Now, Burt knew, Horn had direct orders to proceed to Rheinfelden as fast as possible and confront Bernhard, who was threatening Basel.
Would he?
All he could do, Burt supposed, was wait and find out. Gustav Adolf was not likely to fire the man who had been Oxenstierna's son-in-law. There certainly weren't enough up-timers here to conduct a mutiny, even if they wanted to. Aside from the two kids, Kyle Bourne, the radio operator, and Bob Barnes, the EMT, who spent most of their time training down-timers to do their jobs at a pinch, there were only four besides himself. Three were veterans; two just reactivated from the reserves when things started to heat up down here-Jack Whitney, who had grown up in Morgantown even though he had relatives in Grantville and had married Jessica Ellis; Johnnie Sloan-Johnnie, like Jack, had been in the Gulf War.
Then the two who had been here as long as Burt. Gerry Pierpoint, a peace-time warrior. A techie, too. He didn't sit in on policy sessions; he talked to miners and sappers and artillery guys. Plus Marty Thornton. Marty? Well, as a soldier, he was very good at carrying a clipboard and keeping track of things like schedules for the sentries. Armies needed those, too, although why Horn's army needed Marty was beyond Burt's comprehension. Horn had hundreds of down-timers who could keep track of sentry schedules.
That was all, in an army of eight thousand, plus baggage train and camp followers. Not very much leaven for a very large loaf. The up-timers definitely did not call the tune in Swabia.
Basel
The city council meeting had been very long. The leitmotif of the majority appeared to be a desire to avoid destruction of Basel's resources. That, naturally, meant that the council would have to avoid having Duke Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar's army occupy the city's territory. Definitely avoid having it occupy the lands on the left bank; he must be dissuaded from crossing the Rhine.
They could, if necessary, sacrifice Riehen. Temporarily, of course.
Johann Rudolf Wettstein advanced passionate objections to this course of action, on the grounds that if Duke Bernhard ended up in possession of the rest of the right bank of the Rhine, he was unlikely to prove sufficiently accommodating to return Riehen to Basel.
Someone pointed out that Wettstein, as the Landvogt in Riehen, was possibly not completely dispassionate in his analysis.
Wettstein replied that the Riehen militiamen, who had stayed to defend Basel's interests, were, after all, the subjects of the city council. He also mentioned in passing the customs revenues that the right bank holdings generated.
Unfortunately, someone else commented that Duke Bernhard's demands could be met fairly easily, thus sparing Riehen from all the anticipated tribulations. The duke was not even asking that Basel itself violate the diplomatic immunity of the USE embassy; merely that the city council not offer opposition to his sending a limited force across the bridge to take custody of an embassy guest. A guest who was not, it should be noted, a citizen of the USE.
Gustav Adolf, someone said, would look rather ridiculous if he tried presenting himself as the appropriate champion of the interests of a Habsburg archduchess.
Actually, Wettstein thought, that had turned out to sow a nice amount of confusion, since at the mention of the term "Habsburg," the discussion veered off into the issue of whether the presence of the archduchess might offer sufficient leverage to obtain the legal independence of the Swiss cantons, and one of the guildmasters pointed out that if they let Duke Bernhard abduct her from the USE embassy, that opportunity would be dry up.
Margrave Friedrich V of Baden-Durlach requested permission to address the council on behalf of his father.
The council refused.
He requested permission to address the council on behalf of the emperor of the USE.
The council refused.
They adjourned without a decision. Wettstein talked to Buxtorf.
Maria Anna tried very hard not to show her exasperation. It was almost dark. Margrave Friedrich V had called, telling Diane that the council had refused to hear his arguments. Pastor Zwinger, the Calvinist, Professor Buxtorf's brother-in-law, had brought information that the council had decided nothing-and that the date stated in Duke Bernhard's ultimatum, the date when he would cease to negotiate, was now less than a week away.
The soldiers inside the embassy would not let her close enough to the windows to get a really good look at what was happening outside. Sergeant Swiger appeared to be afraid that someone would shoot her, which he said was not going to happen on his watch. The ambassadress would not reverse his decision.
In fact, since the Basel city council was no longer permitting Cavriani and Wettstein to come into the USE Embassy, she was getting almost all the information she received from Mary Simpson, who herself was getting it only second-hand from Diane through Tony Adducci, as well as the radio.
She was a guest, with no more status than any other guest, she thought with frustration. But-she reached into her pocket.
Frau Ambassadress Jackson had authorized her to send four messages. The other morning, she had only sent three.
This was the time of day when Tony sent messages radio messages again. Mentally writing as she walked, Maria Anna headed upstairs to his office.
Tony confirmed it. Diane had authorized four messages; the archduchess had only sent three, so she could send another.
Most honored cousin. Basel trying to hold me hostage. Basel guards around USE embassy no longer permit visitors. Duke Bernhard on the border with army, trying to get permission to abduct me. Would prefer not to become the so-called guest of either. Should I run again? If so, which way? Maria Anna.
Chapter 64
Sceptrum Tenens
Munich
"Duke Maximilian's reaction to the news of Archduchess Maria Anna's arrival at the USE embassy in Basel was not at all favorable," Bartholomaeus Richel admitted to Father Lorenz Forer. "In addition to threatening to dismiss all of the prominent officers who were commanding his forces at the time Ingolstadt fell in disgrace, he now is including in his disfavor everyone in the diplomatic service who has ever negotiated with either Baden or Basel. He counts them as being among the individuals whom he suspects of having participated in an Austrian-Bohemian conspiracy against him."
"One could wish," Forer commented, "that General Pappenheim were not a native-born Bavarian. That fact by itself is causing the duke, the more he considers the matter, to doubt the loyalty of Bavaria's native families. There were enough difficulties right after the general threw in with Wallenstein and became duke of Moravia. Now that Wallenstein has granted sanctuary to Duke Albrecht since Duchess Mechthilde's unfortunate accident…"
"There is no way to present it as an accident," Richel said. "Duchess Mechthilde was killed during a fight. We admit that. We merely avoid all reference to the agent through whom her death came about."
"If you say so," Forer said dubiously. "It would be better for Duke Maximilian's spiritual and mental rest if her death was an accident."
"His reaction to the news was not at all favorable." Richel resumed his theme. "Duke Maximilian has ordered several arrests and has summoned the judges to issue indictments and hold another round of hearings under strict questioning. Beginning tomorrow."
"What is the reaction among the members of the Estates?"
"Unfavorable," Richel admitted reluctantly. "They did not care so much when his anger was falling on the army. Its commanders are, of course, mainly either foreigners like Mercy or both foreigners and commoners, like Werth. Even the execution of Horwarth did not offend most of them, since his father was from Augsburg, not a Bavarian. This, however, affects many of Bavaria's own nobility directly, so their response is likely to become more unfavorable. Many of the leading families have members included in the current round of accusations. Several leading noblemen have submitted requests that the duke summon a meeting of the Estates."