Ashes Of Victory

'He was impressed with the wrong person then,' Honor said uncomfortably, the live side of her face tightening as she recalled a crowded restaurant and the shouts and panic as pulser darts screamed across it. 'Major LaFollet—' she gestured briefly to the Grayson '—and my other armsmen were the ones who actually saved Willard and me both,' she said, and her face tightened a bit more, for of the three men who had saved her life that dreadful day, only Andrew LaFollet was still alive.

'He told me that, too. I think it was your sangfroid he admired, actually. And the way you finally settled the account. I don't really approve of dueling, Your Grace, but in that particular case, I was happy to make an exception. I once represented a young woman who— Well, never mind. Let's just say Pavel Young was not a nice person, and it stuck in my craw to have to negotiate an out-of-court settlement with someone like him.'

His tone was light, conversational, but the emotions behind it weren't, and Honor nodded mentally. This was a man who did what he did because he believed in it, and she liked the taste of his determination and passion.

'I hope to avoid involving you in anything quite so dramatic as all that, Mr. Maxwell,' she told him with one of her crooked smiles. 'I believe Willard said he was going to bring you up to speed in his letter. May I assume he did so?'

'You may, Your Grace. And I'm flattered that he thought of me, although I'm not certain I'm actually the best person for the job. I've been practicing almost exclusively before the criminal bar for the last twenty or thirty T-years. Although I've handled a few business matters for Willard, primarily when he wanted someone he'd known for years and knew to be discreet, my commercial law is actually fairly rusty.'

'Does that mean you're not interested?' Honor asked, although she suspected she already knew the answer from the taste of his emotions.

'No, Your Grace. It simply means I believe in informing a potential client when I know there are weaknesses to compensate for as well as when I have strengths to offer.'

'Good,' Honor said firmly, 'because that's exactly what I need.'

'What you need, Your Grace,' Maxwell corrected calmly, 'is a complete legal staff of your own. Failing that, you certainly ought to put one of the major firms on retainer and let them provide the staff. With Willard more or less anchored to Grayson these days, and particularly in light of all the details and complications your new title involves, I shudder to think of the state your affairs must be in just now.'

'I do miss Willard's touch. A lot,' Honor confessed. 'On the other hand, things may not be quite as bad as you assume. The Queen was gracious enough to have her own legal staff handle all the details concerning the duchy, to this point, at least, and Klaus and Stacey Hauptman have been keeping an eye on my business affairs. Actually, unraveling those was a lot more complicated than creating a brand new duchy!'

'I'm not surprised. I'm certainly glad to hear the Crown has been looking after matters related to your new title and lands, but Willard gave me some idea of what was involved in untangling your other affairs. I'm just as happy he was able to take care of so much of it under Grayson law from the Grayson end, and I was a bit surprised to hear that the Hauptman Cartel had gotten involved as your agents here in the Star Kingdom. That's some high- powered talent to have in your corner, Your Grace.'

'I know it is.' And it wasn't always in my corner, either. But we won't go into that just now.'My point, however, was that while you're undoubtedly right about the size and scope of the staff I'm going to need eventually, the situation as it stands is probably less dire than you thought. Assuming you accept the position, I'd expect you to assemble a staff of your own and tailor it to fit the requirements as you see fit.'

'Um. That's a flattering offer, Your Grace. Very flattering. And I'm certainly tempted to say yes. I suppose most of my hesitation stems from how much I love the practice of criminal law. It would be hard for me to give up the courtroom. Very hard.'

'I imagine so,' Honor agreed. 'I know how hard it was for me to give up the captain's chair when they promoted me to flag rank.' He cocked his head at her, and she tipped a little further back. 'Willard told me about your military career, Mr. Maxwell. I hope you won't be offended to learn that I looked into your record just a bit before I asked you to come see me.'

'I'd have been surprised — and disappointed — if you hadn't, Your Grace.'

'I thought you'd feel that way. But I was interested to discover that you and I share something in common, and I was rather impressed when I read your citation. It isn't every Marine second lieutenant who wins the Manticore Cross for bravery under fire. And not many lawyers have that on their resumes, either, I imagine.'

'More may than you think, Your Grace,' Maxwell replied, apparently oblivious to the considering look LaFollet had turned upon him. 'And the MC may or may not be something you need in a lawyer. But I do take your point, and you're right. In many respects, a legal career is like a military one. The higher the level of responsibility, the less time there is for the hands-on side of it that brought you into it in the first place.'

'Exactly,' Honor said. 'And people use the same sneaky argument to get you to accept that responsibility, too: we need you. I always thought it was an unscrupulous button to punch when someone did it to me, but now I'm going to do it to you, because it's true. I do need you, or someone like you, and the strength of Willard's recommendation makes me disinclined to go looking for anyone else.'

'I couldn't be available immediately, Your Grace. Not on a full-time basis,' Maxwell warned her. 'I've got two cases to argue at the common bar, and an appeal before the Queen's Bench right now. It would be at least two months, probably three or four, before I could give you the sort of hours you'll really need out of me.'

'That's fine. I wouldn't expect you to abandon criminal cases in which you were involved. Frankly, if you were willing to hand them off to someone else and simply walk away it would be proof you weren't the man I wanted for the job in the first place! Nor is time pressure all that compelling just yet. The Crown has everything neatly tied up on Gryphon for right now, and things can stay just the way they are until you're free and able to deal with them. I've already heard from two of the major ski consortiums, but Clarise Childers over at Hauptman's has agreed to handle the preliminary negotiations there for me. Aside from that, there's nothing urgent, because I don't have any tenants at the moment. For the foreseeable future, the Duchy of Harrington is basically just a big, unpopulated swatch of mountains and trees. A nice swatch, you understand, but not anything that needs human attention at the moment.'

'I see.' Maxwell's lips quivered a bit at her last sentence, and he drew a deep breath. 'In that case, Your Grace, I suppose I don't have much choice but to accept.'

'And the terms Willard suggested in his letter to you are acceptable?'

'More than acceptable, Your Grace. Willard has always understood how to build business arrangements that are equitable to all parties. I imagine that's why he's been so very successful at it.'

'The same thought had occurred to me,' Honor agreed.

'Yes.' Maxwell gazed at something only he could see for several moments, then gave himself a small shake. 'I realize you just said there was no great rush, Your Grace, but I would like to make at least a modest start, as time permits, as soon as possible. Will you be available if I need an hour or so of your time here and there?'

'Probably,' Honor said a bit cautiously. 'My schedule is fairly hectic at the moment. The Navy has me thoroughly busy at the Advanced Tactical Course, and my lecture courses at the Academy are eating up more of my time than I'd anticipated. On top of that, I'm scheduled for the first surgery on my face day after tomorrow. We'll probably install the new eye at the same time, and the replacement arm they've been designing for me is just about ready. It should be delivered in time for surgery for it late next month. I imagine I'll be out of action for a week or so following each round of actual surgery. And then there'll be the physical therapy, of course. And we're about ready for the corrective surgery on Nimitz, as well, so that'll—'

'Stop! Stop, Your Grace!' Maxwell laughed and shook his head. 'What you're saying is that, yes, you can make yourself available to me, but I should let you know a day or two — or three — in advance so you can adjust your schedule. Is that about it?'

'I'm afraid so,' Honor admitted a bit sheepishly, and shook her own head. 'You know, until you asked, I hadn't really thought about just how much I really do have on my plate right now.'

'And this is your idea of a `convalescence'?' Maxwell asked quizzically.

'Well, yes, I suppose.' Honor's good eye twinkled, but her tone was serious. 'Actually, people seem to forget that I've had over two years to get accustomed to what I lost. A lot of them seem to feel a lot more urgency about fixing everything than I do after so long. I'm actually more concerned over Nimitz than I am over me, I