"It is good, Father." Florin, his new son-in-law, smiled and replaced the tea mug carefully on the table.
"Papa?" Gilberte said.
"It is all absurd," Etienne said softly. "All of it. Should I have kept Blaise in France? I do not know anymore. It is all absurd."
"Papa. . they still search, Papa," Gilberte said. "They have found his horse, his jacket, this. . thing called a 'sneaker,' a book with sword damage, and many other things he was seen to leave Grantville with. It appears two men might have killed themselves and that Blaise is okay. None of his possessions were bloody."
"They did not find the 'calculator' Jacqueline says he loves."
"Apparently the horse dragged him quite some distance but he appears to have survived the experience. They have not found him. Papa, there is a chance he is. . alive. We must have faith in a loving God and his attention to the sufferings and misadventures of children."
"He is not a child, not quite. I read some of his writings. Spoke to his employer at the. . power station. He is not a child, Gilberte. He has an important job that even I do not fully comprehend, and yet he comprehends it quite well. Jacqueline presented a very unforgiving picture of her brother. I will speak to her about her writing. It is a gift she has and should not be used to describe her brother in the way she has. His relationship with this. . this. . Logan, for instance."
"Jacqueline loves Blaise," Gilberte said defensively. "She was justifiably concerned about his relationship with Logan. Actually, she seemed more concerned that Blaise would do something to Logan that would result in Logan. . what did she say. . 'braining' him?"
"I can see why this young lady's father did not cut Blaise's young head from his shoulders."
"Because she would probably do it herself if Blaise acted in any way that was not gentlemanly," Gilberte said. "American women, even the younger variety, are. . dangerous, Papa. Apparently, they do not need brothers."
"This Logan is quite fond of Blaise, it is true. There were many who found them both. . what is the word? Cute? I could find no hint of scandal or gossip. It was all out in the open."
"I spoke with some who apprehend my little brother in much the same way the Romans apprehended the Visigoths or the Vandals. Apparently, the Jews enjoy his attendance at their religious rituals. He attends the Catholic service regularly, and his singing is commented upon favorably."
"Jacqueline's translation might have been inaccurate," Etienne said. "She knows many languages, it is true, but is she old enough to understand them?"
"We should have brought her with us. She understands and speaks this English quite well. I was impressed. She left us a mouse, and now she is somewhat less like a rodent."
"You are being unfair to your sister."
"Yes, Papa. My apologies."
"I will not lose both of them, Gilberte. She is safe with Madam Delfault. Madam Delfault has done very well under trying circumstances. What will I do with her services now?"
"Maybe my husband and I can use them? She makes some sense by suggesting that you accept the offer to move in with the Fermats. Our financial situation, father, cannot be helped by your coming to Grantville and here. The hotel is quite expensive."
"You are not with child already, Gilberte?"
"Well, we are, as the Americans say, French," Gilberte smiled.
"Bah! These Americans and their notions about what is what and who is whom." Etienne frowned. "What have I done, Gilberte? Maybe your mother's family was right about me. After your mother died, I did my very best, and it was not good. ."
"Shush, Papa! You have done very well, indeed. I will not have you admonish yourself further. They will find Blaise alive. I know it."
"He did what he did for me, you know. I should have never warned Jacqueline we were coming. Blaise devised the code so, of course, he would know as well. He had to prove he was a man to his old father and go after this wayward girl who, apparently, is quite capable of taking care of herself. Imagine letting young girls play such a game with a club. It is. . indecent."
"Will you tell her she is indecent?"
"No," Etienne said quickly. "The situation is absurd enough without being clubbed about the head by a girl. Are all American women this. . forward? Maybe that is why Monsieur Drahuta wears his armor indoors."
"I think Gilberte is quite capable of maintaining herself with these American women, Father," Florin stated gracefully. "She may not have a stick but she has other weapons."
"You only say that to prevent Gilberte from clubbing you," Etienne said. "You are part of the reason I sent Blaise and Jacqueline away so that I could concentrate on your wedding-and not the potential kidnapping of my son to be used as a piece in a political game."
"My point, with exactness, father." Florin smiled and took another sip of the tea.
"Men." Gilberte fussed with her tea mug. "It is all about violence with you isn't it?"
"You better hope so for Blaise's sake," Florin said. "My guess is that Blaise found trouble far more serious than an inaccurate measuring device and a church steeple."
"I saw that steeple," Etienne said. "It was very tall. He calculated the height to within two decimal places. His math impressed me. The ruler was, indeed, inaccurate. I hope. . his mathematics will impress me again, Lord willing. Please bring him safe to me, oh God, please. ."
The Home of Julie Drahuta, Director of Social Services for SoTF
(mid-day, the same day)
The Perspective of the Lady of the House
Julie tried to calm her breathing before speaking. "Norman, if you are going to tramp around the house in your armor, at least take off the damned spurs! The Pascals look at you like you're some horror they can't name."
"I might have to leave at a moment's notice."
"I swear, Norman, as the director of social services, I will enact an animal cruelty law if I see you spur that beautiful animal once. Just once!"
"This whole Blaise event is going on in my jurisdiction. I have to look good. Cavalry officers wear spurs."
"You are not going to look very good if your wife tosses your clanking butt out into the street! If armor was meant for casual wear around the house, JC Penney's would be selling it in their catalogs if there was a JC Penney's anymore, which there isn't!"
Norman glared down his nose at his wife. "I look cool in this."
"You look like a dork in that." Julie glared straight back at him. "Can you at least sit with our guests without ripping the furniture? You can sit in that, right?"
"I can."
Karla laughed. "You look like the Tin Man, Daddy."
"See?" Julie noted. "You are being laughed at by your daughter."
"If I remember, Karla, you were afraid of the Tin Man," Norman reminded his daughter.
"Not anymore." She giggled.
The Home of Julie Drahuta, Director of Social Services for SoTF
(evening, the same day)
The French Perspective meets the American Perspective
The Pascals-Etienne, his daughter Gilberte, and Gilberte's husband Florin-sat in one side of the parlor of the Drahuta home.
The Sebastians-Allan and Mitzi-sat in the other side of the parlor. Logan stood off to the side, uncomfortable in her role as translator.
Julie Drahuta sat between the two groups, in a position that allowed her to easily see all of them. She had picked up some French, back up-time, when she had gone to Europe for a conference on social work. And she had picked up quite a bit more, down-time, from Jacqueline Pascal. She hoped that between her sparse grasp of the French and Logan's more poignant and hostile French, together, not too much will be missed in the translation.