Some say loyalty inspires boundless hope. And while that may be, there is a catch. True loyalty takes years to build and only seconds to destroy."
-Mike Kelly, Revenge (TV show)
Chapter 3
Giulia entered the room that a Vatican servant had led them to first, leaving Jane and Julio outside. Jane saw that the Pope was sitting on a wooden chair engrossed in some papers.
"Holy Father," Giulia said in a low and somehow always suggestive voice – as if there was always something hidden between the lines.
Jane followed Giulia's gaze to the Pope; he looked much older already, his hair now completely gray with only a gleam of its former brown color; his face seemed gray and tired, but his eyes still burned with the flame of persistence that she knew so well. "My love," his husky voice sounded as a smile appeared on his face. It seemed somehow forced, but then again, he was tired.
"I have good news for you." Giulia walked to stand in front of the desk, right in the middle between the door and the Pope's seat.
"Do they still exist?"
"I had given up all hope as well, but here she is. Your guardian angel." Jane knew, even though Giulia had the back to the door, that she was smiling. "Giovanna is back."
The Pope's smile vanished for a moment, only to be replaced by an even bigger one as he launched up to stand. "Well, where is she then?"
Giulia laughed slightly and Jane made her entrance. She was aware that Julio followed her, but with a distance.
"Holy Father."
She said those two words in a low tone, a light one, and instantly caught the man's attention. "Giovanna?"
Jane didn't even know that she was smiling before she felt that smile grow. "Do not worry, Your Eminence, your eyes do not deceive you."
The Pope made his way over the floor to where Jane was standing in three quick steps. "It is really you," he said as he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder.
"I must apologize for my delay…"
He cut her off. "No reason. Your being here now, in these dark hours that we are facing, does more than make up for it." He tugged at her shoulder as to seal his words, and then his gaze slipped past her. Jane guessed that he had seen Julio.
She stepped backwards. "This is Julio. I believe you met briefly right before my departure."
"Ah, yes. We did."
Julio hurried forward and kissed the ring on the hand that the Pope had stretched out towards him. "Holy Father," he whispered and straightened himself before stepping backwards.
"She is my brother's apprentice," Jane explained.
"You are a doctor?" The Pope turned his attention to the young man.
"I try to be." The Pope chuckled and Julio smiled a small, proud smile – it wasn't every day that you made the Pope laugh. "Alec, her brother, is indisposed at the moment and he asked me to go with Jane to take care of her."
The Pope looked at Jane with a slightly confused look. "Take care of you? Does your brother know you at all?"
Jane laughed. "Sometimes I wonder the same."
"What I wonder is if we should tell the rest of the family about these happy news," Giulia said and walked up to the Pope's side.
"Yes, indeed. We must fetch them all at once!"
Close to an hour later, Jane was sitting at a long table. She and Julio were waiting for the Papal family to arrive.
Meanwhile, the servants had managed to set up a meal of bread and fruits in the dining room where Jane had first met both Lucrezia and Giulia. The light spilled in through the arcades, just like that day, even though now it was early in the afternoon and not in the early evening like the last time.
"Do you think that the Holy Father feels that I am an intrusion?"
Jane turned her face to Julio and smiled. "No, I am sure he does not feel that way."
"It is a possibility. I can tell how they have all missed you so dearly, and I feel like I am out of place."
"Shh." Jane shook her head. "You are speaking nonsense."
In that moment, the doors opened and a dark man clad in a cardinal's red entered. His dark brown hair had grown longer and his black eyes darker, but other than that Cesare Borgia had not changed a bit.
"Giovanna!" he breathed and his pace quickened as Jane rose from her chair. Cesare swept her into a warm, familiar hug and Jane let out some childish giggles that she regretted only seconds later.
She finally pulled away. It was only now that she realized how much she had missed this man and his family, and being with him reminded her of how much she missed Lucrezia.
"You have not changed a bit," he said disbelievingly. For a moment, Jane smiled happily thinking that it was a normal thing to say. But then she realized: it wasn't. Along with this sudden realization came another; she knew that it wouldn't be long until people would begin to question her continuous youth. Now, people might think it was a blessing made by God or one of his angels, but her secret wouldn't be safe much longer.
"Neither have you," she said finally, managing to keep a careless tone.
"I am afraid my sister won't be able to make it." Cesare stepped back. "I trust you know why." Jane nodded. "But I trust that mother will be here soon."
"I look forward to meeting her again, but what about your brothers, Juan and Gioffre?"
"Gioffre is in Squillace for the time being with his wife and Juan – I cannot believe no one has told you; he is married now. He lives in Spain, and he actually seems rather happy about it."
"Somehow I find myself doubting that he can be happy in a marriage." Jane smiled suggestively and Cesare laughed.
"Ah, yes. That is a problem that he has mentioned several times, but I believe that he has long since figured ways to avoid that obstacle. And besides that, I believe leaving his family for a while might be healthy."
"I believe you may be right." Jane's gaze moved to the door when it opened and let in Vanozza dei Cattanei, the Pope and Giulia.
"Giovanna Volturi," Vanozza said in a graceful manner as she curtseyed. Jane followed her example.
"Who is your friend? I do not remember being introduced to him."
"This is my brother's apprentice, Julio," Jane said as Julio stepped forward in the scenery once more. He smiled politely at everyone, but Jane knew that he was too nervous to say anything. "My brother sent him with me so that he could take care of me. Apparently that is needed."
The family laughed warmly. "My name is Vanozza dei Cattanei." Julio bowed at her, a slight inclination of his head. "And this is my oldest son, Cesare Borgia."
The two men bowed at each other. "What exactly does your mentor work with?" Cesare asked.
"He is a pharmacist," Julio answered as Cesare led him away from the group. Jane watched with a small smile as Julio conversed with the cardinal.
"Giovanna," Jane heard Giulia whisper from beside her and turned her head. "Vanozza and I were hoping to speak with you."
Jane nodded simply and followed Giulia towards Vanozza, leaving the Pope who quickly joined his son and Julio's conversation.
"With what can I be of help?" Jane asked when they stopped to stand by the arcades.
Giulia sighed. "Do you remember, last you were here – we went shopping and I bought a handkerchief. Do you remember what I told you?"
Jane didn't need to think twice to remember – it seemed like yesterday compared to her lifetime. "Yes. You talked about beauty, about the hidden power of a woman."
"Indeed." Giulia looked out over the garden. Jane faintly recalled the time where she had been there. She remembered discussing Lucrezia with the Pope and she remembered the then young girl's innocence.
"If I remember correctly, you wished to… play a game with the good cardinals."
"It is no game," Vanozza said. Her face was clearly aging but she didn't sound half the age she showed. "No one in this Vatican of ours can be trusted. We need them to need us, to be dependent on us. Only then we have power."
"And what better way to gain that than figuring out their dark secrets?" Giulia looked at her companions for a moment before returning her attention to the garden beneath her.
"How do you plan on achieving this?"
"Beauty, as I told you, holds more power than you could imagine. And as it seems, beauty just will not let go of you." Giulia eyed Jane suspiciously, but then she just turned her gaze back to the garden.
"You look not a day older, either, my dear." Jane touched her upper arm lightly but Giulia seemed to not notice.
"I think the food is ready." Vanozza began walking slowly towards the table, waiting for the two younger women to follow.
The lunch was a quick one, but Jane was filled in on most of the important things that had happened the past years; the stressed politics of Florence; the marriage of the Borgia children; the enemies threatening the Papacy; and of course the threats within the Vatican itself.
Vanozza had left early and the rest of the guests were preparing to leave.
"Giovanna?" Giulia called. She and Julio were standing by the doors, ready to leave. "Are you ready to return home?"
Jane smiled politely. "I have some things to discuss with the Holy Father and the cardinal, but I would not keep you two waiting."
"Should I stay?" Julio asked.
"I am sure that will not be necessary."
"Goodbye, then."
Giulia and Julio disappeared through the doorway and Jane turned towards the Pope and his son.
"I am sorry for keeping you. I hope I am not interrupting any of your plans." Jane walked to the two men.
"Not at all. We do need to talk, after all."
"I want to be of use for the Papacy, for the Pope of Rome, once more," Jane explained. "So, how can I be of service?"
"Are you always this persistent to torture yourself?" Cesare smiled a wry smile.
"Oh, please do not listen to my son!"
"Believe me, Holy Father, I did not intend to." The Pope chuckled.
"Well, if you insist on beginning your work this soon, then sending you to Florence would be ideal."
"Florence?" the Pope sputtered. "Why on God's Earth would I send my best ally to another state?"
"Because it's another state. You need someone there that you can trust," Cesare explained.
"I thought I had your word for Machiavelli?" The Pope raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I have no doubts regarding Machiavelli's support for you, but you must remember that he has his own matters to attend to before he can give us his full support."
"That reminds me, I have entirely forgotten to announce my support of him to the ambassadors."
Cesare sighed. "Well, Giovanna could suitably deliver that message when she is already there."
"If it is not too much to ask, I would prefer to have the chance to meet Lucrezia before I leave."
"Well, her husband is to prove his potency in three days, so it will be a week at the most until she is released," the Pope mused.
"That would match perfectly with the Florentine politics. If you are in Florence within two weeks, I believe that the declaration of the Pope's support will be the most influential. It is still two months until the election, but it is now that he needs to make an impression. If we help him do that, I can assure you he will not soon forget it."
"I must admit that it is no bad idea. We do need someone to keep an eye on Savonarola as well as Della Rovere."
"Exactly." Cesare smiled at his father – that smile that Jane remembered would always appear when he had impressed his father. "So you will go to Florence in a week, or whenever you have had the chance to meet Lucrezia once more, and from there you will keep an eye on our enemies. If you are interested, that is."
Jane smiled; she had to admit that all of this was going very fast, especially in comparison to the slow pace of the Volturis, but she knew that she needed to regain the Pope's trust – the sooner the better.
"Of course I am."