Page 29 of The Tempest
St. Denis nearly stammered his next few words. “You… you cannot do it, Payne,” he said. “Do you know what will happen if you do?”
“Of course I know,” Payne said quietly. “But this is a bigger problem than ye know. If I dunna marry her, the fact that I am disobeying my mother notwithstanding, then the princess’ future is in doubt. My mother could, and would, sell her tae the highest bidder. Do ye know how poorly the Portuguese would react tae that?”
“That is none of our concern,” St. Denis said, waving his hands around. “She is not our responsibility. Payne, if you marry her, then I cannot have you continue as a trainer. I cannot risk the Portuguese turning their anger on us when we are sworn to remain neutral in all things.”
St. Sebastian started to protest, but Payne held up a hand to silence him. “I have thought of that,” he said patiently. “Trust me when I tell ye that I understand the implications. So many implications. But there can also be an outcome that makes the Portuguese royal family in Blackchurch’s debt.”
“What’s that?”
Payne was as serious as anyone had ever seen him. “I marry her and we send word tae the Portuguese royal family that we saved her from Medusa’s Disciples,” he said. “I would even send her back tae her family if they wanted, but she would remain my wife. That is the price for saving her. The royal family will simply have tae accept that. Moreover, it would make Blackchurch linked, by marriage, to the Portuguese royal house, which elevates our social standing. It will legitimize Blackchurch in a way none of yer predecessors have been able tae do.”
To his surprise, St. Denis didn’t discount him outright. He started to, but thought better of it, mostly because what Payne was saying made sense. Itwouldgive Blackchurch a legitimacythat they’d never had before. St. Sebastian was looking at his father rather anxiously as the man mulled everything over.
“He’s right,” he insisted quietly. “To have one of our trainers married to a princess royal would create social standing for us where none has existed before. It could work to our advantage, Papa.”
St. Denis grunted as if his brain hurt as he tried to see all sides of the situation. There was so very much to contemplate. Wearily, he went to sit in his chair.
“Send for Amir,” he said. “And Ming Tang. I want them to hear this.”
With a hopeful glance at Payne, St. Sebastian went to find a servant to send for the men whom St. Denis put a great deal of trust in. Amir’s father was an Egyptian warlord with twenty thousand men at his disposal and a good deal of clout in the politics of the land, and St. Denis had learned to depend on Amir’s advice over the years. He had a way of seeing the larger picture, whereas Ming Tang was always in sync with the moral implications. Not only were the men trainers, but some of the best advisors in the land.
Payne knew this and was grateful that St. Denis was at least considering the proposal. He hadn’t really thought of the Blackchurch Savior suggestion until he’d come into the chamber. Now, he could see a way to please his mother, his liege, and still keep his position at Blackchurch. The truth was that he very much wanted to please his mother, especially after their angry parting ten years ago. He didn’t want a repeat of that because there may not be forgiveness a second time. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the courage to stand up to her—it was more that she was his mother and he respected her. She was a pirate because she’d chosen to accept the legacy of her father, which had taken great courage.
Payne didn’t want to disappoint a woman with that much courage.
But part of it was his giving in to his weakness again.Empathy. He had empathy for Astria when he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help it. He was certain that she didn’t care about him in the least, or what became of him, so he wasn’t sure why he had any concern for her.
But he did.
He hoped that wasn’t going to betray him in the end.
“I’ve sent for them, Papa,” St. Sebastian said as he came back into the solar. “They’ll be here soon.”
And with that, they waited.
Payne sat down in the nearest chair, leaning his head back against the wall. It was quiet in the chamber but for the gentle snapping of the hearth, and Payne closed his eyes, simply to rest, while they waited. But he must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he heard was Amir’s voice. St. Denis was repeating everything Payne had said, including his solution, and asking for Amir and Ming Tang’s advice.
Amir was the first to speak.
“Chances are that the Portuguese royal house already knows that one of their own has been taken captive,” he said. “It has been five months, you’ve said?”
St. Denis nodded. “That is what I have been told.”
Amir rubbed his eyes wearily. He’d been awoken from a dead sleep by his lord’s summons, only to be facing an unexpected crisis. “In five months, word should have reached them,” he said. “At the very least, they are probably looking for her. If we were to send word that we rescued her from her captor, it would indeed put us in their debt and emphasize our neutral position in all matters.”
“But Payne is right,” Ming Tang said, looking at Amir. “If he marries her, it secures her safety. It also introduces Blackchurchinto something it has never had before—a shadow of nobility. That commands respect.”
Amir considered that. “Blackchurch has respect in military circles,” he said. “Blackchurch-trained warriors are the most sought after in the world.”
“True,” Ming Tang said, “but there has always been the long-standing belief that Blackchurch is ruthless and no better than the pirates associated with it. Given that St. Abelard is attached to Blackchurch, it is something that cannot be escaped.”
“And you feel a marriage to a captured princess somehow legitimizes Blackchurch?”
“If Payne marries her to save her from being auctioned, it does,” Ming Tang said. “It gives us an added dimension we are not known for—compassion.”
“For forcing a captive into marriage?”
“For saving a captive from a terrible fate.”
