The Family - Mario Puzo [106]
Before he left Rome, Brandao had cautioned him against such excess, telling him that the French would not be impressed by such a display. But Cesare believed he knew better.
Now della Rovere and his envoy took Cesare through the city, rich with hangings and triumphant arches decorated at great expense for his arrival. On the instructions of the cardinal, everyone treated the Pope’s son as a royal prince. He was showered with gifts of silver platters and silver plate, then taken to the Maison de la Ville to enjoy a great celebration.
Della Rovere had invited many of the most beautiful girls and elegant ladies of the city to attend, for it was well known that Cesare enjoyed their company. Several days followed filled with sumptuous banquets and elaborate theater plays, and the nights passed as they drank fine wines amid entertainment and displays of dancing before Cesare and his company.
And for two months afterward it was the same, in every city, in every town. There was not a fair that Cesare did not attend, not a horse race he didn’t bet, not a card game he was absent from.
France was cold that autumn, with bitter winds and lashing hail, yet in every municipality crowds appeared, and Cesare’s arrival attracted great attention. Humility was never one of his virtues, and now, rather than seeing the curiosity of the people for a son of the Pope, he took their attention as a sign of their adoration for him, and his head filled with his new power. He became arrogant and overconfident, alienating those Frenchmen who could truly help him.
Finally Cesare reached the court of France in Chinon, and by then the king was furious. He was anxiously awaiting news of his annulment, and had not been sent any word whether or not the Pope had granted his request.
On the day he arrived Cesare was accompanied by a grand cavalcade, and a long line of heavily laden mules carrying many luxurious adornments. Each animal was covered in rich cloths of yellow and red, bearing the Borgia bull and Cesare’s new insignia, the yellow flame. His envoy was lavishly bejeweled, and on several mules there were immense chests, which filled the citizens’ imaginings. Some said they contained precious jewels for Cesare’s future wife; some said holy shrines and relics for great blessings. Yet none of the aristocracy were impressed. In Italy this gaudy show would have told the tale of great wealth and station, but in France it inspired contempt.
The king himself had a penchant for parsimony, and the court followed his example. Before long Cesare faced laughter in the streets. Filled with a new sense of self-importance, and without either his father’s wisdom or his sister’s good sense to balance him, he remained unaware of their reactions.
At the first sight of Cesare, King Louis whispered to an advisor, “This is all too much.” But still he greeted the Pope’s son with great enthusiasm, and had to keep himself from inquiring immediately about his long-awaited dispensation from Alexander.
As Cesare, accompanied by Georges d’Amboise, passed down the formal reception line to be introduced to important members of the court, he seemed not to concern himself with their expressions of amusement. They could laugh if they wished, but their king must treat him well, for he held within his possession a decision that was critical to their king.
The young aristocrats foolish enough to mock Cesare were given a warning from the king so severe it surprised them. Obviously, they thought, this Borgia was someone the king cared about.
After the introductions had been made, Cesare, Louis, and the ambassador, Georges d’Amboise, retired to a delightful and intimate room in the king’s quarters. Its walls were covered in panels of yellow silk and oak. Tall French windows looked out into a beautiful garden, its delicate splashing fountain abundant with gaily colored