Titus had originally come to hear what Alester Florent had to say with the attitude of someone watching a distant relative put on a performance.
Who knew that Earl Alester would leave him unsure whether to laugh or cry as soon as he began?
He had guessed that the man meant him no good.
But he had not guessed that this furtive old man actually took him for a complete fool.
Everything the old earl Alester said hinted at one thing:
House Peake could charge ahead, defiantly challenging Mace Tyrell's authority.
Yes, just as the old fellow said, Mace Tyrell was easy to handle.
But his mother was not.
And where were they all right now?
Pulling this sort of thing in Highgarden?
Should he get a giraffe from the mountain clans, point at it, and declare it a mutated, long-necked unicorn?
Alester Florent must have gone senile!
The old bastard was so crude and artless in trying to get someone else to stick his neck out. He showed no regard at all for their distant kinship...
Titus's thoughts raced, and he immediately realized that House Florent's old fox was, of course, unwilling to deal with him as an equal.
Watching Alester's expression closely, the Earl of Starpike remained as cold as ice inside, but his tone bristled with hostility as he abruptly interrupted the man's urging:
"Lord Alester, you married a woman of House Clyne of Red Lake, your eldest daughter married Randyll Tarly of Horn Hill, and your younger daughter became the new wife of Leyton Hightower, the 'Old Man of Oldtown'...
"I don't understand. You have plenty of people you could work with. Why come to me?"
Stereotypes were a dangerous thing.
Misled by the usual behavior of the warriors of the Dornish Marches, Alester Florent had not expected Titus to respond so clearheadedly, and he froze for a moment.
"Ah... well..."
Before the old fox could rack his brains for an explanation.
The young Earl of Starpike smiled again. "You must have noticed that Starpike has lost two castles and is desperate to recover its fortunes, making us rather impatient and eager when something comes up. Is that why you wanted to give me this opportunity?"
"Yes... I mean, of course! As long as you are willing to step forward, Lord Titus, our House Florent, along with House Clyne, and House Tarly..."
He suddenly came to his senses. House Tarly had sent no one, and he seemed to notice that something was wrong with the meaning behind the Earl of Starpike's words.
It was a kind of insincerity and baiting he knew very well. At least he did not make a fool of himself, and finally fell silent.
Titus did not let him off, however, and continued with the same smile:
"That really is most kind of you. I can hardly bear to refuse. But I'm young and poorly read, so you mustn't deceive me, Earl Alester.
"As long as you haven't singled out Starpike for its impulsiveness and unruliness, hoping to use Peake's bad name to achieve your own ends while reducing your own risks in the process, then as far as I'm concerned... anything can be discussed."
As the man's expression grew increasingly awkward, Titus patted the old earl's shoulder and continued to fan the flames:
"Oh, and if I defy the Lord of Highgarden and something happens, with all your connections, you'll surely step forward at once to speak for me and give me your wholehearted support, won't you?
"Please don't wash your hands of the whole thing and let the other lords laugh at me. You know as well as I do, apart from House Tarly, who trusts 'Peake' these days? I'll be relying entirely on you..."
Judging by history, the infamous Peakes of Starpike could hardly have made a better target for slander.
The current Earl of Starpike, however, was a very different sort.
Having figured it out, Titus made to turn away, saying things like, "I'll go teach Mace a lesson right now," "Don't you dare stop me," and "If he talks back, I'll invoke a venerable, respected elder like you to put him in his place." Earl Alester, now sweating and stripped of all composure, immediately grabbed him hard.
"Lord Titus! There's no need for that, no need at all!"
Alester knew he had botched it and chosen entirely the wrong person to manipulate. Now he only wanted to soothe the Earl of Starpike, who was feigning anger, and said with a bitter smile:
"I was wrong. Please don't take offense. Just consider what I said a bad joke."
Titus stopped his act and abandoned his show of youthful hotheadedness, afraid the old fellow would not be able to hold him.
"That joke of yours really wasn't very funny. I hope you'll be more careful next time, Earl Alester..."
Titus smoothed the creases in his sleeves and put away his smile.
There won't be a next time, Alester thought. This boy is like a cactus in the Dornish desert. You can't touch him.
Yet Titus's next words rooted him to the spot once more.
"Come find me next time, when you really have a good plan."
Titus turned and left the little garden, called over Captain Parker, who had been waiting outside, and walked straight off.
He left Alester standing there, still mulling over those words...
After dealing with the elderly Earl of Brightwater Keep.
Titus, who felt he had finally gained something that day, returned to the guest quarters and learned of something rather unpleasant.
Lady Wenda, who no longer went by "White Stag" in public and had instead taken the name "White Eagle," had been harassed by someone from Whitegrove while touring House Tyrell's gardens.
According to Bowen, who had been present, when Frederick White, the Knight of Whitegrove, was invited to a gathering in the hall, his younger brother Arthur White wandered into the gardens. There he encountered the female deputy captain touring the grounds and, emboldened by lust, tried to take liberties with her, only to be surrounded by Starpike guards converging from every direction.
After his failed "declaration of love," the matter had come to nothing.
When Wenda faced Titus, she said she was not angry.
Mainly, her threshold had risen considerably after her experiences with the Earl of Starpike. Calmly and earnestly, Wenda told the thoughtful Titus:
"He's only a younger son from a knightly house, and a cowardly wastrel at that. I hear neither of his two older brothers likes him much. I can deal with him myself."
The cowardly good-for-nothing named Arthur had slunk away in fear as soon as he was surrounded. She thought little of him and did not believe he would dare bother her again.
After formally joining the earl's guard, Wenda had learned more about House Peake's circumstances.
She now knew that Whitegrove had originally been one of House Peake's castles. After the king stripped it from them, it had been granted, on Highgarden's advice, to a house of sworn knights who had once served House Tyrell-the Whites in question.
Titus considered it for a moment. This was Highgarden, not the Dornish Marches.
Throwing down a glove at the first disagreement and deciding right and wrong through single combat between warriors was not an approach that worked here.
Even quietly killing this White in secret would inevitably attract the attention of his older brother, the Knight of Whitegrove, and perhaps even House Tyrell.
After all, if he disappeared or died in some dark corner right after clashing with Titus's people, it would be far too obvious.
That would not benefit him at present.
Wanting to take the long view, Titus decided to wait for now. His arrangements in the Dornish Marches and the Reach were not yet secure, and the time had not come to overturn the table.
"If that fellow Arthur is a coward, leave him alone for now. There'll be plenty of chances to settle accounts with him later."
His tone earnest, Titus offered his advice at an unhurried pace:
"If he runs into you again, the moment he dares say anything disrespectful, have your men tie him up... ha! That's your specialty, after all."
Wenda suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
"My lord, that isn't funny."
The female captain being teased:
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