All my instincts told me he had played no part in contriving Victoria’s arrest and found the whole affair rather distasteful. Quite possibly, he shared my beliefs but couldn’t admit as much.
‘All right,’ I said. ‘A truce. Just for this evening.’
He had been watching me closely since my arrival, but now he looked away, as if trying to compose his thoughts.
‘Catherine,’ he said, ‘I realize that the upheavals of the past few weeks have been very difficult for you. In some senses, I’ve chosen the worst possible time for this conversation, but I cannot delay it any longer.’
I eyed him over my glass. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘I’m talking about my immediate future. And possibly yours’
I waited. Extepan stood up. ‘Shall we walk?’
‘I’d prefer to stay here.’
‘As you wish.’ He sat down again, looking ill at ease.
‘What is it?’ I asked him.
‘Catherine,’ he said earnestly. ‘I am now at an age when my father considers I should marry. This was one of the reasons why he summoned me to Tenochtitlan.’
‘Ah,’ I said. ‘You seemed to leave very abruptly.’
‘Delay is not advisable when the tlatoani summons you, even if you are one of his sons.’
I sat back and waited for him to continue.
‘My father is right, of course. Family matters are just as important as wider political issues, and I have always wanted children.’
Still I was silent, wondering where he was leading.
‘However,’ he continued, ‘it’s always been important to me that I should find a wife whom I respect and admire. And perhaps love, if that is possible. My father’s marriage to my mother was one of love.’
‘Even if it united Greater Mexico with the kingdom of Spain?’
Extepan did not take this amiss. ‘He risked his position by divorcing an Alcohua princess to take a European as his wife, and no matter that she was also from the nobility. There was no precedent, and he met with great resistance.’
‘No doubt your people eventually found it easier to swallow because it gave them a foothold in Europe.’
‘That is true,’ he admitted, choosing to ignore my waspishness, ‘but there was real love between them. That is quite rare for people in our situation.’
‘I married for love,’ I told him.
‘Yes. I understand you did. I envy you that. I would very much like to do the same.’
‘Is there someone you had in mind?’
‘My father would like me to marry a princess of the Sioux nation called Precious Cloud. I was introduced to her while I was away. Such a marriage would be likely to strengthen our ties with the Sioux people and stabilize our north-eastern borders with Canada and New England.’
This struck me as a shrewd move, and typical of Motecuhzoma’s policy. The Sioux and their allied nations in the Dakotas had managed to maintain their independence by playing off the Aztecs and the Confederacy of Canada and New England. The latter, especially the New English east of the Appalachians, had proved tenacious and resilient in the face of Aztec encroachments over the past century; but their commonwealth might crumble should the peoples of the Dakotas switch their allegiance to Motecuhzoma through marriage.
‘If necessary,’ Extepan was saying, ‘I would be prepared to defer to his wishes, but he has given me permission to approach someone I feel is a more suitable candidate.’
‘Oh?’ I said, taking a sip of wine.
‘Catherine, I would consider it the greatest of honours if you would accept my proposal of marriage.’
I almost choked on my wine. Dabbing my lips with a napkin, I stared at him in amazement.
‘You aren’t serious.’
‘I am perfectly serious. Do you think I would joke about such a matter?’
Despite my shock, I realized that a part of me had almost anticipated the proposal.
‘This is absurd,’ I said. ‘You want to marry me?’
‘This is not a hasty decision, Catherine – I have been considering it for some time. That was one of the reasons why the cihuacoatl visited London – so that he could meet you and report back to my father. He agreed with me that you are a woman of great integrity and courage. My father would be happy to sanction the union if you agreed to it.’
I was still incredulous.
‘You hardly know me,’ I said. ‘We’ve scarcely seen one another in the last six months.’
‘I know. But when I watched you from afar, on television while you were travelling the breadth of this land – that only made me more conscious of your many attributes. Of your grace and strength. And beauty.’
I felt more angry than flattered. ‘I’m your enemy. Surely you know that by now. I oppose the Aztec Empire.’
‘I’m under no illusions, Catherine. I understand why you should want to fight for the liberty of your people. So does my father, and the cihuacoatl. I would not respect you if you did not have the courage of your convictions. That courage is one of the things that would make me honoured to be your husband.’
He gave every indication of being in earnest.
‘Do you think I’m a fool?’ I said.
‘Catherine—’
‘You never stop, do you? You never stop trying to use me!’
He reached across the table to touch my hand. I snatched it away.
‘Catherine,’ he said, ‘my proposal is a sincere and open one. I have come to admire you greatly. Perhaps more than that. I do not expect you to share those feelings wholeheartedly, but I beg you to believe this – I would rather marry you than anyone else.’
I wanted to get up from the table and march out.
‘This is absurd,’ I said.
‘Believe me,’ he replied, ‘I would prefer it if I was drawn to someone more… tractable. But that is the way it is.’
I shook my head.
‘Marriage to me would solve many of your problems here, wouldn’t it?’
‘Do you think I imagine you would change your nature? I would expect you to protect the interests of your people as before.’
‘And do you imagine my people would trust me if I were married to you?’
A sigh. ‘Catherine, it would make very little difference to them. You are not the conscience of the whole nation. No one expects you to be.’
‘That’s no good reason for marrying you.’
‘No,’ he admitted. ‘It is not. But I want you as my wife for what you are, not who you are.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘That does not surprise me under the circumstances. Don’t you think I would have tried to choose a better time than this if I was able? With your sister only recently exiled, you have less reason to trust any of us than ever. But my father insists that I must marry soon, and urgent situations require urgent actions.’
Mia reappeared, approaching the table.
‘Do you need anything else?’ she asked in Nahuatl.
‘No, no,’ Extepan said brusquely, waving her away. She gave me a glance before she departed, and I was certain she knew the whole thrust of our conversation. I was certain she hated me at that moment.
‘I beg you to consider it,’ Extepan said when we were alone again. ‘There’s no need to give me an immediate answer.’
‘No amount of consideration will make me accept,’ I replied. ‘How can you possibly expect me to compromise myself by marrying you? I’ve no intention of legitimizing your rule here. What would happen then? Would Richard have an unfortunate accident so that you could claim the throne?’
He shook his head fervently. ‘No harm is going to come to Richard. And there’s no reason for me to marry you for political reasons because no harm is going to come to him. Shall I tell you why?’