Chapter 16
She had just sat down at her desk with a cup of coffee when Dorothy noticed the door to Bill Morley's office open and Heero Yuy step out, Morley still talking to him at the open door. Both men turned in her direction, and Morley stopped speaking in mid-sentence as if he were afraid she could hear him, then murmured something before disappearing quickly into his office again. Dorothy almost found the exchange amusing, but something in the look Morley had given her made her feel uneasy.
Heero made his way to her desk, one of many in an office pool where field agents did their work when not on assignment. While many agents were out now, Dorothy hadn't done much more than serve as security for Relena at a couple of social functions since she had taken the job three months ago. Dorothy suspected that Relena had requested her specifically for reasons other than protection because Dorothy had to suffer Relena's attempts to set her up with men on each occasion. Dorothy wasn't interested in having a man in her life now. She had been burned too many times already, so she wasn't about to get near the fire again any time soon.
"Welcome back," she said when he came to her desk. "Where have you been all this time?" Dorothy hadn't heard anything about Heero Yuy's assignment, and even Relena hadn't known where he was.
Heero sat on the edge of her desk and folded his arms over his chest as he looked at her. "I've been tying up some loose ends."
"Sounds interesting." Dorothy noticed he was holding a rather thick file. "You've been gone quite a while."
"It was a complicated case. And I took the opportunity to relax when I finished my investigation." Heero smiled grimly. "I did a little skiing."
"Oh?" Dorothy tried not to sound interested. She hoped that he hadn't been skiing in Switzerland.
"I broke my arm."
She almost guffawed with laughter, but Heero wasn't smiling. "Maybe you should have had a few lessons before taking to the harder runs." Dorothy still found the image of Heero Yuy laid up with a broken bone humorous and couldn't keep from smiling.
"Go ahead and laugh. I've already heard it from Relena." Heero dropped the folder on her desk. "I guess this is yours."
Dorothy saw that her name was printed on the folder tab. She didn't want to touch it, but she reached out for it.
Heero put his hand over it before she opened it. "You're not going to like what I found out."
Dorothy stared at his hand, then looked at his face. "What are you going to do about it?" She had little doubt that Heero had found out everything that she had tried to bury in her past. As tenacious as a pitbull, he wouldn't have let go until he learned everything there was to know. "Are you going to tell him?"
"The question is, are you going to tell him?"
Realizing that a few of the other agents were watching them curiously, eavesdropping openly, Dorothy said, "This isn't the time or place to discuss this."
"Let's have lunch."
"It's nine o'clock in the morning," she reminded him.
"I've just gotten back from Switzerland, so as far as I'm concerned, it's lunch time." Heero stood. "Meet me in the lobby."
Dorothy turned away to dig her purse from the desk drawer, and when she turned back, she saw that the file was gone from her desk. Heero must have taken it before he left, and she was somewhat relieved because she was afraid it would fall into the wrong hands. Dorothy had a difficult time trusting her fellow agents, probably because they viewed her as an interloper who had been given special privileges. After being stabbed in the back by Tracy James, Dorothy wasn't going to trust anybody in the office.
Heero was standing in the lobby reading a newspaper, and when he saw her step out of the elevator, he tucked the paper under his arm, then cocked his head to the door. With a frown, Dorothy followed him out and raised a brow when she saw the sportscar parked in front of the building, a parking ticket under the wiper.
"You must be paid pretty damn well," she remarked.
He plucked the ticket off the windshield, tore it in half and tossed it to the wind before opening the door for her. "One of the perks of my job."
She settled in the soft leather seat of the car. "I don't believe that."
He joined her and started the car. "It's Winner's car. I'm taking care of it for him until he returns to Earth."
"I suppose he has wracked up a mountain of parking fines," she remarked wryly.
"I doubt he'll worry about them." Heero tossed her the paper.
Dorothy hadn't seen the paper this morning, nor had she watched the news reports because she had overslept and didn't have time for her usual routine. But the last few months she had kept track of events on L4 as best she could. The civil war had been short and bloody. Hassan Barak's faction had taken up arms against the government and even before Quatre had returned to his home colony, Mahmad Al-Jazar had been assassinated. Dorothy couldn't help but fear for Quatre's safety, for Jamila's sake, of course. Quatre had quickly gathered allies, and for the last six weeks had been fighting the new regime's forces. According to the most recent reports, the capital city was under siege by opponents of the new government.
Opening the paper now, she breathed a sigh of relief to see that the headlines proclaimed peace on L4. Scanning the story, she read that an interim government under the leadership of Quatre Winner had been put into place following the rout of the Barak faction from power and negotiations were underway with nearby colonies for recognition of the government. L2 had denounced the regime that had deposed Al-Jazar, so it had already recognized the new government, but L3 was holding out, having given both military and financial support to the usurpers. The new threat to the Earth Sphere United Nation was a war between L3 and L4.
"It's a delicate situation," commented Dorothy aloud.
"I would agree, but I know we're not talking about the same thing." Heero pulled into the parking lot of a small cafe. "They serve greasy burgers and soggy fries here."
"With that recommendation, I'm eager for lunch." Dorothy reached for the door, but Heero locked it from his side. Sighing, she turned to look at him.
"You are going to have to tell him." Heero met her eyes. "You can't avoid it."
"And if I don't?" she asked with a raised brow. "Do you expect me to believe that you would contact him about something so unimportant when he has bigger problems to deal with?"
"Don't sell yourself short, Dorothy. He screwed up. But you can't ignore the fact that Hassan Barak was his father's friend, had become a father figure to him, and Sadirah was his wife for four years as well as the mother of his daughter. Maybe the guy is a naive buffoon in some ways, but he logically couldn't trust you, Dorothy, when your only recommendation to him was a hot time between the sheets."
Dorothy tried the door, but it remained locked. "I don't want to discuss this! You don't understand how it was between us!"
Heero grabbed her arm and forced her around to face him. "I don't know what I would do in his shoes. Given the fact that your relationship with him had soured some years ago, for a moment, even I thought you were capable of using his daughter as a pawn. Knowing the full story now, I'm less surprised by his lack of confidence in you."
"What are you talking about?" Dorothy didn't want to hear anyone defend Quatre Winner. Even with the passing of time, her heart still ached from the knowledge that Quatre didn't love her enough to trust her.
"From his standpoint, you bailed on him in Barbados when he was on the verge of making you a permanent part of his life. You refused his attempts to contact you. He will feel thoroughly vindicated when he finds out that you did not inform him of your condition. It looks bad, Dorothy."
"Bad?" She clenched her fists. "I did what I thought was right!"
Heero shrugged. "Some men take their responsibilities seriously. I think you and I know that Quatre Winner is that kind of man."
"Barak told me he was marrying his daughter, that it had been planned for many years and that Quatre was well aware of it! I didn't want to disrupt his life!"
"Disrupting his life would have been the best thing to happen for either of you." Heero unlocked the door. "Now let's eat."
Dorothy wanted to get a cab back to the office, but she decided to keep him company while he wolfed down the most repulsive meal she had ever seen. It appeared to be some type of hash of eggs and greasy potatoes. Dorothy couldn't believe that he was enjoying the meal prepared by a cook wearing a filthy T-shirt and smoking a cigar while he worked in the kitchen and a waitress that was so hung over that she had the shakes and spilled the coffee she splashed into Dorothy's cup. Heero called them by first names, and they acknowledged him likewise, but they viewed her curiously as she sipped the coffee only after making certain that the cup was clean. She wondered if he took Relena Darlian to this place.
Heero didn't talk about his investigation, but then she already knew what he had discovered. Morley probably knew about her by now as well, so she understood why he had given her such a strange look outside his office. If the Dermail Mansion hadn't been bulldozed flat several weeks ago, she would probably quit her job to spend the rest of her life wandering from one gloomy dark room to another to hide from the world. At least that was no longer an option. She was going to have to face up to the worst mistake she had made in her life.
When they left the cafe, Heero drove around to the Dermail Estate where landscaping was underway. Dorothy never wanted to return there, so she had donated it to the Earth Sphere United Nation to be used as a public park for everyone to enjoy. The property really was quite lovely now that the eyesore mansion was gone. Dorothy hadn't been upset one bit by Heero's solution to covering up the scandal surrounding the most powerful people of L4. She hoped that Jamila never learned the truth about what happened to the people she loved.
"You've done a good thing, Dorothy," commented Heero as the estate disappeared in the rearview mirror.
She would never be able to walk in the park without remembering the look in Quatre's eyes that night in the mansion. "I'm never going back there."
"Then you're taking a step in the right direction."
Arriving back at Preventer headquarters, Heero parked the car in front of the building again. She didn't bother reminding him that it wasn't a legal parking space. Returning to her desk, she found a note from Bill Morley asking her to step into his office on her return, and several desks away she saw that Heero was looking curiously at a similar note. She wasn't surprised that he joined her on the way to the chief's office.
"Do you know what it is about?" she asked, fearing that Morley was going to release her from duties until he figured out what he would do with her since she was a scandal waiting to happen. Because of what had happened between her and Quatre, she was probably going to lose another job.
Heero shrugged. She doubted he cared where he was sent or what he was asked to do.
Morley's secretary buzzed him and sent them in immediately. The man had a hard time looking at Dorothy, so he concentrated on Heero instead. "I have a job for both of you."
"We're working as a team again?" she asked, mildly interested. If Heero were involved, it would be more than security detail.
"Somewhat." He scratched his head, rubbed his cheek, and Dorothy could see that he was embarrassed. She started to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Relena Darlian has accepted the responsibility of negotiating peace between L3 and L4."
"Let me guess," started Dorothy. "I'm going to be escorting her."
"Actually, I have another mission for you." Morley smiled apologetically at Heero. "She specifically asked for you."
Heero swore under his breath. Before he could say what was on his mind, Dorothy asked, "And what will I be doing?"
"Miss Darlian suggested you for another duty." Morley shifted uncomfortably again. Dorothy suspected it had something to do with Quatre Winner. "As you must be aware, the new government sent the L3 ambassador packing for his involvement in supplying aid to the Barak faction in overthrowing Mahmad Al-Jazar and to keep Quatre Winner from coming to power. Winner's government has agreed to allow Colony L3 to send a new ambassador to begin rebuilding peaceful relations between them."
"I am providing security for the Ambassador from L3?" she asked, somewhat mollified by the assignment. At least she wasn't going to be dodging the men Relena threw her way.
"This is a very delicate situation, Miss Catalonia. The government on L3 doesn't want to show any kind of fear or weakness to a potential enemy, and yet they do fear for the safety of their new ambassador."
"So I am going undercover?" Dorothy didn't relish the idea of going to L4, but she was going to have to face Quatre some time before Heero had a chance to reveal her secrets.
"Yes. Miss Darlian informed me that you know the new ambassador personally, so this assignment should not be too difficult for you."
"Who is the new ambassador?" asked Dorothy although she suspected the answer before he gave it.
"James Sheffield."
"Sheffield!" exclaimed Heero with uncharacteristic annoyance. He shook his head. "You will have to get another agent. There is a potential problem."
"I know there is a history between you and Sheffield," started Morley before Heero cut him off.
"I will guard James Sheffield, and she can take Relena Darlian."
"Sheffield has already agreed," said Morley. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Yuy, but you're going to have to stick to the plan."
"I don't have a problem with it," Dorothy spoke up. Her relationship with James Sheffield had been somewhat one track, but it hadn't ended badly. His duties kept him from Earth often enough that they had mutually decided not to see each other. She had already started dating Randolph Morrison the last time they had run into each other at a dinner party, and James had been polite to a fault to her escort. She considered their relationship amicable.
"Good. You will be leaving Earth tomorrow and heading directly to L3. After a short stay while Miss Darlian negotiates with the leaders on L3, you will head to L4 with James Sheffield representing his colony. Most of the time he will be provided protection by uniformed Preventer agents, but you will be watching him when that is not feasible." He handed folders to both Heero and Dorothy. "Before leaving, there will be a short briefing. In order to avoid hostilities in space between the colonies, it is imperative that both Relena Darlian and James Sheffield remain safe."
Morley nodded a dismissal, so Dorothy left his office although Heero stayed behind, probably to argue. In his mind, he had a valid case against sending her to L4 with James Sheffield because of her relationship with both the ambassador of L3 and the new leader of L4, Quatre Winner. Relena was a negotiator. She probably had a good reason for recommending her.
"I thought he might be just the man for you!" Relena told her after they sat down for lunch later that afternoon. Relena had called and invited her to a restaurant a few blocks from the Preventer building, and Dorothy asked her outright why she suggested her for the assignment.
Dorothy stared at her incredulously. "This is a date?"
Relena smiled smugly. "Well, you refused all my other efforts, so I had to play dirty." She shrugged as she picked up her menu. "I think I'll have the shrimp salad."
Dorothy frowned at her. "Let me get this straight. You recommended me to go undercover to protect James Sheffield because you were setting us up as a couple?"
"It's not as if you aren't acquainted with him." Relena winked at her. "How long did you two date?"
"Date? I was a convenient escort for him while he was on Earth." She was convenient for him in other ways too that she wasn't about to bring up at lunch in an elegant restaurant.
"Three years," Relena answered her own question. "I was hoping he would ask you to marry him."
"Marry!" That thought of marrying James Sheffield made her toes curl. He was handsome, wealthy, and from an old family that had settled on L3 generations ago. He was well connected and influential on his colony. But James liked playing the field, and while that hadn't bothered her before, marriage to a man with those morals would be miserable. Dorothy wanted some stability in her life, and if that didn't include a man, then she was better off alone.
"The idea isn't that absurd! I've heard that he has settled down, and now that he has become ambassador, he'll need a suitable wife." Relena seemed to be pleased with her plan.
Dorothy hated to burst her bubble. "Do I need to remind you of all the reasons why I would not be a suitable wife for the ambassador to L4?"
"Are you talking about OZ?" Relena waved her hand dismissively. "I think you've redeemed yourself."
"Oh? Do you think my involvement with the White Fang redeemed me?"
Relena made a sound of disgust and set down the menu to look across the table at her. "Stop beating yourself with your past mistakes. It is how you live your life in the present that matters most." She signaled the waitress and ordered them both a shrimp salad, then reached for her glass of wine. "Besides, when I suggested it to James Sheffield, he was more than happy to accept you."
Dorothy grimaced. "Why not? He probably thinks he is getting a free ride to L4 and back."
Relena smiled and raised her glass of wine to her. "That will be up to you."
Dorothy couldn't help but wonder how Quatre would feel when she arrived with James Sheffield. Part of her regretted how seeing her another man might affect him, given their emotional parting, yet she couldn't help thinking that it served him right. What was she to him? He had never told her that he loved her although she had taken that for granted. Perhaps her feelings for him were so deep that she had deluded herself into believing he felt the same. What had Heero said? The only thing that commended her to Quatre Winner was a hot time between the sheets. Dorothy didn't want to believe that, but she had no proof to the contrary. She wasn't any more important to him than she was to a man like James Sheffield.
The trip to L3 was long and tedious. At least Heero and Relena had each other for company while all Dorothy had was her thoughts. She spent the forty-eight hour flight to the colony thinking about Quatre and how she would tell him about the baby that never had a chance to live. Dorothy had never told anyone about what happened in Switzerland because the memory was painful to her. She had even managed to lock it away until Jamila had come into her life. Telling Quatre was going to be the hardest thing she would ever have to do. But she had no choice now that others had discovered her secret. He at least had the right to learn about it from her.
She also couldn't help but consider what Heero had said about Quatre wanting to take the responsibility for her child. Dorothy knew it was true. But she hadn't told him because she couldn't trust the man she knew in Barbados to be a reliable father to her daughter. He had been self-destructive, unpredictable and as far as she knew, unscrupulous in seducing her when he knew he was going to marry another woman. That kind of man wouldn't have been a good father.
When they finally arrived at the docking port on L3, Dorothy was relieved to get off the shuttle. She had slept in her seat, which didn't recline enough for a comfortable rest, and although she had a chance to wash and change, she was eager to get to a hotel to relax in a bath. After that, she planned to sleep until the time she would have to get on the shuttle again for another long flight to L4.
They were greeted by a delegation, which included security guards in Preventer uniforms accompanying the ambassador from Earth as well as James Sheffield. The latter shook hands with both Relena and Heero, then as he was shaking Dorothy's hand, he pulled her close and brushed his lips against her cheek before murmuring in her ear.
"I've been looking forward to seeing you again."
She looked into his hazel eyes. "I hope you haven't been getting ideas about my assignment."
When he smiled there were dimples in his cheeks. "Fantasies, my dear Dorothy. Delightful fantasies."
As he stepped away, Dorothy caught an amused look from Relena along with Heero's raised brow.
Her plans to relax were dashed by the ambassador who informed them that a reception was planned for the evening. They would be staying at the embassy, and Relena already had a full slate of meetings to attend beginning within the hour. Although she was clearly exhausted by the trip, she graciously told both men that she needed only enough time to freshen up from her trip. Dorothy still planned to get some rest before the reception where she had little doubt she would nod off to sleep during a boring speech.
As they walked through the concourse toward the lobby of the shuttle port, James fell into step beside Dorothy, slipping an arm around her waist. She felt uncomfortable with the familiarity, but he said as he leaned too close, "I believe you have a role to play, my dear Dorothy."
Walking with the handsome ambassador wasn't really that painful despite the niggling feeling that she was doing something wrong. A few inches taller than her, he was broad shouldered and well-proportioned due to regular visits to the exercise room and early morning jogs. His dark auburn hair used to be a bit too long, but it was now neatly trimmed and brushed back. His tailored dark suit and new look made him look completely respectable and dangerously attractive.
Yet she wasn't interested in picking up where they left off and was about to tell him so when she was interrupted.
"Miss Dorothy! Miss Dorothy!"
She turned in the direction of the voice and saw Jamila Winner running towards her, an exasperated Rashid behind her as well as several other men who had already drawn weapons.
The Preventer agents drew their own guns and Dorothy feared a gunfight. Stepping away from James, she leaned down to scoop the little girl up in her arms. As Jamila hugged her, her little arms tight around her neck, Dorothy heard Heero order the Preventer guards to put away their weapons. Rashid did the same with his men.
When Jamila had her fill of the hug, she leaned back to look at Dorothy's face. "I'm going home today! Are you going with me?"
Dorothy wished she could say that she was because she knew that Jamila would be disappointed with her answer. "Not today, Jamila, but I may see you in a few days."
As she suspected, Jamila stuck out her bottom lip in a pout, but it lasted only an instant. "I cannot wait to see you there. I have many things to show you."
Rashid cleared his throat. "We have to leave, Missy Jamila."
Dorothy set the girl on the ground. "I am glad I had a chance to see you before you left, Jamila."
Jamila slipped her hand in Rashid's. "I'll tell Papa that I saw you."
Dorothy felt James close behind her and noticed Rashid's curious glance before he nodded to her and he lead Jamila back to the group escorting her. A young woman stepped out to take her hand, but she looked in Dorothy's direction and her scathing glare encompassed both her and James Sheffield. Quatre was going to hear about her from several sources.
"You seem to have a rapport with Quatre Winner's daughter," commented James as he watched them move away.
"She hasn't had any trouble here, has she?" asked Dorothy. With relations between L3 and L4 as strained as they were, she was surprised that Jamila had remained on the colony with her aunt.
"We aren't barbarians," said James with a smile. "Besides, the Winner residence on L3 is well protected. It would have taken a full-scale assault to get anywhere near her."
Astonished, she looked at him.
He shrugged. "We had to consider all of our options. Unfortunately, my government chose to back the wrong army. Now we're going to have a hell of a time re-establishing friendly relations with L4. I won't deny that holding Jamila Winner as a hostage had been suggested, but it was quickly discarded as unfeasible both in terms of effort and the bad publicity."
Dorothy knew that Quatre's men would have given their lives to keep her from falling into enemy hands, and Jamila could have been hurt as well. She was glad that Jamila was leaving L3 before they could change their mind and use her as leverage in the upcoming negotiations.
While Relena and Heero left the port in a limousine with the ambassador from Earth, Dorothy was left with James Sheffield. At first an uneasy silence stretched between them as the driver pulled onto the street to follow the other vehicle, but after a few moments, James spoke.
"I was sorry to hear about the accident at your mansion."
"It was terrible," she said, beginning a speech she had rehearsed many times to use when anyone brought up the incident.
"I'm not going to say that I'm sorry about Morrison. I don't know what you saw in him." He reached out to take her hand, and Dorothy let him. "He wasn't good enough for you." He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm.
A shiver ran down her spine and she drew her hand away from him. "I was sent to protect you, not entertain you," she informed him.
"So it's going to be all business, Dorothy?" He was smiling.
His smile could melt an iceberg. She thought it prudent to change the subject. "Who was that woman escorting Jamila Winner? I seem to have made a very bad impression on her." Dorothy could imagine what Jamila's nanny would be telling Quatre.
"Hadya Winner." The tone of James' voice told her that he was well acquainted with the young woman and not all that pleased to be.
"Quatre Winner's sister?" Dorothy felt inexplicable relief. Well, not inexplicable in that she had been bothered to think Quatre was employing the beautiful young woman to watch his daughter.
"One in the same. She is chairman of the board of L3 branch of the Winner Corporation as well as a primary school teacher. I met her at some charity event a few months ago. Just when she was getting interesting, she dropped out of circulation." He sighed melodramatically then looked at her. "You will more than make up for her loss."
Dorothy smiled. "I'm surprised at you, James. You actually let one get away?"
"I hardly had a choice in the matter. High walls and barbed wire as well as movement activated laser security can be a deterrent to romance." He frowned. "She was being rather difficult. I don't like difficult women."
"You're lucky I'm so easy then," she commented wryly.
"Something tells me that you aren't going to be so agreeable this time around."
"If I were, we wouldn't be wasting our time talking."
"Is there someone else?" By his tone, he wasn't all that disappointed. Then again, he was a master at avoiding romantic entanglements.
Was there someone else? In her heart, yes. "I just don't know how he really feels about me," she admitted.
He squeezed her hand. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything to jeopardize your future happiness. If this assignment is going to cause problems..."
"He can't possibly think any worse of me," she interrupted him. "I don't have a problem pretending to be involved with you. In fact, I may actually enjoy watching him squirm."
James raised her hand to his lips. "Dorothy, I can truly say that I'm glad I'm not the man caught on your hook."
"Papa!"
Jamila shrieked the moment she stepped onto the concourse and spotted him, and Quatre met her halfway to scoop her up, swing her around and hug her close. He had missed her so much in the last few months that tears of joy watered his eyes as he held her in his arms. She held tightly to him, like a monkey, so he didn't bother trying to set her back down. Instead, he propped her on his hip and ignored the disapproving glances from the men who had accompanied him to the spaceport to welcome his daughter home.
"Why are you crying, papa?" she asked as she wiped a tear from his cheek.
He kissed both of her cheeks. "Because I missed you so much and I am so happy to see you again."
"I am so happy to see you too," she said, "but I'm not crying."
Rashid arrived with Hadya, both looking worn out from the trip from L3. "There weren't any problems?" Quatre asked. He didn't trust the scoundrels on L3 any more than he trusted any man that had called Hassan Barak a friend. He hadn't discovered how deeply involved the government on the neighboring colony had become in the political unrest on L4 until he had finally managed to oust Barak's faction from power. They had done everything except send actual armies to remove Mahmad Al-Jazar from the office to which he had been elected, primarily because Al-Jazar had adopted trade policies that detrimentally affected greedy businessmen on L3. Quatre had also discovered that Al-Jazar was not without his own faults. Records proved that he had taken bribes from so many people that he owed favors on all sides of the conflict, and while Quatre abhorred the violence that brought him down, he was glad not to have to deal with the man.
"There weren't any problems," said Rashid.
Hadya cleared her throat. "We had almost had an altercation with Preventer agents at the spaceport on L3 when we were about to leave."
Quatre raised his brow and looked back at Rashid. It wasn't like him to leave out details that important. "An altercation?"
"A misunderstanding," Rashid told him, his cheeks a faint pink. "We were leaving at the moment the delegation from Earth was arriving."
"I saw Miss Dorothy!" chirped Jamila. "She's going to visit me in a few days."
Dorothy was coming to L4? Quatre looked from Rashid who wouldn't meet his gaze to Hadya who was frowning. There was something he wasn't being told.
"We should return to the palace," one of his advisors suggested. Ahmed al Hamad had been at Quatre's side since his return three months ago. Although Quatre was leery of trusting any man who had worked for his father, Ahmed was also married to one of his sisters. By the time he arrived on L4, Ahmed had gathered a legion of followers who wanted to return to the old ways, to trust the Winner family to lead them. Quatre had avoided the responsibility, had gone out of his way to stay away from any leadership role on his colony because he didn't feel worthy to carry on after his father. But he understood now that for the stability of the colony he was going to have to take control or war would continue on L4 and spill out into space.
"You're right," said Quatre. "We can continue this discussion in privacy."
As they returned to the presidential palace in a limousine, the streets were lined with cheering people held back by men carrying rifles. Quatre disliked the necessity of keeping distance from those that had helped him retake the capital city, but many of Barak's supporters were still out there waiting for the chance to retaliate. Jamila was completely oblivious to the danger and chattered on about her stay on L3 where she had made many friends among the children that her aunt taught. Quatre was glad that she had an opportunity to be with other children after leading such a sheltered life under the thumb of her deranged mother. Jamila seemed to be adjusting to life without Sadirah Barak.
The presidential palace was more ostentatious than the Winner Residence where Quatre's father had chosen to live while administering to the colony. This palace had been built during the OZ occupation to house their puppet leader, but it had become symbolic of leadership on the colony so Quatre had no choice but to make a home there. The right wing of the palace served as a meeting place for representatives from around the colony, while the left housed the offices of the president and his cabinet of advisors. The entire back wing was a residence consisting of dozens of suites in addition to the luxurious master suites that Quatre now used as a refuge from the day to day problems of administration. He had never realized how difficult his father's position had been, nor had he understood his strong stance on peace when Quatre knew that fighting was a necessary evil. Yet after months of combat in villages and on the streets, he could admit that his father had only the best interests of the colony in mind when he tried to keep out OZ.
Although he had work to do, Quatre spent the day with Jamila. Hadya was tired from her trip and had retired to one of the suites while Rashid left to make a report to Ahmed. Quatre would hear about it later, so he concentrated on enjoying the time he spent with his daughter. After lunch, they went for a walk in the garden where she took off her shoes and stockings and splashed about in a fountain pool. A group of colorfully clothed young women giggled behind veils they demurely held before their faces. They were daughters and sisters of representatives, lurking in the garden to pass the time hoping to catch his eye. Ahmed had commented on more than one occasion that he should choose a new wife wisely. There was only one woman he would consider for his wife, only one to whom he would trust the welfare of his daughter. And she was coming to L4.
Late in the afternoon, Jamila finally showed signs of tiring, so he took her back to his own room where she curled up on the bed and soon fell asleep. He summoned Rashid and Hadya to his private salon and wasn't surprised that Ahmed joined them.
"Well?" he asked when they were assembled. "What happened on L3?"
Hadya opened her mouth to speak, but Rashid beat her to it. "When Missy Jamila saw Miss Dorothy at the spaceport, she broke away from us to go to her. Seeing her headed toward the delegation from L3, our men drew their weapons, and the Preventer agents drew theirs."
"Why was Miss Dorothy on L3?" Quatre hoped in his heart that she was ready to forgive him.
"To be with James Sheffield," snapped Hadya irritably.
"Ambassador Sheffield?" Quatre had already read a report about the arriving ambassador and found no reason to object to his appointment. He had no ties to the consortium that had backed the Barak overthrow of the government on L4, he was experienced in diplomacy and was wealthy enough in his own right not to be swayed by the promise of riches.
"Dorothy Catalonia is one of his many women." Hadya folded her arms over her chest. "I hope your broken heart is mended because she is coming to L4 as his companion."
Quatre didn't want to believe her, and turning to Ahmed for confirmation, the man nodded. "Why did you not tell me this before now?"
Ahmed sighed. "I was afraid that you would let your personal feelings interfere with negotiations with L3. I had considered revoking her passport to enter the colony given her association with OZ, but that might have put a strain on our relations with Earth given her friendship with Relena Darlian."
Deep disappointment settled in the pit of his stomach as he realized that Dorothy wasn't coming to L4 to see him. Instead she had moved on with her life, clearly proving to him that he would not be a part of it. "How long has she been seeing him?"
Hadya answered. "They have known each other for four years. Until she started seeing Randolph Morrison, she was Sheffield's companion when he was sent to Earth on colony business. He has whores like that all over the colonies, women of impeccable breeding to show off at formal dinners then keep him from getting too cold at night."
Quatre frowned at her. "You seem to know a lot about Sheffield." The image of Dorothy she was giving him was unpleasant, and yet he didn't really know what she had done in the years since they had been together in Barbados. He hadn't even been able to discover what she had been hiding in Switzerland.
"Is this going to be a problem?" asked Ahmed. "It's not too late to refuse the ambassador from L3."
Quatre shook his head. "They might consider it a precursor to a declaration of war. I don't want any more fighting."
Ahmed nodded, then put his hand on Quatre's shoulder. "You have to forget your feelings for this woman. I don't think I have to remind you of all the reasons she would not be suitable as your wife. She would never be accepted by our people for the things her family has done to this colony, for what she did to you on the Libra. Even Barak's people suspect her of causing his death on Earth."
"You don't need to remind me," muttered Quatre. But he wasn't going to let the opinions of others guide his actions. If Dorothy didn't want to be with him, he would accept it, but he would not choose a 'suitable' woman to take her place, not in his home, certainly not in his heart.
Ahmed and Hadya left him, but Rashid stayed behind. "What plans do you have for Miss Dorothy?"
Quatre didn't know what to tell him. "I don't really know."
"Do you think you can stand to see her with another man?"
"I can handle it." He didn't really have a choice.
