Is it not possible that such rumours could simply be baseless?

[Beatrix shakes her head. It would be a wonderful way of diverting attention from anything bigger that might be at stake.]

I suppose we would have no way of knowing unless such a thing truly did happen. Let us hope it does not, for if it should... [She trails off for some moments before she draws her gaze back onto Ira.] I hardly need say it. The chaos of such a happenstance would allow things to escalate very rapidly.