The Good Housemaster Ch. 6

I realize the blond woman is right. "Another of your theories?" She nods.

"Dad, is this why we never really touch?"

"Yes. I didn't want my power to manifest and, in some way, hurt you." We stare at each other. In the silence, I can now hear the soft rain that has finally begun to fall outside. "I guess you have a lot of questions for me."

"I should; but I saw so much. So, I'm named after a blond professor you knew at Eddington?"

Lauren's mouth drops open. "My god."

"Who?" Kate looks at both of us quizzically.

I can't believe my ears. "You witnessed everything? That quickly?"

"I think so. I just sort of saw it all at once. So, you fell in love with her before mom?"

"Wait a second." Katie puts her hands on her hips. "A blond professor? Our Phys. Ed teacher?!"

I realize we haven't said anything about what happened over the break with her yet. "Uhh, yes, honey..."

My daughter places her hands between us. "Please don't fight. It's all you seem to do when you're around each other."

I smile ruefully. After all of the memories that have been dredged up, I think I know why. "I guess when two polar opposites get together, there's always sparks." Katie just shakes her head. She's closed to me again. Sighing, I turn back to my daughter. "Are you sure you don't want to ask us about this?" The younger woman looks at both of us with her eyes narrowed. What is she doing?

"I can't... I can't feel anything like what you did in that memory."

"Well, you usually don't. Only under some unusual circumstances..."

She raises her hands. "You don't have to bring that up, dad..."

There's a quick ring at the door. Katie tilts her head. "Is there someone else we're expecting?"

"I did send a few letters out to my friends in the Home Office and Parliament," I reply, walking to the front door. Peering through the rain-spattered glass, I immediately recognize who it is and whip open the door. "Miss Gupta!"

"The Honorable Mr. Wright I presume?"

"You made it! Come in and get out of that rain!"

Putting down a wrapped package, her brilliant smile lights the room as she sees so many familiar faces. "It's been ages!"

Everyone begins standing at the sight of the Indian woman. Stiff smiles greet her. I'm not surprised, as we all vividly recall what she was doing on that table so long ago. Does she remember? I look to Katie and Penny, and there's not much we can do about what we discovered. Things are already awkward anyway. Promising myself to take up the topic at a later date, we join in the conversation. Natalie is trying not to look uncomfortable with only marginal success.

"So. You worked with Alan, then?"

I pick up the topic quickly. "Yes. Her position is at the Foreign Office. Some of the issues I handled were forwarded through her to the Commonwealth."

"I live to serve. As does Kate."

She waves it off. "Although Alan did get a lot done, there's more work yet. MI5 keeps picking up rumors about networks of money not being properly reported. I'm heading up a task force to see if it's related to some of the illegal activities in certain schools."

The dark-eyed woman raises an eyebrow. "Which one's, if I may ask?"

"They are scattered about. A few in the northeast are likely. It's slow work, but I think we might have had a breakthrough tonight."

"Oh?"

I purse my lips a moment. How much does she remember before going to York? I try to steer the conversation back to safer waters. "I'm sure we can cover all this on a future date. Why don't we go to the living area and celebrate. I have some wine."

Preeti raises a finger. "One moment. She tears into the package she brought. "Something I've procured for just such an occasion."

Lauren smiles when she sees what's inside. "Is that scotch?"

The dark-skinned lady raises a long necked bottle. "No. Something a little rarer. Thirty five-year-old blend from what I've been told."

"Really?" The curly haired lady takes the bottle from her hands and heads for the other room. "Time for a toast then!"

We all follow to the larger living space, and I fetch some glasses from below the wet bar. After lining them up, the golden spirit fills a finger-full of every glass. Reaching for mine, Miss Gupta raises her glass.

"To the Future Knights."

There are several 'Hear! Hears!' and I take a sip. Strange. The flavor is extremely strong. I look at my glass as a memory niggles at me.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

There's a loud knock at the door and I slosh a bit of the golden liquor.

"What in blazes?" Kate looks at me in obvious surprise as well. "Who could that be?"

I shrug and head for the front entrance once again. Pulling it open, my eyes narrow into the gloom. There's a woman standing there in a dark raincoat with something in her hand. She takes a step forward, and the light reveals a face from my past. It is unchanged, just as if she walked out of my memory and into life. Her palest of blue eyes stare back at me, dripping. Was she crying? I have no time to wonder as the darkness of a barrel fills my vision.

The End of The Good Housemaster

To be continued in The Unready Prefect