Betrayer
By Fenrisknight
Yueh stared out the windows. There was a hint of agitation, his fingers on his right hand drummed absently before he stopped them. Resist. He resisted an impulse to brush at the chalk dust on his elbow, it was carefully placed, deliberately leaned upon a chalk rest so that the dust might come to his elbow, and yet never appear deliberate was the key.
This is my most dangerous, most deceptive moment.
His eyes watched the movement of people passing by the house shields, gazing at the date trees that had been uprooted and transported to Arrakis. An effort by the beloved Duke to appear to embrace his new home. In one gesture, his fingers drummed the sill again, his agitation betrayed him before he clasped the errant fingertips with his other hand.
For a moment, he almost wished for a book to relieve his boredom, but knew without turning that the bookshelves were empty, would remain empty for several days yet.
Perhaps, might remain empty evermore when the Harkonnens razed this place into the ground.
There was a sound behind him, the softest brush of slipper-sole against the stone floor. Deliberate. Yueh struggled to control the stiffening of his muscles, forced himself to breathe easily and maintain, he did not turn around.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Yueh." She said. "Where's Paul?"
Even the tight reins of tension which drew tight the diamond tattoo on his forehead could not control the slight nodding of his head. Her first question was exactly as he had suspected. He spoke without turning, fighting every muscle of propriety which begged him to stop the madness, turn and bow before the Lady. "Your son grew tired, Jessica. I sent him into the next room to rest."
Truth. The Young Master's enthusiasm had been boundless upon their deployment from that deplorable guild highliner. His energies spent by exploring as many nooks and crannies as he could, at the first sign of drooping eyelids Yueh had sent Paul to the room he'd been fascinated with, providing a small capsule for sleep.
But this moment urged the most delicate of precisions. Practiced with still the hint of mania, Yueh whirled around. "Forgive me, my Lady! My thoughts were far away…I…did not mean to be familiar."
Yueh cast his eyes at the hewn floor, his breath held within his throat and waited.
She smiled, a radiant smile and held up her hand to stop him from dropping to one knee. "Wellington, please."
He continued, pressing forward in a pre-scripted apology, "to use you're your name like that … I"
"We've known each other six years," she said, and Yueh's heart lifted ever so slightly. Not exactly what he had driven toward, but a positive response nonetheless. "It's long past time formalities should've been dropped between us-in private." The words caused his buoyed spirits to crash with leaden weights. A faint smile concealed his disquiet. I believe it has worked. Now, she'll think anything unusual in my manner is due to embarrassment. She'll not look for deeper reasons when she believes she already knows the answer.