Hugh said slowly, “Joe, you don’t want them because Grace can cook.”
Joe grinned unashamedly. “No, not entirely. I think Duke would look real good as my houseboy. And Grace as my cook. Tit for tat. Oh, I’ll treat them decently, Hugh, don’t you worry. They work hard and behave themselves and they won’t get tingled. However, I don’t doubt but what it will take a few tingles before they get the idea.” He twitched his quirt. “And I won’t say I won’t enjoy teaching them. I owe them a little. Three years, Hugh. Three years of Grace’s endless demands, never satisfied with anything-and three years of being treated with patronizing contempt by Duke whenever he was around.”
Hugh said nothing. Joe said, “Well? What do you think of my plan?”
“I thought better of you, Joe. I thought you were a gentleman. It seems I was wrong.”
“So?” Joe barely twitched his quirt. “Boy, we excuse you. All.”
Chapter 18
Hugh came away from Joe’s rooms feeling utterly discouraged. He knew that he had been foolish-no, criminally careless !-in letting Joe get his goat. He needed Joe. Until he had Barbara and the twins safely hidden in the mountains, he needed every possible source of favor. Joe, Memtok, Ponse, anyone he could find-and probably Joe most of all. Joe was a Chosen, Joe could go anywhere, tell him things he didn’t know, give him things he could not steal. He had even considered, as a last resort, asking Joe to help them to escape.
Not now! Idiot! Utter fool! To risk Barbara and the boys just because you can’t hold your bloody temper.
It seemed to him that things were as bad as they could get-and part of it his own folly.
He did not stand around moping; he looked up Memtok. It had become more urgent than ever to set up some way to communicate with Barbara secretly-and that meant that he had to talk to her-and that meant at least one bridge game in the Lord Protector’s lounge and a snatch of talk even if he had to talk English in front of Ponse. He had to force matters.
Hugh found the Chief Domestic leaving his office. “Cousin Memtok, could you spare me a word?”
Memtok’s habitual frown barely relaxed. “Certainly, cousin. But walk along with me, will you? Trouble, trouble, trouble- you would think that a department head could run his department without someone to wipe his nose, wouldn’t you? You’d be wrong. The freezer flunky complains to the leading butcher and he complains to the chef, and it’s a maintenance matter, and you would think that Gnou would take it up directly with engineering and between them they would settle it. Oh, no! They both come to me with their troubles. You know something about construction, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Hugh admitted, “but I’m not up-to-date in the subject. It has been some years.” (About two thousand, my friend! But we won’t speak of that.)
“Construction is construction. Come along, give me the benefit of your advice.”
(And find out that I’m faking. Chum, I’ll double-talk you to death.) “Certainly. If this humble one’s opinion is worth anything.”
“Damned chill room. It’s been a headache every summer. I’m glad we’ll be back in the Palace soon.”
“Has the date been set? May one ask?”
“One may. A week from tomorrow. So it’s time to think about packing up your department and being ready to move.”
Hugh tried to keep his face calm and his voice steady. “So soon?”
“Why are you looking worried? A few files, some office equipment. Have you any idea how many thousands of items 1 have on inventory? And how much gets stolen, or lost, or damaged simply because you can’t trust any of these fools? Uncle!”
“It must be terribly wearing,” agreed Hugh. “But that brings to mind something. I petitioned you to let me know when Their Charity was next in residence. I learned from the young Chosen, Joseph, that Their Charity returned a day or two ago and is now gone again.”
“Are you criticizing?”
“Uncle forbid! I was just asking.”
“It is true that Their Charity was physically present for a short time. But he was not officially in residence. Not in the best of health, it seemed to me-Uncle protect him.”