The Borgia Mistress
Page 31
Slowly, I said, “The Cathars believe that you serve not God but Satan. Indeed, you are the head of his church on Earth. Killing you and setting the Church on the path to its own destruction would be the supreme act of redemption. Whoever did it would be assured of being liberated from this world forever.”
Mother Benedette died smiling. I would never forget that.
“What do you believe, Francesca?”
What indeed? That if the Cathar “abbess” had succeeded in doing what she was hired to do and shattering the alliance, Borgia might have been forced to give up his grandiose vision for la famiglia and make peace with his rivals in order to survive? Or that he might simply have been undone and another man put in his place? In either case, war might have been averted.
It would not be now. As much as I still wanted to believe otherwise, that hard truth could not be avoided. War was coming as surely as the sun was rising behind Il Papa, a bloodred sun threatening to drown the world. And I had helped to bring it about.
That was what the abbess had wanted all along. The Church torn apart, at war with itself and with the most powerful Christian monarchs. What could hope to survive such a cataclysm?
* * *
I had time to ponder that question several days later as, His Holiness having pronounced himself satisfied with the fortifications at Viterbo, we set out to return to Rome. Cesare rode beside me along most of the route. In the hours we had spent together beside Herrera’s bed, we had become closer in a way neither of us needed to speak about but which I think we both understood. He knew most, though not all, of what had happened with the Cathar “abbess,” and he knew, better than any other, my fears. We disagreed on only one point.
“War,” Cesare pronounced, “is not evil. Tragic, yes, especially for those who suffer because of it. But properly undertaken, it can be a force for good.”
“War,” I countered, “is the absence of peace, just as Augustine said that evil is the absence of good. Both are the fault of man, not God.”
As I spoke, we crested the last hill. Below, Rome glinted in the sun. The rain had stopped and a fair wind was blowing, carrying the stink of the city to welcome us. The Tiber had returned to its banks and the plague had once again abated. The markets looked full, the streets bustling. Somewhere among them were dear friends, even those like Rocco with changed lives. As my own had been changed during my sojourn in the countryside. I returned to the city the same woman who had left it yet also someone else. A woman who knew her past.
Cesare gave a shout just then and surged his mount down the slope. I followed but more slowly. Over his shoulder, he called to me, “Don’t worry so much about what is coming, Francesca. Seize what is now!”
Perhaps it was his smile that emboldened me. Or perhaps I simply knew that he was right. I took a breath, set my heels to the chestnut mare, and rushed to meet the endless, unfolding moment.
Discussion Questions
1. In modern terms, Francesca Giordano suffers from post-traumatic shock related to an event early in her life. Is she helped or harmed by the discovery of what really happened to her? Is the uncovering of hidden truths always beneficial or are there times when secrets should remain unspoken?
2. Do you consider Francesca to be insane? Is her willingness to kill a result of her troubled mental state or a rational response to circumstances in her world?
3. Francesca has a complex relationship with her employer, Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia. Why do you think he withheld information about her past from her? What role may he have played in the murder of her father?
4. Francesca lives at a time when both secular and religious powers are clashing for control of a rapidly changing world. How does that struggle shape this story and the challenges that she faces?
5. While she yearns for the glassmaker, Rocco, and the life she could have had with him, Francesca does not hesitate to pursue a relationship with Cesare Borgia that is sexual and more. Is she hypocritical in having feelings for both men or is she drawn to each for different reasons?
6. The Cathars believed that the material world is ruled by evil that can be escaped only by rebirth into a realm of light. Numerous followers from all classes of society were drawn to this spiritual view. What do you think influenced people to so completely reject this world and seek to escape it forever?
7. Why did the Roman Catholic Church act so brutally toward the Cathars and others considered to be heretics? Would a spirit of religious tolerance have helped conditions in Europe or would it have weakened institutions that were forces for stability, education, and overall social advancement?
8. Lucrezia Borgia is depicted very differently in this story from much of what has been written about her. Why do you think she has been portrayed in such dark terms historically? Did being a woman make her more vulnerable to exploitation by her family's enemies?
9. As Rodrigo's son, Cesare Borgia has access to great power yet he cannot use it to claim the life he truly wants. What acts might his frustration give rise to?
10. Throughout this story, poison appears as a metaphor for the stain of corruption running through the highest levels of society. Is a similar metaphor appropriate in our own time and if so, where?
11. What role do you think the corruption of the popes and other high-ranking prelates of this time played in triggering the rebellion against Catholicism that we know as the Reformation? Were there internal reforms the Catholic leadership could have taken that might have prevented the Reformation from happening?
12. If Rodrigo Borgia's dream of a papal dynasty controlled by his family had succeeded, what would have been the implications for his time? For ours?
For more reading group suggestions, visit www.readinggroupgold.com.
ALSO BY SARA POOLE
The Borgia Betrayal
Poison
About the Author
Sara Poole lives in Connecticut, where her discovery of the abundance of deadly flora growing just beyond her doorstep prompted her interest in the poisoner’s art.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE BORGIA MISTRESS. Copyright © 2012 by Sara Poole. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Poole, Sara, 1951–
The Borgia mistress: a novel / Sara Poole.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-250-02352-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-312-60985-6 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-250-01092-6 (e-book)
1. Alexander VI, Pope, 1431–1503—Fiction. 2. Borgia, Cesare, 1476?–1507—Fiction. 3. Borgia family—Fiction. 4. Women poisoners—Fiction. 5. Family secrets—Fiction. 6. Conspiracies—Fiction. 7. Church and state—Fiction. 8. Renaissance—Italy—Rome—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3569.E42 B677 2012
813'.54—dc22 2012007569
e-ISBN 9781250010926
First Edition: May 2012