“I have a job,” she said, letting Phillip congratulate her. Her hesitation when he asked where dampened his enthusiasm. He picked up a stick and poked the end into the softer dirt at the edge of the field.
“Not here then,” he said after a deep enough silence that thunder from the distant storm could be heard.
Tatiana took a deep breath. “Prague.”
“What? The continent? What are you going to be doing?”
The surprise of her answer nearly forced Phillip to his feet. Her hand on his arm kept him seated while reminding him to lower his voice. Tatiana slowly told him about the letter to Secretary Eldridge and his offer of a job though she left out that her offer only came because Aunt Linda and Corianne would have it no other way.
“You and your cousin are going to Prague on your own?” Phillip asked expression sour.
“Duke Waldrope is taking us, and Mr. Eldridge has made arrangements for our lodging. Aunt Linda and Pyotr think it is a wonderful opportunity.”
“Yes, I can imagine what they think. Your brother is a bigger dreamer than Corianne! No, Tatiana,” Phillip said, grabbing her arm as she meant to rise. “I’m older, nearly thirty. I wasn’t just a kid before the war. I remember some of what it was like, and not all politicians were idolized or honest.”
“That is what has you upset?” Tatiana asked. “Mr. Eldridge helped save us during the war. He’s a hero, and we are lucky to have him take interest in us.”
“I don’t trust his interest!”
Tatiana’s breath caught as she realized what Phillip was hinting at. “He’s ... that’s silly, Phillip. He’s an old man, and he wouldn’t.” She stopped at the look Phillip gave her.
“He hired you and Corianne based on one letter? That makes the most sense to you; that there are no other eligible young women available to hire in Prague?”
“He’s giving us a chance. You’ll see,” she said, uncertain why she begged for his agreement in this. She wouldn’t stay if he said no.
Phillip stared at her a moment, brushing ruffled hair from her face. “I don’t like it, but I can see there is no changing it. I wish Pyotr were going, someone else to help you.” Phillip looked away with a shake of his head. “But you’re not a little girl either,” he said, looking back at her. “You’ve written to me. Promise me you’ll take my address. If anything happens, if you need any help, write to me, and I’ll come for you. I swear it.”
Tatiana bit her lip to keep it from trembling. She nodded, feeling a tear slide down her cheek. “I promise, Phillip. I’ll write you anyway and tell you how wonderful it is ... and that I miss you.”
Phillip hesitated, saddened eyes staring into Tatiana’s. “Oh hell,” he said, leaning forward and kissing her before she had a chance to react. “Please take care of yourself.”
He slipped into the night before she found her breath. Even then she wasn’t certain if she’d yell at him or call him to come back.
She was twenty-three, just had her first kiss, was leaving in less than two weeks, and wasn’t certain when she’d be back, if ever. Or when she’d see her brother, Aunt Linda, or Phillip, who she tried so hard not to love, again. At least now she knew why she was just as frightened as she was excited.
Chapter 28
CAPTAIN JARED VRIES
MORE THAN RUMORS
“Where did you hear this?” Jared asked Lieutenant Kieren O’Dell.
“There was a bit of a rumor going around about the Lady Grey’s conduct when I returned from the Americas. A warrant officer told me later that my absence had been theorized to be a test for promotion,” Kieren answered.
“To replace her?” Jared said, trying to keep his anger in check. It wasn’t Kieren’s fault. It was Miralda Gerschtein’s. But Gerschtein wasn’t in front of him.
Kieren was pale, which emphasized the freckles that made her look so much younger than her age, but she answered in a steady voice. “Yes, sir. That is what I believe they meant.”
“And now you are telling me there is a new rumor. Something worse?”
Kieren’s hesitation, before she spoke, didn’t help Jared’s nerves. Arinna had been fussing over the rumors, but Jared hadn’t taken them as seriously. He’d teased her about them. What harm could a bit of gossip about her having a relationship cause? Apparently that had only been the beginning.
“A few of the younger recruits were heard saying that the Lady Grey has always been a figurehead and nothing more.”
Kieren paused. Jared guessed it was because he’d just balled his hand into a fist. “What else?” he spat.
“That she was a war widow, and we needed a symbol to fight for after Kiev. So we used her, but you’ve done all the work and should have all the glory,” Kieren said in a rush. “I’ve disciplined the troops, sir. They are all working double duty and studying the strategy Arinna and you used to win for good measure. But I have a list of names if you’d like them.”
“Later,” he said, knowing what he’d do with those soldiers at the moment would not benefit anyone except Gerschtein. “Give it to Kehm. You handled it correctly, Lieutenant. Thank you for reporting this, and let me know if you hear anything else. Dismissed.”
Jared wasn’t sure how long he sat in his office seeing only blackness as his mind went over what Kieren had said as well as the number of times Arinna had saved his life. And he hers. Theirs was a partnership of the battlefield and what had won Europe. But the Defensive Guard held only a few soldiers who’d fought in the war; those who’d wished to serve, but had families in Europe that would notice if their sons or daughters disappeared for what had become years to continue a secret fight beyond Europe.
Only those without family had been allowed to remain in the ongoing battles. The remainder of the Defensive Guard comprised kids who had been too young to enlist during the war before it had been hidden by distance and deceit. And they were an idle force, kept ready but not seeing true battle. They simply guarded the borders and strategic areas like the crop fields. Jared would rather the Defensive Guard learn there was an active duty field branch, the real Grey Guard as Jared thought of them than to turn on Arinna.
That made him realize he had to tell her. He groaned. Not for just how she’d take the news, but that he’d had to admit he’d not taken her worry seriously.
“Kehm, I need a private channel from my office and don’t listen in. I’ll fill you in later,” Jared said, calling down to Command.
“That isn’t protocol,” Kehm answered. “Arinna won’t—”
“Damn it, I’m calling Arinna. You can dial if you like.”
Kehm must have heard the frustration in Jared’s voice because the line clicked a few times before Kehm spoke again in a professional tone. “The line is secure, Captain. I’ll be signing off now.”
“What was that about?” Arinna asked.
“Shit,” Jared answered. Kehm hadn’t said he’d placed the call or that Arinna was online. Jared would be apologizing to Kehm after speaking to Arinna. For now, though, Arinna was laughing in his ear.
“Having a good day?” she asked.
“Apparently you’re having a better one. You have time? No dates?”
“No, not today. I’m alone,” she said, tone more serious. “Is this about what le Marc told us?”
“Sort of. I’ve learned what Gerschtein’s been up to,” Jared said.
“You met with her again?”
“No. I met with Kieren. There is a rumor in the Defensive Guard.” Arinna was quiet while he told her what Lieutenant O’Dell had reported. Arinna didn’t swear or speak, not even when he finished. He fumbled with the controls to bring up the vid, wishing suddenly he’d gone to tell her in person. She raised an eyebrow when the video connected, faint amusement flashing in her eyes.
“I’m thinking, Captain,” she said.
“Well, I couldn’t tell. I thought you’d be swearing and ready to shoot Gerschtein.”
“That is an attractive option, but I really don’t feel like be
ing arrested for murder. Imagine the rumors that would spawn. Gerschtein would love it.”
“Eldridge would love it more,” Jared replied. “Gerschtein would be dead.” He paused, wanting to joke, but feeling too serious. “We shouldn’t have agreed with MOTHER for you to set up a private residence. Why do we keep helping them hide this war?”
“Because the fallout of revealing there has been a war the last three years wouldn’t fall only on MOTHER,” Arinna said, rubbing her eyes. “And we agreed a secondary base wasn’t a bad idea. We’ve never been secret about the location of the Guard base in Prague.”
“They split us, and Gerschtein set this up from the beginning. I thought the rumor of you and the Baron Vasquez was a joke, and once the idea of a coup faded it was over. But Gerschtein has created doubt beyond anything I imagined.” Jared didn’t apologize or confess fears much, but this was both. And that it was to the person he viewed as his commander as well as a friend made it that much more painful.
Arinna’s hard look softened. “Kieren handled this well. It doesn’t mean it is over, but she has given us breathing room. Which we can use. I suppose I should limit my contact with Derrick and Byran again.”
“Why? Do you think ignoring them in public will suddenly end rumors? Everyone will think you’ve had a falling out. Damn schoolday crap.” Jared said the last under his breath, but Arinna heard enough to laugh.
“I notice you said public. Possessive of the fighting matches you arranged?”
“Speaking of them, how are they going?” Jared asked, preferring this conversation to the beginning of the call. “Has he beaten you yet?”
“A few times,” Arinna admitted. “He is good.”
“I get a day off for every match he wins.”
“Oh, so this has really been your method of earning vacation? Here I’d thought you’d set this up for other reasons,” Arinna deadpanned. Jared grinned but remained silent. “Well, if you are going to bet against me, we’ll have to work out a more appropriate wager. Otherwise, I’ll be on leave for the rest of the war.”
“Nah, it won’t end if you’re not around.”
“Comforting,” Arinna said with a wince. “Well, if you want to keep me around, you need to set up a meeting with Gerschtein.”
Jared stared at her. “I never want to speak to that woman again. She’s—”
“Using us. I know. And arrogant enough to tell you, which is helpful. You need to find out everything you can.”
“Fuck. This conversation is not going how I expected,” Jared said, leaning back into his chair. “I can’t believe you are taking this so well.”
“I can’t say this doesn’t hurt, but I haven’t liked any of the gossip this summer.” She studied him for a moment. “If you don’t think you can deal with Gerschtein—”
“Oh, I can deal with her. I’m afraid I might deal with her too well, but she and I will have a lovely chat, and I’ll see what I can learn,” Jared gripped his chair.
“You look rattled,” Arinna told him, her voice less of a friend and more of a commander evaluating her soldiers.
“I can’t fight rumors with a gun,” he retorted, biting off the desire to say “my Lady” at the end.
Arinna gave a quiet snort. “Neither of us is good with this bit, the politics of it. If I trusted anyone in parliament, I’d hire her as an advisor to fight Gerschtein. Though short of le Marc and Eldridge, I don’t think anyone else is capable.”
“There’s a lovely thought,” Jared said. “You really okay?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take it out on Derrick the next time he is over here for a sparring match.” Arinna offered a wicked grin.
“Poor boy. Don’t think he realized what I signed him up for.”
“Hah. He wasn’t the only one,” Arinna said, but there wasn’t annoyance in her sharp-eyed glance. “Let me know how the meeting goes. And you’d better go sort things out with Kehm. You know he hates private conversations,” Arinna added as she signed off.
The best way Jared could apologize to Kehm was to have him make the arrangements to meet with Gerschtein after confessing what the call with Arinna had been about. Kehm looked thoughtful when Jared finished.
“You agree with her,” Jared said with a sigh.
“That you should meet with Gerschtein? Yes. The woman has given us a little information. Anything more would be useful,” Kehm replied.
“Of course, you want information. You are our Chief Comm Officer and handle more data than any of us,” Jared said, the complaint becoming a realization by the end.
“And the Lady Grey is a tactician so, of course, she wants to know as much as possible,” Kehm pointed out. “And you don’t want to meet with Gerschtein because you don’t like subtleties. So go in there and be yourself, just lie about why you are there.”
“Thanks for the tip. We should have you get us out of this mud hole.”
“I handle military information, not political,” Kehm pointed out. “I’d be as lost as you, or worse if you asked me to ferret information around parliament. We never created an agency to spy.”
“Hah. Because we thought the FLF was the only enemy, and they are about as direct as us. Never thought we’d be playing games with ministers. Makes me almost miss all-out war.”
“There were less internal disputes,” Kehm agreed. “What shall I tell Gerschtein the meeting is about if she asks?”
“Oh, she’ll know. She won’t ask.”
Kehm managed to arrange an appointment the next day. Gerschtein cleared her schedule so that Jared could stop by in the afternoon. He paced before the set time, knowing Kehm was right. Lying and subterfuge were not his strong points. The only way not to blow the meeting was to be himself, and he was irritated.
Miralda Gerschtein stood and offered her hand when her assistant showed Jared into her office. “How are you, Captain Vries. It is a pleasure to see you.”
Jared ignored her hand and remained silent until the assistant left and shut the door. “Rumors that the Lady Grey had no real role in the war; that is your method of removing her? You know very well that we owe the fact Europe is not under FLF control to her.”
“And you know very well that you are as responsible for our freedom as she is,” Miralda answered smoothly, waving him to a chair. He ignored that too. “I see you don’t like my tactics. But you shouldn’t take them so personally. Don’t you see that if such a story can be believed, there must be a reason why? You are seen as the real leader of the Guard, Captain. Not the Lady Grey, who doesn’t hold military rank.”
Jared did sit at that. He needed to. Miralda was clever, and she had this thought out. It was easy to let himself be swayed. “The Lady Grey fought alongside me in every battle. She put together the strategies that pushed the FLF back, even when our troops were at a disadvantage. I owe her my life a dozen times over.”
“And you don’t like to see those memories falsified. But I must ask, what is the best way to remove a war hero from power?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Jared said, disliking every moment in the room with her. Plotting to remove Arinna felt wrong, and he doubted he could hide that for very long.
“By making her not a hero. Her image is tarnished. If doubts can grow for one cause, they’ll grow for another. It won’t take much longer before the Lady Grey will be lucky to retain her liberty. I fear nothing else of who she was will remain intact.”
“The FLF, the attacks over the summer, they don’t frighten you?”
“No. Not enough to keep her. I have every confidence in you,” Miralda said with warmth.
“That is nice to hear. Considering your treatment of the Lady Grey, I was worried I’d have to watch myself.”
Miralda laughed politely. “Not due to me, Captain Vries.” Her smile had a sharp distaste to it.
“So there are things I should be worried about? What and who?” he asked, leaning forward in the chair. Miralda mimicked his movement.
“You need to think about who in th
e Guard is loyal to the Lady Grey. Who will resist when the time comes for her to fall? Who will obey you without question?”
A chill went through him. Leaning toward her, their heads together as they conspired to remove his closest friend, left Jared unable to think beyond the hard reality of what they were doing. He pulled away, unable to hide his distaste.
“This sounds like we are plotting a coup. Something, I believe, you’ve tried to pin on the Lady Grey.”
“Hah.” Miralda sat back as well and adjusted items on her desk. “Something I believe she has already done. Didn’t she, in reality, take the Guard from you? All we are doing is setting that right. I know you respect her. Truly, I see some of the things here do not sit well with you. So I must ask you, Captain Vries, are you ready to lead the Guard alone?”
“The Guard is mine,” he said without hesitation.
“I’m glad you feel that way.” She looked relieved as she took a long breath.
“You thought I’d turn on you?” Jared asked, amused. It felt good to have a little power in all of this.
Miralda shrugged. “For a moment there, I wasn’t certain. We do have an understanding?”
“I don’t like your tactics. But yes, we have an understanding of what it is you are trying to accomplish,” Jared said, meaning every word.
“And you will sort out who in the Guard can be trusted? Your lieutenants—”
“Are mine and loyal to me. As is the Guard. I will sort out any that give me doubt. You do not have to worry about them,” Jared said, daring her to try. She gave him a tight smile.
“Of course.”
Jared cursed to himself the entire ride to base, barely keeping himself from making the journey at a gallop. He compromised with a trot. This was one report he needed to send before the toxicity of it drove him mad. He had to warn Arinna before things grew worse. And find a way to halt an enemy that wouldn’t die by the sword.
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