Paris: The Novel

pointed at the actor who was playing the prince and shouted: ‘Off with his head!’ Just like that. ‘Off with his head!’
    “Everyone turned to look at him. I could see the actors were alarmed. They obviously suspected the French were monsters. ‘You really want me to cut off his head?’ I asked.
‘Oui, Papa,’
he says. ‘Off with his head.’ ”
    “I did not know he was so bloodthirsty,” laughed one of the ladies.
    “Nor did I, madame,” confessed the king. “But it was then that I made my great mistake. I looked at him severely, and I said: ‘You must wait. We never execute an actor until the play is finished.’ And that was that.”
    “You mean he was quiet after that?”
    “Not at all, madame. I mean that the actors absolutely refused to continue. They begged the ambassador to save them. Nothing would persuade them to give us another line.” He turned to one of the gentlemen. “Bertrand, you were there. Didn’t it happen just like that?”
    “Exactly, sire.”
    They all burst out laughing.
    “You did not command them to continue?” asked one of the ladies.
    “Well, to tell you the truth,” King Henry admitted, “I was getting quite bored by then, so I called for refreshments instead.”
    His anecdote done, he seemed about to engage in conversation with one of the ladies. Robert longed to reach out and grab him by the arm, but could not. Was this chance of helping Alain slipping away from him as well?
    The king was murmuring something to the lady. But then, abruptly, he turned back to Robert.
    “Walk with me, de Cygne,” he said kindly, “and your brother too, of course. I think best when I am walking.”
    They moved along the path that ran parallel to the great gallery.
    “Tell me,” King Henry said to Alain, “are you a young man who likes adventure?”
    “I am, sire,” Alain replied.
    “The greatest adventure in the world is in America, at present,” King Henry declared. “I am thinking in particular of the northern region we call Canada. A huge wilderness, unimaginable in its size and, perhaps one day, its riches. A vast territory to be explored and settled. During your lifetime, it could become a huge colony, a new France. Might that be of interest to you?”
    Robert looked at King Henry in horror. Was he trying to send his beloved brother away into the wilderness? Where he might never see him again?
    But Alain’s face had lit up.
    “Under what terms might I go, sire?” he asked.
    “I gave the trade monopoly and settlement to the Sieur de Mons. He has a number of talented men with him. There’s Du Pont, the explorer. There’s a young fellow named Champlain. He comes from a family of mariners, knows how to explore the great rivers and how to survey land. He seems to have talent. We have both Catholics and Protestants, all working together. Hardly any nobles. If I ask de Mons to find a place for you, he will. But after that, it will be entirely up to you how you impress these men, and what you make of it. There’s not much ceremony in such circumstances. But plenty of adventure. You’d learn a lot.”
    “I am ready to learn, Your Majesty.”
    If Alain seemed eager, Robert had taken note of something else the king had let fall. There were hardly any nobles out there. If Alain did well enough, then later on, once the settlements grew to be colonies under royal rule, he would have an advantage. He could even finish up as governor of a province someday. And his family in France would certainly make sure that his name was remembered in the royal court. He could see the cleverness of the king’s offer. But what a distance.
    “So,” the king asked, “am I to take it that you are interested?”
    “Most assuredly, sire.”
    “I am afraid your brother will never forgive me.” The king gave Robert an understanding look. “It seems that he is fond of you.”
    “My brother is the best man I know, Your Majesty,” said Alain with feeling.
    The king turned back to Robert.
    “Sometimes, de Cygne, to get on, we must make compromises. Even sacrifices. But remember this: France is full of ambitious nobles. Many have families far more powerful than yours. But across the ocean, a man can make a name for himself more easily.” He paused, and nodded. “And there is so much land …”
    The king now signified that the interview was over, and that they should withdraw. As they did so, he called out: “Long life, Alain de Cygne.”
    “To Your Majesty also,” Alain