"Eric Flint - 1634 - The Galileo Affair" - читать интересную книгу автора (Flint Eric)

the first.

Mazarini was still a bit astonished that only two duels had resulted. That was probably because of the
outcome of the duels themselves. As the challenged party, Harry had been able to choose the weapons.
The first duel having been a very informal affairтАФa tavern brawl which escalated rapidlyтАФhe'd naturally
chosen pistols, that being the nature of the weapon carried under his coat. Harry had had the mercy and
the good sense not to actually kill his opponentsтАФbut it had been blindingly obvious to all who witnessed
the affair that he could have easily done so instead of inflicting minor flesh wounds.

The second duel, a more formal affair, was worse. Having been accused of cowardice by relying on
unfairly superior American firearms, Harry had chosen a different weapon. Another American one, true,
but hardly something that could be labeled unfairтАФa very large knife which he called a "Bowie knife." He
had even grandly allowed his opponent to retain his rapier.

The choice had obviated his opponent's greater skill with swordsmanship. Harry had had no intention of
trying to match him. He'd simply managed to avoid the first lunge and grappled with his opponent, Bowie
knife against main gauche. Thereafter, fighting with knives at close quarters, those qualities which Harry
possessed in abundanceтАФgreat athletic ability and an outlook sanguine enough to be the envy of any
Mongol khanтАФhad come to the fore. The end result had been thoroughly fatal and incredibly messy.

Now that he was in the presence of the cardinal, Mazarini suppressed his sigh. Hopefully, Harry Lefferts
would be gone from Paris and on his way back to Grantville before the very wealthy and very belligerent
Fasciotti brothersтАФall five of themтАФdiscovered that their sister had been dishonored and came to Paris
from Rome to seek satisfaction. There would be no duels, dealing with the Fasciotti. Hiring assassins
came as naturally to them as hiring servants. All the more so since the sister in question was not
complaining about the episode herself. Awkward, that.

But Richelieu was finally speaking. Mazarini pushed aside thoughts of his rambunctious American
companion. There were many dangers in the world, after all. Compared to Richelieu, Harry Lefferts was
a minor problem.



"Monsignor," said Richelieu, "You have visited Grantville, perhaps?"

"I have, Your Eminence."
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Mazarini responded politely, despite the fact that the question was moot. It did not do for one
gentiluomo to admit to another that he had had him spied onтАФor, in his response, for the one spied
upon to draw attention to the fact. Mazarini's trip to Grantville had neither gone unnoticed nor
unremarked. The resulting icy blast of Cardinal Richelieu's displeasure had been directed straight at
Cardinal Barberini, who had in his turn deposited the whole lot on Mazarini once he'd arrived in Rome.
Richelieu had a long reach; his eyes were everywhere and there were few within Europe who could not
at least be apprised of his opinions if not made to suffer for his displeasure. He had latterly come to have
most of the resources of France at his disposal; in a sense, hewas France.