she's better than you realize." Giuseppe interrupted, he'd been walking right behind them and heard the entire exchange. His hand was on the hilt of his dagger.

"What do you care, you prissy noble." The duo reached for their own blades. "Mind your own business."

Just then Francisco stepped in and grabbed Giuseppe by the arm.

"Leave him be, he's had a bit too much wine." He tried to drag his friend down the corridor away from the angry students. "Come on, let's go. Now!"

Giuseppe resisted for a moment, then finally allowed his friend to guide him away. The students parted with the offending duo heading one way and Francisco pulling Giuseppe the other.

"You've got to be more careful of what you say. Word could get back to Grassello, or worse yet, to Sforuno. Then what would happen? You won't be able to take her out of the city." Francisco warned his friend as they made their way down the corridor.

Peering out from a nearby doorway where he had gone unnoticed, Maestro Grassello made sure that they were gone before he left the building and headed towards Sfortuno's villa.

======

"Something's wrong, Francisco. Every time I go to Rosetta's to see Maribella, either she's not there or Bruno is with her. What can I do?" Giuseppe stared glumly into his wine cup.

"Have patience, Giuseppe. Maribella is probably resting a lot because of the baby." Francisco gently patted his noble friend on the back.

"I don't give a fig for patience. I need to see my Maribella. It's been weeks."

Francisco tried to change the subject. "Have you found any ship that will take the two of you overseas?"

"No luck yet. All the captains seem to owe Sfortuno something or he has some sorcerer's power over them. No one will let me book passage."

"I saw some recent arrivals coming in just this morning. Maybe you can get to them before Sfortuno." Francisco described the location where the newly arrived ships had docked.

Giuseppe thanked his friend and headed for the docks, leaving some silver coins to pay for the wine.

======

"Ahoy, Captain." Giuseppe called from the dock. "Do you take passengers?"

The ship's Captain took a moment to peer at the student before replying. "I do if you have the proper papers." He crossed the gangplank to the dock as he spoke.

"Proper papers?" Giuseppe scratched his head in confusion. "What's that about? I haven't heard this before. The other captains I've talked to this morning haven't mentioned anything about papers."

"There's been some smugglers trying to bring contraband into port. Now all passengers in or out have to have a pass from the City Guards to book passage. Do you have a pass?" The captain studied Giuseppe's face even closer.