“It seems, Your Highness, that you will not want for gaming companions. This will leave time for the ladies of the court to gather.” I nod to Grethe, who smiles, as I continue, “I am certain that we shall find things to occupy ourselves. Teas, shopping, and all the other things that we adore, which all of you men don’t care for.”
I’m hoping that by persuading the men to leave us be, we can all gather to foment a tiny female uprising. Some of the other ladies seem astonished, some are bored, and some seem a bit angry. They’re not ready for the things I’d like to teach them, like how to survive in the wilderness, how to defend themselves, or even how to read. I know what foreign soldiers use high-born women for. None of it is good. Their poisonous spouses may well deserve what’s coming, but their wives, not so much.
I’d like to see them come through it, but I know that the reality will be very different. I know that many of them will not. I am a bit sad at this, but not too sorry because so many of them have been so rude and nasty to me. At least Oskar can’t turn me into a statue for a few centuries. Having faced Ellisar more than once, this king does little to frighten me.
“Perhaps we ladies shall establish our own gaming,” I add.
Some of the ladies seem to be intrigued by this idea. I am certain that if Grethe lacked decorum, she’d be laughing. All the men look appalled.
“Women have no money,” Oskar says with an edge in his voice.
“There are other things to bet than money, Your Highness,” I reply, evenly.
Oskar’s now focused intently on me, with a slight frown.
“Like what?” he asks suspiciously.
“The things we usually do for each other. Advice, favors, trading tasks, Your Highness.”
All the men in the room seem to relax visibly. I don’t mention the occasional dare.
I also don’t mention that it brings us together and forces us to start treating each other like friends. If we start acting like we’re friends, perhaps we shall become friends in truth. These men have no idea what’s coming for them.
“That seems like a lovely diversion,” Grethe says, “I might even be persuaded to join.”
I curtsey again, “Then, with your permission, Your Highnesses, we shall take our leave.”
Oskar waves us off, and I turn to leave, Kenric and my honor guard following.
Thinking quickly, I head out to the gaming lawn in the palace gardens. This is a spot where lawn bowling, croquet, and other games are played. It’s also relatively flat with a view to spotting anyone close enough to try to listen. My honor guard fan out around us as I turn to face Kenric.
Kenric frowns at me, “Doerr and Vellam are locked away. That should be a clean victory, but now Basten Pleiter has the keys to all of Oskar’s debt. It's a worse mess than before. Tell me, my treasure, what piece is needed to solve this puzzle?”
I smirk, “The issue is not the piece, but the player. Oskar is a predictable opponent. His moves are always driven by greed and vanity. He will hate that Basten made him look like a fool and that he still owes the debt. We give him a solution that flatters his ego and destroys Basten. We make Doerr the pawn, in the process.”
“How do you plan to do that?” Kenric asks.
I put my hand on his chest and smile at Kenric, as if he’s just said something romantic.
“Doerr will claim that Basten blackmailed him into making the challenge,” I reply quietly.
“How do you plan to get him to do that?” Kenric asks.
I laugh as if Kenric is being amusing before I reply.
“Doerr was using bankers in Vupis to launder the money. Basten knew it and approved of it, despite the… angst that exists between Centis and Vupis. Basten couldn’t prove it for a long time. Basten got his hands on some of Doerr’s documents, detailing the transactions,” I explain. “That’s when Basten started rigging the games to make the king lose and forced Doerr to go along with it and then to challenge our marriage.”
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“Oh, that’s diabolical,” Kenric grins.
I lean in, pretending to have a bit of a snuggle with my new husband, “Doerr is cornered and he knows it. He’ll say whatever I tell him to say, but we must move quickly. I have to see Jellema. I’ve forced him to hand over half of the gambling to us and I’ll get Jellema to hold the paper on it. Doerr becomes the loyal subject forced into treason, while Basten becomes the unforgivable cheat. Doerr becomes dependent on us to remain financially solvent, so he’s neutralized.”
Kenric gives me a look, “Oh my. You really are my greatest treasure. Why insist that I go gambling with the king?”
I smile at Kenric sweetly and bat my lashes, “Oskar will be looking for a new gaming partner. If that’s you, then he has a safe hand he can trust to replace these cheating dukes. That is your new position. You must be available. You must be interested. You must be just enough better than him to keep him engaged.”
Kenric scrubs his face with a hand, “But I hate playing cards, and I won’t be involved in cheating the King.”
I laugh, “That’s just it. You won’t be cheating Oskar. Neither will I. I’m counting on you to be yourself. You will be the honest foil to the rest of the court's constant deceit. If you lose, it's never enough to damage our family's 'limitless' wealth. If you win, you secure your position as the King's indispensable financial ally and gaming companion. This gives us constant, extended private access to Oskar.”
Kenric nods, “That’s why the other lords were so eager to take it up.”
“Precisely,” I say with a smile, “Access to Oskar is our greatest need while we are caged here. Play the game, Kenric, until the spring, when someone else marries and we’re allowed to return to Herrenstein. Now send a bird to your uncle and let him know that all is well. I must go see Jellema and Doerr.”
Kenric kisses me soundly, “I plan to resume our cut-short honeymoon, even if it's in our rooms in the palace. It’s now four hundred and twenty-six.”
I blush and laugh, “Just play the game.”
Kenric shakes his head and grins at me, “So, I trade a battlefield of swords for a battlefield of cards. All of this is to keep the King's temper and his hands off my wife. A strange kind of war, Víl?, but one I accept. What do you need me to do first?"
“First of send the bird to your uncle. Next, we must prepare you to be the most charming, available, and indispensable gambling partner Dobile has ever seen,” I reply.
Kenric smirks at me and whispers, “I’m looking forward to four hundred and twenty-seven.”
I swat him, playfully, “Off with you. We both have our tasks, and then I’ll meet you in our rooms.”
Pleased with himself, Kenric strides away. I turn and head off to find Duke Jellema. I stop one of the maids and ask her if she knows where Duke Jellema is at the moment. She points, too afraid to speak, and looks shocked when I thank her. I find Duke Jellema in his rooms, dictating a letter to his secretary. He looks up, spots me hovering in the doorway, and waves me in.
I continue to hover until he dismisses his secretary.
Jellema grins at me, “That was absolutely masterful. You did well today.”
“May we speak in private?” I ask.
Duke Jellema looks intrigued and nods, “Come, walk with me in the gardens.”
We head to the gardens, walking along what appears to be a little-used path until we reach a spot where Jellema turns to me.
“What’s on your mind, Víl??” he asks.
“I’m not done for the day,” I reply, “I need your help to carry the rest of it off.”
I explain Doerr, the blackmail, and lastly Basten’s cheating to undermine Oskar. Jellema chuckles, “You may still struggle with the language, but you seem to have a good grasp of our politics.”
“I have no illusions. Nelis Doerr will not bow to my authority, since I’m female, but if you were to hold the paper, he’d bow to yours,” I reply.
Jellema considers this for a moment and nods, “That’s probably true. It neutralizes Nelis for you and gives me a leg up on the other dukes since I’ll now be allied with Nelis and Keimpe.”
He stands there thinking for a long moment before reaching a decision. “Very well, I’ll help you.”
I let out the breath I was almost holding.
“Come,” Jellema says, “I’ll need my secretary for this.”
We return to his office, and he calls the young man who serves as his secretary. “Víl?, allow me to introduce you to my nephew, Holke. Holke, allow me to introduce you to Princess Víl? of the Fey.”
Holke bows deeply, “It is my honor to make your acquaintance.”
I incline my head, “Your uncle has been very kind.”
“My uncle is very progressive,” Holke replies.
I catch his subtext about my gender.
“Be that as it may,” Jellema says, “Go fetch your portable writing desk and be sure to bring your notary stamp.”
When Holke returns, he looks curiously at Jellema.
“Take us to wherever Doerr and Vellam are being held,” Jellema says.
With a nod, Holke sets off while the duke and I follow him. There are guards outside Doerr’s rooms.
Duke Jellema steps up to them, “We’re here to see Nelis.”
The guards look at each other and shrug before one of them opens the door. We step inside, and Holke unobtrusively sets up his portable desk on a table.
I eye Doerr, “State the terms of our agreement so that Duke Jellema’s secretary can draw up the contract.”
Doerr eyes me warily but does so. I lay out some more specifics for Holke.
“The money goes to Kenric. The managing control goes to me. Duke Jellema is our proxy. For that service, he gets ten percent of the net Kenric receives.”
Jellema gives me a sideways glance, “We hadn’t discussed payment.”
“I don’t want you to feel taken advantage of so that you’ll be more willing to help me the next time I ask,” I reply.
I may be female, but I know how this works.
Jellema nods, “Fair enough. Ten percent of that amount is more than enough compensation.”
When the papers are drawn up, Holke places them in front of Doerr. “You haven’t done anything to help me yet. I don’t know if I want to sign.”
I am ready to make Nelis scream, but I hold myself back. I point to the paper in front of him.
- What’s your boldest prediction for the fallout?
- Who benefits most from this chaos?