Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Introduction

"To tell the truth, it’s a very rare case. Private letters from this period are a unique find."

"I imagine this must be one of the most valuable pieces in your collection, Mr. Rimini." Lydia carefully placed her porcelain espresso cup on the stylish coffee table. She was casting nervous glances through the display window, waiting for her partner to finish the unexpected phone call that had forced him to leave mid-interview. In the meantime and out of politeness, she tried to keep the conversation going with their host. And she was starting to feel increasingly uncomfortable.

"In my collection? Oh no, I’d love to but, alas! I only have the described—"

The sudden sound of a small bell hanging by the entrance to the antique shop announced Rory's return.

"I’m so sorry. My insurance agent. I had to take that call."

"Of course, that's completely understandable." The antiquarian’s formal courtesy, for some reason, sent another surge of that strange uneasiness through Lydia’s mind.

"Let’s move to my office," Mr Rimini pointed down a small corridor. "I have the files prepared on my computer."

Both guests followed the indicated direction, passing a large display case filled with carefully arranged exhibits. Suddenly, Lydia felt another wave of that inexplicable chill in the air. She had always found staying focused more difficult in places like that, with so many energetic distractions, full of old books and vintage items, each with its own past and memories.

The antiquarian’s office was surprisingly modern, minimalistic in design, and filled with a dim light. A large monitor stood on a massive wooden desk, but the computer itself was remarkably discreet and almost silent. There was a single abstract painting on the wall, matching the natural, muted colors of the room, and a simple bookcase. A good place for writing, so calm, she thought, as the faint scent of incense sticks in the air made her automatically add in her mind an irrational thought: like in a scriptorium.

"Please make yourself comfortable," Mr Rimini gestured towards the prepared ergonomic chairs. To Lydia’s embarrassment, Rory took the middle seat, which, for practical reasons, made him the "computer operator."

Mr. Rimini, however, seemed completely unbothered by this turn of events. "Would you mind taking over our presentation? Great, I’ll tell you what is where." There was something almost too natural in the way he gave her partner these polite instructions. "Please open the folder on the right. You’ll find all the scans there. You can choose any one as our first example."

Rory selected a random file, then an image of yellowed, handwritten paper appeared on the screen. The writing was neat, though rather crude, with slightly uneven lettering and no decorations.

"What language is that?" he asked. "Latin? Oh, I see, there’s a translation attached to each paragraph."

"You opened one of the later letters." Mr. Rimini leaned a little closer to the screen to make sure he correctly identified the text. "Yes, this one belongs to a longer correspondence exchanged between a couple of anonymous lovers."

"Really? If you hadn't told me, I’d never have guessed it was a letter. Let alone a love letter."

"Exactly," Lydia added, watching her partner review the translation. "Where’s the signature? Where’s the header?"

"It’s true," agreed the antiquarian. "The whole thing looks like a grammar exercise, but it was common practice at the time. I can show you other, more famous examples if you wish. Details aside, learning to read, write, and speak Latin was coterminous with acquiring the art of love. However, this one is even more unique for another reason."

"I'm intrigued." Rory switched the view back to the photo scan.

"The person doing the teaching is a woman. I mean, in the sense of literacy, not in the other art," the antiquarian mitigated himself.

One click later, the second page flashed on the screen, making Rory jump a bit in surprise.

"Oh my gosh, Lydia, look at that. I had no idea that in those days…"

"Yes." Despite his professionalism, Mr Rimini’s voice expressed a slight discomfort, due rather to this reaction than to the content of the document, which must have been already known to him. Though his guests might be unable to read Latin, the illustration left very little to the imagination. "As you can see, this is where the more explicit part of this letter begins. Actually, I wanted to show you a completely different text. If you wish, I can send this one to you by e-mail for further reading. It’s quite a fascinating lecture."

To Lydia’s dismay, Rory seemed genuinely interested. "Actually, yes, please. This certainly looks interesting."

"Are you sure this is relevant to our investigation here?" she asked in a tone of subtle persuasion, hinting that this material might be somewhat inappropriate for their show.

"You never know."

"Then let me show you one of the oldest letters instead." The host’s tone revealed poorly concealed amusement. "Something modest with a very classic and elegant structure."

"Is this correspondence between the same couple?" Lydia asked, brushing off the thought that in this situation Mr. Rimini made a thorough impression of a teacher who had to deal with immature reactions of his students far too many times.

"No, don’t worry." Mr Rimini shook his head, taking over the keyboard and searching for the correct file. "I mean, the addressee is the same woman, but the letter is from a completely different man. And in a completely different context. It’s a letter of recommendation, if you can call it that. Or, more accurately, a request for a favor."

"This sounds complicated," Lydia was a bit lost.

"Oh yes. The whole situation was quite complicated. I’ll take you step by step, because some things in that letter you have to read between the lines."

"I’m all ears," Rory leaned back in his chair. His business instinct was clearly telling him it would be great material for the next show. Nothing sells better than gory histories, crime, and sex. And ghosts. All in one package. Lydia cringed at the thought of the combination. She already knew she would need to negotiate with him about what could actually be included in the script for the next show to make sure that the dignity of their client was respected. She might not like Mr Rimini, but they needed to stick to a certain work ethic.

"Please, take a look." The antiquarian opened the file showing the exhibit he was looking for. It was a beautifully calligraphed letter, written by an experienced scribe. No corrections, no mistakes. "At the top of the page, you can see the salutation: To the noble and most honorable lady La Ferve, Magister Matteo di Rimini, unworthy servant of God, sends greetings…"

"Oh, this must’ve been written by your ancestor." Lydia felt a slight tightness in her throat. "The one who was burned at the stake, correct?"

Rimini nodded calmly. "As you know, he also was a teacher at the university. And, as this letter indicates, his problems with the Inquisition began quite early in his career."

"I may be a little confused. I thought the reason for his execution was some terrible crime on university grounds." Rory was clearly taking mental notes about all the most exciting and horrible parts of this whole story.

"It was on private property, not on university grounds. But yes, you’re right." The antiquarian clarified, trying to continue his lecture about the exhibit, but he was interrupted again.

"And does this letter have anything to do with that trial?"

"Yes and no. I think it will be a little clearer after reading this short text first."

"My apologies. Please continue, Mr Rimini, we won’t interrupt you again."

"Thank you, I appreciate your patience. But please interrupt me as soon as anything becomes unclear." 

Lydia felt that this polite invitation was intended more to put her partner in his place than to actually encourage further questions.

"The next part of the letter may not be very exciting, but it is quite relevant in this case. It’s called Captatio benevolentiae, a short introduction to win the favor of the recipient, before describing the issue.

Please scroll a file a little bit down, Mr. Rory. Yes, thank you. The following paragraph is the Narratio, or the description of the actual situation." Mr. Rimini let out a little sigh, as if the gravity of the situation somehow affected him personally. "'As you know, our anatomies are scheduled to happen once a year, although they often take place far less frequently, and in the cooler months, for obvious reasons. At the same time, the bodies to be examined are restricted to those of recently executed criminals, as dictated by the terms defined by city authorities.'"

"Oh ho, I see things are off to a good start…" Lydia whispered to herself, immediately regretting that it might have sounded like another interruption.

Mr. Rimini only nodded with resignation and concluded,

"Couldn’t have said it better, Ms. Deetz."

Rory leaned closer to the screen and picked up the reading without the slightest hesitation.

"'Despite taking the above-mentioned precautions, our medical master and his students are currently under investigation due to the recent anatomy of a body that inexplicably resembled a quite well-known in our city, and recently deceased, panderer.' I don't understand. Was it that bad?"

"Depends on how he died," Lydia whispered, looking in the direction of the antiquarian. "There’s no indication it was an execution, correct?"

"Exactly," Rimini confirmed her suspicions. "Considering this gentleman’s profession, perhaps it wasn’t even a natural death. No one would dare to involve the Inquisition otherwise. Therefore, in the next paragraph, the author moves on to Petitio, the actual request and purpose of the letter.

"Due to my tenure in the Department of Astrology and Alchemy, I am currently exempt from any direct assistance with the investigation. However, this could change at any time. Both for me, all my students, and my servants."

"Next page, please, Mr. Rory. Thank you... oh yes, here: 'By unfortunate coincidence, some of them, whom you have already met during our lectures, recently worked for a local undertaker. I can assure you that none of them had anything to do with this unfortunate anatomy situation. At the same time, it is my duty to prevent any additional false rumors or slander that could cast a shadow over my institute.Therefore, I would like to humbly ask if your estate could use some extra hands over the next few months, while the investigation is expected to conclude. I assure you, he is a reliable employee with decent reading and writing skills.' Next page, please."

"One moment, I think I'm a little confused again," Rory pointed to the paragraph. "Plural, singular, how does it work in Latin? How many of his employees or students is the author referring to?" He looked at Lydia like she had suddenly become an expert in Latin.

"One. And this lady already knows who the author of the letter is talking about."

"Excellent observation, Ms. Deetz," the antiquarian confirmed and then added more firmly: "Furthermore, I dare say this person was probably more than just a suspect. I wonder why? The letter ends with respectful greetings and a request for it to be destroyed immediately after reading."

They sat in silence for a few very long seconds, until Mr. Rimini picked up with his usual soft and polite voice. "I hope I haven’t bored you too much. Might I ask if you have any questions?" he asked.

"I do," Rory moved back in his chair, looking again at the computer screen with suspicion. "That lady… Do you know why she didn’t destroy this letter?"