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“I suppose Chairwoman Masson gave you and your cousin more education than us.”
Masson cut his gaze to Hardwicke. “I beg your pardon, sir. My matron did not teach my cousin how to do that, nor has she taught any of us to do that. I still want proof of my cousin’s crimes, just like the rest of you. Chief Shaw?”
“I’ll summon Dr. Booth,” Shaw replied. “He knows of the deal from La Roux’s own lips. His father does as well.”
“We’ll call for them.”
“What do we do with the chief?” another senator asked. “I can tell you how Dr. Vargas will answer. He’ll say that we can’t hand down a not-guilty verdict for her, then charge him for encouraging criminal behavior. Something must be done, but I don’t feel that his abuse of power warrants exile.”
“You’d keep him in the fold?” Hardwicke balked. “Allow him to remain inside Bullstow with his judgment so impaired?”
?
?Not everything is so black and white.”
“We’re not elected into this committee to live in the gray. The sentence should be death, regardless of his reasons. Have you all gone mad?” Hardwicke asked.
“I’ve grown tired of dolling out death and slavery. I’ve had enough of it,” his colleague replied. “We can’t charge him with treason. We could fetch Dr. Vargas and a bottle of port if you need another lesson.”
Hardwicke reached for a pen that wasn’t there, then stilled his hands on the table.
“If our tech department was not able to deal with the threat, then that highlights Chief Shaw’s failure as chief,” Masson said. “After all, Senator La Roux received the same education. You can’t hire a highborn consult to cover for your own incompetence.”
“Yes, I suppose I should have sent my tech department to a class,” Shaw replied. “They’d be a crack team then, just like you lot after a few rounds with Dr. Vargas.”
“Did you even try?” Masson asked. “I move that Chief Shaw’s militia license should be revoked. Too many ears heard his plea after Ms. Randolph’s sentencing. We’ll release the true cause, though a truncated version that won’t betray the link to those in our holding cells. Chief Shaw hired a very poor choice of technical consult, and he’s taken no steps to bolster the education of his technical department.”
“I have!”
“You have not done enough. Let that be a lesson for your replacement.”
Lila sat forward in her chair. “I recommend that you classify the record of this conversation. Not a word should leak until I have had a chance to ferret out the rest of La Roux’s puppets. Otherwise, word will only spread and alert the guilty. Many will run to Burgundy.”
“Agreed,” Masson said. “The usual punishments apply for breaking the silence, gentlemen. As to Chief Shaw, is everyone in agreement? Dismissed from the militia?”
The senators nodded.
“A slave’s term?” Hardwicke pressed. “He deserves the auction house for this outrage.”
None of the senators raised their hands.
“Ejection from Bullstow, then? I demand exile at the very least!”
“You’ve been overruled.”
Lila breathed freely. Shaw wouldn’t be hanged after all, and her father’s name had not even come up. If La Roux’s victims hadn’t been publicly charged and sentenced, if more hadn’t been waiting in the wings, neither one of them would have gotten off so lightly.
She certainly wouldn’t have earned immunity.
“I would see you hanged or at least ejected from Bullstow,” Hardwicke growled, “but it seems my wishes count for nothing. You are to be dismissed from your position, Tobias McGowan-Shaw. You may either retire or schedule yourself for retraining.”
“You’ll, of course, be barred from quite a number of occupations by order of this committee,” Masson added.
Shaw took his punishment with clear eyes and a proudly held head. “I have plenty of years left in me. I only wish to serve Saxony. I thank the committee for allowing me to remain in my home.”
Shaw’s gaze cut to Lila.
Both knew they had escaped much worse.
