"That is foremost, aye." Catharine frowned. "I must own that if thy husband hath the right of it—that the new Archbishop doth use witches—it doth trouble me deeply. We must raise our children by the Church, Lady Gallowglass, or their souls will be lost and they will lack all sense of Tightness."
Gwen nodded. "Yet how can they know right from wrong if the Church itself doth act in contradiction to its own teachings? Aye, Majesty, this troubles me also. We can have no harmony within our homes if there is no order in the Church."
" 'Tis of the harmony within the kingdom that I am more greatly concerned." Tuan wasn't disguising his impatience very well.
" 'Tis all one." Gwen turned to him. "As 'tis within our households, Majesty, so it is within thine. And if thine house is larger than mine, it rests nonetheless on the foundation of the Church."
"Yet that foundation is broken now," Catharine whispered.
But Gwen shook her head. "I think not. This our Church hath been shaken, yet 'tis not yet sundered."
"I would say that it is," Tuan contradicted. "For look you, how can it be whole when the Church of Gramarye hath broke with Rome, and the Abbot hath declared himself to be Archbishop?"
"There have ever been many bishops within the Church of
Rome, Majesty, or I misunderstand my Bible quite. And the breach may yet be healed."
"How may it be so?" Catharine demanded.
"Why, by adhering to the Church of Rome. Thereby may there be a break within the Order qf St. Vidicon, but 'twill be plain to all that the Church doth rest intact."
"And folk will see that this quondam Archbishop is but a fragment?" Tuan's eyes widened. "Well said, milady! Yet how may we make this plain?"
"By declaring thine adherence to Rome, Majesty."
"But the Archbishop will then call up what troops he may, and march to war!" Catharine cried.
"Will he not do that presently? Think, Majesty—he hath made such proclamation as must make thee declare for him, or be counted heretics and thereby be excommunicated."
" 'Tis so." Tuan nodded heavily. "Whether by our declaration or his, we will be aligned with Rome."
"The fiend!" Catharine said, hotly.
"Say, rather, 'the fox.' Yet thus mayest thou oust him from his burrow."
"The metaphor is apt." Tuan nodded. "Ay di me! If only there were some way of making clear to all the folk that the Abbot hath sundered his own order! For then would they comprehend, even the peasant folk, that 'tis the Abbot who hath broken away, not the Church!"
"Thou hast the means to hand," Catharine reminded him. "Thou hast these monks who have builded themselves a new chapter house, hard by our door."
Tuan's face hardened. "I will not so use godly men."
"Then thou must needs call up thine armies," Gwen returned. "Or, if thou wouldst avoid civil war, thou must needs declare thy selves loyal to the new Church of Gramarye."
"Thou dost not truly believe we ought do so!" Catharine protested.
"Nay," Gwen agreed, "since thou and Tuan would thereby acknowledge thy willingness to obey the new Archbishop."
"Never!" Catharine stated, eyes flashing.
"That must never befall," Tuan concurred.
"Then thou must needs proclaim thine allegiance throughout the land," Gwen advised them, "and admonish all souls of good conscience to adhere to the Holy See with thee."
"Then so we must," Catharine br6athed, fire in her eye.
The room was silent a moment.
Catharine frowned, and turned to Tuan.
He sat, leaning back in his chair, scowling down at the table.
"What, my lord!" Catharine cried. "Wilt thou not declare thy stand?"
"I do not think I shall," Tuan said slowly.
Catharine stared, scandalized, and for a moment the atmosphere in the solar was very, very tense.
Then Tuan said, "We are heretics if we do declare our allegiance to Rome, and heretics if we do not. Yet if we do not so declare, give him no response at all, fewer will rally to his banner."
Catharine's eyes widened. Slowly, she nodded. "Aye. A lord or two may hold aloof from the fray, uncertain that thou dost not truly believe as he doth."
"They may," Tuan agreed. "And even if they do not, we will thus buy some few more days' time whilst this Archbishop doth await, and await, a response that cometh not."
Catharine nodded. "The game is worth the candle, milord."
And I could not make them see otherwise, Gwen told Rod half an hour later, by remote exasperation.
Well, at least you did help them decide not to give in to temptation, Rod answered.
What temptation is that? Gwen demanded, puzzled.
The temptation to save their country from civil war by knuckling under to the Archbishop, Rod answered.
Ah. In that I have aided, aye.
See? I knew you could do everything I could have done.
Mayhap thou couldst have persuaded Their Majesties of the need to declare themselves, my lord, Gwen's thoughts sighed.
Maybe. Though Rod was dimly aware of the tree-lined dirt road about him, the vision of Gwen was much more vivid—but then, wasn't it always? The important point has been won, though. 'Cause however much I may mistrust the rule of kings, I'll take it over the rule of priests any day.
I would as lief have Tuan and Catharine than the Archbishop, Gwen agreed.
Sure, because one of them is a woman, which ameliorates the Crown's judgment. Rod didn't bother mentioning that in this particular joint monarchy, it was usually Tuan who did the ameliorating. Also, kings can be persuaded to see the merits of a constitution, and parliamentary rule.
Cannot churchmen also?
Of course not. A good priest tries to be as much like God as he can—and God is an autocrat.
Mirth tinged Gwen's thoughts, and gratitude to her husband for providing it. And shall that be the word I bear back to Their Majesties, my lord, of thine opinion of our conference?
Rod shuddered. Heaven help me, no! It might give them ideas. But you might tell them I said they might think about giving the refugee chapter of the Cathodeans all the support they can, dear, in spite of Tuan's scruples about using them. Just remind him that it never hurts to have an extra arrow in his quiver.
Certes, I shall, she answered, and Rod thought she might be giggling on the other end of the link.
They might even move the monks into one of their smaller castles, for starters; that might give the people the idea that they' ve formed a rival monastery, without Tuan's actually using them.
Thou art the very soul of deviousness, Gwen accused.
You say the sweetest things. Oh, and Their Majesties might want to ask the loyal lords to lend them a few knights, dear, and any extra soldiers they might happen to have lying around.
They might, in truth. Gwen's thoughts became a little less cheery. Is there aught else thou dost wish me to tell them for thee?
Only what I said at the beginning, Rod answered.
Confusion now. Which, my lord? There were many thoughts.
Only one that really matters, dear: What did they need me for?
The King had donned a peasant's tunic and robe, and was wandering through the darkened streets. Thus he had walked among his people, alone and only lightly armed, when he was only the second son of a duke; thus he still walked among them, when his mind was troubled with a decision that might affect their welfare. Now, though, witches had leagued with the Archbishop, so two more peasants followed him, and another paced him farther ahead down the alley, all of them with chain mail beneath their tunics and swords beneath their cloaks.