Nathan had been appalled when his mother announced her engagement to Manfred Von Karma. "Mom, do you have any idea what you're getting into?" he asked. "I've worked for that man. He's absolutely ruthless, and he'll sacrifice anything or anybody that gets in his way."
"Nathan," she said coolly, "I was married to your father for more than twenty years. Don't talk to me about what men are or are not capable of."
Angela Petrelli had not remarried for love. She had done that once before, and she didn't plan to repeat that mistake. Manfred was a serial adulterer, a ruthless prosecutor, and an incredibly manipulative man whose desire for revenge would ultimately be the death of him. Still, if there was no love between them, he had useful social connections and money. And he was neither a fool nor an idealist, so on the whole, she rather preferred his company to that of her sons.
Angela, Manfred, his daughter, Franzicka, and his ward, Miles were sitting down to supper in the ornate, if rather garish, dining room. Manfred sat at the head of the long, cherry-wood table and Angela sat at the other end. The children sat between them. One of the servants quietly brought the salad course in and laid the dishes on the magenta tablecloth.
"Dig in, Manfred," Angela said. "I made the dressing myself."
"Really, you don't have to do that, Angela," he said, starting to eat. "We do have servants, after all."
"True, but I do love to cook," she said. "And how was your day at work, dear?"
"I won the case, of course," he said. "We were able to get a conviction."
"That's wonderful," she said. "Isn't it amazing how Manfred always seems to be able to find the needed evidence, Miles?"
Miles looked at her warily. "Yes, ma'am," he said finally.
"It's really a remarkable talent," she continued.
"Oh, it's nothing, really," Manfred said. "I'm certainly not as talented as you, my dear. And how is your family? Is your niece doing well?"
"Why, you must have forgotten, Manfred," she said. "Nathan's children are both boys, and Peter isn't married. But my nephews are doing well, thank you."
The servants removed the salad dishes and brought in the main course. It was roast pheasant, exquisitely seasoned and prepared, as well as several other expensive dishes. The table was quiet for a bit as they tucked into their meal.
"I must say, though, you had a close call with this case," Angela said after a while. "If Mrs. Hanson hadn't withdrawn her testimony at the last moment, even you might not have been able to win it."
"We were very fortunate, indeed," he agreed. "How was the charity tea you attended yesterday? I hear Mr. Linderman deigned to put in an appearance." He chuckled. "You might want to be careful of him, Angela. If he isn't careful, he may end up having dealings with my office."
"Oh, I don't think we need to worry about that," she said. "He'll stay out of your way. After all, if you were forced to prosecute him, I'm not at all sure what would happen, and we wouldn't want to place a blemish on your otherwise perfect record. Or at least, on your almost-perfect record."
Miles dropped his fork onto his plate loudly, his face pale. "Pick that up, Miles," she chided calmly. "You look a bit unwell. Isn't the pheasant agreeing with you tonight?"
He resumed eating, muttering something which was probably meant to be, "I'm fine."
"Incidentally, my dear," he said. "You might want to go see Dr. Weisman again. You've been talking in your sleep quite a lot these past few days. It's been preventing me from getting a proper night's sleep, and I need plenty of rest so I can be at my best in court."
"I may just do that," she said. "I have had many disturbing dreams lately."
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep," he quoted. "Of course, dreams are for the young."
"True," she agreed. "My husband, my first husband, that is, and I shared such dreams. But such things fade with time."
"He did die quite unexpectedly, though," Manfred commented. "It must have been a terrible shock."
"Well, he wasn't young anymore," she said. "And older men do have a higher risk for heart attacks."
"Quite true," he agreed. "That's why I am so careful with my diet." As if to punctuate his point, the servants appeared with desert. "Incidentally, how is the renovation going?" he asked, after he took a rather large slice of pie.
The Von Karma mansion had been built from scratch by Manfred's previous wife, and the interior décor was dreadful. Angela had been having the entire house redone. "It's going very well. I must say, all these stairs are quite a bore. I'm thinking of having an elevator put in. Would that be all right with you?"
"Of course," he said smoothly. "You are the lady of the house, and you can do with it as you see fit."
"I am delighted to meet with your approval," she said. They finished the last of their dinner, and got up to leave. "I think I'll turn in for the evening, Manfred. I'll see you later tonight, after you're finished speaking with the new maid, that is. She seems quite competent. You always do make the best choices for our household servants." And with that final shot, she departed.