The Sixth Discipline

by Carmen Webster Buxton

Chapter Five

  Stefan Hayden watched the storm from his office, a large room on the third floor that looked out over the formal gardens at the front of the house, and provided a good view of the enclosed yard and the gates to the compound. Stefan smiled to see people running for cover. At this season, rain might be torrential but it seldom lasted more than an hour. Next season the rain would fall more gently, but it would rain for days at a time.

  Stefan had turned his attention back to the intricacies of his payroll system when the com set on his desk beeped in the two short beeps that meant Nisa Palli wanted his attention.

  “Yes, Nisa?” he said, pressing the com switch. He refused to have a voice activated com, or even a video com. Francesca said he was too paranoid, but Stefan considered himself just paranoid enough.

  “Your pardon, Baron Hayden, but we have an unexpected visitor at the front gate.” She had used his title, so someone must be listening at her end.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s Baroness Leong, sir. She’s in her skimmer, with a pilot and three personal guards.”

  Stefan pondered. As the head of House Leong, and more importantly, the head of the Leong-Norwalk Cartel, Elena was always scouting for resources to compete with the bigger cartels. The House of Hayden represented fresh blood. It would be better to see her in person than to try to rely on spies or gossip to find out what she was up to.

  There was no sense in taking chances, however. Stefan leaned into the mike. “She can come in, Nisa. But her driver and all but one of the guards stay in the skimmer. Make sure D’Persis knows they’re here, and ask her to send Toth to me. I’ll see Baroness Leong in my office.”

  “Just Toth, sir?”

  “Just Toth,” Stefan repeated. “And have the kitchen send up some refreshments.”

  He stared out the window while he waited, watching Elena Leong’s skimmer pull up in front of the house and wondering what she could have to say to him. He had known her for over half his life and had never once seen her so much as cross the street for an altruistic reason.

  The door to Stefan's private entrance opened, and Hiram Toth walked in.

  Stefan turned. “It’s Leong-Norwalk. She’s here.”

  “I heard.” Hiram took his place behind the desk and scanned the instruments on the security console at his station.

  Nisa came in a few minutes later, briskly professional in her gray business suit. “Baroness Leong is here to see you, Baron Hayden.” She stepped aside so that Stefan could greet his uninvited guest.

  Stefan surveyed Elena as she walked in. In her youth, she had been a tall, willowy blonde with ice blue eyes, porcelain skin, and a natural grace. The years had dulled her complexion, but not the chill blue of her eyes. She had managed to retain her figure, but no amount of exercise could disguise the menace inherent in her stride.

  “Hello, Elena,” Stefan said affably. “I’d wish you a good afternoon, but it’s turned nasty so it wouldn’t ring true.”

  Elena shrugged and held out her hand. “I don’t mind the weather outside, Stefan. It’s what happens inside that I worry about.”

  Her skin was cool, her grasp firm. “Would you care for some refreshments?” Stefan asked. “Perhaps some tea?”

  When she accepted Stefan nodded at Nisa, then offered his guest a seat. Elena sank gracefully onto the sofa by the window while her personal guard took his position behind her. The man was very tall and broad shouldered, with rugged good looks. Stefan had heard gossip about him and Elena but he didn’t believe a word of it. It was more likely that she let everyone think the man was servicing her so they would discount his professional abilities.

  Stefan stepped away from the desk to sit down across from Elena. Hiram moved closer, and Elena’s guard eyed him with detached hostility. Stefan noted the exchange without comment. Hiram was as loyal as they came, and Stefan had no doubts about his old friend’s professional abilities.

  Stefan limited the conversation to idle comments about the commodities market until Nisa brought in a tea tray a few minutes later. She served cups of tea with the same professional air she used to conduct a business meeting, passed a plate of pastries, and then bowed herself out of the office. Stefan knew she would listen in from her own station. He wanted her to listen. He valued her opinion, and he trusted her without limit.

  “Now, Elena,” Stefan said pleasantly, as the woman across from him set down her empty cup. “Why did you come to see me in a pouring rainstorm?”

  Elena turned her mouth down in a mock frown. “Pooh! What’s a little rain? I certainly don’t mind it.”

  “Maybe not, but your compound is on the other side of the city. You must have had a reason to come all this way.”

  “Of course I had a reason.” She tilted her head and smiled at him, her eyes crinkling at the corners in an approximation of warm affection. He wondered if she practiced that maneuver in the mirror. “Although after all we’ve been to each other, I hardly think we need a specific reason to visit.”

  Stefan laughed out loud. Elena hadn’t mentioned their past physical relationship in over two decades. “Oh, come, now! An ancient affair is hardly cause to pay unsolicited calls. I must have had a dozen lovers before I married, and none of the others stops by for tea.”

  Elena managed to look hurt. “I would have called more frequently if my presence had been requested a few times.”

  “Let’s discard this line of conversation, shall we?” Stefan said. He had things to do, and this was dragging out longer than he had expected. “Forget the half dozen times we ended up in the sack thirty seasons ago. Why the hell did you come here?”

  “It was eight times,” Elena corrected, a wounded look haunting her eyes. “And I’m here because you’re in trouble. You’re staked out like live bait in a trap, and the timber cats are circling.”

  She was good, he had to give her that. No wonder poor Harry Leong had fallen for her. Stefan reached across the table and took her hand. The metallic pale pink coating on her nails made them almost indestructible. “I never knew timber cats had such pretty claws.”

  She snatched her hand away. “I’m trying to help you, if you’ll let me. You’re very vulnerable right now. That girl of yours still hasn’t found a husband, and everyone has their eyes on her as a way to get their hands on your house.”

  Stefan leaned back in his chair, maintaining a bland facade. “Why is everyone worried about who my heir is? I’m not ill, and I don’t see myself as elderly.”

  Her answering smile was less practiced than before, almost glacial. “Your health is, of course, a matter for concern. Even the healthiest-seeming man can be struck down—quite suddenly, too.”

  Should he consider that a threat? It was possible. “And what is it you’re proposing? Come to the point.”

  “I’m proposing a match, of course,” she said, “between your girl and my oldest boy. You stay as the head of the House of Hayden, but your house joins our cartel.”

  Stefan raised his eyebrows as if he were surprised. No point in telling her right up front he had no desire to bring Hayden into any cartel. Better to point out the complications. “Is Hans ready to settle down? I wouldn’t have thought so from what I’ve heard.”

  Elena’s lips curved in an approximation of a smile. “Francesca hasn’t exactly been a candidate for the convent, if it comes to that.”

  The comment left Stefan unruffled. Once Francesca had grown up, he had never expected her to forgo the pleasures of the flesh anymore than he had himself. And if her appetite was well known, at least it was also healthy. “True, but none of Francesca’s little friends had to be taken to the hospital after their affair had ended.”

  An incipient frown marred Elena’s carefully sculpted countenance. “Those were vicious rumors. You should never listen to gossip.”

  Stefan managed not to laugh. “Then you shouldn’t have paid the women’s medical bills. It lent credence to the stories.”

  She shrugged and shook her head as if to
suggest that his objections were ridiculous, but she wouldn’t stoop to argue. “Very well, if you have a prejudice against Hans, then there’s always Freddie. He and Francesca were very close once, and they’ve stayed good friends over the seasons.”

  Stefan tapped his fingers on the desk. He had been more than happy to see his daughter’s relationship with Freddie Leong end only a season after it had begun, but it was true Francesca was still fond of him. “I hope I’m a tolerant person, but the idea of an otherwise healthy young man turning his brain into a chemistry set doesn’t strike me as sensible behavior. Freddie will be dead in a season or two, if you don’t cut him off. He’ll be worse than dead if you let him keep using and try to keep him on a leash.”

  She frowned even more heavily, her age showing in the crease between her brows. “You seem to me to be very picky where Francesca is concerned. Everyone had assumed that she was the one dragging her feet, but I can see now that you think no one is good enough for her.”

  Stefan laughed again, amused that she had assessed the situation so well. “I’m not that bad. But I do have higher standards than currently prevail in this city.”

  “And where do you think you’ll find a paragon of virtue for her to marry?” Elena said.

  “You’d be surprised,” Stefan said. “Is that it, Elena? Was that your only reason for coming here?”

  “Naturally.” She seemed to be trying for a concerned look, but it came across as merely annoyed.

  Stefan tried for a lighter note. “Sorry you’ve wasted the trip. You could try the Ruizes?”

  “The House of Ruiz!” From the scorn in her voice, Stefan would have thought the Ruizes were criminals or beggars. “A hut would be more like it. A mere baronet! A Lesser House isn’t worth the effort.”

  Stefan resisted the temptation to point out that she had been born a baronet’s daughter and had married into House Leong in spite of her in-laws’ objections. “Well, you have two sons. If you act quickly enough, you could marry one to a Ruiz and one to another Lesser House and make it up on volume.”

  Her expression went from glacial to sour. “The affairs of a Great House are no laughing matter, Stefan. I thought you knew that.”

  “Obviously not, since I balk at marrying off my only child purely as a business deal.”

  Elena dropped her lashes for a second, and then looked up with an intent gaze. “It wouldn’t have to involve Francesca. You and I were once quite compatible.”

  The suggestion left him stunned. “Aren’t you forgetting something? There’s the little matter of your husband—the man who gave you control of House Leong.”

  “Harry’s health is failing rather badly,” Elena said, her tone as demure as a debutante declining a dance. “I may be a widow quite soon.”

  “Don’t bother on my account,” Stefan said brutally. The last thing he wanted was Harry Leong’s death on his conscience. “I’d sooner sleep with a crested viper—it would be safer.”

  This was too much, even for Elena’s complacency. “I’ll leave now, Stefan, since you seem unwilling to listen to good advice.” She rose smoothly from her chair and held herself regally.

  Stefan rose with her and pressed the switch to summon Nisa.

  “Baroness Leong is leaving now, Nisa,” he said when she appeared almost immediately. “Please see that she gets safely to her skimmer.”

  “Of course, Baron,” she said, her tone polite to the point of deference.

  Stefan dismissed Toth and stood alone at the window to watch the Leong skimmer depart through the gates. He wasn’t surprised to hear the door opening and closing behind him.

  “You never told me you had slept with her.” Nisa’s tone held an accusing note.

  Stefan didn’t turn around to answer her. “You never asked me. Besides, it was thirty seasons ago. You were a schoolgirl when it happened. It was a full solar year before I became engaged to Jian, let alone met you.”

  “She still remembers it,” Nisa said, her voice harsh with disapproval, and maybe a hint of hurt feelings. “She even remembered how many times you made love.”

  He finally turned to face her. She stood stiffly, her brown eyes cloudy, her expression hovering between censure and dismay. She looked almost prim in the gray suit. “Elena and I never made love. We gave full rein to our hormonal urges, but love had nothing to do with it. If Elena remembers how many times, it’s because she made notes afterwards, just in case they might come in handy.”

  Nisa wrinkled her nose, her expression easing. “She was pretty foul.”

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Stefan said with feeling. “I’m just lucky Harry Leong was a bigger catch than I was. She hasn’t let the poor man out of their complex since she took over.”

  Nisa’s eyes held alarm. “Do you think she’d really kill him?”

  Stefan debated. It was a big jump from detaining a spouse to murdering him. “If it was the only way to get what she wanted, she might. So far, it’s suited her best to have him alive but out of circulation.”

  Nisa lifted her chin. “Until she decided she wanted you back?”

  Stefan had to smile at the thought. “She doesn’t want me back. She wants this House. If Francesca were inclined that way, Elena would have offered to sleep with her if it would get her Hayden.”

  Nisa’s answering smile still seemed tentative. “But Francesca’s not at all inclined that way.”

  Stefan grinned. “She’s made that clear.”

  Nisa smiled more widely. “How is Francesca taking to your wild man?”

  “She seems to be getting used to the idea. She even went to see him on her own yesterday.”

  Nisa’s eyes widened in alarm. “Is that wise? You don’t know him very well, and the man is probably angry at you.”

  Stefan recalled Ran-Del’s attempts at assault. “He’s mad as hell at me. I took Francesca out of the security program for his quarters for just that reason.”

  Nisa tilted her head as she studied him. “Are you going to go through with it, Stefan? I rather hoped you’d change your mind once you had the man here.”

  “No,” Stefan said, “I haven’t changed my mind. This man has the skills to keep Francesca safe. He’s a warrior—he knows how to kill, and he’d be willing to kill again if he thought it was right. He won’t care about wealth or position or power. She’ll have someone beside her who can’t be bought, and who has some psy talent to warn her of danger and deception. I couldn’t have asked for better.”

  “Unless they actually cared for one another,” Nisa said dryly.

  “I gave her time,” Stefan said, stung by the criticism. He rarely worried about anyone else’s opinion, but Nisa was an exception. “I let her play the field all she wanted. If she had fallen in love on her own, and the man had checked out clean, I would have let her marry whomever she wanted to marry. But she didn’t fall for anyone, and it’s too late now.”

  “I suppose it is,” Nisa said, shivering.

  Stefan pulled her close and held her tightly. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I won’t let it touch you. No one but Hiram even knows about you and me.”

  “You think!” She looked up at him, her eyes alight with skepticism. “We’ve kept it quiet, but I’ll bet D’Persis knows, and maybe some of the other staff—and I’m sure Francesca knows.”

  Stefan had trouble believing that. Francesca had never been one to keep her feelings quiet on any subject. “She’s never said a word to me.”

  “That doesn’t mean she doesn’t know.”

  “Maybe,” he said. “But she’s never been shy about these things before.”

  “Maybe she’s not shy about her own lovers, but has she ever once spoken to you about yours?”

  Stefan grinned with delight. “What a clever trap! You know very well there was no one between Jian and you. I was a grieving widower when you started working here.”

  She gave him a fond look. “I remember. It took me three seasons to get you to notice me.”

  “I
noticed you well before that,” Stefan contradicted her. “I just didn’t want to be a dirty old man—or worse, a boss who puts the squeeze on an employee.”

  She looked indignant. “I’m only nine seasons younger than you. I’d never have gotten this job if I were some young, inexperienced lightweight who was looking to do a little silk sheet overtime.”

  “I’m glad we got that straight.” He lifted her chin so that he could kiss her.

  She gave a little sigh when he let her go. “So, now that you have this wild man here, how do you make him want to stay?”

  Stefan decided to tell her the truth. Everything was proceeding well with the plan, and she would need to know the details at some point. “That’s Francesca’s job. The Sansoussy don’t allow any unsanctioned sexual activity. Once she seduces Ran-Del, he’ll feel obliged to marry her.”

  Nisa's eyes opened wide in alarm. “What? But, Stefan, what if she decides to have a fling with someone else?”

  Stefan refused to be worried. “She won’t do that. We've talked about what marriage means. That’s why she’s been so wild lately; she was kicking up her heels while she had the chance.”

  She gave him a skeptical glance. “Do you really think Francesca will be willing to stay faithful to someone who can’t even read and write?”

  Stefan gave a small snort of annoyance, irritated that she had somehow fastened on Francesca’s main objection. “Why does it matter that he can't read and write? The man can read animal tracks like yesterday’s news bulletins.”

  “Of course it matters,” Nisa said tartly. “How can Francesca establish a positive relationship with him if she can’t respect him?”

  Stefan frowned. If both Nisa and Francesca saw this as a problem, then probably it was. “I’ll have to think about it.”

  It was Nisa’s turn to look disgusted. “You’ve thought about nothing else for weeks. First you had the house torn apart to prepare secure quarters, then you went off for a week finding him.”

  Stefan smiled and pulled her closer. “I was lucky I had you to run things for me while I was gone.”

  “You remember that,” she said severely. “You spend too much time on this bat-brained project of yours, and I’ll take myself off and find another job.”

  “I’ve been neglecting you,” Stefan said, in an overtly sorrowful tone. “How can I make it up to you?”

  She smiled and leaned over the desk to press the security switch that locked the doors, even to Hiram.

  “I’ll find a way,” she said, smiling with self assurance.

  “I’m sure you will,” Stefan said, smiling back. “I have infinite faith in your competence.”