The Family - Mario Puzo [128]
Alfonso greeted the men warmly, and then asked his sister to leave them for a few moments so they could converse in the way men do when no women are present, for he explained he hadn’t seen these two friends since he had been to Naples several months before.
Pleased to see her brother happy, Sancia left the Vatican to visit Lucrezia’s children. She would only be gone a short time. And in the company of these men she was certain he would be safe.
This golden August day in Rome was hotter than most, and the Vatican gardens were in full bloom. Cesare was strolling alone, enjoying the serenity of the tall cedars, the soft murmuring of the fountains and the cheerful chirping of birds. He seldom felt such peace. He was not bothered by the heat; in fact, he enjoyed it—a credit to his Spanish blood, no doubt. He was deep in thought, trying to deliberate on new information he had just received from Don Michelotto, when he saw the beautiful red exotic flower on the path before him. He bent to examine it, and as he did he heard the swift whir of a crossbow bolt pass perilously close to his head. It embedded itself into a nearby cedar.
Instinctively he dropped to the ground as a second bolt sped by. And as he shouted for his guards, he rolled over to see where the arrows were coming from.
There, on the balcony of the Vatican Palace, stood his brother-in-law Alfonso, supported by two Neapolitan guards. One was drawing back his crossbow to shoot again, and Alfonso himself had his own bow aimed straight at Cesare. This bolt landed in the earth only inches from his leg. Cesare called for his guards again, shouting, “Traitor! Traitor! Look to the balcony!” Automatically he reached for his sword, wondering how he could slay his brother-in-law before being hit by Alfonso’s crossbow.
By then the Vatican guards were running toward him, shouting, and he watched as Alfonso slipped from the balcony and disappeared. Cesare dug the crossbow bolt out of the dirt beside him, but the one caught in the cedar could not be removed. He immediately brought the bolt he carried to the Vatican assayer, a man highly skilled in the study of metals and other substances. The man confirmed what Cesare suspected: The bolt had been soaked in a lethal poison, and even a scratch would have been fatal.
Next Cesare went to the Vatican apartment, where he found his sister Lucrezia gently bathing her husband’s wounds. Alfonso lay motionless, his bare white chest still showing the angry red scar of the attacker’s stiletto. The two men who had been with him on the balcony had escaped down some Vatican corridor, but Cesare’s guards were in hot pursuit.
Cesare said nothing to his sister. Alfonso looked up at him nervously, not knowing for certain if Cesare had recognized him in the garden attack. Cesare smiled, then leaned down close as though to comfort him, and whispered in his ear. “What was begun at lunch will be finished at supper.”
Then he stood tall again, stared at the silent prince, and kissed his sister before leaving.
Hours later, in that same room at the Vatican where Alfonso was recovering, Lucrezia and Sancia were making plans to travel to her palace in Nepi. There they would all spend time together with the children while Alfonso regained his strength, and make up for what they had lost when Sancia was banished to Naples. Lucrezia had developed a deep respect for Sancia’s fighting spirit, and they had grown fond of each other.
Alfonso had fallen asleep as the women sat by his bed talking in whispers. But suddenly he was awakened by a hard knock at the door. When Lucrezia opened it, she was surprised to see Don Michelotto.
“Cousin Miguel. What are you doing here?” she said, smiling.
“I’ve come to see your husband about some Vatican business,” he said, thinking