‘I suspect you of little else.’
‘There!’ Erris said to Valiana. ‘You see? You ask us to permanently reinstate the Greatcoats but you see how they seethe with desire for petty revenge? How can we ever trust them to fairly adjudicate the laws in our Duchies when this barking dog is their leader?’
‘Have you forgotten that you killed our King, you fucking senile bastard? Why should we ever trust you?’
Normally at a time like this, Valiana would have stopped me – she knew exactly what to say to get me to back down – and yet she was silent. If I had been in a saner frame of mind I might have taken this as a warning that something wasn’t right here, but, of course, I was nowhere near in my right mind.
Jillard stood, with considerably more calm and grace than the others, and asked, ‘So what is your solution, First Cantor? We deposed the King, that is fact, and it will not change. To you, he was a visionary – a Saint. To us, he was a tyrant, shaping the world to his own liking. We fought over the matter and our side won. Now the country is weak and we must either stand together or fall apart – you’ve said it yourself. There are many who would see Aline dead. So again I ask, what is your solution?’
‘Simple,’ I said, belligerence rapidly overtaking my earlier commitment to calm, reasoned debate. ‘I’ll just find every man who wants to harm her and I’ll teach them the first rule of the sword.’
‘And so barks the dog who does not see the hammer coming down upon his own head,’ Erris said.
Valiana placed her hands on the table and the gesture somehow brought the room back to order. ‘Gentlemen, let us set this particular matter aside for now. There are other issues which concern us.’
‘Like Orison,’ Jillard said.
I looked at the Duke of Rijou with what I hoped was a sufficiently threatening expression. ‘What exactly about Orison would you like to discuss, your Grace?’ And if you think I’m going to support whatever little plans you have now, you’re crazier than old Erris is.
Valiana surprised me when she motioned to a small stack of papers on the table. ‘There have been a number of reports of Western villages claiming the right to secede.’
‘Secede? Why bother? And why now?’ I asked. ‘There hasn’t even been anyone to annoy them since Duke Perault died.’
‘We don’t know,’ she replied. ‘We haven’t had many dealings with the Duchy of Orison for precisely that reason. But if there really are villages threatening to break away . . .’
‘Break away where? They don’t grow enough of their own food – who will they join with? Avares?’
‘We don’t know,’ Hadiermo admitted. ‘That’s why we thought it might be prudent for the Greatcoats to—’
‘Forget it,’ I said. ‘I’m not sending men to be spies or tax collectors for you. Besides, don’t you have your own men you could send?’
Valiana spoke up before the Duke of Domaris could reply. ‘I believe it’s unwise to send soldiers, especially Ducal soldiers, into a situation that may require investigation before action.’
Again, she surprised me: she knew how much I hated the -Greatcoats being used to suppress rebellion amongst honest people who had genuine grievances with their Dukes. ‘Send someone else,’ I said. ‘I’m staying here until I see Aline seated on the throne.’
‘Falcio,’ Valiana said warningly, ‘it would be a mistake to imply that the Greatcoats might defy the Ducal Council’s direct order.’
I let it go. I’d come here to make peace, and while I was doing a lousy job of it so far, I knew it was time to step back. ‘You’re right. My apologies, your Graces. I’ll . . . I’ll find someone to send north to investigate these villages you’ve talked about.’
‘Good,’ Jillard said. ‘Then I suggest we adjourn.’
‘What of the matter of finding a husband for the heir?’ Hadiermo said.
‘I’m sure we can leave this for another time and allow the First Cantor to adjust to the idea.’
‘No!’ Hadiermo said, his voice suddenly raised to a shout, ‘I’ll not see council business ignored simply because it offends the Trattari’s sensibilities.’
This was another of those times where Valiana would usually step in and calm everyone down, and then we’d work something out – and yet again, she stayed silent.
Great, so I have to actually be reasonable of my own accord.
I took in a breath and held it as long as I could before letting it out. When I was confident I could speak rationally again, I said, ‘I mean no offence, your Grace, but I still fail to understand why it’s so important for Aline to marry, never mind immediately give birth to a child.’
‘Falcio,’ Jillard said, ‘if we put her on the throne . . . if something happened to her and there wasn’t another heir . . .’
Saints, I thought, he’s right – it would be chaos. It would mean civil war for generations. How had I not seen this before? Was my own determination to protect Aline blinding me to the country’s plight?
‘See?’ Hadiermo said triumphantly. ‘The dog has finally learned to add two and two together. That’s right, First Cantor. It’s time to decide if you’re fighting for the safety of your King’s bastard child or for the survival of your country.’
‘That “bastard child” is your rightful Queen, and Aline will marry when she wishes, and to a man she loves,’ I said.
Hadiermo rose to his feet. ‘She’ll marry whomever you damn well tell her to and you bloody well know it! Let us not pretend you aren’t the one who can pull her strings whenever you wish, First Cantor. So now, tell us: do the Greatcoats work for the people of Tristia, or do they exist solely to act on your petty vows and passions?’
‘Enough, Hadiermo,’ Jillard said. ‘The First Cantor understands now. It’s enough.’
‘Pah!’ he said, sitting back down heavily on his chair. ‘Look at you, coddling the fucking Trattari. Shall we sing sweet songs to the heir to soothe this fool’s nerves?’ He turned to look at the other members of the council. With a ribald laugh, he added, ‘I tell you this: I’ll wed her and I’ll see her pregnant within a fortnight, whether she wants it or not.’
‘Say that again,’ I said. ‘Get back on your feet, Duke Hadiermo, and tell me again how you’ll bed Aline whether she wishes it or not—’
‘Do you threaten a member of the council in open session, Trattari?’
‘Hadn’t I made that clear?’ My right hand reached down to my side and drew one of my rapiers. The hell with the people who say I threaten too much. ‘Does this clarify my intentions, your Grace?’
Erris slammed a fist on the table and shouted, ‘How dare you come into this council chamber and—’
‘I’ll come and threaten you in a different one, if you prefer, your Grace. For example, I’d be happy to turn up in your Ducal bed-chambers the next time you—’
‘Falcio, be silent,’ Valiana said, her voice even.