Chapter Three

Rome, 1901

The journey to Rome took us approximately three days. We boarded the train at Victoria and made our way to Dover. We then crossed the Channel to Calais, and headed south via rail to Lyon and then to Turin.

We might have gone through the Alps using the Frejus Rail Tunnel, but I suspect that after his near-fatal encounter with Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls a decade earlier, Holmes was inclined to give the Alps a wide berth whenever possible.

During our journey, Cardinal Oreglia proved an excellent traveling companion.

He told us that after becoming a priest, he had studied the classics and theology at Oxford. He was, I thought, extremely well-read and quite cultured.

We discussed Renaissance art and architecture, the museums of Rome, and the culinary differences between Italian and English kitchens. I knew that most of these subjects were of little or no concern to Holmes - but he feigned interest and, skilled actor that he is, managed to deceive the cardinal, although I could see quite clearly his mind was elsewhere.

While only minimally intrigued by the bulk of what we discussed, Holmes did become quite animated when we touched on the subject of music, and he and the cardinal engaged in a spirited debate about the virtues of a Stradivarius as opposed to a Gunari.

That discussion segued to a consideration of various composers and operas. I must admit at this point, I was having difficulty staying awake, and I am not nearly so deft a dissembler as Holmes. In truth, I missed a portion of the conversation as fatigue overtook me.

I was jerked awake when the car came to a sudden stop, as we pulled into Marseilles.

“Ah, Watson, I see that Morpheus has finally relinquished his hold over you,” Holmes said, smiling.

I looked at Holmes and the cardinal rather sheepishly.

“No need to apologize, Dr. Watson. I, too, have been a sojourner in the land of dreams,” said Cardinal Oreglia. “Apparently, only Mr. Holmes here is immune to the blandishments of sleep.”

Holmes smiled again, and I thought of the many times that I had seen my friend go two and three days without rest.

After lunch in the dining car, we returned to our compartment, and Holmes began to smoke while the cardinal and I continued to discuss the art of the Eternal City.

It was only when the cardinal began to discourse about the current political situation in Italy and the threat posed to the Catholic Church that Holmes fully involved himself in the conversation once again.

“As you know, gentlemen, Pope Leo and his predecessor Pius IX have been virtual prisoners inside the Vatican for the past three decades. In Italy, the situation is often referred to as the questione romana or the ‘Roman Question’.”

The cardinal began to elaborate: “When the process of Italian unification began, Rome was declared the capital of Italy. However, the temporal ruler at the time, King Victor Emmanuel II, did not immediately take up residence in Rome; in fact, it would be some time before he moved into the Quirinal Palace. The building, which had served as home to 30 popes, and its importance as a symbol of the power and independence of the papacy cannot be underestimated. Given the delicate situation, you can understand the reluctance of the king.”

“Eventually, however, King Victor did take up residence in the palace. Legend has it that after the city was occupied but before he moved in, the king sent an emissary to Pope Pius to request the keys.”

The cardinal continued, “A man with a temper, Pius is rumored to have replied, ‘Whom do these thieves think they are kidding, asking for the keys to open the door? Let them knock it down if they like. Bonaparte’s soldiers, when they wanted to seize Pius VII, came through the window, but even they did not have the effrontery to ask for the keys’.”

“Prior to the arrival of King Victor, the pope had been under the protection of the French, and a garrison provided by Napoleon III. Considering himself the sovereign of a Catholic country, Napoleon had regarded it as his duty to support the pontiff. In fact, it was only after the outbreak of the Franco-

Prussian War that Napoleon recalled the garrison.”

“Once Rome was vulnerable, it was attacked. Pius IX had his forces put up a show of resistance so that the world could see that he was in no way allowing himself to become little more than a chaplain to the newly crowned King of Italy.”

“As you might expect, there were negotiations in an effort to reconcile the sudden takeover of the city by a temporal ruler and how best to accommodate the pope as the spiritual ruler of the Church and the ruler of what had been the Papal States with the sudden arrival of the King of Italy. To this date, the papacy has refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Italian government.”

“In fact, in 1871, Italy passed what it called a Law of Guarantees. Under the law, the pope would have had honors and privileges akin to those enjoyed by the king. He would have been allowed to dispatch and receive ambassadors; he would have enjoyed diplomatic immunity; and he would have had all the appearances of temporal power that his predecessors enjoyed as rulers of the Papal States.”

“Although it was generally viewed as an attempt to avoid further antagonizing the pope in the aftermath of unification, the law was roundly criticized, both by those who supported the king as well as those backing the pope. As you might expect, the Vatican looked upon it as an encroachment upon the power of the papacy. In the opinion of many canonical and legal scholars, such a measure would have subjected the pope to a law that could be modified or abrogated at any time by the Italian parliament. As I am sure you know, it was rejected by the Vatican.”

“Since that time, the tension between the papacy and the Italian government has ebbed and flowed. In fact, on more than one occasion, Pius IX had considered leaving Italy altogether and seeking asylum in a foreign land. Truth be told, gentlemen, yours was the first country he contacted with regard to that matter. He also spoke with German officials, but in the end, he remained in the papal palace, as has Pope Leo, with neither setting foot outside the walls of Vatican, fearing that leaving in any manner might be misinterpreted by those who would like to see the pope stripped of his power.”

“I am well aware of the pope’s quandary,” said Holmes, “and I wonder if the past might not have found its way to the pontiff’s doorstep.”

“That is my fear as well, Mr. Holmes. Although His Holiness has provided us with precious few details, the terseness of his communication would seem to indicate that whatever has happened is weighing heavily on him.”

“Well then, let us hope that we are not too late,” said Holmes.

When our train finally pulled into Turin, the cardinal said, “I am going to see if there are any telegrams. The Holy Father knows our itinerary. If he should need to contact us, this would have been the place to leave instructions.”

As the cardinal wandered off in search of the telegraph office, Holmes turned to me and said, “I fear this is going to be a very dangerous affair, Watson. We are fighting an enemy who has no regard for the pope, so obviously we are dealing with fanatics of some sort - whether political or religious or both remains to be seen.”

“I quite agree.”

“Keep your wits about you then, and trust no one,” he added.

At that moment the cardinal returned. I could see he was grasping a telegram.

“Mr. Holmes,” he began, and my friend promptly cut him off.

“Unless it is urgent, wait until we are on the train to discuss it. We do not know our enemy, and we can only hope that they do not know us - yet. Still, their ears and eyes may be everywhere.”

We returned to our compartment, and it was only after the train had pulled out of the station and Holmes had checked the compartments on either side of ours and the corridor one last time that he returned and said, “Now, Your Eminence.

What says the Holy Father?”

“The telegram reads properamus placer.”

“Please hurry,” said Holmes and the cardinal in unison.

“We shall be in Rome by early afternoon,” said Holmes.

“When we get there, Your Eminence, you go directly to Pope Leo. Watson and I will find a small out-of-the-way pensione near the Vatican. I will telegraph you our location.”

“May I suggest that you stay at the Suore Francescane dell’Addolorataon? It is located on the left side of the Colonnades of St. Peter’s Square. You will be very close to the papal apartments, and I somehow doubt that our enemies would think to look for you in a convent run by the Franciscan Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.”

“I like the idea of being close at hand, but you must not make the mistake of underestimating an enemy that we do not know, Your Eminence.”

“Of course, you are quite correct, Mr. Holmes. But you may enter the convent through the rear. That way you can avoid being seen in the square if you wish. When you arrive at the kitchen door, ask for Sister Angelica and tell her that you are friends of Gaetano.”

We spent the next few hours trying to familiarize ourselves with the layout of the Vatican.

Holmes, I knew, possessed an uncanny sense of direction, so I was not terribly worried.

As we pulled into the Rome Termini, Holmes said to the cardinal, “You leave the train first, Your Eminence, and go to the left. After you have collected all of our bags, get a porter to help you carry them to the curb and then take a carriage to the Vatican. Watson, you will follow five minutes later and go directly into the Piazza del Cinquecento. Take a carriage to the convent. I shall be along presently. If either of you should see me, though I doubt that you will, pray take no notice.”

Looking at Holmes, I saw that he had thrown off his indifferent demeanor much as a snake sheds its skin, and I thought I detected the glint of anticipation in his eyes.

Cardinal Oreglia departed first, as we had planned, and his final words to us were, “I will be in touch shortly.”

I looked at my watch and after five minutes departed, saying to Holmes, “I am quite hungry, old fellow. Please don’t be late for dinner.”

He laughed, and said, “Good old Watson. How glad I am that you are here. Just to be on the safe side, why don’t you first pay a visit to the Spanish Steps? Play the tourist for a bit at the Trevi Fountain and then make your way to the convent.”

“Whatever you say, Holmes.”

As I left him sitting in the compartment alone, I saw him light a cigarette. I could only wonder what thoughts were running through his mind.

Making my way through the station, I looked for anyone who might be following me. Seeing no one, I hailed a hansom cabriolet and followed Holmes’ instructions.

“Spanish Steps,” I instructed the driver, all the while looking for suspicious faces and quickly averted gazes.