[ They already got along better than John thought they would - when she was a child he’d hardly acknowledge her, his jealousy was so strong. Now they could occasionally hold a civil conversation. ]
She will be a Cardinal someday. I will never be your real son.
[ And there’s the root of all his insecurities. He knows he has his part to play and that he never would have been elevated to Cardinal or given Stephen’s last name if he didn’t do it well. There are Cardinals and Rooks who are more capable of controlling individuals than he is, but his sway over crowds and his ability to twist not actions but deeply-held opinions and beliefs goes a long way when it comes to keeping the public complacent. Given another hundred years, perhaps he could make the masses love Parliament more than they love their own flesh and blood. And he would hand them all over to Stephen like the desperate, approval-seeking son he was.
no subject
[ They already got along better than John thought they would - when she was a child he’d hardly acknowledge her, his jealousy was so strong. Now they could occasionally hold a civil conversation. ]
She will be a Cardinal someday. I will never be your real son.
[ And there’s the root of all his insecurities. He knows he has his part to play and that he never would have been elevated to Cardinal or given Stephen’s last name if he didn’t do it well. There are Cardinals and Rooks who are more capable of controlling individuals than he is, but his sway over crowds and his ability to twist not actions but deeply-held opinions and beliefs goes a long way when it comes to keeping the public complacent. Given another hundred years, perhaps he could make the masses love Parliament more than they love their own flesh and blood. And he would hand them all over to Stephen like the desperate, approval-seeking son he was.
Still, his common origins gnaw at him. ]