The Family - Mario Puzo [105]
When at last Cesare received the invitation to visit King Louis at Chinon, he had two important missions to accomplish: First he must bring the requested papal dispensation to the king—and then he must convince Princess Rosetta to be his wife.
Alexander called him into his chambers before he was to leave for France. After embracing his son, he handed Cesare the parchment with the red wax papal seal. “This is the dispensation for the king, annulling his marriage and permitting him to marry Queen Anne of Brittany. It is most important, for this is not only the case of a man who wishes a more beautiful wife, but rather, a delicate political matter. For if the king cannot marry Anne, she will withdraw Brittany from the control of the French, which will be a serious blow to Louis’s plan for ‘la grandeur de la France.’ ”
“Can he not just divorce Jeanne or prove grounds for annulment?” Cesare asked.
Alexander smiled. “It would seem a simple matter, but it is not. For though Jeanne of France is short and misshapen, she has true stature, and a clever mind. She has brought in witnesses who swear they heard Louis state publicly that he mounted her more than three times on their marriage night. To add to that, he claims to have been less than fourteen, beneath the age of consent, but no one can be found who will swear to the date of his birth.”
“And how will you solve this problem?” Cesare asked slyly.
“Ah,” Alexander said, sighing. “To be a Pope, and infallible, is a true blessing. I will just place his age where I feel it must be, and state any evidence to the contrary to be false.”
“Is there anything more I must carry to France to ensure my welcome?” Cesare asked.
Alexander’s voice grew serious. “The red hat of a cardinal for our friend Georges d’Amboise.”
“D’Amboise wants to be a cardinal, but he is a fine ambassador,” Cesare said.
“He wants it desperately,” the Pope said, “but only his mistress is certain of his reasons.”
The Pope embraced Cesare warmly. “I will be quite lost without you, my son. But I have seen to it that you will be treated well. For our papal legate to France, Cardinal della Rovere, will be there to meet you and protect you from any unseen danger. I have given him clear instructions to guard you with great care, and to treat you as a son.”
And so it was that in October, when Cesare arrived by sea in Marseilles accompanied by an enormous entourage, Cardinal della Rovere and his embassy were there to greet him. Cesare was dressed in black velvet and gold brocade, each garment lavishly decorated with delicate jewels and diamonds. His hat was embroidered with gold and plumed with white feathers. Even his horses had shoes of silver, for the papal treasury had been plundered to equip him.
Cardinal della Rovere embraced him and said, “My son, I am here to dedicate myself to your comfort and honor. If there is anything you desire, you may be certain I will provide it.” Della Rovere had managed to convince the Council of Avignon to raise a loan to arrange a fitting reception for the arriving dignitary.
The following day, at a fabled French castle, Cesare’s display was even more outrageous. He wore a white doublet over his velvet black, encrusted with pearls and rubies. His own horse was a dappled gray stallion, its saddle, bridle, and stirrups studded with gold. He was preceded by twenty trumpeters each in scarlet, mounted on white horse, and behind Cesare rode a troop of Swiss cavalry in crimson and gold papal uniforms. They were followed in turn by Cesare’s thirty gentlemen servants, who came before his numerous aides, pages, and other servants,