Still gripping the certificate, he looked up at Rezkin and said, “You could have just claimed her all along.”

Rezkin cocked his head in thought and then simply nodded once.

“Why did you not?” the general asked. “Or is that why I am receiving this now?”

“It was purely coincidence that the lieutenant chose to deliver his message to you at this time, and I would prefer to discuss any other details with you in private,” Rezkin stated.

“They do not know?” General Marcum asked in surprise.

“No, and I would prefer to keep it that way for now,” Rezkin responded.

Tam, Frisha, and Lady Adelina were all astonished and utterly confused by the entire spectacle. Whatever the lieutenant delivered had clearly unnerved the general, and then the note Rezkin handed the man had taken the wind right out of his sails. Now, they were talking about some secret.

Tam and Frisha shared a look. A secret they did not know? One about Rez? What could Rezkin be hiding, and how could it be so important as to affect the general of the army in such a way? It had to be important to Marcum in his capacity as the general since the missive came to him via one of his lieutenants from the colonel at Maneske. What did the general mean when he said that Rez could have claimed “her” all along? Was he talking about Frisha? That made no sense. People could not claim other people. Was he talking about a weapon? Sometimes men referred to their weapons as she.

Marcum glanced at Lady Adelina, Frisha, and Tam and said, “If you would all please excuse us, we have some business to discuss.” With the strange change of mood and Rezkin’s insistence on a private discussion, Frisha decided not to argue. If Rezkin could convince the general to accept him as her prime suitor, then she did not really care what was said … for now. She really wanted to know the secret. What was in those notes? With a questioning backward glance at Rezkin, Frisha followed Tam and Lady Adelina out of the room.

“Lieutenant, will you be staying for a while?” the general asked.

Jimson looked uncertainly at Rezkin. “I had hoped to visit for a bit. We were to discuss our travel plans.”

Rezkin nodded once and said, “The lieutenant may stay. He is already aware of the contents of both of those documents.”

The general realized he was still holding Rezkin’s Certificate of Authority. With one last perusal, he rolled it up and replaced it in the metal tube before giving back to Rezkin. Marcum strolled over to his desk where sat a wine carafe and a set of goblets. He filled three of the goblets and then handed two of them to Rezkin and the lieutenant. “Shall we sit?”