Chapter Four: Outcome
Dublin Castle, Thursday the 21st of September
"You're awake."
She nodded while smiling.
"Yes, papa, I'm awake. The laudanum's effect's long gone. The hurt's there to remind me what could have happened. No need to rub my nose in it. How is Maureen?"
"Better. She's alive, no thanks to you!"
She didn't flinch and didn't lower her eyes.
"I couldn't act otherwise, papa. They would have torched the church. I couldn't let all those innocents die and I couldn't let those poor angry souls forfeit forever their redemption."
A tear ran down her cheek.
"I've seen, in Maureen, what a shattered soul looks like."
He took her hands.
"You could be dead, dear," he said through gritted teeth.
"I know," she replied. Her voice was calm and steady, "But I'm not and I refuse to look the other way when I'm in charge!"
"You weren't in charge," tried her father.
"Yes I was!" replied Jane.
She shook her head, shut and opened her eyes a few times and looked her father in the eyes.
"It was my duty, papa. It was my duty to stand up and to stop them. Who else could have done it without causing a bloodbath? We can't just decide that, because there's a risk or because we are afraid, our duty disappears. This world would be utter chaos if everyone just decided that there are more important things than one's duty."
She closed her eyes and took a long deep breath.
"I'm Madame d'Arcy, papa, twice countess and manifold baroness. I'm no longer only a gentleman's daughter. I'm the woman whose duty will be measured against the power her husband wields. I can't be less than him. I have to be at least his equal. And I won't fail him!"
Mr. Bennet sighed, shook his head before lifting her hands and kissing them.
Somewhere between Rosings and here his serene, beautiful daughter has morphed into a determined beautiful and fearless wife.
He was quite taken with the result.
"It just can't be…"
"Call the world a liar and stop fretting, Maureen. You're alive and Doc says that within a few days you'll be up and thriving," said d'Arcy. "I don't care how you felt after being shot and stabbed. It was a lot less dangerous than what you believed, that's all. And now if we could just move on, we have still a lot of Ireland to free."
He kissed her hand, stood up and turned toward the door.
"I'll be back this afternoon. Eat and rest. My wife is on the road to recovery so you'll soon be called to resume your duty". He looked at her and smiled at her. "We need you at your best Maureen." He stopped and shook his head. "No, I need you at your best, Maureen! Only you'll be able to protect her!"
She smiled in her sleep when he came to lie at her side.
"How are you, mon amour?" he whispered in her ear.
She opened her eyes and slowly turned her head.
"I'm hurting, but it is of no importance. I'm also very happy, happy to be alive, happy to know that Maureen will live and even more happy to be able to see you at my side!"
He snickered.
"I notice that you're not in tears."
Her eyes sparkled.
"He wanted to scold me but I wouldn't let him."
"What a pity! I could have taken you in my arms and could have whispered comforting words in your ears."
"Try and do the same with loving words; I think I'd prefer that."
He very carefully snuggled her against him and did just that.
She first made a face without complaining and soon her smile was back, tenfold as beautiful.
"You do remember that it is quite a long time ago since I was able to lift you into the higher spheres of blissful love making."
"I do, love, but having a hole in one's shoulder is a rather efficient repellant to too much exercise! I'm sorry!" She sighed. "So am I, mon amour. So am I. But I'm also so happy to have you alive in my arms."
She stretched to be able to put a light kiss on his nose.
"I'm sorry, and I do long after our nightly bouts, but even lying in your arms is hurtful."
He tried to move but she stopped him immediately.
"It hurts, but it is also the only thing I want just now, so please stay with me and go on holding me."
He did as asked and soon he dozed away, his nostrils full of her marvelous fragrance.
After an hour he awoke. She brushed his brow with a kiss.
"Better?"
"Much. You can't imagine how wearing it is to be crazy with worry."
"Sorry for that, love. But…"
He hushed her with a kiss.
"No need, I do understand even if I'm scared to death by my wife's reckless behavior."
She decided that she wasn't ready to follow that path! It was time to choose a more benign topic.
"How's the invasion?"
He looked at her, the message clear that it would nevertheless be a topic in the future.
For now he accepted the change of topic.
"It's proceeding. Dublin, Kildare and Meath are under our rule. Wicklow is being secured by Bessières' cavalry just as we speak. My engineers are working like mad reconstructing what I destroyed a few days ago. The five spare guns I brought with me will be installed within the next days. With half the menfolk of Dublin lending a hand, it won't take very long to secure Dublin's fortifications."
"The English troops?"
"Those in Dublin surrendered without firing a shot. A courier went to Glasgow yesterday to signal to our allies that we have a few thousand Scotsmen in our custody."
"And what about the Irish?"
He laughed, being careful not to hurt her with uncontrolled movements.
"They are very quiet and very subdued. The news that my wife –my pregnant wife–was injured while trying to stop a resentful Irish mob did quite a lot to calm their vengefulness. I do believe that you succeeded quite well in smothering the bloodthirstiness of even the most radical Irish freedom fighters in a two hundred miles radius. For now, they are very obedient and very careful not to ignite anew my ire."
"And as usual you are going to make it your mission to give me the good role in the play."
"No need, my love. Thanks to your reckless…" she heard the unsaid reproach, but didn't react. "stunt and Maureen's selfless acceptance of martyrdom you both already have all the attributes of sainthood. The Irish love you because you stopped their hotheads before committing an ugly crime and the English love you because you stopped the Irish burning them alive. For once you did it all alone."
"What will happen next?"
"I don't know" said d'Arcy.
She turned her head and he could see disbelief in her eyes.
"Really, I don't know. This trip was as well prepared as everything I undertake but the local situation is difficult. The Irish have a real leadership problem here. They have too many candidates and too little willingness to reach a compromise. Thanks to your action and your injury I do believe I was able to get one very clear message to every would-be freedom fighter leader. They know now that I won't accept wanton murdering of civilians or troops who have surrendered. And I have let it be known, in no uncertain words, that those who carry out anything that could be looked at as a crime will have the pleasure to face my hangman! After having been judged and found guilty."
Jane nodded and smiled at her husband.
She could see the lines of worry on his handsome face. She knew that, for some of them, she was. But she also knew that what she had done was what had to be done. She really hoped her husband's threats would be enough. Maureen had been the living proof that hatred and lust for revenge could destroy and pollute even the most gentle soul.
"We will have to judge also the crimes of the British" she said finally. "There will only be forgiveness if everybody knows that justice has been brought to all parties involved."
He looked at her with surprise in the eyes.
"Don't look at me like that; I don't ask for mass executions, love. I ask for unbiased trials where those who committed crimes will be able to explain why they did what they did. I don't doubt that we will find quite a lot of sadists who enjoyed killing and maiming. But those will be a minority. Most of the others will be able to show that they had no real choice. And they will also be able to state their regrets and ask for forgiveness. And that last point is even more important than the rest. We need England and Ireland able to look in each other's eyes in order to get over the last two centuries."
He nodded while thinking about what his wife had just said.
There were more than fifty judges with his Armies. French and English judges. And there would be trials. A lot of trials. As many trials as necessary to burn out Ireland's festering flesh.
But these trials would have to wait. He needed to finish his current military campaign before and he had, if he was lucky and his guests smart enough to see their overall interest, the means to end it even more easily than the previous one.
He sighed and began to wriggle out of her arms.
"You won't stay?" asked Jane.
He shook his head.
"No, there's still a lot to do. And since you're in no shape to respond to what I would like to do to you, I prefer quitting and let you recover your strength. Hopefully, I'll be able to slip into our bed in a few hours. I'll let you sleep."
"If I sleep…"
"We'll see, love. We'll see!"
He kissed her, let his fingers play with her golden hairs and then, in a dash, stood up and hurried away.
Next Chapter : State Negotiations
