The Fool Ch. 09

"Wouldn't have taken you for a traditional type," Grant inclined his head toward Sinclair.

"I guess I've never been tempted to settle down before," Sinclair acknowledged his playboy persona. "Can't think of anything I want more right now, though," he admitted.

"I felt that way about the new lady in my life," Grant chuckled, as Jordan rolled his eyes at the term, which made the others at the table look at them both.

"You have a boat?" Edith asked with a knowing glint in her eyes.

"I do," Grant grinned widely. "I've been so obsessed with her refurbishment I think Jordan has been more than a little jealous. She's been through the wars, literally, so she needed a lot of tender loving care."

"Literally?" William asked, joining in the conversation, his curiosity peaked.

Carrie could see Sinclair becoming engrossed in the conversation as Grant explained how he had found a Watson class lifeboat that had been part of the evacuation of Dunkirk during world war two. He loved the sea and all sea craft, and, even though they flew around the world at the drop of a hat, she knew he would rather sail between continents.

"Go," Carrie encouraged, as Grant offered Sinclair and William a tour of the refurbished boat. "I'll be fine. The guys will come and pick me up after I have visited with Grandmother for a little while longer."

"I'll drive you home," Jordan offered. "Trust me, I have spent so much time on that boat and listening to Grant talk about her that I can sit here and be happy that he has someone to talk to who shares his interest in the little boats of Dunkirk." He shook his head. "I love that you love it," he said sincerely to Grant, "but I don't get to spend much time with these two ladies lately, and they are far more appealing to me than that boat right now."

"Maybe we can all go?" Sinclair suggested, taking Carrie's hand possessively but looking at Edith.

"I prefer yachts," Edith waved away the invitations, "Little boats make me seasick, besides, it's been too long since my granddaughter and I have spent some time together. You go with the boys, Jordan, Carrington and I will find something to fill our time, and we have a wedding to discuss."

Carrie's grip on Sinclair's hand tightened slightly as the formidable old woman looked at her, but she forced herself to relax so he wouldn't refuse to leave her alone with Edith. After the attack on Sinclair, she didn't know whether to be more anxious about staying alone with her grandmother or sending Jordan along with Sinclair; there was a definite freeze going on between them since she had been honest with Sinclair and moved out of the house she shared with Jordan.

Sinclair could sense her anxiety, but went reasonably willingly with the men of their lunch party to docks not far away from the hotel. He trusted her to remain safe, but, as he was leaving, he feigned a memory of an early dinner commitment with close family friends who had flown in for the party; he said he would be back in an hour to pick her up so she could change for the dinner.

"Why don't we go up to my room, Carrington," Edith said with a tight smile. "Sinclair can have the desk call when he returns, and we can be more comfortable while we catch up."

"Of course, Grandmother," she said obediently, and stood to help the older woman to her feet.

"Enjoy your time together, Ladies," Sinclair said, kissing Edith's cheek and then Carrie's in farewell.

"Let go of me, I am hardly a fragile old woman," Edith brushed off Carrie's hands as the stepped into the elevator. "Did I not make it clear that this was a family lunch today? Why would you bring that man?" she snapped, making her displeasure known.

"He insisted and wouldn't take no for an answer," Carrie sounded frustrated and angry rather than defensive, but refrained from pointing out Grants presence. "I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. I'm trying to placate Sinclair long enough to get near the real jewel as well as deal with Jordan, who constantly threatens me with the failure of this last heist by harming Sinclair. This will all be over in two months if everyone would just back off and let me do what Robyn trained me for."

"You are your mother's daughter after all," Edith cackled. "I wondered what happened to that confident, independent young woman she raised." They stepped off the elevator and walked quietly to her suite. "I understand it's been difficult since your mother's death, and I haven't been able to be part of your life until the opportunity arose without jeopardising your plan. So tell me where you are with it all?"

"The jewel, itself, always belongs to the heart of the family, it will belong to Sinclair's wife after the birth of his first son, just as it belonged to Frazer's mother before Sinclair was born. Georgia has decided to lend it to the exhibition, but there are several fakes, like the one I received last night, and, without an expert, it will be hard to know if what appears at the museum is real or not," Carrie explained.

"Do you know where she keeps the real jewel?" Edith asked, knowing from her sources that what Carrie said was true, and that the fakes were often used in a shell game so no one ever knew where the real necklace and jewel lay.

"I can only guess. I have been hinting to Sinclair about returning to Treasure Island or Panama before the exhibition, because I believe it is in one of those two places. I never saw a vault at the Island or any sort of collection, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. The vault in Panama has so much security that it seems the obvious place. I can't imagine Sinclair or Frazer being that obvious, but then it may be a double bluff," her brow creased as if she thought her way through it yet again.

"You are over thinking this, you need to trust your instincts, and you have the perfect foil of the fake to dig a little for information from Georgia. Your future mother-in-law is not the brainless matriarch she appears to be. She grew up like me, within the bosom of the women of the association. Fiercely loyal to her family, both the one she was born to as well as the one she married into," Edith explained. "She was an Avery and actively encouraged the friendship between Sinclair and Freddy throughout their whole lives. Those boys grew up like brothers at the same schools and holidaying together."

"The truth is, I won't know until I see it," Carrie sighed. "I can't trust Georgia or Frazer to send the real Heart to the exhibition knowing The Fool will be watching and waiting. My guess would be that they will try and pass a fake off as the real one, so I need to find where they secure the true Heart and coordinate with Jordan to snatch it, either the night before or early in the day so it's discovery occurs at the right time."

"Well, I'm here to help, as is William," Edith announced. "We will be staying in London to attend the Australia Day celebrations at the High Commission here."

"Why would William know or care about Robyn's plan?" Carrie failed to hide her surprise.

"William started this plan with your mother. He set most of it up when you were a baby, and your mother's movements were restricted by that. He has a lot of contacts, both here and amongst the association. The Wordsworth clan are descendants of the Windsor family. Perhaps if you'd looked into your own family history as thoroughly as you did Jordan's you would have discovered that fact and why he chose your mother."

"William is a Windsor?" Carrie couldn't help her surprise. Her mother had told her about the shadowy figure of Lord Windsor, who, in his role as Governor of Port Royale during the Golden Age of Piracy and Privateering, had brought the Association of Hats and their fleets of ships together into a large Flotilla to sack the Spanish strongholds in the America's and West Indies.

"He planned to tell you himself today, but Sinclair's presence forestalled that," Edith did not sound pleased about that.

"Surely Sinclair knows that William is a Windsor then? He seems to know all about you and the history of our family back to Stede Bonnet, as well as the fact that Jordan is a distant cousin. He and Frazer are encyclopaedic on the histories of each family in the association," Carrie let her anxiety carry through her voice.

"The Windsor's were not part of the Association, but rather they controlled the Hats. Lord Windsor brought them together into an organised force which grew from an original group of six to a final twelve families, each intensely loyal to Lord Windsor, despite the petty feuds and betrayals that occurred between them in those early days. Even now the association is fractured by suspicion, betrayal, and old grudges that have spanned lifetimes. Each of those rifts has been exacerbated and exploited by the Lords of Windsor setting the Hats against their enemies and, in turn, each other, when needed, while trying to maintain a saintly public profile," she explained.

"Robyn talked of the Windsors in term of myth and legend. She spoke as if they were evil shadows, like the boogie men who preyed on association families too weak to prove themselves as worthy associates," as she spoke, vague memories of childhood stories told to her by her father on his rare visits came flashing into her mind. "The warrior kings," she whispered, also remembering the books that he had sent on her birthdays when she was school age and his visits became more sporadic.

"More like the antithesis of that," Edith laughed. "The name Hats came from the pithy saying of King Solomon in the psalms that there is no honour amongst thieves and the wicked who chose their company. It was Windsor who turned it into a positive, leaving off the 'no' and encouraging those he brought together to be honourable with each other and their families while the world outside saw only evil. King Solomon, King Arthur, all of those heroic warrior kings raged against the idea that the wicked commit crimes because it is their nature, craving, plotting and planning to do evil that not even their family and closest friends were exempt from. What Lord Windsor demanded from his men was honour amongst thieves, and their families as well. Hence the term Hats."

"I thought the Hat's name had something to do with the tricorne hat favoured by the privateers and pirates," Carrie admitted.

"Your mother never understood the romance of history, like you, she was brought up with purpose and was kept from anything that could distract her from that purpose from an early age by her father," Edith lamented. "Now let's see if you can connect all the dots. You're a smart girl, Carrie; think about it for a minute while I make us a jug of sangria."

Carrie sat silently as Edith stood and went to the large bar in the corner of the room. She took out a large container that held fruit soaking in red wine and brandy. Carefully removing some of the fruit and pouring part of the wine and brandy into the jug, she added sparkling water before pouring two glasses and garnishing them. All the while Carrie turned over the information about the Windsor's being more than myth and legend in her mind. She guessed that her father was part of the greater organisation who were pulling her strings and those of her family. Edith was being far too friendly and accommodating to not have an agenda for this visit. It had to be the sperm donors influence, but try as she might she just couldn't connect the dots.

"What did you mean, William chose Robyn? Robyn always referred to William as the sperm donor," Carrie said aloud. "I rarely saw him, let alone knew him, and now you tell me he's involved with the family or association and expect me to connect the dots. I don't get it. He's never wanted to be part of my life. Why should I care?"

"Here," Edith passed her a glass of sangria. "Robyn's life, your life, even my life, to a certain degree, were mapped out long ago. When your great-grandfather died, Lord Windsor arrived to collect the treasure of our family. Each of the families has one item, treasured above all others that links us back to the Golden Age and the service of the Windsor's."

"And Robyn was the treasure?" Carrie said aghast.

"No, not at all," Edith laughed, "Though she became part of the end game, as did you when you were born. Our treasure was the original insignia and flag of Stede Bonnet."

It took only moments for Carrie to join the dots from there. This was why only certain treasures, some of them worth very little, had been targeted by Robyn in her plans. Carrie had been happy, even enthusiastic to become the Fool and finally do something that pleased her mother. She had bought into the reasons Robyn had given for the heists. The loss of their place alongside these other families had seemed a reasonable reason for a little revenge and proof that women could be just as formidable as men. Realising that it wasn't Robyn's plan and that someone else pulled the strings of their life caused her pain that was almost physical.

"It can't be true," she whispered. "The Fool was Robyn's creation, her plan. William was just a man with good genes. You said yourself she chose him."

"No, I said he chose her. She had choices at the time, but your mother was a good girl, she did the right thing in the end. She believed she was in love once, but just like all men her lover moved on quickly when there was a temporary distance between them. Love is fickle, family is forever," Edith said with the wisdom of her age. "All the better if you can have both, as in your case."

Carrie caught herself about to protest and bit her tongue. The silence stretched between the two women as they sipped the sangria and looked at each other thoughtfully.

"So, what happens next, after I steal the final treasure? What does William want with me then if he has some end game?" she considered her words. "Will I have the same choices Robyn had, or was my life never mine at all?" Carrie tried to keep the bitterness from her voice.

"Nothing has changed, dear," Edith raised an eyebrow. "You will have played your part, and what occurs between the Windsors and the Hats once the jewel has been acquired has nothing to do with us."

"But it does have something to do with me, because I was the thief, I carried out Robyn, or William's, or whoever's plan. What happens to me? Does anyone even care?" Carrie tried to keep the bitterness from her voice. "I was doing this for Robyn, to complete what we started together, to finally make her happy, even though she isn't here to see it. What's the point now? Why am I putting myself in such a dangerous position with the Mansvelt's if not for Robyn? I don't owe William anything; he barely acknowledged my existence while Robyn was alive, it's a bit late to be swooping in and expecting family loyalty from me now."

"Carrington," Edith said sternly. "Your loyalty, as always, belongs to our family, and once William has what he wants he will restore our family to the association and all the wealth and connections that come with belonging to that particular society. Jordan is destined to take that chair, but we both know it is you and me, to a lesser degree, that will wield that power." Edith sipped her drink waiting for the anger, fear, denial that she was sure would come before speaking again.

"I have to admit I expected more of a reaction," Edith said tentatively. "Robyn raged at me for months when I made her choose between love and duty to our family. Now it is your time to choose. It's obvious that you care far more for Sinclair Mansvelt than you would have us believe. First love is always intense and does not often run true over time. Remember that as you choose your path forward. Jordan will join the Hats and lead them, thanks to our relationship with the Windsors, who are not happy with the current arrangement. The Hats are at odds with each other with long-held grudges and family feuds that fracture relationships between the remaining members and keeping them from being a cohesive unit that could shape the world, if they had a mind to. It's time for a change, and the Windsors are going to ensure that change happens with our help."

"So, is it you or William who is asking me to choose?" Carrie asked, not denying her feelings for Sinclair.

"It doesn't matter, it adds up to the same outcome, regardless," Edith patted her hand. "You can have your fun with Mansvelt, but your duty and real affection must lie with your family, which includes both William and Jordan, as well as myself. Love is fleeting, being a Bonnet is forever."

"I'm not a Bonnet, I have never been. That name was erased; I am a Wordsworth-Ward. Or maybe I am a Windsor, seeing as William is my father and my paternal bloodline," Carrie mused over the facts. "I am at least three generations removed from the Bonnet name. Jordan is a Bonnet, not me."

"You have Bonnet blood, and you will bear the name again once you marry Jordan. He took the name Ward when he came to live with Robyn so as to remain safe from those who had engineered his parent's death. He will reclaim his birth name at the right time!" Edith was beginning to anger with Carrie's lack of enthusiasm over being the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the world and discovering the truth of what her future held for her. "Robyn dreamt of the day you would take your rightful place in the world; it is a tragedy she was taken from us so early."

Pain lanced through Carrie, and she couldn't hide her sadness that Robyn and her constant advice were not there. In her head, she could hear the whispers of Robyn's voice accusing her of wasting all of the time and money she had invested in training Carrie to be the strong, skilled and beautiful woman she had become.

Edith saw the weakness and smiled softly, almost to herself. Robyn was Carrie's weak spot. Robyn's overbearing and controlling personality had made Carrie dependent on her mother to guide her. Without that guidance and absolute obedience Robyn had commanded, Edith and Jordan were clutching at straws to find a way to keep Carrie loyal to the family and the plan they had in place.

"I miss her too," Edith said softly, reaching out to pat Carrie's hand. "She would be encouraging you to embrace all of the power and wealth that is coming to you now."

Carrie stared at her grandmother dumbly. In her entire life, she had never sought power or money. In fact, until recently, she had lived a relatively normal life off the wages she worked for. Did Edith truthfully know that what she was saying held little appeal for her? She needed to see... Who? She wanted the story and answers from her father. She wanted to confide at least some of it to Sinclair, and she wanted to know why the hell Grant had been invited to lunch if it was "Just family" as her grandmother had said.

"Why was Grant at lunch?" she asked. "It's hardly a serious relationship if Jordan plans to marry me. Why invite him?"

"Grant has been Jordan's link to the Windsors, and me. His source of information, his minder, if you will, to make sure you were both on track here in London. The Mansvelt family was always going to be the most difficult part of the plan, which is why we are all here to help. It is obvious that you need our help. Don't you think?" Edith looked at Carrie as if daring her to argue with her.

"I'd like to spend some time with William, alone. Could you have him come to the museum for lunch tomorrow?" Carrie said, taking Edith by surprise and starting to make plans for what she would tell Sinclair and what she would hold back. Concern raged in her head in the form of her mother's voice reminding her that the Windsors were evil and that Mansvelt would be a chameleon that she needed to study carefully.

In one conversation, her grandmother had made her feel isolated again, just as she had on her way back from the Caribbean. She needed time to think, to be by herself, and she wondered how she could accomplish that without disappearing on a yacht in the Caribbean for a few weeks again.