Day 22

Moffitt set a stack of envelopes on the kitchen table before pouring his tea. "Would you like some, Hitch?"

"Sure. Just plain black tea?" Hitch asked.

"Plain? Preposterous! This is English breakfast tea."

Hitch bit his lip. "Sorry."

"It's alright. I'm so used to Troy's barbaric notions about tea. Try it. It's quite good and excellent for waking you up."

"I mean, I have been struggling a bit with adjusting to the new timezone and all that," Hitch said. "Not often I come over here."

"No, it's not, but I wish you would. Everyone else compliments me on how cozy and relaxing my home is."

"It is pretty nice here." Hitch took a cup of tea when Moffitt held it out, then looked over at the stack of envelopes. "Are those all Christmas cards?"

"Yes," Moffitt replied. "Why?"

"Just curious. I get quite a lot of cards, mostly from relatives I don't know all that well, but the cards look nice when you hang them around a big doorway."

"Well, let's see who sent me cards this year—of course, we have my parents' card right on top. We have one from Tully, Troy, Dietrich, you, your parents. Oh, my former sergeant in the Scots Greys sent me one. One from Doctor Millington at the university. One from…" Moffitt stopped upon seeing the next envelope. "Ghislain Janvier," he whispered.

"The French officer who used to be your friend but also tried killing you a few times?"

"We made amends the year Jules was born, and last I heard, Ghislain's been doing well—as well as he can with everything that happened."

"Is everything okay? You don't look happy to see that card."

"We haven't really spoken often, which is mostly my fault. I became much busier when Jules was born, and allotted time for you all, but… most of my other friends sort of fell by the wayside, including Ghislain."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I just… wasn't expecting to see this." Moffitt looked at the return address. "It's from Billesdon, just slightly east of the city of Leicester."

"Leicester's not that far from here, is it?" Hitch asked.

"Not really. I know he was living in Leicester after we came back from North Africa. I recommended him to a boarding stable for work. I guess he's found a place to call home. At least, I hope so." Moffitt opened the envelope. Inside was a card with a lovely winter scene in a city park, and tucked in the card was a letter.

"Jack, I know it has been a while since we spoke or wrote to each other. I have been getting the cards you send each year for my birthday, and I greatly appreciate it. Things have been going well, mostly. You remember Zahir, right? My horse? He is quite old now and can no longer be ridden, but I still love him dearly and have been doing my best to keep him in good health. In that vein, I must offer my condolences about Snowstripe. Your father mentioned his passing the last time we talked. You had a strong bond with that horse and I cannot imagine how much that hurt.

"As for me, I have been getting by. I keep my personal life to myself whenever I work. Sometimes, it feels strange that everything in the past happened, but I think strangest of all is the fact that I have a home now, that I am no longer constantly on the move, going from one small village to the next. You remember why I kidnapped Anah? How my family was being held prisoner in France? I learned that they were released. The reasons are unclear, but I have not been in contact with them. I am a little afraid of what might happen if I tried. That, and I have been happier, not feeling their influence in my life anymore. Even though I am a bit lonely at times, I am significantly happier.

"How is Dietrich? I am glad he was rushed into surgery for his broken knee when we came to England, but I have neglected to ask if he made a full recovery. I hope he is well. Your father tells me that you are doing well, but I would like to hear it from you. That brings me to something else on my mind. There are times where I wonder if you have moved on completely from me, and that you no longer consider us to be friends. That is understandable with what I put you through. I know we talked and did our best to make things right, but that has not stopped me from wondering if things have changed. We brought each other out of our shells when I was living with you in Cambridge, and, yes, that trip from Algeria to Tunisia remains one of my favorite memories.

"I understand that I cannot force you to write more or visit if you are not interested, but I would be lying if I said I did not miss you. If I do not hear from you, I wish you the merriest of Christmases. Yours, Ghislain."

Moffitt set the letter down, heaving a sigh. He let Hitch read the letter, then said, "It's not that I'm not interested in maintaining a friendship. I've just forgotten."

"That's understandable," Hitch said. "I haven't talked to a lot of the guys from Wake Forest simply because I forget until they send me stuff. That and… most of them weren't good influences anyway." He was quiet for a moment. "Maybe you should go see Janvier."

"Right now?"

"Honestly? Yeah. It sounds like he needs friends. It is almost Christmas after all, and maybe this'll prompt you two to make more time for each other."

"I suppose you make a good point. Would you like to come with me?"

"Sure. I was going to offer even if you didn't."

Moffitt usually wasn't one for such sudden plans, but he figured now was better than later to repair the friendships he had been neglecting. He left a note on the table for when Vanora, Jules, and Anah returned from Christmas shopping, then headed out with Hitch to drive up to the little town of Billesdon.

"I just hope this doesn't lead to something you didn't want," Hitch said when they parked in the driveway of a quaint-looking home on a hill overlooking the town. "Then it'll be my fault."

"Your heart is in the right place," Moffitt replied. "Honestly, I've been meaning to do something like this for a while, but never got around to it."

"Okay." Hitch followed Moffitt up the path to the house, and stayed quiet while Moffitt knocked on the door.

A loud meow was heard after the first knock, followed by a man's voice speaking to the owner of the meow in French. The door opened to reveal a lean, blond man holding a purring Siamese cat. A smile spread across Janvier's face when he recognized Moffitt. "Jack! I was not expecting you to drop by. Please, come in."

"I do apologize for this being on such short notice," Moffitt replied, greeting Janvier with a handshake. "I actually got your card about an hour ago, and my good friend here, Mark Hitchcock—"

"Hello." Hitch grinned broadly before holding out his hand to Janvier.

"He suggested I visit," Moffitt continued.

"A pleasure to meet you," Janvier said. "American?"

"Yeah. Wilmington, North Carolina. Ever been?" Hitch asked.

"No. I have never been to the States. Always wanted to, though."

"Well, I do highly recommend North Carolina. I also recommend Kentucky and Wyoming. I hear Pennsylvania's real pretty, too."

"New York is quite nice," Moffitt added. "My wife has family in Long Island. I've only gone once, and that was… eventful."

"Oh?" Janvier raised an eyebrow.

"We went on a boating trip right before a storm. The storm hit, tipped over the boat—which I hit my head on—and somehow managed to separate me and Vanora. I was unconscious for a few days, then searched everywhere for Vanora. Fortunately, we were reunited, and swore never to do such a thing again."

"But then you went to Antarctica a couple of years later," Hitch said with a smirk.

"We did, and that was fun."

"That does sound fun." Janvier looked a bit distant. "Much like Tunisia."

"Yes." Moffitt felt bad for bringing up his adventures when Janvier hadn't been on any of them. "Tunisia will always be memorable, though."

"Indeed." Janvier brightened up a little. "Speaking of which, I planned on sending you this for Christmas, but since you are here—" He disappeared into the kitchen, and returned with a small box. "Authentic Tunisian dates, stuffed with mascarpone. I met up with an old friend from the university and he told me where to put an order in for these." Janvier's brightness faded. "I know I used these to trick you in order to kidnap Anah, but I promise, no sleeping potion."

"Oh, I believe you, but I may put myself to sleep if I eat all of these. They're about the only thing after tea I can't get enough of."

Hitch's jaw dropped. "Moffitt does have a favorite food?"

"I know! Hard to believe with how skinny he is, right?" Janvier laughed a little. "Yes, when we arrived in Tunis, Jack spent the majority of his money on these. He put himself into a bit of a stupor with how much he ate."

"It wasn't that bad," Moffitt said.

"I'm sorry, it's just…" Hitch trailed off. "I know this seems rude, but apart from Christmas at Tully's a few years ago, I can't picture Moffitt… eating a lot."

"It's a rare spectacle, and to be fair, that trip was the first time I had ever seen Ghislain be sociable."

"I was not as sociable as you think I was," Janvier said. "With Tunisia being a French colony at the time, that was the primary language, and as a native speaker, it was far easier for me to communicate with the venders. Some of them just wanted to talk and talk and talk." He sighed, then laughed again. "I remember the look on Jack's face, listening to this old man going on in French about what he was charging—"

"That was when I decided I didn't want to study French anymore," Moffitt said, grinning. "German was far easier. Even Arabic was easier, and Arab venders are far more challenging! They expect you to haggle on everything, and it's impolite if you don't!"

It was effortless to keep talking with Janvier about their trip, like it had only happened yesterday. When Moffitt noticed Hitch looking a little lost, he said, "I'm sorry if it feels like we're leaving you out."

"No, that's okay," Hitch replied. "I'm glad you're catching up. That's what I wanted to see."

"Still, it is quite rude to only talk with one guest," Janvier said. "Are either of you hungry? I have a pot of coq au vin on the stove."

"What's that?"

"It is a stew. Braised chicken with red wine."

"Alright. I'll give it a try."

"I think you will enjoy it." Janvier's smile faded. "If you do not mind, could I speak with Jack alone?"

"Sure."

Moffitt followed Janvier through the kitchen and out into a small library overlooking the backyard, white with snow for the season. "Is everything alright?" Moffitt asked.

"Yes. Better than I… I was expecting," Janvier replied. "When I sent that letter with your Christmas card, I was expecting almost nothing in return."

"I'm sorry. I really have no excuse. My life has gotten significantly less busy with Jules growing up, but trying to maintain and repair our friendship… never really crossed my mind over the years. I almost wish you pestered me more."

"That is alright, Jack. This is better than nothing, but I would like this to become more regular. I also think we should eventually go on another adventure. We will eventually run out of stories to tell about the ride to Tunisia."

"Indeed we will. A few things at the university have popped up here and there. I wouldn't mind having an old friend accompany me if it's possible. It would certainly be nice, and help put… parts of the past behind us."

Janvier nodded. "You were right when you told me that continually hunting for powerful and valuable artifacts would not bring me happiness. Since coming here, I have learned how to better appreciate the simple things."

"If you truly want to learn how to appreciate the simple things, I suggest you visit Tully Pettigrew, in Kentucky. He's a very good-hearted and all-around kind soul. You'll learn a lot, visiting him."

"Perhaps I will take you up on that offer."

"You won't regret it." Moffitt glanced out the window. "It's funny, really, how I put off visiting you for so long, and now I'm here and talking to you… it brings back a lot of memories. Some bad, but mostly good. The years you stayed with us in Cambridge were among the best of my life."

"And I truly saw you as a friend, not just someone I had to share a house with." Janvier's smile saddened. "It was not enough to keep me from going down such a dark path, though."

"At least you were given a chance to change, and took it. I'm glad you didn't have to die for your mistakes, otherwise we wouldn't be standing here, having this conversation."

"True. I feel now that I will live a better life, be a better man, and most importantly, be a better friend." His smile finally brightened. "All thanks to you."


Author's Note: Janvier was introduced in "The Fox's Paw Raid," and returned in "The Cobra's Song Raid."