February 7, 2004
Edinburgh Castle – Edinburgh, Scotland
1203 Greenwich/ 0703 Eastern
Harm led the family away from the gate and on into the castle grounds, as a chill wind whipped at them. The one thing that he couldn't have control had hit their family vacation overnight, as a good six to eight inches of snow had fallen. When Beth had woken and looked out the hotel window, her laugh had drawn both sleeping Rabbs from their various beds, with Harm muttering a few choice words as he took in the winter wonderland down below. Still, the fact that the snow had stopped was a source of hope for him that they weekend wouldn't be a total loss.
So, Harm had hurriedly modified their plans, taking into account the weather outside. They started with having a later breakfast, choosing to dine in the hotel's restaurant rather than venturing outside. This served to give the city time to do a little cleanup work, so that by the time they had finished a very hearty meal, most of the streets were clear. After going back to their suite for their coats and gloves, the family went out and got into a taxi.
The drive was short, something the taxi driver had tried to tell them when they gave him the destination. Harm had been more than happy to pay, however, as it beat walking there in the cold. The driver had managed to get close to the entrance of the castle, earning a friendly smile from Beth as she and Mattie had followed Harm out of the car. Together, they went to the gate where Harm paid their admission. Once inside the ground, Beth took the lead as she opened the map she'd taken from a rack by the ticket counter.
"I'd suggest we start with the grounds, then go inside and look around," Beth said.
"That sounds like an excellent idea," Harm agreed, while Mattie just nodded.
The walk through the ground was almost complete, when Harm spotted a crowd forming toward one particular area. The family made their way in the direction, where they found a gun being prepared for firing. Getting closer, they could hear a tour guide talking.
"Now this is the one o'clock gun. Every day except Sunday, this gun is fired at 1300. In the past, it served as a timekeeping signal to various ships out in the Firth of Forth. Of course, with modern satellite navigation and modern timekeeping devices, this is no longer necessary, but it is still a tradition that we proudly keep," the guide said, as the soldiers behind her finished loading the gun.
The roar generated by the firing of the gun was immense and Mattie flinched at it, as did Beth. Harm was slightly inured to the noise, having heard louder things go off during his time in the Navy. Once the firing was completed and the noise level returned to normal, Harm led the little group on with their self-guided tour. The next stop was inside, in the National War Museum. Looking at all the military artifacts, Mattie was impressed. She also couldn't help wondering at the idea of fighting hand-to-hand, which was roughly what the swords were.
Harm had seen the Scottish claymores that had captured Mattie's attention and was trying to guess what she was thinking about. To him, those swords were a product of a harder, if simpler time, when the size of armies were measured in the thousands and all the fighting was up close. Now, millions of men were in arms around the world and too much of modern warfare involved the press of a button or turn of a key.
From there, the family moved on through the other buildings within the castle grounds, ending at the Scottish National War Memorial. The building felt like a church in many respects to both Harm and Beth, as they looked at the stained glass windows and columns. The books were filled with the names of those who had given their lives in both World Wars as well as conflicts since then. Seeing the number of volumes brought home how many lives had been lost in those terrible conflicts. Mattie was awed by the sight, as well as how quiet her parents had gotten since they had walked into the building. She could, however, see the look of respect that both faces held and tried to match it as best she could.
By the time they came out, it was well into the afternoon. The day had warmed up slightly, at least enough that the prospect of walking back to their hotel didn't strike any of them as unappealing. Plus, the sidewalks were well cleared by this point. About ten minutes later, they were back at the hotel, where they are a light lunch in the restaurant before venturing back out, this time off to do some shopping. Not exactly a favorite activity for Harm, but he saw it as part of the package. He got to do the things he enjoyed, so it was only fair that Beth got to do the same.
Emily Wallace's Apartment – London, England
1623 Greenwich/ 1123 Eastern
Emily and Victor were settled on the couch, following a whirlwind day. When she had first awoken, she'd made two important calls. The first had been to Victor, setting a time for them to get together as well as suggesting that they go shopping for that ring. He, in turn, had suggest 1000 and that she pick him up, before they went to breakfast. He made a comment about knowing the importance of being well fed before taking any woman shopping and quickly hung up before she could shoot a rejoinder back at him, leaving her laughing slightly and promising payback at her earliest possible chance.
Then a thought occurred to her. She hadn't checked her cell phone since hanging up with her mother last night. She'd heard it repeatedly ringing, but had chosen to ignore the damned thing, suspecting it was either her mother, her father or her brothers trying to reach her, if only to "talk sense" to her. Well, as far as she was concerned, she was perfectly sensible and knew exactly what she had done and was going to do. Still, she knew she needed to check, just to make certain someone else hadn't tried to call, like her partner Jack or their boss.
A concerned look crossed her face as she saw there were five missed calls from her grandfather. Dialing the familiar number, she wondered what he had wanted and hoped it wasn't something serious, even as she suspected it was connected to her news.
"Hello," came the sound of Sir Alistair's voice.
"Grandfather, it's Emily."
"Emily, child. How wonderful to hear from you. I tried calling last night, but you never answered."
"Sorry, I was trying to avoid the phone," Emily confessed.
"Yes, I know. You and your mother had a bit of a row, something about you being engaged to an entirely unsuitable American," Alistair said with a heavy touch of laughter in his voice. "This wouldn't happen to be the Marine I met, would it?"
"And if it was, Grandfather?"
"Then jolly well done! Oh, Emily, this is why I love you so. You always go for what you want and bugger the negative nellies."
"You approve?" Emily asked.
"As long as you love him and he loves you, I approve. You do love him, lassie? This isn't some scheme to get under your mother's skin?" Alistair asked. "Mind, that woman needs to be knocked down a rung or three."
"No, I'm marrying Victor, when we do get married, because I love him."
"Then I'm very happy for you, my child. Now, what started this mess with your mother, huh?"
"Well, she and James didn't like him the instant they saw him," Emily said.
"At the musical, right? The night you commandeered my car and driver?" Alistair asked.
"You let me use the car, Grandfather. But, yes, they thought him wholly wrong for me and let me know it, along with the usual comments about my life in general. But then, they went to the American Embassy and tried to make trouble for Victor with the Defense Attaché, claiming he had been drunk that evening and made offensive comments towards her, comments of a sexual nature."
"They did what?! Of all the idiotic, arrogant, bloody stupid things. And James went along with your mother? Don't answer that, he was always tied to her apron strings. And your father allowed this or did they not tell him what they were intending?"
"I don't know, Grandfather. I'm only telling you what I heard from Victor, but when I confronted Mother about it, she made no attempt to deny she'd done it. I don't know if they were hoping to get him in serious trouble or just make him mad enough that he'd want nothing further to do with me and my family," Emily said, a sadness creeping into her voice that hurt her grandfather.
"It doesn't matter, Emily. Either is unacceptable as far as I'm concerned and I intend to address this matter with all possible haste. You and Victor will dine with me this afternoon, at my club. So will your mother and father," Alistair said.
"Grandfather…."
"Hush, child. While I'm still alive, I am the head of this family. So, you and your Marine will be there and you will be civil, both of you. And by God, I will settle this matter once and for all."
"Yes, Grandfather," Emily said, for there was nothing else to say. Her grandfather had always been the one member of the family to love her, believe in her and support her. She could not very well not support his decision, because she suspected he was going to take her side in the matter.
"Good. I'll see you at 1 this afternoon," Alistair said before hanging up.
With that, Emily had to start rushing. She called Victor back to let him know of the new plans, which necessitated a change in theirs. Instead of breakfast, they had a cup of coffee at Victor's apartment before heading out to the jewelers. Victor was dressed for the afternoon, wearing a suit and tie, while Emily had on a navy blue dress. The first two jewelers they went to didn't have anything that they could agree on, with Victor wanting a nice sized ring for her and Emily saying she preferred something smaller.
It was at the third store that they found the one that they both liked. It was a half carat Princess-cut diamond, mounted on a white gold band. When the jeweler handed it to Emily to try on, one look was all either of them needed to know it was the one. Victor handed the man his bank card, thinking about the dent he was making in his savings and making a commitment to save a little more to make up for it. As they walked out, Emily kept stealing glances at the ring, loving both the way it looked as well as the way it felt on her hand.
From there, it was onward to her grandfather's club and their luncheon. The doorman smiled as he saw them approach, before intercepting them on their way to the dining room.
"Your grandfather reserved one of the private room, Miss Wallace," he told her.
"Thank you," Emily said before changing direction to an elevator off to the left. Getting in, they went up to the second floor and proceeded down the hall, with Emily checking the various doors. Seeing her grandfather's name on one of them, she opened it and went in. Victor closed the door after stepping through and saw that they were the last to arrive. He recognized both Emily's grandfather and mother, making the remaining person her father.
"Ah, you're here. Good, now we can either have our little chat before we dine or we can eat first and then talk," Alistair said.
"We're here hoping you'll talk some sense into this young lady," Catherine said, shooting a pointed look at both Victor and Emily. "Or perhaps use some of your influence to see that this man is sent away from here."
"Ah, you've decide on the chat first, I take it. Then permit me to be brutally frank with you, Catherine. And you as well, Patrick. When Emily first introduced me to First Sergeant Galindez, I took the trouble to contact some friends. That influence you spoke of. And the reports I received back were glowing, not just of the Marine, but also the man. My contacts in Washington tell me he could potentially become the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, the top enlisted position in that service. He was described as loyal, honest and courageous, a man of the finest quality."
"That may well be, Father," Patrick said. "But he's still not a suitable suitor for our daughter."
"And who might be more suitable? Someone with a title or likely to receive one? And would that person be willing to support Emily if she decided to continue her career?" Alistair asked, bitingly.
"Her career? You mean the police? That's just a fancy she'll eventually grow out of," Catherine said, dismissing it. "And when she does, it will be more than time for her to take her proper place in society. Surely you can see that, Alistair."
"No, I can't, Catherine. This is her career, her choice, one the rest of you have spent too much time and effort in attempting to turn her from and it stops now!"
"How dare you speak to us that way? We're simply trying to look out for her best interests."
"No, you're trying to impose your own desires onto her, rather than letting her be the person she wants to be. And, as I said, it stops now," Alistair said before turning toward Victor. "May I call you Victor?"
"Yes, Sir," Victor said.
"Good, then you will call me Alistair. Sir just sounds old, don't you think? Now, do you love my granddaughter, Victor?"
"Yes, Alistair, I do."
"And if she decides she wants to stay a police officer, you would support her?" Alistair asked.
"I would support any decision she made, as long as it was what she wanted. Certainly, I'd like to have an input, but I respect Emily enough to know that she'd want that too," Victor said.
"Is that true, Emily?"
"It is, Grandfather. Just like I would support the decisions that Victor makes concerning his career, because I love and respect him too," Emily said, taking Victor's hand in hers, which brought the engagement ring up where her parents could see it.
"Those are all pretty nice words, Emily, but how can you be so certain? You barely even know this man," Patrick said, his eyes fixed on the ring. "I believe that this is a mistake, given the differences in your backgrounds and ages."
"Patrick, you've become quite the snob," Alistair said, frowning. "Surely you know that your mother, before we married, worked as a nurse and she only stopped working because of my early travels in service to the country. Also, her family was working class and if not for the war, I doubt we would have even met."
"But she did stop," Catherine said.
"Aye, she stopped. But it was her choice, as was my continuing in government service instead of joining a law firm like my own father."
"But, Father…"
"Not another word, Patrick. Here is what's going to happen. Victor and Emily are going to get married, because they love each other and want to spend their lives together. You and Catherine have a simple choice: you can either accept this and be happy that your daughter has found a man who loves her or you can continue to meddle in their lives. Be warned that if you decide on the second course of action, I am on Emily and Victor's side and my influence extends into many more places than you can imagine. For instance, I have a standing bridge game every Thursday and one of the other players happens to be the CEO of British Petroleum. I believe that would be your boss, Catherine, unless I'm mistaken," Alistair said, a hard line forming in place of the smile that had previously existed.
The blood drained from Catherine's face as it did from Patrick's. This was a side of his father that he had never seen before, an absolute ruthlessness that scared him badly. Catherine, on the other hand, went from white to red as anger took control of her mind and mouth.
"Are you trying to threaten me just because you happen to play a silly card game with my boss? And you think that gives you any sway with him versus my years of service to the company," Catherine said. "I think you've finally lost it, Alistair."
"Try me, Catherine. And my influence with John Browne comes not from a card game, but certain other things my associates and I have done quietly for the benefit of your employer, my dear. Ask him about it the next time you see him. And as for you, Patrick, my first call on Monday shall be my own solicitors with an eye towards rewriting my will. You will not find me entirely heartless, as your children will still receive a small trust. The bulk, however, will pass to Emily, not you."
"Father, please," Patrick tried to say, only to be cut off.
"Please what, Patrick? Allow you to continue destroying Emily's life? Allow your continued arrogance to go unopposed? No, I'm only sorry that I let things reach this point before I said something. Get out, the both of you. The sight of you sickens me," Alistair said, shaking his head in disgust.
Emily and Victor both sat there, feeling saddened by the way everything had come out. Victor had never intended to be the cause of a break between Emily and her family. Family was far too important in the culture he had grown up in and he had hoped that with time, he and Emily's parents could come to some kind of understanding. Maybe after they had seen him and her together and the love they felt for each other things could have been different, but now it seemed as if the damage was irreversible and he felt a sense of regret about it.
Emily just looked down at her hands, waiting until her parents had gotten up and left the room. She knew how this was all going to be played at home and that caused anger to war with the sadness. She'd be portrayed as the ungrateful child who simply couldn't see that her parents had her best interests at heart. That grandfather was starting to go senile and she was using that to her advantage by playing the sweet granddaughter. That eventually her relationship with Victor would end in tears and she'd come crawling back to them for love and support, especially if she ended up with child.
"Look at me, Emily," Alistair commanded once Patrick and Catherine had left the room. When she raised her eyes to his, he smiled. "None of this is your fault, so don't go thinking it is. I should have had that conversation with your parents almost ten years ago, if not sooner. But I was more concerned about your grandmother at the time and I didn't and now we've gotten to this point. I'm sorry."
"But it's not your fault either, grandfather," Emily said, protesting.
"Perhaps not, but I should have said something back then. If I had, perhaps things would have been different now. Still, I meant what I said and I want you and Victor to be prepared. I fully except your parents to contest the changes to my will, possibly even question my sanity. But they'll lose that argument, just had a complete physical as well as a mental health check and I'm in good shape. Now, why don't we have lunch and you can tell me about your wedding plans."
"We're on a bit of a hold there, Alistair," Victor said. "At least until my three-years with the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group are done. I can't marry Emily until then because she's not an American citizen."
"Actually, she is, Victor," Alistair said. "Her grandmother was an American, which, I believe, makes her father an American and that makes Emily one too. Though it will be a bit of a mess, given that Patrick and his brother Neil never applied for that citizenship and Anna and I never saw a reason to do so on their behalf. I don't know if Patrick would have to apply in order to get Emily citizenship."
"Well, I guess that means Emily will have to stop at the Embassy and talk to one of the consular officers to find out what she needs to do."
"Please, let me know whatever you need from me. I still have your grandmother's discharge papers as well as her birth certificate and such, from when we got married. I've also got Patrick's birth certificate, if you need that."
"Grandfather, you're a gem," Emily said as she got up from her seat and went to give him a hug and kiss.
"Well, I'm a hungry gem. Where is that waiter?" Alistair said.
"I suspect that would be him," Victor said, pointing to the man entering from a far door.
It was indeed the waiter, who smiled as he approached the table. Alistair took care of the ordering, going with salmon and roasted potatoes proceeded by a salad. He also requested a bottle of champagne to toast the happy couple with. The drinks were served almost immediately, with the meal following in short order. Evidently, the salmon was the order of the day, considering how quickly it arrived. Either that, or the staff knew Alistair's tastes and had anticipated what he would select.
After lunch was done, they went to Emily's apartment. Victor knew that Emily would have to wait until Monday to visit the Embassy, as the consular offices were closed on the weekends. Still, a faint light was shining at the end of what had seemed to be a very long tunnel. If she was entitled to US citizenship, then they could get married as soon as they pleased. But Victor was a realist enough to know that it couldn't possibly be as simple as Emily walking into the Embassy and walking out with a passport. He was also curious why Emily hadn't known about this possibility, for she had seemed as surprised as he had been with Alistair's announcement.
"The things I never knew," Emily said quietly.
"Like your grandmother being American?"
"Yes. All I ever knew was that she and Grandfather had met during the war, when he was in hospital after being wounded. She was his nurse. I guessed she was in the service, too, but I just assumed…."
"Did you ever see pictures of her in uniform?" Victor asked.
"No. She and Grandfather actually didn't have many pictures of themselves, apart from family photos and one of their wedding," Emily said.
"What exactly does your grandfather do?"
"He's in the foreign service."
Victor, however, was beginning to doubt it was that simple. A simple Foreign Service officer might have been able to confirm who Victor was, perhaps even get a little information about him. But the way Alistair had spoken about him made Victor suspect that he had seen his personnel file and that suggest a much deeper connection to either the Pentagon or Langley. That would make sense, when taken with a comment Alistair had made previously about being in Washington to consult on an arms control treaty in the 1970s.
Emily snuggled up next to Victor, which effectively ended his train of thought. Instead, he found himself much more interested in the lively young woman next to him, whose eyes were looking at him with such love. He captured her mouth with his, kissing her deeply as he pulled her even closer. They stayed like this for a while before Emily pulled back and stood. Looking Victor deeply in the eye, she took his hand in hers and led him back to her bedroom.