“If she disliked Gaheris as much as everyone else does, and feels at all protective toward Rosamund, I would say it is quite possible,” Papa said softly.
“I think that is too much for any mother to consider,” Mama said firmly, “even one so vindictive as Petronille.”
“Let us trust so,” Alisande said with a shudder. She rose. “So! Any of them might have hired an assassin, or none of them—but in any event, I must prepare for war.” She looked up at Matt. “I thank you for counseling me to build a navy, husband. We may have only ten ships thus far, but they will do to harry the coasts of Bretanglia—and may distract Drustan enough to prevent his invading Merovence.”
“Be nice if we had the English Channel in this universe,” Matt said.
“You have told me of that.” Alisande frowned. “A twenty-mile-wide stretch of water between the Bretanglia and Merovence of your own world, is it not?”
“In our version of this universe, yes—only we call them ‘England‘ and ‘France‘ there, and they speak two different languages.”
Alisande nodded. “I can see how the speech would have drifted apart, if Bretanglia were an island. There would have been far less coming and going between the two lands.”
“Yes, Bretanglia was part of Hardishane’s empire here, wasn’t it? After all, he could just march in and conquer.”
“As he did in Ibile, Latruria, and Allustria,” Alisande said, “overcoming evil kings who were devoted to sin and Satan. He even conquered far beyond, well into the lands of the Rus. It is small wonder we all speak the same language.”
“No wonder at all.” Matt frowned. “But there was never another invasion of Bretanglia, was there? After Hardishane’s empire broke up, I mean.”
“Well, the Danes and Vikings harassed their coasts,” Alisande said, “and even carved out their own kingdom in the eastern counties, to both sides of the wall built by great Reme’s soldiers.”
“Truly?” Mama asked. “The Vikings held land in both England and Scotland?”
“There are Scots in the northern part of Bretanglia,” Alisande acknowledged, “and it was a separate land until the Vikings came. They married into all the noble families, and Drustan’s father welded them together into one kingdom. This Drustan, his son, is the sixth of his name, and still rules all one land.”
“Does he have a Viking fleet?” Matt asked.
Alisande smiled. “The Vikings ceased sailing two hundred years ago, husband. I think Drustan may have a few warships, but nothing more. What need of them has he, when he can ride into Merovence at will?” She turned somber. “Now, though, I fear that he will come riding in earnest, with all his armies, and with fire and sword.”
“I think I might be able to find some way to keep him from invading,” Matt said slowly.
Alisande looked at him with misgiving. “I would welcome that, but not at the price of danger to you.”
“We’re in danger already, love. Besides, there shouldn’t be all that much peril in this method of distracting him.”
“Which is?” Alisande asked, misgiving yielding to dread.
“Gaheris’ murder was definitely no simple tavern brawl,” Matt told her. “Okay, maybe the Man Who Went Out the Window stuck the knife in Gaheris himself, but I suspect someone hired him to do it. In fact, there just might be a whole conspiracy underlying it.”
Alisande’s eyes lighted. “If you can learn who has wrought this conspiracy and what its goal is, you may set Drustan and Petronille to rooting it out so earnestly that they forget to attack Merovence!”
“Right.” Matt nodded.
“But if there was no conspiracy?” Mama frowned. “If the murder was only the work of this Man Who Went Out the Window, for whatever reason he may have had?”
“That’s even better,” Matt said. “If the murder wasn’t the product of intrigue, handing the assassin over to Their Majesties should bring the armies to a grinding halt, especially if he’s Bretanglian.”
“I see.” Papa smiled. “No Merovencian to blame for the murder means no war.”
“Right.” Matt nodded. “Of course, after they’ve hanged the traitors, they’ll remember that they wanted to conquer Merovence.”
“But if the assassin proves to be a man of Bretanglia, Drustan and Petronille will have no cause to attack.” Alisande smiled. “They shall have to discover a new one.”
“Excellent!” Papa cried.
But Mama frowned. “How shall you go about discovering this conspiracy, my son?”
“Well, that is the knotty part,” Matt admitted. “They’ve gone back to Bretanglia now. I’ll have to follow them if I’m going to be able to track down who’s doing what.”
“No!” Alisande cried.
CHAPTER 5
“Now I say nay!” Alisande threw her hands up, turning her back. “I have waited before while you have gone into peril, and have lived with the threat of doom hanging over me every day you were gone! You cannot ask me to do that again!”
“I wouldn’t if I didn’t have to.” Matt stepped around in front of her, eyes sad, hands reaching out for hers though not touching. “But it’s the only way I see to protect you from war, darling—you, and our children, and all the country.”
“That is unfair,” Alisande whispered, “to extort my consent by reminding me of the threat to my children and my people!”
“Very unfair,” Matt agreed, “but also very true, and unavoidable. There’s no way around it, dear. I have to go.”
For a moment the wife warred with the mother and the monarch inside Alisande. Then she gave in and let herself fall into Matt’s arms. Face against his chest she said, “Go, then! But oh my darling, take care, take care!”
“I will,” Matt murmured into her hair. “I have a lot to come home to.”
Mama and Papa exchanged a fond glance and quietly slipped out of the room.
“You must not go alone!” Alisande commanded, still in Matt’s arms. “I shall send that knight of Toulenge with you— he knows the land somewhat, at least! And that Bretanglian sergeant! Both have their honors to save, and will no doubt strive mightily to aid you!”
“Yes. Very good idea.” But the thought chilled Matt—he wasn’t entirely sure he could trust either man behind his back. It was better to have them where he could keep an eye on them, though, rather than here in Bordestang, where they might try another assassination—say, of Alisande.
“If you must go, then, go.” But Alisande still made no move to leave his arms. Instead she tilted her face up, eyes suddenly burning. “But first, come to my bed, for it may be a month or more till I see you again!”
All things considered, Matt was very glad his parents had left.
The sun wasn’t up yet when Matt gathered Sir Orizhan and Sergeant Brock and set them to packing for the journey. It didn’t take long—both men were used to traveling light on campaigns, and both, as Alisande had guessed, were very determined to clear their own names, to atone for what they saw as a failure in their duty—to protect Prince Gaheris.
But Matt knew that earnestness could have hidden another kind of determination—to keep from being found out. Either man could have been the murderer himself—and if so, what better place to be than with the man who was trying to prove their guilt? If he came too close, the murderer would be right there to kill him, too. Matt didn’t really think it was terribly likely, since both had been fighting to protect the prince when someone else stuck a sword in his back, but he resolved not to sleep too soundly. Just to be on the safe side, though, he sent out a carrier pigeon to call in a friend.