Time Is The Key To Everything

Chapter 22: Trust Denied

October 18, 1748.

Josh, Anthony, Paul, Ama, Cassidy, and James were all gathered in Aachen. The tension between them was as palpable as the wood table they sat around. Any noise was immediately squelched under the weight of resentment and hatred. Anger spun a sticky and tangling spider web all around them.

Paul had a bandage wrapped around the top of his head and his arm in a sling. He kept his eyes calmly focused on the papers on the table, but he would sometimes shoot bitter glares at not only James, who sat across from him, but also Josh, who stood at the head of the table.

Josh and Anthony were at each end of the table, and though they had previously conversed about the contents of the treaty earlier in Breda castle, they still shot arguments and disagreements at each other constantly.

Ama had a deep half-healed gash on her cheek and walked with a limp, but she seemed to be the only one at the table who didn't appear completely aggravated by anyone. She glanced nervously at her allies and at her former enemies, waiting for the agreement to be made. James' face was completely blank, her eyes always averted from everyone.

A large and intricate map of Europe was rolled out in front of them on the table. The unfinished treaty was still piled on the edge of the table near Josh as he would sometimes mark something on the map with his goose feather quill before scribbling onto the papers. Paul set his jaw as the wet black ink gradually shaved off more and more of his territory and his eyes glinted with indignation, but he could not protest. He was not in the position to do so.

"What else was there that we agreed on?" Josh muttered to himself, chewing on the feathery end of his quill in thought. He was less scathed compared to the rest of the countries with him.

"Had we not agreed about the Duchy of Modena?" Anthony reminded Josh, rapping his gloved fingers on the oak table. There was an infectious wound on his arm, which he kept tightly bandaged.

Paul jerked involuntarily, and his anger seemed to swell. "How is it.." he said through gritted teeth, "that you two agreed on so many things about my territory in this private meeting of yours and I had none of my people there to concur with your plans?"

"Lord Sandwich and Ant's delegate had worked hard on this agreement, thank you very much." Josh said sharply, stabbing the paper with the sharp end of the quill, letting it spit specs of ink on the treaty. "Ant and I eventually agreed that this was the best conclusion for everyone."

Paul held his tongue, but it was evident on his face that he did not find any of the terms of the treaty to be fair. Cassidy already knew that Maria Theresa was completely livid at the fact that Ant and Josh had agreed to the contents of the treaty to end the war on their own. Cassidy, on the other hand, cared less and less about it. All she wanted was all to be finished. She was tired of the fighting, the blood, the death, and the blind hatred.

"As for that Asiento contract—" Josh started to say.

"That agreement was made a long time ago." Ama protested. "Why do you care about it now, forty years after it was decided upon, and since the war had nothing to do with it?"

"Promises should be kept no matter how much time has passed." Josh retorted, writing it down quickly on the treaty.

Ama pursed her lips, staring reproachfully at Josh. Josh cleared his throat and laid his quill down onto the table. He lifted the treaty to his eyes to read.

"So—here are the terms that have been agreed upon!" Josh announced. "Paul must recognize James' conquest of Silesia."

Cassidy thought she could see the crooked smile flicker across James' face for the briefest moment, but it was gone as soon as Cassidy suspected she had seen it. Paul, sitting beside her, stiffened and fixed his gaze intently on the paper in Josh's hands.