Chapter 44: An Elegant Solution

Don Alonso appeared unchanged to Tony’s eyes. He was still erect and slim and his piercing black eyes had lost nothing of their alertness. Yet, when he greeted Tony there was a cordiality about him that was new.

“My dear friend, you have returned!” he exclaimed, reaching for Tony’s hand and shaking it vigorously. “The saviour of my happiness, and now even our ally! Welcome, Don Antonio! I see that you have advanced in your service, Almiral.”

Tony found it the wrong time to clarify the intricacies of rank in the Royal Navy.

“I thank you for the friendly welcome, Don Alonso,” he replied. “I feel very honoured to be called a friend by your Excellency.”

“Yet, you deserve this title more than any other man I know. I trust that you are in good health and spirits? Your name came up in official mail and in newspapers, and even though I had to count you as Spain’s enemy then, your bravery and chivalrous conduct have made me proud. Let us hope for more reasons to come, now that you are our ally against the treacherous Corsican!”

“This is indeed my fervent wish, your Excellency. My mission is a delicate one, and the capriciousness of fate has made it even more delicate. My ship has a passenger, His Excellency the Conde de Alcalosa, and my orders are to convey him to Cartagena for him to be your successor.”

The happy smile on Don Alonso’s face was gone in an instant.

“By whose authority, may I ask, was he appointed?”

“There is a sizeable community of exiled Spanish nobles and courtiers in London, and His Excellency the Spanish Envoy represents your King Fernando. I suppose he selected the Conde.”

“Did he now!” Don Alonso expostulated. With an effort he calmed himself. “I was appointed Governor by His Majesty the King, and only His Majesty or the Viceroy in Panama have the authority to relieve me. Certainly not an envoy who ranks below me.”

“My apologies then, your Excellency!” Tony hastened to answer. “This is not what His Majesty’s government was given to understand by his Excellency the Envoy. Far be it from His Majesty’s government to interfere into the lawful governance of His Most Catholic Majesty’s dominions.”

“I understand and I ask you to forgive my outburst. I shall send to the Viceroy in this matter and await his decision. In the meantime, the Conde will be my honoured guest. We do not have the pleasure of noble visitors often enough, and my wife will be delighted.”

Tony’s facial expression must have given him away, for the governor smirked at him.

“I take it the crossing was less than pleasurable?”

“There were events that compounded our mission,” Tony admitted. “I also have as a passenger the former Princess Isabella of Léon. I believe she is related to you?”

“Young Isabella? My wife will be delighted! I am sure there will be many suitors for her hand. But why ‘the former princess’, pray?”

“She ... Hrhm! As of a week ago, she is now styling herself Her Serene Highness the Princess-Consort of Hohenstein. Her husband, Captain His Serene Highness the Prince of Hohenstein, is my flag captain.”

The governor’s eyebrows shot up and Tony explained in as few words as possible the events since they sailed from Portsmouth. The governor sighed.

“Her mother was well known for her lack of discretion and for her strong will. Nevertheless, if she is the consort of a sovereign prince, she will be welcomed with all due honours. You said the conde took this development hard?”

“You will find him frequently indisposed, your Excellency,” Tony replied diplomatically.

“I see. This is interesting to hear, and it will likely influence the Viceroy in his decision,” Don Alonso smirked. “And your wife is with you? Of course, you will be my guests during your stay, and I shall welcome His Serene Highness, too. After all, we have now kinship ties with him. Do you believe that you may be able to rouse the conde sufficiently to convey him into my hospitality?”

“You will find his majordomo, Don Pietro, a most able and reasonable man to deal with,” Tony answered. “I count on his help.”

Indeed, Don Pietro was able to spruce the conde sufficiently up for the boat ride to the quay. Don Alonso sent his own barge, and during the short crossing the conde stared at the two couples with bloodshot eyes. Harriet was wearing a fine travel costume made of green silk which complimented her glorious strawberry blonde hair and her trim figure. Tony realised that she had dressed to make an impression.

The governor awaited them in his palace with Doña Maria at his side. It had been over five years, but Tony still felt a tingle when he espied her. At his side he heard the sharp intake of breath from Harriet.

“Oh, dear God!” she whispered under her breath.

Tony pressed her hand reassuringly. “I love only you!” he whispered to her, and he felt Harriet take a sobbing breath before she pressed his arm in return.

Maria was still a breathtakingly beautiful woman, Tony realised, and it was clear why Harriet felt apprehension seeing her perceived rival. They advanced further, and Tony affected the introductions. This was complicated. Socially speaking, he was the low man in the room. Yet he was the only person known to their host. Etiquette dictated he introduced Sir August and the Princess Isabella next. This left the conde as the last person to be greeted by Don Alonso, and Tony could tell that he was furious.

His short, barked address to Don Alonso was made in Spanish of course, but Tony saw the anger in their host’s eyes when he answered in what was easily recognisable as a cold rebuke. Tony could hear the word El Virrey, the viceroy, in the answer and he saw how the conde flushed with anger before he answered haughtily in turn.

The conde’s Italian majordomo was standing behind him and Tony distinctly heard him mutter “Asino!” under his breath. Tony could sympathise with Don Pietro who’d had his hands full with his master during the crossing.

Don Alonso was outwardly unperturbed and he proceeded to welcome the ladies. At the same time, Tony and the prince bowed before Donã Maria who offered them her hand to kiss. When she withdrew her hand again, she gave Tony’s chin a minute caress, so briefly that only he noticed it.

“I welcome you back, Don Antonio,” she said in her lilting English. “I cannot wait to hear of your adventures, but let me welcome your wife and my cousin first.”

The hug between Doña Maria and her cousin was cordial but when she greeted Harriet, Tony could perceive how the two women were squaring up against each other. He was distracted by Don Alonso for a moment, and then the women were standing apart again. He felt a trickle of sweat running down his spine.

The situation exacerbated when Don Alonso excused himself to show the Conde de Alcala to his guest suite, leaving Doña Maria to show the other visitors to a tea parlour.

“My husband and I are delighted to see you as our guest, Don Antonio. What you did for me cannot be valued enough.”

“I can imagine that,” Harriet answered with a forced smile. “To be separated from His Excellency for years must have been a terrible experience.”

“You are as perceptive as you are beautiful, Doña Enrica,” Maria answered. Tony could see Harriet stiffen. “I must say that I have never seen hair as beautiful as yours.”

The second sentence seemed to mollify Harriet. “The price to pay for it are freckles,” she answered.

“Which are deemed enticing by many,” the Princess Isabella threw in, obviously anxious to lighten the mood. “Say, Cousin, how have you fared since your deliverance?”

“Wonderful! Antonio is such a delight! Do you have children, Doña Enrica?”

“A son and a daughter. They are with my mother. We also have an adopted daughter.”

“That is wonderful!” Doña Maria smiled. “We named our son Antonio Enrique in recognition of your husband’s role in bringing us back together.”

“That is a great honour for me, Doña Maria,” Tony said to fill the ensuing silence. He now remembered Maria’s fervent wish for a child and the blood shot to his face when he became aware of the possibilities. Was the little boy sired in their one night together?

Doña Maria changed the subject now. “The arrival of the Conde de Alcala has caused quite an upheaval. My husband has to send a messenger to the Virrey. This matter will cause unrest among the governors. You must tell me about him, Cousin Isabella, but not now. Will you and His Serene Highness accept our hospitality?”

The prince looked at Tony for guidance and Tony nodded. He and Harriet would return to the Clyde, if only to avoid further awkward moments between Harriet and Maria.

“It will be our pleasure,” the prince announced. “I would not deprive my wife of the chance to converse with her cousin.”

“Fortunately, the new Bishop is a rather openminded man,” Maria remarked, tapping her teeth before she looked at Tony. “The Inquisitor left for Spain two years ago and has not been replaced since then. My cousin has nothing to fear.”

“Not unless the Conde de Alcala ascends to the governorship,” the prince said gravely.

“You should not worry about that too much,” Maria said lightly, confirming Tony’s suspicion that the governor would not yield his post to his intended successor.

Just then the governor joined them, giving the prince a long, thoughtful look.

“My guest informed me of a serious issue between himself and your Serene Highness. Is your Serene Highness of a mind to pursue the affair?”

“I issued a challenge, your Excellency, and unless the Conde will issue a formal apology for his words I see but one way to settle the affair,” Hohenstein said stiffly.

“It would be tragic if the Conde de Alcala were to lose his life so soon after his arrival, before we could even begin to settle the dispute over his planned succession,” Don Alonso remarked. “Then again, I cannot stand between two noble gentlemen if they insist on settling their dispute. Suffice to say that I wish only the best for the husband of my wife’s cousin.”

Tony understood as did everybody else in the room. If Hohenstein shot the conde in a duel then the question of succession was moot and the peace in the colony preserved. Don Alonso would continue in his current post and he would have time to shore up the support of the other governors and of the viceroy. Hohenstein nodded grimly and looked at Tony.

“Sir Anthony, I feel compelled to pursue my challenge against the Conde de Alcala. His insults against myself and my lands were too severe to be left standing.”

“Of course, Sir August, if your honour dictates this course then I shall not stand in your way,” Tony replied. “Do you wish for me to act as your friend?”

“That would be exceedingly kind of you, Sir Anthony.”

Don Alonso clucked his teeth. “A deplorable development to be sure, but perhaps inevitable,” he commented. “However, let us defer any unpleasantness for a day or two, shall we?”

Harriet looked at Tony accusingly. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she demanded.

They were back on board the Clyde and in their cabin.

“Tell you what?” Tony asked with a sigh. This had been brewing all day.

“I wasn’t prepared for her to be so ... beautiful.”

“Just as she was unprepared to meet my beautiful wife,” he answered persuasively. “Anita is beautiful. Why is it a problem whether or not Doña Maria is, too?”

Harriet shook her head. “Anita never had that influence on you. She did not change you. This woman did, and she knows it. I know it, and she knows that I know. Ugh! I wanted to strangle her!”

Tony closed his eyes for a moment. “Harriet, it is true that she changed my views. I learned from her and she learned from me. That is the reason why we are both happier now. At least I believe she is happy with her husband. I know that I am happy with you. She helped me to heal after I lost you. Without meeting her I would not have known how to treat you. Without her I may not have been the man you wanted to have back.”

It was Harriet’s turn to close her eyes now. When she looked at Tony again he saw fear in her eyes but also determination.

“I have a question and I need your honest answer. If I had not been married to R ... to Rupert Palmer, if we had been engaged, would you have ... dallied with her? What if she had not been married? Would you have chosen her over me?”

“No to the first, and no to the second. We have been over this so often, Harriet. Why, you were never concerned about Anita, nor about any other women I had dealings with. What is it about Maria that makes you so ... afraid?”

Harriet chewed on her lower lip for a few moments, mulling her answer. She was still looking down when she answered.

“It’s because I can see how a man must fall in love with her in the blink of an eye. Her eyes, her even features, her hair, her proud body, everything about her is beautiful beyond measure. How can any woman compare to her?”