Page 238 - Revelation

Svetlana de Rohan-Levashova. Revelation

– But only in Venice you’ve burnt thousands of books! Let alone other cities... Why
else would you need them?

– My dearest witch, – Caraffa smiled. – There are "books" and BOOKS. What I
burned always fell into the first category. Come with me, I’ll show you something
interesting.
Caraffa pushed the heavy gilded door and we found ourselves in a narrow, very
long and dark corridor. He took a silver candlestick with just one thick candle burning
on it.

– Follow me. – The newly made Pope stiffly ordered.
We walked for a long time, passing by many small doors from behind which no
sound was heard. But Caraffa went along and I had no choice but to follow him. Finally
we came to a strange "blind" door which had no handles. He pressed something and
the heavy door easily moved, giving the way into an absolutely stunning hall... It was
a library! The greatest library I’ve ever seen!!! The enormous space from floor to
ceiling was filled with books! They were everywhere – on soft sofas, window-sills,
shelves and even on the floor. There were thousands of them! I had a lump in my
throat. The place was much greater than the Medici library.
– What is it?! – Stunned I exclaimed, forgetting who I was there with.

– They are BOOKS, Madonna Isidora. – Caraffa answered calmly. – And they
will be yours, if you wish... Everything depends only on you.
His flagrant look nailed me to the spot, which immediately made me remember,
where I was and with whom. Splendidly playing on my selfless and infinite love of
books, Caraffa made me forget for some moments about the frightful reality which, as
it appeared, was going to be yet more frightful soon...

Caraffa was seventy then, although he was surprisingly young-looking. In the
beginning of our acquaintance I even wondered whether there was a Vedun who had
helped him, opening our secret of longevity! But then he suddenly began to get older
very quickly and I forgot about it. Now I could not believe that this powerful and
insidious man, who had unlimited power over kings and princes in his hands, just made
a very "veiled" and vague offer to me... in which one could suspect some unhumanly
strange drop of very dangerous love.
Everything inside me froze in horror! Because, be it true, no earthly force could
protect me from his wounded pride and his black soul, vindictive in its malice!
– Forgive me my lack of modesty, Your Holiness, but in order to avoid any mistake
from my side, will you deign to explain more exactly to me what do you mean by that?
– I asked very carefully.

Caraffa softly smiled and, taking my trembling hand with his elegant and thin
fingers, very quietly said:
– You are the first woman on Earth, Madonna Isidora, who, to my mind, deserves
real love... And you are a very interesting interlocutor. Does not it seem to you that
your place is rather on a throne than in a prison of the Inquisition? Think about it,
Isidora. I offer you my friendship, nothing more. But my friendship costs a lot, believe
me... And I would like very much to prove it to you. But everything will depend on your

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