CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

 

 

 

Marissa’s skepticism about the treasure dampened the hope on the yacht.

And she could sense it, too.

As she glanced around the table, she could see the disappointment on the faces of all the men, and it instantly filled her with regret.

At that moment, she realized that she had learned nothing from the night before. Despite the harsh criticism from Payne, she was allowing her book smarts to get in the way of creativity and innovation. She was so focused on what she had learned in classrooms and libraries that she wasn’t allowing herself to believe that textbooks could be wrong.

So she opted to do something about it.

“Despite my doubt about the treasure,” she said in a much cheerier tone, “I am familiar with one particular crew of pirates that’s had a lot of success with conjecture and wild speculation. Following nothing but their gut instincts and minimal knowledge of history, they managed to sneak onto Mount Athos and make one of the biggest archaeological discoveries of all time.”

Jarkko whispered to Jones. “She’s talking about us.”

Jones whispered to Payne. “Minimal knowledge of history?”

She ignored them and continued. “And since we’ve reached the part of our journey where textbooks end and imagination begins, I think it is in everyone’s best interest if I relinquish control of this briefing to the best cabin boy in the world, Mister Jonathon Payne.”

Jones and Jarkko pounded on the table to express their approval.

Payne grinned while nodding at Marissa.

She smiled and nodded back.

“My first order of business,” Payne announced, “is to thank Doctor Marissa Vella for her time as mission commander. Although this crew works best when playing it fast and loose, we will still need her vast expertise as we rewrite the history books that she loves so much.”

Jones and Jarkko pounded on the table once again.

Marissa smiled and dabbed a fake tear from her eye.

“Okay,” Payne said, slowly turning serious. “Now that the transition is over, I was hoping we could get some additional information from our esteemed historian. Unless I’m mistaken, you haven’t mentioned any relationship between Russia and Malta—other than Jarkko’s letter. But when I spoke to Petr on the phone yesterday afternoon, he said there were a number of significant connections, particularly when it came to the Order of Saint John.”

She sensed his change in tone and shifted back to her former role. “As usual, Petr is correct. Coincidentally, the relationship between Russia and the Order of Saint John started exactly one hundred years before Napoleon’s arrival in Valletta. In 1698 AD, Peter the Great sent a delegation to Malta to observe the training and abilities of the Order and its fleet. The Russian contingent was led by Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev, who arrived with a letter of introduction from the czar and a second one from Holy Roman Emperor Leopold. At first, there was mutual distrust between the two sides, but after a week of flowery speeches, given in Latin, where Sheremetev spoke of Russia’s unrelenting war against the hated Turks, the Knights started to view Russia differently. They sensed that this great power to the east might be their best hope against the encroaching powers of the west, which viewed Malta as the key to the Mediterranean. With preservation of the Order in mind, the Knights discussed several future ventures with Sheremetev, including the possibility of a Russian naval base in Malta.”

Payne grunted, completely repelled by the notion. “I can’t even fathom the worldwide ramifications of a Russian naval base in the Mediterranean. It would’ve been incredible for them, but catastrophic for the rest of the world, particularly during the Soviet era.”

Marissa nodded in agreement. She knew modern-day Malta would be a much different place if Russia had established a permanent stronghold on her island. “Prior to leaving Malta, Sheremetev established diplomatic relations with the Knights and was given a diamond-studded Cross of Devotion by the Order in return. This marked the beginning of a special relationship between the Knights and the Russian crown.”

She took a sip of water before she continued her lecture.

“Throughout the eighteenth century, Russia sent military officers for special training with the Knights of Malta, and in return, the Order sent ambassadors to Russia to lay the groundwork for a continued partnership. By the time Manuel Pinto da Fonseca was elected as grand master of the Order in 1741 AD, there was a growing trust between the two allies. Unfortunately, Pinto’s reign was marred by his lavish lifestyle. During his thirty-two years as grand master, he did a number of impressive things—including the creation of the University of Malta in 1769 AD. However, he is best remembered for the massive debt that he accumulated during his tenure, which forced the Knights into bankruptcy shortly after his death in 1773 AD.”

Jarkko groaned. “Sorry. Jarkko not happy.”

Payne nodded. “I can understand why. If the Knights went bankrupt twenty-five years before Napoleon even arrived, maybe Marissa is right. Maybe there wasn’t a treasure.”

Marissa flashed an ironic smile. Suddenly their roles were reversed, and she was the one providing optimism to the group. “Don’t give up hope just yet. The Order’s fortune is about to change. After a short and unsuccessful reign by Pinto’s successor—a Spaniard named Francisco Ximenes de Texada—the Order got things right by electing Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc as its grand master. As a member of the wealthy and influential Rohan family of France, he sought to win the respect of his knights by fortifying their defenses in Malta and strengthening their finances. During his first few years, he acquired the properties of the Order of St. Anthony in France, several assets from the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre in Poland, and most importantly of all, expanded the Order of Saint John into Russia.”

“Interesting,” Jones said as his mind swirled with theories. “Very interesting.”

“How so?” Payne asked.

“What? A brother can’t find something interesting?”

“Sorry, I thought you had more to offer than an adjective.”

“Maybe I do,” Jones said, defensively. “But I would prefer to hear the lady out before I dazzle you with my insight. Besides, I also threw in an adverb.”

Payne rolled his eyes. “Sorry about that. Please continue.”

“No problem,” she said as she picked up from there. “Believing that Russia was the key to the Order’s future, Grand Master de Rohan sent a young adventurer by the name of Bailiff Count Giulio Renato de Litta to Saint Petersburg in 1789 AD to assist with the reorganization of Russia’s Baltic Fleet. Blessed with a diplomatic and military mind, the twenty-six-year-old knight soon distinguished himself in battle, serving as a commander with the Russian Imperial Navy in its ongoing war against Sweden. For his heroic service, he was honored with the Order of Saint George—which was bestowed upon him by Catherine the Great—and promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in the Imperial Navy.”

“Really?” Payne said, impressed. “For a foreigner to be given the Order of Saint George—which is still the highest military honor in Russia—and a promotion to Rear Admiral while he was in his twenties is remarkable to me. He must have been revered by the crown.”

She nodded. “Despite his age, de Litta had made his way into Empress Catherine’s inner circle. When Grand Master de Rohan found out about this, he viewed it as an opportunity to strengthen the relationship with the crown, so he appointed de Litta as Minister of the Order in Russia to curry favor with the empress. But before they could take advantage of the situation, Catherine died quite unexpectedly in November of 1796 AD, and her son, Paul, ascended to the throne. Initially, this seemed like bad news since de Litta was so well liked by the empress, but as fate should have it, the accession of Paul the First actually strengthened the connection between Valletta and Saint Petersburg.”

“In what way?” Jones wondered.

Marissa took another sip of water to soothe her throat. She simply wasn’t used to talking this much. Not that she minded one bit. The truth was she found it exhilarating to be holding court with people that she actually admired. Her social circle was extremely small, consisting mostly of former classmates and professors who were scattered around the globe. Normally the only people that she talked to in person were the librarians that she encountered while doing her research and the employees at her favorite restaurants.

Other than that, she went through life alone.

“Fourteen years before Catherine’s death—way back in 1782 AD—she sent her son Paul, then a Grand Duke, to Malta to visit Grand Master de Rohan in Valletta. Although it was her intent to solidify her relationship with the Order with this gesture of admiration and respect, it was actually Paul who came away impressed. The man who would eventually become Paul the First was fascinated by the lore of the heroic Knights, so much so that within a year of becoming emperor, he signed the Treaty of 1797 with the Order of Malta. This agreement did two important things. It established a Roman Catholic Grand Priory of ten commanderies in Russia, and more importantly, Paul was officially named as the temporal Protector of the Order.”

Jones rubbed his hands together. “Now we’re getting somewhere. So a year before Napoleon shows up in Valletta, Paul the First agrees to be the Order’s secular protector. I’m assuming that means its military protector, as opposed to its spiritual protector, which would still be the Catholic Church.”

She nodded. “That’s correct.”

“And who ratified the treaty on behalf of the Order: de Rohan or Hompesch?”

She smiled, impressed by the question. “Although de Rohan had negotiated the agreement with Paul the First, de Rohan passed away before the treaty was signed, so it was Hompesch, his successor as grand master, who actually ratified the deal.”

Jones had figured as much. “So starting in 1797 AD, Malta and Russia are officially tied together with this deal, and more significantly, Hompesch and Paul the First are tied together as well. I think that’s something we need to keep in mind when we discuss Jarkko’s letter.”

“Why’s that?” Jarkko asked.

“Because Hompesch’s surrender to the French meant that Paul had failed to do his job. He had failed to protect Malta in its time of need. Unless, of course, he knew about Hompesch’s plan all along. In which case, all is forgiven.”

Jones shifted his gaze to Marissa. “After the fall of Malta in 1798, how was Paul treated by the Order? Did they shun him like Hompesch?”

“No,” she said with a laugh. “Quite the opposite. Not only didn’t they shun Paul the First, they actually elected him as the new grand master of the Knights.”