Chapter 33
He felt a little dead inside.
He sat on the huge windowsill of the sun room, his tail laying in his lap like a blanket and his legs stretched out over the cushioned seating area, looking down over the front lawn with sloe eyes and an emotionless mask. The sun room had always been one of his favorite places in the manor, for it was off the beaten path, rarely used, and the south-facing window almost always had sunlight streaming into it at any time of the day The room was on the third floor, filled with Napoleon-era furniture, elegant white furniture with flowing lines and gold filigree, with red satin upholstery in the chairs and sofas. But in his entire life, he had never sat in those chairs and sofas. He had always sat here, on the padded sill that was designed to be a seat itself, looking through the bay window over the roof over the front door. Some manors had a balcony on top of their entry porch, using the roof held up by those towering columns, but Stonebrook did not. It instead had two bay windows that framed the top of that columned roof, the two huge windows of the sun room. And the right window had always been Kit's special place when he was a kid, his favorite place to be alone in a manor filled with family and servants.
Zach, his wife, and their three teenage kids were gone. They piled into a limo at four in the morning and drove away, as Alicia and the kids whined; Alicia about leaving Stonebrook, and the kids at having to wake up and get dressed. But Zach knew not to tempt fate. Kit was absolutely enraged, and he knew that it was a threat to his own life and safety to be in the same house with Kit. If they chanced to meet in a hallway, Kit would attack him, and he knew it, as much as he knew that he was no match for the much younger and much tougher young fox. Zach could not deny Kit his right to be in the manor, and so he decided that it was the wise course of action to retreat. So, Zach had probably returned to Swan Cove, the manor he owned and had lived in before invading Stonebrook, which was actually only about three miles and a little upriver from Stonebrook. It was just about a mile further down the road if one passed Stonebrook Lane, and it too was on the Charles River.
He leaned his head back against the velvet-covered wall behind him, watching a riding mower roll back and forth across the football field-sized front lawn, part of the meticulous grooming the entire manor underwent on a weekly basis. Even the woods behind the house and within the fence were carefully maintained, each tree watched over and the ground between them kept clean of branches. He watched the mower run from one edge to the other, turn around, and then come back.
God, how did he end up back here? Stonebrook. Stonebrook. But he was stuck here now. To drive out his uncle, to get that murderous bastard out of their house, the house that belonged to him and his sister, he would stick it out. The terms of the agreement were clear. Kit had to establish reasonable residency, which meant that he would have to live up here for a while, change his driver's license to Massachusetts, and change his official address to here. But it was worth it. It was worth anything to drive that disgusting bastard out of their house, someone that would try to kill his sister—
He blew out his breath. There was no use getting worked up over that again, he'd have plenty of time for vituperous accusations in about ninety minutes. It was 9:32am, and he had to be in Boston for an 11:00am meeting, where he would come face to face with Uncle Jake… and resist the impulse to jump over the table and try to strangle him with his bare paws, or sink his teeth into Jake's throat.
He hadn't slept all night. Not long after Stanley and Dee calmed him down, he came up here, to his place, and had been sitting there ever since. He watched the limo carrying Zach leave Stonebrook, and Kit hoped he was looking back, because he would never set foot on the grounds again. Kit had already made that very clear. If Zach showed up and tried to get in, they would refuse him entry. If he decided to get cute and use a remote to the gate to get in, he'd be arrested for trespassing. And Kit made sure that Stanley let Zach know that in a phone call. Zach was exiled from Stonebrook, banished the same way Kit had been banished from the family, and it would be Zach's ass if he dared try to come back to the rightful home of Vilenne and Kitstrom Lucas Vulpan.
It certainly didn't feel like home to him. Home was in Austin, in his townhouse, where he lived with and loved his wonderful wife, where he had a job he enjoyed, fantastic friends, and plans for the future. He wanted the magazine to go statewide, maybe even national. He wanted to take advantage of several opportunities he saw there to build an aviation business on the side. He wanted to live… and he couldn't live here. There were too many ghosts, too many bad memories. All he could do up here was exist, return to that bleak, empty existence he had endured before he had met Jessie, go back to a life without joy, where there was only money.
Money. That was almost a joke. He had spent $12,000 getting up here, six hours at $2,000 an hour, which was more than half of the bonus Vil had sent him. He could have bought a car for what he spent getting up here, but he'd spend it again in a heartbeat. He'd bet that most of the servants at Stonebrook earned more salary than he did every week, and had more money in the bank than him. Kit was destitute as Vulpans went, the poorest of them all, and the only reason he could come up here and take residence of the manor was because the manor had its own money, its own accounts. Without that, Kit would have had to lay everyone off. Right now, he couldn't even afford to pay the staff of Stonebrook a single week's salary. It was a good thing the manor had its own limo and driver, else he'd have to call a cab to take him anywhere, he didn't even have a car.
The door to the sunroom opened, and Clancy stepped in. Of course. Clancy would know where he was, the old fox knew him so well. He ambled in, his cane tapping on the carpeted floor as he crossed the room, and then he sat on the edge of the sill right at Kit's feet. "Kit," he said. "It's nearly time for you to go."
"I know," he sighed, watching the mower turn and go back across the lawn. "I feel…"
"I can imagine, my young male," Clancy said compassionately, patting him on the shin. "Have you slept at all?"
"No, not really," he answered. "Have my clothes got here yet?"
Clancy nodded. "Did you not see the truck come up the drive?" he asked with a chuckle, motioning towards the window.
"Around here, you never know what's in a Fed Ex truck, Clancy," he answered.
"True. My boy, we are happy you are home," he said honestly. "You belong here, Kit."
"No, I belong where I call home, Clancy. Austin is my home now," he told him, looking at him soberly. "This is just a place I can't stand, yet can't let go. I don't know why I feel this way. I hate this place, Clancy. I hate it. You of all foxes know what I went through here. And yet what do I do when I come up? I reclaim Stonebrook. Why can't I let this place go, Clancy? Why?" he asked plaintively.
"Because this house belongs to you, Kit," he answered. "You were born here, in a bedroom not two hundred feet from this room."
"You mean it's Vil's. She's the first born."
"No, Kit. It is yours," Clancy told him. "Vil knew when she was a child that this was not her place. That's why she lives in Chelmsford, in a house that is hers, just as much as this house is yours. Stonebrook belongs to you, just as surely as you sit here. The hatred you feel for this house isn't because of the house, my boy, it's because of your father. Your father is dead, Kit. He is long gone. Don't let his spirit haunt you, or this house. This house was here long before your father was born, and will be here long after he is gone."
"That's not easy, Clancy. You know what he did to me. I'm reminded of it every time I look down, or look in the mirror," he said, his paw running over the crisscrossing white streaks in the fur on his right forearm.
"That is the past, my boy."
"The past is looking me in the face, Clancy," he sighed, looking out the window.
"I think you'll find that the past doesn't hold you as tightly as it once did, my boy," he said with a knowing smile, patting him on the shin fondly. "Now, we must get you ready for your first day at work!"
Kit laughed. "We? You're retired, old male," he teased.
"Not for this, I am not," he said, standing up. "I am certainly aggravating my son by taking his rightful place as your butler, but he can't deny me the privilege of serving my young master Kit one final time," he said with a smile. "I'm coming out of retirement for this last service, my boy, and then I'll go back into retirement once we have you dressed."
"I can dress myself, Clancy," Kit smiled wanly.
"Hold out your paw." When Kit did so, he saw that it was trembling slightly. "Mmm-hmm. Let's go, my boy."
He didn't have the heart to refuse. Clancy took him into the east wing, and he almost gaped in wonder when he opened the door to his old room and looked inside. It was unchanged. Everything was exactly as it was left when he left six years ago. A proper Vulpan didn't have things like posters or silly toys in his room, but the room was definitely Kit's own, for it had small models of airplanes and jets on many of the flat surfaces. "Where do you think you're going, my boy?" Clancy chuckled.
"My room—"
"That is the room of a child, my boy. You are the master of this house, and so the master bedroom is now your rightful place."
"No. I can't—"
"It is not the same room, Kit," he said gently. "When your father died, we had it remodeled. I think you will… appreciate the room as it is now."
It was indeed nothing like the royal room it had been, back when it was filled with antique 18th century English furniture and a four-poster bed. The master bedroom was palatial, as befitted the master of a house the size of Stonebrook, on the third and top floor of the manor. It used to be full of expensive antique furniture, but now it was spartanly decorated. Kit had to laugh; the furniture was slightly more upscale versions of the bedroom set he had back home! It was almost like walking into his own bedroom, if that bedroom was ten times the size of his own, with a bathroom the size of his master bedroom back home and two walk in closets larger than the small bedroom in his townhouse. The bed was between the huge windows that looked out over the front lawn, and there was a writing desk, computer desk, four dressers, an armoire, a vanity table, chair, and mirror, a free-standing full length mirror near the closet door, and a backless cushioned divan commonly used for dressing. A sofa and two recliner chairs and an coffee table were arrayed in front of a sixty inch widescreen plasma TV and home theater system complete with component stereo system at the far end of the bedroom, something of an internal living area within the bedroom, and on the other end was a large desk that had three monitors where his father would run stock program displays and business channels on the wall facing it, and there was a second large TV on the wall facing the bed, so he could lay in bed and watch TV. There was a pair of French doors on the end that led to a small balcony with a wrought iron rail that looked out over the gardens, and had a pair of rather nice outdoor chairs with soft padding flanking a round glass table. A small waiting table near the door held a freshly brewed pot of tea and a plate of scones, as well as a Wall Street Journal newspaper.
"Miss Jessie sent those scones for you with your clothes," Clancy told him. "And thank goodness she packed you nice clothes! Is it true you don't own a suit, my boy?"
Kit laughed. "I own one, and I don't think I've ever worn it. I've never really needed one," he answered. "I do my business visits for the magazine in a nice shirt and a pair of slacks."
"Well, we'll have to see about that!" he said in an offended tone. "Brookington's will send over a tailor this afternoon, and you will have a proper suit by tomorrow morning!"
"I don't need a suit, Clancy. I won't be here long enough to need one."
"A male always needs a suit," he scoffed.
"I can't afford a Brookington's suit," he protested.
"Kitstrom Lucas Vulpan!" Clancy said with a gasp. "You dare bring up money?"
"It kinda matters, Clancy," he chuckled. "I'm not my dad, or Zach. I can't just order whatever I want. I have to pay for it, and I can guarantee you you have more money than I do. The only reason your son and the others have a job right now is because the manor has its own money."
"A Vulpan worrying about money," Clancy scoffed, then he chuckled. "Well, we'll see what we can do, my boy. Now let's get you ready."
Kit didn't have the heart to make Clancy stop. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy helping Kit dress in his dark slacks and a simple white dress shirt, and then he had someone bring him a nice simple black tie to wear with his shirt. Clancy settled the tie into place, then patted him on his shoulders. "There, now you look presentable," he said with a warm smile. "Now, you eat some of the fine scones your wife made for you while I have Stanley bring the car around for you."
Kit dragged the old fox into a warm embrace, which made him chuckle and pat Kit's shoulders. "I love you too, my boy. Now try to relax a moment while I get you on your way."
Kit could certainly tell that Jessie made the scones after the first bite. There was a certain something in her cooking that made it easy to identify, and always delicious. He stood by the table and poured himself a cup of tea, and a thousand memories flooded through him with the first taste. It was a special blend of custom tea blended from different tea leaves, made only for Stonebrook, by a local tea company. Stonebrook blend tea was unique, and one of the many vanities of the Vulpan family. Tasting it brought the old ghosts lurking around him, but he pushed them away with a wall of rising anger. He would be here for a while, long enough to ensure Zach could never come back, because no bastard who tried to kill his sister would ever set foot in their ancestral home. For now, he'd do as Vil wished and go fight for her on the board, but as soon as she was back at work, he wouldn't go back. He would stay in Stonebrook, avoiding the family, avoiding the press, avoiding everyone, and hold the house if only to spite his uncle.
In some ways, Kit was definitely a Vulpan.
Stanley did get in on the act, coming in to get him, fussing with his tie, and promising to put the rest of his tea and some scones in the limo for him. A maid scurried in and took the platter ahead of them as Stanley told him what the audit had found. "They just sent over the report," he explained. "All the money is where it's supposed to be, thank goodness, but there was some unusual activity concerning the accounts."
"He took the money out and put it back?"
Stanley shook his head. "The opposite. There was more money in the accounts than what was supposed to be, then all the excess was withdrawn, leaving the accounts to the penny where they should have been. It seems that your uncle was using the accounts to hide money."
"Why that bastard," Kit growled. "He does lose access to the accounts now that he's kicked out, right?"
"I'm not sure, to be honest. But we did report the unusual activity, and I've told the accountants to put a flag on the accounts so any activity in them is automatically checked by an accountant. Anyone with access to the accounts can access them, but with that flagged oversight, I'm fairly sure nobody will use them improperly again."
"Well, he won't ever use them again," Kit growled. "He doesn't live here anymore, he has no business putting his paws into Stonebrook's accounts. I want you to call them back and tell them to block Zach from access to the accounts."
"Only Mistress Vil can issue an order like that. She's the primary owner."
"Then I'll have her do it."
"The inventory of Stonebrook is finished, and all the valuable items are accounted for," he continued.
"Good. I guess even Zach is too afraid of my bastard father's memory to violate Stonebrook," he grunted.
Instead of taking him to the garage, the limo was sitting out in the back courtyard near the garage, letting them walk out into the warm, sunny Boston morning. Much to his surprise, the 27 employees of Stonebrook were all standing out in the courtyard, all the maids, butlers, cooks, drivers, groundskeepers, and maintenance furs waited for him. Kit found himself shaking paws and giving hugs almost everywhere, as each and every member of the staff made him feel welcome. "My, it feels like you're glad Zach's gone," Kit laughed.
"We're just happy you're home, Master Kit," Dee told him. "Or, I should say, Master Luke," she chuckled, kissing him on the cheek. "You'll have to forgive a few of us old femmes and males for calling you that from time to time. You always were our little Luke."
"I guess I'll have to let you slide, Dee, or you'll have Carrie poison my tea," he teased, kissing her on the cheek.
She laughed. "Oh, get to work, now," she told him.
"I'm surprised all of you feel the same way," he chuckled. "I know a few of you aren't happy at my choice of wives."
"We are the staff of the manor, not the Vulpans who live in it," Stanley told him simply. "Vulpans come and go, but the manor will always remain."
"Way to make me feel important there, Stan," Kit laughed.
Stanley smiled. "Good luck in the city, Master Kit," he said as he opened the door of the limo for him. Will was already in the limo with the driver, and he saw his thermos of tea and scones on a table in the car, waiting for him.
It was like living a past life, driving to Boston in the back of a limo, a life he gave up long ago. He was very tired, and drained, and that made it nearly surrealistic to him. He drank two more cups of tea just to try to wake up, and ate another of Jessie's cherry scones to be reminded a little of home. An image of her came into his mind, her standing in front of her new stove wearing an apron, her tail swishing back and forth in time to that horrible music she liked, turning her head and looking at him, her head tilted slightly, and a radiant smile on her face as she put her paw on her rounded belly—
"Mister Vulpan," Will called. "We're here."
"Already?" he asked in surprise, looking at the ship on ship on ship logo of Vulpan Shipyards, the I-beam in front of a bold V of Vulpan Steel, and the blocky letters VC of the Vulpan Corporation, arranged triangularly on a sign by the entrance to the office building and its grounds.
"We let you take a little nap, sir. We thought you might need it," Will told him with a slight smile.
"Huh. I don't remember falling asleep," he said with a yawn, showing off his impressive fangs.
Kit had been here enough when he was a child to remember where everything was. Will followed him as he walked down carpeted hallways, as foxes and others gaped at him, got out of his way, or offered him nervous greetings. The eyes showed him as a Vulpan, but the ear gave away exactly who he was. He only made one wrong turn, which Will quickly corrected, and then the large bear followed him into the boardroom.
He almost laughed when he saw Vil sitting at the chair at the head of the long table, facing the door, a pair of crutches leaning on the table beside her, and Stav and Marcus standing behind her, Stav with his left arm in a sling.
"Vil!" he gasped, running down the table as she turned in her chair and opened her arms. He bent down and gave her a strong hug. "Why didn't you call me?" he demanded.
"And have you beg off showing up here? Never!" she said with a grin. "They just released me about half an hour ago, and I thought I'd surprise Uncle Jake," she winked.
"How's your leg?"
"It hurts like a bitch," she answered honestly. "They casted it this morning and let me out as soon as they felt it was dry." She held up her left arm, showing a bandage extending out of her sleeve. "This is worse, though. It itches."
Kit laughed and kissed her on the side of her muzzle. "I'm just glad you're okay, sis."
"I hurt like hell, but I'm okay otherwise," she answered. "I'm starting to get an appreciation of your little brush with the family," she told him, reaching up and pinching the ragged edge of his half-missing ear. "And why you hate them."
"Did you ever doubt why I hate them?" he asked, a little tersely.
"I always thought your hatred of them was a little unreasonable," she told him, taking his paw. "I always hoped that you'd see that the elders weren't all your enemies, that they were as much victims of our father as you were. I thought that with time, you could reconcile and if not come back home, at least return to the fold, so I've tried to moderate things on both sides. Even after all this started, I thought we could just settle it and move on. I can see that I was wrong, brother," she told him honestly. "I was very wrong. Now I have a reason to hate them, and I won't try to moderate things anymore. I never honestly dreamed they'd actually try to kill me. I thought Stav and Marcus were being a little overprotective, and now I have a broken leg to prove them right. Oh, and Stav gets a big bonus," she said, smiling in his direction. "So, it comes down to this, little brother. You and me against them. Until they beg for mercy." She held out his paw to him, bandaged from the wrist up.
"Amen," he said, clasping her paw with his own, which had jagged white streaks through the fur of his forearm.
"Now, I've heard that you kicked Zach out of Stonebrook," she smiled. "Are you going to keep him out?"
"I'm going to go change my license to Massachusetts after this meeting," he declared. "And I told Stanley that he will never be allowed to set foot in Stonebrook again."
"Good."
"Sis, I need you to block Zach from the manor's accounts, too," he said. "He was using them to hide money."
"Oh really?" she asked with sudden interest. "We'll talk about it later, bro," she said, looking at the door. A few other furs, two foxes and a rabbit, filed into the room, and stopped with a start to see Vil sitting in her chair, and Kit standing beside her. "Well? Come in and sit down," Vil said, a touch harshly.
"We hadn't heard you were back, Vil," the rabbit said as they reached the table.
"I just got out of the hospital," she answered. "Kit, this is Don Roberts, Jane Sanderson, and Irwin Lange. They were just elected to the board a few days ago, along with you," she smiled. "Where is everyone else?"
"They're coming," the rabbit said.
"Where do I sit, sis?" he asked uncertainly.
"Right here," she said, pointing at the seat behind him. "For the one and only time you'll be here," she said with a smile.
"Damn right," he answered with a nod. "I'd walk out right now if not for the fact that I don't want to leave you right now."
She gave him a loving smile and took his paw, squeezing it gently. "I love you too, brother mine," she told him.
Terry came in next, and gasped and immediately hurried over to Vil. "Cousin, thank God!" he said, hugging her in her chair. "When did you get out of the hospital?"
"About half an hour ago," she said with a smile. "Just in time to get over here."
The others in the room went suddenly quiet, and Kit looked up to see his uncle Jake standing in the doorway, his tail with a bandage around it near the end, the splint for his broken tail. Jake stood there a moment, his eyes wide, then he rather boldly hurried down the table and to her, limping slightly as he did so because of the stitches in his leg. "Vil, we did not do this," he said quietly and intensely. "We may be against your leadership of the family, but we would never try to hurt you!"
"I don't know, uncle, your compassion towards my family has a certain track record," Vil said coldly, reaching over and pinching Kit's torn ear. "You once wanted one of us to die. I don't think it's a stretch that you might have tried to help me along. I guess Stav, Marcus, and the pilot were just afterthoughts."
"Well, it wasn't me," he said in an intense whisper. "And if Zach or Maxy did it, then I'll wash my paws of them. I'll have no part of such barbarism."
"And what you did to my brother wasn't barbaric?" she asked with an icy stare. "It's just business as usual, isn't it? You try to kill him by refusing him medical care, but, well, your try on me was just a touch more direct."
"I'm telling you, it was not," he said strongly. "I don't know what happened, Vil, but we had no part of it! Or at least I didn't!"
"Why don't I believe you, uncle Jake?" Vil asked in a barbed voice.
"I wouldn't," Terry said darkly. "By the way, Uncle, the next time you're in New Orleans, I highly suggest you pick the cell block on the second floor. It has a lovely view of the alley through the six inch window that was in my holding cell."
"What did you expect, Terry? You went against the family, and that made you a target."
"I was doing my job," he hissed, "and my private life is none of your damn business!"
"When your private life demeans the reputation of this family, then it becomes our business," Jake answered calmly. "We may give the brainless children a longer leash, but you are one of the upstanding and promising Vulpans who will lead this family when we are gone, Terry, and we expected more from you than a Texas whore."
"My whore is a better femme than half the blue-bloods in New England," Terry said with a savage hiss. "At least she's honest."
The other board members filed in, slowly, seeing the four Vulpans clustered around the end of the table, glares flying all around. But then they broke up, Kit and Terry sat down at the chairs beside Vil, and Jake went down to the far end of the table, getting far away from the other three Vulpans. Eventually all fifteen were there, and several assistants, mostly foxes, scurried among them, setting cups of tea and coffee as well as small binders holding papers before each board member. There were six foxes aside from the Vulpans, a badger, a rabbit, a mink, and a raccoon on the board. "Now that we're all here," Vil said crisply, "as you can see, I'm fine. I'm a little less worse for wear, but I'm otherwise fine." She picked up the papers that a young fox put in front of her. "So, since we're all here, first allow me to introduce the two new members of the board you haven't met yet. Terry I'm sure most of you know, but this is my brother, Kit Vulpan. Enjoy his visit, because this is the first and last time you'll see him." She gave Jake a penetrating stare. "So, let's move on, shall we?"
"Are you sure you're alright, Miss Vulpan?" one of the members asked.
"My leg's killing me, I'm dying for a drink, and I need to sleep for about ten years, but I'll make it," she answered. "I can easily last the half hour we're going to be here." She slapped her paws on the table. "So, what shall we argue about today?"
Jake cleared his throat. "Given your, ah, position, Vil, I move that we move quickly, but also that we agree to adjourn immediately if you feel unwell."
"My, how considerate of you, Uncle Jake," she said with a dark smile.
Kit had never been at a board meeting before, and though this one was charged with hidden tension, it was a curious experience. Despite her broken leg and bandaged arm, Vil was fully in control as she moved the board through four votes that made absolutely no sense to Kit. It was accounting stuff, then a five minute discussion about some acquisition, a steel mill in West Virginia that Vulpan Steel was considering buying, then there was talk about pursuing a new Navy contract to build some kind of experimental submarine. Kit was honestly lost through the whole thing. The other board members were a little hesitant to talk, but they did discuss the steel mill thing for a little bit before deciding to do a cost analysis. The last order of business was a real estate thing, buying land near one of their smaller facilities in Philadelphia to expand. Kit had no idea what any of it was about, and he was too busy watching Vil to make sure she was okay to do much other than vote in the same way she did each time.
After it was over, Kit stood up and Jake hurriedly rushed from the boardroom, but Kit wasn't too worried about him. He was more interested in Vil. He took up her crutches and both he and Terry helped her get up on her foot, then she shouldered her crutches. "I'll be by in a few hours and we'll talk," she told him. "Go get it done, bro."
"You'll know where to find me, sis. Once I get in there, I won't come back out until I go back to Texas."
"No need to go that far, bro."
"Yes, there is," he said simply.
And he did exactly what he said he would do. He went to the Massachusetts DMV and had his license changed over, which took about two hours, mainly because the clerk wanted to fight with Kit over not having anything in writing or any bills to prove his Massachusetts residency. "I'm afraid I just can't do it," the vixen clerk said, chewing her gum aggressively. "You have to have proof that you actually live in the state, and you can't produce it."
"Lady, come here," he said, leaning over the counter and crooking at finger at her. "Now, look at my eyes."
"So?"
"You're not from Boston, are you?"
"Gee, did my southern drawl clue you into that?" she asked caustically.
"Fine, I'll give you that much. Does the name Vulpan mean anything to you?"
"Not particularly."
"Mmm-hmm. Call your supervisor, and watch and learn," he said with a grim face.
She frowned at him, but did call her supervisor, which was an older vixen. She gasped and almost took a step back when she came to the counter where they were, and hurried up to him. "U-uh, is there a p-problem, Mister Vulpan sir?" she asked nervously.
"There won't be one now," he told her mildly. "I'm trying to change my driver's license back to Massachusetts, but this young vixen here doesn't seem to believe that I live in Boston."
"Well, we'll just take care of that!" she said quickly. "You can proceed without proof of residency, Darla."
"But it won't let me—"
"I'll fix it later!" she said quickly. "Just put anything there!"
"I can't falsify an official record, I'll lose my job!"
"Hon, I can assure you, as long as you let me walk out of here with what I want, you won't lose your job," Kit told her calmly. "I'll have my butler send you an affidavit that I've moved back to Boston if you like."
"B-Butler?" she asked.
"He's a Vulpan, Darla!" the supervisor said in a hissing tone. "Now change his license!"
"Uh, yes ma'am," she said uncertainly.
So, after a little wrangling, Kit managed to walk out of the DMV with a new license. And true to his word, he went straight back to Stonebrook. Again, there was that feeling of foreboding as they went past the ornate gate, along the drive around the house, and again stopping out in the courtyard rather than going into the drive-through garage. He got out of the limo and sighed as he looked around, feeling very much like he was about to enter prison. And it would be a prison for him. He would not leave Stonebrook until he went back home, maintaining a constant presence to prevent Zach from trying anything, and he certainly did not want to be here. Now that the anger had dimmed somewhat, he could almost feel baleful eyes glaring down at him from the windows, the wardens and guards that would keep him company inside this self-created prison.
"Kit!"
His tail almost broke from snapping straight out, and he whirled around to see Jessie in the doorway to the garage, wearing a white maternity blouse and a pair of slacks. He could only gape at her as she ran up to him, then he folded her into a powerful embrace.
"I won't let them pull you away from me," she said fiercely in his ear, almost creaking his ribs with her strong grip on him. "I will not let them win!"
"Oh, pretty kitty, you shouldn't be here," he protested.
"I will not be apart from you!" she declared. "I'll just stay in the house all the time, love, safe behind the fence," she promised. "But I'm here now, so just try and make me go home!"
He chuckled ruefully and swung her from side to side. "I spoil you too much, love," he told her.
"You just know when to accede to the inevitable," she teased, kissing him on the muzzle. "I couldn't let you come and try to be here by yourself. How can I be your guardian angel when I'm in Texas and you're up here?"
"You can be my guardian angel anywhere, my love," he told her, kissing her. "All I have to do is think about you, and you chase the ghosts away."
"Well, you're going to have to settle for me in the flesh," she winked. "I called Vil and she knows I'm here, Nick came with me, Lupe's watching the house, and Rick wants you to call him later. But right now," she said, taking his paw. "I want you to show me the house as you know it."
"What do you mean?"
"You grew up here, Kit. I know you know everything about the house, even things the servants don't know. Show me everything!"
"Everything, eh?" he asked.
"Everything!" she said with a smile.
"Well, there's a lot of house here," he said with a chuckle. "And Vil's going to be coming over later, after she gets a little rest."
"Then we'd better get started," she winked.
"Well, first off, let's introduce you to the staff, and we'll see what we can see until Vil gets here."
Jessie was an absolute Godsend. The idea of living in the house, day after day, seemed almost like a prison sentence, and then she shows up. He certainly wasn't going to allow her to stay here, but he'd give her a couple of days, show her the house now that there was no one here to keep them out of it, and then send her home. He wanted her nowhere near his family, especially right now with his elders trying to get rid of everyone stopping them from taking control of the family and those who were rebelling against the family traditions. And Kit was both of those. But, for the few days he would let her stay, he'd enjoy her company.
But God, one thing was for sure. Nobody was setting foot in Stonebrook while she was here except for the staff, Vil, Terry, and Muffy. He wouldn't even let a delivery truck in while she was here.
Kit took care of that immediately. He told Stanley that only Vil, Terry, and Muffy would be allowed onto the grounds, and that all deliveries had to be handled at the main gate, that no one was setting foot in Stonebrook so long as his wife was there. Once that was done, and he released Nick, who had come up with Jessie, to inspect the grounds, Kit showed Jessie Stonebrook. He showed her every room, from the cellar to the attics and the three floors in between, and told her his own memories and stories about each room. He showed her the old secret passage that ran from the master bedroom to the conservatory on the first floor, passing through a dead space on the second floor, and the secret room in the master bedroom with the large safe meant for cash and small valuables and a single table and two padded chairs caked over with dust, which had been built into the house back when it was constructed. The secret room opened through one of the closets, and it had a peephole that looked through one of the wall light racks into the bedroom so one could make sure nobody was in the room when they came out. There was a second such secret vault as well, a larger one in the cellar, which was literally a vault holding several antiques and once held cases full of gold, hidden behind a false wine rack in the wine cellar. There were five other secret rooms in the house, hidden in various places, built because the house had been built during Prohibition and the Vulpans needed somewhere to keep their illegal wine and spirits hidden. There was a large one just off the kitchen, and small ones, little more than hidden closets, in the main parlor, the sitting room, the billiards room, and the very sun room to which Kit was attached, and Kit was one of the few who knew of them all. There was also a room that wasn't hidden or secret, but had been sealed off during a remodel back in the 60's and had been recently reopened when they redid the ballroom, since it had been an anteroom off the ball room, a second coat room, which they'd sealed over because they felt they didn't need it anymore. He also showed her all the passages, both the main hallways and the smaller servants' passages, some of which were almost never used anymore. Jessie was right that Kit knew it all, because there was no way a child would not explore everything there was to know about a house. Kit had wandered the house as a child, and after he started fighting with his father, he learned three ways to get everywhere so he could avoid him, as well as the servants he'd send to find him. Kit knew every room, door, passage, window, and cubbyhole in the entire house, as well as virtually every building on the grounds and every tree in the woods. Stonebrook was a huge manor, and often he'd had to hide out on the grounds, out where he would be extremely hard to find. After he set fire to his father's Bentley, it took them nearly four hours to find him, and that was only because he came out of his hiding place to get food.
They were just about finished with the grand tour, going through the west wing and the rooms that had once held Zach's family, their things boxed and waiting to be moved out, which Kit solved by telling Stanley to put it all in the pool house. Kit wanted nothing from his uncle in the house. He almost wanted to disinfect and decontaminate the entire west wing to get rid of the every trace of them. It was as Kit was showing Jessie the terrace balcony that opened from the west wing master bedroom, which looked out over the courtyard and helicopter landing pad across from the drive, that Stanley came in. "Master Kit, Mistress Vil is at the gate and coming up," he said.
"Thank God," Kit said, taking Jessie's paw. "Come on, I'll show you the fastest way to the garage from here!" he told her.
Vil wasn't the only one who got out of her limo as Kit and Jessie hurried out to them. Bartholomew had brought out a wheelchair for Vil to use, and she was in the middle of transferring from the limo to the wheelchair. Kendall was helping Vil from the car to the chair. Terry was already out, and Muffy was getting out of the other side. She gasped when Kit and Jessie came out of the garage and laughed. "Jessie!" Muffy called happily running around the limo. The two hugged fondly, and Muffy was patting Jessie's rounded belly and giggling as Terry came over and gave her a hug as well. "I thought Kit wouldn't let you come up here, Jess," Terry told her.
"He can forbid all he wants," she said with a wink in his direction. "I promised not to leave Stonebrook, but other than that, he can tell me to go home all he wants. My place is wherever he is."
"I see a fight coming," Kendall laughed.
"A fight she'll lose," Kit warned.
Jessie flicked her tail at him insultingly as she bent down and hugged Vil. "Now, are you really okay, Vil?" she asked.
"My leg feels like a magician screwed up the saw me in half trick," she said, "but I'm okay otherwise. After they set the bone and sewed my skin back together, they let me go. My break wasn't half as bad as Rick's was. Rick's bone was sticking way out. Mine just barely broke the skin."
"You should be at home resting!" Jessie protested.
"I can rest here," she said. "I'm staying here tonight."
"We all are!" Muffy said happily, putting her arm around Jessie. "I hope you have room for us here," she winked.
"I think we can find you a couch somewhere, Muffy," Kit told her dryly, but he did accept an embrace from her. "Thank you for showing me who my real family is, cousin," he told her gently.
"The few, the proud, the rebels," she grinned up at him. "Now, I'm hungry!" she said. "Let's get something to eat!"
"Stanley," Vil called. "Start dinner. Nothing fancy."
"Hamburgers it is," Stanley said with a smile at Kit. "Salad, fruit, and some wine."
"Grape juice for me please!" Jessie said. "I feel soooo weird, not cooking!"
"I'll feel weird not eating your cooking," Kit chuckled. "Thanks for the scones, love, that was very thoughtful."
"Well, I'm here now," she smiled. "I'll let them cook for us today, but they'll have to surrender the kitchen to me tomorrow."
Kit laughed. "I think Carrie may have something to say about that," Kit told her. "She's run that kitchen for twenty years. She's very jealous of her kitchen."
"Well, I like to cook, so she's just gonna have to let me have it," she laughed.
"She'll banish you to the small kitchen, which is near the servant entrance," Kit countered.
"I thought this was your house, Kit," she grinned at him.
"It's hers," he countered, pointing at Vil as Bartholomew wheeled her towards the garage. "My only part of this was I'm the one who had the power to evict Zach."
They all sat in the family dining room, an informal dining room just off the kitchen, and they talked mainly about what had happened. Vil described the crash again in complete detail as Nick quietly caught up with Stav and Marcus, and she showed them her bandaged arm. "The docs said my fur will grow back no problem, and the break on my leg was clean, so all they had to do was cast me up and stitch up my leg."
"I can't imagine how scary that would be," Muffy breathed. "I'd be afraid to get on a chopper ever again!"
"It wasn't fun, that's for sure," she said as two cooks brought in plates filled with hamburgers and a bowl of salad. "But I'm not afraid of choppers, Muffy. The only reason mine crashed is because it had help," she grunted. "But my boys certainly made all that money I paid to them worth it," she said, looking back at Stav and Marcus with a smile. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them."
"About time they did something right," Nick teased with a laugh, accepting a hamburger from the cook with a smile.
"It's our job, madam," Marcus said, taking a hamburger with a nod.
"So, you kicked out Uncle Zach, cousin," Muffy grinned. "How did that feel?"
"Like it was long overdue," he answered, taking a bite of his hamburger. "After what that bastard did, he will never set foot in this house again."
"So, you're staying?"
"I'm staying long enough to fulfill the terms of the agreement so he can never return," he answered. "I already changed my license to Massachusetts, and I'll sit here until it's official that I've taken up residency. After that, I'll go home, and come up every once in a while just to make it plain that he's not welcome here."
"How long will that take?" Kendall asked.
"Three months," Vil answered calmly. "He has to live here for three months to establish residency to satisfy the agreement.
"Three months?" Kit asked.
"Three months," Vil nodded.
"Well, I wonder if Doctor Mac would make one hell of a house call," Jessie mused.
"Jess!" Kit gasped. "No! You are not staying here! You are going back home!"
"You're crazy if you think I'm staying in Texas when you're here," she declared. "You are my husband, Kit! I won't leave you alone, and I won't be alone! You have to stay here, so I will be here with you!"
"No! You're insane if you think you're staying in Boston!"
"And you're crazy if you think I'll live without you!"
"Guys, guys! Fight about this later," Vil told them. "Right now, we have other things to worry about."
"Your pain pill, madam," Marcus said, taking a bottle out of his suit jacket. "It's time."
"Thank God," she said, holding her paw out greedily. "Marcus won't let me have the bottle," she complained.
"He's a smart panther," Kendall said with a smile and a nod at Marcus. "Keeps you from getting too comfortable with the pills."
"Trust me, that's not something you want," Kit said. "A little pain now is much better than four months of wanting another pill. That was almost as bad as the pain."
"I think I'll take your word for it, brother," she said, swallowing the pill, then taking a drink of water. "They said I have to take them with meals."
"So, now that we're all here, and they tried to kill my fiancée, what are we going to do about it?" Kendall asked bluntly, then he took a bite of his hamburger.
"Plenty. Next time I see him, I'm gonna kick Uncle Zach in the nuts," Muffy said savagely, which made Kit explode into laughter.
"I think we find out exactly who did it," Vil said calmly. "Then we do to them what we did to Cybil."
"I think I can agree with that plan," Terry said with a nod. "What's the word from the FAA?"
"Nothing yet, they just started the investigation," Vil answered. "They told me it'll be a couple of weeks before they have any news. Jake is swearing up and down he had no part of it, and I'm almost ready to believe him," she grunted. "I haven't heard a peep out of Zach or Maxine. Tom is still too angry with Zach to say much, Sarah's still sitting on the fence, but Brian…" she trailed off with a slight smile. "Brian is sincerely furious. He was never much inclined to the idea of pushing me out, and he was outraged. That might be useful. He may be the youngest of the elders, but he's still an elder. In the meantime, I'll call your Doctor Mac and arrange for her to come up here and give you your exams," she said, looking to Jessie.
"Absolutely not!" Kit said adamantly. "Are you insane, Vil? Jessie can not stay in Boston!"
"She's totally safe within Stonebrook, bro," she said dismissively. "She can have the baby right here, in the same room where you were born," she said with a smile.
"Oh hell no!" Kit said heatedly. "She needs to be in Austin, where it's safe!"
"Do you think I'm afraid to be here, Kit?" Jessie flared.
"Jessie, you are pregnant!" he said hotly. "Does this register to you, love? Pregnant cat married to blue-blood fox whose family funded the purist movement?" he asked in a hiss. "Do you have any idea what Zach would do if he found out you're here? He'd blow a head gasket! You and me represent everything he hates the most! Dear God, I think he'll die of a stroke if you give birth to Laura in this house!"
"Then let him," Jessie said calmly. "This has nothing to do with him. This has everything to do with me staying with my husband, and I don't care what's trying to get between us. If I have to stay in this house for three months to stay with you, then that's exactly what I'll do. If that means that Laura is born in the house, well, then it just continues the tradition."
Kit laughed cynically. "Tradition? I've broken every tradition there is in this family, pretty kitty. It's not that I don't want you to be here with me, but I don't think it's safe here. Even here. All he has to do is row down here in a boat and get on the grounds. Swan Cove is just a mile upriver, and we have no fence at the boat dock."
"Beggin' your pardon, Kit, but I can secure this place," Nick said calmly. "I'll call in a few mates who wouldn't mind an easy job playin' defense in a swanky manor like this. If you're serious about not leaving this place for three months, I can make it safe as can be. I can turn it into a fortress."
"See? We'll be okay, handsome fox," Jessie told him, putting her paw on his arm. "I will not leave you, Kit. I don't care who's trying to stand between us. I told you before, you are worth it."
"But our baby—"
"Our baby will be safe here," she told him. "If Nick says he can make us safe, then he can make us safe. And it's a big place, love. I can spend three months here. We have cable, and a nice pool, and a gym, and I can catch up on my knitting and maybe learn some new recipes from your cook, and I'll have plenty of time to study for my commercial rating. You do have a skeet shooting range here, right?" she asked Vil with a smile.
"We can build one," she grinned in reply.
"I think we can bring in a trap launcher in the meantime," Nick said. "There's a lot of clear space around for us to set it up."
"Well, love, you can get in some practice," she smiled at him.
"I think this is crazy," he protested.
"Look at it this way, brother. Do you want to take every precaution you can and put Jessie in a fortress, or have to scramble to do so when she disobeys you and comes right back up here after you send her home?"
"I will, I swear I will," she declared.
"Jessie," he said, his heart in his eyes.
"I told you long ago, handsome fox, I will not let them scare me away," she declared.
"I appreciate the notion, love, but I think one thing needs brought up. I can't pay to hire security guards, or do anything else."
"Kit," Vil scoffed. "Do you really think we'll just leave you here? That's a pretty weak attempt to make Jessie go home."
"Jessie, I love you, but you can't stay here," Kit told her. "You have to go home. You have to go home because I love you."
"And I'm telling you, I have to stay here, because I love you, Kit," she told him, gripping his paw. "You can fight about it all you want, but in the end I will be right here at your side, where I belong," she declared. "You can't make me stay away from you, and I will not leave you."
He knew that tone. For right now, arguing about it would be pointless, and he knew it. Jessie could be extremely stubborn, and it seemed that she'd dug her claws in over this matter. They'd fight about it more later, but for now there was no reason to beat a dead horse. Hopefully after a couple of days of being trapped in the manor, she'd get restless and agree to go home.
"We'll discuss it later," he acceded.
"We can discuss it all you want, you won't make me change my mind," she declared.
"Has anyone actually tried to confront Zach over this yet?" Muffy asked.
"Not that I know of," Vil answered. "He hasn't left Swan Cove since yesterday. Maxine, on the other paw, has shuffled between Swan Cove and Oak Hill a few times."
"Oak Hill?" Jessie asked.
"Maxine's manor," Kit answered. "Just about all the elders live in manors that have names. Uncle Jake lives in Still Waters, which is downriver from here."
"That one was built about ten years after Stonebrook by our great uncle Lance," Vil noted. "Our grandfather's only brother."
"Shame what happened," Terry sighed.
"What?"
"My great uncle and his whole family died in a plane crash in Nineteen sixty," Kit answered. "A whole branch of the Vulpan family died."
"That's terrible!" Jessie gasped.
"What was worse was the fight over Still Waters after they died," Vil grunted. "It's just as grand as Stonebrook, and everyone wanted it. That was when Grandfather set down the rules of conduct for the family, because the family disgraced themselves fighting over the manor. Grandfather claimed the manor, then gave it to Dad. Dad sold it to Jake after Zach started building Swan Cove. It should have gone to Maxine, but Dad wouldn't give it to her. He felt that only a male Vulpan deserved it," she scoffed. "Our wonderful father, a bastard from the day he was born."
"What happened to Maxine?"
"She built Oak Hill," Vil answered. "It's on the south side of Boston. I think she built it down there to get away from the family. Maxine didn't speak to Dad for a couple of years after he gave Still Waters to Jake. Oak Hill is exactly the same as Still Waters, even down to the granite used, it's from the same quarry. She built an exact duplicate. Maxine's own Still Waters."
"After your father was so awful to her, she's siding against you?" Jessie said in surprise.
"Maxine is all about the family's prestige and reputation," Vil answered. "She'll do anything to keep the Vulpan family on the top rung of the social ladder. Even after how badly Dad screwed her out of what was rightfully hers, she'll struggle against what she sees as the family losing its social status. She sees what I'm doing as hurting the family's reputation, so she'll fight me over it."
"But this," Muffy said. "I never dreamed Aunt Maxine would be party to trying to kill you, cousin!" she said in disbelief.
"From what Jake said, I think this might have come from Zach, and without the knowledge of the other two," Vil said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Jake was pretty convincing after the meeting. I'm inclined to believe that he really had no idea of it."
"Then it sounds like we should eliminate Maxine and Jake as possible suspects, and then focus on Zach once they're cleared," Kendall said. "Now, how do we go about that?"
"Stav?" Vil asked.
"I'll see to it," he said with a nod. "Until my arm heals, I won't be much use to you except to make phone calls."
"In the meantime, we turn Stonebrook into a fortress," Terry said. "Vil's right about one thing. Zach will go nuclear when he finds out that Jessie is up here and in this house. But that's his own fault. He should have known that Kit would rush up here."
"Yes, he would," Vil said, her eyes narrowing. "Drawing him out of the safety of Austin."
"Which is another reason to lock down Stonebrook," Terry said. "Outside of that, there's still the fact that they're trying to push Vil out, and we have to fight them."
"Kit can do his fighting from in here," Vil said. "He doesn't take a single foot out of Stonebrook if we can help it. The threat of Kit being able to take everything if they screw up is too much. They'll try to remove him from the game, because he can stop it all if they make even one mistake. Kit is the king in this chess game, and the piece we have to protect the most."
"No argument from me," Kit nodded.
"He can attend board meetings via conference."
"Vil, I'm not going to be on the board," he scoffed.
"You're on the board, and you're here," she told him. "And your continued presence sends a message that we're more than happy to up the ante. Terry will do the same, listening to the board meetings over the phone or whatever we set up. They will see that all they've done is united us against them, openly. And we make it open. I'm going to make it clear to the press that we don't think this was an accident. In the meantime, we continue to fight them, and maybe take the fight to them," she grunted. "Muffy."
"Yes, Vil?"
"Call the other cousins and tell them to come back to Boston."
"What? Why?"
"A show of force," she answered. "If the cousins want the elders to give them room to live, they have to make it clear. Zach, Jake, and Maxine can ignore the four of us and continue on, but if they suddenly find themselves facing half the kids in open revolt, then they'll have a lot more to worry about."
"Why me? If you tell them to come, they'll do it. You're the family's leader."
"If I do it, the elders will just say I made them come back. If they come back on their own, they make a much bigger statement." She took another bite of her hamburger. "I'd call Sheila back too, but she has school coming up, and she can't miss another semester if she wants to open her restaurant soon."
"Sheila can help just by staying in Austin. Holding down our fort while we're up here," Kit noted. "I need to call Rick and have him send me up some work."
"You're going to be busy up here," Vil winked. "You think you're just gonna sit in here and watch TV? You're gonna help," she grinned at him.
"I fully intend to help," he told her. "But the magazine needs us, Vil. I write articles and do a lot of work there. Jessie writes and works there too. We can't leave the gang in the lurch. We can do our work from up here, but we still have to do our work. Besides, we're heavily invested. If we don't work, the magazine might go under, and we lose our money," he chuckled.
"Money," Vil snorted. "If I have my way, you'll be leaving Boston with a very large piece of the Vulpan fortune."
"And I'll just give it back, Vil," he said calmly. "Just because I'm up here, don't for a minute think that I want to be a Vulpan again. I'm only here to kick Zach out of Stonebrook and get to the bottom of who tried to kill you, then punish them for it. When this is over, I go back home and back to the only life I want. You're the one that'll get the money, not me."
"Hmph," she grunted, taking a rather savage bite out of her hamburger.
They discussed it more after dinner, but basically talking in circles over wine and grape juice. They were all going to stay at Stonebrook for the night, so Stanley arranged rooms for them while Kit showed Jessie the one room he'd avoided during the tour, the bedroom. She laughed when she came in, looking around. "They copied our furniture!" she declared, touching the bed. "And it's a Sleep Number bed, too!"
"Vil took the pictures we gave her of our room and she did this," he said, sitting on the bed. "Pretty kitty—"
"No! Absolutely not!" she cut him off. "We're not debating this, love. I will not leave you. They can keep us safe, so I'm staying with you!"
"But we're going to be all but prisoners here, love. Three months locked inside this manor."
"I can take it if you can," she winked, putting her paws on his shoulders. She pushed him down until he was on his back, and she snuggled down atop him, rubbing her nose against his. "Hello there, Mister Vulpan. Whatever are you doing in such a strange place?"
"Trying to send you back home where you belong," he answered.
"I think you'll finally manage to convince me… in about three months," she smiled, then she kissed him and began to purr against his lips. No matter what protests he had, there was no way he could withstand that kind of determined assault. Jessie knew him better than he knew himself, and she was more than capable of getting her own way. "Now," she breathed in his ear, "I think you need to take a nap. You look very tired."
"Don't change the subject," he warned. She answered him by purring and putting her throat against his as she nuzzled, which made him laugh ruefully even as he wrapped his arms around her. "Such blatant manipulation," he accused. "I know you're faking it!"
"Just try and prove it," she hummed in his ear. "I will not live without you, my love," she told him. "I couldn't survive three months apart from you."
"You're not safe here."
"I'm not safe anywhere, handsome fox. If I'm going to be in danger, it's going to be at your side. Now relax," she said soothingly, sliding down against him, putting her head on his chest, and her arm over him, "and try to take a nap. You'll feel better."
"Jessie," he said, almost plaintively.
"Shhh," she sounded, then settled in against him, purring away.
He really was tired. Jessie was the ultimate teddy bear, and her purring just destroyed any attempt his brain made to ruin the moment, to make her stop purring for any reason. All he could do was put his arms around her and close his eyes. And not a minute after he closed his eyes, he was asleep.
Kit and Jessie had never really fought before… until now.
Sure, they'd had a few disagreements over small things, but those things tended to smooth themselves out of their own volition. After all, what they were fighting about wasn't really important, it wasn't like they were fighting over money or anything. But in this regard, they had a real fight. Kit just could not in good conscious allow Jessie to stay in Stonebrook, but Jessie absolutely refused to go home. And thus did the fight begin, when Kit told Jessie that he wanted her to go back to Austin.
And they fought. He'd never lay a paw on her, and she would never stripe him, but they shouted at each other, shook fingers in faces, and there was quite a bit of door slamming. Both of them had no inclination to listen to intelligent debate. Kit felt he was doing what was best for both of them, and Jessie felt he was utterly wrong. The moment Kit told her he wanted her to go back to Austin, the shouting began.
The only problem with having a fight in a place like Stonebrook was that nothing in the manor was truly private. The servants heard them shouting at each other when they came to prepare the bedroom for the occupants' going to bed that evening, and if there was one universal truth when it came to a large manor, that was that servants gossiped. What they saw and heard never left the manor, but it flowed freely within the manor, and it didn't stay just with the servants. The three Vulpans staying in the manor quickly heard about the fight, but they had the sense to stay out of it until it was over.
And, as usual… what Jessie wanted, Jessie got.
Kit lost the fight. In the end, after all the shouting, it came down to one simple fact, and that was that he couldn't make her stay in Austin, and her threat to just keep coming up, and coming up, and coming up was a threat that destroyed any argument he made about how insane it was for her to be here. He couldn't make her stay away, and a part of him was overjoyed that she loved him so much that she would be willing to come up here, but he was desperately worried for her and Laura. His wife and unborn child being up here so raised the stakes, because now it wasn't just him.
God, Nick had better turn Stonebrook into a fortress, because the most precious treasures on Earth were here now… his wife and unborn child.
In the end, he ended up in the sun room, sitting in his favorite spot, his tail in his lap and looking out over the front lawn, still feeling a little foolish over the fight. He'd never had a leg to stand on, and all he did was shout at the femme he loved for no real reason. He hadn't made Jessie cry, but he did make her fairly angry, and she said some very choice and unpleasant things to him about not wanting her to be with him. He picked at the fur in his bushy tail absently as the sun lowered enough to shine right into his face, scratching through the three colors in his tail, the red, the white band, and then the black tip; the white-banded Vulpan tail that was as much a signature of the family as the eyes.
The door opened, and Vil stepped in. She hobbled across the sun room on her crutches as he sighed and looked away, back to the window. She awkwardly sat down by his feet and put her crutches on the floor beside her, then leaned back on her paws and looked up at the ceiling. "So," she hummed lightly.
"Vil," he sighed.
"Don't let it eat too much at you, bro," she told him. "All couples fight sometimes. So, did you win or lose?"
He burst into rueful laughter. "What do you think?"
"That you wouldn't be up here brooding if you won," she smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, bro. I know you won't believe this, but Jessie means as much to me as she does to you."
"Yeah, you're right, I don't believe it," he said with a wry smile. "I never knew you had thoughts like that about my wife, sis."
She laughed, then winced. "Don't make me laugh, bro, it hurts," she protested, then she reached down and patted his foot and ankle. "So, the rebel children of Lucas Vulpan are together again," she mused. "What kind of mischief are we planning for tomorrow?"
"Trying to convince my wife to go home," he answered, looking out the window. "Then I think I'll invite Zach over here, shoot him in the head, and bury him out near the autumn cottage."
"That sounds fun," she laughed. "We should send it RSVP. Now, since that's over, mind telling me what your problem is?"
"I don't want her here, Vil!"
"I know you don't. I'm not particularly happy with her being here either, but as far as I can see it, she's safer here than anywhere else. At least here, she's safe in the fold."
"The fold," he said, then he blurted it out. "Will I be taking home the same wife I married, Vil?" he asked. "Three months here, three months to find out what it's like to be rich. How is it going to change her, sis? Every day, she'll have maids to clean for her, butlers to wait on her, cooks to make her anything she wants. Will I take home the same femme that came here, Vil? Money changes furs. It's a curse. Is it going to change my wife? Am I going to go home and hear I wish for the next year every time she does the laundry?"
"That's a bit unfair, Kit," Vil told him. "And you know better than that. That femme loves you, she loves you more than I've ever seen a femme love a male. You think a few months here is going to change her? Will it change you?"
"Of course not," he told her. "I left all this, Vil. I know what to expect. Jessie doesn't. She doesn't know what it's like to be waited on paw and foot. She doesn't know what it's like to be rich."
"Do you? Will three months in here being waited on like the king of Siam change you? It's been a long time since you've been rich, bro. Six years. Who's to say that you don't get really comfy in here and remember what it is you've been missing? I'll help, of course," she smiled at him. "I want you and Jessie to get nice and acclimated to the life to which you should be accustomed, because you are a Vulpan."
"Vil," he said warningly.
"So, you'll have me here trying to spoil you rotten," she grinned. "But you know what I think? I think Jessie is far stronger than you're giving her credit for. She's easily as strong as you, and you have the disgusting strength to deny your birthright," she snorted, which made Kit chuckle in spite of himself. "I think she'll have fun up here, utterly charm the entire staff the way she charmed the Cessna furs right out of their socks, then go home with your new daughter and settle right back into the life she loves. She'll see this is as a vacation. A vacation where she gives birth to her daughter, but a vacation nonetheless. And if you don't believe that, then you don't really know Jessie as well as you think you do."
"Knowing and dreading are two different things," he sighed, leaning the back of his head against the frame. "I don't want my wife to be corrupted by the curse of money, Vil."
"I think the only one that can decide if it's a curse or not is Jessie, Kit," she answered. "In the meantime, I'll call Doctor MacNair and arrange a couple of house calls, then have what we'll need for her to deliver Laura at the house and waiting. You'll just have watch and see, bro. Jessie just might surprise you."
"I don't want her to surprise me," he said quietly.
"Then she might not surprise you," she said, patting his foot, then awkwardly getting up onto her crutches. "Now, I'm going to go make a few phone calls. Oh, and by the way, Jessie's looking for you," she told him, then she hobbled out and closed the door.
That statement told him that Vil would seek Jessie out and tell her where he was. He could move to some other spot and potentially make her mad, just sit there and wait for her to show up, or seek her out himself. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, and a different option forced itself upon him… he fell asleep.
"Kit," a soft voice called, stirring him from his nap. "Wake up, handsome fox."
He looked up to see Jessie leaning over him, or at least as much as her pregnancy would allow.
"Are you alright, love?" she asked, sitting down on the padded sill beside him.
"I… yeah, I guess. Are you still mad?"
"A little," she admitted. "I talked to Vil."
"And of course, she won't keep her mouth shut," he sighed.
She giggled. "You're being silly, my handsome fox," she told him.
"No, I don't want to lose you, pretty kitty," he said, taking her paw. "And I can lose you to this just as easily as everything else." He motioned towards the window and the huge lawn outside. "What would you have said if I came out and said that one of the reasons I don't want you here is so you don't get used to being rich?"
"I'd say you were being ridiculous," she answered. "Because we're not rich, Kit. We have, what, about ten thousand dollars in the bank?"
"We have about a hundred thousand if you include our T bills and other investments."
"Well, there you go. How can I get used to being rich when we're not?"
"Because of this house," he answered. "Where you'll be treated like a queen. Money corrupts, Jessie. Half the reason I don't want it is so I don't get corrupted. I don't even trust myself with the idea of being rich, for fear I'll turn into my father. What we have is perfect, love, and I guess I don't want to risk losing it."
"I promise you, handsome fox, that you're not going to lose me to a house," she declared. "Now, Stanley on the other paw," she noted, which made Kit look at her wildly. She just grinned and winked at him, and he burst into helpless laughter and pulled her into an embrace.
"I do love the boy foxes," she purred, and her purring continued as she wrapped her arms around him, her paws dropping low and sliding under his shirt to seek out the scars on his back. "But I especially love the ones with only half a left ear and those darling white lines on his back for me to play with."
"Well, what do you know, I think I meet your requirements," he told her, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, love, but I just hate the idea of you being here."
"I love you too much to stay away for three months, Kit. And if you think I'll give birth to Laura without you with us, you're crazy."
"I'm going to be terrified every minute," he complained.
"And I'll love you for it," she replied gently. "But this is where I belong, my handsome fox. Not in this house, but by your side. I will never leave you."
"I love you, Jessie," he proclaimed, hugging her tightly.
"And I love you, Kit," she answered, digging her claws into his back, almost painfully.
Jessie wasted no time claiming Stonebrook as her own… but certainly not as a Vulpan.
She proved to Kit after just one day that his fear was an irrational one, more a reflection of a fear in himself than one he held for his wife. For one, when they woke up that morning, Jessie made the bed. Then she quite happily rearranged the drawers of the dressers to mirror the arrangement they had at home, having to include some of their clothes that had arrived over the night, thanks to Nick. Nick had returned home to Austin, packed up his things, had Lupe watch over his apartment and gave him the keys to his Expedition, then he came back up also with a couple of boxes of things that Jessie wanted. Jessie's commercial pilot materials, her knitting bag and books, and a couple of her favorite cookbooks came up with her clothes and their shotguns, and she was quite happy to settle them into the bedroom to make it feel more like home. Once she finished that, she stayed in the bedroom most of the morning, curled up on the couch with the stereo playing that annoying tweenie pop music she liked, her knitting bag beside her and one of her books open on the sofa, as she read up on how to make a new kind of sweater.
When the maid came in to make the bed and tidy up, she almost sulked to find out that Jessie had already done it all. She didn't get out of the room without talking to Jessie first, though, which Kit heard about from the manor's rumor mill. Jessie had made the maid, one of the younger ones that Kit didn't know very well named Luann, help her set up her rings to start the sweater, and had quite effectively charmed the vixen into chattering away with her like they were old friends.
Kit had left her in the bedroom, to her own devices, because Vil was quite serious about him being involved in the operations of the board. He certainly didn't want to do it, but she was quite insistent. So, in his father's old office, Kit listened on a phone as the board discussed some matter involving transportation fees for steel to ship it from mills in Pennsylvania to the main yards in New Hampshire and Norfolk. Kit spent most of his time listening for the voice of his uncle Jake, but Jake never said a word until they voted to commission a cost benefit analysis to change their shipping procedures.
After the board meeting, Vil went home early, and called him from Hart's Crossing. Kendall was making himself at home, moving both into the house and into her bedroom, which was exactly what Vil wanted. Vil had had a taste of living with Kendall and she liked it, so Vil being Vil, she made sure to get what she wanted. She wanted Kendall in her house, right now, and that was exactly what she got, despite the fact that it was already a headline on every Boston tabloid that Vil had moved her fiancée into her house before the marriage. Kendall's things had already started arriving from England in discrete shipments, but he wouldn't be bringing a whole lot. He was the one moving into Vil's house, so all he really wanted to bring were clothes and some personal effects and knick-knacks to introduce a sense of his own style into Vil's home.
Kit moved from pretending to be some member of the board to doing his own work at his own company. Kit had arranged it with Rick to be sent projects, but Rick also demanded that he write a series of articles, complete with pictures, about the history of Stonebrook, some of its architecture and décor, and the things that had happened in the house. Rick wanted him to more or less write a biography about the Vulpan family using the house as a central theme, talking about the males and females that had walked the halls of Stonebrook, as well as those who had labored to build it and worked even today to maintain it. That, Kit didn't mind, for some of the servants were far more interesting than the Vulpans they served.
After lunch, Jessie almost got herself in trouble, for she invaded the kitchen. The three cooks, Carrie, Francis, and Henri, were not used to anyone meddling with their kitchen, and Jessie got a little bit of what she dished out to Kit after they moved into the new house. Their hackles weren't up long, though, for the two foxes and the French wolf found Jessie to be sincerely curious about their kitchen and some of their recipes, and from there she learned that the kitchen didn't cook just for the Vulpans, but for everyone. The Vulpans' meals were prepared in the main kitchen, while there was a smaller servants' kitchen for anyone to use that was near the servant entrance in the back of the house. Most of the servant apartments on the first floor had their own kitchens, but sometimes a servant would use the main kitchen for something particularly large or challenging, or required the special appliances they kept in the main kitchen… which had everything. Kit came into the kitchen to scrounge up something to eat and found Jessie standing right in the middle of the chefs, an apron around her expanded belly and laughing as she kneaded a bowl full of what looked like bread dough.
"Henri is teaching me how to make French bread from scratch!" she told him with an excited grin.
"I think I have already taught you, madam," Henri said in his slight French accent. "You have made that dough yourself, with no help from me!"
"Thank goodness my oven at home is big enough to bake a whole loaf," she said in relief.
Kit went back to his work, finishing a small research project and then starting on the last of the main research projects for the election special, which was the historical nature of the election itself. It was historic in that an African-American mixed breed was a nominee, it was historic in the fact that the Republican nominee was the oldest nominee for first time, it was historic in the amount of money spent, and it was historic in that, if the rumors were true, McCain was going to select a femme to be his running mate… so, if that did in fact happen, they were guaranteed either a mixed breed or a femme in the executive, and both were firsts. Pat was finishing up the convention work, and he'd also done the work on the Electoral College, but Kit was going to do this work and leave Pat available to do the day to day research the writers needed, since he was there and could more easily talk to them. They were going to do two articles for each side, the first pointing out the historic nature of the election concerning that candidate, and then a second that would exhaustively go over the platform and beliefs of the candidate so the readers would have a better idea of where they stood on the issues.
When it was about time for dinner, Kit returned to the kitchen to find Jessie right there with the cooks, teaching them some of Kit's favorite recipes as she shook a dab of spice into a pan holding her special homemade spaghetti sauce. And what was probably more surprising, Muffy was standing nearby watching. Where Vil and Terry had left the manor to go home and go back to New Orleans, Muffy had stayed over. She'd woken up around noon, went swimming, worked out in the gym, then she'd vanished for a while, but now she'd resurfaced in the kitchen, gabbing away happily with Jessie. It wasn't surprising that she'd vanished, since Stonebrook was a very large place and it was very easy to vanish from sight in a place so big, and Kit figured she'd gone home. "I thought you went home, cousin," Kit said as he came in.
"Nah, I took a nap," she answered. "Jessie's gonna teach me how to shoot skeet after dinner!"
"I will if I can," she answered. "Nick said he was going to track down a portable trap launcher and set it up out where we won't accidentally shoot anything. He brought our shotguns, love," she told Kit with a smile. "You can get in more practice!"
"Where is Nick anyway?"
"Well, he finished his inspection of the grounds, then he made a few phone calls and disappeared," Jessie answered. "He came into the kitchen right after lunch to tell me he was going out. He promised to look into a trap launcher while he was out."
"I guess that works. Spaghetti?"
"Mmm-hmm," she answered.
"I'm amazed they're letting you cook."
"She said she would cook for you, Master Kit, and we would cook for your guests," Carrie said, a touch annoyed.
"I said I'd cook so you could learn Kit's favorite recipes," Jessie said. "But you owe me recipes in return! I want to go home with a bigger cookbook!"
Carrie actually laughed. "We could let you copy some of our recipes," Carrie mused, looking at Henri. "But not the secret ones."
"Oui, there are special Stonebrook recipes we keep top secret," the wolf agreed, smiling at Francis. "Recipes only the three of us know."
"Well, we could train her to be a real chef," Francis speculated. "She's not that bad."
Jessie laughed. "God, Sheila will kill me when she hears that you've been teaching me recipes!"
"We are very surprised Miss Sheila has such an interest in cooking," Henri said.
"Interest? It's almost an obsession," Jessie laughed. "She owns nearly an entire bookshelf full of cookbooks, from pastries to barbecue, and just about every tradition. She even has a cookbook on Turkish recipes," she said. "She just needs to be taught how to use those cookbooks the right way, and I think she'll be a good chef. She certainly has the desire."
"Sheila found her dream," Muffy giggled. "She has her restaurant, I have my nightclub! Maybe we should open them side by side here in Boston," she mused. "We could even connect them together! Fine dining, then a night of fun!"
"Why settle with just one?" Jessie asked her. "Build one here in Boston, then another someplace where it's warm, like in Florida. That way you get the summer and the winter crowds."
"I think just one will do to start out," Muffy smiled. "Once I get the hang of running a business, then maybe I'll think about building another one."
"Well, you'll have name recognition, cousin," Kit told her. "I think you'd get a lot of business because everyone will want to come to the nightclub run by a Vulpan. After all, the whole city knows how Vulpans love to party."
"So true," she laughed in agreement.
They had a very un-Vulpan dinner of spaghetti, homemade Italian garlic bread, and salad in the kitchen, at the bay table, and what shocked the cooks even more was that Jessie had them join them. They looked very uncomfortable sitting with two Vulpans and a Vulpan by marriage, so they ate in silence and listened as Jessie and Muffy chattered away happily, talking about nothing in particular. Muffy liked his wife a great deal, and it was no surprise that she hadn't left the manor yet. But Muffy was still a Vulpan in her behavior. She made the cooks get her everything she wanted, even had Francis spoon spaghetti onto her plate for her, and demanded fine wine from the cellar with her spaghetti. Jessie tolerated her behavior as understanding that Muffy felt like it was proper behavior here in Stonebrook.
Dinner broke up, and irked Muffy a bit, because Jessie gently chided her about not putting her plate in the sink. "That's what the servants do!" she protested.
"I think it won't kill you to carry your plate to the sink once in your life, Muffy," Jessie grinned at her. "I'll take you out and show you my shotgun if you do."
"Okay!" she said immediately, jumping up with her plate in her paw.
Kit could only chuckle. What was it about the Williams clan that tamed the Vulpans?
Jessie took Muffy out to a far corner of the manicured lawn in an area she had Stanley proclaim as safe, out where the archery target used to be set up; archery was one of Dad's hobbies. Stanley warned everyone to stay clear of that area as Jessie taught Muffy about safe gun usage, not even letting her hold it while empty until she fully understood the dangers involved. Kit didn't go with them, for Vil called him to tell him about what had happened that day. Kit was up in the bedroom when she called, looking over the huge video library his father had amassed, some thousand or more DVD's, which were all arrayed in neat shelves in the smaller closet, which had become a media storage room. There were no new movies in that collection, but hundreds and hundreds of older ones. "So, Zach finally came out of his hiding place?" he asked.
"Yup, he went to Oak Hill earlier today," she answered. "From what I heard, Alicia is utterly pissed off that Zach gave up Stonebrook without a fight. That reminds me, what happened to all their stuff?"
"It's boxed up in the pool house," he answered. "I'm going to have Stanley get it out of here tomorrow."
"Well, that'll just pour salt all over Alicia's wounds," Vil said with an evil chuckle. "And, as expected, he knows Jessie is up here now, and he's predictably pissed. But, the main thing is, I've invited all three of them to have little talk with me tomorrow."
"Why?"
"To capitalize on their chagrin," she answered. "Their plot to kill me failed, and they have to know that I'm pretty annoyed with them right now. I'm going to make it common knowledge, as well as your determination to hold Stonebrook. I might be able to wrestle a concession out of them," she chuckled.
"What is that?"
"The one thing Zach does not want, no matter what, is for your daughter to be born in that house, bro," she told him. "And you made it clear that you're pretty pissed off and you have no intention of leaving Stonebrook until you've established your residency. And neither of us are too happy with Jessie being up here, because I don't want her to see how nasty we get. So, I'll offer Zach a deal. He signs away his stake in Stonebrook and agrees never to set foot on the grounds again, and in return you and Jessie will pack up and go back to Austin. He might jump on it, because he doesn't relish the idea of you being up here either. Despite everything, Zach has to admit that you've gotta be tough and smart if you survived everything Dad threw at you, and he might not feel very safe with you only three miles away. And he certainly doesn't want both of us up here together. So, he very well might go for it to get you out of the house and out of Boston."
"I seriously doubt that, sis," Kit said. "He won't give up his claim on Stonebrook because he can't pretend to be the head of the family from Swan Cove. If he relinquishes Stonebrook, he's all but admitting the fact that he's given up, and we win."
"Possible, but I'm gonna offer him anyway. I want the idea of it floating out there."
"Eh, I'd rather take a boat up to his manor and shoot him."
She giggled. "I share that sentiment," she said impishly. "Is Jessie becoming a debutante?"
Kit chuckled ruefully. "Last I saw, she was taking Muffy down to teach her how to shoot a shotgun. And no, she's not becoming a debutante. She cooked dinner."
"Wow, and Carrie didn't try to shave the fur off her tail?"
"She gave her a few dirty looks," Kit chuckled. "Jessie's just being her usual sweet, charming self."
"I told you not to worry."
"We'll see if that holds in a month," he grunted. "After she gets used to the idea that they'll cook and clean for her."
"I'm telling you, bro, stop worrying," she told him, a bit sternly.
"Meh. How's your leg feeling?"
"It doesn't hurt as much today as yesterday," she answered. "But it still throbs all the time. I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow morning. They're going to inspect my leg and change the bandage on my arm. God it itches," she complained. "They said it's because my fur is growing back. They shaved my arm, from the elbow to the wrist!" she complained. "They even shaved off the unburned fur!"
"They needed to clear the fur out from under the bandage," he told her. "And they didn't want your fur matting into the burn."
"It's not even that bad!" she complained.
"Let them be the judge of that."
"I'll buy the hospital and fire the lot of them if they shaved my fur off for no good reason," she fumed.
Kit chuckled. "How was your first night living with Kendall?"
"Almost insufferable," she growled. "He wants to baby me. Between him, Stav and Marcus, and my servants, I can't even settle into a chair without five pillows being shoved in my face, but he's the worst of the lot. He's almost as bad as Jessie was when you were hurt!"
"Well, that just proves he loves you," Kit told her.
"That or his father will kill him if he goes home unmarried," she said darkly. "It's all about self preservation for him."
"Just put him in bed, grab hold of him, and make him hold still until he falls asleep. That's one of Jessie's favorite tactics against me."
"If I do that, I'll be doing something that my doctors told me not to do," she said with a wicked little tilt to her voice. "I could barely keep my paws off him last night."
"Don't," Kit told her. "I'm sure you can find some way to keep your leg immobilized. Maybe strap it down, or maybe you can just keep that leg up in the air or something."
There was an embarrassed silence from the phone that made Kit smirk. "Don't start with me, young male," she finally said. "I'm practically your mother!"
"Then stop saying things like that in the first place," he teased in reply. "You forget, I'm a married male, sis. I have experience."
"What Vulpan doesn't?" she laughed in reply. "Except maybe your wife," she teased.
"I've corrupted her in that regard," he said dryly. "I may be the only partner she's ever had, but she's very… daring in bed."
"Oh, do tell," Vil said with amusement.
"I'll leave that up to your imagination, sis, and you won't be far from the mark," he drawled, which made her laugh. "When are you coming over again?"
"Probably tomorrow night." She was quiet a moment. "So, how is Stonebrook?"
"The same as it was yesterday, sis."
"No, bro. How is it?"
He was quiet a moment. "I still don't feel comfortable here, sis," he answered. "I don't think I ever will. I feel like an invader, and I almost feel like that bastard is watching me from the walls. Jessie made me show her everything there is in the manor, and for a little while it felt… I don't know, fun to be here, showing her the secret rooms and the vault and such. But when she's not here, this place presses in on me like I'm under a thousand blankets."
"You showed her the secret rooms?"
"Yeah, all of them."
"Even the vault?"
"Especially the vault," he retorted. "I don't feel that bad in the master bedroom since I guess you had them decorate it to resemble our room back home, but I just don't feel… happy here."
"Just give it time, bro. That feeling will fade over time."
"I dunno. I don't think so."
The door opened, and Stanley looked in. "Master Kit, Miss Bess is at the front gate and wants to come in."
"Bess?" he said in surprise. "My cousin Bess?"
"Yes, Master Kit," he nodded. "She's at the front gate and wants to come in."
"Why?"
"To talk to you."
"Huh," he grunted. "Vil, Stanley says that Bess is here, and she wants to talk to me. Did you know about it?"
"No, but maybe Muffy got in touch with her," she answered. "Invite her in, bro, and see what she has to say."
"Is she here alone, Stanley?"
"Yes, Master Kit. She's in her personal car."
"Alright, let her in. I'm coming down."
Bess. Why would Bess be here? She was one of the most notorious Vulpans in Boston, the leader of the Party Pack. She was 25 years old, the oldest child of Uncle Tom, and ever since she graduated from Weston, with surprisingly good marks at that, not legacy grades, she'd descended into a frenzy of hedonism. There wasn't a drug Bess wouldn't try, or a male she wouldn't lay, and her entire life revolved around the next party she planned to attend. Bess' outrageous behavior had been a staple in the Boston and even the national tabloids, on par with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, and had often been the nexus of very angry fights within the family. The other elders had ridden Tom for years to do something about Bess, but Tom was reluctant to do so. Kit felt that ever since they'd discovered the truth about Dahlia's behavioral problems, that Dahlia was schizophrenic and manic depressive, Tom was afraid that Bess too was suffering from some kind of mental condition that she covered up with sex, drugs, booze. Tom would rather have a daughter that was intentionally broken than another daughter that had mental problems. But why was she here? Had Muffy got in touch with her and told her to come back to Boston? If so, why did she come here? He guessed he'd find out, but he wondered at it as he jogged down the servant stairs near the master bedroom, that put him in a side corridor that would take him to the main hallway that led to the garage.
Bess was… harmless, as things went. She was old enough to understand what happened to him when he was hit by the car, but Bess was Bess. If she was sober enough to comprehend what happened, it would have been a miracle.
He went out into the courtyard just as she pulled up. She was driving a 2002 Porsche, a surprisingly old car, but from the sound of it, it was well maintained. She looked at him through the windshield, her eyes wide, then she got out. Bess was like Vil, a bit petite and thin, a slender little vixen whose ability to drink was legendary in Boston. Bess could drink absolutely anyone under the table. Bess had a slightly shorter muzzle and long auburn hair she kept tied back in a pony tail, and she didn't look quite herself. She was almost always dressed to a tee and with her hair done and claws manicured, but this Bess almost looked… normal. She had her hair tied back in a simple tail, and was wearing a very expensive sleeveless yellow silk blouse with a pair of designer blue jeans. "God, when did you get so tall, Luke?" she asked in surprise.
"You haven't seen me since I was fifteen, Bess, and don't call me Luke," he answered. "My name is Kit."
"I'm never going to remember that," she said seriously. "May I come in?"
"As soon as you answer me one question. Where the hell were you, cousin?" he asked harshly. "I needed you, and you weren't there! Nobody was there!"
"Where was I? The same place I am every day, cousin, trying to forget I'm in this family," she answered seriously. "Now let's go inside. I need a drink," she complained, rubbing her muzzle.
He didn't take her far. There was a small entertainment room near the garage mainly where one could wait for a limo to be brought around, but it doubled as a TV room. "Bring me something to drink," Bess ordered of Stanley as he approached. "Wine, whiskey, I don't care. Just make sure it has alcohol in it."
"Go ahead. Bring me some tea, too, please."
"At once, Master Kit," Stanley replied with a short bow, then he scurried off.
Bess sat on the couch, and Kit sat on the other side of it, and they turned towards each other. "Uncle Zach is out of control," she said. "He called me yesterday and made some really ugly threats if I didn't openly support him taking over for Vil. He threatened to get me evicted, take my car, make sure that no club in Boston would let me in, and said the next time I get pulled over, he'll make sure I get arrested and convicted of drunk driving and go to jail," she said, bristling slightly. "I've always tried to just stay the hell away from the family, kinda like you, Luke. The only family I really see often are my brothers and sister and Mary. But this is really just totally unfair," she fumed. "Us girls aren't allowed to have any say in the family, and now he wants us to try to pressure Vil to leave?"
That one sentence actually told Kit a great deal about Bess, since he didn't know her that well. Sheila had some similar attitudes, that since she was a femme why should she even care, since her voice meant almost nothing in the family. A lot of Sheila's partying was because she had nothing else to do, but some of it was because she felt as if no matter what she did, she'd never get any respect in the family… so why bother? It seemed that Bess shared a similar outlook, but unlike Sheila, Bess had never let go of her bitterness, so she drank away the pain. There was also that she was a member of Tom's family, and Tom's family had been the black sheep of the Vulpan clan until Kit rebelled against his father. Bess herself had been a part of that when she was growing up, since Tom's oddness started it, her wildness had perpetuated it, and Dahlia had cemented it. Bess had been as much a hellion as a child as she was an adult, but despite that, she'd gotten good grades, hinting that Bess was smarter than the family thought.
"What do you expect, Bess?" Kit asked. "One way he can exercise his control over the family is to make you do what he wants."
"But it's not fair!" she almost whined. "Why are they dragging me into this?"
"Because they can, I imagine," he answered. "What you have to decide is what you want to do."
"I want them to leave me alone," she retorted. "I want to be left alone and go back to my own life."
"Good luck with that," Kit grunted. "That's what I've been trying to do since I was sixteen, and where am I now? Back here. This family is a damn black hole. Nobody can get out."
"I'll agree to that much," she said, and then her eyes brightened when the door opened and Stanley brought in a cup of tea and a glass of wine. She downed almost half of it with one swallow, then smiled in satisfaction. "Much better," she sighed, leaning back and swirling the wine in the glass as Kit took a sip of tea. "So, what's it like, cousin? Being married to a cat."
"You're treading on dangerous ground, Bess," Kit warned in a dark tone. "I'll boot your tail out of here so fast your fur will be left behind if you make even one comment about my wife."
"Did you hear me insult you? I just asked what it was like," she said. "I'd never marry anything but a fox myself, but I've had quite a few lovers who weren't foxes. I was just wondering what it was like living with a cat."
"The same as if she was a fox," he answered. "But that's beside the point. What you have to ask yourself is what you want the rest of your life to be like. Do you want to live the rest of your life under Uncle Zach's foot, or live the rest of your life with Vil, who'll just demand you keep the outrage restricted to private clubs?"
"I don't want to take sides," she said. "I just want to be left alone!"
"I don't think that's going to happen now, cousin," he told her seriously. "Think about it. They tried to kill Vil. Do you think they're going to let someone just stand on the sidelines right now? I rather doubt it."
"Do you really think they did it?"
"I can't say for absolute certain, but that's just way too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence," he said. "Vil's chopper crashes just days after she suspends Zach from the company and starts getting rid of the yes-furs the elders had on the board? I'm convinced someone tried to kill her, cousin. That's why I'm up here. I think Zach did it, so I'm here to push Zach out of Stonebrook. I'll stay here until he can't come back, no matter how long it takes. He will never set foot in Stonebrook again."
"I don't want to get involved in this, Luke!" she told him. "No matter what I do, it's going to be the wrong choice, and someone is going to punish me! It's not fair! If I do what Uncle Zach wants, Vil will skin me and hang my hide on her wall. If I don't, Zach will make my life hell! It's just not fair! I don't have anything to do with anything! Why can't they leave me alone? Why?"
"Why didn't my father leave me alone after I left?" he asked bluntly. "You're dealing with furs that don't take no for an answer, Bess, on either side. You're gonna have to pick a side and deal with the consequences."
"Every time I pick a side, I get screwed," she complained. "What should I do, Luke?"
"For one, stop calling me that," he said. "Don't call me by my father's name."
"I can't help it," she told him. "You were always Luke to me. Besides, they called your father Lucas, not Luke."
"Well, get used to it," he told her. "My name is Kit. Say it, Bess. Say my name."
She laughed ruefully. "Kit," she obeyed.
"Second, I'm not the one you should ask, because I'm obviously biased," he continued. "I'm supporting Vil. Not because she's my sister, but because she's the only member of this family that has ever been on my side. I can't just walk away from that commitment and not support her when she needs me."
"God, I remember that," she sighed, taking another sip of wine. "When your father warned that anyone that tried to see you would get disowned, I think I spent three straight days drunk out of my mind. I think that's when I knew that this family had gone to hell. I was actually happy when your father died," she admitted.
"You're not the only one," Kit agreed, taking another sip of tea. "I thought I was finally free of the family after he died… but nooooooo," he sighed. "They interfered with my life as soon as I settled down."
"You were going out with a cat, cousin," Bess told him. "It's no wonder."
"Yeah, well, I married her too," he declared.
"Whatever makes you happy, cousin," she shrugged. "I wouldn't do it, but if it makes you happy, who am I to argue?"
"That's another reason why I'm up here," he said. "If Zach is running this family, you know he will never give me and Jessie a second's peace. I'm up here fighting for my marriage as much anything else. If he takes control, he'll start doing to me what dear old Dad did, ruining my life until I do what he wants." He took another sip of tea. "That's the fate waiting for all of us if he takes control, Bess. That's why you'd better pick a side, because if he's running things, he won't leave you alone. He'll make you marry some blue-blood and settle down."
"Why would he? I made sure that no respectable male would want me," she said, giving him a steady look.
Kit chuckled. "So, there was a method to your madness."
"Damn right," she nodded. "Do you think any male in New England will want to marry Bess Vulpan?"
"Actually, quite a few," Kit told her. "Just for the tie to the family. But he'd never love you, and you'd probably never love him. And I'm sure Zach would find some male who could keep you under control."
"Hmph," she snorted, finishing her wine. "They forget, the money's in my name, and I'm not dumb enough to open joint accounts without one hell of a prenup. What can my husband do? Use harsh language?"
"That or the unpadded side of his paw," he answered.
"Oh, hell no would I let any male lay a paw on me!" she declared hotly.
"Mmm-hmm. I'm sure Maxine used to say that too," he said, taking another sip of tea.
She blew out her breath. "It's just not fucking fair!" she said, slamming her empty glass on the table, and almost breaking it. "What am I supposed to do? I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't!"
"Well, you can always go with the third option," he said.
"What is that?"
"Tell Zach to go to hell, then get out of Boston so he can't retaliate."
"There's nowhere I can go to stop that!" she protested.
"I don't think Zach can reach far into England, Bess," he said. "Matty's already over there, hiding out with her kids. You could always ask her if you can come visit."
"Matty doesn't like me, Luke. Kit," she said before he could say something.
"Well… I guess there's always Austin," he said, with honest reluctance. "Vil controls Austin, and Zach can't do much of anything there. Sheila's already there, so she could show you around, help you get settled in."
"Austin? Why would I want to live in Austin?"
"Would you rather live under Zach's foot?" he asked pointedly. "It's a huge college town, so there's plenty of clubs and things for you to do, and as long as you're there, Zach can't touch you. I guess I could let you hide out down there, if you support Vil."
She gave him a suspicious look. "What do you mean, if I support Vil?"
"Austin is my home, Bess," he told her calmly. "Sheila's only there because I allow it. I actually kinda like Sheila, she's a lot of fun, but if you tell her that I'll strangle you. But, if you want my protection, it's gonna cost ya in the form of rejecting Uncle Zach and supporting Vil openly." He took another sip of tea. "And I think you're not far from that already. You don't want Zach to be in charge, and trying to run your life, do you?"
"No!"
"Then what's so hard about it? Just pack up your stuff and move to Austin, flipping off Zach every step of the way. Let him just try to get revenge on you when you're in the one place in this country where he has absolutely no influence or control. Once Vil has control of the family again, move back."
She leaned back on the couch, pondering his words. "You're absolutely sure he can't do anything to me?"
"He never managed to do anything to me. And he tried to go after Terry's girlfriend, but he didn't get far at all. Vil owns Austin, cousin."
"Is she really a prostitute?" she asked in a nearly conspiratorial voice.
"She used to be," he said honestly. "She's very beautiful, and she came from a broken home, so she realized she could make a lot of money doing it. She worked in a sex club basically to work her way through college, but she saved up so much money she didn't really need college to make it. She finished college anyway because she likes what she was taking in school, and now she's just having fun taking flying lessons while she decides whether or not she's going to work… and she could do it easily. There's a demand for chemists with Master's degrees. She's not rich, but she never has to work a day in her life if she doesn't want to, even if she stops seeing Terry."
"Huh. All I ever hear about her is that she's a slut gold-digger trying to bilk Terry out of his money."
"Allison has her own money," Kit said simply. "She's not dating Terry because he's rich. She's dating him because he wouldn't stop chasing her. And watch what you say about her, because both me and Sheila are her friends. She's not in any way what the elders are saying she is."
The door opened, and both Muffy and Jessie were outside the door, Jessie holding her skeet shooting shotgun. "Bess!" Muffy said with a smile. "I thought that was your car in the courtyard!"
"Muffy!" she said with a smile, standing up and accepting a hug from the taller vixen. "How's my favorite streaker?"
Muffy laughed. "Reformed," she grinned. "Oh! Bess, this is Jessie, Kit's wife. Jessie, this is Bess Vulpan. Revered leader of the Party Pack!" she said with a giggle.
"I don't know about revered," Bess laughed, offering her paw to Jessie. "It's nice to meet you, Jessie."
"You too," she said, just a touch defensively. Jessie knew better than to accept a Vulpan's friendship at its face. Kit had taught her well in that regard.
"What are you doing here, Bess? You know that Uncle Zach is gonna be pissed that you came here."
"He's why I'm here," she answered. "He threatened to ruin my life if I don't support him against Vil!"
"He didn't!" Muffy gasped.
"Oh yes he did!" she answered. "But Kit made an offer."
"What's that?"
"Hide in Austin, where he can't touch me," she answered. "I don't want to get involved in this, but if I don't do something, Uncle Zach will come after me!"
"So, since he proved he's a dick, don't support him," Muffy giggled. "Be on the winning side!"
"You're taking sides, cousin?"
"Where am I right now, Bess?" she asked simply. "I'd be here anyway. I adore Jessie, and I can't very well let her be up here by herself! She needs a girl with her. Males just don't understand," Muffy grinned at Kit. "She's trapped inside the manor until they go home, so I'm gonna be here all the way up until school starts to keep her company!"
"And just who said you're staying here, Muffy?"
"Why Kit, would you leave your wife with no company at all?" Muffy grinned at him.
"What am I, raw lobster?" he protested.
"You're a boy," she said dismissively. "Besides, I've taken sides. Do you think I'm safe out there? Uncle Zach would skin me alive if he could get his paws on me. I'm staying in here, where it's safe."
"I could stay here," Bess said hopefully.
"No," Kit said adamantly. "I'll trust Muffy up to a point because she was one of the few who went out of her way to make contact with me. She came down to my wedding. I'll trust her way more than I'll trust the rest of the family. If you want our protection, Bess, then you should look at taking a little vacation in Austin."
"But I don't want to leave," she almost whined. "This is my home! I don't know what I'd do if I lived somewhere else!"
"Well, then you'd better decide what you're going to do, because if you're staying up here, someone is going to make you pay for your decision."
"This is so unfair!"
"Welcome to the real world, Bess," Kit told her, and not very compassionately. "The simple fact of the matter is that they're not going to let you just ride the fence on this one. You have to decide who you want running the family, Zach or Vil. Both choices have consequences. If you choose Zach, he runs your life until he dies. If you choose Vil, Zach might retaliate. What you want to do is up to you."
"Why don't you talk to Vil, cousin?" Muffy asked. "It won't hurt, and maybe she'll have a different idea."
"I don't know," she said, actually wringing her paws.
"Look at it this way, Bess. What can it hurt?" Jessie asked in a gentle voice. "You've heard what your uncle has to offer you, from the sound of it. See what Vil has to offer you. And then, once you know what each side has to offer, make a choice."
"You make it sound like I'm buying a new purse," she laughed mockingly.
"No, you're choosing who's going to run your life for the next thirty or forty years," Kit told her. "Find out what Vil intends to do, then decide where you want to stand. And there's always Austin," he reminded her.
"Sure, why not?" Jessie asked. "It's a big city and there's plenty to do, and Sheila is there to keep you company," she urged.
"I don't know," she said nervously.
"Then go find out," Kit told her. "Vil is at home. Go see her."
"I… I guess," she said. "But you promise to let me go to Austin if I decide to?"
"As long as you don't cause any trouble," he warned. "Unlike Boston, I actually have a good reputation in Austin, and I don't want you to ruin it. If you go down there, you keep the debauchery to a minimum. Sheila can show you where you can go have fun without attracting attention."
"Attention is the last thing I want right now," she said with a morose expression. "I guess I'll go talk to Vil," she said. "Thanks for the wine, and your time, cousin."
"I'm always here to listen," he told her.
She actually hugged him. "I'm glad you're home, Luke," she said quietly to him.
"I don't think you're entirely happy I'm here," he chuckled ruefully as he patted her on the back.
"You don't understand," she said. "We know you know what to do. You lived by yourself for six years! You know what's going on, and you know how to make it, how to deal with these things," she declared. "So who better to come to ask for advice but someone who knows?"
"I don't know about that," Kit said. "But you'd better get moving. Vil has her fiancée there now, so you might want to get there early, before she gets… distracted."
She giggled. "The Ice Queen is melting," she said. "That's a good sign. How's her leg?"
"She'll be fine," Kit told her. "She'll be getting married on crutches, but she'll be alright."
They saw Bess back to her car, and she waved to them as she turned in the courtyard and headed back down towards the gate. "Wow, did Zach really do that?" Muffy asked.
"She said he did," Kit answered.
She laughed. "He's making it easy for us!"
"He's certainly not doing himself any favors," Kit said, rubbing this finger along the edge of his jaw. "He's acting the same way he acted towards me when we got married. He just can't bring himself to ask when he's used to commanding. And it seems he thinks the cousins will just fall all to pieces and get under his tent when he barks threateningly at them. And that might be the key to getting rid of him," he said, turning quickly and taking his cell phone out of his pocket and speed-dialing Vil. "Sis," he called when she answered.
"What's up, bro?"
"I'm sending Bess over to you," he said. "She showed up here, and she's frightened. Uncle Zach threatened to ruin her life if she doesn't side with him."
"Well, that's certainly his usual operating procedure," she said with dark amusement.
"I told Bess if she sided with you, she could go to Austin where Zach can't touch her," he said. "And I think if you made similar promises to the other cousins, you'd garner some real support."
"Of course," she chuckled. "He wants to be the bad cop, I'll be the good one. But sending Bess to Austin, that's damn clever, bro," she said with an appreciative catch in her voice. "I'll just let Zach threaten each cousin, then tell them I'll put them someplace nice and safe where Zach can't touch them."
"Woah, woah, you mean send all the cousins to Austin?"
"Those that want to go," she said lightly. "Zach can't touch them down there. That's already been proved. I'll offer them freedom and safety. I think I'll get quite a few cousins," she purred. "I think I'll call Rick and have him do me a favor," she said to herself.
"Vil, don't get my friends involved in this," he warned.
"Trust me, I wouldn't do anything dangerous," she said. "But Rick's there, and he can make a few calls and a few visits for me to check some things out."
"What things?"
"You'll see," she said teasingly. "We wanted the cousins back in Boston to show they want to make their voices heard. This is just gonna help us. Lemme call Rick, bro, I'll talk to you later."
"Alright, but don't get too exotic," he warned.
"Me? Never," she laughed, then hung up.
"Well, Vil is waiting for Bess, and she's talking about sending any cousin afraid to stay to Austin," he told the femmes.
"Well, that's good," Muffy told him. "Now, Jessie, think I can actually shoot the gun now?"
"We'll see," she smiled at the shorter vixen. "Do you think Vil was serious about sending all the kids to Austin?"
"Fairly," he answered her. "I don't much like the idea of a bunch of cousins running around our city, though. They'll cause all sorts of trouble."
"Our city," Jessie giggled.
"It is our city, Jess," he told her. "Vil owns it, but she's part of the family, so it also belongs to us. Austin is our city, the same way Boston belongs to my family. That's what being a Vulpan is about," he told her with a dark smile.
"It's a good thing," Muffy laughed.