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Jessica held her face emotionless, thinking: So Ghanima's story is to be trusted, unless ... She didn't like the suspected unknowns.
Idaho closed his eyes, opened them to glance at Jessica. She continued to stare at Farad'n. Idaho had told her about this Rhajia vision, but she'd seemed unworried. He didn't know how to catalogue her lack of emotion. She obviously knew something, though, that she wasn't revealing.
"This is the situation," Farad'n said, and he proceeded to explain everything he'd learned about events on Arrakis, leaving out nothing. He concluded: "Your granddaughter survives, but she's reportedly in the custody of the Lady Alia. This should gratify you."
"Did you kill my grandson?" Jessica asked.
Farad'n answered truthfully: "I did not. I recently learned of a plot, but it was not of my making."
Jessica looked at Wensicia, saw the gloating expression on that heart-shaped face, thought: Her doing! The lioness schemes for her cub. This was a game the lioness might live to regret.
Returning her attention to Farad'n, Jessica said: "But the Sisterhood believes you killed him."
Farad'n turned to his mother. "Show her the message."
As Wensicia hesitated, he spoke with an edge of anger which Jessica noted for future use. "I said show it to her!"
Face pale, Wensicia presented the message face of the cube to Jessica, activated it. Words flowed across the face, responding to Jessica's eye movements: "Bene Gesserit Council on Wallach IX files formal protest against House Corrino in assassination of Leto Atreides II. Arguments and showing of evidence are assigned to Landsraad Internal Security Commission. Neutral ground will be chosen and names of judges will be submitted for approval by all parties. Your immediate response required. Sabit Rekush for the Landsraad."
Wensicia returned to her son's side.
"How do you intend to respond?" Jessica asked.
Wensicia said: "Since my son has not yet been formally invested as head of House Corrino, I will--Where are you going?" This last was addressed to Farad'n who, as she spoke, turned and headed for a side door near the watchful mute.
Farad'n paused, half turned. "I'm going back to my books and the other pursuits which hold much more interest for me."
"How dare you?" Wensicia demanded. A dark flush spread from her neck up across her cheeks.
"I'll dare quite a few things in my own name," Farad'n said. "You have made decisions in my name, decisions which I find extremely distasteful. Either I will make the decisions in my own name from this point on or you can find yourself another heir for House Corrino!"
Jessica passed her gaze swiftly across the participants in this confrontation, seeing the real anger in Farad'n. The Bashar Aide stood stiffly at attention, trying to make it appear that he had heard nothing. Wensicia hesitated on the brink of screaming rage. Farad'n appeared perfectly willing to accept any outcome from his throw of the dice. Jessica rather admired his poise, seeing many things in this confrontation which could be of value to her. It seemed that the decision to send assassin tigers against her grandchildren had been made without Farad'n's knowledge. There could be little doubt of his truthfulness in saying he'd learned of the plot after its inception. There was no mistaking the real anger in his eyes as he stood there, ready to accept any decision.
Wensicia took a deep, trembling breath. Then: "Very well. The formal investiture will take place tomorrow. You may act in advance of it now." She looked at Tyekanik, who refused to meet her gaze.
There'll be a screaming fight once mother and son get out of here, Jessica thought. But I do believe he has won. She allowed her thoughts to return then to the message from the Landsraad. The Sisterhood had judged their messengers with a finesse which did credit to Bene Gesserit planning. Hidden in the formal notice of protest was a message for Jessica's eyes. The fact of the message said the Sisterhood's spies knew Jessica's situation and they'd gauged Farad'n with a superb nicety to guess he'd show it to his captive.
"I'd like an answer to my question," Jessica said, addressing herself to Farad'n as he returned to face her.
"I shall tell the Landsraad that I had nothing to do with this assassination, " Farad'n said. "I will add that I share the Sisterhood's distaste for the manner of it, although I cannot be completely displeased at the outcome. My apologies for any grief this may have caused you. Fortune passes everywhere. "
Fortune passes everywhere! Jessica thought. That'd been a favorite saying of her Duke, and there'd been something in Farad'n's manner which said he knew this. She forced herself to ignore the possibility that they'd really killed Leto. She had to assume that Ghanima's fears for Leto had motivated a complete revelation of the twins' plan. The smugglers would put Gurney in position to meet Leto then and the Sisterhood's devices would be carried out. Leto had to be tested. He had to be. Without the testing he was doomed as Alia was doomed. And Ghanima ... Well, that could be faced later. There was no way to send the pre-born before a Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam.
Jessica allowed herself a deep sigh. "Sooner or later," she said, "it'll occur to someone that you and my granddaughter could unite our two Houses and heal old wounds."
"This has already been mentioned to me as a possibility," Farad'n said, glancing briefly at his mother. "My response was that I'd prefer to await the outcome of recent events on Arrakis. There's no need for a hasty decision. "
"There's always the possibility that you've already played into my daughter's hands." Jessica said.
Farad'n stiffened. "Explain!"
"Matters on Arrakis are not as they may seem to you," Jessica said. "Alia plays her own game, Abomination's game. My granddaughter is in danger unless Alia can contrive a way to use her."
"You expect me to believe that you and your daughter oppose each other, that Atreides fights Atreides?"
Jessica looked at Wensicia, back to Farad'n. "Corrino fights Corrino."
A wry smile moved Farad'n's lips. "Well taken. How would I have played into your daughter's hands?"
"By becoming implicated in my grandson's death, by abducting me."
"Abduct ..."
"Don't trust this witch," Wensicia cautioned.
"I'll choose whom to trust, mother," Farad'n said. "Forgive me, Lady Jessica, but I don't understand this matter of abduction. I'd understood that you and your faithful retainer--"
"Who is Alia's husband," Jessica said.
Farad'n turned a measuring stare on Idaho, looked to the Bashar. "What think you, Tyek?"
The Bashar apparently was having thoughts similar to those Jessica professed. He said: "I like her reasoning. Caution!"
"He's a ghola-mentat," Farad'n said. "We could test him to the death and not find a certain answer."
"But it's a safe working assumption that we may've been tricked," Tyekanik said.
Jessica knew the moment had come to make her move. Now if Idaho's grief only kept him locked in the part he'd chosen. She disliked using him this way, but there were larger considerations.
"To begin with," Jessica said, "I might announce publicly that I came here of my own free choice."
"Interesting," Farad'n said.
"You'd have to trust me and grant me the complete freedom of Salusa Secundus," Jessica said. "There could be no appearance that I spoke out of compulsion."
"No!" Wensicia protested.
Farad'n ignored her. "What reason would you give?"
"That I'm the Sisterhood's plenipotentiary sent here to take over your education."
"But the Sisterhood accuses--"
"That'd require a decisive action from you," Jessica said.
"Don't trust her!" Wensicia said.
With extreme politeness, Farad'n glanced at her, said: "If you interrupt me once more, I'll have Tyek remove you. He heard you consent to the formal investiture. That binds him to me now."
"She's a witch, I tell you!" Wensicia looked to the mute against the side wall.
Farad'n hesitated. Then: "Tyek, what think you? Have I been witched?"
/> "Not in my judgment. She--"
"You've both been witched!"
"Mother." His tone was flat and final.
Wensicia clenched her fists, tried to speak, whirled, and fled the room.
Addressing himself once more to Jessica, Farad'n asked: "Would the Bene Gesserit consent to this?"
"They would."
Farad'n absorbed the implications of this, smiled tightly. "What does the Sisterhood want in all of this?"
"Your marriage to my granddaughter."
Idaho shot a questioning look at Jessica, made as though to speak, but remained silent.
Jessica said: "You were going to say something, Duncan?"
"I was going to say that the Bene Gesserit want what they've always wanted: a universe which won't interfere with them."
