To Lt.Colonel (Retd) le Chevalier Marcel de Mylcandonai
Chateau Neuf
Mylcandonai-sur-Rhone
Near Avignon
Cher Papa,
I'm glad to hear that your sojourn at Baden Baden cleared up your little
complaint at last (and that the spa's apparent lack of social amenities
probably prevented you from becoming reinfected).
Given his antededents (there must be a story behind his departure from
Brandenberg, but no-one seems to be aware of the details) Axel's apparent
popularity amongst the Germans is understandable. Let's face it, no German
in living memory has ever achieved such a powerful position in the service
of such a powerful monarch. I think the Badeners are mistaken regarding his
views on foreign policy, however. Hardly surprising since I was myself until
recently. Axel believes we should concentrate our efforts upon the Spaniards
in the Netherlands, after which extending a Rhine frontier southwards is the
logical next step.
It was indeed a relief to get Nicole safely married off at last. The shame
had she remained in (or returned to) the clutches of Grosscanard doesn't
bear thinking about. I regret that I was only able to be present at the
wedding in spirit, but the chaos left in the wake of the Senior affair
demanded my complete attention, I'm afraid. You have doubtless heard that
Senior has taken an appointment as Governor of Hispaniola in order that the
charges laid against him by Baron de Sevigny cannot be pursued any further?
Rumour has it that the appointment was suggested to him by his wife, who is
said to be fascinated by the dark rituals of the island's voodoo
practitioners. The malignant seed of treason Senior planted, the idea that
the Minister of State might usurp the powers of HIs Majesty with impunity,
is still flourishing, however, and if Axel succeeds in replacing him might
yet bear fruit. I hope Nicole, Diego and yourself can appreciate the
importance of my efforts to prevent this happening, even though it resulted
in my absence from the wedding.
Your evaluation of Grosscard, that he is one of those creatures who was
evidently born to be hanged, could well be correct, I fear. I had hoped that
the light sentence he received after being found guilty of spying for the
Spaniards would lead him to mend his ways to some extent, but far from it
apparently. You would have thought it obvious even to him that should he
find himself arrested again, the end of a rope is the best he can hope for?
Actually, his unfounded and ill-mannered criticism has proved most useful in
my efforts to secure the Ministry of State - he put horns on the heads of
some very influential gentlemen over the Summer. Malicious and baseless
criticism of His Majesy's First Minister is seditious and treasonable by
definition, of course, and should I be fortunate enough to be appointed and
Grosscanard be ill-advised enough to continue his puerile mudslinging, I
will find myself with no alternative but to pursue the matter with the full
rigour of the law. In this event your prediction will doubtless come to
fruition.
On the subject of Senior, I'm not quite sure _what_ his motives were. Comte
de Sevigny's investigations suggest that he wished to use the destablisation
which would have followed the ignominious military defeats he was apparently
attempting to engineer in order to usurp the Crown itself. Other evidence
suggests that he may have been involved in a conspircacy to prevent France
from opposing Swedish attempts to bring northern Germany under Swedish
control. Alternatively, his actions could just have been due to his being an
incorrigible busybody with an intense jeasousy of all those with even a
modicum of military ability. With an ocean between us now it is unlikely
that we will ever know the truth of the matter, I fear.
Anyway, I hope that you found things at Mylcandonai-sur-Rhone to be to your
satisfaction. I was fortunate enough to find the wherewithal to purchase
Petite Masure over the course of the recent campaign and the present owner
has finally agreed a price of 2,000 Crowns for the place. My land agent will
inform you when the deal has been completed, at which point you will once
more be able to enjoy the lifestyle of a very wealthy nobleman on the
complete estate left to you by your own father. To ensure you _continue_ to
be able to do so (and to prevent you from frittering away my inheritance for
a second time) as with the rest of the estate the lands will remain in my
name whilst you enjoy the revenues they generate.
Your Affectionate Son,
Alain
P.S. In between your last two letters I secured a Marquisate, a Duchy and a
General's commission - or did such facts escape you in the wake of the
excitement of Nicole's wedding?
