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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 7116911" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 136,  "Future Plans",  September 13, 1882,  11:30 PMAbigail began to walk back toward the lobby of the hotel, certain Cal would not be back yet. He would probably barely be gone. What to think of her meeting with the newly married pair? Duruy she was developing a mistrust for. Not because he had been a bit rude, considering the last few days she had not expected nearly as pleasant an interview as had happened. But it was almost as if he was glad to be rid of the Weekly Wizards. And he seemed to consider his wife's power to be his, and it might take him some time to learn that he had not married a meek woman who would hand her power over to him.Several scenarios ran through her mind. Some where everything was as it seemed to be, others where both the Empress and Duruy had already known and there were plots aplenty. There only thing to do know was wait and watch. And she would be out of France tomorrow night anyway.   The manager who had escorted her upstairs is very quick to find his way back to her. "Miss Marsters, it is good to see you again. Is there anything that I can get for you?" 'Funny, I don't feel any more important than I was fifteen minutes ago,' she thought."Just a comfortable place to wait for my escort to return," she said. "My business with the Empress took a bit less time than we anticipated."  "Please follow me," he states. He escorts her down the hall to the fancy dining room at the end. he tells the maitre d "Julius, this is Miss Marsters. She is a close personal friend of Mr. and Mrs. Duruy who attended their wedding in Egypt and accompanied them back to Paris. Please find her a nice table and bring her anything that she would like. It is on the house." Abby says, "Sir, while I appreciate that, I don't wish to leave you with a mistaken impression. I had the honor of attending the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Duruy and returning with them to Paris, but I cannot claim more than acquaintance with the happy couple. We were involved in different interests in Egypt and happened to cross paths, nothing more."    He replies, "Yes, and they interrupted their honeymoon to see you. Your humility is inspirational, but please, accept my hospitality." "If you insist," she said, giving in. She followed the maitre 'd into the dining room and was seated at one of the better tables. Cal would be bringing her something to eat, but she really was starving. Perhaps just a drink and something light, to hold her over.  They point out that the night's specials are a roast duckling, a braised beef over rice dish, and grilled European Salmon.  She says, "Really, a whole entree will be far too much, and I couldn't possibly finish it before my escort returns. What I would really like is a glass of red wine, and perhaps a small appetizer? Something with a bit of beef?" They bring her a plate with coin-sized medallions of beef atop a light cream sauce. The sommelier brings her a bottle of an 1865 burgundy that he recommends with the dish.   Abigail enjoys her light meal in peace. After a half-hour she sees Callum's Driver enter the room.   Abby folded her napkin and stood up. Thankfully she had not been pressed to eat more, since Cal was already picking up something for them to eat. She walked over to the Driver and despite knowing it would not answer her, said, "I'm ready if you are." He nods. She cannot recall ever hearing the driver speak. He leads her outside and opens the door to the carriage. Callum is inside with an anxious look on his face. As soon as the door shuts he asks, "How did the audience go with the couple?"  Abby replies, "Better than I expected, but I had to put up a bit of a stink to get the staff to let me see them. More than I'd have liked," she said and sat down. "And the staff were very impressed when they actually agreed to see me.  I can't say I care much for Mr. Duruy. At least he wasn't pleased to see me, but I can't blame him for that. He may be newly married, but his world has still crumbled around him.Callum laughs out loud and says, "Well, I cannot put any blame on either him or the staff of the hotel. What I know now, and didn't know then, is that the couple spent all of last night establishing plans while at the Lourve and all of today with the French Council. While they established this location yesterday as their temporary home they only first arrived at it an hour before we did. Victor Duruy has been in love with the Empress for thirty years, they have been married for thirty hours, but this past hour has been the first time for them to consummate the relationship....which you interrupted.""Who have you been talking to, to get that much information?" she asked.  Her replies, "Maracita informed me. I spoke to her again when I was picking up the food. She has her sources in the city."   Abby says, "I admit that would frustrate me, too. In fact, I'd get frustrated even without the thirty year wait."  He says, "Yes, be thankful that they granted you an audience. If I were in his position I doubt that I would have."  She smiles and replies, "So impatient.  I suppose it's lucky for me he wasn't the only one deciding."Abby continues, "We talked about that a bit, actually, in relation to the other former members of the Weekly Wizards. The Empress has been invited to sit on the Council, and actions like this by former members are apparently quite contrary to her plans. Honestly, I wasn't sure how to feel about the interview. I'm getting suspicious of people, I wondered how much I was missing in the conversation between them."  He says, "I might be able to help with reading between the lines. What specifically did they say?"  Abby repeated the conversation for him as best she could. "It was obvious they had some kind of plans, and there was no reason to share them with me." She shrugged. "Likely there's nothing to be suspicious of."They travel a short distance to the northeast and reach a gated area with the sign "Parc des Buttes-Chaumont". The driver heads over to the gate, unlocks it, drives the carriage through, and then re-locks the gate. Callum says, "We'll have both safety and privacy here. This park was created twenty-years back and is only open to the public during the day, but I am friends with the evening caretaker."   They soon reach a lush green area beside a pond. A blanket has been laid out alongside a small portable table set with fine china, crystal glasses, and candles. The driver lights the candles and sets up the place settings with food taken from a hamper that he brings from the carriage. Callum says "That will be all" The driver replies in a mechanical voice not unlike the sound of a poor Bell Telephone connection, "Very well sir." He returns to the carriage.  "Oh Cal, this is lovely." She sat down close to the table, leaving plenty of room for Cal to join her.  She held out her hand to help him take a seat next to her. She leaned over and kissed him.She says, "You've been busy while you were gone. I take it you got your telegram sent."   He replies, "Yes, and the carrier pigeon message as well, letting my cousin Charles know that we will be staying elsewhere this evening."  She says, "Good, I wouldn't want anyone back at the estate to be worried. Where will we be staying tonight, do you have an idea about that already?" He says, "I did not before but I do now, based upon your conversation with the Duruys. We will spend the night at the mansion that formerly belonged to the Weekly Wizards. They stole the building from the Beaujoulais family, so if it has been returned to that family it means that my colleague Maurice now owns it. He has wanted that for decades, and would not have hesitated to return there once notified by the French Council, meaning that he is there right now.    You also mentioned that the Council has barred the wizards from returning there, meaning that both soldiers and magic-using French officers are guarding it from them, so it would actually be the safest place for us to go to." She replies, "Could he have been notified and returned so quickly? It's only been a few hours."   He laughs "Did you forget what Maurice does for a living?"  She says, "Oh, I haven't forgotten. But even with magic information can only move so fast, and I don't know where he was when the decision was made. You're right though, that probably is the safest place for us to go. I hope he won't mind too much."   He says, "I hosted him in France for months, the least he can do is return the favor for a night. And I have been anxious to see what damage Meren and her crew caused." Abby replies, "Meren and the others didn't have much time, so I'm sure they left a bit of a mess behind them looking for that artifact. The Weekly Wizards would have made a lot of changes to the place.  How did they take it from people who didn't want to give it up in the first place? With that kind of start, I can't say I'm surprised where that group ended up. An inflated sense of what you're entitled to never leads anywhere good." He replies, "It occurred during that four-year political mess known as France's Second Republic before things stabilized under Napoleon III. The Beaujolais family had backed the wrong people and found themselves not only outcasts but imprisoned. The wizards stole their manor house and all of their possessions at that time. Maurice's parents died in that prison and upon his release he sought vengeance, which is how the British were able to recruit him."  Abby says, "Gods I hate politics. No wonder he wanted vengeance. But now that it's achieved, I hope he has something else in his life to move on to. Getting what you want can you leave you wondering what's next." Callum's voice lowers and he says, "I've been wondering that about myself, the what's next part, not that I've achieved what I wanted yet."    "I have no doubt you have a long list of things you want to accomplish," she said. "You have a wealth of things to choose from for your next."   He says, "Yes, but whatever I choose, I would want you to be a part of."   Abby smiled and took his hand. She says, "After we found each other again so unexpectedly, it would be a shame to waste the opportunity. But this time is different. The last time we were separated was because others wanted us separated. Now we have control. We can choose to keep track of each other and find ways to connect even if we go separate ways for a while. I'd like a chance to find out what may have happened if we'd stayed together, but you need to make the best decision for yourself. For now, I think my current group is the best place for me. I can get some of the experience I need."He asks, "And how would you feel about me possibly joining your current group?"   Abby smiled and waited a few moments to answer as she considered. "We work well together, and you got over telling me things were too dangerous pretty quickly. As long as we both think we can behave like professionals when we need to, I think that could work out just fine.  "And thank you. For asking me. A lot of men, maybe most wouldn't have considered my opinion." He says, "I am not like most men. Your team has a lot of very formidable men on it, and is currently led by a middle-aged woman. That speaks volumes."   She says, "I know. Believe me, I wouldn't have given you the time of day if you were like most men. When I decided to become an archeologist, I made other choices by default. And one was that a man like most men was never going to do. He wouldn't want me, and I wouldn't want him."  She looked up at the stars. "I left love to chance. It would come or it wouldn't. The fact that the chance is here... I'm more surprised than I thought I would be."  He answers, "I know how you feel. For the last several years I have allowed my work to distract me from thoughts of you. Now that career is over and I am here with you. How quickly things change." She says, "I'm not sure you could know quite how I feel. When you left the first time, you knew about your career. I didn't. The only explanation I had was the disapproval of your family, and you hadn't told me you felt anything strong enough to defy them over it.  You spent the time apart thinking of me. Perhaps imaging or planning a way for us to meet again. I got angry, then sad, and then I let it go. I had no reason to think you would ever seek me out again. Meeting you again, and being here in Paris, has explained a lot of mysteries for me."He touches her hand and says, "Good, then maybe you can explain some of them to me. Abby, I want a future with you. Don't misunderstand, I am not proposing marriage. I'm certainly not ready for that sort of commitment. But I have no desire to lose you again."   She sighed and smiled. "I'm not ready for marriage either. But I think I'm ready to see where you and I could go together."  He says, "Well then, we can to to wherever Mrs. Parker decides to send us next, assuming that she will let me into your group." She says, "There's no doubt you have the kind of skills that will fit right in. What you'll have to convince her of is that you no longer have any conflicting loyalties.There's no way to know what we may discover in the future, and Mrs. Parker will want to be sure that you won't feel obligated to pass that information on somewhere."   He answers, "Understood, which is another reason why we should go visit Beaujoulais Castle, to confirm my assumption about my being discharged." Abby says, "Not that I'm in a hurry to leave this beautiful spot, but we should at least get started on this gorgeous food, enjoy the stars and the quiet for a bit, and then we can go to the Castle. They desperately wanted to feed me back at the hotel. You would have thought I was a Queen after I came down from speaking to her."   He smiles and says, "I'm half tempted to go back there tomorrow for breakfast." "We will have to eat breakfast somewhere..." she smirked.  "But it's probably best to steer clear of the Empress for a while. Or at least Mr. Duruy. I'd end up that girl who shows up everywhere that they dread."He points out what each dish is, all native foods of Spain.  They ate the excellent Spanish food, and Abby was glad she'd eaten so lightly at the hotel. She spent almost as much time looking up at the stars as she did eating. No matter how often she looked up at a night sky, she was always fascinated with its beauty. "Did Maracita help you pick all this?"   He replies, "She did, as well as updating me with information that her contacts had found out. That is how I knew about the Duruy family. She has also heard that Ambassador Meren has been very well received by the French Council, which should greatly help Neferka in both the short and long run." Abby says, "I wish I could say I knew the Ambassador well, but from the time I did spend with her she's an extraordinary woman. She is humble, but confident. She knows her abilities and her own mind, but her ego doesn't get in the way. Someone like that can get a lot done."    Callum says, "Very true. But the most extraordinary woman in all of this is the one who appointed her. The world is only just now starting to get a glimpse of it, but I believe that Queen Neferka will be a force to be reckoned with.  Did you notice her interactions with Bast? Neferka treated her like an equal. Technically the Pharaoh is indeed considered a deity, and Bast is sworn to respect and protect the Pharaoh, but how many other mortals do you know that would look a god or goddess in the eye without the slightest hint of awe." Abby says, "I'm still not sure how I feel about Neferka. I do think you're right, she is going to be a woman to be reckoned with. I just don't get the best feeling about her. I don't know if she will turn out to be a pragmatist, or fall further out and let the ends justify the means when it comes to her goals.   And I think you'd be surprised just how many people might be unimpressed by a god or goddess. You HAVE heard how they behave, haven't you?"Callum says, "Ah, you mean Zeus attempting to mate with anything that moves near him! Or Dionysus and his excessive drink. Yes, not all deities are the paragon of virtue. Bast however, she was very impressive and virtuous. I think the new Egyptian Queen should have shown more reverence."  Abby replies, "I don't actually expect gods to be paragons of virtue. It's more that I find gods, no matter whose pantheon, are just a reflection of people but with more power. I see why we would worship a god or goddess who reflects what we believe in, especially since that worship would strengthen the god and the ideas. But if the gods are just powerful reflections of us then why, except for fear, would we not approach them as equals? What makes them better than us?  That said, Bast is committed to the protection of Neferka's Kingdom. And THAT deserves gratefulness and perhaps reverence as well."  He says, "Indeed it does." They have finished eating the main and side courses. All that remains is a sweet cake with a fruit glaze icing.  "Why do I feel like I've shocked you?" she smiled and broke off a piece of the cake. "I've spent so much of my life examining what people do and why, I can't help looking at our relationship with the gods the same way."  He says, "Well my dear, I plan to be an open book with you. Now, shall we finish this bottle of wine and then head over to our burnt-out mansion to see if they have room for us?" Abby says, "It's a lovely night, it seems a shame to hurry, but we probably should. It would be rude to wake him, wouldn't it?"  Callum summons the driver to return.  The carriage pulls up and Callum holds the door for Abby. Callum give the driver the address of Beaujoulais Mansion, located in a well-to-do suburban area four miles distant. As they head off Callum says, "We have no luggage. We will have to borrow things from Maurice when we arrive if we are staying until tomorrow."  Abby says, "Cal, I came to Paris without any luggage, I think we'll manage. Since he just got the house back I'm not sure what he'll have, although I imagine the Weekly Wizards left quite a bit behind."   He replies, "That they would have. Perhaps we can assist Maurice with inventorying it."   "And divesting himself of it?" she said lightly. "Seriously though, I'm sure Mrs. Parker will be interested in knowing what was left in that house. The Wizards as a group may be a thing of the past, but insight into the members should still be useful."</blockquote>

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