William laughed. “Believe me, no one is more anxious than I am to start getting sons. But until then, yes, all those women line up after me, which means I must take great care with the men who come near them.”
Always anxious after being confined to sitting for too long, he stood and began to circle the table. Dominic rose as well, used to standing still while his friend prowled. “I’ve been thinking, Dom.”
“Always a sure sign of trouble.”
He rolled his eyes at his friend, who for the first time in weeks looked somewhat cheerful. William hadn’t realized how tense Dominic had been until now, when his expression was once again open and relaxed. It lightened his heart, and he went on confidently, “I’ve decided to allow Surrey to inherit his grandfather’s title.”
“Another Duke of Norfolk? Let’s hope this one is less trouble than the previous one.”
“It’s good for the country,” William said. “I won’t let him have all the lands and retainers—I’ll clip his wings considerably—but it will soften the Catholics to see that I am not afraid to listen to their advocate.”
“Fair enough.”
“The thing is,” William went on, “as I’ve said before, it’s a balancing act. With Surrey made Duke of Norfolk, that brings us back to three dukes in the kingdom. But when I propose this to my uncle, I actually mean to propose bringing the council to four dukes.”
“You mean to create a title?”
“No, I thought I’d resurrect one. There hasn’t been a Duke of Exeter in almost a hundred years—what do you think?”
Dominic must have been truly relaxed, because William could see the play of thoughts across his usually impassive face: openly surprised, then shocked, then staggered. He opened his mouth, and shut it without speaking.
“Wouldn’t you like to be my lord Duke of Exeter? Come on, Dom. Say something.”
“You have lost your mind.”
“Say something less insulting.”
“Your Majesty—”
“Don’t call me that.”
“People will say it’s favoritism.”
“And so it is.”
“Damn it, Will!” Dominic ran his hands through his black hair, an unusual sign of aggravation. “Be reasonable!”
“Finished yelling at me?”
They glared at one another.
Then William nodded. “Good. Now give me credit for not being stupid. I know what some will say if I make you a duke. Just as I know what some will say about restoring Norfolk’s title to his grandson. People always talk, Dom. I don’t care about that. I care about having a council that represents England and a nobility that is balanced.”
“Northumberland and Norfolk,” Dominic said thoughtfully. “Protestant and more-or-less Catholic.”
“Yes. With my plan, I will have one duke loyal to the Catholics and one duke loyal to the Protestants. Then there’s my uncle. Protestant as well, but loyal primarily to himself. What I need to round it all out, Dom, is you.”
“Why?”
“So that I have one duke in England who is loyal only to me.”
Dominic must have been far more shattered than he’d suspected, for he broke royal protocol and sat down in the nearest chair while William still stood. He dropped his head into his hands for a long minute in which William wisely held his tongue. He knew how to bring his friend round. One only had to appeal to his sense of duty.
Dominic groaned. “I don’t suppose I actually have a choice, do I?”
William grinned. “That’s why I like you—always stating the obvious.”
CHAPTER FIVE
