The Guardian
Chapter 8
After dinner, the trio of men retreated to Duo's study as Hilde took the ladies on a tour of the manor. Relena had been quite eager to reminisce since the moment she put her foot down in the entryway. The ladies walked side by side down the labyrinth of corridors and throughout various rooms, conversing on miscellaneous subjects. "Is this the same Mr. Yuy that was your escort to the ball, the one who was absent through the entire evening?" Hilde asked, for she and Catherine were very curious on this detail.
"Yes, he is the same gentleman. He has became less boorish since that evening, much to my appeasement."
"Well that certainly is refreshing to hear."
"I second that reply Catherine. Mr. Yuy's behavior that night was despicable and ill-mannered."
"Even though our husbands disappeared for the majority of the evening, they had the common sense and manners to share the last few dances with us," Catherine added as Relena nodded in agreement.
"I was not pleased with his behavior at the time either, but he had a reason for acting the way he did and I respect that."
"You must know Mr. Yuy quite well then Relena," Hilde remarked.
"Indeed I do."
"Well then I must say Relena, Mr. Yuy is quite agreeable in disposition, not to mention the sizable fortune he carries with his name."
Relena blushed slightly at Hilde's comment. She had never really took notice how handsome Heero really was. For some reason, that detail surpassed her because her range of thought never ventured into the idea of Heero being anything but a companion. "To be honest with you Hilde, Catherine, I never took notice of Mr. Yuy's outward features since our relationship has been one built solely out of friendship. His wealth has no great importance to me because when my parents passed away, I was left with a substantial inheritance."
Both Hilde and Catherine cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "That is rather hard to believe Relena. A wealthy man with a superb countenance and you did not notice or care?"
"It is the truth Hilde. Our relationship was formed when we were both children and our social status did not matter to us then nor does it now."
The women finished their tour of the house when they found themselves at the front parlor. They took a seat inside and continued with their discussion. "Well I must say, those words are unique to my ears Relena," Catherine spoke with a tone of astonishment.
"It is the sad truth that the most important qualities men and women seek when finding a mate are wealth and beauty. I have been especially lucky to find those particular qualities and more in a person that I truly love and I would still cherish him even without those traits," Hilde said proudly in regard to her husband.
"Mr. Maxwell is certainly a wonderful man Hilde. My Trowa I hold in the same regard," Catherine inserted.
"Would you ever consider a proposal of marriage from Mr. Yuy Relena?"
"Oh I don't know Hilde, I'm sure he has no intention of asking me."
"That was my same line of thinking before Duo proposed to me. Things might just change Relena, you just wait and see."
In the back of Relena's mind, she hoped that her friend's prophecy would come true. Heero was her dear friend and life would be rather pleasant with him around. She would just have to leave it up to fate at that point.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Well I must say that you are both very quick witted indeed," Trowa remarked in reference to the dinner conversation earlier that evening. Both Heero and himself were seated in a pair of wing-backed chairs that were situated on each side of the fireplace. Duo had made himself comfortable in a barrel chair between the two.
"Relena is very astute, she's no fool. I have to keep my wits about me when I'm around her," Heero stated.
"Indeed, you have your hands full. Your evening ventures won't go easily unnoticed under her keen eye. Hilde believes that I attend meetings when I'm out at night. How about you Trowa, what do you do?"
"Catherine has never really asked much about my whereabouts but since I'm in business with you, she thinks I go to the same meetings."
Heero wished it were that simple but despite all of the sneaking around they had to do, the guilt of not telling the truth plagued their minds. "Have you two had any luck as far as the chief is concerned?" Heero inquired changing the subject at hand.
"I've obtained a list of families who adopted children seventeen years ago, the same year that Mr. Peacecraft's parents died. There's more than a hundred on this list," Duo explained.
"Mr. Peacecraft reigned from an aristocratic family so surely his sister would have been a adopted by a familyof the same class," Trowa remarked.
"Narrow down the list to only ones of high social status, that will make the search more specific," Heero suggested.
"I'll get right on it the first thing tomorrow," Duo answered as he took note of Heero's suggestion on the list that he made. "With business aside, I've been meaning to ask you a question Heero. What is your relationship with Relena Dorilan?"
Heero had never really thought about his relationship with Relena all that much. They were playmates as kids and their friendship was renewed when Relena entered back into his life under some displeasing circumstances. Right now, he honestly did not know. "I have never given it much thought."
"You've got to be kidding!" Duo replied in the utmost shock. "That is hard to believe. You were friends as children and now you're living under the same roof? You must harbor some feelings for her, she is quite beautiful if you haven't noticed."
"Duo, you have no tact," Trowa remarked flatly.
"I'm only stating the obvious Trowa," Duo retorted in self-defense.
"It is all right Trowa," Heero said. "I'm not sure where we stand Duo, life has been rather complicated for both of us to be really concerned about thoughts of each other. My life has been teetering on normalcy but Relena is coping with many more things than she lets on."
"But Relena is a very strong girl,"Duo interluded.
"Yes, but strong girls do cry. You must not forget that she lost her parents only a short while ago. She presents a solid facade to her peers but at night, sometimes I can hear her muffled cries," Heero said in a monotonous voice.
"Things just aren't that simple," Trowa added.
Duo frowned, Heero and Trowa were right. A loud knock came at the door. "Mr. Maxwell, you have a letter," the butler announced.
Duo looked up at his friends. "Come, bring it here."
"Right away sir," the butler said as he came in to the room.
"Does it say who it is from?"
"It does not sir but the initials M.P. are on the seal."
"Thank you, you may go."
"Very good Mr. Maxwell."
The moment the door was shut, the two gentleman huddled over Duo's shoulders. "It can't be good if it is from him," Duo said as he carefully broke the seal. He unfolded the note and it read: There has been another murder. Need not worry who the victim is, the evidence points in the same direction as the rest. This case needs to be solved urgently. M.P.
"Christ!" Duo cursed as he slammed his fist against the armrest of his chair.
"What are we going to do? We don't have much information to go by," Trowa remarked, his eyes focused on the blaze in the fire place.
Heero stood silent looming over Duo's shoulder. "We know this much. This woman is going after wealthy bachelors. However, in order to do this, she must have a substantial fortune in order for her to be considered by these wealthy men."
"So what you're saying Heero, is that we're looking for a greedy heiress."
"Or an heiress who says she has a considerable fortune in order to lure her victims in long enough to swindle them of their allowance. What we are looking for my dear friend is a con-artist and a murderer."
"You read my mind Trowa," Heero remarked. "The only problem with this is it is like finding a single grain of wheat in a field. There must be a way we can weed out the left over grain and find the single seed."
"I think I've got a solution to our problem, or a way to advance to the next step in solving it."
"And what is that Duo?" Heero answered turning his attention towards him.
"I think it's time we had ourselves a little soiree`."
"With every elligible bachelor in the city on the guest list," Trowa added.
"Well done Maxwell. One problem however. There are going to be dozens of women looming around, do you mind telling me how we are going to make our selection?"
"Well we could take note of the most conspicuous girls or........"
"Or what Maxwell?"
"Being a married man, I hear a lot of things floating around when the ladies get together. Since they are frequent socializers, they can get us information that would be very useful, especially about certain people at the little soiree`."
"So what you are saying Duo is that we use our female counterparts as inside sources, am I following you correctly?"
"You certainly are Mr. Barton. They know details about every woman out there. They would know who to keep an eye on."
Heero was quiet as he processed all that was going on. "Well, at this time, we are left with few options and what Duo is proposing might just help us in narrowing down our field. We can't allow any more murderers, we need to put a stop to this. Do you two think you will be able to get the information needed out of your wives without delving into any hazardous information?"
"I think Maxwell and I can handle the situation, we have been for several years now. Do you think you will be able to handle Relena Mr. Yuy?"
"Yes," Heero stated firmly. "When shall we resume?"
"Tomorrow night in the cabin. Is that an affirmative Trowa?"
"Yes."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After dinner, the trio of men retreated to Duo's study as Hilde took the ladies on a tour of the manor. Relena had been quite eager to reminisce since the moment she put her foot down in the entryway. The ladies walked side by side down the labyrinth of corridors and throughout various rooms, conversing on miscellaneous subjects. "Is this the same Mr. Yuy that was your escort to the ball, the one who was absent through the entire evening?" Hilde asked, for she and Catherine were very curious on this detail.
"Yes, he is the same gentleman. He has became less boorish since that evening, much to my appeasement."
"Well that certainly is refreshing to hear."
"I second that reply Catherine. Mr. Yuy's behavior that night was despicable and ill-mannered."
"Even though our husbands disappeared for the majority of the evening, they had the common sense and manners to share the last few dances with us," Catherine added as Relena nodded in agreement.
"I was not pleased with his behavior at the time either, but he had a reason for acting the way he did and I respect that."
"You must know Mr. Yuy quite well then Relena," Hilde remarked.
"Indeed I do."
"Well then I must say Relena, Mr. Yuy is quite agreeable in disposition, not to mention the sizable fortune he carries with his name."
Relena blushed slightly at Hilde's comment. She had never really took notice how handsome Heero really was. For some reason, that detail surpassed her because her range of thought never ventured into the idea of Heero being anything but a companion. "To be honest with you Hilde, Catherine, I never took notice of Mr. Yuy's outward features since our relationship has been one built solely out of friendship. His wealth has no great importance to me because when my parents passed away, I was left with a substantial inheritance."
Both Hilde and Catherine cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "That is rather hard to believe Relena. A wealthy man with a superb countenance and you did not notice or care?"
"It is the truth Hilde. Our relationship was formed when we were both children and our social status did not matter to us then nor does it now."
The women finished their tour of the house when they found themselves at the front parlor. They took a seat inside and continued with their discussion. "Well I must say, those words are unique to my ears Relena," Catherine spoke with a tone of astonishment.
"It is the sad truth that the most important qualities men and women seek when finding a mate are wealth and beauty. I have been especially lucky to find those particular qualities and more in a person that I truly love and I would still cherish him even without those traits," Hilde said proudly in regard to her husband.
"Mr. Maxwell is certainly a wonderful man Hilde. My Trowa I hold in the same regard," Catherine inserted.
"Would you ever consider a proposal of marriage from Mr. Yuy Relena?"
"Oh I don't know Hilde, I'm sure he has no intention of asking me."
"That was my same line of thinking before Duo proposed to me. Things might just change Relena, you just wait and see."
In the back of Relena's mind, she hoped that her friend's prophecy would come true. Heero was her dear friend and life would be rather pleasant with him around. She would just have to leave it up to fate at that point.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Well I must say that you are both very quick witted indeed," Trowa remarked in reference to the dinner conversation earlier that evening. Both Heero and himself were seated in a pair of wing-backed chairs that were situated on each side of the fireplace. Duo had made himself comfortable in a barrel chair between the two.
"Relena is very astute, she's no fool. I have to keep my wits about me when I'm around her," Heero stated.
"Indeed, you have your hands full. Your evening ventures won't go easily unnoticed under her keen eye. Hilde believes that I attend meetings when I'm out at night. How about you Trowa, what do you do?"
"Catherine has never really asked much about my whereabouts but since I'm in business with you, she thinks I go to the same meetings."
Heero wished it were that simple but despite all of the sneaking around they had to do, the guilt of not telling the truth plagued their minds. "Have you two had any luck as far as the chief is concerned?" Heero inquired changing the subject at hand.
"I've obtained a list of families who adopted children seventeen years ago, the same year that Mr. Peacecraft's parents died. There's more than a hundred on this list," Duo explained.
"Mr. Peacecraft reigned from an aristocratic family so surely his sister would have been a adopted by a familyof the same class," Trowa remarked.
"Narrow down the list to only ones of high social status, that will make the search more specific," Heero suggested.
"I'll get right on it the first thing tomorrow," Duo answered as he took note of Heero's suggestion on the list that he made. "With business aside, I've been meaning to ask you a question Heero. What is your relationship with Relena Dorilan?"
Heero had never really thought about his relationship with Relena all that much. They were playmates as kids and their friendship was renewed when Relena entered back into his life under some displeasing circumstances. Right now, he honestly did not know. "I have never given it much thought."
"You've got to be kidding!" Duo replied in the utmost shock. "That is hard to believe. You were friends as children and now you're living under the same roof? You must harbor some feelings for her, she is quite beautiful if you haven't noticed."
"Duo, you have no tact," Trowa remarked flatly.
"I'm only stating the obvious Trowa," Duo retorted in self-defense.
"It is all right Trowa," Heero said. "I'm not sure where we stand Duo, life has been rather complicated for both of us to be really concerned about thoughts of each other. My life has been teetering on normalcy but Relena is coping with many more things than she lets on."
"But Relena is a very strong girl,"Duo interluded.
"Yes, but strong girls do cry. You must not forget that she lost her parents only a short while ago. She presents a solid facade to her peers but at night, sometimes I can hear her muffled cries," Heero said in a monotonous voice.
"Things just aren't that simple," Trowa added.
Duo frowned, Heero and Trowa were right. A loud knock came at the door. "Mr. Maxwell, you have a letter," the butler announced.
Duo looked up at his friends. "Come, bring it here."
"Right away sir," the butler said as he came in to the room.
"Does it say who it is from?"
"It does not sir but the initials M.P. are on the seal."
"Thank you, you may go."
"Very good Mr. Maxwell."
The moment the door was shut, the two gentleman huddled over Duo's shoulders. "It can't be good if it is from him," Duo said as he carefully broke the seal. He unfolded the note and it read: There has been another murder. Need not worry who the victim is, the evidence points in the same direction as the rest. This case needs to be solved urgently. M.P.
"Christ!" Duo cursed as he slammed his fist against the armrest of his chair.
"What are we going to do? We don't have much information to go by," Trowa remarked, his eyes focused on the blaze in the fire place.
Heero stood silent looming over Duo's shoulder. "We know this much. This woman is going after wealthy bachelors. However, in order to do this, she must have a substantial fortune in order for her to be considered by these wealthy men."
"So what you're saying Heero, is that we're looking for a greedy heiress."
"Or an heiress who says she has a considerable fortune in order to lure her victims in long enough to swindle them of their allowance. What we are looking for my dear friend is a con-artist and a murderer."
"You read my mind Trowa," Heero remarked. "The only problem with this is it is like finding a single grain of wheat in a field. There must be a way we can weed out the left over grain and find the single seed."
"I think I've got a solution to our problem, or a way to advance to the next step in solving it."
"And what is that Duo?" Heero answered turning his attention towards him.
"I think it's time we had ourselves a little soiree`."
"With every elligible bachelor in the city on the guest list," Trowa added.
"Well done Maxwell. One problem however. There are going to be dozens of women looming around, do you mind telling me how we are going to make our selection?"
"Well we could take note of the most conspicuous girls or........"
"Or what Maxwell?"
"Being a married man, I hear a lot of things floating around when the ladies get together. Since they are frequent socializers, they can get us information that would be very useful, especially about certain people at the little soiree`."
"So what you are saying Duo is that we use our female counterparts as inside sources, am I following you correctly?"
"You certainly are Mr. Barton. They know details about every woman out there. They would know who to keep an eye on."
Heero was quiet as he processed all that was going on. "Well, at this time, we are left with few options and what Duo is proposing might just help us in narrowing down our field. We can't allow any more murderers, we need to put a stop to this. Do you two think you will be able to get the information needed out of your wives without delving into any hazardous information?"
"I think Maxwell and I can handle the situation, we have been for several years now. Do you think you will be able to handle Relena Mr. Yuy?"
"Yes," Heero stated firmly. "When shall we resume?"
"Tomorrow night in the cabin. Is that an affirmative Trowa?"
"Yes."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*