FLORINDO: Beatrice?

BEATRICE: Florindo? You’re …

FLORINDO: Alive.

BEATRICE: My love!

FLORINDO: My soul!

FLORINDO and BEATRICE drop their swords and embrace.

What led you to take such drastic—?

BEATRICE: The false news of—

FLORINDO: —my death? I too was led to believe that you—

BEATRICE: —were dead. Who made you believe—?

FLORINDO: My servant.

BEATRICE: Mine too. And this book was the reason I believed him.

FLORINDO: How did you end up with …? Ah, it would have come to you just as this portrait came to me.

BEATRICE: Those sly servants of ours, they deserve a really good beating.

FLORINDO: Oh, how I’ve missed you.

BEATRICE: Let’s cause them some suffering.

FLORINDO: One thousand fibs my servant told me about you.

BEATRICE: Likewise about you …

FLORINDO: And where are they now?

BEATRICE: Let’s find them and beat them.

FLORINDO: Brighella? Find our servants.

BRIGHELLA: Sì Signori. [Yes sirs.]

BEATRICE: Yes, bring them here and the whacking stick too.

FLORINDO: You too are lodged here?

BEATRICE: I am, yet we never crossed paths. Destiny wanted to torment us.

FLORINDO: Tell me, Federigo—

BEATRICE: Died on impact.

FLORINDO: [aside] I knew it. [To BEATRICE] I’m sorry for your loss, my love.

BEATRICE: No need to apologise, he was a prick.

FLORINDO: What will they say in Turin of your departure?

BEATRICE: If you return as my husband, all gossip will end.

FLORINDO: But if I’m charged with the death of—

BEATRICE: The money I have acquired from Pantalona will free you from this predicament. And they all thought he was a prick too. These servants, where are they?

FLORINDO: Ah, here’s one now.

TRUFFALDINO enters.

Come, come, there’s no need to be afraid.

BEATRICE: We won’t hurt you.

TRUFFALDINO: [aside] Sure.

FLORINDO: Come now, we know you and the other rascal are in cahoots.

TRUFFALDINO: [to BEATRICE] Excuse us. I will tell you everything in a moment. [To FLORINDO] You know, master, that out of all these events I am not at fault, it was all Pasquale, the servant of that lady over there. He’s the one that mixed up all the stuff. The junk from your trunk went into hers and her junk went into yours. The poor guy told me to keep my mouth shut so his master wouldn’t fire him. And me, being so good-hearted that I would give my left nut to help a friend, made up all these stories to fix the mess. And that’s the story, told to you by the sincere, honest and faithful servant that I am.

TRUFFALDINO bows.

BEATRICE: [aside] What are they talking about?

FLORINDO: [to TRUFFALDINO] So this Pasquale was Signora Beatrice’s servant?

TRUFFALDINO: [to FLORINDO] Sì. It was Pasquale.

FLORINDO: You knew my urgency in wanting to find him, why the hell did you keep it a secret?

TRUFFALDINO: Pasquale begged me.

FLORINDO: And why not obey your master?

TRUFFALDINO: For the love of Pasquale.

BEATRICE: Uffa! [Ugh!]

FLORINDO: Sorry, my love, he’s telling me—

TRUFFALDINO: Shush please, tell her it was me and that she can give me a good thrashing if she wants. But not to hurt Pasquale.