My Pleasure, Darling

13: Cartille

Elise Cartille arrives in the doorway. Older than me, definitely – but younger than Dad, by a good bit. She's pretty, too, with red curly hair, slender waist, very high cheekbones, pretty fingers with perfectly manicured nails. She's wearing a very pretty blue dress that goes well with her tanned skin. Her expression is kind and smiling, but utterly blank. She waits a moment.

"Hi, I'm Elise. I hear you were looking for me?"

I try to smile. I'm not sure how I look. "Hi, I'm Lois Darling?"

It takes her a moment, then her jaw drops and her eyes light up. She closes the door behind her, quickly. "You're Lois Darling! I haven't seen you since you were just a baby!" Then, she realises, and the horror is in her eyes. "Is Isaac alive? Did he get out?"

I glance at Felix, and he's just as perplexed as I am. My words are very, very careful. "Ma'am... the Chancellor-General sent a message ahead, three days ago. You didn't receive it?"

The concern draws. She's all serious business now, grave, and sharp. The lines in her face, all mirth and smile lines, are more obvious now. "No. How did he send it?"

"I don't know."

"Carrier?"

"He wouldn't have sent a pigeon for this, too much chance of it being intercepted. It's likely to have been digital."

She closes her eyes briefly in relief, then she is serious again. "I'm sorry, Miss Darling. I never received such a communique. Three days ago?"

"The night they took Ravash."

"The lines in Hakkat were cut that night, we were dark for hours. It's possible it was simply lost." Well, shit. "But – Isaac. Did he leave? Did he get out?"

She must know. Surely, she must know that my father would never leave the mountain when it was in need. And I know she knows, I can see it deep in her eyes. But she wants to believe. She wants me to say he is safe, in hiding. I can't tell her that.

"As far as I know he is still holding the mountain, ma'am."

There is some grief in her eyes, and I'm not sure why – what love she has for my father, I can't tell, how they met, why they know each other, but right now, that is not important.

This woman didn't know we were coming. Which means she isn't prepared to safehouse us. Which means we may very well not be welcome in her house.

She doesn't let the grief take over, she simply folds her hands. "Well. I'm glad he sent you away for safe keeping. You'll be safe here with me. Like you were last time." She pauses, as if this is supposed to say anything to me, mean anything to me. "It was my doorstep you were left on, all those years ago. I took you to Isaac myself."

I shake my head. "No, I was left on the mountain."

She smiles. "I knew he'd tell you something like that. The truth is, Isaac would have accidentally killed you in the first week if that was the case. He was terrible with babies. No, you – you were left on my doorstep, in a little blue basket, light blue, and a purple cloth. I was on my way to visit him that day, so I took you with me. He had a greater network than I did, I thought he would know somebody. But to my surprise, he took you in himself. I had to stay with him for a whole year. He didn't even know how to support your head properly."

I want to fight that, because of what he always told me – but this actually sounds a lot more like my father than I like to admit. I don't say anything.

"Well, anyway, you're here now, and you're safe. And who do you have with you?"

Felix looks at me, and it's clear he's not sure if I should say. I can't pretend I entirely trust her, either – not if she didn't know we were coming. But dad told me to come to her. He must have had faith in her. That should be enough for me. "The Chancellor trusted her, Felix." My voice is softer than I expected. "And they are friends."