That had been quite bad enough, but then Alexander’s insufferable brother had dived into the fray. What, he had asked, was the Government’s view of the effect the Republican Navy’s newly revealed combat capabilities was likely to have on the future course of the negotiations?

Descroix had insisted that the consequences of the Republic’s naval strength would be minimal, particularly in light of the steps the Government had already taken to offset the so far unproven increases in Haven’s capabilities. It had been an unfortunate position for her to maintain, in some ways, given White Haven’s earlier insistence that the Government’s naval reductions were dangerously unsound. Yet it had also been the only one she could possibly take, and so she’d done her best to defend what was at best a weak position.

She had not come off well in the confrontation.

Yet for all that, High Ridge reminded himself, the Government’s position in the Lords almost certainly remained sound. At least fifteen or twenty of the peers who’d managed to find reasons to be elsewhere during today’s session could be counted upon in a pinch to vote to sustain the Government. They’d absented themselves to avoid potential embarrassment, perhaps, but like New Dijon, they knew where their own interests ultimately lay. And they’d actually lost even fewer of the Independent peers on the vote to sustain Descroix than he might have expected, under the circumstances.

“I think you handled Alexander about as well as anyone could have,” he told her after a moment, and it was probably true. Under the circumstances, no one could have prevented the Opposition leader from making an unfortunate amount of political capital out of the situation, yet Descroix had managed to at least somewhat blunt his attacks.

“Do you?” she asked, her mouth twisting as if she’d bitten into something spoiled. “I wish I could say the same where his asshole of a brother was concerned!”

High Ridge grimaced, partly over her language, but far more because he agreed with her assessment. White Haven had hurt them on the military preparedness issue. Possibly hurt them badly, although that remained to be seen.

“Tell me, Edward,” Descroix went on, turning her scowl upon Janacek. “How would you have responded to his little inquisition?”

“I’ve already had to do that, thank you,” Janacek said sourly. “This is the first time you’ve had to deal with it, but we haven’t been quite that fortunate over at Admiralty House.”

“Well, perhaps if you’d seen it coming and managed to give any of us any warning,” she said icily, “it wouldn’t have been quite so embarrassing for you. Or for the rest of us, either.”

“And perhaps if anyone at the Foreign Office had been awake enough to warn us that Pritchart was going to start issuing demands when you’d assured us you were completely in control of the negotiating process, that wouldn’t have embarrassed us, either!” Janacek shot back.

“Which wouldn’t have mattered if they hadn’t managed to sneak their fleet increases past you,” Descroix rejoined hotly. “Without having improved their military position, they wouldn’t have had the gall to take this sort of high-handed tone with us!”