AfternoonAtAnderonHouseWhen Giulian awoke midway through the afternoon, it was to the news (regretfully conveyed by Peterson) that Elissa had not yet returned to Anderon House. Nevertheless he put aside his disappointment and increasing anxiety, washed, dressed, and headed back to the main house to see to the welfare of his remaining guests. A light buffet luncheon had been set out in the breakfast room, Peterson informed him, so Giulian headed there first, giving orders that any messages that had arrived should be brought to him there. On the way there he also stuck his head into his mother's morning room to see if anyone was there. Harry ran into Giulian after his conversation with the Twins. "Hello, Jules," he said warmly. "I know I haven't taken liberties, and I know you always make me feel welcome here, but I wanted to thank you for your hospitality and shelter." "Times like this are when we particularly need to stick together," Giulian commented. Harry nodded. "Yes. We do. Do I smell lunch?" he added with a grin. "No doubt," answered Giulian, smiling back. "You don't think a little thing like an attempted coup is going to interfere with the smooth running of Anderon House, do you? Not with Korine in charge." Harry chuckled. Then, more seriously, "How's Renata?" Giulian asked. "And has there been any news?" "I know of no news as yet. She seemed no less the worse for wear," Harry explained. "I think my... brother is speaking with her even now." Giulian's eyebrows went up. "Again?" "I believe the word is 'Still'," Harold responded with a nod. "I am... surprised at it all. And somewhat put ill at ease." "I know she came out of his room once, because I was with her," said Giulian. "The doctors were there repairing his stitches. I didn't know she'd gone back. I don't suppose you know if he asked for her, or whether it was her idea." Harry shook his head. "I don't know, either way. No one is forcing her to talk to him. Anderon House is large enough to avoid that." He smiled thinly. "No, I suppose she wants to talk to him." Giulian nodded. "And vice versa, probably," he admitted. "I don't understand it, but it's perhaps I am the brother of one and the half brother of the other. I have no Pa..." Harry stopped and thought. "Parallax. I have no parallax." "That may be so," said Giulian. "What I see is that Renata is your sister, and you love her... while Decuma is your brother, and you barely know him. That's what I'd like to see changed." Harry furrowed his eyebrows at his old friend. He started to speak, stopped and then a more quizzical look came over his face. "Why?" he asked, simply. "Partly because I love you both," Giulian answered with equal directness, "and want to give you a chance to share that. And partly for Aquila, so each of you can make informed decisions about the other one. That's what I started out with... and now I think it may be for Renata's sake, too." Harold considered Giulian's words for a moment or two before he nodded. "I am not sure that the problem so much is my brother per se, as who stands behind him, or, alternatively, on whose shoulders he stands, and those who would profit from his rise..." "Lagoran," Giulian said bluntly. "Should he be faulted for that, Jules?" Harry said. "I don't know. I do have a sense, though, that were he to become Duke, Aquila would be a far less hospitable place for me the next dawn." "That's the other thing I want to change," said Giulian as they moved into the breakfast room. "And no, I don't think he should be faulted for that, any more than any of us should be held responsible for our upbringing. We've had a few chances to talk since he got back. Five years he was away, you know, Harry, traveling and studying. And I think... Lagoran has influenced him, certainly. He's learned from him. But Decuma is his own man, and I have the distinct feeling that if Lagoran imagines differently, he will soon realize his mistake." Harry listened with an attentive ear. As Giulian continued, however, a frown started to cross Harry's face, one that he could not completely wipe away as the moments passed. "Giulian," Harry said. "Are you saying what I think you are saying?" "What do you think I'm saying?" Giulian countered. Harry paused for a long moment. He looked away from Giulian, and found it difficult to look back at him again. He lowered his head and studied, instead, a spot on the floor for a moment before he steeled his resolve. He finally returned his gaze to his friend. "I think you're saying, Giulian," Harry said, "that you support Decuma over me for the Dukedom." "No, I'm not saying that," Giulian responded at once, a note of suppressed annoyance in his voice supplying the unspoken phrase any more than the other nine hundred ninety-nine times someone has asked me that. "I think you would make a good Duke. I also think Decuma would make a good Duke. And what would be best of all would be if the two of you could work together for the good of Aquila, no matter which one actually wears the coronet." He took a deep breath. There ... he'd said it. Belatedly he glanced up to see if anyone besides Harry was in the breakfast room, and might have heard him. Harry must have heard the annoyance in Giulian's voice, for he said nothing immediately in response, and gave a quiet nod. In a quieter voice, Giulian went on, "What I can't help thinking now is that Renata might agree with me on that. Or at least, that she may soon have reason to." Stretching and twisting his back as he walked towards the breakfast room, sniffing a bit of food aroma that was in the air, Xavier heard Renata's lovely name being mentioned as well. He smiled as he thought of her lovely hair and beautiful eyes. He pressed a hand and massaged his chest when he saw how she looked at Lord Decuma. "Wishful thinking, fella. Potential duke or second son of a new minor family? Right, wishful thinking," he muttered to himself. Pushing open the door, he walked in and saw Giulian and Harry speaking to one another. "Ahh... Good morning, err afternoon. May I come in?" he asked. Giulian turned his head to look at Xavier. "Please do," he said courteously. "How are you feeling?" He smiled. "There's lunch..." "Food," Harry agreed with a nod. "I am much better, thank you. Sleep does wonders on a sore body," Xavier said with a smile. He nodded to Harry as he set lunch on his plate and settled in a seat. "How is everyone else doing? Has your lady, Elissa, returned?" Giulian's smile faded, giving way to a worried frown. "No, she hasn't. I'm starting to be concerned. She may have had to lead those soldiers a long way around, or something of the sort, but I would have expected her back by now." "Hmm. That does not sound very well. She should come in and seek shelter, or at least rest soon. Hopefully someone will have word of her or she walks in the door on her own," Xavier said, digging into the delicious fare on his plate. "How is your sister doing after her rough handling last night? I do hope that she is well," he asked Harry. "She's been spending time with my brother," Harry said. Xavier looked at Harry and then at Giulian. "Is that a good or bad thing... I partially know about what is happening between the two of you, but not all the details." Giulian almost pointedly moved over to the buffet in order to let Harry field the question. Harry gave a glance to Giulian and then shrugged and looked at Xavier. "Any negative opinions about Decuma expressed on my part are not going to dissuade, discourage or defeat my spirited sister's decisions," Harry replied. "I assume you know enough politics to know my relationship, and Decuma's, to the empty Dukedom?" Harry enquired. While the other two were talking, Giulian provided himself with a cup of coffee, a roll, and a few slices of cheese from the buffet, and sat down a little way from them. Just then an Anderon servant came in with a small stack of papers, one of which looked like an oddly folded sheet of stiff card. "Messages, my lord," he said to Giulian, handing him the stack. "Thank you, Sibley." Giulian glanced at the stiff sheet first, and one corner of his mouth quirked in amusement. "That has to be one of the more singular issues of Aquila Awake!" he noted. He scanned it quickly, but the headlines didn't tell him anything he didn't already know. Harry looked at the broadsheet Giulian held curiously. Giulian tossed it onto the table in Harry and Xavier's direction so they could look at it if they wanted to, and reached for the next item, a packet of rough paper sealed with what looked like a blob of ordinary candle wax. A moment later the other two heard him gasp -- a sharp, shuddering intake of breath such as a man might make who had taken a sudden knife-thrust, or had a live coal fall into his hand. His face had gone the color of whey. He stared at the unfolded paper he held, while the other hand clutched what looked like a tress of chocolate-brown hair. "Jules!" Harry reached to pluck the paper from his friend, as if it were a poisoned page whose deadly cargo was the cause of the stricken look on Giulian. Renata had finished her letter to her father and had even taken a few minutes to wash properly, and was now on her way to join the others -- or whatever of their numbers were gathering for lunch -- when she heard her brother's voice. There was enough concern and shock in it to make her pause in the doorway, unseen. Xavier rose up a little, but let Harry get to Giulian's side first. It wasn't difficult to take the paper from Giulian, though it looked as if he had a death-grip on the lock of hair. Words were scrawled across the page in a harsh, jagged hand. "Lord" Giulian Anderon
We have captured your whore. Mistress is too nice a word
and you do not pay or keep her anywhere. The lock of hair
enclosed is proof of life and that we have her.
You will pay me what she is worth to you.
Pay me too little and she will not be returned alive. You
know of her background and her worth to others who would pay to
have their way with this little thief. Including your father.
You will have until the end of this week to gather up
your whore's worth. Delivery of ransom will be at sundown at
56 Cat Street. If we think it's enough, we will release your
whore to you. It is up to her if she wishes to return to your
arms. Rescue attempts will cause her to be returned in pieces.
Just pay what she is worth.
Tonio
"What? What does it say?" Xavier asked. "Is there more trouble?" Harry looked at the paper and then looked up to Xavier at his question. "Yes. It seems my friend and I are fated to have women that we care about put into danger." He looked from Xavier to Giulian. "Elissa," came out, in a stricken whisper. "We'll find her, get her back, Jules. We can't pay the ransom." He put a hand on Giulian's shoulder. "We have to find her, free her." Renata put a hand to her chest. Elissa? The cit girl had risked her life and freedom repeatedly to help them. She wasn't shocked that Giulian had taken an interest in her -- although Lord Anderon might be -- or might not, given that Lady Anderon had been a cit as well -- but that was irrelevant right now. Someone had seized Elissa and was holding her for ransom. Giulian seemed to be only half listening. "I never should have left her. I should have waited... made sure..." "Elissa? Someone has her?" Xavier said and looked at the other two. "Of course we must find her. You can never pay those types. We will find her. We will." "Do you have any idea who this Tonio might be?" Harry said. He gave a gentle squeeze of the shoulder his hand rested upon. "Tonio? I don't--" Giulian paused, his face going still. After a moment he said softly, "Yes, I think I may. Enough... to take a chance..." Harry looked alertly at Giulian and his glimmer of recognition. "Who is he, Jules?" he asked. Giulian's face remained shuttered. "Someone from Elissa's past ... if I'm right. If I am, there may be a way..." He looked up at Harry. "It's not anything you can help me with, Harry ... yet. You don't have the contacts. But if I can use mine to find out where she's being held ... then we can plan the rescue." Renata made a mental note of the name... Tonio. She frowned as they discussed rescue. Aquila was still in chaos, filled with danger. And they were... depleted from having saved her. She knew that it would take more than just the three young nobles she was watching now. "If you need another pair of hands or anything, please do not hesitate to let me know," Xavier added. "You have a wonderful lady and I would be honored to join you in rescuing her." "Thank you, Xavier. I'll keep that in mind," said Giulian. Harry nodded. "No, I wouldn't have the contacts," he said, with a touch of self reproach. "Someone else might, though, although he was offworld even longer," Harry added. "Decuma, you mean? Not these," Giulian said. "Hmmm. I wasn't trying to slander him. However, its not unexpected that his house might have dealings with rough and ready types. If you have the contacts, then we'll go with yours." While they continued talking, Renata slipped back upstairs, thinking intently with every step. Giulian just nodded. "He might want to help, though," Harry said, before he even realized what he was saying. "He might," Giulian agreed, "but I don't want him charging into another rescue attempt until he's healed a bit longer. If it comes to that... we'll see." |
