We didn’t stay out late, as I found I had no appetite for it with the major being as frivolous as he was, and I had council business the next morning anyway.
With Lan Letskov’s disappearance now common knowledge among the members of the governing council, a vote was to be held for his successor. Aye, it had been barely a day since he had vanished, but this was Dannsburg and everyone on the council knew what that meant. No one was under any illusion that he would be coming back again, for all that none of them would have dared to say anything about it.
I sat on the green leather bench the next morning with my fellow councillors around me, and watched and waited as Speaker Ivankova formally proposed the election of a new First Councillor. Her motion was carried almost unanimously, as I had never doubted that it would be.
‘I propose myself,’ Lan Drashkov announced at once, to the surprise of absolutely nobody.
Judging from the polite yet restrained smattering of applause, his support was vanishingly small. I could see that he knew it too, and he regained his seat with his face flushed even redder than usual.
I too rose to my feet, and cleared my throat.
‘I propose Councillor Markova,’ I said.
The applause I received was thunderous, and that told me all I needed to know about the amount the house of law had expended in bribes to make this happen. Markova herself turned and nodded to me, then stood and faced the Speaker.
‘Seconded,’ she said.
‘Thirded!’ shouted a man from the back benches.
‘Fourthed,’ called out a woman from my left.
No one so much as seconded Lan Drashkov’s proposal, so at least we were spared the farce of a formal election. Councillor Markova was the new presiding head of the governing council, and that was it.
So simply was Lord Vogel’s will done, through the exercise of no more than gold and influence. So simply were the reins of power placed in the hands of the house of law.
Gold, power, influence.
The levers that moved the world.
*
I saw Ailsa afterwards, in the mess at the house of law.
‘It’s done,’ I said, when she raised her eyebrows.
We were alone in there, and I could tell that she felt safe enough to ask the question.
‘Why did you turn him down, Tomas? It’s not often a Queen’s Man turns down an offer of advancement from the Provost Marshal himself.’
‘For the reasons I gave him,’ I said carefully. ‘Being First Councillor isn’t something I know how to do, Ailsa. I was flattered by the offer, aye, but I think Markova will serve us better in that post than I could ever have done. I put the interests of the house of law before my own, always.’
That was utter horseshit, of course, and I suspected that she knew it was, but it was the only right answer I could have given when there was always the prospect of someone listening at the door, or from some concealed space behind the walls. You never could tell, in the house of law. Or most places in Dannsburg, for that matter.
‘Yes, well,’ she said. ‘I hope you’re right, Tomas.’
‘She’s an intelligent woman,’ I said, ‘and she knows which side her bread is buttered on. I don’t think Markova will let us down.’
‘For what it’s worth, nor do I,’ Ailsa admitted.
She looked troubled, though, and after I had poured us both a drink I said as much.
‘What’s on your mind?’ I asked her.
Ailsa sighed and took a sip of the wine I had given her.
‘I’m worried about Her Highness,’ she admitted after a moment. ‘She keeps demanding to see “the shining boy”, and nobody has the faintest idea what she’s talking about. All she says is, “I want that boy, the one who shines.” She talks nonsense a lot of the time, of course, but this seems to matter to her and she rages when we have to gainsay her through simple lack of understanding. Two footmen were badly burned last week, in some strange accident involving a lamp.’
‘She means Billy,’ I said, before I could think better of it.
‘Billy? Our Billy?’ Ailsa said, and I could see the utter confusion on her face. That wasn’t a thing I had seen before.
I could have kicked myself, but it was done now, I supposed.
‘Aye, our Billy. He says she’s a cunning woman, although he’s not sure if she knows she is or not,’ I had to explain, ‘and I think he’s right. You remember the fire at the queen’s funeral? That wasn’t natural, it can’t have been. Back when I received my knighthood she told the entire court that he shone, and Billy says she does too and that’s how the cunning folk know each other.’
I could tell that this revelation had shaken Ailsa, but after a moment she took it in her stride. Adapt and move on, that was what the Queen’s Men did, and Ailsa was a Queen’s Man to the core.
‘Gods be good, I had completely forgotten about that,’ Ailsa said. ‘In all truth she says so many mad things that I scarce take notice any more.’
‘Aye, well, there it is,’ I said. ‘It’s Billy she wants.’
‘Well,’ she said, and took a sip of her drink. ‘If she wants Billy then I suppose we must arrange an introduction.’
I wasn’t sure that I liked it but I supposed we probably must, at that.
Chapter 47
It was arranged for the following day, such was the princess’ insistence. I had explained it to Billy that night, back at the Bountiful Harvest.
‘I’ll see her if she wants me to,’ Billy had said, ‘but I’m with Mina now so she’d better not get any silly ideas. Anyway, I thought you said she was getting married?’
‘She is betrothed to the
