Page 124 of The Infernal Battalion

There was a general clearing of throats, and other gentlemen stepped forward, some of them waving introductory cards.

“—​a dinner—”

“—​perhaps you’d enjoy—”

“—​a tour of the harbor—”

How popular we are. Now that the king’s offer was widely known, it was clear that her favor suddenly had considerable value. Hence the self-​serving courtiers pushing and shoving to present their invitations and the steady stream of perfumed envelopes making their way to her door.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen,” she said, a bit more loudly than was really polite. “I’m afraid my business here requires all my time at the present.” She allowed a little exasperation into her voice, and shook her head. “Not that we seem to be making much progress!”

“Your Highness!” Eric said, not having to work hard to feign shock.

Raesinia put on a guilty expression, like she’d been caught talking out of turn. The whispers had already started by the time Eric and her guards hustled her around the corner and out of sight.

They went straight to Cora’s suite to wait for results. It didn’t take long—​after an hour, Cora came bounding in, grinning gleefully.

“It’s working,” she said. “I think a dozen messengers must have gone straight to the market. Vor River Trading—​that’s us—​has dropped almost thirty percent in the last forty-​five minutes. And the securities market as a whole is down nearly twenty percent. It’s a bloodbath.”

“When does the next message go out?” Raesinia said.

“Soon,” Cora said breathlessly. “There’s still two hours until the market closes. I’m going to go see what happens.”

Raesinia would have liked to go herself, but that would have tipped her hand. Instead, she returned to the room she shared with Matthew and kept waiting. The second prince was at the market, reassuring his friends and distributing Raesinia’s message.

This was the part that had most worried her. She’d seen, back in the revolution, that once fear and panic were unleashed, they could prove almost impossible to stop. Her statement this afternoon, the seemingly banal admission that negotiations were going poorly, had been taken as the symbol it had been meant to be. If negotiations collapsed, Vordanai debt would be worthless, and companies that speculated in Vordanai debt—​like their own VRT—​would be in serious trouble.

The new message said that Raesinia remained committed to finding a mutually acceptable solution to the debt problem, and hinted in the most oblique possible terms that she was aware of the conditions in the markets in general and concerned about VRT in particular. This would probably go over most heads, but the friends of Second Prince Matthew, who had bought into the venture on the strength of his promise that he had Raesinia’s support, would hear it loud and clear. It should turn things around, making today’s scare brief. If greed is stronger than fear. That seemed likely—​this was Borel—​but...

Raesinia didn’t relax until Cora returned, sending Barely over with a note. “VRT stable at -9, broader market -3. Hornets buzzing.” The last referred to Goodman and his friends among the Honest Fellows, whose market activities Cora had been observing. The wild fluctuations had no doubt alarmed them, and Raesinia felt that she could count on them to take the appropriate steps.

So far, so good.

*

“It’s Master Goodman,” Barely said through the door. “He wants to see you immediately.”

“We have a conference scheduled for Thursday,” Raesinia said, feigning confusion. They were in Cora’s room, sitting behind the heavy dining table.

“This is not an official meeting.” Goodman’s voice was muffled. “This is urgent. And I suspect you would prefer to be discreet.”

I would prefer to be discreet, would I? She kept her voice neutral and hid her smile. “Very well, I suppose. Let him in.” She got up, exchanging glances with Cora.

The door opened. Goodman was in his usual suit, but there was something very slightly off, his cuffs uneven and his tie askew. For him, Raesinia suspected, this was the equivalent of turning up to work stark naked. He pushed into the room, and she had to give ground rapidly to avoid a collision. He glared at her, ignoring Cora completely.

“I expected better,” he said. “I don’t know why. In retrospect, this is exactly the sort of pathetic grubbing so typical of Vordanai. But I thought that being royalty meant you’d have at least the pretense of honor. More fool me, I suppose.”

“My dear Master Goodman,” Raesinia said, pretending shock. “What exactly are you implying?”

“We can drop the act, as long as we’re alone.”

“We’re not alone,” Raesinia said. “I think you know my companion Cora?”

Goodman waved a hand impatiently and sighed. “If I must spell it out, I’m referring to your involvement in the Vor River Trading concern. Do you deny it?”

“I suppose it would be silly to try, seeing as you seem so certain.”

“Believe me, I didn’t want to do this.” Goodman took a deep breath, steadying himself on the back of a chair. “The thought that a member of one of the great royal families of the continent—​albeit one fallen on hard times—​would stoop to entangling herself in trade out of pecuniary interest was the farthest thing from my mind. However, after the events of the last few days and my own investigations, it has become clear to me that you have done exactly that, and furthermore have used your privileged position to profit from our private discussions. I am, frankly, ashamed, and I suspect His Majesty feels likewise.”