Chapter 20
Kristana: “applause of all or the love of none”
“Send him in,” she said. She glanced at another report, shook her head, and dropped it on top of a stack of outgoing papers. This would be as unpleasant as the previous interviews had been, no doubt. Why wouldn't he let it go?
Ludlow strode in and planted himself in front of her desk. The Governor stared down at another report. She could feel him bristling even across the dozen feet that separated them. It wasn't from being made to wait, however.
She shuffled the report to the OUT pile and regarded him. “You wanted to see me, Mr. Ludlow?”
At least he got straight to the point. “I hear he's taken on another apprentice. Why wasn't I notified?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Do you believe your position here entitles you to a voice in the matter? I don't tell the Army when I hire a new tutor for Aria.”
He scowled. “Not the point. He doesn't need another apprentice. I'm still here. He should be teaching me. Otherwise, the time he spent on me is like money thrown down a well.”
“He would not disagree with that analysis,” she said. “But he has his reasons.”
“Makes no sense at all. Unless he's only pretending to train a replacement.” Ludlow's eyes shifted to the pile of documents in front of her. She bet he wished he could read upside down.
“I thought we both knew he is not looking for a mere replacement,” she said. “He has no plans of retiring. Surely you know that. His long term goal remains the same.”
Ludlow snorted. “You mean his school for wizards? That was never a practical plan. The candidates are too few and far between to ever get it started.”
She studied him. “Is that your opinion?”
“Isn't it obvious? Even the Tourists must have known that few of us would ever learn their technology, otherwise they would have tried the same thing. Xander isn't a fool. He's using that as an excuse to stay here and exploit you as a resource.”
“I'm afraid you lost me there,” she said. “As the only real wizard in Rado he is a valuable resource for me. How do you think he's exploiting his position here?”
At the words “only real wizard” he flinched, and she realized her choice of words had been insensitive. The poor fellow still nursed ambitions in that area. But she had agreed with Xander's decision to discontinue Ludlow's training (not that he required her consent). She liked to think she had learned how to tell who could become a Commander in her army and who could not, and she had to assume that Xander was at least as capable within his own specialization.
“Well, apart from free room and board and protection from his enemies, he gets your men to scavenge for him. All those bits of alien trash they've collected for him over the years.”
“Those things are for the school. They're not for him. They're part of something for the benefit of everyone.”
Ludlow sneered at that. “Then why is he the only one with access to them?”
Ah, she thought, a second item on your agenda. “For the same reason that only the Army has access to military items. If we managed to locate a still-functional computer of the Ancients, I wouldn't turn it over to children, would I?”
Ludlow's lips thinned and his eyes narrowed. Really, Ludlow, she thought, it is far too easy to prick your ego. Am I trying to provoke him into making a scene, she wondered, that will give me an excuse to eject him from my employment?
“No, of course not,” he grunted, making an obvious effort to get control of himself and reestablish his mask. “But a second set of eyes never hurts. You never know what someone else might notice that you yourself missed.”
“True enough,” she said. “But I trust his judgment, in his own field. With regard to the first matter you brought up. I do not pick his apprentices, so you really can't expect me to order him to take you back on as one. Is there anything else?”
He hesitated before answering. “Well, there is another topic I wanted to bring up. But perhaps it can wait for another time.”
She regarded him. “Mr. Ludlow, I'm sure you've heard rumors that we are preparing for another war with Texas. If there is anything else you believe needs saying, I'd advise you to say it now, in case I'm too busy to listen later.”
He pursed his lips. “It's about your daughter.”
She shouldn't have been surprised, but mentally she shook her head. For a man of such limited ability, his ambition was astonishing! “What about her?”
“I cannot help but notice all the time you are taking with her education. Yet is seems to focus on the wrong things entirely. Geopolitics, for example. She doesn't need that.”
The Governor put her hands on her desk, palms down and resisted the urge to vault over it and strangle him. “And why not?”
“Oh come now,” he said, smiling. “We both know she's destined for a political marriage someday. She should be learning skills appropriate to such a destiny.”
She leaned back in her chair. “Oh? What skills are those? Are you saying my daughter should be learning how to cook, how to gaze adoringly at a man and give emotional support?” Has he managed to forget who he is talking to? She wondered. Is his ego so enormous that it blocks out my face?
“I wouldn't put it that way,” he replied. “Perhaps she does need some knowledge of the world, after all. But a little training on more feminine skills would not be wasted on her.”
“Thank you for your advice, Mr. Ludlow. You may return to your duties.”
His eyes narrowed again, but instead of speaking he turned and left the room. It was reassuring to know that at least he knew when an interview was over. After the door closed behind him, she closed her eyes and remembered a conversation with the General.
“How do you do it so well?”
Those beloved hazel eyes regarded her. “Can you be more specific?” He smiled in gentle humor. “I do many things well.”
“Yes you do. But how do you manage to deflect advice you know is wrong … without alienating the people who work for you?”
The General stroked the side of her face. “Never let people tell you their jobs. As the leader, you will decide what they work on. If they know what they're talking about, listen. If they don't, you listen, thank them for the advice, and then forget it.”
Remembering, she wished she had asked one more question. What do you do with someone whose ambition exceeds their ability?
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