Teasing Sympathy

Jim came up with the title and the concept and did all the heavy lifting. Wow--Maer

Dionysus stood nervously shifting from foot to foot on the Arceneaux woman's doorstep, self conscious of the fact he had to stand on tiptoe to reach the knocker. Gathering his resolve, he reached up and awkwardly knocked, hearing the raps echo inside behind the thick doubling door.

When the door opened, he doffed his top hat, and bowed deeply. "Pardon, to have visited unannounced. Pray, if you desire, I shall leave a card, that you might return the call at your convenience, Madame."

Wednesday, May 20, 1868
Josephine's Mews, Little York Place
London, England
3:35 P.M.

Josephine was in the rear of her digs, straightening up the storeroom portion when she heard the knocker rap against her door. Frowning, she mentally flipped through her appointment book and came up clear. Who the devil—? She smoothed her hands over her hair, tugged her dress straight, and answered her door. Her eyes met nothing but air but a voice at her knees redirected them to the man on her doorstep. Not that she needed her eyes to confirm what her ears already knew: Dionysius Beignet.

"Bonne journée, Monsieur Beignet," Josephine pulled the door wide and stepped aside. "Entrez, s'il vous plaît."

Dionysus carefully stepped into the spider's parlor, and set his hat and gloves on a chair. "Madame, let us not stand on formalities. We have shared interests. Those interests far outweigh shared disdain." Drawing himself up full height, he leaned against the chair, tensing himself for the coming battle.

Holding up one stubby finger, he enumerated. "Madame and Monsieur. Their coming children." Another finger joined the first. "Service to the Crown." A third finger, "the young cat girl, who has so much potential. With your indulgence, I wish to explain how our interests overlap."

Josephine watched the little man walk in and deposit his hat and gloves on one of her visitors' chairs, then take up position at the other one. She closed her door and threw the locks, then crossed her front room to her desk, sitting down in her chair behind it, and faced Beignet.

"I am listening, Monsieur." She took a measured breath and honed her focus to remember everything.

Dionysus cleared his throat. "Catherine believes the best of all; she is most shattered when it proves false. Ezekiel is of like frame of mind, and their children are innocent of even birth. The two of us tussling at her hem like the cat and the dog, it is improper, embarrassing, and does us both injury in the estimation of both. Service to the Crown is what binds you and I like brother and sister; you are the best for your role, and I have my own minor part to play in the Great Game. Your kitten has taken my fancy, and really very much charmed me." The hobbit coughed again to clear his throat.

"I have made plans, of which I'm sure you will heartily disagree, for the young lady. The 'juice' I demand of her as her fence, and the 'start up fee' are held in a secure account, garnering interest payments. When she clears her mind of this fancy to be the great thief, the money shall be used to establish her in place. She shall not serve, for I am husbanding her money carefully."

He raised a hand to stop any interjection. "I know you wish her to find the destiny most to her liking; but please. You are a woman grown. The life of master thief is not one the adults in her life should wish upon her. It is illegal; we are both agents of the Crown. It is dangerous, and for no high moral purpose such as service or faith such as Ezekiel. It is basest greed which would lead to such an ambition. She need not marry, she need not pose as fully human, no cat. But she MUST have a life that abides by law, morality, and awareness that one's misdeeds cause injury and harm, even to those rich enough not to notice a missing bauble."

"I see," Josephine said, keeping her expression and posture pleasant. She would hear what the man had to say, no matter how much he tried to needle her. "Please continue."

"It matters little," he continued, "what we think of each other. You know I consider you a bad influence of virtually all you encounter, because of your war against the world as we all know it to be. Enough. You wish to wear trousers, smoke in mixed company, swear like a sailor and parade all these pastimes in the public square. I accept this. I have difficulty with your insistence that Catherine and her Grace join you in these endeavors, but since I must act as my place warrants, I must accept."

Looking left and right, the hobbit looked up shyly. "If there is no tea, might I trouble you for water? A most tiresome walk here, you know.

"I realize further that you consider me a viper at the bosom of Catherine's family, poised to strike and reduce them to penury and ruin for the momentary satisfaction of making myself rich at their expense. It would be tiresome to justify, and if I showed you the books to demonstrate that my charges never exceed a reasonable percentage of the proceeds, you would judge I was keeping two sets of books, as we embezzlers are wont to do."

With a heavy sigh, he slouched. "What concession to you can I make, what denigration of my pride would satisfy you to put these angers behind us, rid our team of this rivalry, and work together for the cause of finding, removing, and expunging evidence of the myriad threats against Catherine and the Crown?"

"I shall think on it, Monsieur, as I make some tea." Josephine smiled politely and rose. "Please make yourself comfortable. I shan't be but a moment."

She smiled politely again and walked through the door behind her chair and closed it. Marching to her cook stove, she put the kettle on to boil and got the tea things together. Snatches of Dionysius's speech stuck in her head: I have made plans, of which I'm sure you will heartily disagree ... I consider you a bad influence of virtually all you encounter ... I have difficulty with your insistence that Catherine and her Grace join you in these endeavor ... She shook her head. Distractions, Jo. Meant to mislead. What is he really trying to say? Look past the barbs and the rhetoric and what comes through? Even when he does not say it, his care for Katherine is paramount to everything. The kettle started to hiss, a prelude to a scream, a perfect echo of what she felt. Josephine preempted the expression of either by taking the kettle off the heat and pouring it over the leaves. While the tea steeped, she added milk and sugar, sliced bread and cheese to the tray, and when everything was ready, she took it in to Beignet.

"I am afraid I was not expecting visitors, Monsieur. Had I known you were coming, I would have had something more elaborate prepared." The tray settled softly on the desk blotter with nary a clatter. She picked up the teapot and looked at her guest. "Cream or sugar, Monsieur?"

"Thank you, Madame. I wish not to put you to effort, but as I say... the dust, the smoke." He smiled. "Two sugars, and extra cream I'm afraid. I'm horribly indulgent, as you well know."

"Ah," Josephine said. She prepared Dionysius' cup and offered it to him. Josephine poured herself a plain cup and settled in her office chair with it. "I have thought about what you've said and I agree, there is no need for us to wrangle and every reason in the world to refrain from it."

Dionysus slurped loudly from his spoon as the tea cooled. "And your price? I have learned there is always a price. Return of your kitten, her profits under your supervision? Shall I leave Catherine's service, and join only when mage craft is called for? I shall meet any terms you demand, Arceneaux. You have won the field."

Now, that is interesting. Josephine blew on her tea and kept her eyes on the ripples thus made. Is he serious in his concession? Or is he baiting me yet again? She took a deliberate sip. Evie is a convenient needle to jab me. His flattery is a tool to manipulate me. No, the one thing that is constant and true is his fear for Katherine's safety. So long as she is safe, so is he. She is his primary concern, his anchor to the place he wishes to keep. With her gone or dead, so is he.

"Monsieur, I believe you misapprehend my influence over Katherine. Surely yours is much stronger, since your association is longer than mine. Is this not true?"

Dionysus set down the huge cup, and sighed. "I feel not the threat that you can take my position. Only that you can take all comfort and ease from my position."

With a shrug of his rounded shoulders, he looked directly, almost rudely into Josephine's eyes.

"From the first of our acquaintance, I have resented you. You are far too tall for me to pick you up by the ear and hold you from the floor, and to shoot you or boil you with magic would undo my work with the Colonel."

He stood, and reached for his gloves and hat. "You were born of station, and chose to play in the filth with 'the people', and thumb nose at polite society. I share with Evie the taste of what the gutter is like as a home, rather than as playground. You do not know what it like to huddle under a bridge, refusing to cry. It shows weakness to the thugs who share the underbridge with one, and wastes fluid that it hurts to replace by holding snow in one's mouth until it melts. I know these things. I dare say Evie knows these things. You know what it is to have your tailor make a men's outfit for your sport.

"Forgive me if it sounds rude, but you have no more appreciation for how nice the niceties are than Catherine. Spoiled girls with money, never worrying how the next bill gets paid. It's all such a game. I play few if any games, and when I do it is in earnest. Catherine is to be indulged in all ways possible. I add you to the same list as herself."

"I see." Josephine rose with her guest. And he sees only what he wishes to see. If the indignation he derives from it gives him comfort, I cannot begrudge him his happiness. "You have given me much to consider, Monsieur. As to your query, that of the concession I might require of you to put our rancor behind us, I am afraid I must think on it carefully and inform you when I have decided. Such a matter cannot be taken lightly. Do you not agree?"

With a curt nod, Dionysus backed toward the door. "Agreed. I shall tender my resignation with Ezekiel upon my return, and discuss terms of rent for the house on his grounds. I shall hang out a shingle as bodyguard for hire, and await your decision as to price. I thank you for the tea, and your time. I am pleased we have come to this understanding, and apologize most sincerely for my harsh words and rude behavior. Good day, Josephine."

He turned, and stretched to reach up for the doorknob to let himself out.

"Excuse me, Monsieur?" Josephine followed him and put a hand firmly on the door, holding it shut. "Please forgive me but at what point was your resignation deemed necessary? I do not understand." However did he conceive the notion? Josephine knew she'd kept her tongue and her temper in check, had given nothing away. Had in fact been a paragon of polite company. I've missed something ... Either that or I've just put my foot in a bear trap. We shall see in a moment which one it is. "I certainly do not wish to conclude our meeting on such an ill note, sir. Please reconsider."

After pointlessly tugging on the doorknob, Dionysus settled on his feet again. "Josephine, I feel it is best if we treat each other as equals. That can never be when I am a servant. As a consulting detective I am in no way the equal of an Earl or Baron, but I shall be a professional brought in for consultation. As butler, I shall be the servant who forgets himself. I have sufficient funds, and my unique skills could command a rate of pay that could support me and my family very well. In all likelihood, better then Ezekiel and Catherine could afford."

"Ah," Josephine said and released the door. "I misunderstood. I have no power or right to dictate your choice of career, Monsieur. If you say you wish to be a consulting detective, I wish you every success in your endeavor. If you wish to leave, I do not wish to delay you. I realize your time is of paramount importance."

She took another step back and inclined her head.

"As you wish, Monsieur."

Dionysus smiled, and bowed. "You know my residence, should you have need of magical consultation. Thank you for the afternoon."

Josephine opened her door to let him pass and she stood a moment watching him walk away. When he reached the corner and turned north, she closed her door and sat down at her desk to think. As battles go, she thought, it went. But where? What is his game? Is it really only a way to dodge the restrictions of class or is it something else? Good Lord, what will Katherine do when he tells her? Déjà vu was strong as she pulled the tea tray aside and began yet another encounter report for the Colonel.

HOW TO SPEAK FRENCH

Bonne journée, Monsieur Beignet. ... Entrez, s'il vous plaît = Good day, Mr. Beignet. ... Enter, if you please. Sound clip

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