Silver Linings

the large glass cabinet that held several of Charlotte's most interesting specimens of old armor. The lighted case displayed a row of swords with unusual hilts, some gilded, some studded with semiprecious stones, and an arrangement of daggers of various sizes.
    “Is that rapier new?” Hugh asked idly. “I don't remember seeing it in there last time.”
    “Yes. It arrived yesterday. Seventeenth century. Rather nice, don't you think?”
    “If you like that kind of thing.” Hugh brought his gaze back to his boss. “Charlotte, I need a favor.”
    “I thought you might. You don't normally come up here just to visit. What sort of favor?”
    “I want to borrow some of your computer people. I need a little research done.”
    “On what?”
    “On what might have happened on Purgatory.”
    “According to the one short article I saw in the newspaper the other day, the coup was crushed almost immediately.”
    “That's the official version, but a friend of mine says there's a rumor that someone else is in charge now. Someone working behind the scenes. I figured if I could do a little fishing in some of your data banks, I might be able to come up with a name.”
    “My data banks or someone else's?” Charlotte asked with arched brows. “Never mind. I don't think I want to know the answer to that. Go ahead and talk to Johnson down in Systems. He can use our computers to talk to just about any major data bank in the world. Just don't give me too many details, all right? And tell Johnson I don't want any tracks left that could lead back to Vailcourt.”
    Hugh grinned. “Appreciate it.”
    “Consider it a wedding present.”
    “I'll do that.” Hugh stood up. “You want the rest of that bug juice?”
    “No, thank you. I'm afraid you're going to have to finish it all by yourself.”
    “I was afraid of that.” Hugh reached for the bottle and headed for the door.
    “By the way, Hugh,” Charlotte said behind him.
    “Yeah?” He turned, one hand on the doorknob.
    “How is Vailcourt's master security plan coming along?”
    “Be finished with it in another couple of weeks or so at the outside.”
    “And then what?”
    “Then, with any luck, I'll be on my way to St. Gabe with Mattie.”
    “I'm afraid you've still got some convincing to do in that department.”
    “It'll work out.”
    Charlotte absently tapped a gold pen on the desk. “I hope so. I honestly think she would be happy with you if she lets herself.”
    “Damn right,” Hugh said forcefully. “I'll make her happy, Charlotte. I swear it.”
    “None of us can actually make someone else happy, not really. We each have to find our own happiness within ourselves. We have to work at it. It takes courage.”
    “She's got guts,” Hugh said. “She'll be all right. She just needs a little time to get used to the idea of being with me on a permanent basis.”
    “I hope you're willing to give her the time, Hugh,” Charlotte said with a meaningful look. “I hope you won't try to push her too fast. You do tend to operate rather quickly, you know.”
    “Well, I can't hang around here forever. I've got a business to run and a house to build. And I'm not getting any younger.”
    “You really think she's just going to toss it all away for you, don't you? Her business, her lifestyle, her friends. Isn't that somewhat arrogant on your part, Hugh?”
    He scowled. “I'll take care of her.”
    “She doesn't need to be taken care of. She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Lord knows, she's had to do it for years. No one in the family knew how to take care of her. She wasn't like the rest of them. Her needs were different. Her talents were different. No one knew quite what to do with her when they found out she wasn't going to fall into the same mold as the rest of them.”
    “You seem to understand her.”
    Charlotte smiled. “Probably because I left the artistic world many years ago and went into the business world. When I found myself at the reins of Vailcourt, I learned a great deal about an area of life I had previously ignored. The experience has taught me to recognize and respect people such as you and Mattie. You're both entrepreneurs at heart. You both are inclined to take risks.”
    “You think Mattie is a risk taker?”
    “Certainly, although she doesn't think of herself that way. She takes risks frequently. She took a major one when she started Sharpe Reaction. Ariel and the rest of the family had a fit because she went for the