“This is my offer. I will make it only once,” he says. “Take the money. Leave court. With what is in that purse, any man, respectable or otherwise, will crawl on his knees and beg to call you his wife. Marry. Have children. Buy some land. Settle. I do not wish you ill. Only, I would be glad to see you far, far away and myself restored to the right hand of my good friend the Dauphin. I wish you every happiness as the wife of some prosperous farmer, some benevolent nobody, and in this role, I hope you bear many children and live a long, contented life. But stay, and you will not find me sitting patiently in your shadow. I will do everything in my power to remove you. Alive or dead, it does not matter much to me, as you already know.”

Her hands tighten into fists, and for a moment, he looks less sure of himself. Don’t think I won’t use them, her expression says.

“I have heard that after the Dauphin is crowned, you intend to take Paris back from the English.” He puts some distance between them, shuffling behind the pedestal. “Is that true?”

“Why? Will you join me in battle, my lord?”

“I can see it is true, even if you refuse to answer. Well, it pleases me to inform you that you will fail. I am in the middle of talks with my lord Burgundy, who is with the Duke of Bedford in Paris now. You are surprised only because you forget the Duke is still His Majesty’s cousin. Burgundy has proposed a peace treaty, one I believe the Dauphin will accept.”

This is the first time she has heard any talk of a treaty. “His Majesty will take Paris. You come too late with your empty peace treaties, La Trémoille. Accept the truth, however painful it is for your pride. You no longer hold the influence you once had over the Dauphin. You talk about a new age, a new world, and I agree with you. He is a new man. France’s recent victories have emboldened him. He knows who in the court serves him best, and he finds those he formerly raised wanting.”

“Would you like to make a wager?” he asks. “On Paris, that is?”

“I would hate to take your money from you.” Actually, she thinks, I’d savor the opportunity. She looks down at the pouch of coins between them.

“That?” La Trémoille laughs, clutching his belly to keep it from shaking. “Oh, that is a paltry sum compared to what I would want, if I should win.”

“What then?”