***
The Colonel, the Major and four trusted officers of the royal guard arrived at the palace promptly at eleven o’clock that night. After Jason explained the mission to them, they descended the palace staircases to a subterranean passage below the palace. The staircase and the passage were dimly lit by torches. Additional staircases also led from the passage. Jason chose one staircase and the royal guards followed him down it to yet another subterranean passage. No-one but Jason knew that the staircase on which had descended was ordinarily hidden. Earlier that evening, Jason had repeatedly turned a small cross-section of a pillar near the hidden staircase in order to reveal the entrance. The hidden entrance, once opened, was indistinguishable from the entrances to the other staircases the men had passed earlier. The subterranean passage at the end of the hidden staircase led from the palace to a chamber below the High Cathedral. Jason was told of the existence of the secret passage shortly after he had been appointed by the king to secure the safety of the prince and princess. Jason was assured that the existence of this passage was unknown to anyone other than the royal family and the duke. It had apparently not been used for years.
They utilised lanterns which they had brought with them to light the way as they passed through the protracted passage. The passage was narrow, dark and damp. Although the distance between the palace and the High Cathedral was about a mile by road, the tunnel’s route was direct and consequently about a fifth shorter. During their sojourn along the passage the Colonel requested a word with Jason.
‘Your highness will no doubt be sad to learn of the most unfortunate passing of that Captain you happened to mention this afternoon. He apparently committed suicide this evening. He was apparently overcome with guilt about having lied to a Bishop in a false confession.’ The Colonel spoke in a hushed tone.
‘This is indeed distressing,’ Jason replied. ‘Especially since making a false confession to a Bishop makes a mockery of the sanctity of the confessional.’
The passage ended in front of a large copper door. Jason produced an oversized brass key which opened the lock. The key turned smoothly in the lock. However although Jason pulled on the handle of the door, it would not open. It was only after the Major added his efforts to those of Jason’s that the door opened. They emerged into a short passage which ended in a chamber which was dimly lit by an oil flame in its centre.
‘I have been here before,’ the Colonel whispered. ‘This is the crypt where cardinals are buried. I know the way up to the sleeping quarters of the bishops and the Cardinal from here.’ He led them up a marble staircase from the crypt to the vestibule of the High Cathedral. From there he led them along another passage which ran along the side of the Cathedral and which ended in a lobby at the rear. A further staircase led from the lobby up to the sleeping quarters of the six bishops and the Cardinal. They did not encounter anyone as they made their way towards the sleeping quarters. Jason had been informed that the two dozen or so guards assigned to the Cardinal were housed in a detached building outside the Cathedral. The passage in which the sleeping quarters were located was properly lit. Jason instructed the party to enter the rooms of the targeted bishops one at a time. Jason waited outside the Cardinal’s door as the guards returned with one bishop after the other. Each of the wide-eyed bishops was gagged before they could gather themselves to speak, and their hands were tied behind their backs.
After opening the door to Cardinal’s chamber, Jason entered it together with the Major. Both oil lamps located next to the Cardinal’s bed were lit. But to Jason’s bewilderment, the Cardinal was not in his bed, nor indeed was he anywhere in his quarters. Each of the priests’ gags was removed in turn. All four of them denied any knowledge of the Cardinal’s whereabouts.
Jason left two of his party in the Cardinal’s chamber to wait for him whilst the four bishops were frogmarched along the passage and to the palace. They were interned in one of the cells in the basement of the palace. As Jason returned to the Chamber of Knights to plot his next move he was amazed to discover that the Cardinal, the Duke, Renate and Ruan were all seated at the round table. What was more astonishing, however, was that Luciano Monteverdi was sitting next to the Cardinal on the opposite side of that table.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ Jason asked immediately.
‘Ah your highness,’ the duke greeted him. ‘We have all been waiting for you.’
‘So it would seem,’ Jason responded curtly. ‘I trust there is some explanation for an assembly such as this at such an ungodly hour.’
‘I shall come straight to the point, highness,’ the duke responded. ‘The Cardinal insists in declaring that he believes his majesty the king to be dead. As a consequence, he says that the monarchy has accordingly automatically dissolved for want of a male heir. In the absence of the monarchy, he says that the head of the church is entitled by law to act as regent until France exercises its rights in terms of the treaty. He is here with Mr Monteverdi as the Church’s legal counsel and they are accompanied by twelve of his guards which are outside in the Courtyard.’
Jason realised that the duke had added the last snippet of information to forewarn Jason in case he were to entertain any impulsive thoughts of the immediate elimination of their two visitors. If the Cardinal and Monteverdi did not return to the waiting Cathedral guards, it would be impossible to prevent rumours of foul play on the part of the palace.
‘I assume that his eminence has been informed that the king is alive and that he has requested to be moved to the top floor of the palace?’ Jason inquired.
‘I have, your highness, but despite my assurances, the Cardinal persists in seeing him despite the lateness of the hour,’ the duke complained.
‘Is this true your eminence?’ Jason enquired.
‘My lord, I do not intend to wake the king if he is sleeping. I simply wish to see him to confirm that he is alive,’ the Cardinal confirmed. His expression was one of resolute determination.
‘The correct form of address is your royal highness, your eminence.’
‘I understand the king to be dead my lord. In such a case the monarchy and the accompanying forms of address falls away. Is this not so Mr Monteverdi?’
‘Forgive me, your highness,’ Monteverdi confirmed. He seemed most uncomfortable with the role assigned to him. ‘I have been given the information which disqualifies the crown prince from taking the throne. If the king is indeed dead, the monarchy would fall away and his eminence the Cardinal is entitled in the law to assume the power until France takes the effective control of this principality.’
‘On what grounds do you assert that the king is deceased?’ Jason addressed the question to the Cardinal. He ensured that his question was accompanied by an appropriate air of indignation.
‘I have my sources at the palace. The pieces of this puzzle are easily assembled. His grace, Duke Le Riche was summoned to the palace in the early hours of this morning. This suggests that the king had died or was about to die. Shortly before dawn, the king was apparently moved to a floor of the palace not usually reserved for accommodation. The people who usually attend to the king did not assist with this move. The palace staff has been told that access to the king has now suddenly been severely restricted. The princess is reported to have been seen in tears on several occasions during the day. I also understand that an embalmer from Italy was summoned to the Palace at a considerable fee.’ A feint smile crossed the Cardinal’s face as he stared intently at the faces of each of members of the royal family in turn.
Jason was impressed to notice that Ruan, Renate and the duke each maintained suitable poker faced expressions which were no doubt refined during years of involvement in palace affairs.
The duke seemed unimpressed however. He produced a wide grin before continuing.
‘But the most telling sign that the king is dead is the palace’s unprecedented refusal to permit me, the Cardinal of Montuga, to attend at the king’s bedside. The fact that the king is not well eno
ugh to see me is being offered as a reason for my exclusion when, traditionally, the Cardinal is the one person who attends not only at the bedside of the king in times of severe or terminal illness, but who also attends at his deathbed.’
‘Far be it from me to preclude you from drawing your own conclusions, your eminence. However, you will be permitted to see the King at ten o’clock tomorrow morning,’ Jason declared. He hoped that his efforts to seem unruffled by the Cardinal’s assertions were as convincing as those of the duke, Renate and Ruan.
‘You have your answer now, gentlemen,’ Renate intervened firmly. ‘It is late! I bid you both good night.’ She summoned the usher. ‘Please have the Guards show these gentlemen out.’
‘This is most irregular,’ complained the Cardinal.
‘Be reasonable, your eminence,’ Jason replied. ‘You have an appointment to see the king tomorrow at ten o’clock. If you are correct that the king is dead, no harm can come from returning tomorrow. It is not as though the king’s status will change between now and then.’
‘The prince is right,’ Monteverdi agreed. ‘We shall return to see the king tomorrow.’
The royal family and the duke watched silently from within the palace as the Cardinal’s carriage left the palace courtyard together with its escort of Cathedral Guards and it disappeared through the place gates. No one spoke for a while.
‘Monteverdi presents a problem,’ the duke pointed out eventually. ‘Even if we take care of the Cardinal, we are still left with him and all that he now knows.’
Ruan directed a knowing glance at Jason.
‘No,’ Jason responded instantly. ‘Monteverdi is an honest man. He is acting as counsel to the Cardinal. That is his job. I will try to reason with Monteverdi tomorrow. The Cardinal will be back at his quarters shortly. I have a reception ready for him there. He will be brought back to the palace through the passage tonight.’