The Mansions of Idumea (Book 3 Forest at the Edge series) (56 page)

The Administrator nodded at her with only
partial understanding. “Whatever method you have in Edge for
communicating how to parent, we no longer have in Idumea.”

“And not so much in Edge anymore, either,”
Mahrree said, surprised at how tears were springing to her eyes.
She fought them down.

“That’s why we need a guide,” Doctor Brisack
said. “I’ve been—”

Giggles from Mrs. Thorne and the Cushes drew
their attention. They were fully involved in watching Perrin sit
down the boys to give them an impromptu speech. None of them looked
too happy about it, but none were about to walk out on the
colonel.

Jaytsy had stormed off to appeal to her
grandmother, who was gently pushing her aside to speak to another
woman. General Shin sat on the sofa in conversation with an older
man by the front door, glancing periodically over at his son with a
wry smile. Colonel Thorne continued to observe Lemuel’s every
movement, most likely to give his son a review later.

Perrin was now making large gesturing
movements. One looked suspiciously like a vicious cutting motion
which made all four young men flinch in unison. Mrs. Thorne and the
Cushes tried to suppress laughter as each of the wide-eyed young
men quickly shook their heads at whatever Colonel Shin had just
told them, and their mouths all said, “No, sir!”

Brisack chuckled. “Now he’s surprising me at
every turn,” he muttered under his breath. In a louder voice, he
said to Mahrree, “I realize you’re very busy, but perhaps it’s not
such a bad idea. If you and the colonel remember any of that great
advice you learned, could you write it up and send it to me some
time? We’re seasons away from anything ready for distributing,
but—”

“We’d be happy to help, Dr. Brisack,” Mahrree
told him, wondering what was ‘surprising’ the doctor about her
husband. “Curious, though, that you’d assume that doctors are the
best authorities on child rearing. Their perceptions would likely
be only medical, maybe developmental, but certainly not emotional.
Unless you live day in and day out with a child, you simply
wouldn’t know. I’d assume the best way to learn how to handle a
two-year-old is to ask the parents of a three-year-old.”

Mrs. Brisack nudged her husband in the ribs,
likely because she’d suggested the same thing.

But if her husband noticed, he didn’t
indicate it. Instead, he looked at Mahrree with an earnestness that
she could only have labeled as adoration, although that was
ridiculous. Why would an old Administrator regard her in such an
inappropriate way?

Unsettled by Brisack’s odd reaction, she
continued on, unthinkingly. “I must admit I’m sad that such
information no longer comes from families and congregations, but
has to come instead from the government.”

She should’ve recognized right then that what
she said was potentially libelous, but her mind had been in another
direction and not in step with her words. And she’d been doing so
well that evening, too . . .

“And what’s wrong with the government giving
direction on families?” a loud voice rose up behind Mahrree.

She held her chest as she turned around. A
tall man with slicked dark hair, weasel-like eyes and a face in a
fixed scowl stared hard at her.

Administrator Brisack sighed. “I heard you
were expected to be here tonight, but I hadn’t seen you anywhere.
The Chairman will be pleased to hear you made it after all. Mrs.
Shin, may I present Mr. Gadiman.”

Mahrree, taken aback by the man’s sudden
appearance, didn’t fully hear his name as she dutifully went to
take his hand. Perrin, returning from his lecture, must have seen
her expression when Doctor Brisack finished the introduction.

“—Administrator of Loyalty.”

She heard
that
part. The polite smile
Mahrree had practiced all night now froze in terror on her
face.

Administrator of Loyalty.

The most formidable man in the world,
standing right in front of her, and grasping her fingers.

Gadiman separated his lips in an awkward
snarl that was probably intended to be a smile.

In just a fraction of a second Colonel Shin
stepped between Gadiman and Mahrree, and somehow managed to slip
his hand into Gadiman’s instead.

“We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m
Colonel Perrin Shin, and I’m happy you were able to make it
tonight.” It was fortunate that he’d practiced that line over three
hundred times, because now it actually sounded natural.

Mahrree found herself staring thankfully at
the back of her husband and wondered if anyone would notice her
slinking away. She took a step back right into Mrs. Brisack.

Startled, she spun around to hear, “As my
husband was saying, Mrs. Shin, the idea would be to distribute this
information as soon as babies are delivered, to help the new
parents know what to anticipate in the future.”

Mahrree stared at the woman for a moment,
trying to regain her composure. She was vaguely aware that Perrin
was talking to Gadiman about something trivial as a diversion. As
the words from Mrs. Brisack settled on her brain, Mahrree nodded
and something came out of her mouth that she hoped later made
sense.

“Yes, yes, good idea. Maybe even before the
babies are born, to give parents something to read in those dull
weeks before the baby comes. There’s little time for reading
afterward. Perhaps the midwives could give some information too,
for what to expect in birthing.”

Administrator Brisack smiled. “Already
interviewing some. I’m even considering having government-certified
midwives, as we do with teachers, to make sure all are giving the
same information.”

Mahrree’s mind was still on the man behind
her, whose presence made her forehead bead with sweat. “As long as
it’s the very best information, that should be a good idea,” she
said hesitantly.

A swift movement to the side of her caused
her to jump. “And what do you mean by
that
, Mrs. Shin?
The very best information
?” Gadiman asked severely.

Mahrree’s eyes widened and she suddenly
understood what a worm feels like when it stares up at a bird. For
some reason she’d always thought a man like Gadiman in the position
he held would be subtle, maybe even terrifyingly calm. But he was a
starving gull, squawking and demanding.

Instinctively she was struck with the desire
to kick it away, but instead she said sweetly, “I mean nothing at
all, sir. I have every confidence in the good doctor that he’ll do
an excellent job.”
Keep the rest of the words in your head
,
she chanted to herself. Keep the rest of the words in your
head.

Gadiman’s mouth twitched, as if he was
waiting for something more. Perrin moved behind his wife and put a
protective hand on her shoulder. She waited to feel his finger in
her back.

“Is that all you have to say?” Gadiman
probed.

Perrin squeezed his wife’s shoulder, but she
needed no guidance tonight, especially since she remembered her
father-in-law’s advice.

“Yes Administrator, I believe that’s about
all I have to say. I’m rather tired from talking all night! But did
you get anything to eat, Mr. Gadiman? There are still quite a few
selections on the table over there. May I help you get a
plate?”

Gadiman’s jaw shifted. “No, thank you. I’ve
had enough. It was—” He visibly struggled to find a suitable word.
“—
nice
to meet you this evening. Good night.” He stepped
away toward the front doors, nodded brusquely to the High General,
and left.

When Mahrree finally breathed out, it was
louder than she intended.

“Do you know much about dogs, Mrs. Shin?”
Doctor Brisack asked her, pulling her eyes away from the door.

She’d completely forgotten that another
Administrator was standing next to her, but there was nothing
threatening in his expression. Quite the contrary; he seemed to be
as relieved as she was that Gadiman was gone.

“Unfortunately, yes,” she said, surprised at
the change of topic.

Brisack smiled kindly at her. “Some dogs are
all bark and snarl, and you put up with it because, well, there
has
to be a dog somewhere,” he said meaningfully.

Mahrree smiled. Brisack was certainly worth
more than a slip of silver. She likely misread his earlier
expression.

“You don’t like dogs, Administrator?” Perrin
asked.

Doctor Brisack winced. “Not since my wife had
this little snippy thing—”

“She was a wonderful animal!” Mrs. Brisack
interrupted. “She just hated you!”

Mahrree, grateful for the lighter moment,
laughed at the good-natured sneer Doctor Brisack sent his wife.
“I’m a cat person myself,” she said, “but my husband isn’t.”

The Administrator cringed. “Oh, the only
thing worse than a dog is a
cat
! Most temperamental,
unpredictable animals in the world. Now, the kind of animal to have
around is a fish. Preferably one you pull out of the river and fry
along the bank.”

Everyone laughed, and Mahrree marveled that
she was actually enjoying the company of an Administrator.

“You’d enjoy the fishing in Edge, Brisack,”
Perrin told him. “By the beginning of the Harvest Season, you can
feed an entire family for two days on just one fish. The warm
waters from the forest grow them to the size of an average
dog.”

“Spoken like someone who’s spent time in the
rivers, I see,” Dr. Brisack chuckled.

“Come up some time,” Perrin said, “and I’ll
show you my son and mine’s favorite spot.”

Brisack smiled at the invitation. “I’ve been
meaning to get up there. Several of us doctors who used to work
with the university are doing experiments with the products from
the mud volcanoes. While many are lethal, some combinations are
proving to have greater medical uses than we ever realized. I
wanted to get some new specimens in large amounts, especially
sulfur, and no area is more active than the forests near Edge.
Except for now maybe Moorland,” he added thoughtfully. “Might as
well bring my fishing pole, too!”

A quick whistle from the front door turned
Perrin around, and his father motioned for him to join him.
Standing next to his sofa was a thick-set man that appeared to be
made of one continuous muscle.

“Excuse me, please, Doctor and Mrs. Brisack,”
Perrin said to his guests. “It seems there’s someone else I haven’t
met yet.”

“Looks like the director of the kickball
league,” Doctor Brisack told Mahrree as his wife drifted away to
croon at an older woman she obviously was friends with. “Everyone
wants to meet your husband, it seems.”

“I suppose so.” Mahrree was about to make her
excuses to the Administrator when he gently took her arm.

“I wanted a moment with you, Mrs. Shin,” he
said in hushed tones. “I couldn’t help notice that tonight you were
. . . rather much quieter than last week.”

She chuckled a bit uncertainly. “Oh, I just
had nothing to—”

“During dinner,” he interrupted, firming his
grip on her, “you hardly said two words, and while I agree that the
Administrator of Science is less interesting that the soil he
collects, I would have expected you may have had something to say
to
him
.”

Mahrree blinked. “I, uh . . . You weren’t
even at my table, Doctor Brisack.”

“But I had a clear view of you from mine.” He
looked deep into her eyes, searching for something. “I’m just
concerned,” he said quietly, “that perhaps you were told to keep
quiet tonight.”

She was mystified. “By who?”

“By someone who wasn’t too pleased with your
performance in front of the Administrators the other morning. By
someone who was jabbing your back so excessively that you likely
bruised.”

Mahrree’s mouth fell open in surprise. “How
did you know about that?”

“My life’s sole aim is to analyze the human
condition, Mrs. Shin. I’m fascinated by pain, and watch for it in
everyone I meet.” In a worried whisper he added, “Has he hurt you?
Threatened you?”

Mahrree’s shoulders sagged as she understood.
“Doctor Brisack, no! My husband is the most wonderful man I could
ever have hoped for.”

Brisack wasn’t convinced. “Is he really, or
has he conditioned you to believe that he is?”

Mahrree watched her husband at the front
door. He respectfully nodded to the kickball director and then,
noticing one of his young audience members trying to sneak out the
door behind him, abruptly turned to grab his hand and pump it more
enthusiastically than necessary.

Jaytsy put her hands on her hips again, and
the young man sent only a fleeting glance at her before he rushed
out the door.

Mahrree noticed that Brisack was watching
Perrin too, as if analyzing him.

Suddenly Mahrree had an idea, something that
could fix much of what she did last week. “Doctor Brisack, I
realize you know nothing about my husband—”

He grunted at that as if nothing could be
further from the truth.

“—but while he may appear to be a bear of a
man, he’s truly gentle and loving. You saw him with that baby
tonight. That wasn’t an act, Doctor; that’s how he genuinely is.
Compassionate, and also very concerned with the human condition, in
his own way. I’m reluctant to confess something so intimate, but I
want to allay your concern: he quite adores me, and I him. What
happened last week in front of the Administrators—that was more of
a . . . a misunderstanding than anything else. We were both rather
nervous to be there, as you can imagine, and since he was standing
behind me, he didn’t hear clearly what I was saying. He
misheard
some things, and worried that some Administrators
would
mishear
as well.” She looked into Doctor Brisack’s
inquisitive gaze. “He just wanted to make sure I represented
everything appropriately.”

“But I heard he escorted you out rather
hastily,” Brisack tried one more time.