The Pope's Daughter

Chapter 16

Papal States, Italy – February of 1495

They never reached Venice; within the first days of the year, the Pope had secured his position by bringing the Bishop of Saint-Malo to his side, and making him Cardinal. With that, the French king seemed more willing to negotiate. Pope Alexander VI promised to give him Civitavecchia, and agreed that Cesare should be taken to Naples along with the Turkish Sultan under Charles of France’s custody.

“We may come back now,” Perotto said to his lover with a sad smile. “It is safe now. The Holy Father has requested your return.”

Lucrezia smiled, knowing that meant that her dream of marrying Perotto and having a quiet life at the country would never come true. They left on the same day, both feeling the bittersweet happiness of the news.

Cesare, as Perotto had predicted, was not amused by the idea of being a prisoner of the French. Before the committee reached Naples, he escaped. Lucrezia heard from her father that he had gone to Spoleto, where he would hide for some time and then return to Rome. She fell on her knees, relieved to know her brother was safe and away from the French. It had been months since she last saw him, and she regretted that their last moment together was so bitter. He was, after all, her Cesare, her best friend, her protector and confidant. Cesare had been with her since always, and each day she had to spend without him released life from her little by little.

Finally, in Naples, Alfonso II realised resistance was of little help. The French army was far stronger and better equipped than he could have ever imagined. His resistance collapsed, and the King of Naples escaped in the night, abdicating to his 24-year-old son Ferdinand.

“It is insane!” Lucrezia said to Perotto once he told her the news. “The old King let his own son alone in Naples to face the French on his own?”

“He did,” the young man replied. “Not all fathers are like yours, my love.”

It was no use for the new King of Naples to resist. France had already occupied the north, and most cities had surrendered to Charles of France. By the end of February, Charles entered Naples victorious, and Ferdinand fled to Ischia along with his small court. He found out very soon that his own people were no longer loyal to him; the commander of the castle at Ischia had been bribed by the French, and refused to let Ferdinand in. Driven by anger, the young deposed king killed the disloyal commander and threw his body into the sea. He fled to Messina, where he met his namesake cousin, King Ferdinand of Aragón, the Catholic King and one of the most powerful men in Europe.

As all that happened, for the first time in her life, Lucrezia started seeing things clearly. Suddenly, all made sense inside her mind. The Vatican, Naples, Spain, France, the Pope, the Kings... She learned very fast that all of them both despised and needed each other with the same intensity. She understood that those in charge were the ones who controlled the lives of everyone, and she understood she was to be a pawn in that power game, to act in favour of the Vatican, of her father and of Italy. And, instead of feeling betrayed, Lucrezia learned to like the idea; most European princesses were sent off to marry their fathers’ enemies to create alliances, but they knew very little about power and diplomacy. They were raised to be a bridge between their husbands and their homes. Lucrezia knew she could offer much more than that. In fact, she could offer so much that she surely had the right to choose who should be the receiver of her kindness. The world could very well depend on her, if she did her part well.

And in her opinion, France had gone too far. She knew once her marriage issue was solved, she would once again become one of the most desirable brides in the Christendom. If she was truly free to choose, she would marry Perotto and live the calm life they had planned on New Year’s Eve, but she knew it was impossible, and that her duty to the Church was higher. She could not choose her husband, but she could certainly choose who he was not to be, and that was a Frenchman. They had to be contained, and had to retreat. Because of them, she was not allowed to spend New Year with her family as she always did; because of them, Cesare was not with her. It was clear to her that she should not trust them.