A Game of Shadows (31 page)

Alec had a good view of the archbishop’s house from where he stood; ready to give Andre the signal.  The plan was simplicity itself.  Just as the cardinal’s coach pulled away from the archbishop’s residence, Andre would drive into its path, distracting the coachman while Valerie would be clearly visible in the window, terrified by the near-accident and ready to swoon.  The few moments of confusion would be just enough for Alec to slip into the cardinal’s carriage unnoticed.  He would improvise from there.  All he needed were a few private moments with the man, and if he couldn’t see him in his home, he’d confront him in his carriage, which would give him privacy.  After all, it wouldn’t do to accost a cardinal of the Church on the streets of Paris.

Alec tensed as he saw a man exit through the door held open by a servant.  His red robes billowed in the morning breeze, sun glinting off the gold cross just below his breastbone, a red skullcap covering his dark head.  The
cardinal walked toward the carriage briskly, his mind clearly on whatever he discussed with his superior, but even the stern look on his face couldn’t hide the beauty of his features.  His lean face looked as if it were carved from stone, with high cheekbones and full lips that were way too sensuous for a cleric.  The cardinal’s dark hair was peppered with gray, giving him an aura of mature authority that went well with his robes of office.  The cardinal walked with assurance and grace, very much aware of his height and good looks.  He finally got into the carriage, and the coachman took up the reins, ready to navigate the magnificent coach through the congested streets of Paris. 

Alec waved to
André, holding his breath as the coach lurched around the corner, nearly colliding with the oncoming vehicle.  He heard Valerie’s scream as he left his hiding place and approached the cardinal’s coach from the rear, so as not to be seen by the coachman who had jumped off the box and was now berating Andre in rapid French, calling him every name he could think of without offending the delicate ears of his frightened passenger.  Alec yanked open the door and jumped in, taking a seat opposite the stunned cardinal.

“Good morning, Cardinal Neuville,” Alec
greeted the cardinal cordially, a dagger clearly visible in his hand.  “I thought we might have a chat before you leave Paris.  I hope I’m not inconveniencing you too greatly, but this will only take a few minutes of your time.  My name is Alexander Whitfield, by the way.  I’m Genevieve’s maternal uncle.”  Alec was pleased to see a look of fear in those deep blue eyes that were regarding him with such weariness. 

“Whitfield, you say?  I don’t believe I’m familiar with the name,” the
cardinal replied carefully, clearly buying himself time to think.  He remained calm, his back erect and his gaze direct as he observed Alec, waiting for his next move.

“Allow me to remind you, Your Grace.  You knew my sister, Rose Whitfield at the Convent
of Loudun, and fathered her daughter, Genevieve.”  The cardinal looked at Alec as if he were excrement on his expensive shoes, his face tightening with anger and his hands balling into fists at his sides.

“Mr. Whitfield, I seem to remember a young woman who gave birth to a bastard and drowned herself in shame.  The girl is not my child,
and I resent the accusation.”  The cardinal might have been proclaiming his innocence, but he grew tense; his shoulders hunched beneath his robes, and his generous mouth stretched into a thin line as he stared Alec down.  Alec didn’t think his reaction was that of an innocent man.

“So you deny having seduced my sister, Your Grace?” Alec asked politely.

“I absolutely do.  Now get out of my coach, you ruffian.” He squared his shoulders, his face contorted with indignation as he ordered Alec to make his exit.

“I’m so terribly sorry, Your Grace.  I must have been mistaken,” Alec replied, getting up to leave the coach.  He
could see the look of satisfaction on the cardinal’s face.  He clearly thought he was off the hook and would go on as before.  Alec suddenly whirled around, taking a seat next to the cardinal and forcing him into a corner, the point of the dagger pressing into his neck and almost piercing the skin. 

“Let’s try this again, Your Grace,” Alec suggested, giving the
cardinal a savage smile. 

“Tell me about my sister
, and I’d like to hear the truth this time.”  The cardinal tried to move out of the way, but Alec grabbed his head, pressing the dagger hard enough to break the skin.  A thin trickle of blood ran down onto the robe, making an ugly dark stain on the smooth crimson cloth.  The cardinal paled visibly, his hands shaking in his lap.

“All right, you barbarian,” the
cardinal spat out.  “I’ll tell you the truth if you leave me alone.”

“
Whether I leave you alone largely depends on the nature of the truth,” Alec replied.  “Start talking,
Your Grace
,” he hissed, using the title with unveiled sarcasm.

“Yes, I knew Rose
,” he admitted wearily.  “I met her in Calais on my way back to Loudon.  She was very beautiful and maddeningly devout.  You see, I’d never met anyone like her before.  She had the type of faith one doesn’t see often, not even as a priest.  She was special.”

“So you seduced her?” Alec asked, his voice full of incredulity.  But the cardinal shook his head in denial, careful not to get too close to the dagger at his throat.

“You see, Mr. Whitfield, I never chose this vocation.  I was destined for the Church while my oldest brother would inherit the estate and my other brother would go into the army.  It was my father’s wish, and I wasn’t given a say in the matter.  I never chose a life of celibacy and self-denial, but once I took my vows, I accepted my fate and remained chaste.  You might not believe me, but I take my office very seriously, and did so while I was a parish priest as well.”

The cardinal turned his head to face Alec, a look of resignation on his face.  Alec grew still, realizing he was about to hear the truth at last.

“Mr. Whitfield, Genevieve is not my daughter
—
she’s my niece, and I have done everything in my power to make sure that she was well taken care of, and received a good education that would enable her to make a life for herself outside of the convent since she never wanted to take the veil.”

“Are you saying that your
brother seduced my sister?”

“
“Seduced” is not a word I would use when speaking of my brother,” the cardinal replied warily.  “My younger brother, Henri, was the one destined for the Church, as the youngest son, but my father knew from the time he was a small boy that Henri would be much better suited to the army.  He was always a cruel and violent child who enjoyed inflicting suffering and pain.  My father tried to discipline him, but he couldn’t do much to change his nature, especially when my mother was always pleading his case.  No amount of beatings and punishments could make him into a kinder person.  When Henri was little, he limited his cruelty to animals, but as he got older, he became more interested in people and the power he could wield over them through force and manipulation.  No maid was safe from him, and after he worked his way through the chateau staff, he turned his attention to the village.”

“
You mean, Martine?”  Alec had to restrain himself from driving the dagger further into the cardinal’s neck, infuriated by his calm acceptance of his brother’s crimes.  The cardinal lifted his hands as if to indicate that it had been the will of God, and not the callous actions of his brother that resulted in her untimely death.

“Martine was a lovely girl
, and I was sorry she died.  She was only fifteen at the time, but many women die in childbirth, no?  My father should have sent Henri away then, but he felt that Henri was still too young for the army and kept him at home for another two years.  You see, I blame myself for what happened to Rose because I unwittingly piqued Henri’s interest in her.  I often spoke of her to the family, marveling at her unwavering faith and devotion to God.  I think Henri saw her as the ultimate challenge.” 

“So he raped her?” Alec asked through clenched te
eth.  He was seething with rage, his heart burning with the need for vengeance against Henri, the cardinal, and their father, who abused his position as mayor and used his power to protect his son.

The cardinal just nodded, having the decency to finally look contrite.  “Mr. Whitfield, I had no knowledge of what happened until the day Rose died.  Mother Superior came to see my father on the night Genevieve was born.  She suspected that Henri was the father
, and demanded that he take responsibility for Rose and the child since she could not allow her to stay at the convent with the baby and remain a nun.  It was out of the question.  My father promised to see to it that Henri married Rose and acknowledged the child as his own.  He’d turned a blind eye on many sins, but even he couldn’t ignore the fact that his son had defiled a nun.  My father has a great fear of God, probably because he has good reason to. 

Unfortunately, my father u
nderestimated Henri yet again, trusting him to do his bidding.  Henri strangled Rose and tossed her into the river to make it look like a suicide.”  The cardinal snuggled deeper into the corner of the carriage, fearing Alec’s reaction to his confession.

“And you knew about this all along?” asked Alec, shocked that a priest would allow such a crime to go unpunished.  “You kept your silence to protect your brother?”

“I had no choice.  Henri told me everything under the seal of confession.  I couldn’t come forward without being defrocked by the Church.  My father sent Henri off as soon as he learned the truth, refusing to do anything to punish him.  We argued bitterly, but in the end, I had no choice but to go along with him, especially since my mother was mad with grief and begged me not to come forward.  She wanted to take the baby, but my father refused, not wanting to give the villagers any more reason to speculate than they already had.  I’ve lived with the guilt all these years.”  The cardinal wiped his cheek, although it appeared perfectly dry.

“Yes, your suffering must have been great,”
remarked Alec sarcastically.  “You were elevated to the position of cardinal while my sister was buried at a crossroads with her soul condemned to Hell, and your niece was raised in a convent where she was reminded every day of her mother’s shame and her bastard status.  It must have been hell for you,” he added, his eyes glinting with anger.  “And where is your brother now, if I might ask?”

“My brother was killed a few months after joining the army.  You’ll be please
d to know that he didn’t die in battle, but was killed by one of the other officers for cheating at cards.  It was a form of justice, don’t you think?”

“Not really, but I suppose I must accept it and proceed accordingly, which is where you come in, Your Grace.”

“What would you have me do, Monsieur?” asked Neuville, looking nervous.  He couldn’t break the seal of confession even after all these years for he would lose everything, not to mention bring terrible shame on his family.

“I would have you travel to
Loudun just as you planned.  Once you get there, you will have my sister’s body exhumed, and buried in the church cemetery with a proper burial service conducted by you.  You will make a public statement saying that she was murdered.  I don’t expect you to name your brother as the murderer, but you will clear her name.  You will also convince your father to make provisions for Genevieve, making sure that she’s well-provided for the rest of her life.  I will act as her guardian until she marries and will give her my name.  Is that clear, Your Grace?”

“And if I refuse?”
  All the fight had gone out of the cardinal, but he wasn’t ready to capitulate, still hoping to avoid having to deal with the consequences of his family’s actions.

“If you refuse, you will be the next body they pull out of the river,
followed by that of your father.” Alec replied conversationally.

“Are you threatening me, Mr. Whitfield
?” the cardinal asked, shocked.  “You, a Catholic, would threaten a cardinal of the Church?”

“Yes, I am, Your Grace, and my threats are rarely idle.  I will kill you
, make no mistake.  You might not have raped my sister, but you stood by and allowed her to be treated as a suicide while your brother went free.”

“You know
that I could have you excommunicated?” the cardinal asked loftily.

“
I live in Virginia, and as far as I know, there isn’t a single Catholic church anywhere within a hundred miles.  You may excommunicate me, Your Grace, but it will make absolutely no difference to my faith or my life.  Now, I will get out of your carriage and let you consider my proposal, but I won’t be far behind.  I will accompany you to Loudun and attend either my sister’s funeral or yours.  The choice is yours.”  Alec bowed to the cardinal, exiting the carriage and jogging to his own, which had been following the cardinal’s coach as instructed. 

“Well?” asked Valerie, noting the blood drying on the dagger.
  “What did the “Devil of Loudun” have to say for himself?”

“The
cardinal will honor my request with pleasure,” said Alec with a smile, giving Valerie a warm kiss.

“Somehow I doubt that pleasure will enter into it, but I’m glad you got what you came for.”