“One will be very anxious to see them,” Bren said. He had engaged the best in the district, and had an Edi foreman in charge of the clean-up crew, men who knew carpentry and masonry and who would, one very much hoped, get the work advanced by fall—it was approaching the summer runs of fish, and the Edi were chafing to work on their own new building.
Once all the legislative agreements went forward to give the Edi their new status—please God they went forward—there would be frustrating days of no progress on Najida Estate, during the height of the fishing season, and days when everybody was engaged on the Edi’s own building, but that was as it had to be. As it should be. He was absolutely determined to hire local folk, even if they had to have the roof of Najida estate under plastic sheeting until fall. It was a district that needed the money.
“And I shall be back on the station for it all,” Geigi said, “but one would delight to see the plans and also have views of the work going forward, if only for my curiosity. One has come dangerously close to being attached to the land again. Alas, my orchard.”
“Your staff can surely recover it. And now they will have help from Targai, surely, Geigi-ji.”
“Some trees are doomed. But indeed, that is the agreement with the new lord.” A sip of juice and vodka. “And once my nephew’s wife is pregnant, shewill take residency there. Sidi-ji assures me she is a plain and practical young woman who understands rural districts very well, and who loves an orchard.”
The girl in question was the one Ilisidi had just married to Geigi’s fool of a nephew. Baiji would not set foot in the west again, but she, an Easterner, would produce a Maschi-clan heir to replace Baiji, and until the heir reached his or her majority, she would rule over Kajiminda district. Geigi might have been lord of Maschi clan himself, had he wanted the post; but he had appointed a subclan house-head to take that honor and had permanently relinquished his own residence at Kajiminda, breaking all ties with the earth. It was not something he had done lightly.
“One certainly hopes you will not utterly abandon the district, however,” Bren said. “One is certain the young lady is an excellent person, and one will be neighborly, but I shall miss you beyond measure, Geigi-ji! Know that you are always welcome under any roof I manage.”
“And you, wherever I am,” Geigi said. “I look to you, Bren-ji, to guide this girl and my heir, as a good neighbor. I have the greatest confidence in you. And should they misbehave in any fashion, I rely on you to tell me without hesitation!”
“So I shall, Geigi-ji. I shall keep a close eye on the situation, for their welfare, and I shall not, again, leave Najida unwatched.”
“Nor that eastern border,” Geigi said, meaning the border with the Taisigin Marid and the Senjin Marid. “One is greatly encouraged by your reports from Tanaja. But one begs you not to take personal chances.”
“One has every intention of being careful,” Bren said, “but between us, Geigi-ji, and with all due reservations regarding the district history, I have a certain sense, be it only a human one, that we have in Machigi—a very tangled relationship, but a workable one. I have a document from him, which he asked me to show to select individuals at my discretion. You are one I would include. In that very small circle, besides you, are Ilisidi, Tabini-aiji, and my aishid. It confesses to some things; it denies others. One of these things he mentions is extremely delicate, and one hesitates even to name it, but having that clear before tonight’s meetingc”
“Regarding my sister’s death?” The look from Geigi was suddenly flat, stark, direct.
“Regarding that, yes.”
“Tell me, Bren-ji. I shall not budge from our plan, no matter what you tell me. But be direct.”
“In essence, Machigi has not publicly attempted to claim innocence of her murder. He is a stiff, unyielding sort and has never, in fact, denied any charge against him. In this letter, however, he claims two things: first that the entire letter in which he contains his statement is a mix of truth and untruth, and second that he was courting your sister in hopes of gaining some favor with you should you attack Murini and claim the aijinate. That his enemies were the agents of the poisoning, and it was not his planning nor his wish.”
The stare continued flat, protected, emotionless for a long while. Then Geigi nodded slowly. “Credible,” he said in that same chill voice. “But you say, Bren-ji, that he was playing games with this letter. I shall be patient for the sake of the aishidi’tat, for the sake of lives at risk. But he will not do well to play word games with me.”
“It is his manner, I fear. It is a risky, self-destructive mode of address engendered, possibly, by pride. There is a possibility of truth in his claim.”
“There is also the possibility that the first circumstance is true and that, at her refusal of his suit, he killed her.”
“I have had very limited experience of his manner, Geigi-ji, but in several intense discussions with him, I have detected a high-mindedness—I can only call it high-mindedness. Pride that does not accord well with such an act. But I have also detected an arrogance that equally well supports a deception. I cannot judge. I am compelled to leave it to atevi judgment—or proof. I am extremely uncomfortable having even to mention it. But I would not have you put in a position of supporting this agreement without knowledge of that letter. And therefore I must warn you. I offer it, if you will wish to read it.”
There was a lengthy silence, and Geigi composed his face to absolute calm.
“I shall read it,” Geigi said, then.
Bren reached into his inner coat pocket and carefully withdrew a copy of the document; leaned forward and laid it on the little table at Geigi’s elbow, beside his glass.
Geigi took the paper and opened it, and in a lengthy silence, read it. A muscle jumped in his jaw at a certain point, and ceased. And at last he folded the letter. “Am I to have this copy?” he asked. “I would like to have it.”
“As you wish,” Bren said. “Please do.”
Geigi carefully put it into his own coat pocket, then said: “As you say, Bren-ji, he is arrogant. But the logic he presents is reasonable. The circumstances are reasonable. Kajiminda was undefended. My sister had no protection but the Edi. And they were leaving. I do see the man you describe in this letter.”
“I am bewildered by him, quite frankly, Geigi-ji. And this also I will say: The Guild entrenchment in his district is thorough and getting deeper. The Guild has its own motive in this action, promoting him as lord of the Taisigi. More I cannot say. But be advised. I think he is quite pent in.”
“Then I understand more of this letter,” Geigi said on a deep breath. “One appreciates the extreme delicacy of the task Sidi-ji set you. One has appreciated that much from the outset. And I shall examine that small possibility that he is too arrogant to plead his case with me, an enemy. I shall hold onto that possibility very carefully, with tongs.”
“One wishes one had answers.”
Geigi touched his chest, where the letter now resided. “It deserves several readings, the final one in the remoteness of the station, in the perspective of great, cold distance from local affairs. The earth brings me memories, not all of which are as pleasant as I have regarding my nearest and favorite neighbor. My sister was unwise in most choices, and my nephew will live and die a fool. Rest assured, Bren-ji, I greatly appreciate your frankness in this matter of her relations with Machigi. And from believing that Machigi killed my sister for his simple convenience to suspecting he killed her as a danger to him brings him a small step upward in my regard, but to sympathize with him as too proud to plead his utter innocence, well, I shall assess his qualities when I meet him. The agreement with the lord of the Marid stands to benefit everyone, while opposing it would benefit my enemies in two other districts of the Marid. So. I thank you, Bren-ji, for giving this to me in advance. You have never disappointed me in your sensitivity and your perception. And if you believe Machigi—there is hope he is telling the truth.”