“Mom said something about that—and about how San Martin fitted into the political equation. But she was in a hurry to finish her letter, and I never asked her for a complete explanation,” Henke confessed.

“To paraphrase something Admiral Courvoisier once said to me, no captain—or commodore—in the Queen’s Navy can afford to be a virgin where politics are concerned, Mike. And especially not when she also stands as close to the Throne as you do.”

There was absolutely no condemnation in Honor’s tone, but there was a certain sternness in her eyes as her gaze locked ever so briefly with Henke’s. The countess looked back almost defiantly for a few heartbeats, but then her eyes fell, and she nodded in unhappy agreement.

“I know,” she admitted in a lower voice. “It’s just—Well, I suppose when it comes right down to it, I never really liked politics much more than you did. And since Dad and Cal were killed and that slimy bastard managed to steal the premiership from Willie Alexander, the very thought of sitting down in the same chamber as him is enough to turn my stomach.”

“And you the one who was just criticizing the Queen for her temper!” Honor scolded gently.

“Guilty as charged,” Henke acknowledged. “But you were saying?”

“I was saying that a majority of the House of Lords is backing High Ridge for reasons of its own. Which is probably what your mother meant when she mentioned San Martin. That same majority is afraid of what will happen when the San Martino peers are finally seated.”

“Why?” Henke asked with such genuine incomprehension that Honor, despite herself, sighed.

“Mike,” she said patiently, “this is basic Political History 101. What’s the one thing the Crown has been trying to take away from the Lords ever since there’s been a Star Kingdom?”

“The power of the purse,” Henke replied.

“Very good,” Honor said. “But the Founders, who were otherwise a fairly decent lot, were virtually unanimous in their determination to see to it that they and their descendants hung onto the real political power in the Star Kingdom. That’s why the Constitution specifically requires that the Prime Minister come from the House of Lords and specifies that any finance bill must be introduced in the Lords. I happen to think there’s something to be said for placing substantial political power in the hands of a legislative chamber which can be… insulated from the political and ideological hysteria du jour, but the Founders set up too much of a good thing. The fact that they never have to stand for election means that too many of the peers—present company excluded, of course—have… questionable contact with reality, let’s say. Worse, it’s even easier for someone who inherits her title to become an empire builder within the Parliament. Trust me,” she added dryly. “I’ve seen how that works on two different planets now, and with a considerably better vantage point than I ever wanted.”

She gazed useeingly out the window at the port escort for several seconds, her long fingers gently caressing both ’cats’ soft, silky fur. Nimitz looked up at her speculatively as he tasted her emotions through their empathic link. For a moment, Henke half-expected him to sink his claws, however gently, into Honor’s kneecap. He was quite capable of making his displeasure evident when it was time to scold his person for brooding over past events no one could change, anyway. But this time he decided against it, and left Honor alone until she shook herself and turned back to their guest.