Chapter Fourteen #2
Christopher sat there and stared at him, his expression growing darker and darker. “Christ, William,” he hissed. “Are you telling me that my daughter is risking her life for your political games?”
“It was her choice, Chris,” William said quietly. “She is truly gifted, so much so that the men call her The Ghost.”
“She’s The Ghost?” Christopher was on his feet now. “We thought it was Peter!”
William smiled wryly. “Nay, man, it is your daughter,” he said. “They call her The Ghost because she is the last person one would suspect. She is quiet and efficient in everything she does, moves swiftly, and leaves no trace if she can help it. Trust me, Chris; your daughter is a rare female.”
That didn’t help Christopher’s outrage. “To hell with that,” he growled. “I am taking her back to Lioncross and putting her under lock and key. How dare you risk my daughter’s life!”
William held up a soothing hand. “That is the nature of this business we are all in,” he said. “Tell me something; if she was male, would you be so outraged? Is it simply because she’s a woman?”
“A woman should be protected!” Christopher was so angry that he was shaking. “And this is no ordinary woman; this is my daughter. She is playing dangerous games with men far more trained than she is – and you are letting her.”
“Have a little faith in me,” William said. “She does not go into a situation that may overwhelm her. Everything she does is with great thought. I hope you realize I would not intentionally or recklessly put her in danger.”
But Christopher would not be eased. “I know you,” he said. “I know what you are capable of, now with two of my children to do your bidding. Do you think this makes me happy?”
“You do my bidding.”
“But I have been doing this kind of work for thirty years!” Christopher boomed. “My children have not! You are calling upon them to do the work of seasoned men who have been doing this kind of thing all of their lives. Neither Peter nor Christin have that kind of experience.”
William was calm in the face of an irate parent.
“You give your children no credit at all, do you?” he said.
“Peter is a great knight and Christin is great in her own right. But I will admit that I am concerned with a romance between Sherry and Christin. I have watched Maxton and Kress and Achilles succumb to women and it has dampened their devotion to me. Not intentionally, but because their focus is on their wives and families. They acknowledge that and we all accept it, and still they answer my summons when they can. But for two of my active agents to be engaging in a love affair is dangerous for all concerned.”
“It is dangerous, anyway,” Christopher said unhappily.
William held up a finger to emphasize a point.
“It is dangerous because emotion is involved now,” he said.
“I need Sherry focused on his duties and I need Christin focused on hers – I do not need the added burden of them being focused on each other as well. Emotion can cause mistakes and poor judgment.”
Christopher could see that the man was leading to something. “What do you intend to do?”
“Speak with Sherry, at the very least,” William said.
“Chris, I will say one thing to you about this situation and then I will say no more. You raised intelligent children who can think and act for themselves. Now, when they are doing so and have found something they have a passion for, the same thing you have a passion for, you are considering shaming at least one of them by taking her back to Lioncross. How do you think such an action is going to affect your relationship with your daughter, who has acted autonomously as an agent for two years? She is going to resent you. She may even run away from you and continue doing what she was born to do. Would you really treat your daughter like a foolish child when you have raised her to be a fine, strong adult? At some point, your children have to lead their own lives. They want to be a tribute to the de Lohr name. Let them.”
With that, he set his cup down and quit the tent, leaving Christopher and David in tense silence. Christopher found his chair again, rubbing his forehead as the stress of the situation settled.
“Christ, David,” he muttered. “Is he right about this?”
David shrugged. “He sees the situation from a different perspective,” he said. “You see it from a parent’s point of view.”
Christopher looked at him, his features twisting with disbelief. “Has Cissy really been a spy for two years and we did not suspect?”
David snorted, but it was an ironic gesture. “I think we started to back at Ramsbury,” he said. “But hearing William’s confirmation… that is shocking.”
“Without a doubt. That means he recruited her when she had seen sixteen years.”
“What do you intend to do?”
Christopher leaned back in the chair. “I do not know,” he said honestly. “I am not thrilled with any of this, but William has a point – I raised my children to be strong and fearless, and when they are, it frightens me.”
David could see the turmoil in his brother’s face. “I think the first thing I would do is speak with Christin,” he said. “Tell her you know that she serves The Marshal. Mayhap you can gain perspective on how she really feels about it.”
Christopher nodded. “I suppose,” he said. “She’s my little girl, my firstborn with Dustin. I cannot think of her as anything else.”
David smiled ironically. “I know who can.”
“Who?”
“Sherry.”
Christopher put his hands over his face. “You had to remind me.”
David’s smile turned genuine. “William has a meeting with his men in a few minutes,” he said. “Let us be part of it. You cannot fight this, Chris. As difficult as it is for me to say this, I think William makes sense. Your children are a tribute to you – let them be.”
Perhaps he was right. Christopher wasn’t sure yet. But one thing was for certain – he had a situation with Christin and Alexander, and Marshal or no Marshal, he was going to deal with it as a father would.