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“Benevolent Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, the King of glory, help us to make the right use of all the suffering that God sends, and to offer to Him the true incense of our hearts; for His name’s sake. Amen.”

“Amen,” said the crowd.

“We begin,” said the bishop.

“Ginevra di Genoa, in the year of our Lord 1340, you were found guilty by this court of heretical depravity, consisting of the trafficking of necromantic books; possession of notebooks containing witchcraft; destruction of property; practicing medicine without a license; and disrespecting a member of the Guild of Doctors, Apothecaries, and Grocers. Is that not so?”

“Mmphh.”

“That is a yes. Florentines: here we have a woman—allowed back into our city on the most Christian principles of forgiveness. But! She takes advantage of our kindness, of the absence of our protective relics, and is here again accused of attempting to spread plague further through witchcraft; of practicing medicine without a license; of causing the death, through said means, of Sister Agnesa of the Convent of Sant’Elisabetta delle Convertite; and of seducing our own inquisitor again by means of sorcery, entrancing him so he might be an accomplice to her terrible designs and who now must stand next to her accused of all the same.” He looked over at the stunned crowd with satisfaction.

Ginevra’s head snapped to the bishop. She had been accused of many things in her life but seducing an inquisitor was surely the most insulting.

Fra Michele did not appreciate it, either, and grew very red in the face.

“Are you sure, Bishop?” yelled a voice from the crowd. “If ever a man was afraid of a naked lady, it’s that one. He’s red as a rooster at just the suggestion.” There were some cackles from the square. Ginevra looked out, and saw it was Becchino.

“His embarrassment is only that he is found out,” said the bishop. “There are witnesses.”

“Hnnnen?” said Fra Michele incredulously.

“Who’s been watching our inquisitor go at it? And why wasn’t I invited?” yelled Becchino.

Another murmur of laughter from the crowd.

“Brother Leobaldo, you will come forward,” exclaimed the bishop, ignoring the laughter.

The Swiss soldiers escorted the reluctant monk onto the stage. Nobody liked to be a witness at a trial. Especially of someone accused of witchcraft.

“Ah, there’s the great pimp! The friar who found a whore for the inquisitor!” yelled Becchino.

“I’ve never pimped except for your sister!” retorted Leobaldo.

A few gasped at the monk who would speak so in front of the Virgin, but most of the crowd erupted into laughter, proper and loud. This trial was going to be fun. Ginevra herself smirked, even all tied up as she was. Laughter to drive away the Eye, she thought, willing Becchino to keep at his jokes. It saved Giancarlo and can save us again. Here was the one magic possessed by all people, one that required no jewels to work.

“Monna Ginevra,” said the bishop, eyeing her smile. “You wouldn’t make light of your situation if you understood its gravity. Now, Fra Leobaldo: You say you went to the home of the inquisitor, and interrupted a visit that was meant to be just the two of them? Man and woman?”

“Well, a donkey was there also.”

The crowd roared with laughter.

“QUIET!” yelled the bishop. “Brother Leobaldo, would you say that their company had a familiarity and intimacy to it?”

“I saw her place her hand upon his arm, Ser Bishop.”

“But what happened with the donkey?” yelled Becchino.

“QUIET,” said the bishop, and to his soldiers, “Somebody get that guy out of the crowd!”

The Swiss soldiers pantomimed agreement, but they were enjoying the spectacle too much. A few marched toward Becchino, though none had any intention of actually detaining him.

The bishop nodded again, and other soldiers brought up the apothecary of the Twin Janus. The anchovy was gone from his beard, and he had been dressed in a clean new robe.

“Here is Maestro Guido del Garbo, a respected member of the Guild of Doctors, Apothecaries, and Grocers. Maestro, tell us of your encounter with Monna Ginevra.”

The maestro (who was a guild member, but not really a respected one) told of how she came with another woman, how they had bewitched him.

“Do you deny knowing this man?” the bishop asked Ginevra.