Melina shook her head. “It’s because it troubles me when I see what our Order has become. Oh, yes, we still serve the poor and the sick. But, we’re really just pirates. We sail these waters and take booty whenever we please. We attack every ship we can, and make slaves of its crew and passengers.”
Still, Melina said nothing. Jean continued. “We are no better than that fiend, Cortoglu, about whom the Grand Master rages all the time. This was not our calling. Why, we have been on this island for more than two hundred years. This place is a paradise. There are crops and fruits to feed everyone here.
“The climate is kind. And, we straddle the richest trade routes in the world. From this place we could be legitimate tradesmen, and sail these seas as honest merchants instead of…” Jean shook his head. “Slavers.”
Melina gently touched his lips. “You should be careful who hears you say these things, my love. This is treasonous talk.”
“But, our Order has become something other than that which I joined so long ago. I have no heart for these things. I don’t know what I should do. I have sworn an oath. And, as far as caring for the sick and defending our city, I have no problem. But, the next time I am ordered to serve my time in the galleys…I just don’t know.”
Melina had no answer for Jean’s dilemma. She said, “Jean. Will they leave us alone? Will this go on? Will the Grand Master allow us to live as we have?”
“We cannot hope that he would sanctify a marriage. He may turn his back upon his knights living with women on the island, but a true marriage performed in the church would violate the oath we swore. He has sworn the same oath. But there is some talk in our langue that he left a woman of his own behind in Paris. I don’t know if this is just soldiers’ gossip or if there’s truth in it. But, if it is so, it could explain a great deal. Hélène, I think she is called.”
Melina pulled back and looked into Jean’s eyes. “Explain what?”
“His singlemindedness of purpose. It is almost as if he has thrown himself into this new position with such fervor as to extinguish all thoughts of Paris. To work and punish himself with long hours and dangerous missions to expiate the guilt he feels for breaking his vows to God.”
“I hope such guilt will not cloud his judgment, Jean.”
“I, too. But, as for our marriage, he will never relent. He would never sanctify it. For I, too, have broken my vows.”
“Is there nothing we can do?”
“If it means so much to you, could not the Greek priest marry us in the privacy of his church?”
Melina looked away. She seemed not able to meet Jean’s eyes. He pulled her back and kissed her again. “What is it, Chérie?”
“Oh, Jean. It’s much more complicated than you know. I have not had the heart to tell you before now, because I didn’t want to add to your burden. I didn’t think it would matter. Only that we were in love. That would be all we needed to be happy.”
“And?”
“Jean, it is more than my being Greek and you a Latin.”
“Then it’s time you told me. What is it?”
They sat up together, side by side. Melina dangled her toes in the cool water, and Jean stared off at the pattern of the butterflies on the trees and the ground. Then she began.
“Jean, my family is not from Rhodes. It’s a very long story, but we came from Spain. We were Sephardic Jews.”
Jean sat up straighter and stared into Melina’s eyes.
“My father and mother fled during the Inquisition. All their family were killed. They, alone, survived to come here. They went to North Africa first, but things were hard there. So they joined a fishing fleet, and sailed here as part of the crew. My mother worked as the cook. They landed in Lindos first, but could not find enough work. They had spent their whole lives in the city. My father was a banker. He lost everything, and started in Lindos as a fisherman. But, they could not make a living, so they moved to the city and lived in the Jewish Quarter. My father fished and did various jobs as a laborer. My mother worked at whatever she could. Eventually, she got a good job in the silk factory. I was born right in that little house near the synagogue.”
She paused and stared across the little stream. Jean waited for her to continue.
“Things were fine for a while. Then the Grand Master—it was d’Aubusson then—ordered all the Jews off the island. My parents were among the few that refused to leave and refused to convert. He ordered all the Jewish children seized from the parents and baptized. I was taken from them when I was only an infant, so I don’t remember them at all. I know they died in that horrible pit. But, I’m sure they kept their faith to the end.”
Jean reached over and squeezed her hand. The tears were flowing freely now. Melina looked into Jean’s eyes, and saw that he was crying as well.
“They died as Jews, Jean, and I was given to a family of Christians. I was baptized, and raised as a Christian until I was twelve. Then my adopted father died, and a year later my new mother grew ill. They were always very kind to me. I thought they were my real parents. Just before she died she told me the story; of my real parents, and that I was born Jewish.
“When my adopted parents died, I had nobody left in the world. No brothers or sisters. All my real family were killed in Spain or killed here on Rhodes. When I heard the story, I couldn’t believe it. So, I went around asking everyone I could find. This is a small island and a small community. Nobody would tell me anything. Finally, I went to the synagogue and talked to the rabbi. He confirmed everything. Everything. All at once, I wanted to be myself. My true self. So I asked the rabbi if I could once again become a Jew. He told me he could teach me many things about Judaism. It seems that the religion requires that in order for the child to be accepted as a Jew, the mother must be born a Jew. So, I was really already a Jew, and needed only to be taught the ways of my family.”
Jean pulled Melina close to him and wrapped her in his arms. She placed her head on his shoulders and continued to tell her story.
“I’m Jewish, Jean. All my grown life I have hated the knights and the Christians. I hated them as a Greek whose island they invaded. I hated them as the Christians who tortured and killed my people. I just wanted to be a Jew and to wall myself up in the Jewish Quarter. I managed to find the house where I was born, and the family who lived there took me in. They made me part of their family. When they died, I stayed on. And then you found me. Oh, Jean, how I hated the knights and what they stood for. But, when you came along, I was so lonely. I had nothing in my life until I saw you there. God had brought us together, my love. I know he has.”
Jean sat quietly, collecting himself. He dried his eyes, and said, “It doesn’t matter, Melina. None of it matters. I fell in love with you. Not the Jew or the Greek or the Christian. By God, my own Order would have shunned you anyway because you were Greek Orthodox, and not of the church of Rome. It’s absurd! Nobody has challenged my right to remain out of the Auberge at night. It’s no secret that I live with you, yet none dares mention it to me. So we will keep our house, and I shall stay a knight. And damned be he who tries to get in the way of us.”
Melina put her head against her lover’s chest, and they both lay back upon the grassy bank. They slept the early afternoon away. Then, damp with the sweat of sleep, they awoke, in the cool of the setting sun. Jean undressed, and then helped Melina remove her clothes. They left their clothes among the butterflies that carpeted the glade, and together, holding hands, they slipped into the cool stream. The chill rippled their skin as they slid down into the cover of the running water. Jean could feel Melina’s cool, wet skin slide beneath his fingertips. Neither spoke, but held each other as the gentle current of the water washed over them. They felt each other’s bodies grow warm with their longing. After some time, they left the water and made love in the sand at the edge of the little stream. Both of them were waiting for the arrival of the two new lives that were already growing to term in Melina’s womb.
The Grand Master strode into his chamber
s and threw his cape and sword on the bed. He removed his gauntlets and the remaining elements of his formal uniform. A servant had filled a golden flagon with red wine, which now stood half full at a bedside table. Philippe drank the rest of the wine, and cut himself a slice of cheese and bread that had been placed there as well. He looked over a few notes of paper that were on his desk, and then threw them down again. Finally, he slumped into a large stuffed armchair, and put his feet up on a footstool. A servant entered the room.
“Get Antonio Bosio in here at once!” Philippe shouted.
The servant turned and sped from the room without a word. The windows were open, and the spring breeze delighted Philippe. He got up again and began to pace the room. From time to time, he glanced out of the windows set in the thick stone wall of his Palace. He looked into the large walled courtyard of the Convent, which took up nearly a quarter of the walled city of Rhodes. From the other side of his rooms, he could see the water. He was grateful that his quarters gave out onto the expansive view of the sea.
Philippe became impatient, and poured himself some water from a pitcher. Then, because there was little else to do, he cut some more bread and cheese. There was fruit on the table, but he was really not that hungry.
There was a knock at the partially open door, and his Servant-at-Arms, Antonio Bosio, entered the room. Bosio stood at attention near the door until Philippe motioned him to come in and sit down.
“I cannot take a single more of these ceremonies, Antonio. I have been paraded around Rhodes from one dinner to another. Received one ambassador after another. These formal receptions make me obese and nearly drunk with the toasting and the good wishes. And the processions in the afternoon heat. Don’t the Rhodians have work to do? Crops to get in?”
“Yes, Seigneur. It’s tiresome. But, the ceremony is part of what defines you for these people. For the Greeks as well as for the knights of our Order. And you must be seen face to face with each of the holy fathers—the Greek as well as the Latin.”
“It’s wonderful to see the old shipmates, and knights who have stood beside me in battle. They are old friends and it lifts my heart to see them again. But, if I have to sit through one more Te Deum or Mass, I will truly have calluses on my buttocks.”
Bosio smiled and nodded to Philippe. “I think we can safely say that the worst is over, my Lord. We seem to have run out of bishops—Greek and Latin—as well as Piliers of the langues, bailiffs, judges…who is left?”
“I still need to review the reports with the Treasurer, and inspect the troops. But, the inspection will be a pleasure. It is good to see the knights in their battle dress and their weapons.”
“And let us not forget the inspection of the Hospital,” Bosio said.
“Yes, actually I was looking forward to that. I’m anxious to talk with Doctor Renato and see how well prepared he is.”
Philippe took up his broadsword, placing it carefully on his hip, assessing himself in a small wall mirror as he did so. When he had adjusted his uniform, he motioned to Bosio. “On y va!” Let’s go! “We have some daylight left. Let’s visit the good doctor and his staff.”
The two men walked side by side, in a military cadence. They left the Residence of the Grand Master, and proceeded toward the hospital, which was located at the eastern end of the Street of the Knights, farthest from the Palace.
As Philippe and Bosio proceeded through the city, small groups of Rhodian citizens greeted them: a tip of a hat; a military salute; a word of greeting. One group of men had congregated near the doorway to the Inn of France when the Grand Master walked by. Philippe raised a gloved hand in salute, but the men merely glared at him. He touched Bosio’s shoulder and turned toward the small group. Bosio started to protest, but it was too late. Philippe had stepped over to the men and was saying something that Bosio could not hear. The tallest of the men stepped forward and confronted Philippe directly. Bosio rushed to Philippe’s side, his hand on his sword. Without taking his eyes from the man, Philippe raised a quieting hand toward Bosio, but Bosio held his place at Philippe’s right. He was not going to allow even the gesture of violence against the Grand Master. As Bosio took up his position he heard Philippe say, “…and we are your allies, are we not?”
The man blew a puff of air through his pursed lips, contemptuous of Philippe’s words. “You are nobody’s allies but your own, monsieur. We have been on this island long before you came, and we shall be here after you leave. The Turks would not be bothering us if it were not for you. If you were not here, they would leave us in peace. We could trade with them, or with anyone else in these waters. But you…you bring down the anger of the Turks upon our island. Then you burn our farms and destroy our houses…”
Philippe interrupted. “If we did not burn the outlying farms and destroy the houses, the Turks would use them. We would be providing them with food and shelter…something we cannot do in a siege…”
“If you would take your knights and just leave us, there would be no siege!” the man shouted. The others began to mutter and grumble in agreement. Bosio sensed that the situation might be getting out of hand. He did not want to fight with the Rhodians. They would be sorely needed in the coming months.
“Grand Master,” Bosio whispered, “we must hurry. We have no time for this.”
Philippe hesitated, then reluctantly turned. He hoped that these were only a few who felt this way inside his city.
The Hospital of the Knights was a large and imposing building, completed in 1484 by Grand Master d’Aubusson. The stones had been taken from the ruins of an old Roman building on the same site.
As they entered the ward, Doctor Apella Renato recognized the uniform of the Grand Master. He jumped to his feet and faced Philippe. When Renato stood, he was as tall as the Grand Master, himself. And the Grand Master was well over six feet. Bosio broke the embarrassed silence, and said, “I am sorry to have startled you, Dottore. But, Permettez-moi de vous présenter, Le Grand Maître, Philippe Villiers de L’Isle Adam.” Please allow me to present the Grand Master.
Renato brought his heels together and bowed deeply to the Grand Master. The men shook hands, and he replied, “Enchanté de faire votre conaissance, Seigneur. ‘I am pleased to meet you, my Lord.’ Let me show you our hospital.”
They left the doctor’s office and walked through the ward. Beds were lined up neatly on either side against the walls. Philippe was heartened to see the absolute cleanliness of the room. All the floors and walls had been neatly scrubbed, and the beds were freshly made. There were no dirty dressings or any sign of garbage, as he had seen in so many other hospitals around Europe. The air smelled of disinfectant, but he could not place the odor precisely. Before he could ask, Renato said, “Seigneur, as you can see, there are none of your knights here at the moment. Happily, when we are not fighting, the knights stay healthy enough. Most of these patients are farmers or people of the town. A few are travelers who took ill while nearby or while visiting our island.”
They stopped at the foot of one of the beds, and the doctor walked to the side near the patient. There was an elderly man lying in the bed, wearing a white gown. The stump of his arm was heavily bandaged. A knight was finishing with the old man’s dressings and taking away the soiled bandages. Next to him, a young woman, her back to Philippe, was holding the old man’s hand.
Gesturing to the knight, he said, “My Lord, permettez-moi de vous présentez le Chevalier, M. Jean de Morelle.”
Philippe nodded. “Yes, I am well acquainted with Monsieur de Morelle.”
“Oh, of course.” Renato turned to the woman and smiled. But, he did not introduce her to the Grand Master. Melina continued to tend to the old man, and silently thanked the doctor for leaving her out of the introductions. The less the Grand Master saw Jean and Melina together, the better, Renato thought. No need to flaunt their relationship. Jean took the dressings away, and moved on to another patient. Melina remained with the old man.
Philippe moved closer to the old man.
As he did so, Melina sensed his closeness and looked toward him. As their eyes met, she could see the Grand Master wince. His eyes locked upon hers, and narrowed almost as if he were in pain. His breath stopped in his chest, and his hands balled into fists. His whole body stiffened. She could not hold his gaze, and turned back to the old man. When she resumed wrapping his dressings she could feel the eyes of the Grand Master still on her. Her hands began to tremble, and she could not stop them. She began to make a mess of her work.
For his part, Philippe could not tear himself away. His heart was racing. Small droplets of sweat began to glisten on his lip. He tried to calm himself. He was sure the beating in his chest could be heard in the room. Surely the woman had sensed his emotions, for she had turned from him and he noticed that her hands were shaking badly.
How can it be? he wondered. How could two women look so alike, yet be unrelated? It is almost as if she were a twin. Hélène’s twin. Philippe’s mind was already back in Paris.
His rooms in Paris had been nearly dark except for the small candle guttering in the last of the wax. Soon it would be out, and the room would be completely black. The summons to come to Rhodes as the newly elected Grand Master lay on the floor next to his bed, where it had fallen hours earlier. He had read it so many times that he could recite it by heart. Some of words were partially obscured, for they were wet with the salt moisture of tears.
Hélène had read it through before she had thrown it to the ground. She rolled back on the rumpled sheets of their bed and buried her face in the pillows. Philippe leaned over her and tried to take her in his arms. But, she pulled away, and sought refuge at the edge of the small bed. There was nowhere to go.
“It’s a summons I cannot ignore, Hélène.”
Hélène said nothing.
“I must go, and I don’t know when I will be coming back.”
Shadow of God Page 17