Ambition and Alavidha (11 page)

It was a great
wonder to him that he had managed to get her pregnant at all.

He glanced at
her with barely concealed dislike. Prince Crispin was good at
subterfuge but he wasn’t as good as he thought he was.

Queen
Antoinette caught the look on his face.

* * * * *

THE ROYAL
HIGHWAY – EAST OF FORT - KINGDOM OF MURDOCH

The people
accompanying Kellen Crawford to the Duchy of Hallam found him not
to be his usual quiet yet jovial self. So introspective had he
become that the normally alert Robert didn’t take much notice of
the fact that he was not the only one trying to hide inner
worries.

He did rouse
when the party passed through the border between the Duchy of Smith
and that of Hallam. It seemed indeed as if everyone sighed a great
sigh of pleasure at leaving Smith behind. The Duchy of Smith, like
the others further south, represented the old ways. It’s peasantry
were poor and downtrodden, were ruled by its Duke (through his
vassal nobles) with a heavy hand and an iron fist. The Duchy of
Hallam was more progressive and always had been. Its Dukes knew it
was their beholden duty to look after their people. Hallam had
vocational and academic schools paid for by the Duke who also paid
for the hospitals and it had a legislative system based, as far as
was reasonable, on a fair deal for all. There were no serfs in
Hallam. There was always a steady trickle of refugees entering
Hallam from Smith to its west and the Duchy of van Buren to its
south (both of these dukes believed that it was their god-given
right to extract all they wanted from the poor).

The voices of
the women and children among the party certainly grew far more
light-hearted once they had passed the border. Even Robert Crawford
found himself talking, not in the monosyllables he had previously
sported but with loquacity Lord Prince Marshall Pierre would have
found surprising.

However he was
still worried and his face showed it. Those talking to him wondered
and a few surmised that his worries might be very similar to their
own.

It was with
relief when Robert saw the outriders speed off towards the manor to
inform Duke Paul that their arrival was imminent.

He knew that
their destination was only a few candlemarks away. Soon he would be
able to unburden himself.

During what
remained of the journey however, he found out that he
was
not the only member of the party going to seek advice from the
Duke. He was one of four.

* * * * *

THE FAVOURITE
MANOR HOUSE OF THE DUKE OF HALLAM - DUCHY OF HALLAM - KINGDOM OF
MURDOCH

Paul, Duke of
Hallam was sitting reading when his seneschal entered the study to
tell him that a large party of riders were approaching the manor
and would arrive before nightfall.

Paul Hallam
looked up but made no move to rise from his chair. A recent fall
from his horse had resulted in a broken leg. It was healing well
but it was still painful to move around.

This leg break
was why it was not he returning from Fort this evening and why he
was sat in his study, reading, awaiting the homecoming of his
beloved wife Elizabeth, his first-born son and heir Liam and all
the rest.

Paul raised
clear blue eyes to Mal.

“A large party
you say?” he asked, knowing well that Mal would not have appended
the adjective in his sentence if his news had portended only the
return of those who had set out from the manor to attend the
baptism at Fort.

“The messenger
said that the Duke-Heir of Gardiner is also among the party My
Lord, also Baron Karovitz and Kellen Crawford of Cador.”

Paul Hallam
closed his book, placing it with care on the low table beside his
chair and looked the enquiry he felt.

“Anyone else I
should be aware of?”

“There are also
a number of ladies present My Lord, apart from My Lady, her
daughters and her attendants but the message did not say who
exactly. The party numbers over eighty My Lord!”

“Then I’ll not
detain you from your duties Mal. If
that
many are about to
descend on us you’ll be hard pressed to get ready in time.”

“Housekeeper is
already preparing the rooms but,” he was backing away, “with your
permission I’d better go supervise.”

His last words
were indistinct because Mal was closing the door as he uttered the
last words. Paul knew he would be by now speeding down the corridor
to make sure all was in readiness.

Paul Hallam now
put his mental energies to work wondering just why his second son
Robain (the lad had married the Daughter-Heir of Gardiner the
previous summer) and his son-in-law Charles Karovitz had decided to
visit. It was probable too that the ladies Mal had mentioned were
their wives and it was not beyond the bounds of intuition that all
the children were there too.

Paul concluded
that although this might be a social visit, it was a fair
assumption that it was not. The inclusion of Kellen Crawford in the
party rather bore this out. Robert Crawford held a position at
Court, a senior position. He had been a gentleman of the bedchamber
of the late king, a post bringing with it much honour and
considerable influence. The Dukes ran their demesnes, their
duchies, but it was those of lesser birth that ran the country.

Robert now held
a similar position (without the bedchamber part) in the household
of Queen Antoinette.

The Kingdom of
Murdoch, being at present ruled by a Queen Regnant, always a
difficult time for the country. She was the only child of King
Elliot the Sixteenth who had survived into adulthood.

Now what has
prompted Robert to come here, now?
He and Robert were boyhood
friends, true, but his friend had never, during the years he Paul
had known him, arrived at the manor unannounced.

Paul Hallam sat
a long time pondering. He came to no conclusion but a feeling of
foreboding began to rear its ugly head. Only something of great
seriousness would have prompted Kellen Crawford to desert his post,
Paul corrected himself, to request a leave of absence from his
post.

The party
clattered into the manorial courtyard at sunset and all was noise
and bustle as the weary travellers dismounted and were ushered
inside by the liveried Hallam servants.

Duchess
Elizabeth, after greeting her husband (still waiting with
impatience in his chair) refused to tell him why she had brought so
many guests home with her, merely saying that it would all become
clear soon before departing to see to the comfort of her female
guests.

A few moments
later Paul’s two sons, Liam and Robain, his son-in-law Charles
Karovitz and his friend Robert Crawford entered Paul’s study. Paul
noted that they had taken the time for a quick wash and a hurried
donning of clean garments. Paul hid a grin. His eldest was a
fastidious young person and would have insisted.

“How are you
Father?” Liam asked, leading the others over.

“I’ve felt
better but this damn leg of mine itches like jip,” Paul answered as
he turned to greet his old friend.

“Robert, good
to see you and Charles and Robain, you are both ever welcome but I
have to admit I have no idea why you have come. It is more than a
visit to see the invalid of that I am sure. Your face always gives
you away.”

Robert made an
obvious show of wanting to wait for the servants to depart before
he began so Paul requested that they leave them. They did so
without outward surprise although Mal obviously wanted to stay.

Paul and his
seneschal enjoyed a friendship mutual and of respect; there was
little Mal did not know about his master’s worries and
thoughts.

Robert lifted a
glass of wine from the tray the servants had left on a nearby
table. He sipped it with obvious pleasure, his throat was dry after
the day’s travel.

Paul glanced at
the other three men but they were standing watching Robert.
Obviously Robert had been elected spokesman.

Robert cleared
his throat.

“Some matters
have come to our attention,” he began and took another sip of
wine.

“I’d guessed
that. Better tell me the worst. Not good matters I presume?”

“Not good at
all,” Robert agreed as he took the chair in front of Paul. The
others remained standing although they moved closer the better to
hear.

“You’ll have
heard about the unrest in the southerly duchies?”

Paul
nodded.

“I have, but
that’s old news and it’s an ongoing problem. The Reform Movement I
presume?”

“The main body
was crushed by the Regiments not two days ago, leaders executed.
Lord Marshall Prince Pierre was as usual, thorough. I doubt any of
their leaders escaped. Now the Regiments are uncommitted once
more.”

“It’s a wonder
the northerly Dukes agreed to it,” Paul was thinking aloud. “They
like the southerly dukes to be under some discomfiture, the most
discommoding the better.” He shook his head, “you’d think they
would have learned after eight centuries to work together.”

“They weren’t
there when the decision to crush the movement was made.”

Paul digested
that piece of news. For some reason it made him feel worry-cold
inside.

“I always was
uneasy that our Court and governmental seat is located where it
is,” he said. “It is too close to the southerly dukedoms, van
Buren, Cocteau, Smith and South Baker. Gives them too much
influence at Court. However, if the southerlies erupt into
revolution even now we just close our borders and wait it out. I
don’t condone serfdom as you know.”

Robert Crawford
agreed, “Elliot Twelve freed the slaves, they should have left them
free and not introduced serfdom to replace it. It is a rod of their
own making.” He glanced at Paul’s second son Robain then pointed a
finger at him. “Your turn.”

“There’s more?”
asked Paul Hallam with a sigh.

“Yes Father,”
Robain answered and stepped forward, “much more.”

“Shoot,”
commanded his father.

“When I was at
the Palace I was approached by the Duke of Markwood and his uncle,
they had a proposal, a proposition they called it. As you know, my
wife’s cousin Edith is married to the Brentwood heir Mark and where
Markwood goes Brentwood is sure to follow? Anyway, it was a most
peculiar notion.”

The Markwood
Duchy adjoined Brentwood. His future duchy was to Brentwood’s east,
Robain having married the Daughter-Heir last winter.

Paul glanced at
Liam who was married to the said Mark’s elder sister Marie. Liam
shrugged his shoulders.

Repeated
inter-marriage between the ducal houses, was as Paul had mentioned
on hundreds of occasions a necessary evil, devised in the early
years to keep inter-ducal rivalry to an absolute minimum. It didn’t
often work.

“Members of the
Markwood family are not the brightest individuals in the world,”
Paul contented himself with saying.

“Well,”
continued Robain, “it seems that they two of them have come up with
a most original and to my mind dangerously far-fetched idea.”

“Idiotic idea,”
interrupted Charles Karovitz

“And I’m at a
loss as to how they managed it. Originality is I would have thought
beyond both of their abilities and this one is almost beyond
comprehension!”

“They couldn’t
possibly have come up with it on their own. Someone has suggested
it to them, must have,” said Robert who had his own ideas and
suspicions about who it might have been.

“But what is
it?” asked the exasperated Paul Hallam.

“Just that they
should send an expedition west with the eventual aim of colonising
the southern part of the continent of Dagan of all places. Appears
that they’re of the opinion that the continent is packed full of
great riches there for the taking,” answered Robain. “Precious
stones and gold lying around on the ground just waiting to be
picked up and the like.”

“Not
that
old idea,” groaned Paul, “don’t they realise the
continent belongs to the Lai?”

“Ah, but the
Duke is of the misguided opinion that they won’t interfere. He has
it on good authority that the Lai would welcome such an event.”

“Or at least
not be displeased,” added Liam. “He approached me too, asked me to
speak to you. He looks for support.”

“It’s no secret
then?”

“Well, yes and
no. He was very careful to speak to me in private and swore me to
secrecy, apart form you. He was wondering if Queen Antoinette might
not look too favourably on the venture.”

“He’s got some
sense at least then,” noted Paul, “does she know?”

“Not yet,”
Robert spoke, “but she will soon. Lord Prince Marshall Pierre was
intending to speak to her. Prince Crispin now, he does I’m
sure.”

“Ah, the
unassuming and diffident and loyal Crispin,” groaned Paul who had
met him on numerous occasions and harboured a secret dislike for
his easy good looks and charm, “I hope you two boys tried to
dissuade the Duke of Markwood. Murdoch has treaty with the Lai and
we don’t want to antagonise them. They may not be much in evidence
these days but I assure you that they will take considerable
umbrage if they thought any Duke of Murdoch was considering this
seriously.”

“We’re sure he
is, considering it seriously, fact is, we think he’s preparing to
send an exploratory ship west, a small one, a pinnacle, or quite
possibly something larger.”

“The Queen must
be told
now
. She must send the navy to stop him poste
haste,” insisted Paul.

“The Queen is
too concerned with what is happening around her to be overly
bothered about a mad duke sending explorers west Paul,” said
Charles Karovitz, “but that’s not all the trouble that is brewing.
Duchesne, Graham and Charleston, they’ve long been discontented
about what they see as royal preference for the southerly dukes.
It’s well known that a large percentage of taxes is spent there,
proportionately increasing the further south.”