“But even more importantly, I think the way we conduct ourselves is going to be at least as important as anything we say. If we seem to be acting as if we’re afraid, then any effort on our part to reassure the public is going to be futile. But if we make it obvious that we aren’t afraid—that we remain confident of our ability to handle the Havenites diplomatically, or even militarily, if it comes down to it—then that message is going to soak into the public awareness, as well.”

“So what exactly are you proposing?” High Ridge asked.

“I’m proposing that we make it clear, both here at home and in Nouveau Paris, that we don’t intend to be bullied,” Descroix said flatly. “If Pritchart wants to get confrontational, then we need to push back just as hard as she pushes us. From what Edward’s just said, it sounds very much to me as if she’s basically trying to run a bluff.”

“I haven’t said that they haven’t made some substantial improvements in their war fighting ability, Elaine,” Janacek cautioned.

“No. But you have said you’re confident that whatever improvements they’ve made, we still have the edge.”

She made the statement an almost-question, and he nodded.

“Very well, then. If you can be confident of that without actually examining their hardware, then surely they have to be aware of it as well. After all, they know exactly what they have and also exactly what Eighth Fleet did to them before the cease-fire. That’s what I meant when I said I think Pritchart is essentially bluffing. She certainly isn’t going to be stupid enough to want to go back to war with us when she can’t be confident of achieving a military victory. So we call her bluff.

“I’m not proposing that we issue any ultimatums,” she went on quickly, reassuring the incipient alarm she saw on one or two faces. “I’m simply proposing that we stand firm. We won’t demand any fresh concessions on their part; we’ll simply refuse to be panicked into conceding the concessions they’ve demanded from us. Once the public realizes we feel sufficiently confident to hold our position and recognizes the patience with which we’re prepared to wait out this diplomatic tantrum Pritchart is throwing, the sort of borderline panic Alexander and White Haven are working so hard to generate will die a natural death.”

She raised her right hand, palm uppermost, and made a throwing-away gesture.

“You may be right,” High Ridge said. “In fact, I think you probably are. But it’s likely that things are going to be pretty unpleasant in the short term, whatever we do.”

“Like you said earlier, Michael,” she pointed out, “politics ebb and flow. As long as Green Vale and the party whips can hold our majority in the Lords, there isn’t really anything Alexander and his crowd can do except view with alarm. And when the current ‘crisis’ passes without Armageddon actually descending upon us, their efforts to generate panic will turn around and bite them in the opinion polls.”