Wincaster

ONE

Wincaster

FALL 962 MC* (MERCERIAN CALENDAR)

L

ord George Montrose, the Earl of Shrewesdale, paused momentarily, pulling down his shirt to expose the sleeve beneath his tunic. Pleased with the effect, he grabbed the door handle with a firm grip and opened the door to see a room with a group of four men assembled. Instantly recognizing Lord Clive Barrington, the earl made his way towards him, his hand extended.

"Lord Barrington," he exclaimed, "so good to see you."

"Not at all," responded Barrington, "it is I who have the honour. I was overwhelmed to receive the invitation."

Montrose released his firm grip on the man, "And who do we have here?"

"Let me introduce you," said Barrington, turning to the rest. "This is His Grace, Lord George Montrose, the Earl of Shrewesdale, though I suspect you're all familiar with him, at least by reputation."

The remaining three men nodded their heads in agreement.

"This," continued Barrington, moving to the first, "is Lord Landry Pearson, second cousin to Lord Alexander Stanton, the Earl of Tewsbury."

"How do you do?" said Lord Pearson in greeting.

"Fine. How fares your cousin?" asked Montrose. "I hear he's not well."

"He is old, nothing more," replied Pearson. "Though I rather suspect he's not long for this world. He's already outlived most of the family."

"Sorry to hear that," offered Montrose, "but we're glad to have you here in his stead."

Barrington steered him to the next visitor.

"Rowan!" said Shrewesdale with a smile. "I haven't seen you for years."

"Yes, cousin," replied Lord Webster. "I'm glad I could make it, for these are dark times."

"They certainly are," agreed Montrose, "but I look forward to your counsel. How is the family?"

"They are well," said Webster, "thank you for asking. And yourself?"

"Never been fitter," said Montrose, "though I'd be happier still if we didn't have a young girl on the throne."

"Your Grace," interrupted Barrington, "I don't believe you've met Lord Markham Anglesley, the new Duke of Colbridge."

Montrose looked at the plump nineteen-year-old in surprise. He was youthful, but still had the look of determination for which his father had been renowned.

"May I say," offered Montrose, "how tragic it was to hear of your father's death."

"Thank you," replied Markham, showing little emotion. "I know that would have meant a lot to him."

Montrose turned his attention to address the group as a whole. "Please, gentlemen, sit. Let's have some refreshment shall we, there's no need to stand on ceremony here."

Barrington handed out the drinks that were waiting nearby. The Earl of Shrewesdale paused until everyone was seated before continuing.

"Gentlemen," he began, "I have invited you all here today to seek your counsel. As you know, the war that has ravaged our land for so long has finally been put to rest, and a new ruler has taken her place upon the throne."

Murmurs of protest echoed throughout the room, but the earl held up his hand to forestall them. "We may not agree with the result, but her army was victorious in the end. Let us not dwell on the past, but on the future and what we might make of it."

"What do you have in mind?" asked Barrington.

"Before I discuss my own ideas," replied the earl, "I'd like to hear your thoughts on our new queen."

"She's not queen yet," objected Barrington.

"True," said Montrose, "but, regardless of her title, she sits upon the throne. Even as a mere princess, she wields considerable power."

"Is there no one else who can claim the crown?" asked Pearson.

"What about the elder sister, Margaret?" asked Webster.

"Gone, I'm afraid," supplied Montrose, "with little hope of reappearing, I'm told."

"Too bad," grumbled Pearson, "it would have been an elegant solution. I'm afraid we're stuck with this snivelling child, Anna."

"Yes," agreed Webster, "but if we can't remove her, then might we be able to control her?"

"You have an idea?" asked Barrington.

"No," admitted Webster, "but I rather suspect Lord Montrose does. How about it, Your Grace?"

"I have some thoughts I've been mulling about," admitted the earl.

"Do tell," prompted Barrington.

"It has become quite evident to me," continued Montrose, "that our princess is not much more than an impressionable young girl with a close-knit group of advisors that she relies on. These men and women exercise considerable control over her. It is that group that represents the real danger to Merceria, not Anna herself. The princess is only a figurehead."

"So what do we do about it?" asked Pearson.

"We must insulate her from those that would control her, then, when she is at her lowest, we replace her advisors with our own."

"An excellent plan," offered Barrington, "though I rather suspect it will be difficult."

"It will indeed," nodded Montrose, "and one that will take considerable time. This is a long-term plan, not an immediate solution. We must bide our time for the near future. Once we have lulled the princess into a false sense of security, we shall begin removing the influence of her advisors, one by one."

"And how do you propose we do that?" asked young Markham.

"It's rumoured," said Montrose, "that she'll be handing out titles to her friends."

"And?" asked Barrington, eager for more details.

"And titles come with lands. I propose that these lands develop problems that keep them from court."

"We are but a small group," noted Pearson. "How do you suggest we do that?"

"Fear not," offered Shrewesdale, "I have influence beyond these walls, though I won't go into details at this point. In the meantime, we need to expand our group. Be on the lookout for anyone disaffected by the actions of our new princess. She's bound to make decisions that people don't agree with, and we may find that our enemy does our recruiting for us."

"You're a clever man, Your Grace," offered Barrington. "I'm glad you're on our side."

"As are we all," added Pearson, the others nodding in agreement.

"Are there any other questions?" asked the earl.

Colbridge held up his hand, causing the others to wince at the young man's immaturity.

"Yes, Markham?" said Montrose, his voice polite.

"Might I make a suggestion?" the young man enquired.

"By all means," replied Montrose.

"My father once proposed a union between myself and the princess. I could make the offer again, surely she'd see the wisdom in using marriage to unite the factions of the court."

"An excellent idea," commented Pearson, "and one that would save us a great deal of effort."

"How so?" asked Webster.

"Once married," explained Pearson, "young Markham here would rule as king. Technically, we wouldn't need the princess at all."

"We'd need her long enough to produce an heir," added Markham, "distasteful as that might be."

"What do you think, Your Grace?" asked Markham.

"I think it worth a try," agreed Montrose, "and it would save us all a lot of work."

"When, do you think," asked Markham, "would be the ideal time to suggest such a union?"

"I believe it best we float the idea about the court first," said Montrose, "without using your name. If we can convince the other nobles of the wisdom of our logic, then we'll bring it up with the princess."

"I hear we've all been summoned," said Webster.

"Yes," said Barrington, "we're all to be at the Palace this very afternoon, in fact."

"What would you have us do?" asked Pearson, looking to the earl for guidance.

"For now, just listen," Montrose replied. "We need to know how she intends to move forward. When we know that, we can adjust our own plans accordingly."

Once again, they all nodded their heads in agreement. Montrose looked at each in turn, trying to judge their level of commitment. Satisfied that they were dedicated to the cause, he continued, "I must remind you that the task on which we are about to embark might be considered treasonous by some. It is imperative that you speak of this to no one outside of these walls."

"But you asked us to recruit others sympathetic to our cause," protested Webster. "To do so would require us to reveal our plans."

"No," said Montrose, "if you think you've found a new member for our little group, you must first bring it to our attention. It will be for all of us to decide who to include in the future, are we clear?"

They all nodded.

"Very well," he continued, "then I suggest we prepare for court. After all, we must endeavour to make a good impression on our new ruler. We'll meet back here tomorrow evening."

They all stood as one, raising their glasses in salute.

"To the future," proposed Barrington.

"The future," the rest echoed, then downed their drinks in one go.

Montrose watched them leave one by one, shaking hands and smiling. Once they had cleared the room, he made his way to the doorway, then to an adjoining room. His visitor stood, the painting on the wall still askew to reveal an observation hole.

"You heard?" asked Montrose.

"I did," his mysterious visitor replied.

"What do you think? Will it work?"

"I think your plan solid enough for now," the stranger replied, "though we may have to take more overt action in the future."

"You have something specific in mind?" asked Montrose.

"Not at this time, but I rather suspect that our young princess will be resilient to your efforts."

"She's just a young girl," replied Montrose.

"No, she's a young woman," corrected his visitor. "I've underestimated her once already, I'll not do it a second time."

"Come, come now," added Montrose, "you can't possibly believe she can outsmart us."

"Only time will tell," the visitor replied.