Page 230 - Revelation

Svetlana de Rohan-Levashova. Revelation

not show it to him in any way. Whatever it cost I had to behave as calmly as possible
and try to get rid of him as soon as possible. The rumors said that the "mad cardinal"
persistently tracked down his victims, who later disappeared without a trace, and
nobody knew, where and how they could be found, or whether they were alive at all.
– I heard so much about your exquisite taste, Madonna Isidora! Venice talks
only of you!!
Please, do me the honour of sharing your new acquisition with me...
Caraffa smiled... his smile made my blood freeze and I felt an irresistable desire
to run wherever my feet would carry me, if only I could never again see this insidious,
refined face! He was a real predator and now he was hunting. I felt it with every cell
of my body, every fibre of my frozen in horror soul. I never was a coward, but I had
heard too much about this frightful man and knew that nothing would stop him, if he
decided to get me in his tenacious claws. He wiped out any barriers, when the matter
concerned "heretics". Even kings were afraid of him... I even respected him to a certain
degree.

Isidora smiled on seeing our scared faces.
– Yes, I did. But it was a different respect than what you thought. I respected his
persistence, his ineradicable faith in his "just cause". He was mad about what he did,
not like most of his followers which simply robbed, raped and enjoyed life. Caraffa
never took anyhing or raped anybody. Women as such did not exist for him at all. He
was a "warrior of Christ" from the very beginning to his last breath. However, he never
understood that he was absolutely and totally wrong in everything he had done on
Earth, that it was a terrible and inexcusable crime. He died sincerely believing in his
"just cause".

And now it was quite obvious that this fanatically mistaken man tried to get hold
of my "sinful" soul.
While I feverishly tried to think of something, I had some unexpected help. My old
acquaintance, almost a friend, Francesco who had just sold me some books, suddenly
addressed me in an irritated tone, as if my indecision made him loose patience:
– Madonna Isidora, have you decided at last what you shall take? My clients are
waiting for me, and I can’t dedicate all my time only to you, no matter how I would
wish it.

I stared at him in surprise, but fortunately intercepted his risky idea. He suggested
me to get rid of dangerous books which I had in my hands in that moment! Books were
Caraffa's favourite "hook". It was mostly because of them the cleverest people got into
net which the mad inquisitor spread for them...
I left the greater part of the books on the counter at which Francesco immediately
expressed "utter displeasure". Caraffa observed. I felt at once how this simple and
naive game amused him. He perfectly understood everything, and if he wanted, he
could calmly arrest me and my poor risk- taking friend, but for some reason he did not
want to. It seemed that he sincerely enjoyed my helplessness, like a satisfied cat that
clutched a mouse in the corner.

– May I leave you, Your Eminence? – I asked carefully, without hope of hearing
an affirmative reply.

Back to content

229