Tiphaine said meditatively. ″Isn′t there a saying that it′s the things you didn′t do that you regret at the end of your life?″
And Conrad′s not looking too upset. He had that run-in with Piotr during the Protector′s War, when the idiot got half his command killed trying to rush a bunch of Mackenzies head-on. There′s still bad blood there.
″No, no,″ Sandra said. ″I′m not telling you to get them killed. We need every man, from what you and Lady d′Ath say. But if men must die, why not men from the menie of County Chehalis? They do their duty, and the Stavarovs are weakened.″
She held two small, beautifully manicured hands out palm up and mimicked a balance, raising first one and then the other. The Grand Constable nodded.
″I can make the adjustments easily enough, my lady,″ she said. ″The logistics are a little more difficult, but not enough to matter.″
″The younger nobles are eager for a fight,″ Conrad went on, and Tiphaine nodded silent agreement.
″Ordinary people are . . . frightened, my lady Regent,″ Delia said, a frown on her oval face as she joined the conversation.
She′d been a miller′s daughter here in Montinore village before she met Tiphaine. When it came to how the commons thought, she had a better instinctive grasp than any of them, despite all the Regent′s spies. Sandra and Conrad Renfrew had been founders of the Association, of course, and Tiphaine had been raised as an Associate. Delia went on:
″They′re nearly as frightened of having the Throne weakened and the nobles unrestrained if we lose as they are of Boise and the CUT. What′s helping a lot is the stories and songs about Princess Mathilda and Rudi and the rest, particularly with the younger people.″
She was near-as-no-matter a Changeling, too, which helped. Tiphaine had noticed that the older generation tended to miss things, and she did too, albeit less often.
″Ah, yes,″ Sandra murmured, with a secret smile. ″How helpful of dear Juniper to compose and spread them. Between her and the Church preaching a holy war, we′re well covered on the propaganda front.″
I′ve never seen you so openly furious as you were when you found out Mathilda had scooted off east with Rudi, Tiphaine thought . I actually had to talk you out of sending the army haring off eastward to drag her back. But trust the Spider of the Silver Tower to adjust and see the advantages!
″My lady, I think you′re underestimating the impact of these . . . songs . . . that are going the rounds,″ Tiphaine warned. ″As Delia said, the same technique is more effective nowadays, since so manymore are Changelings. Yes, it′s convenient right now—but it will have political consequences after the war too, provided we win, that is. Ignoring Mackenzie propaganda hurt us badly in the Protector′s War.″
Sandra frowned; she′d known her husband′s weaknesses, but—
But then she actually loved him , Tiphaine thought; she′d hated Norman Arminger herself, and feared him as she feared few men. Loved him despite his screwing everything that moved and shaking what didn′t, and his general skankiness. Leaving aside the mass murder and so forth; that was just business, though he enjoyed it.
″The latest . . . this vision of the Virgin telling Father Ignatius to look after Mathilda . . .″ Sandra said. ″I like that one very much indeed. It makes anyone who challenges her rights a blasphemer . And the cream of the jest is that Ignatius probably believes it himself—everyone knows the Order of the Shield of St. Benedict is outside our influence. Mt. Angel is cool to the Protectorate at best. They fought us in the war, after all.″
″The Princess was already popular,″ Delia said. ″Everyone who met her liked her. The commons love her. They . . . ah . . .″
″Look forward to her rule.″ Sandra nodded, with a wry twist to her mouth.
Tiphaine could read her thought: And they′ll never love me .
Respect and fear,
And Conrad′s not looking too upset. He had that run-in with Piotr during the Protector′s War, when the idiot got half his command killed trying to rush a bunch of Mackenzies head-on. There′s still bad blood there.
″No, no,″ Sandra said. ″I′m not telling you to get them killed. We need every man, from what you and Lady d′Ath say. But if men must die, why not men from the menie of County Chehalis? They do their duty, and the Stavarovs are weakened.″
She held two small, beautifully manicured hands out palm up and mimicked a balance, raising first one and then the other. The Grand Constable nodded.
″I can make the adjustments easily enough, my lady,″ she said. ″The logistics are a little more difficult, but not enough to matter.″
″The younger nobles are eager for a fight,″ Conrad went on, and Tiphaine nodded silent agreement.
″Ordinary people are . . . frightened, my lady Regent,″ Delia said, a frown on her oval face as she joined the conversation.
She′d been a miller′s daughter here in Montinore village before she met Tiphaine. When it came to how the commons thought, she had a better instinctive grasp than any of them, despite all the Regent′s spies. Sandra and Conrad Renfrew had been founders of the Association, of course, and Tiphaine had been raised as an Associate. Delia went on:
″They′re nearly as frightened of having the Throne weakened and the nobles unrestrained if we lose as they are of Boise and the CUT. What′s helping a lot is the stories and songs about Princess Mathilda and Rudi and the rest, particularly with the younger people.″
She was near-as-no-matter a Changeling, too, which helped. Tiphaine had noticed that the older generation tended to miss things, and she did too, albeit less often.
″Ah, yes,″ Sandra murmured, with a secret smile. ″How helpful of dear Juniper to compose and spread them. Between her and the Church preaching a holy war, we′re well covered on the propaganda front.″
I′ve never seen you so openly furious as you were when you found out Mathilda had scooted off east with Rudi, Tiphaine thought . I actually had to talk you out of sending the army haring off eastward to drag her back. But trust the Spider of the Silver Tower to adjust and see the advantages!
″My lady, I think you′re underestimating the impact of these . . . songs . . . that are going the rounds,″ Tiphaine warned. ″As Delia said, the same technique is more effective nowadays, since so manymore are Changelings. Yes, it′s convenient right now—but it will have political consequences after the war too, provided we win, that is. Ignoring Mackenzie propaganda hurt us badly in the Protector′s War.″
Sandra frowned; she′d known her husband′s weaknesses, but—
But then she actually loved him , Tiphaine thought; she′d hated Norman Arminger herself, and feared him as she feared few men. Loved him despite his screwing everything that moved and shaking what didn′t, and his general skankiness. Leaving aside the mass murder and so forth; that was just business, though he enjoyed it.
″The latest . . . this vision of the Virgin telling Father Ignatius to look after Mathilda . . .″ Sandra said. ″I like that one very much indeed. It makes anyone who challenges her rights a blasphemer . And the cream of the jest is that Ignatius probably believes it himself—everyone knows the Order of the Shield of St. Benedict is outside our influence. Mt. Angel is cool to the Protectorate at best. They fought us in the war, after all.″
″The Princess was already popular,″ Delia said. ″Everyone who met her liked her. The commons love her. They . . . ah . . .″
″Look forward to her rule.″ Sandra nodded, with a wry twist to her mouth.
Tiphaine could read her thought: And they′ll never love me .
Respect and fear,
Similar Books
