“So tell me,” Ilisidi said, coasting up, one of the few atevi present not too much taller than a human, “how do you find life on Earth? Different than the ship, nand’ paidhi?”
Jase cast him a desperate look.
“Answer,” Bren said. “nand’ dowager, I did tell him be careful with his language.”
“Different,” Jase said. “Thank you, nand’ dowager.”
“Vastly improved,” Ilsidi said, leaning on her stick, creating a small space around them by her presence. “The last time I saw you, you and those two human women were boarding a plane for Shejidan, and they were bound for the island. How arethey faring, nand’ paidhi?”
“I hear from my companion from the ship, nand’ dowager. She fares well, thank you.”
“And nand’ Hanks?”
Nand’ Hanks, hell. Ilisidi neverused honorifics for Deana Hanks. Bren’s heart rate kicked up a notch and weariness with the noise went sailing on a sea of adrenaline.
“I don’t hear from nand’ Hanks, nand’ dowager.”
“Does your companion?”
“Aiji-ma.” Bren took a deep breath. “How do you find the lilies?”
Ilisidi broke into a grin. “I was wondering how to get you off to yourself, Bren-ji.” She snagged his arm and drew him aside, and he could only go, trusting Jase to the security watching both of them.
“Neighbors will talk, aiji-ma.”
“Become a scandal with me.” She leaned on his arm and directed their steps toward the windows. “Ah, the city air. You should come back to Malguri.”
“I wish that I could, aiji-ma.”
“I think, if the schedule permits it, I shall invite the astronomer emeritus for a weekend at midsummer. Thatshould prove interesting, don’t you think?”
“The last I saw they were shooting at strangers, aiji-ma.”
“They neednew ideas. I would delight to have you at the gathering, nadi. Do consider it. Malguri in summer. Boating on the lake.—You should,” the dowager added, with a wicked grin, “bring this nice young man. He has possibilities.”
“Should I assist a rival to attain your interest, aiji-ma? I am devastated.”
“Oh, but one hears that youhave favored a certain member of your own household, nand’ paidhi. Should I not take offense?”
He was appalled. Did she mean Barb, perhaps, or—God help him—Jago?
Dangerous territory. He was nevercertain whether Ilisidi’s romantic fantasies were a joke, or just a hazardous degree serious.
“Aiji-ma. No one could possibly rival you. I’ve so missed our breakfasts together.”
Ilisidi laughed and squeezed his arm. “Flatterer. I shall steal you away alone to Malguri in a lightning raid and simply not return you to my unappreciative grandson at all.” Curtains billowed around them, and Ilisidi’s face went grave. “So would Mospheira lock you away. Bewarethat woman.”
“Hanks?”
“Hanks!” It had as well be an oath. “I warn you, beware her.”
“1 do. I do very much.—May I dare a question, aiji-ma? Should I also beware the lord of the Atageini?”
“Presumptuous, Bren-ji.”
“I am very aware, aiji-ma. But I have never known you to lie to me.”
“I’ve loaded your arms with lies, nadi! When in our dealings have there not been lies?”
“When I have relied on you for advice, aiji-ma. When I have truly cast myself on the truth inside your mazes you have neverleft me lost, aiji-ma.”
“Oh, you thief of a woman’s better sense! Flatterer, I say!”
“Wise woman, I say, aiji-ma, and cast myself utterly on your tolerance. Should I beware the lord of the Atageini?”
“Beware Direiso. As hemust. As that scared fool Badissuni must.”
“I entirely understand that.”
“Wise man. Would that Tatiseigidid.”
He almost threw into the mix a similar and equally urgent question about lord Geigi’s current relations with Direiso, and with Tatiseigi, and instantly thought better of it. Geigi had ridden beside Ilisidi to the rescue, after Ilisidi had repeatedly and forcefully called Geigi a fool. He believed that in her riddling reply about Tatiseigi needing to beware of Direiso, Ilisidi had just told him the unriddling truth on three points: that something was going on, that Tatiseigi was still uncertain in his man’chi, that Direiso was very much a problem.
But regarding the matter of Geigi’s relation to Ilisidi, Geigi might be a fish best left below the surface of that political water, where he could swim and conduct his affairs unseen.
It was Direiso on whose affairs Ilisidi might have information she was willing to share with him. In specific, she had signaled she would talk about Hanks, but he prepared a question, a simple, But what ofDireiso and Tatiseigi—skirting around the fact of the departed Saigimi’s wife’s relationship to Geigi andto Direiso.
Badissuni and Tatiseigi were at the moment in converse, the topic of which seemed grim and urgent.
“Nand’ paidhi,” a servant came to him to say, and placed a note in his hand.
A male human on the phone, it said. Something wrong with his mother, was all he could think; and his face might have gone a shade paler. He might have looked as blank and stunned as he felt for a moment, blindsided out of a totally different universe.
14
Difficulty?” Ilisidi said to him.
“Forgive me. It’s a phone call from Mospheira. It can wait.” He was watching Badissuni and Tatiseigi as they spoke briefly, then moved apart, Tatiseigi instantly surrounded by the curious and less restrained, and people gazing in speculative curiosity at Badissuni, whom—God!—Tabini snagged for a small exchange.
And his mother—dammit, he needed to know.
“Go, go, go,” Ilisidi said, “attend your phone call. Come back to me. I’ll gather the gossip. Your mind is clearly distracted.” Ilisidi’s face betrayed no concern whatsoever. But her tone of command, sharp and absolute, told him he’d slipped his facial control and let things through he would rather not have allowed to the surface.
But he wantedthe phone call. Ilisidi gave him leave. And might learn more than he could—or than she could with him attached.
He cast a worried look around for Jase, who was quietly in the corner, talking to his security and having no difficulty. Jago was watching him, and he coasted past Jago on the way to the door. “A phone call’s come from the island,” he said. “I’m going to the office. I’ll be right back.”
“Yes,” Jago said, and tailed himas far as the door, when he’d been so bothered he hadn’t even twigged to the possibility of a set-up to draw himto disaster. She stayed close, stationing herself in the hall as he went the short distance to the private office, at the door of which the servant stood.
He went in and picked up the phone. “Hello?” he said. “This is Bren Cameron.”
“ Bren, this is Toby.” It was a tone of voice he almost didn’t know. “ I thought I’d better call.”
“Damn right you’d better call. How are you? How’s Mother?”
A pause that said far too much. “ Heart attack. Small one. How are you?”
It was better than his worst fears. His knees weren’t doing so well. He sat down. “I’m doing fine. Tell her that. Listen. I want you to call Barb and have her call me.”
“ No. No! You get yourself home, Bren. You want your damn business carried on, you come do it, andyou come back and take care of the things you need to take care of! Stop asking your family to put up with this kind of crap! Mama’s having surgery this week. She wantsyou, Bren. She wants you to be here.”