Lilly’s brows drew down; another whispered conference behind her hand with Mark. He waved away some objection, and pointed orbit-ward. She finally nodded.
“Baron Fell,” Mark took a deep breath, “it’s a Deal.”
“It’s a Deal,” Fell confirmed, watching him with a slight smile.
“My hand on it,” Mark intoned. He snickered, turned his control box over, and twisted a knob on the underside. He set it back down on his chair-arm, and shook out his trembling fingers.
Fell stretched in his chair, shaking off the tension. The guards relaxed. Miles almost fell into a puddle. Cripes, what have we done? At Lilly’s direction, assorted Duronas scattered in a hurry.
“It’s been very entertaining, doing business with you, Mark.” Fell rose. “I don’t know where home is for you, but if you ever decide you want a job, come see me again. I could use an agent like you, in my galactic affairs. Your sense of timing is … viciously elegant.”
“Thank you, Baron,” Mark nodded. “I’ll keep it in mind, should some of my other options not work out.”
“Your brother, too,” Fell added as an afterthought. “Assuming his full recovery, of course. My troops could use a more active combat commander.”
Miles cleared his throat. “House Fell’s needs are mainly defensive. I prefer the Dendarii’s more aggressive type of assignments,” he said.
“There may be more assault work, upcoming,” said Fell, his eyes going slightly distant.
“Thinking of conquering the world?” Miles inquired. The Fell Empire?
“The acquisition of House Ryoval will put House Fell in an interestingly unbalanced position,” said Fell. “It would not be worthwhile to pursue a policy of unlimited expansion, and cope with all the opposition that must result, for a mere five or so years of rule. But if one were to live for another fifty years, say, one might find some most absorbing work for a military officer of capacity. …” Fell raised an inquiring brow at Miles.
“No. Thank you.” And I wish you all joy of each other.
Mark gave Miles a slit-eyed, feline glance of amusement.
What an extraordinary solution Mark had wrought, Miles thought. What a Deal. Did a Jacksonian defy his upbringing by joining the side of the angels, rebel by becoming incorruptible? So it appeared. I think my brother is more Jacksonian than he realizes. A renegade Jacksonian. The mind boggles.
At Fell’s gesture, one of his bodyguards carefully picked up the transparent box. Fell turned to Lilly.
“Well, old sister. You’ve had an interesting life.”
“I still have it,” smiled Lilly.
“For a while.”
“Long enough for me, greedy little boy. So this is the end of the road. The last of our blood-pact. Who would have imagined it, all those years ago, when we were climbing out of Ryoval’s sewers together?”
“Not I,” said Fell. They embraced each other. “Goodbye, Lilly.”
“Goodbye, Georie.”
Fell turned to Mark. “The Deal is the Deal, and for my House. This is for me. For old times’ sake.” He stuck out a thick hand. “May I shake your hand, sir?”
Mark looked bewildered and suspicious; but Lilly nodded to him. He allowed his hand to be engulfed by Fell’s.
“Thank you,” said Georish Stauber sincerely. He jerked his chin at his guards, and vanished down the lift tube in their company.
“Do you think this Deal will hold?” Mark asked Lilly in a thin, worried voice.
“Long enough. For the next few days, Georish will be much too busy assimilating his new acquisition. It will absorb all his resources and then some. And after that, it will be too late. Regret, later, yes. Pursuit and vengeance, no. It’s enough. It’s all we need.”
She stroked his hair fondly. “You just rest now. Have some more tea. We’re going to be very busy for a while.” She turned to gather up the young Duronas, “Robin! Violet! Come along quickly—” She hurried them into the interior of her quarters.
Mark slumped, looking very tired. He grimaced in bemusement at the teacup, switched it to his right hand, and swirled it thoughtfully before drinking.
Elli touched her half-armor helmet, listened, and vented a sudden bitter bark of laughter. “The ImpSec commander at Hargraves-Dyne Station is on the line. He says his reinforcements have arrived, and where should he send them?”
Miles and Mark looked at each other. Miles didn’t know what Mark was thinking, but most of the responses that were leaping to his mind were violently obscene.
“Home,” said Mark at last. “And they can give us a ride while they’re at it.”
“I have to get back to the Dendarii fleet,” said Miles urgently. “Ah … where are they, Elli?”
“On their way from Illyrica to rendezvous off Escobar, but you, sir, are going nowhere near them till ImpSec Medical has cleared you for active duty,” she said firmly. “The fleet is fine. You’re not. Illyan would pin my ears back if I sent you anywhere but home right now. And then there’s your father.”
“What about my father?” Miles asked. Elena had started to say something—icy terror seized his chest. A kaleidoscopic vision of assassinations, mortal illnesses, and political plots all rolled together spun through his mind. Not to mention aircar accidents.
“He had a major coronary failure while I was there,” said Mark. “They had him tied to a bed in ImpMil waiting for a heart transplant at the time I left. Actually, they should be doing the surgery right about now.”
“You were there?” What did you do to him? Miles felt like he’d just had his magnetic poles reversed. “I have to get home!”
“That’s what I just said,” said Mark wearily. “Why d’you think we trooped all the way back here, but to drag you home? It wasn’t for the free holiday at Ry Ryoval’s health spa, let me tell you. Mother thinks I’m the next Vorkosigan heir. I can deal with Barrayar, I think, but I sure as hell can’t deal with that.”
It was all too much, too fast. He sat down and tried to calm himself again, before he triggered another convulsion. That was just the sort of little physical weakness that could win one an immediate medical discharge from the Imperial Service, if one wasn’t careful about who witnessed it. He had assumed the convulsions were a temporary snag in his recovery. What if they were a permanent effect? Oh, God… .
“I am going to lend Lilly my ship,” said Mark, “since Baron Fell so-thoughtfully has stripped her of sufficient funds to buy thirty-six passages to Escobar.”
“What ship?” asked Miles. Not one of mine … !
“The one Mother gave me. Lilly ought to be able to sell it at Escobar orbit for a tidy profit. I can pay back Mother and get Vorkosigan Surleau out of hock, and still have an impressive amount of pocket-change. I’d like to have my own yacht, someday, but I really couldn’t use this one for a while.”
What? What? What?
“I was just thinking,” Mark went on, “that the Dendarii here could ride along with Lilly. Provide her with a little military protection in exchange for a free and fast ride back to the fleet. Save ImpSec the price of four commercial passages, too.”
Four? Miles glanced at Bel, so very silent throughout, who met his eyes bleakly.
“And get everybody the hell out of here, as fast as possible,” added Mark. “Before something else goes wrong.”
“Amen!” muttered Quinn.
Rowan and Elli, on the same ship? Not to mention Taura. What if they all got together and compared notes? What if they fell into a feud? Worse, what if they struck up an alliance and colluded to partition him by treaty? North Miles and South Miles. … It wasn’t, he swore, that he picked up so many women. Compared to Ivan, he was practically celibate. It was just that he never put any down. The accumulation could become downright embarrassing, over a long enough time-span. He needed … Lady Vorkosigan, to put an end to this nonsense. But even Elli the bold refused to volunteer for that duty.