LunchWithFatherAlmost precisely on the stroke of one o'clock, Giulian Anderon's smart curricle drew up in front of the Nest, at the entrance closest to the Lord Regent's offices. Giulian was driving, unaccompanied save by his groom. "Danton, could you send in and see if Father is at liberty?" he requested. "Yes, my lord." The wiry man in Anderon livery jumped down from the rear of the carriage and started up the steps. He was, however, stopped at the head of the steps by one of Delan's secretaries. The man -- Giulian recognised him as a young Rostay cousin -- spoke to Danton, and then waited as Danton came back down the steps. "Your father asks you to join him in his office," Danton said. Giulian nodded. "Very well." He and Danton hardly needed to speak after that; they had the routine of getting Giulian out of the curricle and Danton into the driver's seat down to a fine science. "Stay here for the moment," Giulian told the groom. "I'll send word if you need to take the rig round to the stables." He then went to join the secretary. The young Rostay bowed as Giulian joined him, and then conducted him through the corridors. He escorted him not to Delan's usual office, but down several flights of stairs. This took a while, since descending a flight of stairs was trickier for Giulian than climbing one. There were four or five locked doors to be negotiated as well and, as his escort dealt efficiently with the bolts and locks, Giulian realised that the man was rather fitter than the usual clerk -- and perhaps the blade at his belt was not solely for ostentation. At last, he knocked on a stout wooden door, and Delan's voice called, "Come in!" Rostay opened it (another key) and pushed it open. Inside was a fair sized room -- windowless, of course, for they were now well underground, but otherwise appointed as an office, with heavy black files arranged around the room in bookcases that stretched from floor to ceiling. Delan was seated behind the desk, several files in front of him, one of which was open. Another chair was placed on the far side of the desk -- a comfortable leather armchair. On a side table, there seemed to be something set out under a white cloth. Seeing Giulian's look, Delan nodded. "I thought we'd eat here," he said. "Thank you, Torvoise, that will be all. Wait by the third door, if you please." "A moment," said Giulian. "Would it be possible to send word to my groom to stable the horses? I wasn't sure we'd be lunching here or going elsewhere," he explained. The young Rostay bowed and went out -- and locked the door behind him. There was an odd gleam in Giulian's eyes as he settled into the chair across from Delan, and at the same time scanned the room around them -- the child-in-a-candy-store look of a scholar surrounded by information, the alertness of a hunter hoping to strike a fresh trail. "The secret sanctum," said Delan, with a faint smile. "My territory for a long time -- but mine no more once the Regency is concluded. Then it will all be Harry's or Decuma's ... and their First Minister's. Who might be Tremontaine or Lagoran. A thought worth bearing in mind perhaps." He glanced around the walls. "You have a file here, Jules. So does your mother. The girls and Gallfrey so far at least rate only reference in ours. Mine, I am alarmed to say, takes up several volumes. "Indeed," he went on. "A good third of Aquila is here. "There's even a volume devoted to Miss Elissa Chatham." Giulian's lips compressed briefly before he came back with, "The one I want to see is whatever there is on Lord Whiteblood." "Only," said Delan, "if you give your consent to go from this room to the spaceport and leave Aquila." His eyes were calm -- any tension he felt showed itself in the tight line of his cheek. "The knowledge is that dangerous, Jules," he added more gently. "And I will not see your mother in agony over your corpse." Consternation showed in Giulian's eyes, and he blurted, "Then how can I--" His brows drew together and he went on slowly, "If it's that dangerous ... if it's that deep ... then why... Is he too powerful for anyone to move against?" "We don't know who he is," said Delan grimly. "All this knowledge, Jules -- and no-one has tracked him down. No-one! Pietr Petravich got closest -- and then the Lasses pulled him off planet. I'm still not certain why -- but I suspect pressure was placed on them. They took Salla away too. And the Lasses are not known for running from trouble." Giulian drummed his fingers on the desk restlessly. "Petravich... He was here again recently, but he left." With Jo. I wonder what happened when he found that out. "Is that related? "Who else was involved in that hunt? Jack and Salla ... Talaren Bahlmis ... Josh Salter, yes? And that woman, what was her name ... Anna something ... Anna LeCleche..." He paused, eyes widening slightly. Delan said nothing -- but only smiled a little grimly. "Go on, Jules." "I don't know if there's any connection," Giulian said thoughtfully, "but I ran across that name -- LeCleche -- just a little while ago. While I was working for Snodgkins I had to make copies of a lease for a parcel of land listed under that name. There was an odd clause in it ... I pointed it out to Harry ... something about..." He closed his eyes, trying to remember. "...'effects, properties, trove or treasure.' As near as we could figure out, the lease gave the lessee the right to -- appropriate? Use? -- anything found on the property for the term of the lease. "I thought it was so odd -- and the name rang a bell somewhere -- that I made an extra copy, then gave it to Harry after I remembered where I'd seen the name. That cenotaph out on the Tremontaine property. He was going to ask his father about it, but I don't know if he ever did." "Anna LaClerche was a cousin of Lord Tremontaine," said Delan. "A formidable woman. She crossed Lord Lagoran at some point, and soon after that she disappeared. When I saw her again ... she'd been taken in by the nuns of the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a wreck of a woman, badly beaten, with no memory. It came back, slowly ... she was a formidably tough woman. There were gaps in her memory though. It seems she met Whiteblood -- that she knew something about him. Tremontaine would have protected her, but she wanted nothing to do with that... "She died in a riding accident, soon after you were born. You know, at one time I wondered if that was real. There were some anomalies ... I thought she might have gone offworld; she and Petravich were very close. Tremontaine believed whole-heartedly in her death -- he was grief-stricken. I sometimes wonder... "No matter. Who was the other party in this lease, Jules?" Giulian was able to give him the name without much searching of his memory. It had not been a familiar one to him, but he'd had to copy it over four times. "Odd," said Delan. "That's the name of the old Tremontaine lawyer -- he died a couple of years back." He leaned back slightly in his seat, and steepled his hands together. "Jules," he said abruptly, "perhaps now is the time for you to see a little more of the wider galaxy." Giulian's brows rose momentarily, then drew down again over narrowed eyes. "If you mean that literally, Father ... no, I don't agree. Figuratively, perhaps." Delan looked at him thoughtfully. "I was not suggesting you should travel alone." "With whom, then?" asked Giulian. "With Miss Elissa Chatham," said Delan. "Should you wish to take her. There are various pressing reasons why she might wish to leave Aquila, after all." "Perhaps," Giulian allowed. "I'd have to ask her. But why would I?" "Because," said Delan, "if you remain here on Aquila and continue this affair, you risk undermining all I have set out to achieve. That is significant. But what is more important is that you risk exposing our family to danger. And that I will not permit." There was an appreciable pause before Giulian said quietly, "You want me to give over the investigation." He took a long breath and continued with difficulty, "I will if you tell me to, Father. But... it was mostly because of the family that I wanted to -- to bring our curses home to him, to Whiteblood. For Jack especially." "If I'm to be blunt, Jules," said Delan, "the investigation is not the only thing I'd prefer you to give over." Not wishing to make any hasty assumptions about what Delan meant, Giulian gave his father a hard stare, trying if Delan's own minimalist tactics would work on him. Delan indicated the dark red file that lay on the desk before him. "I would read it, if I were you, Jules," he said quietly. Giulian's eyes sparked with anger. "Would you?" Then, after a breath, he continued, "I don't blame you for investigating, Father. If I were in your place, I would. Or if it was, say, some young man sniffing round after Renalda. But for myself... what I want to know about Elissa is what she trusts me enough to tell me herself." "Jules," said Delan softly, "that file contains things that even Miss Chatham doesn't know about herself. For example -- the name of one of her primary former employers." "If Elissa asked me to find out that information, I would," Giulian replied. "But that would be an unconscionable breach of security the other way, not so? If I'm not mistaken, she is not to know that this file exists ... or this room, for that matter, or even this conversation. Am I right?" "Indeed," said Delan. "She may surmise its existence -- just as you surmised it before today. But she receives no communication that it exists -- just as you had none, nor does your mother. "My point is -- Jules, this is a dangerous relationship. It's dangerous for you, it's dangerous for Miss Chatham, it's dangerous for our family. It may be dangerous, at this moment, for the future stability I have tried to ensure for Aquila. I am not even raising the question that Miss Chatham's reformation is a sham and that she is using you as her mark. It's possible, and something I have had to consider, but all my investigations suggest her reformation is genuine. "However -- let us take a random example. Less than two months ago, Miss Chatham stole some very valuable jewels from the Acciaios -- the Palazzo. If that information were to come to light -- and believe me, it is in more careless hands than mine even as we speak -- what effect might that have on the position of the Acciaios with regard to a variety of legal issues with which House Anderon is concerned -- perhaps including the succession? Or perhaps you think they should regard the former doings of your chosen lady escort as a regrettable social lapse, and pay no further heed?" "The Church tells us we should be forgiving," Giulian responded dryly, though the revelation had evidently shaken him. "But no, of course I would not expect that. Are you telling me that Elissa is in imminent danger of arrest, then?" His challenging gaze added an unspoken, And if not, why not? "Let us say ... she is in imminent danger of exposure," said Delan. "And your relationship with her increases that danger. "As for arrest ... I will try to prevent it. I generally do protect the tools I find useful." At this, Giulian's much-strained control finally gave way. "She's not a tool! She's a woman!" he snapped, then added bitterly, "Is that one of the things in that file that Elissa doesn't know about herself?" "One of them," said Delan. "And in a few weeks' time, Jules, it could be Harry and Lord Tremontaine sitting here, turning over these files." His hand rested on the folder as he looked at his son. "It could be Decuma and Lagoran." "And having her name linked with mine would be all too likely to attract their attention. Yes, I see that." Harry, he thought, had at least as much reason to be grateful to Elissa as he did, but Lord Tremontaine was related to the Acciaios by marriage. Decuma ... he couldn't be sure of Decuma, and as for Lagoran... "What if I were to take the file and destroy it unread?" he said, less because he would actually contemplate such a thing than to find out Delan's reaction. "You could," said Delan. "And then a file would be missing -- unless you went to great pains to add a false file in its place. And then all the files that cross-reference with the original file ... they would have to be removed, or altered... "It might take a while before people noticed. But then there would be a hole -- and the hole would be Miss Chatham-shaped. "It has happened before. I've found a few examples myself. And it has made me very interested indeed in certain individuals." Giulian nodded and was silent for a while, thinking. At last he said, "What you're saying is that if I don't know what's in that file, I'll be less able to protect Elissa from those who do." "I think what I'm saying has rather wider implications than that," said Delan, a little dryly. "By all means read the file, Jules. But, to be brutally frank, I am less concerned about the safety of Miss Chatham than I am about the safety of my own family ... and of the work I have done here on Aquila over the last twenty-five years." "I wouldn't expect it," replied Giulian. "But then, I can't help with any of that without knowing, either, can I?" He put a hand on the dark red file. He would have liked to be able to consult Elissa first, but he might not get another chance at this. No way to get permission ... he'd have to hope for forgiveness instead. With a quick, decisive motion, he opened it. Delan waited quietly while his son perused it. Giulian's eyebrows flicked up once, in apparent surprise, near the beginning of the reading; apart from that, his expression remained set and calm. As he came to the end and closed the file, he let out a long breath, and the set of his shoulders relaxed slightly. Though still unsmiling he looked indefinably relieved. He folded his hands over the file and looked up at Delan. "I don't believe the part about the lovers," he said, not challengingly but almost matter-of-factly. "I could be wrong, but ... as none of it is verified, I suspect it's mostly rumor." His gaze sharpened a little as he added, "I don't have any verification either. It's just a feeling I have." Delan nodded. "Clearly," he said, "Miss Chatham has prepared you for a lot of what you read there. I must say, Jules, that worries me. It suggests you've been aware of the dangers ... and have pressed on nonetheless." "Prepared me? Not deliberately, I don't believe," said Giulian. "But I knew she'd been a thief, and knowing Elissa ... no, it doesn't surprise me that she would be outstanding, and sought after, in any profession she turned her hand to. I admit I didn't think out all the implications of that, though we'd been working at it from the other end -- using her family connections to gather information on Whiteblood. Background information, diaries and letters -- nothing current," he added quickly. "At the moment," said Delan deliberately, "you have some say in your future, Jules. If I find you're persisting in going after Whiteblood -- I shall remove one option from you. You will not stay on Aquila." "I'll give that over if you tell me to, Father," said Giulian, with just the slightest emphasis on "that." "And if you like, I'll prepare a written report on what we have collected up till now. It may not turn up anything new, but..." He turned a hand palm up. "Thank you," said Delan. "A written report would be welcome. Further investigations would not. "I can give you a measure of protection at the moment -- but not for long. In a few weeks, all the power I have will be gone." A faint smile touched his lips. "Well, perhaps not all. But most of what I exercise now will be in others' hands. And your best interests will not be high on their priorities." "Nor should they be, not as a single, private person," said Giulian. "They ought to be thinking of Aquila as a whole ... which reminds me that I should finish that prospectus for the Advisory Council on Technology. Even if the composition has to be changed a bit..." he added with a faintly wistful expression. "Without Miss Starr?" said Delan, a note of sympathy in his voice. "Indeed -- it will not be the task you once envisaged." Giulian nodded. "But still worth doing. Do you still think Rugero -- diConsolata, I suppose it is now -- would be a good choice? Or would that be too controversial at this point?" "Probably too controversial," said Delan. "You would appear to be taking a position. But Rugero's no fool -- I'm sure he'd be happy to take a behind the scenes role as a consultant for the moment. "But Jules, I am not prepared to leave the topic of Miss Chatham. The present situation is too dangerous. I look to you to remedy that." Giulian's face shuttered. "I'll talk with Elissa about it," he said. "Good," said Delan. "And you can communicate your plans to me at dinner tomorrow evening. Just you, Jules. Miss Chatham is not welcome as a guest in my House -- and not because I am prejudiced against her in any way. But to welcome her in would give ammunition to my enemies -- and I don't need that. Nor do your sisters or Gallfrey." "A little too liberal?" Giulian inquired, with just a hint of acid -- though whether this was directed at Delan or at his detractors would be hard to tell. "Very well, Father, I'll be there." "Thank you," said Delan. He was unsmiling as he reached for a small bell on his desk ... and then he hesitated. "Jules ... this business of Romeo Acciaio and Nalda. You've seen the picture in Aquila Awake! I imagine. What did you make of it? I noticed the other young man was present at the argument between Lord Acciaio and his brother. Was he the occasion of the quarrel?" "That I couldn't tell you," Giulian said frankly. "I noticed Devon standing there, but I wasn't close enough to actually hear what they were talking about until Nicola started declaiming in Old Earth Italian. As for the rest of it..." He shrugged. "Romeo Acciaio has a certain reputation as a rake, but as far as I know he's always confined his attentions to the opposite sex." Delan nodded. "As long as Renalda isn't hurt by this," he said. "A shame ... the boy would have been a suitable match before his disinheritance. Even now, if she continues steady in her affections, I won't forbid her the match. I made that mistake a generation ago ... and lost Nalda's namesake." He was silent for a moment. "It's not Nalda's steadfastness that concerns me, though. It's di Consolata's." Giulian nodded somberly. "I know what you mean. I admit I'm still not very well acquainted with Romeo, but ... constancy is not the trait I'd immediately associate with him." He looked up at Delan. "I happened to cross paths with the Windhaven sisters today. They seem like pleasant young ladies, and Lady Ashly's been at the convent school, though I gather she and Nalda aren't close enough in age to know each other well. But they have brothers... Didn't I hear that one of them played escort to Nalda after the Fashion Show?" "A distraction for her if Romeo were to prove less than reliable?" said Delan. "It's possible. But I'm afraid when I spoke to her, he hadn't made much of an impression -- beyond the fact that his name began with an X. Her thoughts were all of Romeo and how he must be feeling about his dis-inheritance." "I know. She was the same way at breakfast this morning," said Giulian. "She went as far as being willing to meet and talk to the Windhavens at the Calloway reception, but of course she's hoping to see Romeo there too." Delan nodded. "Well," he said. "We may be being unduly pessimistic. You assure me that there's nothing in the etching, and the boy knows that his courtship has been recognised by his family and ours. He may not prove the love of Renalda's life, nor she of his, but things seem to be set in good train for their getting to know each other better at least." "And even if she has no interest in the Windhaven men, she might make friends with the girls," said Giulian. |
