Chapter 8: Cesare Mercurio
My night was populated with dreams filled by the halo of the red headed woman…ah, I, who just a week ago dreamed about the wonders of my science with fulfilling curiosity, I who needed nobody but myself, I am now longing for a woman I have not even spoken to!
Shame should be my feeling as I am sloshed to and fro by novel passions, and yet all I can rest my attention on is how to meet the woman again. Of course I must first see the jeweler. I trust and hope he has produced the necklace I asked for flawlessly or else…no, with a reputation like his the man cannot have failed me! Once I’ll retrieve the necklace I shall go to the apothecary shop, feign an ailment. But what should the next step be? I will hand the woman the necklace as a sign of gratitude for mitigating my suffering, this is what I must do! But will I place the woman in an importune situation by handing her the necklace? And the man working in the shop, how is he related to her?
Ah, my mind is spinning with such a swarm of buzzing thoughts I must take action to prevent it from slipping into madness! Let me walk to the jeweler now, I shall return to these pages later.
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At last I am back to my diary and to you, oh reader, as I had promised you and myself. But reader, this is the sole promise I have kept, shame on me! My cheeks blush at my disheartening lack of courage. This morning I did indeed find the necklace and the ring I had asked for, and their quality was much superior to my requests and expectations. I slipped the ring on my middle finger, and it fit me as if I had been born with it on my hands, it shimmered with flames of red and gold as if ignited by my very soul! And the necklace! Such refinement there is to this unique piece of art! The beauty of the pendant surpassed my imagination, and I was awestruck as I held the necklace on the palm of my hand, transfixed by the blue sharpness of the jeweler’s eyes.
“What a memorable piece of perfection!”, I was able to exclaim at last
“It will not be forgotten, rest assured”, the man said
I looked at him questioningly, wondering at the enigmatic note in his tone, but before I could speak he raised his hand
“I beg you to accept my humble apologies sir, but I have urgent work to do”, he said
“What is the compensation I should give you?”, I asked, astonished by his behaviour
“The one I deserve”, he replied, casting his deep gaze on me
Then he walked to the back of the shop without adding a word.
I had a bag full of gold with me, of which I had planned to use only half to pay for the jewellery. But after seeing what the man had done, I left the whole bag of gold on the counter, keeping only a coin to pay for the medicine at the apothecary shop.
I walked away with my precious necklace, my steps swift with impatient anticipation. And yet when I saw the apothecary shop from a distance I turned hesitant, my feet slowed and my heartbeat quickened. “Courage!”, I ordered myself in silence and moved on, strenuously duelling with my fears.
When I entered the shop the man was grinding some powder, while the red-headed woman was not there, or so I thought. Ah, how desperate I became at that moment!
“Good morning, sir”, the man greeted me looking up from his work
“Iryssa Luna, there is a gentleman here”, he then called out and added, “My niece will be serving you in a moment”
Iryssa Luna, what a fascinating name worthy of its owner!
So Iryssa Luna is the niece of the man…
I had indeed learned more than I had hoped for simply by stepping into the apothecary shop. For a moment I felt more confident and yet, as soon as Iryssa Luna appeared from the back, her glossy curls in flames and her rosy skin freshly fragrant, my mouth went dry and my thoughts lots clarity.
“At your service, sir. What may I do for you, sir?”, Iryssa Luna asked, speaking the words with a delicate voice, smiling shyly
I stood there speechless for a moment, with a dumbstruck expression.
Iryssa Luna kept smiling, undeterred by my silence.
“My heart beats too fast. I trust my blood pressure is high”, I said, the words coming out at last, to my surprise.
What I had said was not even a lie at this point.
“Ah!”, she exclaimed, looking delighted, and I wondered what could be pleasing her so.
“This is a lucky coincidence, because the other day I discovered an advanced method of extracting pure substances that can contrast high blood pressure most effectively”, Iryssa Luna continued, explaining her previous enthusiasm
“I am certainly pleased by the lucky coincidence”, I replied seriously
“Very well, sir. I have some extract ready if you wish to have it, I prepared it shortly ago”, Iryssa Luna continued, the shy smile constantly brightening her traits
“I…I…sure thank you”, was my teetering response
“Please allow me to take a moment and transfer some distillate in a bottle”, Iryssa said, sliding with the lightest moves to the back of the shop.
I felt inside my coat’s pocket, clutching the necklace.
Iryssa Luna appeared after a moment, detailing numerous instructions my buzzing ears could hardly hear. But I do recall that she repeated more than once, “Do not exceed the prescribed dose, this medicine has unparalleled benefits but it can kill you, never forget this!”. After reiterating her recommendations she handed me a note, written with beautifully elegant handwriting, on a paper decorated with forget-me-nots.
I took the note and nodded my understanding, thanked Iryssa profusely, paid for the distillate and left, with the necklace still in my pocket and without even introducing myself by my name, damn me!
Go to the laboratory and work!, I ordered myself enraged, marching with crazed disappointment at my conduct. And work could have indeed been the remedy to my inane floundering, if only I had not encountered another obstacle in my confounding day.
When I reached the laboratory I found a man standing in front of the door. I looked at him with surprised coolness, irritated by his presence.
“Are you Cesare Mercurio, sir?”, he inquired in an accented Italian, tinted with unmistakable German notes, and with an broad grin
“Indeed. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”, I replied, my irritation untainted by this man’s friendly greeting
“Ricco Ermete”, the man replied, tending his hand and gripping mine with a vigour that seemed uncalled for
“Very well”, I started, “and to what do I owe the honour of this visit?”
“I am a chemist and if I am not mistaken we share similar interests”, Ricco Ermete begun
“You are not mistaken in saying that I am a chemist”, I replied, wondering why this man had chosen to land in front of my laboratory unannounced rather than send me a note to introduce himself
His grin broadened further
“Your reputation is a brilliant one”, he said
“That is possible, but I tend to be a solitary man in my work and in my life”, was my response
I hoped I had been as clear as crystal, and yet the man was animated by an unbelievable eagerness
“I am a solitary man myself”, he replied, although this hardly seemed to be the case given his incessant chatter
“I am a solitary man”, he continued, “and yet being from your same nationality and sharing such similar…”
I cut him short
“I would have believed you were German”, I said
“I have indeed spent enough time in Germany that my accent has been modified”, Ricco Ermete replied, laughing
Then he suddenly turned serious, and the change was so abrupt it stroke me as odd.
“I understand you have an interest in mercury, to which I have been devoting the majority of my studies for years. I am here to share ideas, perhaps to initiate a fruitful collaboration”, he said, his eyes scrutinizing my face attentively
“It is true that mercury is one of the elements that fascinates me the most because of the mysteries of its multiform nature”, I replied, a hint of sympathy for the man surging within me
Ricco Ermete must have sensed the change in my disposition, because his expression lit up, and he launched himself into a long excursion into his discoveries and experiments with mercury.
“I would be honoured to visit your laboratory”, was the epilogue of his speech
The man’s speech was punctuated with sparks of intelligence that tingled my curiosity. But I am not a fool, and although the man’s enthusiasm was captivating I need the solid certainty that he is not a charlatan before introducing him to the precious beauty of my scientific art.
“The honour would be mine”, I responded, “but today is an extremely busy day. May I suggest that you contact me with a missive to arrange a time to meet again?”
The cloud of disappointment that darkened Ricco Ermete’s face did not elude me, although it lasted for the briefest instant. Then the man’s expression opened into a smile – if authentic or simulated I couldn’t ascertain – and he said, “Of course, dear colleague”
I decided to gather some information of this individual in the next days, as it would be a useful distraction from Iryssa Celata, if nothing more.
The encounter with Ricco Ermete used up the best part of my afternoon and, shattered as I was by the events of the day, I headed to my abode in solitary frustration. And this is how you find me now, reader, recounting the failures of my day to myself, while holding Iryssa’s medical note in my hand.