Jenny giggled. "As for the 'razzing,' though, I sort of doubt that even Wes really minds. Do you all know any man who would really get upset about being teased about being so virile that he got his wife pregnant the first time he gave her a poke? If he's going to get razzed at all, that has to be a pretty tolerable reason, the way guys think."
Anita frowned. "Arnold Bellamy would get upset."
"Arnold," Maxine said, "is an exceptional case. A person has to wonder how he and Natalie ever produced three kids."
"But if Clara thinks the thing they did in Fulda was enough, however they did it, I wonder what she thinks the marriage license and the ceremony that Simon did were all about?" Anita picked up her purse and started to dig through it for change for a tip.
"What I wonder is who managed to get into my files and dig out that license. One of these days, I'll find out and then . . ." Jenny's tone was threatening.
Maxine lined up her knife and fork on her plate. When Keith got back from that trip to the Upper Palatinate, he had called Doc Adams, who ordered her to come in, gave her a checkup, and told her that she had to eat more. Then Keith told Cora, who wouldn't let her get away with ordering "just coffee" any more. "Decorations on the Christmas tree? Icing on the cake?"
"Huh?" Anita blinked.
"That's what she probably thinks that the wedding Simon did for them was. That would go with wanting to have a party."
"Let's ask Ronnie. She's more likely than anyone here to know how the down-timers look at these things." Anita didn't seem inclined to give up.
"No," Maxine said. "I will not ask Veronica Dreeson. No matter how curious I am."
"Bite off your nose, will you?" Marietta finished her coffee. "I've got to get back to work."
Chapter 37
Frankfurt am Main
"I really think he means it," Ouvrard said.
Locquifier had just read Ducos' repeated order to assassinate Gustavus Adolphus, Princess Kristina, Michael Stearns, Rebecca and Wilhelm Wettin—all on the same day, in the same place, and as soon as possible after the election.
Ducos' orders were accompanied by a long disquisition from Delerue explaining precisely how they were to do this in such a way that the derailment of the smooth transition of political power after the election would, without question, be blamed on Richelieu. And an explanation of why the word derailment was now acceptable French.
"What does he intend to do?" Brillard asked. "Submit it to the Académie française once it is founded next month? If indeed, it is founded on schedule, so to speak, on the twenty-second day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand sixteen hundred thirty-five?"
Delerue had bored the remainder greatly with his enthusiasm about this epochal cultural development.
"To get their approval to place it in a dictionary?" Ouvrard grimaced. "One would hope he has the prudence to maintain silence in Michel's presence—keeping in mind that Richelieu founded it."
"Let me think about this," Locquifier said.
* * *
Locquifier sat there for a long time, his forehead resting on his hands.
Michel must be mad. At the very least, isolated in Scotland, he must have no idea exactly what challenges the men in Frankfurt were facing. It would be hopeless, utterly hopeless, to try to organize those five assassinations.
For one thing, he had developed his own plan. One that was in his grasp. One that did not overreach. In his own mind, he had already allotted Mathurin Brillard to a specific project.
Brillard was the only really good marksman in the group. Something that Michel tended to forget. Something that Antoine Delerue frequently forgot. Or, at least, frequently ignored when the realities of life started to impinge upon his abstract and theoretical convictions.
"Budget," Ancelin suggested.
"Unfortunately, budget is not really a problem. Sandrart may have removed Milkau from our clutches, but we are squeezing enough other members of the Calvinist diaspora hard enough that we can't lament that we are poorly funded. Not, at least, with any pretense of plausibility."
"Personnel, then?"
"Better." Locquifier scratched his head. "We must reiterate, I think. Since Michel has reiterated his orders, we must repeat our reply. With just enough variance from the last time that he knows we did in fact read his letter. So, we tell him what? That we will stick with what we have already decided—namely to act against the Grantville synagogue, with the hospital as a cover for this."
"Ah. Publicity. Explain how useful the dual approach will be. If rumors surface, if Nasi gets wind of the project, etc., the focus of the opposition's attention can be 'blipped' either way as they say on the radio. Just a few well-chosen pamphlets, rapidly produced on our faithful duplicating machine."