The Family - Mario Puzo [15]
One of the grandest chambers in the Vatican was the huge Hall of Popes—thousands of square yards of ornately decorated walls and magnificently painted ceilings which held the promise of the afterlife for those of virtue. It was in this hall that the Pope received those who came on pilgrimages from all over Europe, ducats in hand, begging for a plenary indulgence. Here there were portraits of famous Popes crowning great kings such as Charlemagne, as well as Popes leading the Crusades and supplicating the Madonna to intercede for mankind.
In all these portraits it was clear that these great kings owed their power to the Pope who was anointing them. He was their earthly savior. The kings, with heads bowed, kneeled in front of the Pope, whose eyes were raised toward the heavens.
It was into his private chambers in the anteroom off the Great Hall in the Vatican that Alexander now called his son Juan. It was time to make known to him that his destiny as a part of Spanish nobility was at hand.
Juan Borgia was almost as tall as Cesare, but slighter of build. Like his brother and father, he was an attractive man but with a difference. He had the slightly slanted eyes and high cheekbones of his Spanish ancestors. His skin was bronzed from his long hours of riding and hunting but there was often a look of suspicion in his widely set dark eyes. By far his greatest disadvantage was that he had none of the charm of Cesare or Alexander. His dark lips were often curled in a cynical smile, but they were not now, as he knelt before his father.
“How may I serve you, Papa?” he asked.
Alexander smiled with affection at this child of his. For it was this young man—like those souls in limbo, lost and confused—who most needed his guidance to gain salvation. “The time has now come for you to take over the responsibility left to you when your half brother, Pedro Luis, died. As you have been told, he bequeathed to you his duchy and his title of duke of Gandia. At the time of his death he was betrothed to Maria Enriquez, cousin of King Ferdinand of Spain, and I, as your father—and as the Holy Father—have decided to honor this commitment, in order to ensure our alliance with newly united Spain and to reassure the house of Aragon of our friendship. Therefore, within a short period of time, you will go to Spain to claim your royal bride. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Papa,” he said, but he scowled.
“You are unhappy with my decision?” the Pope asked. “It is an advantage to us, and to you. The family has wealth and station and we will benefit politically from this alliance. Also, there is a great Spanish castle in Gandia, and many wealthy territories that will now belong to you.”
“Will I have riches to take with me, so that they can see I also must be respected?” Juan asked.
Alexander frowned. “If you wish to be respected, you must be pious and God-fearing. You must serve the king faithfully, honor your wife, and avoid gambling and games of chance.”
“Is that all, Father?” Juan asked sardonically.
“When there is more, I will call for you again,” Pope Alexander said curtly. He was seldom annoyed with this son, but at this moment he found himself extremely irritated. He tried to remind himself that Juan was young and had no flair for diplomacy. When he spoke again, it was with constrained warmth. “In the meantime, enjoy your life, my son. It will