In this chapter, Rosalor receives a visit from one of her ex-students - the former Bea Salter - who has recently (and secretly) married Delan, Lord Anderon. Bea is escorted by her husband's half-brother, Jay Knight - who has recently been appointed De;lan's aide-de-camp.

The carrige turned onto the estate. Bea could see Bahlmis house looming at the end of the drive. She put her felings aside and began to think of the task ahead of her.

They were greeted by a butler who raised an eyebrow when Bea introduced herself and Jay. "Lady Anderon and Jay Knight. We've come to call on Lady Bahlmis."

"This way, if you please, my lady, sir," the butler said, and showed them to a well-furnished parlour while he went to inform his mistress of the visitors.

Rosalor Bahlmis, in the library surrounded by half-filled boxes of books, greeted the butler's announcement with a skeptical stare, while her eyebrows climbed nearly to her hairline.

"Lady Anderon, did you say, Petrie? I was given to understand that there is no Lady Anderon at present, unless we are receiving a ghostly visitation. Have I been misinformed?"

"I could not undertake to say, my lady. I am not familiar with the lady in question, nor with her escort. I have put them in the Green Parlour, my lady."

Rosalor sighed. "Very well, Petrie. Have a tea-tray sent to the Green Parlour, then; I'll go myself and see what's what." She brushed absently at the skirt of her gown, which had acquired several smudges of dust from the bookshelves. At least it was new; she had had to have new clothes made when she arrived in the city. Even if her wardrobe had not been limited to the few articles a Professor needed apart from her academic gowns, she would properly be in mourning for the next six months at least.

The severity of her aquiline features and neatly braided crown of white-streaked auburn hair was accentuated by her black garb as she appeared in the doorway of the Green Parlour. "Lady Anderon?" she inquired in cool tones; then, as the identity of her guest registered, her face changed. A moment of surprise was quickly replaced by a warm smile, and she strode across the room, extending her hands in greeting.

At the sight of her former teacher, Bea stood, an enthusiastic smile spreading across her face. Professor..Lady Bahlmis! You're looking well." She gave the woman's hands a gentle squeeze.

Bea turned, extending a hand in Jay's direction. I'd like to introduce you to Jay Knight. My brother in law & Lord Anderon's Aide de Camp."

"Bianca Salter, by all that's wonderful! My dear, it is so good to see you. I did hear that you had married." She looked inquiringly at Jay. "This is . . . not your husband, is it, because the name was not 'Knight,' of that I am quite sure."

She looked back at Bea, her puzzlement growing. "Nor was it 'Anderon.'"

"You are welcome, sir," Rosalor said, nodding cordially to Jay.

Knight bowed, a little stifly on account of his injuries and the long ride back to Anderon on houseback. His smile & eyes however were warm and friendly.

"I am sorry about the confusion. You're right, of course, my married name was Bianca Kennington. My husband, Jerrold, died in the tornado. I am Lady Anderon now, only we haven't made a formal announcment as yet. Lord Delan & I were married in a private ceremony just last night. "

Bea's stomach quivered as she explained. She wondered how things were going between Delan and The Duke. She'd never gotten a chance to discuss the strange turn their conversation had taken after Delan had left.

"I see . . ." said Lady Bahlmis. "Of course you would wish to do things quietly considering your respective bereavements. Mm." A lurking twinkle appeared in her grey eyes. "I am not personally acquainted with Lord Delan, but if he had the sense to choose a woman of your quality over one of the usual run of gently bred maidens, I must applaud his judgement. I should like to meet him."

Bea blushed slightly, aware that Jerrold had only been dead six months. By all standards she should still be in mourning.

"I'm sure as the new Head of Bahlmis you and Delan shall find plenty of opportunity to meet."

Rosalor's lips pursed with distaste. "As First Minister, yes, I suppose so. As a man and a husband . . . that is something different." She looked at Bea with her head cocked slightly. "However, since he happens to be married to a former student of mine, there is no reason I can't see him socially, is there? I have been thinking about the kind of social events that would be best to reintroduce the House, once we have put off our own blacks. Is Lord Anderon fond of dancing?"

Bea was thoughtful for a moment. "To be perfectly honest, I don't know. We haven't had the occassion. But I can tell you as a wife it wouldn't keep me from dragging him to one. However, my guess would be Delan would prefer a more intimate mise-en-scene."

"I shall keep that in mind," Rosalor said, smiling a little.

"Lady Bahlmis, tell me how you have been? It must have been very hard for you to leave the University. Their loss is Bahlmis' gain."

"That remains to be seen," Rosalor said dryly. "However, needs must when duty calls, as they say. I am expecting two of my nephews on the next shuttle from Kalkan, and between us we shall see what can be salvaged from the wreck."

A household slave arrived with the tea tray, which also included a platter of small sweet cakes. Lady Bahlmis gestured for the tray to be set on the low table between them. "We shall serve ourselves, Robyn, thank you."

Bea remained quiet while the slave brought in the refreshments. Glad for the reprieve in the conversation. She wasn't aware any Bahlmis males had escaped the Duke's retribution. And it wasn't a subject she particularly wanted to touch upon, considering her husband had been instrumental in the dismantling of Bahlmis.

No sooner had the servant left than Mercurio scampered in through the library door, jumped up on the arm of Rosalor's chair, cocked his head at the plate of cakes and trilled longingly.

Bea jumped in suprise when the animal leapt to Rosalors chair. "Oh!"

Knight's hand went to his dagger, more in reaction to Bea's being startled than the animals arrival.

"What is that?!" Bea asked, fasinated by the strange animal. "Your pet?"

Knight relaxed considerably sensing the animal was only looking for a treat.

"Mercurio is a shanalythe," Rosalor replied, stroking the animal's mane fondly. "Rhodri Beltran -- an old family friend, who went into interstellar trading -- sent him to me a few years ago. He said it was the first animal he'd ever seen that came in Bahlmis colours," she added with a smile. "And yes, the people of their homeworld often keep shanalythes as pets. They're useful for vermin control, but they eat all sorts of other things, don't you, love?" She selected a sugary cake and gave it to Mercurio, who took it in small handlike paws and sat up on his haunches to nibble it daintily, while studying Bea and Knight with large sky-blue eyes.

"A shanalythe." Bea said, as if filing it away, while she looked the beautiful creature over. "Is he friendly? Would he let me feed him, or pet him? He's stunning."

"Oh, he's quite friendly, and curious. He's making up his mind about you now, I fancy. Once he's finished his treat, as long as you don't do anything alarming, he will probably make his way over to inspect you. Just don't make any sudden loud noises, and don't stare; like many animals, he considers that threat behavior."

"So how is that brother of yours? I gather he is still publishing that 'deplorable rag.'" Lady Bahlmis' tone suggested less disapproval of Josh Salter's activities than her words would indicate.

Bea nodded and turned her attention from the pet, secretly hoping he would find her acceptable. "Josh is still the same old Josh. Unmarried." She said this with a bit of a sigh. Not that she considered
Josh very good husband material; as a brother however, he was gold, at least in her own prejudiced opinon.

Knight sat quietly, still a bit unsure of what his duties as Aide de Camp would entail. The mention of Josh Salter's name did bring a reminder that he still had a few things to take care of. A high priority was to pay a visit to Josh Salter and pommel him into the ground. Of course he knew he could not do that without too many questions being asked, but for the time, he liked to imagine what it would be like.

"Aquila Awake! is his whole life, at least until the taverns open their doors." Bea beamed with pride, the fact that Josh's paper usually slanted in her husbands favor did not lessen her opinon of his accomplishment, in fact it only increased it. The fact that he spent much of his time in a semi-drunken haze, well, everyone has their faults. Not that she would ever let Josh feel beyond reproach. It was a sister's duty, after all to point these faults out every now and then. Right now she felt fear for him. His most recent issue could very well be seen as an act of treason.

"Well, I hope he takes sufficient care of himself," Rosalor said. "Any society needs its gadflies, no matter how . . . wrongheaded they may be at times, as individuals. It keeps people thinking."

Bea's posture remained open and friendly. She certainly couldn't argue with Lady Bahlmis' assesment of her brother or his paper, but there was something slightly insulting about it all the same. ~Wasn't there?

"Tell me Lady Bahlmis where are your nephews from? I wonder if they won't find Aquila a bit of a culture shock?" She turned to Knight. "Knight has traveled extensively."

Knight nodded and commented, "Even though Aquila is home, it is always a bit of a shock to come back here after visiting other places. But, in its own way, it is a nice haven away from the high tech world."

"I cannot help wondering if either of my nephews will regard it that way," Lady Bahlmis commented. "Talaren was brought up on Caelocanth, which is even more low-tech than we are. And my younger sister's boy, Basil . . . I know very little of him, since Glemma never bothered . . . But I believe their home is on Alice Station. The contrast between that and Aquila may prove shocking indeed."

Bea nodded sympathetically. Her own position being disparate at best she understood that the newly appointed Lady Bahlmis & her nephews were stepping into some murky waters. And not altogether willingly.

"If there is any way you think I might be of help, please don't hesitate to ask. I think you're right though. A friendly social event to introduce yourselves into Aquilan society would be best."

Rosalor nodded. "It remains to be seen what--" She paused, and her head came up, listening. "Is that a carriage coming down the drive?" She rose and went to the window that looked out onto the front of the house.

The carriage drew up at the foot of the polished marble steps that led to the wooden front door.

"We're here" said Talaren simply, opening the door nearest to him.

He climbed out easily and stood for a moment in the weak Aquilan sunlight, looking around appraisingly. A slow smile spread across his face, very nearly a grin.

The door was opening, but Talaren did not move. Instead he called out, his voice pleasant and yet carrying.

"Aunt Rosalor! We're here!"

Behind him, in the carriage, Tomin leaned forward to Basil.

"I'll take that owl for you, Sir," he said. "Only I know it''s a little hard to climb from a carriage with a bit of livestock perched on your finger ... "

Basil gratefully handed the owlet off to Tomin and clambered down from the carriage, carrying all of his bags. After making a rather less than graceful landing, he started trying to make sense of the haphazard pile of luggage. As Rosallor exited the house, he looked up curiously. ~Hmm.
I wonder if that's...~

At the sight of Talaren's tall form, Rosalor felt her throat closing up. She had not seen him for ten years, not since his parents died and he'd come to Aquila briefly for the settlement of their estate. He had been a gawky fifteen-year-old then, and he was far from gawky now. Even more than he had then, he reminded her sharply of his father, one of the few of her Bahlmis relatives she'd felt affection for.

Without a word to her guests, she hurried out of the parlour and down the hall to the front door. Petrie had opened it and was obviously waiting for the new arrivals to mount the steps. Rosalor pushed past him, paused for a moment on the top step, then descended the marble stairs at a pace little short of a run.

He was looking up and saw her ... and his tanned face broke onto a broad grin.

"Auntie!"

The old childish name - he hadn't meant it - but couldn't help it at the sight of her familiar face, so little changed in the last ten years - perhaps a little greyer, perhaps a little sadder, but no more.

"Tal!" She held out her hands to him, but couldn't wait for him to take them; before he could react, she had caught him up in a fierce hug. She could not repress the sob that shuddered through her, or the break in her voice as she whispered, "I'm glad you've come." She wouldn't have to do it all alone.

Bea sat frowning for a moment, then she stood, turning to Knight. "I think we should go. Lady Bahlmis' nephews are sure to be tired from their trip. The last thing they need is to be greeted on the doorstep by Anderon. I'm afraid in trying to shield me from any unpleasent inital reactions the Duke may have Delan failed to consider whether this would be at all convient for our hostess. I'm afraid I didn't give it much thought myself."

Knight stood, streatching to his full height, and followed Bea to the doorstep.

He returned her hug with one of his own, whispering softly, "Me too."

And then he had lifted her bodily off her feet as though she were a young girl, regardless of age and dignity - or her position as Head of House. He swung her round - no great trial of one of his strength
then set her down again with another hug.

Bea smiled up at Knight as Talaren spun Lady Bahlmis around. Perhaps this new appointment would not be as distastful as Rosalor had anticipated.

"Aunt Rosalor," he said, finally realising her, "you have two lost nephews turning up here today. I met Cousin Basil on the shuttle from Kalkan ... he had a slightly tough time with security, poor chap."

And he turned to introduce them ...

Basil had spent the duration of their greeting frantically straightening himself up: tucking his shirt carefully, adjusting his hair, extricating his foot from the carrying strap of one of his bags. He gave a little wave. "Hello, Aunt Rosalor. I'm glad to finally meet you." He gave a little bit of a bow, spoiled completely by his keeping his head up to see if he was doing it right.

For her part, Rosalor was in no state to notice minor lapses in grooming or etiquette. Flustered by Talaren's enthusiastic greeting, wavering between joy and tears, flying two spots of color on her cheeks and with her hair coming down in wisps from its braided crown, she gathered together what she could of her dignity and extended her hands to Basil.

"So you are Glemma's boy. Welcome, Basil! I hope the journey to Aquila, at least, was not too much of a trial."

Basil took her hands and grinned at her. "Oh no, not at all. It was... an experience, of course, but I was really quite lucky to run into Talaren. He was able to tell me so much; he kept me from making several missteps that I know of, and probably a dozen more I don't." He looked around again, eyes darting about. "Being on a planet is very...different."

At the doorstep Bea stood uncertainly. She did not wish to intrude on the touching reunion between her old teacher & her nephews but she felt it rude to leave without at least saying good-bye .

"Come into the house, both of you. Leave the luggage, Basil; Petrie will see to it. Is that Tomin? Petrie will have made arrangements for you, too."

"What? Oh, right." Basil dropped the bags he'd already started picking up and hurried over to Tomin to reclaim the owlet. With great care--exaggerated care was a fair description, he headed toward the entrance

Bea stood looking expectant and slightly apologetic as the three started tword the house. "Fogive us for our awkward timing Lady Bahlmis. Knight and I will take our leave."

"I am sorry, Lady Anderon," Rosalor said, still a little breathless. "I was not certain when my nephews would be arriving, so this is something of a surprise . . . Allow me to make them known to you. This is Lord Talaren Bahlmis, and this is my sister's son, Basil Mederes."

"Talaren, Basil, I'd like you to meet Lady Anderon . . . though I first knew her as Bianca Salter, when she was a student of mine at the Women's College. And this is her escort, Jay Knight."

Talaren looked up at Lady Anderon at the top of the stairs, and his face drained of all good humour, leaving it cold and bleak.

He bowed his head.

"Lady Anderon. Sir. A pleasure."

His tone made it clear that he regarded the encounter as anything but a pleasure.

Basil jerked up short at the introduction. "Very pleased to meet you, Lady." He gave another awkward bow. His head stayed down this time, but this was primarily because he was studying their clothes. As he came back up, there was a curious expression on his face, an expression which was already familiar to Talaren and Tomin.

"I'm afraid I don't know how the titles work around here. Does 'Lady' mean you're head of the House? No, that wouldn't be right, from what Rosalor just said, you married in, correct? Are you married to the head of the House? Or are you just a member of the House? Ah...and what would be the proper form of address, come to think of it?"

"The Lady is married to the Head of Anderon," said Talaren, coldly. "Hence her title. And you would address her as Lady Anderon. Or, if you were to become more intimate, as my Lady." His tone made the words sound an insult.

"Please, Lady Anderon, don't let us detain you if you have pressing business elsewhere. Doubtless you have many other calls to the families of your husband's defeated enemies to make in the neighbourhood."

He swept a bow of surpassing elegance.

Bea's understanding smile over Basils confusion faltered. She stiffened noticably at Lord Talarens pomposity . Taking a deliberate step closer to him she said, with the effort of reigning in great emotion, "You might want to spend more than an hour on Aquilan soil before coming to such judgements, sir. After all it wasn't my husband who allowed raiders into Aquila. It wasn't my husband who hid a political agenda behind the fear , loss & death of our people. We all lost friends and loved ones at the hands of your power hungry relatives. We watched them ripped to pieces before our very eyes. And yes it was my husband , my brave husband, who put his life on the
line to defeat Aquilas enemies. At least he is not guilty of murdering his own people so he could seize power. But then you were safely tucked away on? What planet was it? And quite innocent of any acts of cowardice your family commited or any acts of bravery for that matter."

She turned away, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. ~She had not come her to hurl insults.~ She managed to choke out a hasty apology to lady Bahlmis "Rosalor, please forgive me. I..You know I hold the highest respect for you." And with Bea walked to the carriage.

Knight had felt anger towards these strangers, so much that he had released the latch that held his weapon in place. ~~How dare they upset Bea!~~ He wanted to pound each of them into the ground.

He forced himself to calm as he remembered he represented his brother here and did not want his reaction to reflect upon the Anderon name...which apparently was already in low esteem with some members of this family.

He nodded to Lady Bahlmis, "Excuse us please." He left behind Bea quickly and helped her into the carriage. He gave the driver orders to head back to the Nest as he climbed into the carriage along side her.

No sooner was Bea out of earshot than Rosalor, who had stiffened in astonished indignation at Talaren's words, turned on her nephew with suppressed fury. "Talaren, that was rude and uncalled for! Not only were you theorizing far ahead of your data, you were insulting a guest in this house. I will expect a written apology from you within two days, giving you time to think and research before you write . . . and I shall read it over before it is sent. Is that clear?"

Talaren's eyes darkened for a second, and then suddenly he smiled. He had a smile of coaxing sweetness.

"Yes, of course, Aunt. And I promise you, it will be a masterpiece of stylistic artistry."

She raised an eyebrow at him, but her expression relaxed somewhat.

His face became serious again. "Unforgiveable of me to have insulted your guest, I know. But an Anderon ... here. You will admit that to encounter a memeber of that family as almost my first faces on Aquila was a little hard. I have not forgotten my parents' exile ... "

Rosalor sighed. "Nor have I, Tal. But visiting the sins of previous generations on later ones is just precisely what causes half the trouble on Aquila . . . well, you know my views on that."

Well, that could have gone better, thought Basil. He looked down and realized that his reaction to the whole business had been to slightly turn away and hunch over, as though he could physically protect the little owlet from the emotional artillery being lobbed about. He would have been more amused at the thought if he had been sure a cease fire had been called.

The best thing I could do now, he thought further, would be to shut up and wait for her to calm down. But there's so much I need to know to understand what's going on...

"Mmm...if you don't mind my asking, Aunt Rosalor...what is the correct data on the situation? Did we just accidentally interrupt a social call or an official visit? ...or a social call with all sorts of political
baggage, perhaps?"

"Where Anderons go," said Talaren grimly, "there is always a wealth of political baggage. I wonder if your ex-student would have been paying social calls if you were not Head of Bahlmis. But perhaps I
mis-judge her. How long has it been since you saw her, Aunt?"

"Oh, several years at least," Rosalor answered. "She was married and widowed in that time-- the latter very recently, I gather, in the tornado." She smiled a little. "She and Lord Anderon . . . apparently that was a whirlwind romance, as you might say."

Looking at Talaren, she added, "Given that she is a new bride, I am surprised that Bianca was as restrained as she was in dressing you down."

He looked at his aunt ruefully.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Rosalor. Even after all these years, the name of Anderon is still an ugly one to me." He glanced at Basil. "My parents were exiled from Aquila because they were accused of involvement in a plot against the then Duke. Accused by old Lord Anderon - a bully, a thug and a thief. To give him his politest names. He needed my father out of court circles ... he was, in Lord Anderon's eyes ... too friendly with the Duke. So he was accused ... and ousted. My mother went with him ... "

He sighed. "But you are right, aunt - I am acting with a lack of data. And I too would be grateful for an update."

"As would I!" Rosalor said. "The new Lord Anderon is an unknown quantity as far as I'm concerned, though what little I know of him suggests that he is very unlike his father. In what ways, remains to be seen. I should like to be able to invite him to the house and get a closer look."

"But I have let my feelings carry me away," admitted Talaren. "Forgive me, Aunt, and I shall strive to make amends."

He smiled coaxingly again.

"Poor Basil needs some tea and sympathy I think to compensate for the security guards at the spaceport ... "

"You are right, of course," Rosalor said, smiling at Basil. "Poor dear, first the spaceport guards and then a family quarrel on your first day here. Come into the house; we'll send for a fresh pot of tea, and there should be plenty of cakes left if-- oh my heavens! Mercurio!"

She hurried up the steps and down the hall into the parlor. Sure enough, the shanalythe was sitting on the tea table, munching on what was probably his third or fourth tea cake, judging from the crumbs scattered down his front. Rosalor snatched him up and held him at arm's length.

"That will be quite enough for you, sir! If you are sick to your stomach tonight, don't expect any sympathy from me!"

"A shanalythe!" Talaren exclaimed. "And a beautful one too. You're to be congratulated, Aunt. What did you call him? Mercurio?"

"Yes, because he's a thief and a rogue!" Rosalor said with a chuckle. "Aren't you?"

Mercurio trilled.

Talaren advanced on the animal, one hand extended, and making a curious clicking nose with his tongue against his teeth.

Basil had followed along close behind, and now he goggled at the shanalythe. "What's this? I don't recognize it from any vid I've seen. Did it come in these colors?" Suddenly, he went back into his huddled over position. "Umm...what does it eat besides cakes?"

"Oh, fruit, nuts, insects, small game like mice and lizards, sometimes even small birds," Rosalor replied absently, tucking Mercurio into the crook of her arm while she brushed the crumbs off him. The shanalythe twisted his head up and around to look at her, trilling in a placating manner. "And yes, this is his natural coloration. The females don't have the mane, so they're not as showy."

"But still lovely creatures," Talaren rejoined, allowing Mercurio to taking his work-hardened finger in his delicate little paws. "And he will keep the snakes down too - if you were to have many around
here. Many households on Corvase keep a pair of shanalythes just to keep down the snakes. Yes, you are a fine fellow, aren't you?"

"But Basil, you be best to keep your owl safe in your room. I'm sure Mercurio here will prefer sugared cakes, but curiousity might prove too strong."

Basil nodded. "Right. Not to mention that this little thing is white enough to look like he's covered with powdered sugar to begin with."

Rosalor looked over, seeing the owl for the first time. "Oh, my! And who is your little friend, Basil?"

"This is..." Pause, flickering of eyes upward. "...an Aquilan Dwarf snow owl, which Talaren just gave me on the way over here. He's a fragile-looking little thing, isn't he? I only hope I'm up to taking proper care of him." He beamed at the owlet, a mix of emotions shining from his eyes.

"Oh, live creatures are usually more resilient than you might think," Rosalor commented. "After all, in the wild that little fellow would have to protect himself as well as hunt other creatures for food." She smiled. "Have you named him yet?" She glanced over at Talaren. "Or is it a female?"

Basil gave one of his twitching shrugs, then another for good measure. "Well, Talaren's called him a he, so I've been thinking of him as a he. I was planning on calling him Glaux. It's not very creative, I'm afraid, just a word for 'owl' I picked up somewhere. It seems to fit him, somehow. I think, anyway." He grinned at her, then at Glaux.

"Mmm. Shanalythe? Where are they from? You seemed surprised to see one here, and mentioned Corvase...is that where they're from?"

"Originally, yes," Rosalor commented, "though they've spread to some of the colony worlds as well, since they make such good pets."

"Actually," said Talaren. "they were deliberately bred on Corvase to keep down the snakes there ... which would have been a crime against biodiversity were it not for the fact that the snakes had originally been introduced to keep down a native type of rat that carried a plague that was both virulent and rather revolting. Corvase was in isolation for thirty years and the colony basis down to 400 when they had the idea of importing snakes ...

"Unfortunately the snakes were a little too successful ... hence the shanalythes. The new balance is fascinating as a study ... because of course one isn't just dealing with the visible creatures, but with
the symbiotic parasites ... "

He broke off with a rueful smile.

"I'm sorry ... I'm rather interested in the topic. The DNHCWA did a couple of consultations on Corvase ... "

Rosalor nodded. "I remember your writing me about that, but I don't think you mentioned the shanalythes specifically then. It was before I got Mercurio, of course. That is interesting."

After a moment, Basil added, "You said something about a recent tornado... I've heard the term, but I'm not really familiar with it. It's a weather thing, right?"

Rosalor glanced up at him with an amused expression. "You really are new to planets, aren't you? Yes, a tornado is a powerful windstorm that characteristically takes a funnel shape. They move overland and can be extremely destructive along their line of travel -- as this one was."

Basil shuddered slightly. "All the weather I've heard about sounds extremely destructive. Droughts curtailing agricultural production on this world, hurricanes destroying homes on that world, earthquakes wiping out cities on another."

"Well, it's like anything else," Rosalor said dryly. "It only makes the news when it causes death and destruction. When a lovely, gentle rain freshens your garden or you get a good late snow for your onions, you don't contact the newspapers."

"Hmm. Sometimes, it seems like it takes a long time for the economies of these places to get back up to speed...in others, the need for rebuilding actually seems to spur business along. How's the local economy doing?"

"I heard that many of the mansions to the north of the city suffered badly," Taleren said gravely. "Was our estate much affected, Aunt? I would hate to think of that beautful parkland endangered. Some of the oaks there must go back to the First Settlement almost."

"Basil, we should make that the destination of our first ride together. And Aunt, you could come too ... "

Rosalor nodded. "An excellent idea, Talaren. I've only recently arrived in the city myself; I haven't had the chance to ride over the estate yet."

"Ride?" For just a moment, there was a flash of nervousness on his face, but Basil swallowed hard and fought it down. "Well, I do want to see as much as possible. From my perspective, one starting place is as good as another." He shrugged and gave a sheepish grin. "I'm happy to leave my travel itinerary in your hands."

"The estate you must see," Talaren said thoughtfully. "All the great Houses have - or had - mansion to the north of the city - in days gone by to retreat to when the heat of the summer and the stench of
the city drains became too much ... "

"It's a lovely spot ... an example of sensitive bio-colonisation ... and very beautiful. I spent some happy days there with Aunt Rosalor when I was here last, didn't I, Aunt?"

Rosalor smiled. "Indeed you did. We shall have to see if the herb garden we planted then is still thriving."

He decided not to mention the pretty little kitchen slave at the estate who had also helped to ease his grieving heart ... and had done wonders for his adolescent self-confidence ...

"Fair enough," said Rosalor, "but we can leave any more travel for tomorrow. I suspect you've had enough of it for one day. Sit down, and let me ring for more tea and cakes."

She put Mercurio down on a chair and moved over to the bell pull.

"Thank you," said Talaren. "And then perhaps we could explore this House ... I promised to show Basil the mews ... and the stables."

Basil nodded once, quickly. "Yes, and yes. It'd be a relief to stay here for a while...and as long as we're here, well, I need to learn the layout of the House, don't I? For whatever I'll end up doing. Your letter wasn't all that clear on that point, Aunt Rosalor...what do you see as our role here? Well, you've probably got a much better picture of what you can count on Talaren for, but I'm willing to do what it takes to help." While speaking, Basil paced around back and forth, sitting down very abruptly at the end and looking Rosalor in the eye, an earnest expression on his face.

Having rung for the servant, Rosalor took a seat also, and sighed. "I admit I summoned you both here without any particular plans -- sheer, atavistic instinct, I'm afraid, in response to the deaths of the greater part of the House of Bahlmis. However," she looked at Basil keenly, "since you've grown up in a merchant clan, I very much hope you will be able to help me with the family's business concerns. I am hopeless with figures. We have competent factors, of course, who have kept things on a relatively even keel in the interim, but there really should be a family member at the head of affairs."

Basil's eyes gleamed. "Ah, wonderful! I'd hoped I'd be of use, and business is one thing I can do well, even under these conditions, I daresay. I brought copies of the books from the Mederes side of things; if I compare the two I should be able to get a good handle on what shape things are in, and what our next moves could be."

To the house slave who had just entered, she said, "Please bring a fresh pot of tea, Robyn, and more cakes for Lord Talaren and Lord Basil." The slave woman bowed to the young men, and then picked up the tea tray bodily and took it out of the room.

End of Chapter 6