Chapter 26

"I can't really prepare you for Constantinople," said Jurko. "You who look upon Warszawa as a large city have not seen the cities of the east. Warszawa has a population of some twenty-five thousand souls. Constantinople numbers its population in the hundreds of thousands. It sprawls across the countryside as if a city has filled a whole county. Helena and I went there once before Papa became king, carrying despatches for Wladysław IV."

"It is an impressive place," said Helena. "The fortresses are solid. They will not be taken with gunpowder or even readily with siege. We will have to rely on surprise and subterfuge."

"And once we have taken the Throat-cutter fortress, we will lock it up, enable those locking the doors to get down off the high walls, and leave it. They will be able to scale the walls to get in eventually, but it will take a while for someone to try it. And we can spike all the guns before we leave, also," said Jurko. "And I'll see if I can bluff my way into the Jedi Kule fortress."

"It's not bluffing your way in, it's getting out again," said Helena, severely.

"Well, they will expect me to give up my sabre, but they won't expect my wife to even have one," said Jurko, happily. "Nor that both of us will have an arapnik which can be at least as deadly, axes hung on our belts behind us, bristling with knives, and a nagajka as a last ditch weapon."

"I love the way our ataman thinks," said Kuryło.

"And no looting until all objectives are achieved, and if any man seizes a woman, he marries her."

"You're a puritanical sod, Jurko," said Kuryło, shocking Von Kettler.

"Yes," said Jurko. "My Cossacks are the best disciplined troops in the world, and I'm damned proud of them. We don't rape. We are real men who don't have to do so."

There was a flurry and a young man came in and bowed.

"Jonas Kazimieras Sapiega – that is, Jan Kazimierz Sapieha," he introduced himself. "My father thought you might need more men to take and hold Constantinople, so I've come in a war fleet of what could be mustered. We've three thousand Swedish mercenaries signed on for loot, with Swedish ships hired by my father for the Rzeczpospolita, which was my idea, and a thousand hussars."

"Now that I am likening," said Jurko, brightening. "Your hussars will get the chance to strut their stuff and look beautiful, which will, in itself, help to keep peace. If any of your Swedes know Arabic, I'll integrate them with my Cossacks – most of us have a smattering, even if only to know how to say to go fuck themselves, and ask where the money is."

Sapieha laughed. He had a very high forehead and his features seemed to be squashed into the lower part of his head, but he had bright, intelligent eyes. His moustache was as yet a little sparse and he stroked it self-consciously, as a youth must do.

"So you're rotmistrz of hussars?" asked Jurko.

He flushed.

"Acting," he said. "With volunteers following me."

"Well, I have no doubt you'll have the opportunity to make that an official ranking before we're through if you don't get yourself killed," said Jurko. "You know the Duke of Kurland, of course; Kuryło is my adjutant, and so is my wife, Helena. Everyone else can introduce themselves over the next meal. I have a policy of briefing all officers, and letting them pass down what we are doing, on the understanding that a man who knows what he is doing, and why he is doing it, is more inclined to do it better. We plan to use subterfuge first, and force after. Because without it, we'd spend your brave fish-eaters and hussars to no avail."

"I'm not complaining," said Sapieha. "Papa said that I might as well learn from the young fox while the old fox does politics."

Jurko laughed.

"He's not wrong about that as an appellation for us," he said. "Please inform your Swedes that I hang rapists. They touch it, they bought it."

"That won't go down well."

"There are brothels, and they can loot enough to pay in cash."

"I'll let them know."

"They won't believe me until I hang the first transgressor, I don't suppose, but they will obey one way or another."

"They'll believe you; you're a figure of myth and legend in Sweden," said Sapieha.

oOoOo

Easter passed, with quiet celebrations. The Poles and Cossacks were firmly on their own calendar, and ignored the bemusement of the Russians, who would celebrate Easter some weeks later.

As Aleksej began to surround himself with men of ability, Jeremi began a withdrawal of troops, with messages to Sobiepan to sit tight, relief was on the way, and to Chmielnicki that a column of Ottomans were ripe for the picking and that the Tatars were allies.

Bohdan Chmielnicki had had a chequered relationship with the Tatars, but would work with them willingly enough. They were wild men, but useful to deploy with their short cavalry bows, which the Cossacks were unable to duplicate. Just because Jeremi had every belief in his son's ability to take and hold to ransom the jewel of the Ottoman empire, Constantinople, did not mean that he planned to leave the Turkish army alone. Indeed, if the Ottomans could be defeated as an invading force and then told that their capital had been seized, the demoralisation should be enough to write a treaty which would keep them in check for at least a good period to come.

Jerzy Rakoczy of Transylvania was an ambitious man. He had his eye on southern Poland. A letter to him, however, inviting him to throw the Turk out of Hungary and Wallachia whilst they were a trifle occupied with Poland might give Mehmet IV more headaches, and relieve Poland of an enemy in favour of potentially easier pickings.

Rakoczy was a useful idiot. Yes, that would do very nicely. And Gryzelda had written that the Austrians, or rather, the Holy Roman Emperor, wanted a piece of the action too. Well, he would write to Gryzelda to tell the Gonzaga duke enough about the events now in train to let the Holy Roman Empire consider shifting the Ottomans out of Europe.

It kept all sorts of people occupied.

Poland was growing and becoming wealthy. And though they could move troops fast, now, this was still a time of consolidation in which, if Austria, the Germanic countries, and France actually managed to act together, Poland was vulnerable if the other vultures were not... distracted. Mentioning Rakoczy's ambitions might just unsettle Ferdinand Ernest, being King of Hungary and Bohemia as well as Archduke of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor, since Rakoczy was a Lutheran. Or was he a Calvinist? Jeremi could not remember. There wasn't enough difference that he could see to get exercised over. But there was enough difference for a Catholic king who had settled the religious wars to worry about another crusading Protestant.

oOoOo

Gryzelda smiled brightly at Charles Gonzanga.

"Oh, my lord, how nice of you to come so quickly," she said. "Now, I hope you won't be cross with me for telling what is only rumour to date, well, of course, some of it is confirmed, but not all of it by any manner of means, and I don't want you to feel that I am giving you intelligence when some things are hardly more than gossip and hearsay because of the movement of troops. I beg your pardon?"

"I... nothing, I but cleared my throat," said Gonzanga. "What is that you do know as confirmed?" he managed to be polite.

"Well, my husband writes to me that he is withdrawing from Russia very shortly, since Aleksej was induced to sign a treaty which will bring Russia under the aegis of civilisation, and with the road we can, besides, keep an eye on them. Jurko's men have been building a canal and a navigation as well, and it is splendid that I know the difference and can speak quite intelligently about the same, for a navigation is the deepening, widening and some little straightening of an existing watercourse, whereas a canal is a new watercourse entirely. And the Dniepr is such a foolishly winding river it almost becomes something between the two, you know. It's not hard, I am told, to canalise it to Dorogobuż, but to go further and to join it to the Moskwa river is what Jurij calls 'work'. They had all the prisoners digging which got most of the fight out of them, and the Tsar is a convert to canals. That should go well, unless anyone assassinates Aleksej, but if they do, we shan't be polite next time."

"Indeed!" said Gonzago, feeling that he ought to interpose a word somewhere. "Er, so your husband will soon be back in Warszawa?"

"Oh! No. There's intelligence that the Ottomans are on the march, so he is joining my brother at Chocim. It is the best place, in case Jerzy Rakoczy decides that we have a weak underbelly, instead of seeing if he can't conquer Wallachia whilst the Turks are otherwise occupied, or the rest of Hungary or whatever. Such a sadly unstable young man with ambitions beyond his capabilities, rather like Karol Gustaw. Of course he might move through the mountains and have a go at Bohemia, but you wouldn't be interested in that, would you? Anyway, Jeremi is ready to dig in to resist an Ottoman invasion, and wait for Jurij to send word that he has taken his objective to have a bargaining point."

"And what objective is that?" asked Gonzago.

"Constantinople," said Gryzelda.

Gonzago choked.

"Is he insane? Why, you might as well start grieving for him now."

"Not at all; every Cossack raid of the place has brought back new intelligence, and we have the whole city dripping with spies," said Gryzelda. "I have every confidence that Jurij will soon send word that he has taken the city."

Gonzago was thinking furiously.

If Prince Jurij failed, the Poles would be fighting mad against the Ottomans. The crazy young man was popular.

If, by some unexpected stroke of luck he succeeded... surely he could not... a woman could not know the danger he was in... but if he was so confident, and if he succeeded... then it would be as well not to try to turn any screw on Poland.

The idea of Jeremi, or worse! Jurkij Wiśniowiecki as Holy Roman Emperor left Gonzago feeling sick and faint.

oOoOo

"Why have we got to travel, Lady Janina?" asked Yevdokia.

"Because your Mama and Papa want you to be safe in case scary things happen," said Janina. "And I'm taking you while Helena is with Prince Jurij, who will be your Uncle Jurij from now on, because the naughty Ottomans want to attack us."

"But why did you come to Russia?" asked Yevdokia. "I keep forgetting to ask Princess Helena."

"Because there were some bad people who were trying to make your Papa behave badly," said Janina. "Now he understands a great deal more and he is happier, but the people who like him not to know things, so they can steal more, don't like it."

Yevdokia considered.

"Is it true that peasants are people and can think?" she said.

"Why, Yevdokia, I was born a peasant, and I rather fancy I can think, don't you agree?" said Janina. "I met my most gracious lord, and he swept me off my feet; and he loved me enough to marry me. And I have learned to be a lady."

"Yes, I suppose so," said Yevdokia. "I did not think I would like sleeping out in a hut which is part tent, but it is fun, and Papa plays with us, and we can play with other children. I suppose they are serfs?"

"Some of them. But if you can't tell who is and who is not, does that not tell you how silly it is to think them entirely different?"

"I suppose so," conceded Yevdokia. "Will travelling be an adventure?"

"Some, but mostly it will be uncomfortable, tedious, and the better for being over," said Janina. "But that is what it means to be noble, to put up with it without complaining. I have learned this skill as a lady. I don't mind travelling with my husband, however, because he tells exciting stories and makes jokes and sings."

He would have to modify his stories with small ears around, but he was practised at that, being used to the Wiśniowieccy menage.

oOoOo

"Hey, hey, hey, on the dark running river

With my dear sweetheart in my arms

I could sail onwards forever

Where I enjoy her many charms.

Hey, hey, hey, where the wind speeds us swiftly

Filling the sail and sending us forth

As the steersman leads us so deftly

Guiding by the star of the north.

Hey, Hey, Hey, hear the water laugh softly

Against the prow, it plays its tune

The wind sings in the ropes flying lofty

Together their lullaby they croon.

Hey, hey, hey, as we dance on the water

There's no place I would rather be

When my life has run, longer or shorter

Bury my bones in the deep blue sea."

"I hope that's no premonition," said Helena, tightening her arms around her husband as he improvised and sang as they swept downriver.

"No, my love, just a thought that I'm more a sailor than a horseman, for I can feel every change of the water through my feet; I can wake at a change in wind or current; and I feel even more alive than sat upon a horse."

"Well, that's why you're Hetman of the Waterways," said Helena.

"It is," said Jurko. "Oh, what it is to be able to sail anywhere. What should we have done without canals, my love?"

"Walk," said Helena. "And I am mightily glad we have canals."

"I made them just for you," he said, bowing to the ground with a flourish. "They're a little difficult to hang up in your closet to wear, though."

"Dear fool!" laughed Helena. "You made them for Papa Jeremi, because he is your father and you love him."

"Well, yes, that too," said Jurko. "And on a day like this, I start wondering if one might not make a really big kite and fly through the sky on those nice constant winds."

"No," said Helena.

"No?"

"No."