"She wasn't there. And I can't get hold of Heris or Vida Serrano, either. Both Serrano admirals were taken off active duty; Fleet personnel offices claim not to know where they are. Heris has a ship, but it's out on patrol or something, inaccessible to civilians. Which doesn't make sense, because I've been able to contact Esmay, and she's on an SAR, way off at the remote end of Familias Space."

"How is Esmay?" Cecelia asked, to give herself time to think about the rest of this.

"Pining for Barin, worried about his NewTex wives-apparently Fleet accounting has garnished Barin's entire salary to help support them-and getting a little bored with the SAR, I gather. Also she's found out that Fleet doesn't think Landbrides should marry Fleet officers."

"But she is a Landbride. What do they think of that?"

"Yes-it's funny, really. She says they've got it all wrong, and she didn't want to be one anyway.

But it's tied up the paperwork for her to marry Barin, even if he weren't going broke trying to support all those NewTex women. Poor Esmay." Brun gave a wry chuckle. "It's her first time in love; I remember how I pined for Tommy Rakeseller, the first time I had it bad, and thought the universe was dreadfully unfair because his parents sent him off to camp. I know this is more serious, but it's really hard on her."

"And Barin?"

"Barin's at the other end of our universe, escorting a Lone Star Confederation Ranger back here."

"What?"

"Yes. They warned me-or rather, Waltraude did, that crazy professor who's hanging around the NewTex women. It never occurred to anyone official that introducing me to a Ranger might upset me.

Apparently, Hobart's new Minister of Foreign Affairs-he fired Cabby DeLancre for daring to contradict him-decided to shut the wrong barn door long after the horse had returned, and froze all the assets of Lone Star Confederation citizens, and closed the border."

"But Lone Star had nothing to do with it."

"You know that, my father knew that, even I know that. But all Hobart had to hear was the word 'Texas,' and the fact that they were Ageists, as he calls it. The Lone Star Confederation has been a reasonable trading partner for centuries; they were understandably annoyed, and insisted on

sending someone to educate us."

Cecelia leaned back in her chair. "You know, Brun, I find it hard to believe that you, of all people, are being this politically minded."

For an instant, the old grin flashed out. "Me, too. I keep thinking, 'This is not me; this is my evil twin.' But one thing I did learn, in that hell, is what happens if you don't pay attention.

So Mother's gone back to Sirialis, to dig out all of Dad's files that she can-some of them were never transferred here-and try to stave off Uncle Harlis's grab for the family properties. And here I am."

"Yes . . . I see."

"And . . . you did find a good home for the twins?" That in a tone almost wistful, and certainly pleading.

"Yes," Cecelia said firmly. "A very good home. They will be loved and cared for."

"Good. I thought, after you left, that I should have suggested Raffaele, but then she's been cleaning up my messes for far too long. I'm glad you found someone else."

Cecelia's brain tripped over that one and came up with a fresh topic. "You said a new Minister of Foreign Affairs-who would that be?"

"Minor family, major pain. Pedar Orregiemos. You probably never heard of him."

"As a matter of fact, I have. He-" She shut down that line quickly and shifted to another. "He has event horses. I beat his entry in the Wherrin this year."

"Good. I wish you'd managed to trample him at the same time. You should see him fawning on Hobart, and Hobart lapping it up. The man has no background in the diplomatic service, no experience in dealing with foreign entities. He thinks any political system which doesn't embrace rejuvenation is corrupt and probably about to attack us. He's already managed to insult the Crescent Worlds, and they're ours. Worse than that, he thinks he's the right person to comfort widows-he keeps hinting to me that he would make me a fine stepfather." Brun mimed gagging.

Cecelia grabbed for yet another topic, anything but Pedar. She had never been in a conversation with quite so many landmines. "Who's in Colonial Affairs, now?"

"Another Conselline lackey, Davor Vraimont," Brun said. "It's dawned on them-well, on everyone, I guess-that repeatable rejuvenation could cause the biggest population explosion ever, as well as locking up wealth in the very, very old. That'd mean a lot of ambitious, frustrated young people.

So colonization has been speeding up for some time-I didn't know that; Buttons told me he'd talked to Dad about it. But I found out that Conselline Sept has major investments in development companies, and their projections for the rate at which excess population can be absorbed by development make no sense-unless there's a much higher failure rate than before. That bit of information I got from a clerk in Colonial who'd been fired for insubordination. Makes me suspicious."

"Ummm. You remember that Ronnie is my nephew," Cecelia said, carefully erecting bombproof partitions in her mind against a loose tongue.

"Yes, of course."

"His parents are concerned about the situation on the world he's moved to. I hear that some supplies in the contract weren't actually delivered, that there's the possibility of interference with communications. What if the Consellines are counting on a certain percentage of colonies to fail, because they get their profit from selling colony shares?"

"I could believe that. But how can we prove it?"

"I don't know. We need Kevil," Cecelia said. "I'd better go visit him."

"It's-pretty bad. You know he lost an arm, too."

"No, I didn't. When I saw him in the hospital, before I took off with the babies, he was just a shape in the bed. And I didn't have much time."

"They're trying to grow a replacement, but so far it hasn't worked-they've lost three buds. And George says his memory's still damaged, and he can't concentrate."

"Is he still in the hospital?"

"No; they moved him to a rehab center, and then George took him home. Our wonderful new Speaker decided he was a security risk at the rehab center."

"Well, then. I'll go over tomorrow. Maybe I can be of some help."

"You know," Brun said more slowly, "Uncle Harlis runs the planetary development corporations for the Barraclough Sept." She took a long swallow of tea.

"What colony are Ronnie and Raffa in?"

"Excet-24."

"Rats. I was hoping it was one of ours-that way I could pump them. Excet Environmental Group is a Conselline corporation. I wonder why they chose that one, instead of family? Not that it matters."

"I don't know," Cecelia said. "Possibly the shares cost less?"

"Could be. Anyway, I'd bet something's going on in all these new colonies . . . I wish I had Kevil's background files, because I rather suspect the data in the main computers has been fiddled as well." Brun stretched. "And now that I've talked your ears off, both of them, how about a visit to the stable? We don't have much here, as you probably remember, but there are a couple of niceish mares we can take a ride through the orchards on, if you'd like."

Cecelia shook her head. "No, thank you, my dear. Everyone thinks of me as a thoroughly horse- besotted old woman, but one prerogative of old women is to surprise young ones occasionally. I shall go stroll in your gardens, if I may."

"Well, then, I'm for the pool. See you at dinner."

At the Mahoney house, a uniformed nurse met Cecelia at the door. "Ser Mahoney is in the study, madam, but he is . . . not really himself."

Cecelia thought of asking who he was instead-she had a lingering distaste for medical euphemisms-but resisted the temptation. She followed the nurse down the familiar wide passage to the double doors that led into Kevil's home office, steeling herself for what she would see. At the same time, she wondered where the security was. If Kevil was a security risk, shouldn't there be more protection around him? She had seen no guards at all.

"Ser George Mahoney is at the university," the nurse said, over his shoulder. "He won't be back until this evening."

Cecelia frowned. No security, one nurse all day . . . something wrong here.

In the study, Kevil lay awkwardly in one of the big leather chairs. His face looked strange, twisted; she realized that regen had not been able to repair all the physical damage, that part of his jaw was missing, and the skin over it rumpled oddly. In his eyes, Cecelia saw no recognition, just anxiety. Then, slowly, a spark . . . as if he were walking through a dark corridor with a candle, closer and closer.