Eric Flint - 1634 - The Bavarian Crisis

"Don Fernando is Spanish, of course. He may be old-fashioned about this, but you might suggest a more modern arrangement." Dona Mencia thought a moment. "If he does much paperwork by candle light in the evenings, having adjoining apartments would really save him time. They would be quite convenient. Not to mention avoiding chilly corridors while he is dressed in his nightshirt, which is more of a consideration here in the Netherlands than it would be in Spain. Yes, I see nothing wrong in suggesting a more modern arrangement."

She smiled. "Particularly if you suggest it while you are wearing the nightgown that Gretchen Richter gave you. I do not recommend wearing it on your wedding night, although it is very becoming, Your Highness. Even though you may really, really, want Don Fernando to see you in it. Even though I am also sure that he would be favorably impressed, it is probably not the course of prudence for you to wear it in front of the rest of the court. There are some things that the official witnesses do not need to see.

"And, of course, there would be political implications if you wore a gift from die Richterin on your wedding night. Later on, everyone will know you wear it, of course- maids do gossip-but knowing and seeing are two different things."

Rome

"And what is the news from Brussels?" Urban VIII asked. "Has the radio at the USE Embassy received messages from Amsterdam or Antwerp, that is?"

"The wedding took place without any further impediments, Your Holiness," Cardinal Francesco Barberini said. "The Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia commanded that she be dressed in the habit of the Order of Poor Clares, placed on a litter, and taken to the cathedral that she might be present at the nuptial mass. To almost everyone's surprise, she survived the experience."

"I was greatly relieved by the news that the bride had been safely retrieved from Basel. I am even more relieved to hear this." The pope inclined his head. "I wonder whether I will live long enough to see the miracle of an airplane for myself. Father General Vitelleschi, do you have any additional news?"

"I have been asked to transmit to you a request from the bride and groom. As a special favor upon the occasion of their marriage, they would appreciate it very much if you do not require the English Ladies still in the Spanish Netherlands to remove to the USE. Rather, they ask that you extend the reversal of the dissolution of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary to all of the dioceses of the new kingdom and permit them to resume their valuable labors unhampered."

"Your sense is?"

"While the Jesuit Order is forbidden by its rule to accept the spiritual direction of women's orders, we of course are prepared to provide the English Ladies with advice and counsel in ways that are appropriate under the rule."

"I think," the pope said, "that we might as well let the queen in the Netherlands keep her golden rose."

November, 1634

Though nothing can bring back the hour

Prague

Duke Albrecht of Bavaria looked at the letter that had just arrived. So now Rudolf Philipp, Landgrave of Leuchtenberg, was dead also. Mechthilde's last surviving nephew had been considerably brighter and more competent than his unfortunate late older brother, Maximilian Adam. Rudolf had stayed behind to complete the inspection tour of Austria's defenses against the Turks when Ferdinand III was called back to Vienna. He had been killed in a random minor skirmish on the Hungarian border, no different from any of a dozen others that occurred along the border with the Ottomans every day.

He crossed himself. Contrary to all reasonable expectation, his own sons, wherever they might be and please God they were still safe and well, would now unite Leuchtenberg with Bavaria-if, of course, they could expel the Swedish occupiers from Leuchtenberg. And if they some day inherited whatever might be left of Bavaria by the time Maximilian died.

At the moment, it seemed highly improbable that Maximilian would remarry. Duke Albrecht looked back, reflecting on the irony of it all. The situation could probably have been saved if they had simply permitted Maximilian to abdicate when he wanted to after Elisabeth Renata's death.