1635_ The Eastern Front - Eric Flint [24]
Lukasz nodded. "I understand."
The hetman rose. "And now, I must leave to deal with some other business. Unlike you youngsters, who have the luxury of obsessing over single matters, we men of maturity and substance must deal with many."
Jozef smiled. "Ah, yes. What the Americans call ‘multitasking.' But they say only women are really good at it. So perhaps women should be put in charge of the Commonwealth's affairs."
For the first time that day, a trace of alarm came to the hetman's face. "What a dreadful idea!"
Chapter 6
Vienna, Austria
"Yes, I know you're against it," Ferdinand said. The young emperor of Austria settled back in his chair and gave Janos Drugeth a look from under lowered brows that fell short of favorable. Quite a ways short, in fact. "What I wonder is how much of your opposition is based on your attachment to the American woman."
Janos managed not to clench his teeth. For all that he generally approved of Ferdinand III—he even counted himself one of the emperor's few close friends—there were times the man reminded him of his narrow-minded and pigheaded father. Once the emperor made up his mind about something, he could be very hard to dislodge, no matter how foolish the decision might be.
Still, Janos reminded himself, the emperor was only "very hard" to persuade he was wrong. His predecessor, Ferdinand II, had been impossible.
"To begin with," he said mildly, "I am not ‘attached' to Noelle Stull. We have exchanged letters, that's all."
"Gifts too."
Drugeth nodded. "Yes, gifts too. But you know perfectly well, Ferdinand, that Americans do not see such exchanges the same way we do. Even between a young man and a young woman."
He was one of the very few people allowed to address the emperor informally, as long as they were speaking in private. Normally, that absence of protocol allowed for considerable ease and warmth in their relationship. On this occasion, Drugeth found himself regretting it. It was easier to oppose such a friend on an important issue when you could call him what he actually was—"Your Majesty," the ruler of the land.
Ferdinand grunted. The noise had a vaguely sour tone. It had more than a vaguely childish tone, as well.
But Drugeth managed not to laugh. On most occasions, he would have been at liberty to disparage his good friend Ferdinand. But with a dispute like this between them, such derision would be unwise. It would certainly be counterproductive. Whatever else they were, Habsburg monarchs were self-assured. They had not become Europe's premier dynasty and held that position for so many centuries because they were given to doubt and uncertainty.
As a rule, that was a good trait. Here, unfortunately, it was not.
Janos was silent for a moment, gauging the emperor's mood. He decided that it would be pointless to continue the line of argument he'd been pursuing so far this morning—to wit, that getting into a war with the USE over the fate of John George and his Brandenburg counterpart George William would be pointless, foolish and shortsighted.
Pointless, because Drugeth had no doubt whatever that the electors of Saxony and Brandenburg were doomed to defeat. Their armies were not ranked among the best in Europe and would be hopelessly outclassed by Gustav Adolf's forces. The contrast in the quality of military leadership was probably just as severe. The Swedish king was recognized as one of the great captains of the world, and his young lieutenant Torstensson—the same man who had crushed the French at Ahrensbök—ranked not much below him. In contrast, the Brandenburg commanders were mediocre. The Saxon general