Stormbird Read Free Page B

his head, refilling the cup. He had sworn off wine and beer, but this was one time when he truly missed the stuff.
    ‘I
know
Duke René of Anjou,’ he said. ‘He hates theEnglish. His mother was a great friend of that girl, Joan of Arc – and you’ll recall, Derry, that we burned her.’
    ‘No more than right,’ Derry snapped. ‘You were there, you saw her. That little bitch was in league with someone, even if it wasn’t the devil himself. No, you’re not seeing it, William. René has the ear of his king. That French peacock owes René of Anjou his crown,
everything
. Didn’t René’s mother give him sanctuary when he tucked up his skirts and ran? Didn’t she send little Joan of Arc to Orléans to shame them into attacking? That family kept France in French hands, or at least the arse end of it. Anjou is the key to the whole lock, William. The French king married René’s sister, for Christ’s sake! That’s the family that can put pressure on their little royal – and they’re the ones with an unmarried daughter. They are the way in, I’m
telling
you. I’ve looked at them all, William, every French “lord” with three pigs and two servants. Margaret of Anjou
is
a princess; her father beggared himself to prove it.’
    Suffolk sighed. It was late and he was weary.
    ‘Derry, it’s no good, even if you’re right. I’ve met the duke more than once. I remember him complaining to me that English soldiers laughed at his order of chivalry. He was most offended, I recall.’
    ‘He should not have called it the Order of the Croissant, then, should he?’
    ‘It’s no stranger than the Order of the Garter, is it? Either way, Derry, he won’t give us a daughter, certainly not in exchange for a truce. He might take a fortune for her, if things are as bad as you say, but a truce? They aren’t all fools, Derry. We haven’t had a campaign for a decade and every year it gets just a little harder to hold the land we have. They have an ambassador here and I’m sure he tells them everything he sees.’
    ‘Hetells them what I let him see; don’t you worry about
that
. I have that perfumed boy sewn up tight. But I haven’t told you what we’ll offer to make old René sweat and pull on his king’s sleeve, just begging his monarch to accept our terms. He’s poor as a blind archer without the rents from his ancestral lands. And why is that? Because
we
own them. He has a couple of derelict old castles that look out on the best farmland in France, with good Englishmen and soldiers enjoying it for him. Maine and Anjou entire, William. That will bring him to the table fast enough. That will win us our truce. Ten years? We’ll demand twenty and a bloody princess. And René of Anjou has the king’s ear. The snail-eaters will fall over themselves to say yes.’
    Suffolk rubbed his eyes in frustration. He could feel the taste of wine in his mouth, though he had not touched a drop for more than a year.
    ‘This is madness. You’d have me give away a quarter of our land in France?’
    ‘You think I like it, William?’ Derry demanded angrily. ‘You think I haven’t sweated for months looking for a better path? The king said “Bring me a truce, Derry” – well, this is it. This is the only thing that will do it and, believe me, if there was another way, I’d have found it by now. If he could use his father’s sword – Christ, if he could even lift it – I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you. You and I would be out once more, with the horns blowing and the French on the run. If he can’t do that – and he
can’t
, William, you’ve seen him – then this is the only way to peace. We’ll find him a wife as well, to conceal the rest.’
    ‘Have you told the king?’ Suffolk asked, already knowing the answer.
    ‘If I had, he’d agree, wouldn’t he?’ Derry replied bitterly. ‘ “You know best, Derry,” “If you think so, Derry.” Youknow how he talks. I could get him to say yes to anything.