Chapter 39
"As if we needed that," said Jeremi, after a meeting with Gonzaga.
"What?" asked Jurko.
"The Holy Roman Emperor is coming on a state visit, and wishes to meet the man who preserved his library to make a direct appeal to you in regards to bargaining."
"You'd better tell me what you were asking for in exchange then," said Jurko.
"The Duchy of Silesia," said Jeremi.
Jurko had just taken a mouthful of wine, and sprayed it across the room.
"Now look what you made me do!" he said, accusingly, after he had finished coughing. "What a waste of a good vintage!"
"There's plenty more of it," said Jeremi. "Don't you want to be Duke of Silesia?"
"Not particularly, but I can see that it would be advantageous to the Commonwealth," said Jurko. "It's chock-full of metal ores, gold, silver, lead, iron, copper; and good building stones of various kinds in the mountains. Marble, basalt, limestone... I'm not surprised he is holding out."
"Write him a fanfare and welcome overture and add that to the deal," said Jeremi. "You're more than capable even if you do prefer folk music."
"I could," said Jurko. "Hmm, I think a round, each repetition building on the last, and a final, unison repetition of the theme... a challenge. I normally write tunes and memorise them..."
"And you have in your employ Bobowski, who can write it down as you play," said Jeremi.
"Good point," said Jurko. "We've completed most of the copying now, only the few treatises which have more than one copy or are less interesting left. I have some fascinating medical texts on surgical techniques as well, which might be of interest, and we sort of acquired a young man who was training to be a doctor who wanted to return to his native faith who is interpreting them more than as a direct translation. He's removed bladder stones before, which I found fascinating."
"And the patients survived? I'm impressed."
"He says it's a case of cleanliness at all times; which you can't say many barber-surgeons follow," said Jurko.
"Have him take apprentices, then, and I will endow a free hospital, where they may learn on those who are poor and desperate, who thereby get a chance to live where they might not otherwise do so, and whose relatives will be paid compensation if they die," said Jeremi. "Really, Jurij, you've brought back the most valuable loot any Cossack ever snagged, the knowledge of the Ottomans in many fields, as I understand from what I have seen of what you have brought, alchemy, medicine, horticulture. It will all aid us."
"And the shade of my mother is screaming in anger that you praise me for my love of learning for its own sake, which she told me many times was a waste of time."
"I am sorry I picked her, my dear, my beloved son, but oh! I am so glad that you were born, and that you have overcome the vicissitudes of your childhood!"
"Papa! What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I was ready for your love, because of mine own insecurities, and need for someone. Why, just imagine if I had been less hungry for knowledge, I would not have become an engineer, and might have been a perfectly good beef-witted colonel of some kind with nothing else to offer but my fighting prowess."
"The Good Lord moves in mysterious ways," said Jeremi. "But if we seize the opportunities He offers us when they are offered, we will do well. And if not... not."
Jurko chuckled.
"The decision to take advantage of Helena's literacy to write to you was the best we ever took. I love you, Papa. I'll even put up with being a duke for you."
"Oh, now that's devotion."
oOoOo
Jeremi reflected that it must have been Jurko's healer whom Jan Skrzetuski had rushed to the birthing-chamber of his young wife, when her protracted labour was going badly. The young man had apparently calmly used forceps to deliver Zuzanna Skrzetuska of a baby boy, who was a breech-birth and already engaged, and small Jarema Skrzetuski had come into the world blue, but rapidly improving in colour as he made his outrage known. The doctor had said that the rough handling with forceps might leave the child with hip displasia, but that could be addressed later, and a live child could be treated where a dead one was beyond treatment. Zuzanna had laughed weakly and told him that he had the bedside manner of a horse doctor but as long as he knew how to deliver her foal she didn't care. Jan had fallen to his knees to give thanks to God for providing Ion Ionescu at the right moment, the doctor having reverted to his Wallachian name as he reverted to his native religion. Jan was under no illusions that his wife would have died along with the baby. He took careful account of the best ways to avoid her succumbing to blood loss and puerperal fever, which treatment the doctor started with a douche of thyme infusion as soon as the afterbirth had cleared.
oOoOo
Jurko started work on the fanfare for an emperor. He picked a simple theme, three rising notes, and then one more rise and a tumbling, falling passage, and each chased the other round and round. Bobowski helped him write it down and score it so it was a finished, crafted piece of music, not just a tune.
"Simple, but effective," said Bobowski. "You want a finale."
"The first three notes ask a question," said Jurko. "Because the third does not finish on a note which agrees with the first... I don't know if there's a special term for that, but don't tell me if there is until I have it sorted out. If I take them in reverse order after chasing the theme twice, and mess about with the falling theme, so it's not quite reversed, and then goes back on itself..."
He whistled melodiously.
"Perfect," said Bobowski. "Twice through on the round, once through in unison and then this finishing phrase with some deep chords to accompany it."
"Thank you so much," said Jurko.
"Oh, I did very little any half competent choir boy could not do," said Bobowski. "Music comes perhaps too easily to you that you just toss off tunes and never write them down; but I've been recording your songs. I can teach you to do it yourself?"
"I would be honoured," said Jurko.
oOoOo
oOoOo
The fairly new wife of one of Sobiepan's dependents was not the sort of woman Gryzelda normally expected to see at court, but she behaved herself well enough. The choice of husband surprised Gryzelda.
"Were you in my brother's harem?" asked Gryzelda.
"Yes, your majesty," the young woman curtseyed. "But I was offered marriage to Lord Glowacki, and accepted."
"I always thought his tastes in the bedroom lay on the other side of the square, so to say," said Gryzelda.
Lady Glowacka beamed.
"That was why I accepted him; a nice peaceful life in luxury, the chance to visit court and see the wonders of Warszawa, and accept the occasional visits to my chamber in the attempt to provide him with an heir. And I am with child so Warszawa is my reward."
"Congratulations; I applaud your patience.
"I put on uniform; it worked like a charm," said Lady Glowacka. "Once I corrected his aim."
"Well done," said Gryzelda. Really, Sobiepan was a piece of work.
Someone else she met at court was Sobiepan's own bride, Çulpan.
"I am delighted to meet your majesty," said Çulpan. "Jan would have been very difficult to control if he had not been trained by so excellent an older sister."
"Oh, good, you are not submissive," said Gryzelda.
"Not in the least. My mother died when I was small and my father found it easier to bring me up like my brother, as if I was a boy. He was despairing of finding me a husband when the opportunity arose for a treaty bride, and knowing that your majesty is considered a match for most men, it was hoped that I would be suitable."
"My name is Gryzelda, my dear; you are my sister," said Gryzelda.
She sought out Sobiepan.
"Are you happy with your bride?" she asked.
"Deliriously, actually," said Sobiepan. "She knows how to be all woman at the right times, though she's as bossy as you are."
"Ah, but a man who has a woman who can submit aggressively knows where he is," said Gryzelda.
"You know, that describes it perfectly. Good God, Gryzelda, you mean..."
"Not saying another word," said Gryzelda.
oOoOo
Andrzej Kmicic and his Oleńka finally got married, and elected to stay in Warszawa for a while.
"Oh dear," said Helena, as the wedding concluded. "My waters have broken."
"Mine haven't but I've started labour pains," said Janina.
Jurko looked at Zagłoba, and each picked up his wife.
"My rooms," said Jurko. "Then they can be together for Ion Ionescu to see to them."
Zagłoba did not argue.
Jurko and Zagłoba paced and worried together, rubbed backs, held hands, blenched at blistering oaths, and allowed themselves to be organised by Ion Ionescu, who claimed that he was taking a fee under false pretences as both ladies were doing just fine.
"We're paying you to make us feel better," said Jurko.
"I prescribe mead," said Ionescu.
"I always prescribe mead," said Zagłoba.
"Shut up and give me your belt to bite," said Helena.
Small Helena Zagłoba beat little Micholek Wiśniowiecki into the world by about a quarter of an hour.
"She looks like a skinned rabbit," said Janina, critcally.
"Nothing wrong with her, small, compact, and perfectly formed," said Ionescu cheerfully.
Micholek emerged, red in the face, angry, and kicking.
"What a fine little Cossack you are, practising Hopak already," said Jurko.
oOoOo
Gryzelda gathered her special ladies about her. This was her sister, Joasia plus Helena, Malwina, Zuzanna, Janina, Jadwiga, Marysieńka, Róża, Oleńka, and with some thought on the matter, Çulpan.
She entertained them, with aid from Marysieńka, on how she had managed the diplomats and the Sejm, and then looked at them seriously.
"It's possible that you may need to do the same thing sometime in the future which is why I'm telling you about it. We all have menfolk to protect, except Joasia and Róża, but I expect you will do so, Róża."
"I'm not looking for it yet, but I'm not avoiding the idea," said Róża.
"And that's the best way to treat life and romance," said Gryzelda. "All of you have chosen your men, except Çulpan."
"I said I'd do it of my own free will, though," said Çulpan. "And Sobiepan is a fair enough husband now we have established a few ground rules."
Marysieńka sniggered. She had been with her Jan Sobieski whilst Sobiepan was getting used to being married.
"Do we want to know?" murmured Oleńka.
"Yes," said Róża. "If not for ourselves, then for any daughters or wards we end up with who become bargaining chips."
Çulpan shrugged.
"I pointed out to him that he had to sleep at some point, and if he did not take my wishes into account, or if he ever struck me, he could wake up with little nicks all over his chest from my little knife. Or short half of his moustache. Or short a few other items. I'm indifferent to whether I have children or not, after all."
Janina giggled. "If you shave everything that doesn't show, that's an object lesson too," she said.
"You didn't!" said Helena.
"He promised me not to get drunk and he broke his promise," said Janina. "He has never broken any promise since. A girl's best friend is a sharp little knife."
"I like you," said Çulpan, approvingly. "So, we are a league of women who are some of the leading ladies of the Rzeczpospolita, who arrange our men and any external sources to make things run better?"
"More or less," said Gryzelda. "And the Holy Roman Emperor is coming to visit, so we shall be very accommodating, demure, polite, and submissive, the better to kick him metaphorically in the balls if we have to."
"I love Cossack politics," said Jadwiga. "And of course we protect our husbands from such things."
"Of course," said Gryzelda. "Unless they are sufficiently strong enough to take it." She had told Jeremi all, and had discovered that he found a politically astute wife very arousing.
Gryzelda was a happy woman.
oOoOo
Now that Zuzanna and Jarema were doing well, Jan was happy to be assigned to Michał Wołodyjowski as an honour guard to the Holy Roman Emperor when he reached the border of the Commonwealth. Snow had set in for the year, and skids were provided to turn his carriages into sleds. The escort delighted in showing off how sure-footed their horses were, compared to the visitors, having winter shoes and straw overshoes. They sang as they rode, because it never occurred to them not to do so, falling silent on reaching Jurko's bridge, having disembarked from barges on the far bank to make sure that the emperor was duly impressed. And by the myriad coruscating coloured lights, Ferdynand the third and his teen-aged son, Leopold, rode over the bridge to the strains of the Fanfare for an Emperor.
"I don't believe I know that tune," said Ferdynand to Michał.
"You wouldn't; it was written in your honour by Prince Jurij," said Michał.
"I must thank him; it is most appropriate," said Ferdynand, in approval.
The visit of a foreign dignitary was always a good excuse for a celebration on the part of the people of Warszawa; and Sarmatians are enthusiastic celebrants of any excuse for a party.
Especially when someone else was paying.
"It's a Wednesday, but we've relaxed Advent fare for the people to serve fish at the street parties," explained Jan. "Not all are as strict in the observance of fast periods as we are in the palace, where we generally have one fish dish available on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, usually a mixed stew."
"Your king's observances are devout," said Ferdynand.
"It's good for the replenishment of resources of God's world and for our health," said Jan.
Ferdynand, devout as he was, did not limit the food on his own court's table. He was not sure how he felt to be outdone in devotion to the religion of which he was supposed to be a world leader.
