Her Rightful Place

22: The Planning

"When do you suppose I can see her again?" Xavier asks Jerôme as they ride back towards Mordalce. Enzo lopes along tirelessly beside Jerôme's mount, tongue lolling out and eyes bright with joy.

"Oh, it will not be too long, I expect. I am certain that your mother will come up with some way to for you to see her again soon, especially since no concrete betrothal arrangements were made today. You know she will not be pleased about that," the Duke replies.

"I know, but it would have been asinine for me to consent to make the arrangements without Mireille present."

"I understand. What will you tell your mother?"

"That a delegation from Khandazar was also there to congratulate them on the return of Princess Mireille and to propose an alliance involving a marriage between her and their Grand Chancellor, of course. Their Majesties could not openly favor Mordalce without the risk of war, and it is common knowledge that the Vyrunian people will not stand for another war."

"Brilliant! And of course, there is nothing like a little friendly competition to get the Queen motivated. You might even persuade her to hold a ball sometime in the near future."

"Of course! We can reinstate the traditional Midsummer's Eve Ball! That will give Mireille roughly two months to be properly educated. Do you suppose that is enough time?"

"You will have to write to her and ask her if she thinks she can manage such a feat." Xavier groans and slaps his forehead in exasperation.

"Blast! I meant to make arrangements for us to write each other--"

"Fret not. Christelle and I agreed that neither you nor Mireille would think of such a thing under the circumstances, and so we made the arrangements for you. Christelle and I intend to stay in touch, anyway, and we will enclose your letters to each other in our own letters, separately sealed for your privacy. This way no one will suspect that the two of you are communicating. With her position and mine, we can pass it off as a friendly courtship or even as a sort of informal post between the palaces."

"You are a marvel, Jerôme. I am highly blessed to have you as a friend and adviser."

"You have already begun to absorb religious jargon. Their Majesties of Vyrunia will be most pleased. Do you really intend for Mireille to teach you their faith?"

"I expect that Mireille will only pretend to be converted and will teach me enough of their rituals that I can do the same."

Jerôme laughs. "After meeting her and hearing her story, you are still convinced that there is no God?"

"Part of me wonders how God could allow such terrible things to happen to people like her and me. Another part of me wonders how she could have survived at all without the protection of a loving God. I did not lie when I answered Queen Généviève. I truly do not know what I believe anymore."

"I expect you will find out in good time. For now I think you ought to focus on what to tell Queen Bêtel when we get back."

"I thought we already covered this."

"How are you going to get her to stop screaming at you long enough for you to talk about the ball?"

"She will no doubt ask how it went and I will tell her how lovely the Princess is, that the King and Queen are doing well, and how much an alliance between our two countries would be mutually beneficial, and then when she asks about the betrothal I will sigh mournfully and tell her that regrettably the Khandazarian delegation was there and so on and so forth, and then she will begin plotting to be rid of them and I will casually suggest inviting Their Majesties of Vyrunia to the Midsummer's Eve Ball, should Queen Bêtel be willing to reinstate it, of course, and she will at first be opposed but then realize what a brilliant idea it is, take all the credit for its genesis herself, and then immediately start haggling with the Advisers over how much she is allowed to spend on it, at which point I will slip out of the room unnoticed and congratulating myself on a job well done."

"I am not entirely certain how you got a conversation that will surely last hours into one sentence, but I am suitably impressed."

The Prince smirks. "Thank you, good sir. And now, do you suppose it will be possible for me to see the Princess prior to the ball?"

"That is something you will have to discuss with her in your letters. I am unfamiliar with Vyrunian customs and rituals and the like, but you can guess that she will have enough of an idea, or can easily find out, at any rate, on what occasions it might be permissible for visitations to occur."

"Fair enough. I will write to her as soon as we get home--"

"Not so hasty, Xavier. Let her write to you first, so that you may be more certain of her feelings for you. A difficult woman to read, is she not?"

"Indeed. You are right; I am not entirely sure how she feels about me. Even our conversation today was not enough to reveal all I want to know. She is grateful to me, that much is plain, but I cannot discern more."

"Then wait and see if she writes you. That in and of itself will be a sign that she is fond of you, and you can judge more from her salutation and closing and tone."

"And if she does not?"

"I will of course be corresponding with Christelle and inquire on the subject, and we will proceed as she advises."

"You really mean to take advice from a village maid turned into a duchess?"

"Do you know of anyone else closer to your Princess, or with the Princess's interests closer to her heart? I know of no one better from whom to solicit such advice."

"I suppose you are right. But I do so hate to wait."

"I am certain that Queen Bêtel will keep you busy enough that the wait will not seem long at all, particularly if what Christelle has told me thus far about the Princess's feelings is accurate."

"What did she tell you?"

"Nothing concrete, I'm afraid, but she does suspect that Mireille feels more strongly for you than she is willing to let on."

"In what way? As a friend, or something more?"

"Christelle indicates that Mireille is certainly willing to be friends with you but that her past makes her particularly wary of being touched and of men. It seems that she had many admirers in Adrennes, and not all of them were content to only look. Nothing serious happened, of course, what with the enchanted broom and all--" Xavier interrupts with a low growl of frustration and fury. "Calm yourself. You have done her a great service already by getting her out of that village, and that puts you far in front of any competition you may have. You need only to be patient and kind and understanding, and in due time you will win her over."

"I hope you are right."