For the first several minutes, conversation was not possible in their box seats. The overture to Moorflower was famously loud, with explicit instructions from the composer to fill the air to the point that attention was impeded from veering elsewhere. The story of the pious refugees who by their inexperience had sailed directly into the hands of pirates had left the Venetian public unimpressed, mainly because the success of captain Sulayman was odious to a people who prided themselves on warding off every advance from the Turks, but in Protestant lands that tale of sincere devotion met with tragedy struck a dear chord.
The overture ended and the curtain opened. The tenor who played William Bradford started singing a hopeful aria about the promised land in America, tearing the heartstrings of those who knew the play’s ending.
Kristina asked softly, “Have you seen the original version?” Her voice had somehow grown even deeper, sending chills all through Leonora, who only managed to shake her head. “Some years ago, I invited an Italian troupe to come and perform Moorflower in Venetian. It’s better than in German, but this time I wanted to test what it sounded like in Swedish. I’ve had the idea for a while now that Sweden should open itself more to what is going on in the arts, and the first step is to make Swedish into a literary language.”
Leonora strained to catch the singer’s lines underneath Kristina’s explanation. “Does Your Majesty like the result?”
“It’s only the first act; we shall see. But they had better put on a good show; my treasurer yelled at me when he saw how much I paid for the translation,” she confided with a wicked smile. Leonora took the chance to have a close look at her clothes, which had nothing luxurious about them. She found truth in the gossip about Kristina: she liked to wear none of her jewels, and would happily part with them for a good book.
The aria concluded with a prayer that had given critics fodder for plenty of commentaries; its wording rang true to Protestant ears, who couldn’t believe that an Italian Catholic had written it. Although the Inquisition didn’t extend to Venice, speculation about Samuele Fulla’s religion didn’t cease. His unexplained disappearance only served to keep the rumors growing.
They were alone in the box, but Kristina waited until the public seemed sufficiently enraptured before she leaned to her side and whispered in Latin, “Now what is this nonsense about Margrete?”
Leonora had alluded to Queen Margrete, who three centuries earlier had ruled all the Scandinavian nations from a single throne. That was the magnitude of the news she was bringing. She waited until the music grew louder again and replied in Latin, “Frederik knows of Your Majesty’s change of heart.”
A shift in Kristina’s posture told her all she needed. She expected the king to say something, but the topic was delicate: Sweden was the most valuable ally of the Canutic Empire in the ongoing war against the Holy Roman Empire. Sweden was supposed to be fighting on the side of Protestantism, but suspicions had started to circulate about Kristina’s crypto-Catholic tendencies. The mere mention of Margrete sufficed to hint at what Frederik was willing to do to stop Kristina’s conversion.
Seeing that the king was still lost in thought, Leonora pressed on, “Your Majesty is being watched closely. It has been that way for a long time. What has been said about my husband does not entirely match the truth.”
Kristina turned her head to look directly at Leonora. “As much as I like diplomacy, I have no patience for games and innuendo. What is it that you know?”
Leonora felt too exposed speaking in a theater, but the music gave her sufficient cover. “More things are happening than Your Majesty knows. Denmark has changed. I’ve become aware of plans to shape the entire landscape of Europe. It was my father, for instance, who sabotaged Your Majesty’s attempt at peace.”
“Be direct,” insisted the king.
With a trembling voice, Leonora spoke a forbidden name. “Johan Salvius.”
“What about him?” Kristina looked straight ahead, refusing to reveal any feeling, but Leonora was not deceived. Sweden’s envoy at the talks at Osnabrück had been Europe’s last hope to put an end to the wars of religion, but he never had the chance to fulfill his assignment; his ship had sunk before reaching the German coast.
Leonora leaned closer. “I was present at the war room when my father gave the order to destroy his ship.”
Kristina’s hands curled into fists. “What?”
“I can’t disclose everything I know. I’m still a patriot, despite what people like to make up about me. But I can say this much: Denmark is able to sink any ship at sea.”
“I’ve heard the legend. The Hafgufu has been summoned. Is it true?”
“After a fashion. My father used it against your envoy to keep the war going.”
“Danish soldiers have fought side by side with mine. Why would Christian ruin the peace talks?”
“His goals were different from Your Majesty’s. After he got his hands on the Hafgufu, his outlook on the war changed. A compromise under which Catholics could keep their kingdoms unopposed was the last thing he wanted. He would rather keep throwing soldiers’ lives at the rest of Europe if that meant denying the Holy Emperor one day of rest.”
“How long has this been happening?”
“It began much before the peace talks. We were both children when my father conquered Normandy.”
Kristina nodded. The annexation of Normandy in 1631 had been a powerful gesture, an explicit reclamation of ancient Viking territory. “Did he use the Hafgufu in that campaign?
“Yes, but the sole reason was to distract Richelieu from the alliance he was trying to make with Your Majesty.”
“Your father’s spies heard of it?”
“He said he’d never allow a Catholic to be our ally, even against the Holy Emperor.”
Kristina put her hands on her face. “Religious war is going to be our ruin.” Then she saw more clearly her own situation. “Does your brother feel that way about me?”
“Yes.” Leonora was afraid of saying more, and remained silent until the first act ended and the public started clapping. “Your Majesty’s objections to the Lutheran faith have been known for many years. In particular, the Danish navy has been paying attention to the scholars Your Majesty has been inviting to teach at court.”
“They have been targeting scholars?”
At the increased alarm in Kristina’s voice, Leonora remembered, This is a learned woman. Of course she cares more strongly about that. “It has been a policy of the Canutic Empire to keep Catholic preachers from setting foot in Sweden. Your Majesty is perceived as… sympathetic to their influence. So, from time to time, a ship sinks here, another there, and they all just happen to be carrying a missionary, or a confessor, or a Papal messenger. It’s never accidental.”
Realization put light in Kristina’s eyes. “And nobody pays attention because ships have been sinking everywhere.”
“That’s all Denmark’s doing. We’ve been hitting Spanish routes for decades. Honestly, if they’ve been able to afford to keep fighting us, it’s because we still can’t track every single galleon bringing them silver from Mexico.”
Kristina smiled. “It may surprise you to hear I’ve heard some scholars claim too much silver can hurt a kingdom.”
The tangent took Leonora by surprise. “I can’t see why.”
“Many don’t. But the explanation can wait. Is this all you’ve come to tell me?”
“I’m afraid not. To say the rest, I need a formal audience.”
“Can’t you speak while the play lasts?”