The Organization (31 page)

“I wanted to memorialize him with something living,” Harriet told her.  “Even if it means I can’t readily use that door,” she added.

Charlotte walked over to the table and touched the leaves of the plant.  “
Blechnum gibbum
, also known as Silver Lady.”  She apparently noted Harriet’s surprise, saying, “I know a thing or two about ferns.”

“I remember that your work, before, concerned ferns.  But a different kind, right?” Harriet asked, pouring them each a cup of tea, whether Charlotte wanted one or not.

She nodded and took the cup of tea from Harriet.  “You know, during the 19
^th
century, people around here were crazy about ferns.  They called it Pteridomania – fern fever.”  The corner of her mouth turned upwards into a crooked smile.

“It’s good to see you smile,” Harriet said quietly.

“It’s good to have something to smile about,” Charlotte replied.  She took a sip of tea and then said, “Thank you for the tea, Harriet.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve heard you say my name.  I’ve missed it.”  Harriet paused, not wanting to scare her away by coming on too heavy, before saying, “I’ve missed
you
, Charlie.”

She looked solemn, replying, “I didn’t think I’d see you again.  I didn’t think I’d see the outside of Drake Hall again.”

“You’re here now – with me – and you’re never going back to that place.” Holding her tea in one hand, Harriet reached out with the other and cupped Charlotte’s cheek.

Charlotte held her hand against Harriet’s, turning her head to kiss the inside of her wrist.  With her breath on Harriet’s skin, she murmured, “I’ve missed you too.”

Harriet set her tea on the counter, wanting to close the distance between them and kiss her, but Charlotte released her wrist, saying, “I have to get going.”

“You do?” Harriet asked. “We have so much to talk about.  There are so many things I want to tell – and ask – you.”

“I have to physically check in with my supervising officer,” she said.

“Oh,” Harriet replied.

“I could come back afterwards.  I mean, if that’s all right with you.”

“It’s more than all right,” Harriet said and then, impulsively, moved closer to her and pressed her lips softly against Charlotte’s.

Charlotte kissed her back for a brief moment before breaking contact.  With a smile tugging at her mouth, she said, “I’ll be back later then.”

Harriet showered and went to the market after Charlotte left.  She was careful not to be out for too long since she wasn’t sure how much time Charlotte would need for meeting with her supervising officer, and she didn’t want to be gone when Charlotte returned.  It turned out she had no need to be careful with her time, as it was more than a few hours before Charlotte returned.

Charlotte rang the bell and Harriet answered the door, caught by surprise to see Charlotte standing there in a nicely cut gray suit, black blouse, and black flats.

“I’m pretty certain you didn’t leave the house in that outfit this morning,” Harriet told her with a hint of a small smile.  It wasn’t just the suit that was different; all her clothes, from the hearing to what she was wearing when she showed up at her door, were different from how she used to dress before.  Her clothes were smarter and more fitted.  Harriet wondered if she drew on savings to buy new clothes or if Erin had helped with the expenses.

“I’ve had a long day,” Charlotte replied, returning her smile.  “But a good day.”

“Come in and tell me about it?”

Charlotte settled on the sofa in the sitting room and proceeded to tell Harriet that everything went fine with her supervising officer.  He had scanned her chip to confirm that its identification number matched the number in his files.

“I still can’t believe they’ve implanted a microchip in you.  It’s wrong, Charlie.”

She shrugged and replied, “It was part of the deal.”

Harriet wanted to further object, but Charlotte went on to tell her how she returned to Erin’s flat and found a promising diginote waiting for her. Nick Clutterbuck had responded to her CV.  “Can you believe such a preposterous name – Clutterbuck?” she asked with a grin.

“Actually, I can.”  Harriet paused, not wanting to keep any secrets from Charlotte but also not wanting to steal her thunder.  “I work with Nick in Westminster.”

“Oh, I see,” Charlotte said.  She appeared to be thinking for a moment before she said, “Erin had passed on a few contacts for job leads.  I didn’t think to ask where she’d found them.”

“So what did Nick want?”

“Well, he said I could go in and meet with the hiring manager today – that she’d be expecting me.  So I went out shopping and then went in, had an interview, and…” she trailed off, and shrugged.

“You got a job?” Harriet asked.  Charlotte nodded and so Harriet said, “That’s brilliant.  Congratulations, my darling.”  She hadn’t meant to use a term of endearment.

“Thanks,” Charlotte replied.  “It’s not a great job, and it’s only part-time, but it’s a job.  I’ll be a research technician.  I start next week.”

“We should celebrate.  Shall we go out to dinner?”

Charlotte hesitated and then said, “I’ve already made plans with Erin.”

“Oh,” Harriet said.  “Well, good.”  After a moment, Harriet remembered to smile.

“You could come with us,” Charlotte suggested.

“No, that’s all right.  I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel.  Besides, you two should catch up.”  Harriet took Charlotte’s hand in her own and squeezed it.  “Really.”

Charlotte replied, “I could come back here after dinner.  So you and I can catch up, too.”  There was a glint in her eye that told Harriet she had a different idea about catching up with her than catching up with Erin.

Harriet steadied herself for Charlotte’s response as she told her, “I have a meeting to go to tonight.”

“A meeting?” she asked.

“An organization meeting,” Harriet clarified.

“I didn’t realize that you still… I mean, I thought, now that you’re an MP… but I guess that makes sense.  You can have even more sway now.”

“It’s changed.  Evolved, you could say.  I’m trying to bring the organization’s ideas into the mainstream and, so far, dare I say it, I’m succeeding.”

“And Joanna?  Is she still…?”

Harriet shook her head and replied, “No one has seen or heard from Joanna since that night twelve years ago.  She and Paul and Geoff disappeared into the ether, along with some of the other members.”

“Without a trace?” Charlotte asked.

“There have been rumors of groups associated with her – possible splinter groups – but nothing concrete has materialized.”

“So she could be anywhere.  She’s gotten away with everything,” Charlotte said.  Harriet could see some of the anger resurfacing in Charlotte’s expression.

“We’re working on a possibility – the latest rumor.  But it’s too early to say,” Harriet replied.

She looked down for a long moment and then met Harriet’s eyes again.  “Can I come to the meeting?”

Harriet thought about what the other members of her inner circle would say, how they might react, but then she reminded herself that she was in charge.  “It’s a small group, not like before.  It’s only a handful of us.  I try to keep us distanced from the larger membership.  It’s safer this way.”

“So, am I… welcome, in this small group?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes,” Harriet said.  “Yes, of course.”  She added, “The meeting is at nine o’clock tonight.”

Charlotte stood to go and said, “I’ll be sure to be back here by eight thirty then.”

“Perfect,” Harriet replied.  She walked Charlotte to the door, still feeling worried about the group’s response to bringing her to the meeting.

Chapter Fifty-Five

Charlotte and Harriet took the Tube’s District Line from Fulham Station to Westminster, changing over to the Jubilee Line and arriving at London Bridge Station.  From there they walked the ten minutes to the meeting.  They were late to arrive.  Harriet used her key to let them into the shop, then spoke the security code to the shop’s computer to reactivate the alarm.

Harriet knew that the two sets of footsteps on the stairs would alarm the others in the event that no one had been watching the video monitors, so she asked Charlotte to wait in the shop as she went ahead.  She climbed the stairs to the top level and saw that everyone was there.  Zoe and Ethan were both watching the door to the stairs, waiting for her arrival, and greeted her as she approached the table.  Rhys and Marta, two of her most trusted information gatherers, stopped their conversation to say hello.  Thomas merely looked up at her from his cup of tea.

Harriet walked over to her usual chair and stood behind it, placing her hands on the top of it.  “Hello, everyone.”

“Aren’t you going to have a seat?” Thomas asked.

“Not quite yet.”  Harriet looked at each of them and then said, “I have Charlie waiting downstairs.  I’d like for her to join us.”

The others were silent for a moment, looking stunned, before Ethan said, “I thought Charlie was in prison.  When did she get out?”

“A few days ago,” Harriet said.  “And I know what you’re thinking – this is sudden.  I didn’t mention the possibility of her being released because I wasn’t sure it was going to happen.  But I’ve known about the possibility – now reality – for a while.  And I think her rightful place is up here with us.”

Zoe nodded and said, “It certainly is.  I’m sure we’ll be glad for her to join us.”

Rhys looked slightly troubled.  He asked, “Is this the same Charlie, then?  I mean, we’re talking about
the
Charlie, right?”

Thomas spoke up, addressing Rhys, “Yes, it’s that Charlie.”

Rhys looked at Thomas and then the rest of them, asking, “Then why wouldn’t we welcome her?”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” Harriet told him.  She walked back across the room, opened the door to the stairs, and, knowing her voice would carry, called for Charlotte to come up.

When Charlotte reached the room, Harriet could see the anxiety on her face.  Although everyone greeted Charlotte warmly – except for Thomas, who offered a simple handshake – it seemed that both Zoe and Thomas made her uncomfortable.  She sat in the chair next to Harriet, in the seat that no one ever seemed to occupy.  For once, Harriet wasn’t alone on her side of the table.

“So, let’s go ahead and get started,” Harriet told the group.  “Zoe, what’s the update?”

Zoe said, “Well, I’ve been to two more meetings.”  She looked at Charlotte and explained, “It’s a group that we think Joanna might be behind.”  Her gaze then shifted to look at the other members of the group.  “Nothing is definite yet.  It feels right.  It feels like it could be Joanna.”

“But?” Harriet asked.

“They’re a tough group to crack.  I can tell that they’re keeping me at arm’s length… which, really, is all the more evidence that they’re into something deep.  Or they’re just paranoid nutters.”

“All right,” Harriet told her.  “Keep going with this.  Let’s see if we can’t get them to trust you, if even a bit.”

Zoe nodded and said she’d go to another meeting the next night.

“What about Geoff and Paul?” Charlotte asked.  “Has anything ever come of them?”

The others looked at Harriet to respond, but Thomas answered.  “We know that Joanna was the mastermind, so we’re more concerned about finding her.  And we expect that when we find her, we’ll find them too.  But no, we haven’t heard from them either.”  His answer seemed to satisfy Charlotte.

They carried on with the rest of business, with Marta offering a financial report on the organization, and then turning their attention to the latest actions coming out of the secondary group.

At the end of the meeting when everyone got up to leave, Zoe went over to Charlotte and said, “It really is good to see you again.”

“Thank you,” Charlotte said simply.  Harriet realized she might need to help patch that relationship and made a mental note to talk to Charlotte later about Zoe’s involvement.

Next, Thomas went over to Charlotte, leaning over and saying something to her in a quiet enough voice that Harriet couldn’t make out his words.  Charlotte didn’t react to whatever it was Thomas said, and instead she moved to pour more tea into her cup.  Eventually, the room cleared out, leaving just Ethan, Charlotte, and Harriet.

“I’ll be downstairs.  Are you going to stay a while and work?” Ethan asked Harriet.

Harriet shook her head and told him no, that they were leaving too.  Ethan wished them well and headed down the steps.  Once Charlotte and Harriet were alone, Harriet turned to her and said, “Thanks for coming.”

“I guess I didn’t think about who might be here,” Charlotte said.

“I should have told you about Thomas.”  Harriet paused then asked, “What did he say to you?”

“It was nothing,” she replied.

“Really nothing, or nothing as in you don’t want to tell me?” Harriet asked, walking closer to her.

Charlotte’s cheeks colored slightly as she replied, “He just said something about… well… that he had lost, and I had won.  And he said that you love me.”

Harriet swallowed hard and said as lightly as she could manage, “Well, that doesn’t sound like ‘nothing.’”

“Is it true?” Charlotte asked, looking quite serious.

Harriet studied her expression and, matching her tone, replied, “Yes.”

Charlotte hesitated then asked, “Will you take me home with you tonight?”

“I’d like nothing better,” Harriet replied with a smile.

Charlotte leaned in and kissed her in a way that started off tentative and then grew passionate.  Harriet pulled her closer, pressing her body against Charlotte’s, wanting never to leave that moment.

#

After a mid-afternoon committee meeting that ran into the evening, Harriet stopped back over at her Westminster office.  Although Harriet had been back on day hours for years now, she cursed the government – her government – for thinking that their feeble measures to make life more comfortable were actually enough.  Anna was still in the office, diligently working away, when Harriet arrived, and Harriet told her that she should go home – and to come in late the next day.