The Family - Mario Puzo [55]
“And what did my daughter confide in her favorite brother?” the Pope said. “Does she complain of her husband?”
Cesare caught the knowing irony in his father’s voice; still, he was surprised by his father’s awareness of Lucrezia’s feelings. Cesare answered, “She is unhappy with him.”
Alexander looked thoughtful for a moment. “I must admit, I, myself, am no longer happy with my daughter’s marriage. It doesn’t serve politically as I had hoped.” He seemed glad for the chance to talk about it. “What good is that Sforza boy to us anyway? I never truly liked him, and he was worthless as a soldier. And now Il Moro is not so valuable to us, for his loyalties are weak and he cannot always be trusted. He is a man to reckon with, certainly, for we need him in the Holy League. But he can be unpredictable. Still, we must consider your sister’s feelings as well. Don’t you agree?”
Cesare thought how happy Lucrezia would be, and that pleased him. She would think him a hero. “How shall we proceed?”
Alexander continued. “King Ferdinand has asked me to make a friend of the royal house of Naples. Surely, though Jofre’s marriage to Sancia has already put him in the Neapolitan camp, that doesn’t necessarily serve us. In fact, it may have done us damage. Unless . . . ” The Pope smiled before he continued. “We may be able to repair that breach with some new alliance.”
Cesare frowned. “Father? I don’t quite understand.”
Alexander’s eyes glistened, and he looked amused at his most recent inspiration. “Sancia’s brother. Alfonso. Now that could be a much more rewarding match for Lucrezia. It’s always awkward to insult the Sforzas, but it may be worth considering. Tell your sister I’ll consider altering her circumstance.”
Alexander pushed his chair away from his desk and rose to walk across the room to stoke the fire with one of the cast-iron hooks that rested on the stone floor in front of him.
When he turned back to his son, he said, “Cesare, you understand we must control the Papal States. The papal vicars are like greedy warlords, always fighting each other, fighting the Pope’s infallibility, draining and oppressing the people. We must do something to bring them back in line.”
Cesare asked, “And you have a plan?”
“The kings of France and Spain are uniting their territories under a central authority. We must do the same. It is imperative for the people and for the papacy. But we must also do it for our family. For if we do not create a Borgia-controlled, unified government, which will force the locals to recognize the authority of Rome and the Pope, you and the rest of the family will be in grave peril.” He became silent.
“We must have well-manned fortresses,” Cesare said with determination. “To put down the local uprisings as well as to stop the foreign invaders who hope to make the central territories their own.”
Alexander said nothing; he seemed deep in thought.
Cesare bowed his head. “I am at your service, Father. I am a cardinal of the church.”
Pope Alexander spoke with grave intensity as he sat back down in his favorite leather chair. “I don’t have to tell you how dangerous it will be for all of you if I die and a hostile Pope like della Rovere is elected. I can’t begin to think of what will happen to your sister. Dante’s hell has no match for the inferno she will face . . . ”
Cesare said, “Father, why are you telling me this? We need not tremble yet, for you have not yet begun to do the good works you must for the Holy Church, and therefore I am certain you will live many more years.”
Alexander lowered his voice. “No matter the peril, there are only two men in this court that you can trust completely. One is Don Michelotto . . . ”
“That is no surprise, Father, for your affection for him has not escaped anyone’s notice. And it is not difficult for me to trust him, for I have since I was a child.” Now he paused. “Still, his life is rather a mystery to me. I have never asked you this, Father: How is it that a Valencian became so entrenched in the workings of Rome?”
And so Alexander told his son the story of Miguel Corello, now