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Chapter Nine: Back Home

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Longbourn Meryton

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October 1823

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- I wouldn't have thought it possible but this place still rings like my true Home.

She smiled at Geoffrey while tears of joy were running on her cheeks.

- That's because you've been happy here. But for a few very short encounters with grief, happiness was your constant follower while you lived here. And to underline that point, I've organized a little something for you. It is awaiting you in the parlor. You still know how to reach this Manor's parlor, do you?

- I do, answered she with another smile. Let's go…

He shook his head.

- No, you go. Having me at your side would be…

He hesitated.

- …Inappropriate would be the right word if it wouldn't be conveying a false idea. Let's just say that, for today, I don't have neither the desire nor the right to be with you. Enjoy what is awaiting you and be sure that tomorrow morning I'll be back with a vengeance.

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Hadn't she already been in tears because of the kind memories that had been tingling her mind for the last half hour, they would have swollen over her eyes the moment she opened the door to the parlor to look at the smiling face of Mrs. Hill.

The Hill family was still very present at Longbourn since their eldest son's family has taken over the duties of managing the Estate but Mrs. Hill had, for quite a few years now, left the family to live a very deserved retirement somewhere in the North where her daughter had married an attorney in law.

Within seconds Jane was in Mrs. Hill's arms crying even more if such a thing was even physiologically possible.

It was only after a long loving embrace that she looked up to see the rest of the Parlor occupied with her father at the head of the table, facing a smiling Mrs. Bennet.

All four of her sisters were there too, sitting very discreetly at their exact old places.

As had been her wish when she had taken over the property of the Estate, nothing in Longbourn had been changed. The furniture was the same, even if it had been painstakingly cleaned and restored, as it had been when they lived here. Aside from the creation of a bathroom on each level and toilets wherever it had been possible to add them, Longbourn was the exact image of her Home.

- You're late for Breakfast, dear, said Mr. Bennet in his most fatherly tone. Lydia is, as usual, starving…

He pointed at her seat.

- Please…

That was the exact moment when discretion gave way to bedlam.

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No day could have better concluded what all called her restoration trip. Old memories had been refreshed and they had, at last, been able to speak together about everything that had ever marred their relationships.

Of course, they had all had lots of occasions to speak with each other and one on one they had, mostly, solved the problems they had had with each other. They did spend lots of time together, after all.

But being all present in the very rooms were everything important had happened they had realized that never had they been able to share whatever had been dividing them in the past.

Jane who had always thought of herself as a gentle forgiving soul had been very surprised to discover, deep down in the most hidden black parts of her soul, that some snippy comments and remarks of old were still present and festering!

And the same was right with her sisters.

They had no longer any doubt that they loved each other with all their hearts and souls but it was that day that they discovered that being unseemly and rude was, from time to time, necessary.

That October day in Longbourn hadn't always been easy but it did change the look they had on each other.

The only one who came out of the process unscathed was their father. Not that he had ever been perfect but his generosity and huge propensity to never judge any of his daughters with anything sharper than being silly had helped to spare him from his women's spite.

Not so with each other…

But with around twenty-five years of hindsight and lots of child-raising experience they had no problems to discover the reasons behind the tantrums and the needs behind what had, in Lydia and Kitty's cases, been brazen manipulations.

For hours they spoke and shared memories.

Things they had forgotten or smothered were resurrected and, finally, dealt with.

It was extremely late in the night when they finally decided to go to bed but those hours had done more to all their mental health than hours with their mother's high leveled shrinks/psychologists.

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He was there speaking with her father in the parlor when she finally arrived…

His smile immediately erased her last shreds of sleepiness.

- I hear that it was not at all how I imagined it…

- It still was exactly what we needed, said Jane while sitting at his side in what would be, a few hours later, Lydia's armchair. I'm very sorry to admit that it was exhausting but it was clearly necessary. There were old grudges we weren't even aware of that needed to be dealt with.

- I was not at all planning such an event. I just wanted you to be able to plunge back to those times when you were happy living a simple life.

- And we all were amazed to discover that those happy times had been spattered with such a great number of awfully bad moments. It always amazes me how people who love each other can hurt each other with such eagerness.

Geoffrey just shrugged.

- Don't judge the world taking you as an example, said Geoffrey. Most people are intrinsically evil. The fact that they fall in love does change nothing at their core values. So, hurting others is an ingrained habit love doesn't change. And if you add to that that most of the time what's labeled love is only another sort of greed and lust to possess and you'll understand a lot better how and why people interact.

- And there is that subtle pleasure to hurt others, said Mr. Bennet with a frown. I've seen it done and I've done it myself. Mostly to your mother. Because I could and because it gives you that false impression of power over others. Most people discover incredibly young that it is a lot easier to make people do what you want by hurting them than by convincing them…

Jane frowned at their comments.

- I refuse to believe you. Most people are capable to do evil thing, that I will admit. But they don't do it out of pleasure or an ugly desire to hurt. They have seen it successfully done around them and they copy what they have seen.

- They also see a lot of good deeds around them, said Geoffrey, and still most of the time it is the evil behavior they mimic. And that's because evil is the real Human feature. The feature that allows you to succeed more easily. Kindness only happens in exceedingly rare cases and it grants its author only envy and spite. This world is an evil mess, and you must always remember that you are the exception, not the norm.

Jane looked at her father hoping that he would support her case.

He shook his head.

- He's right and you know it, dear. But the fact that you are the exception doesn't lessen your importance. Everybody knows that good deeds are more important than evil ones. But still our society grants bonuses for those who reach their goals first. So, since evil is faster and easier, it will be chosen most of the time.

He pointed at himself.

- I did it, love. I let my laziness almost destroy your future. I chose my egotistical needs over what my daughters deserved.

He smiled at Geoffrey.

- Without Geoffrey and Fitzwilliam your fate would have been a lot less favorable, my dear. I'm the lazy self-centered cricket who has always refused to work for his family's improvement. It's perhaps not greatly evil but it still is a clear sign of neglected duties. My behavior shows that if I was a lenient and forgiving father, I never was a good and responsible one.

Geoffrey looked up and frowned.

- Hey, this had been organized to be a pleasant and pleasurable event. Why are you all so philosophically somber?

- We must deal with the aftermath of our discoveries, son, answered Mr. Bennet. It was useful and full of teachings, but it was, as Jane said, exhausting. It's clearly not easy to look into your soul's most hideous places. It could bring you to the edge of despair.

He smiled at his daughter.

- Luckily, there are Beings who seem to exist only to grab you at the last moment. Just before you fall to the heights' lure, they remind you that you are not only trash but loved Human Beings.

- And it changes everything, agreed Geoffrey.

He took his wife's hand into his own and kissed her.

- But it makes you dependent… You are no longer able to live without their help and support.

Mr. Bennet just shrugged.

- And? What's the matter? As I see it Jane will be there for us as long as she lives and thanks to the upgrade that should be for quite a long time. Why regret being an addict to a drug that is easily available, easy on the mind and good for your soul? Not all drugs are to be condemned. Those that heal should be supported and embraced with eagerness.

He winked at his daughter.

- And when the drug looks like my eldest there is really no reason not to embrace her, son!

Geoffrey nodded and kissed once more his wife's hand.

- You are quite right, father. There is no reason not to embrace her and it is exactly what I'm going to do as soon as we are back at a place not overrun by obnoxious sisters who spend their time interfering with my love-life.

- Let's not speak about your love-life, Mr. d'Arcy. As you well know I consider that your love-life should have been restrained to my daughter and nobody else.

- Well as a faithful Muslim I have sworn that I will do my best to emulate the Prophet's example. So, in matters love-life, I will have no choice but to restrain my love-live to the boundaries the Prophet Mohamed's example taught us. So, be sure that I won't ever exceed the number of wives Mohamed has placed as an upper limit…

- Which is?

- It depends! There are two different numbers reported. Most of the scholars who have studied the Prophet's life say nine…

It was his turn to wink at his father in law.

- But some say eleven. I think I will restrain myself to nine. The three I already wed are difficult enough to master. Almost four time that number would be too difficult a task for a man, even of my exceptional stature.

Jane couldn't help but smile at the banter going on between her father and her husband.

She knew that her father had frowned -to say the least- at her decision to allow her husband to marry Maureen. And even if it always came out as a joke, she knew better. It did irk her father that she had to share her husband. It probably irked him even more that she and Maureen shared more than just a husband but that was a problem he had never accepted to discuss with her. And she had no problem living with his decision.

The fact that she was visibly and thoroughly happy had probably helped but deep-down Edward Bennet still blamed Geoffrey for what he considered an unfaithfulness.

- I doubt we will find any new candidate, said Jane with a satisfied smile. My choice of a third wife should have closed that door once and for all. No Muslim I know will find in himself the courage to ask that you add his daughter to a family who has the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire as a father in law. The Sultan has a reputation that should easily convince any greedy powermonger to think twice about making such an offer.

She winked at her father.

- We still have open slots for Christian and Jewish wives but I will have to admit that even if I'm quite satisfied with both my present sisters in wedlock I'm more and more inclined to see our four-some as the d'Arcy ultimate wedding arrangement. Some odd traces of jealousy make me believe that all other new candidates wouldn't be treated with the needed equanimity.

Her father who always had been a smart man couldn't help but sigh in frustration.

He knew that Jane's last sentence had been targeted at him.

She wouldn't repeat it but since she was satisfied with her husband and her current wedding arrangement, she would not accept to reenter a discussion on that matter. Even with her frustrated if loving father.

- Three wives should indeed be enough for any sane man, said he finally. More would border insanity.

- More, said Geoffrey, would only be acceptable to affirm my political position. As a Muslim Aristocrat I had two choices, show that I had no need to claim to the world that I am able to control a huge number of submissive females or to use the number of females under my yoke as an marker of my power.

He looked at Mr. Bennet. There was respect and admiration in his eyes. But also, an obvious determination.

- As you well know I have no interest in claiming a rank or a position by petty attempts to convince others that I'm the alpha male around. My ultimate manifestation of power has been stated the day William became the heir to the Throne of Great Britain. Lexi's and Betty's weddings to two of the most powerful men of tomorrow did reaffirm my blood's worth for all the world to witness. I believe those acts will suffice to ascertain that everybody takes me as seriously as I think they ought.

He let out a long sigh.

- From what I know and desire, there will be no fourth Misses d'Arcy… At least in my wedding arrangement. I do, of course, hope that there will be quite a lot more misses d'Arcy when my sons begin to look around them to find an adequate mate. And since most of them will probably chose the Christian faith there shouldn't be an abnormal number of those too.

Jane, who never lost an occasion to discuss with her children intervened.

- Jonathan does scrutinize the Muslim Faith with a lot of interest. He's often speaking with Yasmina about her rewriting of the Quran. I'm not sure where he wants to go.

- She isn't rewriting, corrected Geoffrey. That would be a capital offense to the Faith. She's trying to rebuild the original teachings the Archangels have dictated to Prophet Mohamed. Before some of Mohamed's least honest companions have begun to doctor the Holy Message to bend it to their greed.

Jane who had, long ago, abandoned any hope to understand what Yasmina was really doing in conjunction with the Muslim Faith, shook her head.

- Most of what exists today in every holy scripture has been tempered with at least once in the past. I don't see how she's going to succeed.

- With lots of work and faith in her innate craftiness, answered Geoffrey. It will take years to get to the original texts but eliminating all those who clearly have been added to give Mohamed Heirs' more legitimacy and allow them to do what they wished will be easy to spot. Those will be erased in any new edition of the Quran.

Mr. Bennet frowned at his son-in-law.

- Why are we speaking about Islam?

- Because of your allusions at my Wedding arrangements, father, answered d'Arcy with a satisfied smile. We just stayed where your question brought us. I'm not against changing topic but there are things in the Muslim Faith that need to be corrected. And the number of allowed wives won't probably be one of them…

Geoffrey's smile became even larger when he saw Jane's frown. Her position was a very ambivalent one. She loved their wedding arrangement because of what it meant for her and Maureen. But she was also, because of the years she had fought to obtain equality between men and women, resolutely against the polygamic reality of most of the Muslim societies. But it was difficult for her to judge others when she was clearly benefiting from the Muslims' wedding arrangements.

He winked at his wife.

- It will perhaps change but not because the Script will forbid it. As you know there is a lobby that asks for more diversity in Great Britain's marriage arrangements. William isn't against but, till now the MPs haven't decided to extend the current regulations.

He looked in Jane's direction and he was quite satisfied to see that she was smiling back.

- But even if there are changes in that matter under Islamic law, it will not be for quite a few generations. And above all, it won't destroy what is already existing. Those already legally married will be able to keep whatever number of wives they have. And, it really is necessary to freeze the law as it is now. Because, destroying it would be a major catastrophe for most of the women involved! Quite a lot of the husbands I can only call evil would dump their wives without even a hesitation. Nowadays, they will have to follow the Islamic law and with that law the repudiated wives get at least their dowry back. It won't probably be what some Westerners would prefer but it's better than just being dumped.

He erased his smile and made a great effort to show that he was aware of the problems linked with the polygamist Islamic laws.

- But there is that little consistency problem we are meeting when in GGB we are working to get more diversity in marriage laws while trying, in Muslim countries, to eliminate forced polygamy.

- The key word, said Mr. Bennet, is probably 'forced'! What Jane and the girls work for is to be sure that whatever wedding arrangement a couple chooses, both know what it implies and accept willingly the consequences…

He stopped Jane's next protest with a very fatherly gesture.

- Please don't, Jane! I know that some economic necessities will always disturb any real willingness. As you would have married a rich man you didn't love to save the family, a lot of women will willingly accept to enter into unpalatable arrangements when said arrangements save them or their families from duress. But those cases are a lot less numerous now than twenty years ago. Even single women are now able to find a job to live decently or even to feed their relatives without of wedlock. We no longer live in the same society…

- Most Muslim Countries still live under the same social and economic rules, protested Jane. What's true in Europe isn't true in Asia.

- It is changing, dear and you know it, said d'Arcy. I'm the overall Manager of all, non-African, French Muslim countries and, even if we had, in the beginning, some troubles to convince the Muslims, it is no longer the case. Prosperity is growing and a lot of poor families have fathomed that it is better to send their girls to school to learn a real job than to marry them away. Girls are no longer a burden but have become an asset for poor families. At least for those girls who are smart enough to learn a trade.

He stopped her next protest before she could muster it.

- Rich people will always find ways to get what they want. But the price will not be the same. I know it is not an argument you like to listen to, but we have progressed. Poor families are still poor and when a rich man comes to offer a huge sum, they will probably accept any proposed bargain. But even the sold-out daughter will benefit. You don't dump as easily what has cost you a fortune than what you got for a trifle amount of money. And the real answer is in Edward's and Charles' hands. The day there are no longer poor people, the market for unmarried daughters will dwindle.

He looked at Mr. Bennet.

- Prosperity is indeed, a massive peacemaker! I wasn't totally convinced by Uncle Gardiner's approach of societies but, after twenty years of witnessing his economic magic, I can only admit that he was right. Give the people enough to live and make plans for the future and you take the wind out of any revolutionary's sails. People who own their house won't want to risk seeing it burned to the ground by insurgents. And if you add to their bank account a few basic rights, you soon find yourself managing a lot more interesting country. It's not yet perfect but it seems to work quite well.

He sighed.

- Our last risk factor is religious dissatisfaction. And Muslims extremists are not yet totally eradicated. They are a lot less effective when they can no longer use the charity business to get their fellow Muslims' gratitude but they still have a few sound, if false, arguments to steer up unrest. But Fouché has been highly active on that front for the last twenty years and only the cleverest of trouble mongers are still alive and free to become a threat.

His smile was back, and it wasn't a friendly one.

- But even clever religious fanatics are easy to target for some discreet allies of ours. Being a religious ringleader is a particularly dangerous and extremely lethal business. At least when they live in the lands I'm responsible for.

Mr. Bennet made a face.

- Aren't you endorsing a despotic view of government by doing that?

- In my mind a Government must, to be efficient, be despotic in the most important regal matters. The Consulate has never pretended to be a democracy, father. And even GB hasn't, since Cromwell's attempt, fallen back in that trap. It is a Monarchy with a few balancing powers to the King's autocratic prerogatives. That's the winning pattern.

He took a few seconds to sort out his thoughts.

- Giving the people a say on what happens around them is not only a clever move, but also a necessity. They need to see that their opinion is sought out and followed. Giving them a say on what should stay the privilege of the Monarch is a mistake. And both political entities I work for or with have understood the deal. Foreign affairs and Justice must stay in the Monarch's hand. Everything else can be managed at a local level with elected governors or deputies. The people want to be able to stop a road or a factory that will mess with their life, but they don't give a damn about the way the Prince treats a foreign ruler.

- Here you are utterly simplifying, protested Mr. Bennet.

- Perhaps, but the basics are sound. Giving the people too much power is an open door to demagogy. And demagogy is never an acceptable answer. Napoleon has used it and it has been a problem while he used it. Luckily that phase is over now, and he is nowadays confident enough to show his regime's real face.

- He still refuses to call it an Empire…

- Because he doesn't need to call it thus to stay in power. He knows that, as soon as there is an open position within the Consuls the void will be filled either by the Third Consul becoming Second Consul and Alexander being selected to fill the empty seat of third Consul. And while being Third Consul Alexandre will be able to learn his trade slowly and efficiently with only a modicum of pressure and stress. Much better than being immediately bombarded the Heir of the Empire.

- No risk that the Chambers appoint somebody else?

- Not the least. First, Alexandre is well loved by the people and the various deputies! What is worse is that they all know that not nominating Alexandre would only push his father into decreeing the Empire. And everybody knows that the Consulate is a way better system than an Empire. Nominally, it's still a sort of Republican outlier. Should it become an Empire a lot of the local powers would be sucked up by the Central Government. France loves to have a strong central Government and the Consulate is an excellent compromise between the Jacobine and the Girondin views of governing France.

Once more Geoffrey shook his head.

- No, there's really no risk to see Alexandre not appointed. Cambacérès is an old man who hasn't been upgraded and who won't last for much longer. Lebrun has been upgraded but since he has chosen to live in Great Britain, his career won't last longer than that of his colleague the Second Consul. But nothing's written, yet. It could very well be that Alexandre himself asks Charles to take the position and act with him for the years to come. I'm quite sure that William wouldn't frown at seeing a man who is a friend of the Family and of Great Britain becoming Napoleon's second in command.

- Charles likes it to be in England, said Jane who quite liked the old French Politician. I doubt that he wants to come back to France which would be unavoidable should he replace Cambacérès.

- He likes it in England, agreed Geoffrey, but Napoleon has been pressuring him for years to have him back. That's also why he never accepted his resignation as Third Consul. And Napoleon's work has shown partial success. Charles is at least three months a year in Paris working with the Finance Ministry trying to pull the French economy at the level of the British one. He's making progress but he confessed that it was a never-ending and tiring task to convince the French elite that too much regulations kills even the sanest economy.

- Well, said Mr. Bennet while smiling at Geoffrey, he won't be the first to have a foot in England and the other in France. And if I had to release a judgement it's a good thing for both countries that some of their best and cleverest have links on both sides of the Channel. We've fought long and hard enough. Let's go on showing the world what a cooperation between us can bestow to it.

- Indeed, said Jane while smiling at the maid who was bringing her breakfast. But even if I'm, of course enthralled by your conversation, could it be, dear husband, that, after having broken my fast, you'd be willing to let me show you the land around Longbourn? We never had the occasion to do what I always dreamed to do when I was young…

- And what would that be?

- Walk along the ways and trails of my preferred speck of land with the man I love at my arm…

Geoffrey made a droll face while looking at his father in law.

- I do fear, father, that we will have to abridge our interesting conversation. It seems that there is indeed an important duty I failed to do…

Mr. Bennet nodded with all the solemnity he was able to muster.

- I've heard, son, I've heard. I agree that such a dereliction of duty should stop right now.

- After breakfast, corrected Jane, right after breakfast.

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- It is a lovely day and I love you…

Jane's smile just increased tenfold.

- I love you too, husband dear! And I agree the day is perfect even if it is rather cold for this early in the year.

- You are wearing a coat and a very out of dated bonnet, love. And the bug inside us is providing all the heat we need. Cold is not a sensation that should worry you.

- It doesn't worry me and if I wear a coat and a bonnet it is because we will, very soon now, enter Meryton and, even if the fact that we are upgraded is a well-known evidence, most people still ignore what it really means. I think that there is no need to blatantly display our differences.

- But you do intend to display me …

- Of course, I do. And I'll do it with a very obvious pleasure, husband dear. I should have thought of doing it years ago. It will be the first time that we will let us be seen together in Meryton. I want to show you where I grew up and where I became what I now are…

- And you want to show off…

- And I want to show off the most handsome husband anyone in Meryton has ever been able to win. For now, it has been Fitzwilliam Darcy who's had the honor to be considered the most handsome. It is high time to the truth to be revealed.

- I should perhaps have donned my Uniform, then. It is said that I'm even more impressive while wearing it.

- I don't want them to be impressed. I want them to be Hopelessly jealous.

- What a wicked thought.

- I confess, she nodded. But I feel like I deserve the egotistically wicked moment I'm about to organize.

- Here comes the first house… Let the show begin!

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If Lambton had become a real city, Meryton had mostly stayed the small town it had ever been.

It had grown because the family wealth had flown here too, but said influx had been a lot more discreet and more targeted at preserving the town than what had happened around Pemberley and Lambton.

People had chosen to settle in and around Meryton but only those who were enticed by a safe life in the country. Hence the town was offering to the owners of Longbourn as many facilities as possible when they were present.

And if Meryton was proud of their famous neighbors it didn't show it ostensibly.

To the point that Geoffrey had to show his amazement.

- If I can judge by the smiles we get, they know who we are. But smiles and head nods are the only things we get. Remember the last time we were in London? The crowd following us was so impressive that I began to be worried…

Jane shrugged discreetly.

- They never bothered us, remember. It was like a silent procession.

- An impressive and silent procession. I prefer what happens here.

- What happens here is because there is a sort of deal between the town's population and the family, mother, father and Uncle Gardiner to be more precise. They take care of the town in a number of subtle, but efficient, ways and the people of Meryton make sure that, when we are present, we aren't bothered by too intrusive tourists. Meryton is known to be the town where the Bennets came from but, contrary to Lambton, where we can often be seen, we avoid drawing attention on Meryton. Even when some of us are in Longbourn, we don't show ourselves in town.

- Why are we here, then?

- Because I owe my neighbors the pleasure and the honor to have been able to look at the great Geoffrey d'Arcy. That's why we are going to amble around the town for an hour or two, shopping at all my favorite merchant dwellings, until we stop to take a meal at the tavern around one o'clock. And I'm quite sure that during the next few hours everybody around here will have been informed that I'm here at the arm of a handsome gentleman. Knowing me, they will reach the conclusion that I'm here with my husband. Knowing that, they will find the time to come to town to get a look at the infamous Frenchman who conquered the British Isles and my heart.

She stopped, winked at him and made a small pouting lip gesture.

He had no problems to get a clear idea of what his wife wanted him to do.

Within seconds no one looking at them would harbor the least doubt that Jane d'Arcy was present with Consort.

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- It was perfect, Jessup, exactly how I remembered it, said Jane to the owner and cook of the Golden Lion.

- I remembered how you liked it, Miss Jane, it wasn't difficult to do it just the way you like your Mutton.

He turned in Geoffrey's direction and there was a little worry in his eyes.

- We don't do Haute Cuisine in Meryton but I hope that you weren't too disappointed, your Grace.

- Whatever my wife eats with such gusto and pleasure can only satisfy me, Mr. Sloane. As for Haute Cuisine, I will have to confess that, when it comes to European Cuisine, I'm a real Philistine. My forte in cooking are Chinese dishes and I never really got over those tastes. So, it was good, and I did appreciate the subtle flavors of your sauce.

Jessup Sloane made a deep bow.

- Thank you, your Grace. I was a little afraid that what I have prepared would have shocked the connoisseur I thought you are.

- Don't let yourself be impressed by the Propaganda the French keep uttering about the superiority of their Cuisine and the quality of their taste buds! I will confess that, whatever my fellow Frenchmen say about English Cooking, I have discovered that English cooks are a lot better than what their French counterpart love to say about them. French Chefs are good, I won't dare to say the contrary, but in the end, it is skill that is important and not the cook's passport. A skilled English cook who is a master will have no problems to be better than a less skilled Frenchman who dabbles in cooking. I'm quite sure that armed with a few exclusive French recipes you'd be as successful as any Chef in France.

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- I'm sure that he is ordering a cookbook as we speak…

Geoffrey nodded at his wife.

- Probably even two of them. One French and one Chinese. Next time you come to town his menu will be a lot more eclectic than today, you'll see.

- And I still will order the same recipe, said Jane with tingling eyes. It's not the quality of the dish that is important, it's the memories it brings forward. Each morsel I've eaten earlier was a flash of the past and a concentration of happy memories. All in all that dish was a real rejuvenation treatment.

- Treatment you don't need at all, love. You are as beautiful as twenty-four years ago…

- Thanks for the compliment, love. But I wasn't speaking of beauty but of youth. The bug is perhaps preserving the outside but inside the years and the fatigue are still there.

She stopped his next words with her finger on his lips.

- Don't say it, love. There's progress, wouldn't you agree? I recognize being tired…

She pointed at the empty plate facing her.

- And that dish was totally the icing on the cake for today. It was a crucial part of the cure. I don't say that I'm no longer tired but I'm revigorated and again aware that not everything can be done at the same time. Some things will have to wait even if they seem urgent.

He brought his chair near hers and took her hand. Soon he was kissing her fingertips.

- Another possibility would be for you to enlarge your staff and to learn to delegate. Most of your current staff is specialized in childcare and family matters. You need to get people who know about every other aspect of what you deal with. I know that you like to maintain supervision over your tasks but some of those should be, at least, prepared by staffers. You don't need to supervise every single part of an endeavor; you know? That's why I, personally, have a civilian staff that numbers around two hundred people just to help me manage the huge chunk of territory Napoleon has burdened me with. None of them is better than me in everything but each of them is better than me in at least one specific realm. And that's where I use and abuse them!

She nodded.

- I'll pilfer Charles' staff members.

Geoffrey couldn't help but smile at his wife's admission.

- As usual…

- Of course, as usual, I want the best and most of them -perhaps even all of them- are with the Company.

Clearly Geoffrey wasn't in agreement with his wife's arguments.

- We shouldn't consider the Company as our very own pool of staff. We could do it differently…

Jane shook her head with vehemence.

- We could indeed organize our own recruiting scheme, but, as I see it, it would just be a waste of manpower and money. Charles and Uncle Gardiner's recruiters have twenty years of experience. Those people are the best in the field. What we would create wouldn't be as good as them and we would compete with them for the people we want. Better to let the Company make the recruiting and, after a few years, offer to those who haven't found the right place within the Company, an opportunity to quit without risking anything. It has already shown its worth and value for the kids' staff in South America and William has recruited quite a few public servants who had begun as Company staffers. We know what the people are worth because of what they have achieved while within the Company and they find a way out of the Company that enlarges their worldview and offers them to work directly for the family.

- We are weakening the Company by poaching good people. They quit the company to join us or the Foundation.

- Not everybody finds true satisfaction within the Company's structures, dear. Those who work for the kids came voluntarily and they don't regret their new jobs. Working for the Foundation has perhaps not all the advantages that working for the Company has, but it gives those who are interested in working with us a chance to do it.

She refused to let his frown rattle her.

He had been one of the rare members of the family who had spoken against what Charles called the Parana Experiment. Not because he had any fear that the kids would fail but because letting them work outside of the Company's safety was, in his mind, taking too great a risk.

Jane had no doubt that he -and William- had placed people within the kids' followers to protect them while they were in South America, but she knew that Geoffrey was still worried a lot.

Which was alright with her since she was worried too.

But some things had to be accepted and showing to your kids that their parents had faith and confidence in what they were able to do was a much better message that the contrary.

At least, even if reluctant, Geoffrey hadn't smothered their plan.

- I won't need two hundred people, you know…

- I wouldn't be so sure, dear. Considering the range of your activities two hundred could even be too low a number.

He stopped her next protest.

- But the number of staff members is not important. What is important is to get the right ones. Those who will be able to help you while being faithful and loyal. Loyalty will be the key and you are probably right in your choice. At least people we pilfer out of the Company will already have proven their Loyalty to the family. It is probably the easiest way to hire people you can count on.

- Good, said Jane while standing up. Let's go back to Longbourn and ask for a family Council. I'm quite sure my sisters will have their own opinions and I'd like to get them before they leave tomorrow.

- Indeed, let's go back.

I

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Soon to come… Home Sweet Home…

I

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