Negotiations
Thank you Terri! I had fun even if you worried Katherine silly. This takes place before Katherine and Ezekiel speak in his study and is what led to their conversation.
The invitation had left her little room to not accept. Rebecca felt compelled to try to see the woman, especially as the invitation gave impression that Ezekiel would not be present.
Checking her appearance in the mirror on the wall, Rebecca determined that her gown was perfectly acceptable for her destination and set out.
Upon arriving, she gave her name to the Maitre D' and was escorted immediately to Katherine's table. The soft gray-violet gown whispered on the hardwood floors of the dining room and set off her deep blue-violet eyes. The hat pinned atop her head was stylish and held sprays of white lilac and violets. Twitching her skirts to one side, Rebecca sank gracefully into the seat across from Katherine, her expression pleasant though her gaze was wary. "Katherine, so kind of you to send the invitation. I am thrilled to see you up and about. Are you well?"
"I am much tougher than many assume darling," Katharine responded with a twinkle in her eyes. She nodded to waiter who began the process of pouring and bringing decorative bits of sumptuousness to eat. Leaning forward, she looked Rebecca deeply in the eyes. "I am so very glad you came."
And she was. She had nursed private fears that Rebecca would find ways to politely demur until she was forced to go find her. She was not above the scandal of chasing the lovely Eldren down. Nonetheless, Neecy would have chastised her horribly and she was certain that the stubbornness that Ezekiel found so charming and frustrating would not be so well received by Rebecca.
Rebecca felt no need to remove her hat, though she slid her gloves from her hands and set them into her lap."You didn't leave me much choice without seeming churlish." The dark-haired woman reached up to slip an errant lock of hair into place, though no hair would dare be out of place on her head, and she confessed quietly, "I am actually glad that you asked me to join you. I feel that I owe you an apology for what happened. I do hope you realize that I would never deliberately put you or your children at risk.”
Katherine had the good grace to blush lightly, but still smiled. "I am the Colonel's daughter. I do apologize for the command." She reached out to take one of Rebecca's hands. "I will be honest with you that my own anger and alarm was similar to my husband's. But I saw your face, Rebecca. You were more surprised than we. Please don't think that I am angry at you or blame you in any way. And although I accept your apology for proprieties sake, I tell you that I did not need it."
Her emerald eyes, so unusual in Eldren, were soft. "Just tell me happened so we may not ever let it happen again. It was a dark place you found Rebecca. Dark like I haven't seen in a while." Her gaze turned inward a moment, her face setting still and serious as memories washed over her. She let them go, knowing that her mind would file and re-forget them. She refocused on her lovely companion, tilting her head with a gentle smile.
With a gentle squeeze of the hand that took her own, Rebecca retreated once more. She moved to pick up her teacup and seemed to be choosing her words very quietly. "I am still processing all that I discovered that day. I *believe* that what happened was a method used by the people who created the book to banish the servants of the elder gods back to their own realms. But believe me when I tell you that it was... not exactly what I was intending when I threw the runes. I was still....somewhat under the influence of what I had read, and perhaps confused. My intention had been to throw a cage exactly as the other one that held the fish man. But my hand came away from the charms with the ones I used instead."
Katherine was silent, her usually bright expression hooded and thoughtful. Finally she forced a disarming smile although her lips were tight. "You need to see Neecy. There are forces that work the innocent at moments of weakness. Some call them the Devil, some other names. But with dark forces, they can find those moments of weakness. You need someone to teach you to feel it and fight it. To strengthen your mind. You were afraid at that moment, yes? Under stress?"
"Of course," Rebecca allowed. "But it was not what I read in the book that made me determine we may well need to handle it again. It is the past of the book itself." She paused. "I rarely speak of the talent, but part of what makes me good at what I do, Katherine, is the ability to touch an object and see into its history. In this case, quite a lot of that history. And considering the fact that your husband is .... touched by God in the fashion he is, I am concerned that none of you are going to be able to see past the simplistic definitions of Good and Evil that the Church of England teaches."
Her tone was calm, and Rebecca added, "I have already sent word to M'sier Neecy that I would like to speak with him, however I will not do so in your home, Katherine. I'm afraid relations between myself and your husband are far too strained for that."
"I hope that in time that will be remedied, Rebecca," the redhead countered softly. The leaf-colored, copper-chased material of her gown whispered quietly as she shifted and brushed the be-ribboned and pleated layers of her ornate skirts into place. "But your assumption that the Church is what dictates God to my husband is wrong. But we cannot speak here openly." Her voice had lowered and her face had become a gentle mask of politeness that told nothing. "I would that you would walk with me in the park. What Ezekiel knows of God and what we have seen would not fit with the Church’s teachings. You may make what decisions that you may later, but I would have you understand him and I beyond the simple dictate of the institution you allude to. I hope that you are willing to walk with me and we shall finish quickly and depart." Innocent happiness flooded her features, the cheerful charm she usually wore brightening her eyes. "I do believe that I am quite full of tea. Would you walk with me, Mrs. Spencer?"
Rebecca eyed Katherine warily."Certainly. A walk in the park would be lovely." She moved to stand, tugging her gloves back over her hands with quick movements. Katherine smiled, leaving money for their repast and pushed the pins holding her little top hat to lock it better to the ornate curls of her hair as she put on her own gloves and mantle.
It was not until they were well out of the hotel and into the park that Rebecca spoke anything but the usual platitudes about the weather, mutual acquaintances(of which there are a few, though Rebecca doesn't know them well having been out of the country for several years), and assorted trifles. Once they attained the relative anonymity of the wide lanes of the park, however, she murmured to Katherine, "Frankly, Katherine, what is between Ezekiel and his God is not my business. I understand that he gets... visions or speaks to God personally. My issue with the matter is that it is possible that even God might be afraid of something. And as we are children, it would make some amount of logical sense that he would treat us as such when such dangerous magic falls into our hands -- warning us away in order that there is no chance that we might in turn destroy him as the Egyptian gods and Greek gods were eventually destroyed."
"Of course." Katherine nodded, her eyes on the scenery around them. "But you must understand the bargain you make and what you are willing to know in exchange for that knowledge. God is gracious and good; do you know what the other gods offer? I am not going to warn you to stay away from them. Find what you will found out about them. Just be aware that I will not let any of them have my twins. I will not have them flayed to make gateways between worlds, I will not let them be vessels for a god or a goddess too weak to create their own." Her voice grew chill, emotionless, the quiet stillness that so made men cower before her father. "I will kill whomever I need to to keep them safe, Rebecca. I would not see them or Ezekiel sacrificed. I was given that viewing pleasure in Egypt; I will not see it done to my family."
She drew along breath then, before looking to the other Eldren. "I am Eldren. I have played among menhaden and circles, danced the solstices and equinoxes, reveled in the power of the sea and sky and felt the call of the Mother Earth. She is my friend and ally as God is my solace and strength. But what you found in that book is not amicable to either of them. Not at all. Just beware."
"I cannot say you are wrong, Katherine. I do not yet understand myself what it is that I exposed us to. The book may well be a pack of lies. I am not suggesting that it is not. The situation is in flux. You of all people know there is more in Heaven and Earth than most will ever dream of." Rebecca strolls along. "But I did not come to sway you in any fashion. I merely came to apologize to you for what happened. It was not my intent, and it put you and your children in harm's way. For which I *am* sorry."
"I know. And I don't mean to infer any malice on your part." Auburn brows met in a worried frown as her expression softened. "I do like you. I cannot help but love your passion for knowledge. And I don't want to burden you with guilt or diminish that passion. Just be careful Rebecca. Please."
The redheaded Eldren added gently, "I would miss you. I have grown very fond of you in a small amount of time. Neecy adores you and thinks you are a capital friend for me to have. I would like to get to know you better and that would be terribly difficult if you are possessed by an Elder god or ripped to another plane of existence."
Rebecca offered a small smile."Well, it's a moot point now anyway, as Josephine has turned the manuscript over to the Crown," she replied finally. "Whatever more I might have gleaned from its pages is lost to us. I only hope that whoever they put on researching the issue is not religiously inclined. I have a notion that they would turn out like that man in the tunnels -- from what I could gather, too much knowledge or closeness to any god would offset the manuscript's ability to communicate. And if it *is* something evil, then it must be dealt with. If it is merely a conduit for information ... well, perhaps it will turn out to be useful."
She shook her head and then smiled a bit more. "How I do ramble on, dear. M'sier Neecy is... quite an interesting fellow, you know. Far more mercenary than I would have expected for one of your acquaintance."
The frown that marred Katherine’s face was fleeting, replaced by puzzled inquisitiveness. Where had that book gone? With an internal sigh, she let it go. It would turn up. Such things always did.
After a moment’s consideration, she answered, "Neecy has been my caretaker and bodyguard since I was fourteen. He has handled all my finances so that all that I wanted, I could have with no stress. He now has myself, Ezekiel, his own wife, and all the children to come. Ezekiel has a family name but little money because he is the third son. Neither of us wish to mess with the day in and out of money. Neecy does and he is brilliant at it. As long as when Ezekiel and I have the money to follow our calling and dreams then Neecy may control anything he wishes and persuaded whatever scheme will profit him." She smiled gently. "For as he profits, so does my family. I trust him with my life Rebecca. So does my father. Period."
"I see," Rebecca replied mildly. "Then my apologies for any aspersions, Katherine. It was not my intent to once again insult you." Rebecca turned her eyes to the path they were on. "I seem to have quite the talent for unintentional insult all the way around with your family, my dear. I believe it better that I return to Cairo soon."
Her lips parted with surprise and horror as Katherine stopped dead in her tracks."No, no, no," she exclaimed. "You can't leave. I like you. I want to be your friend. How can I do that if you leave?" She took the other Eldren's hands, shaking them lightly. "Rebecca, I just wanted you to understand the other side of Mr. Beignet, not the darker version that others seem to see. I am a bit defensive of Neecy. He and I have been friends since I was fourteen. I love him as an uncle. He has indulged me freedoms within the bounds of my wealth and the rules that govern it that would make most people swoon with the impropriety and scandal. I have been tutored in the martial arts in secret without anyone knowing because Neecy found a way. I have been allowed excesses in personality because Neecy has taught me to hide behind the unbreakable veneer of propriety. I am not," and she emphasized 'not', "a proper lady. But Neecy is a master of compensating for that in a society that I care not a whit for but is dangerously powerful in determining my fate."
She smiled faintly. "Please don't leave because of me or my husband. Ezekiel likes so as do I. I was as awkward in battle as you the first time I fought a real opponent and darling, I've been trained to it. You've been wonderful. He is hard on you because he likes you. He was nearly as cross at me and he and I were friends."
Rebecca stopped walking to study the woman who holds her hand. "And therein lies at least part of my problem, Katherine. You say that as though the man has the right to take me to task, both in public and in private," she said in a dignified tone."I was asked for my help, which I gave voluntarily. I did not surrender the rights that I have in society - and we both know as a widow mine are far wider than your own in many ways -- to your husband. And one of the rights that I have is to not be berated for giving the help that was requested of me. He does not care for my methods, and that is his business. His opinion that by denigrating what I've done in a public venue not just once but TWICE now is his to hold -- but that is a right reserved for husbands or brothers or fathers. I am not his to command, and although for some reason I cannot fathom he believes that shouting at me somehow portrays that he considers me his equal, he and I are not friends. We have not had the time to become such."
She paused. "I admit that I do not know enough about his own skills to assume blindly that when he is attacked, he is not in any danger. Every action that I have taken has been in good faith. And in both cases, it has gone horrendously wrong. Partially, perhaps, through my own fault. But at the very least in the first instance, I had EVERY intention of freezing all of them. And frankly, I knew bloody well that I could do so. Both friend and foe alike." Rebecca's tone was a touch stiff. "Just because he doesn't like the judgment I've made does not make me incompetent. And I cannot continue to travel with the lot of you if I'm to be viewed as the backward child who must be remonstrated any time I choose a route that doesn't agree with your bloody husband."
She was angry. Though it was relatively well hidden, the fact that she dropped 'bloody' twice in there gives away both that she is mortally offended and that she is angry about it.
Her head tilted and although her eyes glittered, her mouth twisted into a wry smile. Katherine knew her temper could rise to meet Rebecca's, but Sadif's training, her father's and Neecy's discipline and her experience made her step back. Rebecca's anger was justified, no question. Well within the bounds set by society. Having had a husband and lost him did give her that tacit level of sanctimony that Katherine herself did not have and did not want to pay the price to gain. She sighed and nodded, yielding the advantage for the moment. It floored her that Rebecca intended to freeze them all; she had heard Ezekiel's side and could not fathom the reason she had intended that. But she let the thought go and it fluttered away, lost for the moment. It did her no good and she wanted to let Rebecca have the upper hand.
"You are right, Rebecca. He did have no standing to bellow at you like a mere servant. But, and you must understand that my father is Colonel and I have been raised to war even if he didn't want me there, in combat, there has to be a leader. And that leader must be obeyed to keep everyone coordinated. Soldiers are drilled that they do not get in one another's way in a fight, drilled and trained that they have trust in one another, obey their leader with trust and faith that he will lead them well, that what one does will not hurt the other in his battalion. We are a team tempered by fire. We look to my husband to be that leader. Neecy is too small to drive forward as the leader; Bertie is not given to that temperament. Ezekiel has the skills and the drive. We trust one another. You are new and we are guilty of loving you so quickly that we have adopted you as our own."
She released Rebecca's hand with a touch of sadness. "You aren't one of our soldiers despite the fact we trusted implicitly and deeply with so much immediacy. You have the right to refuse to be drafted into our madcap adventures. You do, above all, have the right to never be spoken to like you have been by my husband." She paused to draw a breath. "Forgive us for our familiarity. We have assaulted your dignity and I must apologize. Our implicit trust and love for you was not meant to be an insult, but a compliment. I am truly sorry to have burdened you."
Rebecca's violet eyes studied Katherine narrowly. Mollified at least a little by the admission from Katherine that Ezekiel's actions were wrong, the tension up her backbone seems to ease, her posture loosening up just a bit. "Thank you," she finally offered quietly. "At least you understand the position that I've been placed in. I would like to continue to work with you." A faint smile quirked the corner of her mouth. "I find that the 'madcap adventures', for all that they are terrifying, are also quite exhilarating." She sobered again, the hurt reflecting jut a little in her expression. "I wish that I felt as trusted as you seem to indicate that I am. Ignorant of combat I may be, ignorant of my own abilities... I am not. I've never used them to this degree, but I am fully cognizant of what they are and how to use them."
In a cloud of lace and ruffles, Katherine suddenly hugged her. "Oh Rebecca, if only you knew how terrified I've been before. I never feel up to the challenge. Never! Your confidence in yourself is delightful and bracing." She pulled back and smiled. "But you must understand that it is because we barely know you, that we are not as trusting as you believe that we need to be. We don't know how to work with you. But I would love if you would train with us so that you can be a part of our merry band of do-gooders. We will learn to work around you as you learn to compensate for us." She nodded to punctuate her statement.
The hug catches her off guard, but Rebecca relaxed just a bit further. "We shall see how things progress, all right?" she hedged. "I.....hesitate to ask you to intercede with your husband, but ... if you find a way to make him understand my position, that might go a way toward making things... a bit better."
Her eyes finally twinkled. "I will do my best to convey your position, darling." She inclined her head to the path and began to walk again."He's most probably torn apart with worry about me and my stubbornness towards the subject of staying home during this time I'm with child. I'm certain that much of his fury has been misdirected at you because of me. So I must apologize. I'm not staying home. So until he voices his annoyance at me, I'm certain it will find other, less productive ways to come out. I do apologize dear. Neecy will most likely tell you how very stubborn and bull-headed I am. I am my father's daughter. And I seem to personify the red-headed Eldren curse." Looking to Rebecca, she gave her a warm smile."Thank you for giving us a chance. I do like you so very much."
Rebecca smiled gently in return and with that, they finished their walk in companionable silence and went their separate ways.
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