Soundtrack:
Antônio Carlos Gomes - Il Guarany - Ouverture
*exterior* *Forte Santa Cruz, Forte Copacobana and Forte São João fire a resounding salute as a squadron of vessels steam into Guanabara Bay*
*cut to the Paço Imperial* *the young emperor, D. Pedro II is sitting in a council meeting when we hear the returning Salvo from the ships' guns* *we see him counting them by tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair* *after it goes above a certain number his whole mood shifts to that of a schoolboy watching the clock for the final bell* *while he continues making notes on the pad in front of him, one can see by his whole mood that he's mentally left the building*
*cut to the reception hall of the Paço that evening* *Pedro II is standing next to Dowager Empress Amélie and his half-sister, the Infanta Maria Amélia*
Usher: Her Imperial Highness, Januaria of Brasil, His Royal Highness, the Prince de Joinville!
Janvière: *clearly pregnant* *steps forward* *curtseys to her brother* Sire. *kisses his hand*
Pedro II: *raises her from her obeissant* *kisses her cheek* our dearest sister. Words cannot express how delighted we are to have you returned to us in such fortuitous circumstances.
Janvière: your Majesty is too kind.
Pedro II: *presents his hand to be kissed to Joinville*
Joinville: *baulks at it[1]* *but Pedro doesn't withdraw his hand* *few moments of chilly silence before Joinville - clearly grudgingly - bends to kiss the hand*
Pedro II: *to Joinville* may I express my condolences on the loss of your father, the duc d'Orléans.
Joinville: I accept that knowing that your Majesty speaks from the heart.
Pedro II: *tone like "conversation is over"* may I present her Majesty, the Dowager Empress of Brasil *smoothly hands Joinville off to Amélie*
Usher: Her Imperial and Royal Highness, the Archduchess Auguste of Austria, Princess of Tuscany [2]
*sudden silence over the hall as Auguste enters* *she's wearing a pale yellow dress in the latest European fashion, with a green bodice and sleeves, bare shoulders* *no jewellery aside from the rose buds in her hair*
Pedro II: *looks at her* *we see him swallow* *he tugs at the edges of his sleeves* *and seems one step away from checking his hair*
*we see courtiers flicking open fans to speak* *after all, they're not quite sure what to make of this girl* *who has arrived in Brasil without even a maid [3]*
Auguste: *stops before Pedro, his stepmother and half-sister*
Pedro II: *in Italian* welcome to Brasil, Madame, *makes a polite little speech to her*
Auguste: *in perfect Brasilian accented Portuguese* your Majesty, I am honoured to be here. And I ask that you speak Portuguese to me, as to the rest of your Majesty's subjects.
*if this were a cartoon, Pedro's heart would likely be pounding out of his chest*
*cut to the wedding ceremony* *followed by the ball*
Empress Amélie: *dancing with her brother, Maximilien* I take it you are happy to be returning to Europe, Max?
Max: hopefully the next assignment the emperor gives me will be somewhat
closer to home [4].
Amélie: *smiling* but then you wouldn't have a ship full of samples to take home.
Max: *gives her a look like "you know me too well"* *looks at Pedro and Auguste waltzing past* *talking philosophy* you think she'll make him happy?
Amélie: *smiles sweetly at some of her "opponents" [5] as she passes* with God's help, we'll all be happy. *quieter* and at least the papers can stop printing that I'm having an affair with my stepson [6]
Max: I wondered if there wasn't a reason you mentioned that you might be returning to Europe with me.
Amélie: rumours I can handle, Max. Nothing I haven't heard in the last ten years. But now that he has a wife and a hostess, my position here is superfluous. Besides *looks at Joinville* don't want to force Pierre to choose between me and his sister when it comes to dealing with that patch of land in Santa Catarina.
Max: you don't know that he will-
Amélie: it's only a matter of time until the matter is raised. And
I do not wish to be here if it does. They'll find that the place has been very well tended for them. As for Gustl *looks at the new empress* she will already face enough opposition from those who wished for another candidate, she's
marked as my choice. Which means that my staying here is only going to make life more difficult for her.
Max: and how will the Dowager Empress be spending her time? Returning to Venice?
Amélie: I can't go back to Frankie. Not now. If he's regent, then no doubt soon enough there will be mutterings in Vienna that he gives Amélia and I preference over anyone else. So I think an arm's length from that would be best. After all...it's still so...unsettled there.
Max: you think Metternich will make another play?
Amélie: Mamma thinks so. Says that the man has a disease, it's in his blood, to be at the top of the pyramid- or at least next to the man at the top- and the only cure for that disease is death. [7]
Max: you think the emperor was too lenient with him.
Amélie: I think Frankie needs to watch his step. Metternich is like the Devil, you kick him out the front door and he'll come back down the chimney.
Max: you think this business in Silesia will be the chimney?
Amélie: hardly. Metternich would've traded the Silesians back to Prussia in a heartbeat. His policies, Prussia's policies, not much difference. But they're
hopeful that Frankie will offer them something better.
Max: such as?
Amélie: that's the problem. While his idea for limiting the hours that children under fifteen can work - and insisting that they attend school at least three days a week - seems good on paper, I'm not sure families that rely on their children's earnings would agree. A factory owner can be fined if they do not allow it, but who does the fine go to? The treasury. So you're taking from the poor and from the rich, and you're not giving anything back-
Max: didn't you say that he'd also obliged them to fence off the dangerous machinery for when the children worked? And that they're all now obliged to provide care for their workers similarly to what Herr Leitenberger does?
Amélie: how many businessmen will divert their own profits for that? God knows, there are enough poor here who'd work for a sou, why would a factory owner bother when he can just dump a worker and hire ten more for what it would cost him.
Max: I think you're underestimating the emperor.
Amélie: I think he's underestimating men's greed.
Max: *grinning* perhaps you
should go to Vienna, scry into your crystal ball for him.
*one week later* *the entire court is assembled for the presentation of the new French ambassador*
Usher: His Excellency, Eugène Ney [8], Ambassador of France and Navarre!
Ney: *walks up to the throne's steps* *bows* your Majesties.
Pedro II: Monsieur l'Ambassadeur, we bid you welcome to Brasil.
Ney: thank you, Majesty. And I bring you the congratulations of the king of France and Navarre on your happy nuptials. He wishes you every happiness and that you will not suffer from the same misfortune as he does [9]
*cut to cabinet* *Ney is standing opposite Pedro II* *next to a portrait of Henri*
Ney: as your Majesty can see, his Royal Highness would count it as a great boon should you grant your consent for him to marry your sister.
Pedro II: *looks at Henri* my sister, Francisca's marriage, is not a Brasilian matter, as per the constitution. So the person to whom the king of France should be addressing this request should be my sister in Portugal.
Ney: while that is true, your Majesty, the queen of Portugal referred her sister's marriage to your discretion as head of house.
Pedro II: *looks at Ney* then I must unfortunately decline his Majesty's proposal. I mean him no ill-will by my refusal, but I have heard this spiel before. Now I have a sister returned to me and the gaining of a useless brother-in-law as a result. I'm sorry, but I would rather see Francisca married to a chimneysweep than be queen of France. The situation is still too unsettled. I could agree now, and by time your answer arrives back in Europe, there has been another coup and the king has been thrown out again.
Ney: my father assures me that there is no likelihood of that, your Majesty.
Pedro II: that may be true, Monsieur Ney, and if her Majesty, my beloved sister, wishes to agree to it, she may. But I will not fix my stomach on this match.
*fade to black*
[1] this is a bit of "passive aggressive who's the boss?" Pedro (and probably most of the Brasilian government) is annoyed at having been made to look a fool by the return of his sister. After all, he's now stuck with a "useless" brother-in-law thanks to changing currents in Europe.
[2] I know Auguste is technically married to Pedro already, but I figure the Brasilians probably still regard her as single until
their wedding.
[3] not that unlikely. Under the ancien regime it was common custom for the groom/groom's parents to insist that the bride arrive without attendants, both to encourage adaptability and to discourage homesickness. Queen Victoria is the last monarch I know of to have insisted on this with Alexandra of Denmark. Likely, onboard ship, Auguste and Janvière were sharing a maid. And let's face it, the courtiers gonna courtier and gossip about her from the minute they laid eyes on her
[4] Max's returning from an "inspection" in Natalia (in South Africa), where his job was to basically ensure that the new German settlers Frankie sent down to Africa play nice with the Afrikaaners. And him stopping in Brasil to see his sister does not seem unlikely. He's essentially Frankie's travelling ambassador. But at the same time, given Max's OTL interests in geology and geography, I wouldn't put it past him to be "mapping" areas and compiling notes
[5] it stands to reason that Amélie would encounter resistance in Brasil. Both by her daughter being elevated to an infanta and her own status being assured by Pedro II. Just not entirely sure who the opposition would be
[6] basing this on Lilian Baels who was accused of the same thing
[7] how Amélie remains as well-informed of what's going on in Vienna
[8] this is Michel Ney's third son. He was envoy to Brasil OTL. France has extended full diplomatic recognition to Brasil
[9] namely, not being able to have children and having a nephew (i.e. an Orléans) as heir. This isn't Angoulême shaking his fist at the heavens about his own childlessness, but rather that he's indicating how...unfortunate...it would be.
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