‘Of course,’ Aubrey said, but another item was nagging at him. ‘And His Majesty, the King? What does he think of these developments?’
‘It was Father, of course, who thought this was the best course of action. He wanted to go with me, but the Privy Council advised against that in the strongest terms. When his doctors also spoke out, he subsided, reluctantly, and agreed when I said that I’d do it by myself. After he made up his mind, he was firm on it. Even when he took a turn for the worse, he insisted that I go.’
The state of King William’s health was of great concern to every Albionite – and every Albionite with close knowledge of his illness was always concerned with how much to tell the public. The war was an additional complicating factor. A strong leader was an advantage in wartime; a gravely ill one a handicap.
‘Prime Minister Giraud would have been happy at your announcement,’ Sophie said carefully. ‘He is a staunch republican.’
‘Indeed he is, Miss Delroy. His glee at my announcement was palpable.’
‘But what about the royalists who’ve been coming out of the woodwork?’ George said. ‘Sophie, you said your father was concerned about them.’
‘He was,’ she said. ‘Some of them have made troubles.’
‘As you say,’ Prince Albert said, ‘Gallia is accustomed to a level of unrest. I believe, and Prime Minister Giraud agrees, that the war against Holmland and its allies is far more important than a long-ago claim to a vanished throne. The royalists are patriots, after all. They will support the government in this time of crisis.’
‘Wait,’ Aubrey said. ‘You said something about the Gallian Crown Jewels. I’ve never heard about Gallian Crown Jewels.’
‘You’re not the only one who does research, Aubrey. I’ve been busy ever since your discovery of that awkward document suggesting my claim to the Gallian throne. After Dr Tremaine’s orchestrated announcement in Fisherberg, I’ve redoubled my efforts.’
‘And given employment to many researchers, no doubt.’
‘Hardly.’ Prince Albert drew himself up, mock seriously. ‘I rummaged about myself. Too sensitive, all this. I didn’t want people talking. No matter how loyal they may have been, a horde of researchers would, simply by their presence, cause gossip.’
‘Dusty work, researching,’ George said.
‘As I found, but I also found some interesting old books in libraries in various palaces about the country.’
‘Bertie, you do understand that you’re one of the few people in the world who can talk about more than one palace, don’t you?’
‘I’m aware of my position, Aubrey. It sometimes has benefits.’ The prince shrugged. ‘I’m sure that no-one has opened most of these books for years, centuries even, tucked away as they are.’
‘You could donate them to a library,’ Caroline suggested.
‘Or build a new one,’ George added.
‘A new library?’ Prince Albert considered this. ‘A capital thought. I’ll look into it, when this war is over.’
Aubrey wondered how many plans were now being appended with ‘when this war is over’. Normal lives were suspended, human trajectories interrupted. He could see this conflict affecting a generation – more than a generation. It would be a marker for decades to come.
‘I’m guessing,’ he said, ‘that one of these old tomes pointed you toward the possibility of the Gallian Crown Jewels.’
‘Very mysteriously,’ Prince Albert said. ‘You would have loved these books, Aubrey. Full of magical stuff.’
‘I was wondering about that.’
‘It became a sort of leapfrogging that would have been vastly enjoyable if it weren’t for the war. This book pointed to another book, which led to another document and so on. Eventually I found a chest right at the back of a shabby strongroom up north, in Reesdale Castle.’
‘The Gallian Crown Jewels?’
‘The Gallian Crown Jewels,’ Prince Albert affirmed. ‘Apparently they were whisked away during the Gallian Revolution, for safety’s sake, and ended up there.’
‘Whisked away a bit more successfully than the Gallian king was,’ George said.
‘Quite.’
Aubrey had, of course, seen the Albion Crown Jewels many times and accepted that kings, by and large, were very serious about their treasures. A substantial collection was a concrete display of how great and powerful they were. Whenever it was hauled out, for one ceremony or other, it was a very deliberate reminder to the population that the holder of such whopping great lumps of gold and gemstones wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
‘The usual assortment, Bertie?’ he asked. ‘Crown, sceptre, that sort of thing?’
Prince Albert essayed a small laugh. ‘The Gallian Crown Jewels indeed includes a crown. A modest one, compared to the great heavy thing that’s in the Albionite collection, but the star sapphire it sports is quite immense. There’s also an orb, a mace, a few rings and a rather ancient jewelled seal. The whole collection was in a bad way, but the crown confirmed what it was.’ He glanced at Aubrey. ‘I would have appreciated your being around, Aubrey, after I found it. Magical whatnot and all.’
‘Ah.’
‘I had to approach Commander Craddock, there being a marked shortage of experienced, trustworthy magicians at the moment. After some consultation with his research department, Craddock confirmed that the collection was imbued with magic that was slumbering.’
‘Slumbering?’
‘That’s how he put it. When I mentioned the Gallian Heart of Gold, he became very excited.’
‘I’ve never seen Commander Craddock excited,’ Caroline said. ‘How did he show this?’
‘His nostrils flared.’
‘Very excited,’ Aubrey said. ‘I’m surprised he didn’t collapse after that.’
‘He consulted some of his magical theoreticians again and confirmed my suspicions that reuniting the Crown Jewels with the Heart of Gold could be very useful for Gallia.’
‘This reunification, Bertie,’ Aubrey said urgently. ‘It worked?’
‘I have no idea. The sisters who take care of the Heart of Gold weren’t surprised when I arrived with the jewels, which is really quite startling in itself. When they lay the items on a ledge in the back of the niche where they guard the heart, I’m sure it began to glow more brightly, but I could be imagining things.’
‘I doubt it.’ Aubrey looked around. ‘Is that a wardrobe? And, if so, is my uniform in it?’
The cabinet he was indicating was decorated in high Gallian mode, pale blue, with gilt curlicues surrounding enough mirrors to make Aubrey fear for his life if the sun caught them directly. An elaborate panorama of a unicorn frolicking with a bevy of milkmaids stretched across the top. The unicorn looked decidedly nervous about whatever the milkmaids had in mind.
While Caroline was taking some time to distinguish the actual door knob from the countless silver buttons, handles and projections doubtless designed to suspend periwigs or recalcitrant servants from, Sophie turned to the prince. ‘Do you think it will help, this magical bringing together?’
‘Commander Craddock was anxious that it take place, which I take as a sign of its importance.’
Aubrey grimaced. ‘I don’t think, however, we should be looking for an army of spectral warriors to suddenly start charging across the sky, wiping the Holmlanders from the map. The Heart of Gold’s magic is more of a preserving kind, building on what’s already there. When it was stolen, Lutetia literally began falling apart.’
Sophie shook her head. ‘I remember. Earthquakes, buildings falling down.’
‘That sort of thing was the effect of its loss,’ Aubrey said. ‘I think that we can look to these artefacts to help once the war is over.’ There it goes again. ‘Some of the hurts may be healed. The nation might right itself more quickly, that sort of thing.’
A discreet, but insistent, knock sounded on the door. Aubrey was interested to see Bertie’s reaction: it was both irritated and understanding, a blend that Aubrey didn’t think was possible – but perhaps it came with being the heir to the throne. ‘Enter,’ Prince Albert said.