"Huh?" Anita blinked.
"That's what she probably thinks that the wedding Simon did for them was. That would go with wanting to have a party."
"Let's ask Ronnie. She's more likely than anyone here to know how the down-timers look at these things." Anita didn't seem inclined to give up.
"No," Maxine said. "I will not ask Veronica Dreeson. No matter how curious I am."
"Bite off your nose, will you?" Marietta finished her coffee. "I've got to get back to work."
Chapter 37
Frankfurt am Main
"I really think he means it," Ouvrard said.
Locquifier had just read Ducos' repeated order to assassinate Gustavus Adolphus, Princess Kristina, Michael Stearns, Rebecca and Wilhelm Wettin-all on the same day, in the same place, and as soon as possible after the election.
Ducos' orders were accompanied by a long disquisition from Delerue explaining precisely how they were to do this in such a way that the derailment of the smooth transition of political power after the election would, without question, be blamed on Richelieu. And an explanation of why the word derailment was now acceptable French.
"What does he intend to do?" Brillard asked. "Submit it to the Academie francaise once it is founded next month? If indeed, it is founded on schedule, so to speak, on the twenty-second day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand sixteen hundred thirty-five?"
Delerue had bored the remainder greatly with his enthusiasm about this epochal cultural development.
"To get their approval to place it in a dictionary?" Ouvrard grimaced. "One would hope he has the prudence to maintain silence in Michel's presence-keeping in mind that Richelieu founded it."
"Let me think about this," Locquifier said.
Locquifier sat there for a long time, his forehead resting on his hands.
Michel must be mad. At the very least, isolated in Scotland, he must have no idea exactly what challenges the men in Frankfurt were facing. It would be hopeless, utterly hopeless, to try to organize those five assassinations.
For one thing, he had developed his own plan. One that was in his grasp. One that did not overreach. In his own mind, he had already allotted Mathurin Brillard to a specific project.
Brillard was the only really good marksman in the group. Something that Michel tended to forget. Something that Antoine Delerue frequently forgot. Or, at least, frequently ignored when the realities of life started to impinge upon his abstract and theoretical convictions.
"Budget," Ancelin suggested.
"Unfortunately, budget is not really a problem. Sandrart may have removed Milkau from our clutches, but we are squeezing enough other members of the Calvinist diaspora hard enough that we can't lament that we are poorly funded. Not, at least, with any pretense of plausibility."
"Personnel, then?"
"Better." Locquifier scratched his head. "We must reiterate, I think. Since Michel has reiterated his orders, we must repeat our reply. With just enough variance from the last time that he knows we did in fact read his letter. So, we tell him what? That we will stick with what we have already decided-namely to act against the Grantville synagogue, with the hospital as a cover for this."
"Ah. Publicity. Explain how useful the dual approach will be. If rumors surface, if Nasi gets wind of the project, etc., the focus of the opposition's attention can be 'blipped' either way as they say on the radio. Just a few well-chosen pamphlets, rapidly produced on our faithful duplicating machine."
"It is rarely a life-enhancing experience to tell Michel that a person cannot do what he wants. He won't be happy with demonstrations only, I suspect." Deneau crossed his arms over his chest.
"Pamphlets," Locquifier said with sudden inspiration. "More pamphlets, apparently from many different sources, repeating a variety of rumors that Richelieu is planning to have those five persons assassinated. Just rumors will have a greatly unsettling impact. Anger the Swede. Occupy the time and attention of the spymaster Nasi. Why, rumors will do almost as much good as actually trying to do it."
"Are you certain that Michel will see things that way?"
"Not certain, no. But it's better than nothing. Ah, actually.. ." He hesitated. Should he explain this? Or not? Probably better to explain it.
"I was rather intending not to inform Michel that we are producing the pamphlets about the rumors ourselves. Rather hoping that we could just send selected pamphlets to him, as they appear. We can put on false places of publication, of course-everyone does. Distribute them through the same network that Weitz's contacts use. I was… rather hoping that Michel and Antoine are so far away that they will never find out that we aren't actually working very hard to carry out his instructions."
" Merde!" Ancelin exclaimed. "Guillaume, that's… damned brilliant."
The others agreed.
"So," Ancelin said. "Is there anything else we can do to give Michel the right impression?"
"Analysis of alternate possibilities," Ouvrard suggested. "That usually works well in causing a discussion to veer off course. Send Michel a listing of every 'soft underbelly' in the USE that we can think of."
"Why limit it to the USE?" Deneau asked.
"Because that's where we are?" was Ancelin's practical answer.
"We're creating smoke and mirrors anyway," Ouvrard pointed out. "So, we say: The USE is worried, so security is tight and the targets are hard. But-let's think. Princess Kristina is unreachable, but what about the Danish prince to whom she is now betrothed? Or the up-time lady-in-waiting to whom she is said to be so attached? That one's betrothed, the ridiculous Imperial Count of Narnia? If we can't reach Gustavus, then what about his queen in Stockholm? If not Stearns, then his ally Piazza? Ableidinger? If not the Abrabanel woman, then her father? If not Wettin, then one of his brothers? The possibilities are endless."
"Don't become too fond of your brainstorming, Robert. If we list too many options, he will realize that we are just creating excuses." Locquifier paused. "Choose three of these possibilities you have suggested and write up an analysis of each. As if we were seriously offering them for his consideration."
"It's a pity to abandon the rest."
"Then just give them a passing mention at the end, as if you were blowing them off as unrealistic and unlikely."
"In fact, Mathurin, nothing will placate Michel and Antoine but an assassination. Not in the long run, though this ploy will probably work for the time being." Locquifier looked up. "Hold yourself ready. As the time draws nearer, I will provide you with a target. Only one, since I am a reasonable man. Under cover of the demonstrations."
Brillard nodded.
Soubise picked up his wine and looked at the latest letter from his brother Henri again. Meditatively. Besancon. An interesting choice. He had rather anticipated that he would be off to Geneva for negotiations with the good Calvinist city fathers. But… Henri de Rohan and Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar were old friends, of course.
Richelieu would not be pleased at all. This move would also make it somewhat more difficult for Henri to present his continuing protestations that he was unquestionably a loyal subject of Louis XIII in a plausible manner. A lot more difficult, even, considering that the cardinal had not approved a change of venue. Important men could not just wander around the map of Europe without the permission of their monarchs. Not even if the council of the Most Serene Republic of Venice had finally decided not to renew a particular man's contract with its army, which meant that, as an exile, most of his estates confiscated by the French monarchy, Henri was once more looking for a job.
And would love to get back into the field. A general could only write so many books before the activity palled.