Chapter 19 – Truth or Consequences?
As the king’s health steadily declined, it fell to Jason to take effective control of the administration of the kingdom. Ruan preferred to pursue his love of art and music and he seemed content to permit Jason to rule. Duke Le Riche made it his business to assist Jason. The duke’s involvement in Montugan affairs during the past forty years had given rise to a veritable repository of invaluable experience. Jason appreciated its value and seldom made decisions of any consequence without conferring with the duke.
The question of the succession arose as the king’s health declined further. Prince Ruan was not as popular as his father. His perceived lack of interest in matters of state, his flamboyant lifestyle, and his love of parties and excess did little endear him to the Montugan people. Jason, on the other hand was increasingly considered by nobles and commoners alike as a man with all the attributes of a suitable king - wisdom, good judgment and impeccable integrity. Renate also gradually assumed some of the responsibilities of state. Her class and style, her compassion and the ease with which she communicated with the common people endeared her to increasing numbers of Montuga’s subjects. Some republicans were even heard to suggest that a constitutional monarchy might be tolerable if Renate were queen.
Although Ruan was seemingly content with the manner in which the kingdom was presently being run, he repeatedly refused to entertain any discussion about his future succession to the throne whilst his father was alive. As it happened, the two became increasingly estranged as the king’s health deteriorated. Ruan seldom turned up at his father’s bedside. When the two did spend time together, it frequently resulted in an argument. Jason realised that the king had become more impatient than ever with Ruan. The king had also made the error of expressing the wish that it would be a boon if Ruan were to become more like Jason. This did not endear the king to Ruan. Evidently, all Ruan’s resentment was reserved for and restricted to his father. He continued to treat Jason as if he were an older brother and, if anything, he seemed content to look to Jason for sanctuary.
Rumours arose throughout the kingdom of an understanding apparently concluded between Jason, Ruan and Renate in terms of which Jason would run the country as Prince after King Julien’s death. Ruan would apparently preside as King over ceremonial events and Princess Renate would perform a combination of both the executive and ceremonial functions. This arrangement met with general approval by most of Montuga’s subjects given the allocation of the responsibilities of royal office in accordance with perceived abilities. Such rumours were baseless, however.
It was a pleasant spring evening which found Jason and Renate sitting on the palace’s main balcony enjoying several glasses of Shiraz. Their drinks were interrupted by the usher who advised that Duke Le Riche required an urgent audience. The duke’s involvement in state affairs, had, at his own request, begun to decline significantly. Although Jason felt that he was managing without the duke’s day to day assistance, he continued to respect the duke’s input and it remained a source of comfort to him to know that this reliable, dignified and intelligent old man was still available if required.
‘We don’t see enough of you your grace,’ Jason began as the duke took a seat on the balcony.
‘I think I have earned my semi-retirement, your highness.’ The duke raised his hand to gesture that he would not be joining the royal couple for a glass of wine.
‘And there will be no-one to disagree with that,’ Jason pronounced. ‘What brings you here at an hour when you typically prefer to be at home?’
‘It is a grave matter, your highness. One with momentous consequences for this kingdom.’
Jason had come to know the duke well enough to learn that he was not a man prone to exaggeration. Rest assured that the word ‘grave’ suggested a severe crisis. Jason ordered that the three of them were to be left alone on the balcony.
‘It is my regrettable duty to tell your highness that your friend, the Earl of Somerset has been arrested,’ the duke said.
‘By whom? And on what charges?’
‘He has been arrested by members of the royal guard. It is alleged that he assaulted the prince.’
‘The prince and the Earl have been friends ever since they met at our wedding. I cannot believe that this is true. I know the Earl drinks a bit too much when off duty. He has always done that. However, I have only known him to pester the ladies when he is in that condition. And by all accounts, none of the ladies involved has ever complained.’
‘I am aware of their friendship, your highness. I have reason to believe that the alleged assault was not as straightforward as the charge might suggest.’
‘I wish you would stop being so coy, uncle,’ the princess intervened. ‘Say what it is you have come to say.’
‘Forgive me your highness. There are two versions of this event. Both versions are as disturbing as are the serious consequence which attach to each of them. In both versions, the prince and the earl were found together in the Roman bath complex. They were both naked and the prince was, how I shall put it, apparently underneath the earl. The one version is that the prince was the unwitting victim of a sexual assault by the Earl. The other version is that the prince and the earl were engaged in voluntary sexual relations. I apologize to both your royal highnesses for repeating these most unfortunate allegations in such an explicit manner.’
Jason did not utter a word as he considered what he had been told. He gazed into the distance, looking at nothing in particular. To his credit, the duke said nothing further whilst he waited for the prince and the princess to absorb what he had told them. After what he considered to be a suitably discrete period of silence, the duke continued.
‘To state the obvious, your highnesses, if it is true that the earl assaulted the prince in such a manner, he will face execution, for such is the applicable penalty. That it is a crime against a crown prince only aggravates the gravity of this offence. We will also face the difficulty of how to deal with this matter discretely. If any of this becomes public knowledge, the prince will be placed in a most awkward and embarrassing position. Enemies of the state might use this information to undermine the monarchy.’ It did not take much imagination to realise that the duke was correct. The duke felt compelled to continue.
‘On the other hand, if the other version is true, and if it was to become public, France would pressurise the church to refuse to agree to the prince’s future coronation as king on the grounds that he prefers the company of men and that this is contrary to God’s law. If the prince’s succession to the throne were to fail for this reason, there would be no legitimate male heir. The kingdom would then lawfully revert to French rule in terms of the treaty on the death of King Julien, which, I shudder to mention, is imminent. The Earl would still face serious criminal charges, and so, for that matter would the crown prince, who would not only forfeit any claim to royalty, but also his right to any royal immunity in terms of French law.’ Silence again descended upon them as they digested the last mentioned consequences.
‘Who all knows about this?’ Jason enquired after a while.
‘The incident was discovered by two royal guards. They reported it to a Captain who arrested the Earl. He reported it to his superior officer who in turn reported it to Colonel Petard. The Earl is being detained on the Colonel’s estate in order to ensure that his arrest does not attract undue attention.’
‘I assume that before you came here you ensured that everyone has been sworn to secrecy.’
‘Your highness…’ The duke’s face filled with trepidation. ‘They have all sworn an oath of secrecy, but I fear that their silence will not be unconditional.’
‘What do you mean your grace?’ Renate interjected angrily. ‘They are officers of the royal guard. If they are ordered to silence by you or by the palace, they have a sworn duty to do as they are ordered.’
‘Indeed so, your royal highness.’ The duke’s tone became increasingly apologetic. ‘However, t
here are other considerations which apply. Both Colonel Petard and Major Clemens claim to be a staunch Catholics. They claim that that which has occurred is both a crime and a sin against God. They insist that this time, the Earl must face prosecution.’
‘What do you mean by this time?’ Renate stared indignantly at the duke. The duke’s cheeks reddened a little. A furtive, almost helpless glance the duke directed at Jason did not go unmissed by his wife. She glared at him expectantly.
‘This is not the first incident involving the earl and the royal guard,’ Jason eventually explained. ‘About a month ago, Colonel Petard came to see the duke and I to lay a complaint that the earl had seduced Major Clemens’s wife. In order to prevent the Major from taking matters into his own hands, the Colonel suggested that a Court martial be convened.’
‘But adultery is not a crime in Montuga,’ Renate interjected. ‘My father passed an edict abolishing it as a crime a year ago. I remember it well. My father was subjected to pressure by the nobility for ages….the men, not their wives, mind you. They wanted him to abolish the crime since most of the nobility apparently persist with a long tradition of having mistresses on the side. Despite pressure from the Church, and from most of the women of Montuga to retain it as a crime, my father bowed to the wishes of the men of course.’
‘Indeed so, highness. However, the military discipline code provides that it is conduct unbecoming of an officer if he commits adultery with the wife of another officer,’ the Duke explained. ‘The Earl is an officer in the Montugan navy.’
‘I assume that the Earl escaped prosecution.’ As she spoke Renate directed an accusing glance at Jason.
‘I did not intervene solely because he is my friend,’ Jason explained sheepishly. ‘The problem is that the royal guard is mostly French speaking. Their junior officers and many of the ordinary royal guards were not impressed when some of my senior sailors, all of whom are English speaking of course, were given navel ranks which were senior to those of some of their French counterparts. Many of the French speaking officers felt that they had spent years serving in the Montugan military and they did not take kindly to suddenly being outranked by what they regarded as mere merchant seamen. The Duke and I realised that although the Earl’s prosecution might be popular with some officers of the royal guard, it would create the impression amongst the Montugan navy that they were only regarded as mercenaries and as second class citizens of Montuga.’
‘Major Clemens and many of the Montugan officers must have been incensed. What about the poor Major’s honour? Was that considered?’
‘Indeed it was. His royal highness arranged for a private meeting between the Earl, the Colonel and the Major at which the Earl was required to apologise to the Major in person in addition to handing over a letter of apology. In addition, the Earl was ordered to provide the Major with ten cases of the Major’s favourite Scotch whisky.’
‘I doubt that this satisfied the Colonel or the Major,’ Renate mused.
‘Indeed so, highness,’ conceded the Duke. ‘However, I made a point of attending at the officer’s mess on the evening on which the ten crates of whisky were delivered. The Major held a party for his fellow officers to celebrate the arrival of the whisky at which two of the cases of whisky were unceremoniously vanquished. Once the alcohol took hold, several officers drifted towards a conclusion that their English speaking military counterparts in Montuga might have some redeeming features after all.’
‘I assume, your grace, that the reason why I was not consulted on this matter was that my husband discussed his intentions with you and that you agreed with his approach.’
‘Indeed so, highness. I concurred in the view that a prosecution, however justified, would have served as an unwelcome focal point for simmering differences between the royal guards and the Montugan navy at a time when unity in our military was most critical.’
‘I assume too that this was all explained to the Colonel and the Major.’
‘Correct, your highness. They reluctantly accepted that a prosecution might not be in the national interest, although they pointed out that some officers of the guard would assume that the Earl had been the recipient of preferential treatment from the palace due to his friendship with the prince.’
‘Did Oliver not realise at the time that his conduct could have serious implications for Montuga?’ Renate inquired. She could not hide her annoyance as she directed the question at Jason.
‘Sadly, when it comes to women, Oliver seldom thinks about consequences. He does not respect marriage or relationships. He takes pleasure in seducing women who are out of bounds or who consider themselves to be out of reach. His success in seducing women only gives rise to a desire to continue doing it. I have had to intervene to shield him from an irate husband in more than one port. He was once declared a persona non grata by the Count of Albany Bay Harbour after he had seduced the Count’s wife at a party he had kindly thrown in honour of my officers and I. Whenever we docked there after that, he was forced to remain hidden in his cabin for the duration of our stay in order to avoid the service of a warrant for his arrest.’
‘Is he unaware of the trouble he causes?’ Renate’s tone did not conceal her exasperation.
‘His awareness of the consequence of his actions is best characterised as belated rather than non-existent. He did, however, undertake not to seduce the wives, lady friends or mistresses of any more officers in Montuga,’ Jason said.
The duke intervened:
‘The Earl extended this undertaking to all royal guards after we learned that, prior to the incident involving the Major’s wife, he had seduced the fiancé of a regular royal guard who also happened to be French speaking. The guard apparently discovered all this when she became pregnant shortly before the wedding.’ The Duke’s latest unsolicited contribution produced a disapproving glance from Jason. It prompted the duke to return to the matter at hand. ‘Of course, nothing the Earl has done before parallels this.’ A thought occurred to him. ‘Has the Earl done anything like this before?’
‘Not that I know of,’ Jason replied. ‘I somehow doubt it. Truth be told, I doubt I will accept what we have heard this evening until Oliver or Ruan confirm it.’
The duke subsequently turned to Renate. Evidently he considered putting the same question to her, but he somehow thought better of it. The apparent about-turn was not lost on her.
‘You desire to ask the same question about the crown prince, not so your grace?’
‘Perish the thought, your royal highness.’ The duke shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
‘Forgive me your grace. I did not mean to put you on the spot. I realise that you would never ordinarily presume to question the prince’s character,’ Renate said.
‘Assuming however, for the sake of argument only, highness, that the prince suffers from, shall we say, certain idiosyncrasies, which might negatively impact on his chances of succession to the throne, it is best that it comes to our attention before it becomes known to those who may desire the termination of the Garibaldi monarchy in Montuga.’
‘I will not quibble with that, your grace. However, my brother has never given me cause to harbour any such concerns,’ Renate declared firmly. ‘I am not unaware of the effect the prince has on people. He has always been a beautiful boy. Over the years I have witnessed some men gazing furtively at him on occasions when they presumed themselves to be unobserved. It must be said though, that my brother has done nothing to encourage the attention he receives.’ Renate rose as she finished speaking. ‘And now, if you will excuse me….’
‘Where are you going?’ Jason enquired.
‘To be with my brother.’
‘Of course,’ Jason responded. ‘I will leave for Colonel Petard’s estate to speak to Oliver. I will hear Ruan’s version upon my return.’
Renate nodded wordlessly as she vacated the balcony.
‘Do you require me to accompany you, your highness?’ the duke asked.
‘No, your grac
e. This is something I have to do alone. You may arrange for four royal guards to ride with me.’
‘As you wish, highness.’
Jason arrived at Colonel Petard’s estate in the Montugan countryside shortly after eight o’clock. The four royal guards remained with the horses while Jason approached the main door. It was opened by a footman before Jason could ring the bell. The footman was immediately joined by a butler and both men bowed deferentially.
‘The Colonel and his family are having dinner, your highness. He asked me to interrupt him upon your arrival,’ the butler announced.
Jason was shown into a windowless library. He declined both the drink and the seat he was offered. Colonel Petard entered the library a few moments later. He was a tall, lean man in his early forties. He sported short dark hair and a neat, small moustache.
‘Please escort me to the prisoner at once. I wish to speak with him alone,’ Jason insisted immediately after the conclusion of polite, but curt greetings.
The Colonel nodded as he closed the library door behind him. He walked over to a built in bookcase which covered two of the walls. He pressed on a leather bound book on one of the higher shelves. The entire shelf opened inwardly revealing a hidden spiral staircase leading downwards. The colonel handed Jason a key and an oil lamp which he had lit.
‘Your highness will find the prisoner’s quarters at the bottom of the stairs. I will wait here.’
Jason descended the spiral staircase holding the lamp. He found a thick iron door at the base of the staircase. He turned the key and opened the door. Jason was surprised to find that the quarters provided for Oliver bore no resemblance to ordinary prison conditions. Oliver was lying on a bed which looked reasonably comfortable. A built in shelf with a few books on it had been fittled above the headrest of the bed. Oliver had been supplied with a jar of water and a small chamber pot for his convenience. The room had a small desk in it. The only thing which revealed that Oliver was not a voluntary guest was a reasonably lengthy chain which was affixed and locked to one of his ankles. The other end of the chain was set in the concrete floor of the quarters.
‘How kind of you to visit me.’ Oliver’s light hearted tone did not disguise a genuine expression of relief.
‘Cut the bull Oliver. You are in deep trouble.’
‘I know,’ Oliver conceded dejectedly. As usual, his remorse was neither timely nor was it overly compelling.
‘Tell me what happened.’ Jason paused. ‘All of it,’ he insisted.
‘I don’t know how to tell you this. I went to the palace to see Katia. She was not prepared to see me. She apparently found out about the Major’s wife. I ran into Ruan as I was leaving. He was on the way to the roman baths with a few bottles of wine. He invited me to join. One thing led to another. We had a lot to drink. You know how I get when I drink.’ Jason nodded wordlessly and Oliver continued.
‘Ruan steered the conversation towards women and to some of my exploits. By the time I realised what he was up to it was too late. I have never done anything like this before. But he was different. He seemed impossible to resist. Somehow he assumed control as I surrendered it. I cannot explain why. It all made sense last night. Before I knew it I yielded and not long after that we were discovered by the royal guards. I was arrested and brought here to Colonel Petard’s residence. No one has told me anything.’ He paused and studied Jason’s face. ‘This does not change how I feel about women,’ he offered.
‘They say you sexually assaulted the prince?’
‘It was not like that. You know me, Jason. I’ve never needed to use force to get what I fancy. Where’s the challenge in that? Why don’t you ask Ruan? He will tell you.’
‘Oliver, Ruan is the crown prince of Montuga. If he consented, he stands to lose the crown and Montuga will lose its only male heir. The country will revert to French rule.’
‘How on earth could that occur?’
‘The Church will not crown a king whose sexual preferences are, shall we say, unorthodox.’
‘Oh Lord. I am in such shit,’ Oliver moaned as an expression of insight conquered his face. ‘Of course he is going to deny it. What will happen to me? What’s the sentence for raping a bloody crown prince? Death?’ Oliver’s face lost colour and became a deathly pale.
‘I will see what I can do.’
‘But I’m innocent Jason!’ Oliver’s eye’s widened as they darted over Jason’s face, in a desperate search for reassurance. The search was short lived. ‘You seem distant. You’re not going to help me this time are you?’
‘I am not sure that I can.’
‘You mean you’re not sure that you want to.’
‘I have not had time to consider what is that I want, and frankly, I doubt that it matters this time.’
‘But you are king in all but name.’
‘This time you went too far. You could have had almost anyone you chose. And yet you persisted in choosing to chase after that which you knew you should not have. Ruan and Renate are part of my family. Choosing them is choosing to betray me.’
‘I never intended to betray you.’
‘Even if that is so, you must have known that the consequences for Ruan, for my family, and for the kingdom would be disastrous if you were caught. But still you went ahead.’
‘Is this really about your precious royal family?’ Oliver retorted.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Perhaps you are jealous.’
‘Why should I be jealous? I have Renate.’
‘I know you love her. But your protectiveness towards Ruan may be less platonic than you pretend.’
‘You are a fool.’
‘Why? I could be right.’
‘Being right is of little value if it condemns you’.
‘I don’t understand.’
‘If you believe in your little notion, it only serves to reveal your betrayal as deliberate and that it was aimed at me.’
‘I promise I never …’
‘Enough! It matters not. You have placed the monarchy of this kingdom in great peril. I doubt that I can save you this time.’ Jason rose. ‘Goodbye Oliver,’ he said without turning around. He locked the door and walked slowly up the stairs into the library. The Colonel rose as Jason entered the room.
‘Your highness, I can see that you are troubled. Might I be permitted to have a word?’
‘Not tonight, Colonel. I will see you and the Major at the palace at ten tomorrow morning. Whatever is on your mind can surely keep till then, can it not?’
The Colonel’s face dropped.
‘Of course, your highness.’ The Colonel produced a forced smile as he bowed. ‘Forgive me for my impatience.’
Jason returned to the palace. He found the prince in one of his studios in the top floor of the palace. He was painting. Ruan glanced briefly at Jason’s darkened countenance without maintain eye contact. He returned his focus to the painting on the easel. Jason sat down. He stared at Ruan, saying nothing for a long while. Eventually he broke the silence.
‘Did he force you or did you let him?’ Jason enquired. He wondered why he had asked the question when he felt sure he knew the answer.
‘What do you want me to say?’ Ruan’s reply was accompanied by a fleeting glance in his direction.
‘I want the truth.’
‘No you don’t. If the truth is that he forced me, your friend will die. If the truth is that I let him, the truth will prevent me from becoming King and this will destroy Montuga. Not to mention that if I permitted it, Oliver and I can both be prosecuted and go to jail anyway. There will be no immunity for me if Montuga returns to French rule and I become a common citizen. So how the hell does the truth help anybody?’
‘I cannot answer that.’
‘Pick one,’ Ruan then suggested.
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Choose the truth you prefer.’
‘The truth I prefer would be that nothing happened.’
‘That is not on th
e menu.’
‘You know what happened. It is for you to say what is true and what is not,’ Jason said.
‘You are new to this family and to the responsibilities you have inherited. In matters of state the truth is sometimes an unaffordable luxury.’
‘And how will you live with yourself if an innocent man dies for something he did not do?’
‘Oliver? Innocent? Surely you jest!’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Oliver no doubt admits to intercourse with a crown prince. If he says that he did so with consent he will nonetheless face lengthy imprisonment for the crime of sodomy,’ Ruan paused. ‘I don’t need to remind you of his recent seduction of the wife of a fellow officer, no less. I understand that his evasion of a court martial only served to further impair the already tenuous relations between the Montugan army and the navy. Oliver’s indiscretions do not speak to his innocence. And if he harboured any loyalty to Montuga, I think it fair to say that any such feelings paled in significance in comparison to his allegiance to his own narcissistic pursuits.’ Ruan’s eyes revealed more than a hint of defiance as they connected directly with his for the first time since his arrival.
‘What are you telling me?’
‘I should have thought it was perfectly clear.’
‘Say it anyway,’ Jason invited.
‘I think it will dawn on you soon, if it hasn’t already, that whatever you do, you do not have the power to save Oliver this time. You have only the power to save me, and to save Montuga.’
‘I assume then, that you intend to deny that Oliver’s version is true.’
‘I intend no such thing. As an accused, I have the right not to incriminate myself. There are, as you correctly say, only two versions. I shall leave it to you to choose which version you wish to employ.’ Ruan’s demeanour assumed a strange calmness as he spoke. He alighted from the stool on which he had been seated. ‘And now, I think it is time for me to retire. As you can imagine, this has been a draining experience.’ Ruan brushed passed Jason as he left the studio.
The latter stood motionlessly for a while before he returned to his chamber. Renate’s absence from bed led Jason to the balcony, where she sat at the table, apparently staring at the heavens. It remained a magnificent and still warm evening. A second bottle of wine stood next to the one they had earlier opened together. She revealed that Ruan had avoided her attempts to speak to him. Clearly concerned, she demanded to hear about everything that had occurred since they had earlier parted ways.
‘In short, Oliver claims consent. Ruan has chosen to say nothing and insists that I must decide between the two versions on offer.’ Renate did not respond immediately. Instead she pursed her lips and stared into the distance.
‘So he has placed his future, the kingdom’s future and your friend’s future in your hands,’ Renate eventually concluded. ‘On the one hand I am angered that he has passed his burden onto you. That was spineless. On the other, I suppose its folly to pretend that in this affair, he enjoys any freedom of choice.’
‘The problem is that, no matter which truth is favoured, that truth will have to be aired in a criminal prosecution in open court. Ruan may be able to avoid prosecution as a co-perpetrator, but he will not be able to avoid utter humiliation as a victim of sodomy. The harm to him and to this family is likely to be considerable. Bear in mind that the Earl will be on trial for his life. He will have every incentive to testify, on oath, that he was in fact seduced by the crown prince and that there was thus no question of any absence of consent.’
‘Can we not simply permanently banish the Earl from the kingdom and avoid a trial?’
‘I doubt it,’ Jason replied glumly.
‘There’s nothing more we can do tonight. Hopefully this will all seem much less dreadful once we have had a decent night’s sleep,’ Renate wearily suggested.