A countess holds her court

Caterina has ruled Forlì since her husband's murder and has made the fortress the center of a small but serious court. Lorenzo de' Medici has come to talk about an alliance; Machiavelli has come with the Florentine chancery's questions; Cesare Borgia, still a cardinal's son, has come out of curiosity about the woman whose name is spoken with respect and unease.

She shows them the walls and the stores, talks about gunpowder and grain, and makes clear that she will not be governed by any of them. Lorenzo is charmed, Machiavelli is impressed, and Cesare — who will one day besiege this same city — says little. The table is set with pasta, roast pigeon, artichokes, and spiced biscuits, and the countess keeps the conversation on her own terms.