My Dear Sister,
The hunchback has seized Orval and confiscated the Libro Rosso. While the completed copies are blessedly safe in the scriptorium, he has taken the original along with the Ark of the New Covenant. He does not know what they are, exactly, but he knows that they are valuable and important to you, and he would keep them to force your return. I am safe, as are the brothers. But I am in despair over our most holy scripture. I believe that they are in the palace at Verdun. Please advise me, your brother, on what my course of action should be. Know that I will carry out your will in this matter, as I know you are in harmony with what God wishes for our people. I pray for you regularly and wish only for your safety and happiness.
Yours in love,
Brother Patricio
Matilda was seething. She was also stunned. It had not occurred to her that Godfrey would want her back after what had transpired. She certainly hadn’t anticipated his attempting to blackmail her in such a fashion. She requested parchment and ink from Giselda and began composing her replies, both to Patricio and to the hunchback. The advantage of having such an exemplary education and intellect was that Matilda never had to wait for a scribe. She wrote the majority of her own correspondence and took great pleasure in doing so, particularly when she was able to express herself as she was today.
The first letter provided the catharsis. She injected the words with her outrage.
To the duke Godfrey of Lorraine, from the countess Matilda of Canossa,
In the name of the people of Tuscany and the noble family of Canossa, I demand the immediate return of our most sacred objects of worship that have been illegally confiscated by the House of Lorraine. Most specifically, the Libro Rosso, my most precious red book, must be returned immediately to the holy brothers of Orval for safekeeping in the haven which was built to house it.
If the Libro Rosso is not returned in my name immediately, the House of Tuscany will declare a just and holy war against the House of Lorraine. I will lead the might of every warrior in northern Italy to march upon Stenay and reclaim our holy objects by force if necessary.
She signed the letter in the unabashed strokes of her boldest signature: Matilda, by the Grace of God Who Is, embedded in a cross and followed by the glyphs of Pisces and Aries, which had become her signatory emblems as the Christian daughter of the equinox prophecy. She was no longer acting in a charade for the hunchback, or for anyone. She would stand in the full glory of her identity and take back what was rightfully hers and under her protection. From that day forward, Matilda would use this radical statement of a signature to indicate that she was entitled to all she had by the grace of God, as his chosen child. She required no further acknowledgment, neither from husband nor from king, to claim and keep all that had been given her.
The second letter was to Patricio, advising him that Conn was going to personally deliver the letter to Godfrey and negotiate terms on her behalf. Failure was not an option in this mission, and she never allowed the thought of it to enter her consciousness. She assured Patricio that the ark and its most precious contents, the Libro Rosso, would be returned to his care immediately. She would then have it transferred to her for its trip across the Alps, back home where it belonged, in Lucca.
Godfrey of Lorraine was highly intimidated by the Celtic giant who threatened war under Matilda’s signature, but to his credit, he refused to show it. He demanded the return of his wife in exchange for the artifacts he had confiscated from Orval.
Conn laughed in his face, reminding the hunchback that his personally selected servant had attempted to assassinate a helpless Matilda in her own bed after she had just suffered the greatest possible tragedy, the loss of a child. He deliberately used the term assassinate rather than murder, as the political connotations weakened Godfrey’s legal position. The duke was trapped in a mire of his own making, and he knew it.
Conn delivered the remainder of the terms. Matilda wasn’t entirely unreasonable in her demands, as at the moment she wanted to accomplish two primary goals above all: the return of the Order’s most sacred possessions, and her secured and unmolested exit from Lorraine. Once she was safely back in Tuscany with her advisers, her mother chief among them, she would deal with her marital circumstances. She hoped that Godfrey would acquiesce quickly and quietly to what she was demanding now, as she was not proposing to divorce him—not yet, anyway, given that the prenuptial document gave her legal grounds to do so for cruelty. He would retain his titles in Tuscany, so long as he didn’t interfere with the administration of her lands in any way that she found offensive. This included supporting Henry from any of her territories. She had even told Conn to insinuate to the hunchback that, given time to heal, she might be willing to consider returning to their marriage bed if he would show good faith at this trying time by returning her property.
Hell would freeze over and the Alps would crumble before she ever allowed Godfrey to touch her again, but she hoped he was too stupid to know that. His obsession was still her most valuable bargaining chip in the war with her husband, and it worked. Godfrey agreed to return her possessions, including some of her personal items that had been left behind. The most valued of these was the treasured ivory chest that had been a gift from Bonifacio and her statue of Modesta. In exchange, Godfrey would give Matilda six months to visit her lands and her mother, before demanding her return as his wife. Conn agreed to the terms, knowing full well that Matilda would find any number of strategies to avoid returning to her husband. He kept Matilda’s irate demand letter in his own possession. Better not to leave anything as incriminating as the threat of war in the hands of the enemy, as such a thing could be used against her later. And there was the issue of that heretical signature. He would return it to Matilda.
Perhaps, he thought somewhat absently, the future might someday hold use for such a letter.
Conn escorted the ark and its sacred contents back to Patricio for inspection, and he rested for a night at Orval. With the Calabrian scribes, Patricio verified that the copies were complete, including the drawings and diagrams, and that the original was intact and unharmed. After each man kissed the gilded and jeweled cover with reverence, the Libro Rosso was returned to the ark and placed in the protective keeping of Conn of the Hundred Battles, who swore a vow to protect it with an unexpected and extraordinary fervor.
The Celtic giant praised Patricio for the magnificent work as he toured the grounds of Orval. He had truly built a golden abbey, a place worthy of housing the most sacred scripture, the true word of the Lord and the prophecies of his holy daughter. The arches of the nave, as they had been sketched by Matilda’s own hand, were of a height and majesty that he had never seen, soaring to heaven. The stonework throughout was meticulous and artistically brilliant. The entire structure was a masterpiece built by the power of love. Conn, most impressed by the enormous labyrinth that extended across the garden, asked for leave of privacy that he might walk it on his own.
After spending the day with Conn, Patricio was shocked and more than a little dumbfounded by Conn’s intimate understanding of the contents of the Libro Rosso. To his knowledge, the big Celt had never been a member of the Order, and Patricio wondered how he knew so much about their traditions. Certainly, Matilda had not shared this information with him, as he knew she would never violate her vows of secrecy by speaking outside the initiated. He wondered now, did Matilda even know that Conn could quote extensively from the Book of Love? That he also knew exactly how and why to walk the labyrinth, with no prompting from Patricio?
Here was a mystery to be investigated, but the man himself wasn’t giving away any clues to his history. Patricio considered sending a Sator Rotas letter to Matilda on this subject, but he couldn’t take the risk that the Celt might know that code as well. Better not to offend him. He was clearly an ally who viewed himself as something of a holy defender of their precious Expected One. This man would die for Matilda, without a moment’s hesitation. Patricio decided that Conn was likely one of God’
s chosen, and it was not for him to interfere with what he knew or how he knew it. The treasure of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher would be safe traveling under Conn’s sword, and Matilda’s. The Libro Rosso and the Ark of the New Covenant would find its way safely back to Italy, where it belonged. For now.
Exactly six months later, Godfrey began to send messengers with letters to Mantua, demanding that his wife return to Verdun no later than June of 1072. Matilda ignored him. His letters came more frequently and softened in tone, which she also ignored. Over the course of eight months, Godfrey of Lorraine was eventually begging his wife to at least see him to discuss the future of their marriage. When she refused to even answer his letters, he marched into Tuscany to assert his rights as duke and to hold court in Mantua. Again, he pleaded with Matilda to join him, to sit at his side as his duchess and rule with him in Italy. She simply moved to her hilltop fortress in Canossa to avoid him.
Beatrice was left to apply salve to the wounds of the tormented Godfrey, imploring his patience and forgiveness for Matilda’s refusal to see him. A placated Godfrey was a benign one, and Beatrice was determined to neutralize all potential dangers to Matilda’s inheritance. She explained in hushed tones that her daughter had not been the same since she had lost her child, and that her husband merely needed to give her a little more time. This tactic worked for a while, but eventually the scorned and offended hunchback returned to Lorraine in a state of high agitation. Shortly thereafter, he took his woes to Henry IV, who was only too happy to uphold Godfrey’s claim as the only acknowledged ruler of Tuscany—in exchange for the sworn allegiance and military might of the province of Lorraine. Henry declared Matilda in violation of the Salic laws that gave women no rights of inheritance, and stripped her of everything. With the king’s support, Godfrey took a further step to infuriate his estranged wife: he named his nephew, Godfroi de Bouillon, as his sole heir to the fortunes of Lorraine. And Tuscany.
Matilda ignored this too, flagrantly. She answered to no master but God, and it was by God’s grace that she held her lands. She thought less of Henry than she did of the hunchback and had long since determined that neither of them would ever steal from her again. Possession was the law in her eyes, and she possessed Tuscany: the land and the people. She continued to tour her kingdom with her mother, passing judgments and holding councils not only in her chief territories but also in the smallest hamlets. She was entirely visible as the leader of her people and completely adored by them. Her reputation for justice and compassion spread across Italy as the great Matilda continued to implement programs that brought relief to the needy and rebuilt those towns and villages that had been reduced to rubble during the schismatic conflicts. She funded architectural projects to rebuild and beautify the monasteries and churches for the glory of God and the spiritual benefit of his flock. Charity programs were administered from the monasteries and convents, where food was supplied to the poor on a regular basis.
Her base in Canossa was called “the New Rome” and it flourished as a center of thriving commerce and learning. She fortified and restored the monastery in San Benedetto Po outside her home in Mantua, built by her grandfather in the memory of her sainted grandmother. She had developed a true love of inspiring architecture, one that had begun with the rebuilding of San Martino in Lucca and had reached an apex in Orval. She missed Orval terribly, and Patricio, and all that they had created there. It was her sole regret about leaving the nightmare of the north. As a result, she set out to turn San Benedetto into the Italian Orval, and here she brought members of the Order to maintain her own studies from the Libro Rosso. The Master was firmly ensconced in the Order’s headquarters in Lucca and not inclined to travel, so Matilda did not see him as often as she would like. However, Anselmo visited frequently. While in residence, the bishop of Lucca spent his days studying with Matilda, and his nights with his beloved, Isobel.
Tuscany was thriving under her reign, as it had in the days of her father. A canny and charismatic young general from a noble Tuscan family with ties to the Order, one Arduino della Paluda, commanded her garrisons and implemented a series of strategies that eradicated piracy and made the price for robbery too high for anyone to commit such a crime in Matilda’s lands. He ensured that taxes were collected from foreign merchants in exchange for the restored peace and safety of the trade routes. Bridges were built to enhance travel, some drawn and designed by Matilda herself, and commerce was thriving with even greater strength than it had when Bonifacio was alive.
Peace and prosperity returned to Tuscany under the countess, who was known to sit at table with the poorest of her vassals and break bread with any who invited her. These were her people and she loved them all and loved them equally. For this was the teaching of her most beautiful Lord, from both canonical scripture, as Matthew twenty-two, and from the Book of Love: to love thy neighbor as thyself. And Matilda understood that all her people were her neighbors, each and every one of them, and she taught this commandment through example. No feudal leader in memory had ever behaved in this fashion.
As a maturing leader, Matilda had developed her own strategy, one in keeping with her deeply held spiritual traditions. She not only selected loyal, strong, and intelligent advisers, she ensured that everyone within her intimate circle was someone she loved. She surrounded herself with those souls who she was certain were her “family of spirit” as defined in the Book of Love. They had made promises long ago, to each other, to themselves, and to God, to be here in this place and time. The time returns. Her friend Arduino captained the armies that kept the Tuscan people safe, while Conn, who was closer to her than a blood brother, retained control of her personal guard. Bishop Anselmo of Lucca maintained the soul of Tuscany, supporting all the reforms of his uncle, who was Pope Alexander II, while secretly protecting the Order and their goals. Isobel, her most trusted confidante, remained the mistress of her household, and Beatrice was her social and political mentor in matters of public importance.
The greatest concern of this extended feudal family was keeping Henry and Godfrey at bay. They had become a de facto Tuscan government essentially controlling the territories that extended from the Alps nearly all the way to Rome. Then, in April of 1073, their much-loved ally and leader, Pope Alexander II, died very suddenly.
CHAPTER TEN
Vatican City
present day
Father Peter Healy walked through St. Peter’s Square, awed by the beauty of Gianlorenzo Bernini’s masterpiece of architectural design. He didn’t think he would ever be immune to the magnificence of this place. While his eyes had recently been opened to the ruthless politics of the Church he had dedicated his life to, he remained committed heart and soul to the vocation that caused him to take vows in the first place. For him, St. Peter’s was still a holy place, the seat of the first apostle and his successors.
The spring sunshine warmed his dark hair, which was just beginning to gray at the temples. Funny, he hadn’t had this much gray hair until he relocated to the Vatican. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the credentials that would be necessary to bypass the Swiss Guard and access Cardinal DeCaro’s exalted office. He was dressed in full collar today and breezed through the security measures quickly and without incident.
There was a meeting of the Arques Gospel committee at the end of the week. Peter was here to discuss with his mentor how they would approach what promised to be something of an ordeal.
He hated the committee. It was the bane of his existence, and yet it was also his reason for being. Thus, his current life in the Vatican resembled the seventh level of Hell. The committee was created not only to authenticate the Arques Gospel of Mary Magdalene, discovered by Maureen in the south of France, but also to place the controversial issues contained in it within a Catholic perspective that could be easily digested by the faithful. This was proving to be an impossible task.
The committee of twelve had become a combative and difficult environment, populated as it was by elder, conservative cl
erics. Peter and Cardinal DeCaro were the only obvious supporters of the truth at any cost. There were a few members who appeared to be on the fence and engaged in internal struggles over the issues, but the others were clearly in favor of keeping this material out of the public eye forever. Peter was being challenged on a number of important points in his original translation, which he was going to have to defend at this week’s gathering. In preparation for this particular battle, he had begun to make notes on the primary points of controversy that were found in the Arques Gospel of Mary Magdalene.
Peter was going to have to come up with strong and cogent arguments as to why all these points did not contradict the current traditions of Catholicism. Whether or not these were the truth was, sadly, not the point. Peter had learned over the last two years that the truth was highly subjective everywhere, but nowhere was this more true than in Rome. And the truth mattered far less than preserving the status quo. Peter often thought, while strolling through Vatican grounds, that they should hang banners from the porticos that read Tradition Over Truth. He was quite sure that some of the elder clerics on the committee had this motto tattooed over their hearts.
This was going to be an uphill battle, but one he would have to fight with as much vigor and commitment as he could muster. He had created this terrible dilemma, and now he would have to live within it. At least he was not alone.
“Come in, my boy.” Cardinal Tómas Borgia DeCaro welcomed Peter into his office, which was as elegant and Italian as was the man himself. As his name implied, Cardinal DeCaro was related to one of the wealthiest and most aristocratic families in Rome. He moved with the grace that comes with privilege and noblesse oblige. It was precisely his powerful Italian heritage that allowed him to hold such an exalted position in Rome, despite the fact that his own theology was considered radical by the current conservative hierarchy.