The Difficult Matter

[Great Engellex]

THE DIFFICULT MATTER
DELLA TORRE & INGELGER-ORMONDE​

Wapping Palace, Kingdom of Walssex-Battent, Great Engellex, August 1952

By late August, after weeks of frustrating diplomacy, Aldwych d’Evercy House sent a letter back to San Salvo with the instructions and conditions that would procure them an invitation for their proposed visitation to the imperial metropolis, and to settle the disagreements that now raged between the two capitals. The Queen-Empress had confidently declared that there was now nothing to delay her meeting this Duke of Venosa, whereupon a more thoughtful Duke of Nonsuch considered how disastrous this would look for himself and the Whig party on foreign affairs when the election finally drops. Unfortunately for Charlotte battle lines were being drawn in the Empire, almost daily, political and religious, prompting Lady Salisbury to extend a personal invitation to the Potenzan duke to visit her Dulwich residence – with the determination of encouraging a degree of foreign investment in the suffrage and reform cause of her political coalition. The additional invitations were not exclusive to those with their establishments in Dulwich, the Queen of Walssex-Battent – through her husband the King – also extended an invitation to the Duke of Venosa, to attend Wapping Palace when he arrives in their Kingdom; Lavinia believed that she could persuade the duke to permit full support from the Grand Duchy for the, as she now saw it, increasingly oppressed followers of the Capitoline Church, she might, in return, be able to assist any in any ambitions of his or his allies for the Grand Duke’s crown.

Charlotte was outraged when she learnt of the additional invitations received by the Duke of Venosa, but she was equally reluctant to become embroiled in a domestic affair of a foreign country and resolutely insisted on going ahead with the meeting, arguing that many benefits would result from it. Her Cabinet, however, when ordered to finalise plans for the visit, strongly advised her not to meet the Duke at present because to do so would only identify her with, and so strengthen, the suffrage and reform cause, bringing much humiliation to those of the Pitt and Whig parties who she was supposed to be supporting. But Charlotte was obstinate. Unless the Council of State was unanimous in advising her otherwise, which she knew would not happen, she would see that the meeting went ahead, and that was the end of the matter.

Preparations for the visit in Dulwich were set in motion, although unseasonably wet weather that rendered Charlotte’s beloved hunting parties unmanageable – the country lane on her Warwick Estate used for reaching the hunting tower and gazebo was impassable. Rather ignorant to the matters privately unfolding in the Empire, the Duke of Nonsuch disagreed and dismissed the Queen-Empress in an urgent letter to the King of Walssex-Battent, pointing out that only he could dissuade the Queen-Empress from the disaster of the occasion despite her best efforts, and begged him to use his skills to good effect. But before the King could respond, Charlotte had let slip their own invitation to the Duke of Venosa; Charlotte had suspected that Nonsuch was trying to butter up her respect and opinion of the King with lines here and there, particularly unusual for him to do so.

It was a wet evening experienced in much of the country in Walssex-Battent, and Wapping Palace was no exception. Lavinia walked calmly toward a window in the dimly lit drawing room, and despite her efforts could not see through the rain that cascaded down the panes of glass. This was an important occasion. The Queen had assembled much of her husband’s house, the House of Ingelger-Ormonde at the palace, as the Duke of Venosa was due to arrive from his train journey through Wissemandie and the Kingdom. The King, his name is George of some unspecified number, was rather simply dressed, Queen Lavinia however displayed the utmost splendour as was quite expected, her whole style revealed great personal charm and refined taste. Her billowing evening dress was of silver-grey taffeta with trimmings of fine lace. Around her neck came a cascading great length string of superb pearls that sparkled against her brilliant diamond encrusted broach, of the House’s heraldry design, which was fastened above her left breast. The Queen’s outfit, with the S-shaped style of Lavinia’s desired fashion era, made the elder woman an imposing figure amongst the others of the family. They did not forget that the King reigned, but she ruled the House. She squinted as her eyes observed the dull lights of the Duke’s Rolls-Royce Phantom IV arriving outside n the terrible weather. Before he had been directed to the drawing room, Lavinia commanded the others, except her husband, out into an adjoining room.

Suddenly the Queen turned away from the window, and, with the aid of her cane, proceeded to stand dignified beside her seated husband. The footsteps of the approaching duke could be heard from inside. The doors were knocked upon twice and a footman entered to declare the Duke of Venosa. His Grace, Duke Guido della Torre of Venosa and Lord Speaker of his Majesty’s Chamber of Nobles, it was declared, their Majesties King George the Seventh and Queen Lavinia of the Kingdom of Walssex-Battent. The Queen held out her silk gloved hand for the Duke, how good of you to come, your Grace. Please, sit down. Lavinia and the Guido both proceeded to sit. It has been found necessary to form a religious council to safeguard the Capitoline Church in the Empire which is on the verge of ruin, she informed. The Duke accepted a glass of champagne from a footman and replied, you believe so your Majesty? She nodded, we all do. The Grand Duke of Wantage is certainly well meaning, but he is weak, and his cabinet has become a sore joke. Has your Grace been made aware of the Wantage Declaration against his Holiness? The King, fat and old, grumbled how it was outrageous.

 

[Potenza]

It had been a pleasant enough ride on the train, even if the sunny weather of northern Potenza, which only accented the rolling green hills, was replaced by the dark, overcast weather that had swamped Engellex.

"It is no concern," Guido had remarked, "soon Potenza will have the rain as well, and Engellex will have the sun returned."

He was coming in his usual green attire of the Torriani house, with the uniform of the duke, bearing the ducal emblem pinned on a sash that went around his chest. Accompanying him was his older sister Francesca, who was wearing a lovely green dress that went from her collarbone to her dark high heeled leather boots. A dark green choker wrapped around her little neck, and although this was modest attire considering her usual dress, the frills that came down from the top of her dress to the middle of her torso seemed to amplify her bosom somewhat.

"I'll confess I didn't except such a wide number of invitations," Guido remarked, looking out the train at the countryside, "but it is all the better. It shows that the world has her eyes on Potenza - especially Engellex."

"Is that all?" Francesca asked curtly, her eyes half open and seemingly staring down at her lap.

Guido turned to his sister and smiled, "Not entirely. If the papers mean anything, there's been quite a stir in the Empire these days. They're becoming a bit like the Tiburan Empire, I suppose...they've run out of worlds to conquer, and so they look to fight each other."

When the train arrived at the station, the Potenzan royal delegation was met by a fanciful Rolls-Royce, which Francesca especially seemed to admire, running a finger along the hood to the window. The countess had to stop an Engellixic valet from assisting Guido, knowing it would only make her brother angry. The Duke had grown up most of his life with only one leg, and had learned - whether with a fake leg or just one - on how to handle matters like entering and exiting vehicles. The ride itself was fairly quiet as they continued towards Wapping Palace, Guido and Francesca exchanging a few words in Tiburan. When they finally arrived, Francesca took Guido by the arm as they moved up the steps and entered through, Duke Guido being welcomed according to Engellexic customs.

"How good of you to come, your grace," Lavinia said, greeting the duke.

Guido bowed, leaning on his cane a bit, saying in his native tongue, "Buon pomeriggio, vostra maesta," then turning to English tinged by a Tiburan accent, "Many thanks to you and your husband for the invitation." He took her hand, gently kissing it with a smile, then motioned towards Francesca, "This is my sister, the Countess Francesca, she is simply with me to offer advice and support." Francesca smiled with her red lips and did a soft curtsy, although she said nothing.

They were offered to sit, and Francesca took a seat behind Guido, who accepted the seat offered to him and sat down with great ease of someone who is used to doing so with the support of a cane needed. The duke lifted his good leg and placed it over the thigh of his bad leg, which was only fake from the knee down. He rested the exquisitely detailed cane - a gift from Count Niccolo di Grimaldi - on his lap, placing his hands there as well as he looked at his hosts.

"It has been found necessary," the queen began, "to form a religious council to safeguard the Capitoline Church in the Empire which is on the verge of ruin."

Guido was offered a champagne glass, which he took with a quiet, "Grazie mille." Then, turning back to Lavernia, "You believe so, your majesty? Che peccato." Guido's frequent use of Tiburan caused his sister to smile just a little bit. When in foreign lands, he didn't drop Tiburan phrases so readily, and she recognized that he was putting on a little bit of an act. That is, he was emphasizing his status as a foreign dignitary from a foreign land...someone exotic and different than what people in this land were used to, perhaps in the hopes of making another person interested in him and what he had to offer.

Lavernia nodded, "We all do. The Grand Duke of Wantage is certainly well meaning, but he is weak, and his cabinet has become a sore joke. Has your Grace been made aware of the Wantage Declaration against his Holiness?" The king next to her grumbled something that clearly showed his disapproval of said declaration.

"Sì, sì," Guido replied, "the Church has a stronger grip in the Grand Duchy, as you might know. News about the church travels there quickly and easily. It is unfortunate. Needlessly divisive. Disastroso." He gently placed the champagne glass on a small table nearby, then continued:

"I'm not certain if you're aware of this, your majesty, but we della Torre consider ourselves something of guardiani of the Holy Catholic Church. We even had a war in the household over it in the Middle Ages, brother against brother, unfortunately. We sent troops to Nicosia in the eighteenth century to restore the church's power there. The Cathedral of the Annunciation was refurnished recently with funds from the Torriani coffers. The Visconti are late in the game, and they permit the Calvinists in the north to frolic free, only because they see the Protestant Cornaro as political allies."