She tried not to show her displeasure. She followed him into the Keep and saw him nod recognition toward the hated emissaries of her father and their wives who had arrived two days before him. He then stopped and turned to face her as if waiting for something. Lady Tess curtsied and said, “Welcome home, my son.”
He gave her a quick half smile and leaned over and pecked her on the right cheek and said, “Mother.”
A noisy group of people who had accompanied him from Urus followed in behind them. He abruptly turned from her in a deliberate sign of dismissal and walked over to the group of young men and began to talk animatedly. Lady Tess heard the instant murmurs that went through the audience of people who were standing in the central hall of the Keep. She held her head high, masking all emotions. What did she expect? He had been raised as an outsider, as a Marlis.
What did or could he remember of what it was to be an Omarlo? Her father had deliberately withheld any concepts of what that meant from him. It was his reason for having taken her son into his household at such an early age. She still inwardly blamed Imir for all that had happened. It mattered a lot to her that he had lost his life during the invasion. She blamed him for dying. She continued to watch what she now thought of as a pretentious peacock of a son. Did he not know protocol? She was, after all, regent, which demanded a degree of respect.
They were called to the main hall where the ceremonial banquet was to be served. He turned and again walked past her, followed by his entourage of friends and Urus emissaries, and entered the meal room. He took the seat, her seat, at the head of the table. Pointed the opposite seat out to one of his confidants. The remaining invited dignitaries of Racine found seats around the group. Then Rarg gave orders that the meal was to commence. Lady Tess, left standing at the entryway, was eventually noticed by one of his confederates who leaned over and pointed her out to Rarg.
Rarg looked up and around the table and responded, “Oh . . . eh. Is there room?” Lady Tess turned and, with as much dignity as she could muster, left the hall. She had not failed to see smirks on the faces of several of the emissaries. The dignitaries of Racine sat stunned and silent. In their minds, this did not sit well.
Their opinions did not matter to Lady Tess. What mattered was Rarg’s obvious coldness, which was directed toward her. When he looked at her, there had been no warmth or show of maternal recognition. He had returned to claim his title as Lord of the Keep of the House of Omarlo. He had purposely, before Racine and Urus dignitaries, snubbed her. His mother, the current regent of Racine, was snubbed as if she had been some annoying unwanted servant in his way. She thought, how like a Marlis.
Yes, she had fled to her room. As she sat planning, she thought, fine, we are to be enemies. Then he would find that she too was born a Marlis. Had she not married into one of the most powerful families in the Nissarian system? Did she not currently run Racine? Even with all of that running through her mind, still a tear slid out as she thought, so sad, he had been such a lively, loving little boy.
She remembered the many years ago when she found it so vexing that he cried, wanting his father and brothers. Where were they? It was the question he asked over and over. He did not understand why they were gone and did not take him. He was lonely. The servants tried to keep him amused, but more often than not, he would just go off by himself. Captain Nor returned a week after Lord Marlis’ ships had invaded Racine space. The agreement reached to end the siege, named her regent until her son’s maturity; and emissaries loyal to Lord Marlis were permanently assigned to keep watch over her activities. Before the ships left Racine, Lord Marlis’ agents replaced one-third of the Keep’s servant staff, and allowed her to pick a replacement for old Moham, who was sent to live out his remaining years with his family.
As this was unexpected, Lady Tess consulted with the then Captain Nor, and he proposed Haiden Galton for the chancellor position. Haiden had turned out over the years to be an adequate advisor. As Nor’s man, one of the first things he had advised was the promotion of Nor from captain to general. Lady Tess understood the politics of this request but did not find a problem with it. So it was done.
General Nor had taken over the operation of Moham’s spy network. He had used it extensively to track down any information that remained on Racine regarding the device, to no avail. Racine continued to keep its edge on the production of new technology; however, none seemed able to re-create or create anything close to the rumored device.
Lady Tess had been thoroughly questioned as to the whereabouts of her twins and her husband’s right hand, General Drakar. It was the only time that her enemies saw emotion. Her responses were filled with hate directed at Imir. He had sent them away and died with the knowledge of where they were. She had for a short time been left with her oldest son. She explained that she had expected the twins to be brought back once Drakar received word that the danger to Racine was over. They never returned, and the years passed. She did not know if they were alive or dead. It was an open wound. If they were alive, they would be eighteen now.
She should have been mother to sons whom she could have had influence over as they grew up. Instead, there is only a stranger who has arrived, showing no respect for her as regent or mother. She had thought to be able to influence him using motherly love. She did not feel it, and he looked as if he did not want it from her. She saw now that it was a mistake to have been persuaded by her father and uncle not to have any contact with her son. They had turned down over the years any suggestion that he visit Racine. They convinced her that they believed dissident supporters of Imir could influence the boy during such visits. The few times she went to Urus the boy was always away thus reason enough to cut short her visit. Over time she stopped going.
She had underestimated her father’s manipulative schemes to control the future of Racine. She would not make the same mistake with Rarg. The love she bore the family, she lost long ago. Now whenever she thought about it that love paled to the love she bore for power. Imir at least understood this side of her. It was part of what attracted her to him. He was the only one who could anticipate and counter her will. That was what attracted him to her. It was their secret game, a game that had ended with his death.
She had been an indifferent regent for fourteen years, ever mindful of her father’s watchdogs. The people of Racine, in turn, tolerated her reign. She knew they secretly believed that when her son came of age, changes would be made for the better. She believed that they naively based this hope on if the Omarlo blood would win over. They did not know her father. There would be a struggle between them over who would eventually gain complete control of the pawn Rarg. Either way, a Marlis would control Racine’s future, and they had better hope it turned out to be her.
She anticipated her father’s complete control over her son. She had expected him to instill ideas, which would turn her son against her. But until today, even she had held out hope that it would not happen. Now she knew. But she was not one to depend on hope. She had put into place her own contingency plan. According to Racine’s doctrine, Rarg was required to marry within a month of his twenty-first year of birth. After the said marriage, there was to follow a ceremony crowning the new planet lord of Racine. She would step down as regent. He would become officially Lord Rarg Omarlo of the House of Omarlo. He is twenty, soon to be twenty-one and as regent, it was her duty to acquire an appropriate bride.
The one that she handpicked had promising good looks but was known to be rather empty-headed. That fact alone suited Lady Tess for what she had in mind. She successfully negotiated with the girl’s parents and had her sent to Racine. She has been under her control for these last six years. It was Erin Omir, daughter of the House of Omir on planet Octone. Her father was one of the lords comprising the Group of 3.
When Lord Marlis found out that she had selected the daughter of one of his cronies, it was too late