Chapter 17
The moment he saw her enter the room with another man at her side, Quatre knew it was going to be next to impossible to function rationally. Standing between Ahmed and Majid Al-Jazar, the brother of the assassinated president, Quatre could do nothing but attempt to watch impassively as she approached beside the man he recognized from reports as James Sheffield. Although they didn't touch, Quatre saw them share an intimate smile that clawed painfully at his insides.
"That woman," spoke up Majid Al-Jazar. "Who is she?" Majid had been respectfully opposed to some of his brother's policies and had embraced Quatre's return with enthusiasm. Although Quatre was still vaguely suspicious of him, Majid had not shown any disloyalty during the struggle that brought him to the presidential palace, so Quatre had given him an appointment in his council of advisors.
"Dorothy Catalonia," answered Ahmed in a low voice, probably hoping that Quatre wouldn't hear them talking about her. What man in the room wouldn't be thinking about her? Although her hair was pulled back from her finely boned face and held by pearl studded combs, the long platinum waves hung loose down her back. Dressed respectably in a knee-length, sleeveless silk dress that brought out the startling blue of her eyes, the fabric clung to her curves so provocatively that a man could think of only one thing when looking at her.
"General Catalonia's daughter?" asked Majid. "What is she doing here?"
Nobody answered that question because her purpose in being with James Sheffield seemed to be obvious. Even Quatre had no choice but to believe the accusations his sister had made concerning their relationship.
Quatre had forgotten that Relena Darlian was with the group until she was standing before him and holding out her hand. He tore his eyes from Dorothy who was pointedly ignoring him and took the hand offered by the Vice Foreign Minister of the Earth Sphere United Nation. "Miss Relena, I am glad that your delegation has accepted my offer to stay at the presidential palace."
She smiled. "I don't think we had much choice being that the embassies of both Earth and L3 were substantially damaged during your recent conflict."
Recent conflict. That was a diplomatic way of saying civil war. Much of the capital city was 'substantially damaged', and as a consequence there were many homeless people and orphaned children. The 'recent conflict' had been short and brutal. Quatre had added that to his growing list of his life's regrets. He hadn't wanted to involve innocent men, women and children to the power struggle, but the allies Barak had gathered had no qualms about using them. Quatre was beginning to feel that he had too much to atone for in his life beginning with the moment he had agreed to pilot a gundam.
Relena was speaking to him, and he didn't hear what she said, but his noncommittal response seemed acceptable to her before she moved on to speak to Ahmed with whom she had already entered in negotiations before arriving on L4 this day. Quatre noticed the uniformed Heero Yuy standing among the Preventer agents accompanying the delegation from Earth. James Sheffield had arrived without escort from his planet, a move that earned him some grudging respect for his courage from Quatre's council. The man proved that his mission was purely diplomatic and that he trusted the new administration. Unfortunately, Quatre knew that there were many on L4 who would like the opportunity to take a shot at the representative of the neighboring colony that had provided the funds to draw out the bloody struggle on L4.
By the time Relena had finished speaking to Ahmed, James Sheffield had made his way to her and was waiting for an introduction. Dorothy was standing close but behind the ambassador, and Quatre noticed that she was assessing the men around him while avoiding any direct eye contact with him. He assumed that she was uncomfortable, probably as uncomfortable as he was at the moment.
"You haven't met James Sheffield, the newly appointed ambassador from L3," Relena was saying.
Quatre wasn't paying any attention. He noticed that Dorothy looked to Heero Yuy who gave her an almost imperceptible nod. Was something going on between them? How many men did she have dangling on her line?
"I am greatly honored to meet you, Mr. Winner."
Quatre turned his head to look at James Sheffield who was standing with his hand extended for a handshake. He stared at it for a moment, then raised his eyes to look at Sheffield's face. The man was a few years older than him, and the look in his amber eyes told Quatre that he was gauging his every response, probably filing it away in his diplomatic mind for future reference. He had no reason to personally dislike Sheffield if he discarded the fact that he was sleeping with Dorothy. Dorothy was standing so close to Sheffield now that she was almost touching him, but she was watching Ahmed and Majid closely instead of looking at him.
He didn't take the hand that was offered. "Your colony has much to answer for," Quatre finally said. His head was already starting to ache as he tried to read the undercurrents flowing in the room. Heero was watching him; Dorothy was watching Majid and Ahmed. The Preventer agents seemed tense.
Sheffield dropped his hand to his side. "My government is hoping that this can be the start of a new relationship."
"We shall see." Quatre wanted to avoid war, but he wasn't going to let L3 off easy.
Sheffield moved to his side and slid his arm around Dorothy's waist to bring her forward. Quatre stared at the hand touching her so possessively, then slowly raised his eyes to her face. She was smiling, but not the vindictive smile of a woman hoping to make him jealous although she had succeeded effortlessly.
"You are acquainted with Miss Catalonia," Sheffield said.
"Of course," he replied, glad that he was able to keep his voice steady. Standing so close to her, all he could think about was holding her in his arms. Dorothy didn't offer her hand; he did not extend his. His insides felt knotted, and he didn't know how he was able to speak. "What brings you to L4?"
She said, "I have a promise to keep." She hadn't made him any promises, but Quatre could still foolishly hope that she could forgive him. "I hope you do not mind that while you are in meetings that I visit with Jamila."
Quatre felt keen disappointment that her thoughts were for his daughter, but he managed to swallow it. "She will be delighted to know that you have arrived. At the moment she is with my sister, Hadya."
"I will arrange for her escort," spoke up Ahmed. Ahmed clearly did not trust her, but Quatre would never make that mistake again. Jamila was safer with Dorothy than any other person.
As Ahmed motioned for a guard, Dorothy turned back to Sheffield. "I will see you later."
He leaned close to her and whispered something in her ear that made her smile intimately into his eyes, then squeeze his hand in a proper gesture of affection before she left with the guard without giving Quatre another glance.
Quatre felt disoriented and completely detached from the entire scene. His heart had just been shredded and everyone around him was talking about the recent war and the destruction of many parts of L4 oblivious to his pain. The weather control system, already set to simulate the conditions of the middle east on Earth were the first settlers of L4 had originated from, was malfunctioning so that the weather was almost as unpredictable as Earth. Technicians from L2 were working on it, but until it was fixed they suffered unbearable heat. Half the water recollection and recycling units had been damaged during the war, so water was rationed to an already suffering populace. Quatre had read a report about the rise and spread of primitive diseases caused by the unsanitary conditions on the colony. The responsibility on his shoulders was staggering, and yet all Quatre could think about was Dorothy Catalonia.
Before entering the conference room where they would begin the negotiations, all three delegations met in a salon for refreshments. Used to the heat by now, Quatre was somewhat maliciously amused to see the urbane James Sheffield loosen his tie and unbutton his suit coat. Quatre was dressed in the loose, lightweight shirt and trousers under a long, light coat that was traditional business wear among his people. The men from L3 and Earth were obviously uncomfortable with the lack of air-conditioning and the occasional disruption to the ventilation system.
"I was aware of the problems on your colony, but I didn't imagine you were suffering like this."
Quatre turned his head to see Relena fanning herself with an ornate tissue fan. She had obviously come prepared. "It may take some time, but we will rebuild."
Relena nodded. "I hope you intend to listen to James Sheffield. His government feels a great deal of remorse for backing the wrong horse."
"I have allowed them to send an ambassador," he pointed out. "But I have no intention of forgiving them for any culpability in what happened on this colony."
"Your acceptance of James Sheffield is a start." Relena was looking at Sheffield who was now in discussion with Ahmed while Majid watched him suspiciously. "He will make an excellent ambassador. I have worked with him in the past and I know that he thoroughly investigates all angles."
Quatre raised a brow. Is that why he had brought Dorothy with him, to dangle before him like a carrot? Was he trying to distract him?
As if she could read his thoughts, Relena remarked, "He has been good for Dorothy. She has been rather morose since Randolph Morrison's death, so I'm glad that she's started seeing someone else."
Quatre glanced at her. "Are they serious?"
Her answer didn't please him. "They haven't been apart since reuniting a couple of weeks ago." She smiled smugly. "I'm quite sure that an official announcement will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. They are a perfect couple. I think they'll be happy together."
Relena was chattering on about them, but Quatre didn't hear anything beyond her speculation that Dorothy and Sheffield would be making an announcement. He could do nothing but stare at the man Dorothy would probably spend the rest of her life with. Quatre willed him to be a scoundrel like Randolph Morrison so that he could save her from him, but he already knew by the extensive research done on Sheffield that the ambassador would be an ideal husband for Dorothy if he planned to enter into such an exclusive relationship. A man of his station needed a woman like her at his side. He would be a fool to look elsewhere.
Yet the realization that he had lost her hit Quatre with such force that he felt as though he were in an unpleasant dream. From some distant point, he heard Ahmed inform him that they were ready to begin the meeting. He joined them in the conference room, but he only caught a few words of what they were saying.
Sheffield was talking, and as Quatre watched his lips move, he recalled seeing them brush against Dorothy's ear as he whispered to her and he imagined them kissing her. He heard the words in disjointed fashion. Reparations. Technical support. Favorable trade contracts. He used his hands as he spoke, and he remembered how his hand had rested on Dorothy's waist, how she had touched his hand when she left. Quatre let out a deep sigh that was almost a groan as he imagined Sheffield's hands sliding over her body.
"Master Quatre," whispered Ahmed sharply, attempting to draw him out of his jealousy induced miasma.
Quatre couldn't concentrate. "I need some air," he whispered back.
Majid leaned toward them. "I agree to a break. We should look over their proposals."
Quatre noticed an untouched leather portfolio that had been set before him on the table. His gaze slid to James Sheffield. The man was watching him with bemusement. Quatre tried to pull himself together and reached out an unsteady hand to open the portfolio.
Ahmed reached out to put his hand over Quatre's, probably hoping to disguise any hint of weakness on his part. He leaned over to speak to him harshly in Arabic. "It's that woman, isn't it! You have to put her from your mind!"
Majid snorted with disgust. "Sheffield is using her to get to you. And you're letting him."
Quatre pushed himself to his feet, and he looked at the delegation from L3 as well as Relena who was watching him with her brows furrowed. "We will have to continue this discussion another time." Without any further explanation, he walked out the door ignoring the sudden outburst of discussion in the conference room before the door closed behind him.
Although he wanted to seek out Dorothy and demand an explanation, Quatre knew that he didn't deserve one. So he started for the garden. He found a spot in the shade of a tree before a trickling fountain and he tried unsuccessfully to rein in his thoughts as he sat on the ground with his back to the tree. When he heard footsteps, he feared it was Ahmed coming to scold him further about his behavior, but he noticed with mild surprise that it was Relena accompanied by Heero Yuy.
"We've been friends for a long time," she said, almost out of breath when she was finally standing over him. "This isn't like you Quatre! How is Sheffield supposed to view your refusal to sit at a table and hear him out? He's probably contacting his colony now to inform them of your behavior and they will begin making preparations for war."
"That is unlikely," Quatre said with a sigh. He looked up at Relena. "I doubt Sheffield would act so irrationally when he knows the reason I can't sit at the table with him. And besides, due to a problem with our satellites, any communications directed outside the colony can only occur during a window of about thirty minutes later in the day."
"Sheffield knows the reason you bolted the table?" Her brows were raised. "Perhaps you would care to enlighten me since I don't know what is going on between the two of you. He seemed as surprised as anyone that you left."
Quatre looked away from Relena. "Dorothy Catalonia."
"Dorothy Catalonia!" Relena was obviously surprised. "What does she have to do with any of this?" When Quatre didn't answer, she sighed. "Are you still holding that fight on the Libra against her? I assure you, Quatre, that she has changed!" When he didn't respond she continued, "And I'm sure you're not blaming her for the accident at the Dermail Mansion. She barely escaped from the fire herself."
Quatre looked past her to Heero Yuy who was watching him with no discernible emotion. "You didn't tell her?"
"Tell me what?" demanded Relena, shooting a glare at Heero.
"I don't gossip." Heero folded his arms over his chest.
Relena looked from him to Quatre. Her brows were raised in question.
Sighing, Quatre told her, "Dorothy and I were involved."
"Involved?" she repeated, her eyes questioning. She looked at Heero as if expecting him to explain, but he didn't even twitch. Relena spun back to Quatre. "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean." Quatre ran a hand through his hair, damp from the humidity. "Several years ago we spent a week together in Barbados. When I returned to Earth, we picked up where we left off."
"What?" Relena blinked incomprehensibly then turned to Heero. "You knew about this and you didn't tell me?"
"I don't gossip," he repeated.
"Shouldn't I have been informed of this?" Getting no response, Relena looked back at Quatre. "It's over, isn't it?"
He shrugged. "I guess it is." His tone must not have satisfied her, because she looked horrified.
"How did you plan to negotiate with Sheffield when...when..." Relena didn't know how to delicately point out his liaison with Dorothy.
"Don't worry. I'll be recovered by tomorrow. I wasn't prepared for the shock of seeing her with Sheffield. I just need a little time to work this out." Quatre could only hope that he was telling the truth.
Relena looked him in the eye. "You had better do just that Quatre because an entire colony is depending on you. I wasn't blind to the suffering I saw in the streets on the way from the spaceport to this palace. This colony is crippled now and a war with L3 would destroy it." With that, she turned on her heel and marched away.
"She's right," commented Heero when she had gone.
Quatre pulled off his jacket and tossed it aside. "Why did you let Dorothy come here with him when you knew how I felt?"
"I have no control over what Dorothy Catalonia does." Quatre sensed Heero had his own reasons for Dorothy's presence on L4 but his friend wasn't going to be telling him.
"Does Sheffield know about Dorothy and me?" asked Quatre curiously. Discovering that Relena had been ignorant of their relationship, Quatre wondered if Sheffield had been brazen enough to bring Dorothy as a distraction or whether he was as oblivious as the Vice Foreign Minister.
"I don't know what goes on between them," Heero answered. "Maybe you should ask her yourself." He nodded past him and Quatre turned to see that Dorothy was approaching wearing a look that could kill. Fortunately it seemed to be reserved for Heero Yuy. The Preventer agent shoved his hands in his pockets, then walked away without even greeting her.
Dorothy stopped a few feet away from where Quatre was sitting, but she watched with a narrowed gaze as Heero followed the path that Relena had taken. Quatre drank in the sight of her, resisting an almost overpowering urge to reach out and pull her into his arms. The heat and humidity had taken its toll on her dress, which stuck to her almost indecently. Her skin was flushed and glistening, and the hair framing her face was wet and clinging to her until she lifted her hand and shoved her fingers through it. Quatre thought of hot, hazy afternoons lying amongst damp sheets, her slick limbs tangled with his own.
Turning back to look at Quatre, Dorothy was pleasantly startled to see the heat in his blue gaze. For a moment she couldn't think of anything to say, and Quatre seemed to be content just to stare at her. She had been with Jamila when she happened to look out the window over the wilting garden to see Heero Yuy talking to Quatre. Jamila was probably confused that Dorothy left her so suddenly, but she couldn't risk Heero telling Quatre about the baby before she had a chance.
"Under other circumstances, I would say that I'm happy to see you," Quatre finally said.
She heard the resentment in his voice, but if he expected her to feel any guilt, he was going to be disappointed. "I had a nice visit with Jamila. She has invited me for tea tomorrow."
"I appreciate your interest in my daughter."
His tone didn't match the sentiment. Dorothy suspected that he was jealous of the attention she was giving the four year old girl. "Your meeting didn't last long," she remarked.
Quatre pulled himself to standing. "I couldn't concentrate." She didn't move when he took a step toward her, but her heart was beating faster. She wasn't afraid that he would hurt her, but if he touched her, she might do or say something very foolish. "All I could think of was you."
She looked up at his face. It would be so easy to reach out and draw him to her, but she couldn't jeopardize her mission. Dorothy didn't trust the men that Quatre surrounded himself with. At the moment James was safe enough with the Preventer agents nearby, but they were charged only with protecting the Vice Foreign Minister. She was responsible for James Sheffield at all other times.
"Am I supposed to be flattered?" she asked with disdain. She saw the hurt mingle with anger in the depths of his eyes. "Do you expect me to melt in your arms like I did in Barbados? I'm not the same girl you took advantage of. Thanks to you and men like you, I'm a little wiser now."
"Do you think Sheffield isn't taking advantage of you?"
She raised a brow. "Whatever is between James Sheffield and myself is none of your damn business, Quatre Raberba Winner. I've come to realize that I was nothing to you but a conquest."
"That's not true!" he denied angrily, reaching out to her, but Dorothy stepped away from him.
"You don't have to deny it. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't change anything." She could see that he was fighting an inner battle, probably against the half of him that wanted to throw her over his shoulder to carry away. Unlike Barbados, she was now in control and he was the one unsure of himself.
"So this is it, Dorothy?"
She softened a little towards him. "This has to be it, Quatre. Even if I could forgive you, you have gone beyond my reach. My place is with James Sheffield now, and you have a colony that needs you." Dorothy didn't quite feel right about telling him about the baby now, especially when she noticed a group of young women watching them curiously, whispering to each other. "We have an audience," she commented.
Quatre glanced at them for a moment, then looked back at Dorothy. "Ahmed thinks I should take a wife from amongst them."
It pained Dorothy to admit, "He is probably right." She let out a sigh. "There is something I wish to talk to you about, but now is not the time and this is not the place." Quatre didn't respond as he stared at the group of women. Dorothy had the unpleasant feeling that he was making his choice at that moment. "I will see you later," she said.
He nodded and looked at her. "At the reception."
"I'm sorry it has to be this way," she said, then turned and left the garden.
A servant escorted her to her room, then raised a brow when she inquired about James Sheffield's accommodations. His room was further down the hall, and despite the look of mortification she received, she instructed the servant to have her things sent to his room. After she was settled, Dorothy lay down on the bed to wait for James to return. She couldn't help but think about how startled Quatre had looked when she entered the room with James. Dorothy had to remind herself of her reason for being there to keep from staring at the leader of L4. She hadn't missed the pain in his eyes when she had left to see Jamila and she regretted causing it even after the pain he had caused her. With a deep sigh, she admitted to herself that she couldn't help loving him.
She had fallen asleep with fantasies of her life with Quatre, fantasies that became a dream from which she did not want to awaken. But sometime later, she slowly returned to consciousness when she felt the zipper at the back of her dress sliding slowly downward, fingers grazing her flesh, and then pausing to unhook her bra.
When she felt warm lips at the base of her neck, she said, "Do I need to remind you that I have a gun, James."
"You wouldn't use it on me," he breathed in her ear.
Dorothy rolled onto her back and he put his hands on either side of her. He had removed his jacket and tie and his damp shirt was hanging open. He was a tempting sight, but Dorothy's heart was elsewhere. "How was your meeting?"
He leaned close to her. "I'm sure you already know and you know why."
"I did speak to Quatre Winner briefly," she admitted.
James smiled down at her. "You know Dorothy, I actually thought you were stringing Heero Yuy along. It was obvious the two of you have some chemistry and I knew you had worked closely with him in Switzerland. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was Quatre Winner you had nailed to a wall."
"You don't have to worry about Quatre Winner," she told him.
"You are so right, Dorothy, because if Winner doesn't pull it together, there are others willing to take his place."
She frowned. "What are you talking about?"
James pushed himself from the bed. "My government wants stability on this colony. If Quatre Winner won't provide it, I am authorized to find someone who will."
Dorothy sat up. "Are you suggesting that you will back another coup?"
"I don't want to do that, Dorothy, but Winner seems just as unstable as his father was. I had hoped that he would understand the importance of improving relations, but all he seems concerned with at the moment is you." James chuckled. "I can't say that I blame him, especially if you actually gave yourself to him, Dorothy."
"I gave myself to you, James, but you don't seem all that distracted by my presence."
He came to her and drew her against him. "You let me have you, Dorothy, but you never gave me your heart."
"You didn't ask for it," she reminded him.
He put his hand under her chin and tipped her face up. His eyes met hers. "When I saw you that first time in the restaurant, I thought you might be the woman meant for me. I couldn't get you out of my mind, and you can't imagine how I felt when you called me."
Dorothy smiled at him. "You don't expect me to believe this, James?"
He sighed. "I realized that you had a broken heart, and I hoped to mend it. I never did, did I Dorothy? Quatre Winner broke your heart, and now you're breaking his."
"I'm not trying to break his heart. I have a job to do."
"I want to understand it all, Dorothy. If you want me to trust him, I have to know exactly what's going on."
Dorothy would probably regret doing so, but she told James everything about Barbados, about what had happened in Switzerland, and ending with the truth of what happened at the Dermail Mansion.
He listened to her without comment, and when she finished, he said, "Winner isn't going to be happy to hear what you kept from him."
"I know that."
Before he could comment further, a knock at the door interrupted. Dorothy reached for the gun she had placed on the table beside the bed and followed James to the door. When he would have opened it, she pushed him against the wall, hid the gun behind her back and opened the door.
It was Heero Yuy.
She stepped aside to let him in and noticed that James rolled his eyes.
Heero's gaze swept over James with ill-concealed disgust, then he turned his back on the ambassador to speak to Dorothy. "What do you know about Majid Al-Jazar?"
"He is the brother of Mahmad Al-Jazar. According to Hadya Winner, they were not very close, but we can't discount family loyalty."
"Do you believe that Majid Al-Jazar may make an attempt on my life?" asked James as he came to stand behind Dorothy. When he reached up to refasten her bra and zip up her dress, she noticed Heero watching, and when his eyes met hers, she saw disappointment. She had nothing to feel guilty about and she certainly didn't owe him any explanations.
Heero looked at James. "Our agents have learned of a plot to derail these negotiations. We have no details."
James reached over to open the door. "Then maybe you should be out gathering details instead of bothering us."
Heero ignored him for a moment and turned to Dorothy. "Try to focus on what is really important, Dorothy."
She suspected that he wasn't talking about James Sheffield's protection. "Let me know if you discover anything."
Heero had barely stepped over the threshold when James slammed the door shut.
Dorothy almost laughed and was about to tease him about being jealous of Heero Yuy, but James spoke first.
"You spoke to Hadya Winner? Did she say anything about me?"
