Wonderful Brown Eyes - 4-8

IV

"Ah, thank you so much, Captain Cassini, for bringing 'Frau' Leah von Vossland to my humble propriety, safe and sound." Moving like someone who saw himself like the most important person in the universe, Count von Struve stalked across his office, to kiss Leah's hand. "You look lovely in that dress. How did you pass unnoticed…?"

"This dress was borrowed by the loveable personal of the Amazing Grays, my Count. And I didn't pass unnoticed. In fact, you must thank these mercenaries for saving me in the brink of time."

The Count nodded in comprehension. He turned to the mercenary leader, who was escorting Leah, and looked quite elegant in his green and golden Davion uniform. Surely something he kept from his past, before turning to the private sector.

"According to Frau Leah's words, you really deserve what I pay for your services. Again, I'm very happy for your professionalism."

"It was just our job, my Lord."

Von Struve waved at him.

"Nonsense! I will add a bonus to your contract. For such a young unit, your Amazing Grays really show their work."

"Thank you, my Lord." As he said those words, Cassini also made a slight bow. He was really trying to be extra polite to his first employer.

"No need to thank. Now, I would like to ask you to leave us, so I can have a talk with my niece, for a while."

"Sure." He turned to Leah. "Miss von Vossland." Then he turned over his heels, and left. Seeing herself suddenly alone with the older man, Leah felt a painful emptiness in the bottom of her stomach. She turned to face him.

"You surely are lovely…" Von Struve confessed. "You'll be a proper wife for the Baron Le Carré."

"I… I hope so…" Leah's voice was little more than a whisper, and she could not look at her uncle's eyes.

"Not that you have a choice, anyway…" Von Struve moved a few steps away, as if trying to find enough space for his thoughts. "As soon as our lineage and the Baron's become one, we will become the greatest Merchant House of the Rim Collection operating within the Lyran Alliance." He turned back at Leah. "And that's your part in this. To become the bond."

"I know…" Of course she did. That was why she had to go all that way into the war-torn Alliance, escaping the minions of Carlos Barroso. "But so many died… For this…" She remembered Luca, who had thrown himself into harm's way to save her life. She felt the tears threatening to roll down her face again.

"Leah… We don't have much of a choice, now do we?" The Count surely wasn't happy, that she could notice. "All those smugglers and private entrepreneurs like Barroso are watering down our business. If we don't do something as drastic as this, we might lose everything." He turned to the big window, far on the other side of the room. "Thinking that these… Commoners… Are destroying a merchant legacy like ours… It disgusts me. We must join forces with Le Carré, if we want to put them back on their place."  

The young woman sighed. She could not surpass her sadness, not at that moment, although the terrible events of that morning seemed to have happened in another age altogether. Now that the flush of adrenaline had long left her body, she felt utterly tired.

And, still, the idea of that marriage, an arranged marriage, made to save House Hartmann, to which the merchant routes of Vossland and Struve belonged to, seemed so odd and wrong, in so many ways. She was not especially romantic about those things, but she didn't know Le Carré, yet. It was all von Struve's work to save the House's business.

"Do you know how the Steiner militias knew who you are, and why they where trying to kill you?" Her uncle asked, all of a sudden. She just looked at him without knowing what to say. Encouraged by her silence, von Struve said: "Barroso gave them weapons and ammo as a bribe. That's how low he's willing to go just to impede your marriage. If you praise Luca's life, and all that was done to make this happen, Leah… If you do praise all of that, you'll find the strength to be a good wife and help us destroy Barroso…"

That would be her fate. Leah inhaled deeply.

"When will we depart?"

"In three days, if everything goes well. The good Baron sent a dropship to hitch us and our mercenary bodyguards. It will land in a small starport, a few kilometres from here. But make no mistake… Barroso will try to foil us."