Best Foot Forward by Celia Lake

Author:Celia Lake
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Celia Lake

Chapter 29

FRIDAY EVENING

Alexander had floated somehow through luncheon, through some attempts at amusements in the afternoon, into the evening. There had been an attempt to drug him, and he’d slipped the offending dish out of the way, muddled enough to make it unclear how much he’d eaten. He had more information now about Lord Geoffrey Carillon and his many faces, but it did not help at all. Even when the man told him things, it simply opened archways into an abyss of greater mystery.

He had taken Carillon’s carefully chosen words to heart. Six of the Council - well, five then, but Silvia was Hesperidon’s wife already and entangled in his plotting. All of them at a house party held by a Lord, and an unexpected death, suggested a number of things, none of them good.

If they had not killed Temple Carillon, they had as good as arranged matters so that the world fell out that way. It was the presence of Garin and particularly Livia that made that almost certain. They were not known for social pleasantries, either of them, or extended outings. Especially in each other’s company.

Alexander himself had been far away in 1922. The treaty, in America, or rather the shadows of the treaty agreement, taking advantage of the people gathered in Washington. It was not a matter anyone would ever have trusted to the journals, nor to any letter. He had no idea what they might have decided. Or more importantly, why. And he couldn’t find out, not until he could return to the Council keep and the records.

No wonder Carillon was so protective, so cautious, and so blasted incisive. He was right not to trust anything the Council touched. Even if, somehow, he was also furious at them on Alexander’s own behalf. If one breathed wrong on that logic, it would explode.

The metaphor stuck with him through supper and into the more intimate amusements of the evening. In the early part of the evening, the topic turned briefly to politics. Of course, Alexander paid attention, and he was sure Carillon was as well. Even if Carillon was doing a remarkably good job of appearing to be relaxed, entirely at ease. He was sprawling back against the sofa at an angle that blocked off anyone from coming near them, without ever quite touching Alexander’s body.

Any fool could tell that Germany was moving rapidly into a far more aggressive mode. There were rumours, even at this party, of some new announcement, beyond the orders for submarines and the declaration of rearmament, just since March. Alexander prided himself on not being a fool.

He did, however, keep a close eye on the American. Theodore seemed undaunted by his adventures that morning, but he also gave no hint that he’d seen Carillon or Alexander out and about in the same direction. He didn’t shy from talking about the walk, going on about the vista, and how he’d wanted to see the river.

Carillon, after five minutes of this, said, “We went out along the river.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.