The meeting with Albornoz concluded, Clément gave an instruction to the guard posted in the corridor outside his study door,
“See I am not disturbed.”
The guard came to attention, his halberd drawn sharply, straight by his side.
“Of course, Holy Father.”
Alone, the Pontiff took a bottle secreted in a small cupboard and filled a glass. He was partial to good wine, but fortified laudanum was his preferred tipple in private, even though its hallucinatory effect had frequently fuelled the paranoia of a troubled mind, wrestling with the requirements of papal standing and carnal desire. He hoped to have seen the error of his ways, returned to the Lord, and put the latter behind him when Alice had ended their affair. Equally, he had moderated his intake of the illicit drink. He took a sip of
