“Precisely the point I wished to raise,” North Hollow said. “Either of them alone would be bad enough; together, they’re the greatest single obstacle we face in the Lords. Would anyone disagree with that?”

“You’re probably right,” New Kiev said after a moment. “William Alexander is bad enough, but he was always a team player, completely loyal to Cromarty. He stayed in the background, so the public saw him as the nuts-and-bolts member of Cromarty’s team—a technician and strategist, and an excellent one, but not a leader. Not with the sort of charisma Harrington has or the reputation for command his brother enjoys. And the same thing’s true for James Webster and Sebastian D’Orville on the Navy side. They’re both respected, but neither of them ever captured the public’s eye the way Harrington and White Haven did. And, of course, neither of them holds a seat in Parliament, however influential they may be as Opposition ‘analysts.’ ”

“So I think we’re all in agreement,” North Hollow said, “that anything which could, um, decrease White Haven’s and Harrington’s popularity, especially at this particular moment, would be… advantageous?”

He looked around the conference table with bright, speculative eyes, and one by one, the others nodded. New Kiev’s nod was smaller and less enthusiastic than the others, almost uncomfortable, but it was a nod nonetheless.

“The question which comes to mind, My Lord,” Descroix remarked, “is precisely how we could go about decreasing the popularity either of them enjoys, much less both of them. Goodness knows they’ve proved remarkably resistant to previous efforts in that direction.”

“Ah, but that was because our efforts were directed at… disarming each of them. Not both of them,” North Hollow said with a most unpleasant smile.

Chapter Six

“… SO the contracts should be in our hands by the end of the week, Your Grace.”

Richard Maxwell, Honor’s personal Manticoran attorney and acting solicitor general for the Duchy of Harrington, punched the forward button on his memo pad. A new page displayed itself, and he studied it for a moment, then gave a small, satisfied nod.

“That’s just about it, Your Grace,” he said.

“An excellent brief, Richard,” Honor approved. “I’m particularly pleased with the progress on the lodge agreements.”

“I’m still not as good at contract law as Willard,” Maxwell pointed out, “but that wasn’t really a problem in this case. That whole area is absolutely prime ski territory, and the access to the coast offers a year-round recreational possibility for the operators. They were eager to close, and they were willing to pay a considerably higher premium for the rights to build there than we’d anticipated, especially now that the cessation of hostilities has given the civilian economy a push forward again. Willard was right about Odom, too; he’s almost as sharp a negotiator as Willard himself. He knew exactly when to push at the final session, and at the expense of possible immodesty, I think I’ve been getting better at this whole commercial law business, too. And I have to admit that having Clarise Childers available as backup hasn’t hurt a bit.”