Chapter 10 – Cesare Mercurio
Although I am by nature an introvert and mundane events are of dismal interest to me, I took part to a social gathering of chemists and lovers of science. I would have taken not notice of the event had it not been for my physician and friend, Sir Adolph Mors, who proposed that I participate “Out of mere curiosity for the uses and misuses of chemistry, if not with the hope of learning scientific facts of use for your laboratory work”, he had argued.
I reluctantly accepted, but in the light of the facts I shall forever be indebted to my friend!
Contrarily to my skeptical expectations the discussions did indeed reveal intriguing novelties and inspire stimulating lines of thought, but it is not because of this that I am so grateful to Sir Adolph Mors. Oh reader, listen to how a seemingly irrelevant event can change a man’s life!
I was sitting at a table conducting an animate dissertation with a fellow scientist when I caught a glance of her flaming hair. For a moment I doubted that the vision was nothing but a delusion, as my night had been animated by oneiric images of Iryssa and by the honey-sweet sound of her melodic voice. So intense had been the dream that I had taken the necklace with me, suspended in the feeling that I would see her at any moment. How could such an absurd hope become reality? Ah, how magnificent life can be at times!
The man in front of me kept talking, but I could no longer hear his words. My expression must have turned suddenly ecstatic and stunned at once, because my interlocutor interrupted his sentence and asked, “Are you quite all right, sir?”
“Yes, yes…excuse me for a moment”, I mumbled and headed towards Iryssa’s table followed by his perplexed gaze
It wasn’t courage that guided my steps. I walked almost unconsciously, oblivious of the surroundings, as if the night’s dreams permeated the world in which I was acting.
“Iryssa”, I whispered
She raised her eyes in surprise, and the man who was talking to her interrupted his speech. And this man…I recognized him, he was the one who had been waiting in front of my laboratory the previous day. In which ways is he connected with Iryssa?, I wondered
“I trust and hope that you are better, sir?”, Iryssa asked me
“I certainly am, and I am here to thank you for your services”, I lied with unexpected assurance
“I have done very little”, Iryssa replied, smiling modestly, and I felt my whole soul and body waver and shimmer at the sound of Iryssa’s voice, innocent and sensual at once.
I stood there in silence, short of words.
Iryssa rested her eyes on me, studying me with a sharpness dissimulated only in part by her natural shyness. After a moment a wave of fondness crossed her face- or am I imagining? – and she asked, “Have you met Ricco Ermete before?”
“He has indeed”, Ricco Ermete replied before I could
I was irritated by his presence because of his interference in my conversation with Iryssa, but of course I have a strong grip on my emotions, as a man should!
“It is a small world, isn’t it? I didn’t expect to see you here”, I said, tending my hand with a smile, perhaps not joyful but at least polite
Iryssa arched her brows just slightly.
“Ricco Ermete has paid me a visit as he fancies my work and finds it may be of interest to him”, I explained before Ricco Ermete could talking again
My intention was not to patronize the man, but nonetheless I wished to set myself apart from him and make clear to Iryssa that our relationship was merely superficial. After all I still didn’t know anything about the man.
“It is a pleasant surprise to meet you and Iryssa at once, I was unaware that the two of you were acquainted with each other”, I said, the question about the real nature of their relationship burning within me
“Chemistry is the foundation of all disciplines, although not all men recognize it”, Ricco Ermete began and I nodded, unsure as to where this conversation was leading
“And of course chemistry is the heart and soul of an apothecary shop”, he continued
“Sir Ricco Ermete helps in my uncle’s shop a couple of times a week”, Iryssa interrupted, and concealed my giggle with a polite nod, amused by the impatient interruption of my beautiful woman
“Iryssa and I have been working in the apothecary shop all day, and it is true luck that we decided to join this event…”, he started, and then continued, but what he said I wouldn’t be able to tell you because I was no longer listening to his prolix babble.
I slipped my hand in my pocket and felt the necklace’s small box. It was now or never. I needed to give Iryssa the necklace, but how? I was swaying amid this mayhem of doubts and thoughts, when Fortune – who has befriended me today and whose existence I shall never again deny – came once again to my rescue.
“Sir Ricco Ermete?”, a voice called out behind us, and as we turned we saw a page holding a letter in his hand
“In person”, Ricco Ermete replied
“There is a message for you”, the young page said, handing him the letter
Ricco Ermete opened it and his face darkened, his frown tracing deep and deeper lines on his face at each line he read
“There is an urgent matter I must resolve”, he said at last
“I hope all is well…”, Iryssa said
“Oh yes, yes…but unfortunately I must leave without delay. May I beg you to accept my apologies as I ask you to anticipate your ride back?”, he said
“Taking me home would force you to take a detour, and I do not wish to inconvenience you by delaying your trip. I will be able to find another carriage to reach home, please do not concern yourself with me”, Iryssa replied with a delightful frown
“May I offer you a ride home at your convenience as a sign of gratitude for healing my illness?”, I proposed, trying to keep my voice steady as my heart leaped
“I am much obliged for your generosity, sir…”, Iryssa smiled, and there was an undisguised curiosity in her smile now
“Sir Cesare Mercurio”, I replied laughing, “how uncourteous of me to forget to introduce myself”
“I shall see you again, your kindness is greatly appreciated”, Ricco Ermete interrupted us, before walking away hastily
“I haven’t introduced myself either, although somehow you seem to know my name”, she said, with a mischievous tinge in her tone
“Your uncle called you by name in the apothecary shop”, I explained
“You are an observant man, Cesare Mercurio”, Iryssa commented
She studied me attentively for a moment, then added, “Iryssa Luna Celata is my full name
Iryssa Luna Celata
The name echoed within me.
“Your last name…”, I started, leaving the sentence in mid-air
“My ancestors were Italian, yes”, she replied to my unspoken question
Oh reader, how much I love this woman! I love her for her intuition, for the beauty of her soul and of her figure, for her wit and her feminine shyness, for the halo of well-being exhaling from her. But why am I telling you all this? After all I am bound to her for reasons beyond all the ones I’ve listed, I am attracted by a mysterious thread the logic of which surpasses my mind. And her origin…I’ve told you that present and past are woven into an endless flow, and propagate as an undeterred echo. Isn’t this but another proof of the existence of transparent and yet unbreakable links that mould our lives, as strings that move puppets on the stage of a theatre?
“What brought you here from Italy?”, Iryssa asked, interrupting my reverie
“My father married a Dutch woman. He was a doctor, and yet he ironically deceased at a very early age, when I was still an infant. My mother chose to return to her homeland, and we packed few months after my father’s death, bringing with us my Italian nanny. I have no memories of my father, but my nanny spoke to me in my native language and recounted stories of my ancestors, keeping the memory of my origins vivid within me”, I told Iryssa, as she drank my account with undisguised curiosity
“And what inspired you to learn about chemistry?”, Iryssa asked
“My mother married a second time, and my stepfather was a chemist. He valued his work above everything else. He spent the longest hours in the best room in the house, which he had transformed into a laboratory. Entering that room was strictly forbidden to all people in the house, and because of that my desire to discover that space grew irresistible. I was a quiet but clever kid, and I found a way to open the door at night without being noticed, or so I thought. How fascinating it was to run my fingers on the smooth surface of the flasks in the room dimly lit by the moon’s halo, to open the bottles and smell their mysterious contents! My stepfather left his notes in the laboratory, and with time I took pleasure in reading about the discoveries he had made during the day, his doubts and the description of his experiments. For a while these experiences sufficed to me, but one audacious night I felt the urge to repeat an experiment, the outcome of which seemed to confound my father considered the numerous question marks and comments on his lab book. Of course I lacked all scientific skills and when I set myself to work I stumbled at every step. The scarce illumination was a further hindrance, and so I lit a small lantern to ease my troubles. But in the middle of the experiment the flame wavered and died away, and I found myself in almost complete darkness. When I attempted to light the lantern again an ignited speck of dust fell into the dish in which I was blending the elements. As I saw it fall I gasped, fearing they would catch fire and burn uncontrollably. What happened instead is that they caught fire slowly and, when the flames smouldered, the blend slowly changed colour, muting from light yellow to glowing purple! The marvel I felt at that moment was one I never experienced before. That instant set the path of my life and I understood that my purpose could only be to pursue the mysteries of nature and chemistry”, I said, remembering
And here I paused.
Iryssa had been listening to my account with undivided attention and with an expression so intense it could have been considered shameless, had it not been for the purity of her eyes and the sweet innocence of her features.
“Did your stepfather ever discover that you had violated his laboratory?”, Iryssa inquired
“Indeed he did, and I did not make it hard for him to make such a discovery. I took his lab book and added my notes to his, describing my experiment and observations the way he did. Then I cleaned all the glassware and the tools I used, and when the night was about to fade away into dawn I tip-toed back to my bed, exhausted and yet electrified by an excitement I have never knew before”, I told Iryssa, smiling at the recollection of that night
“And how did your stepfather react to what you had done?”, Iryssa asked, pushing her head forward slightly, thrilled by the story
“I was floating in dense dreams, in which the episodes of the night acquired an epic dimension, when I was abruptly awaken by my stepfather’s voice”, I began
Iryssa waited for me to continue with tense impatience
“’Get ready, Cesare Mercurio, why are you lazily lying in bed?’, my stepfather said, and I jumped up, startled. ‘Since you’ve been spending your nights in my laboratory in the past six months you might as well get some work done during the day’, he told me. I was stunned to learn that he had known about my machinations all along, and that he was by far cleverer than I was! From that moment onwards each day I spent hours in a row, and sometimes full days, in my stepfather’s laboratory”, I said
The eagerness with which Iryssa drank in the information lacked the conventional flavour of the conversation of all other women, and I loved that in her. But then her mood suddenly changed.
“If your former offer is still valid, may I ask you to kindly give me a ride back?”, she asked, in a tone all of a sudden so different from before
“You may ask me any time, but perhaps we could linger here a while longer?”, I hopefully proposed, biting my tongue after pronouncing the proposal
Iryssa smiled indulgently, as a mother would to an unreasonable child.
“I know you would be glad to remain for a while longer”, she said, brushing me with a meaningful glare, “But I shall return home now”
“Of course, as you wish”, I replied, trying to sound politely aloof as I made a gest to the door
Iryssa must have not expected this response because there was a hint of perplexity in her eyes, and I wondered if she has requested to go with the hope that I insist that we stay. And yet I confide in the fact that Iryssa is not malevolent or manipulative, although the jerks in her mood are beyond my understanding.
A moment later we were riding in the carriage, where we sat in silence for a while. Then the sudden realization that we were approaching Iryssa’s house dawned on me.
“Although my ailment has much improved, I might pay you another visit in the shop. Because of our shared passion for science, it would be my greatest pleasure to speak with you again”, I said daringly, handing Iryssa a red card with my name and address, encased with stylized black ornaments.
Iryssa thanked me politely, without making any promise and without showing the hint of any emotion.
Then silence fell between us again, and when we reached her place I felt saddened, confused and angered at once, without being able to ascertain the root of each emotion. What has happened to me, who was once a stable and virile man?