The Pontiff turned to the speaker.
"Treason,—beloved son? A harsh word indeed! Were breaking with a sinful past to be stigmatized in such wise, our indulgences would indeed go begging and St. Peter tire at his watch!"
Charles of Anjou gave a significant shrug.
"Will the Frangipani exchange a distant master for one hovering over their rock?"
The Pontiff waved the question aside.
"The bait were hardly tempting!"
The small eyes of Anjou met those of the Pontiff.
"What is the bribe?" he queried brutally.
Clement raised his hands in abhorrence. A lawyer and a diplomat, the Frenchman's brutal frankness jarred on his nerves.
"What of Astura as his own—to have and to hold?" he said at last with bated breath.