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INVESTURE Ceremonies were of particular importance in Arcadian culture, reminding all and sundry the bride and groom were the linchpins of two family’s joint obligations. When designing the colony, the first Arcadians had fashioned their code of honor and hence their laws after the rules of Chivalry popular in medieval military circles. They reasoned a marriage was essentially a rite where two people pledged to love and honor each other, so therefore it should be considered of prime significance. Of course, the rite didn’t just concern the couple involved. It had other applications and obligations legally binding two families together. In fact, marriage created an entire list of commitments between the blended families.
An Investure Ceremony had three parts; the beginning negotiation between the two families which was usually announced in the home section of the local news. Once the family had agreed to consider a merger, DNA samples from all eligible family members were presented to the Arcadia Genetic Council for clearance. This was done to keep the populace free of genetic imbalances. In Ivette and Mathias’s case, the Hayes family had only one candidate old enough to be considered for marriage, while the Bedingfeld’s had two. The choice of marriage partners was traditionally left to the candidates.
Investure was a serious matter: Entire families had been shunned if the candidates refused to comply with the agreement. Once the candidates had been declared compatible genetically it became a matter of honor for the marriage to happen.
Since friends and relatives were expected to be a part of enforcing the new ties, it was customary to have as many witnesses as possible at an Investure Ceremony.
Anastasia and Christina had agreed to hold the ceremony and the celebration afterwards in Earthbury’s Great Hall. The Hall was the center of government for Earthbury. A three story, hexagon shaped building, the ground floor held smaller conference rooms around the edge, and the center was composed of a vast space that could be used as either a ballroom or a meeting room. A light grey and green marble slab covered the floor. Off to one side was a raised stage with long shallow steps. Just now it held a stone podium for the minister and a large vine-covered arch where Ivette and Mathias would take their final vows.
When they arrived at the Hall, the bride and groom, with their attendants went into separate conference rooms on either side of the stage. Tradition decreed the groom’s male relatives wait with him. When Alexandre would have accompanied Cosimo into the room, Johnathan Bedingfeld blocked the doorway.
“I’m sorry Marconi,” he said. “But Mathias sons are going to be attending him. It’s better if you are not present.”
Alexandre scowled. “Don’t tell me you believe the fol-de-rol that brat Leo spread about me! It’s high time he got over it.”
“Now is not the time or place to have this discussion,” Bedingfeld’s voice was as calm as lake water. He shut the door in Alexandre’s face.
“Hey!” Cosimo objected, “He’s my friend. You can’t treat him that way!”
“He’s damn lucky I didn’t kill him,” Mathias said patting Leo on the shoulder. “If he wasn’t involved with Ivette’s mother, I would have.”
“Why don’t I pour us a glass of wine while we wait,” suggested Jonathan to ease the tension in the room.
“Juice for the boys,” Mathias said, gently detaching Leo’s grip on his sleeve and gesturing for the boys to take a seat on the sofa.
Jonathan produced sippy cups for the juice and handed them out to the boys. “I think this will cut down on the spills,” he said.
“I didn’t think of that,” Mathias admitted. “Thank you. I promised Ivette I’d do my level best to ensure these guys arrived at the ceremony with no stains on their clothing.”
A discrete knock sounded on the door, and Mathias scowled. “If it's Alexandre—”
“I thought I’d come to wish you well,” Jerry Ring said.
“Come in Jerry. I’d like you to meet my sons. This is Leo, Rafe, Gabe, and Don. Boys, say hello to one of my best friends.”
“You own the company that checked out Lake House. I’m glad to meet you,” Jonathan said.
“How bad was it?” Mathias asked.
“Not as bad as it could have been. I think the bomb in the sandbox you set off was the worst. We fixed a few electrical glitches, repaired all the loose railings we could find and any broken pipes. My guys are doing a walk-through today. It should be okay for you to move in after the Ceremony as you planned.”
Cosimo looked interested. Alexandre had told him about the booby-trapped house, but he hadn’t been told Mathias and Ivette were moving in immediately. He wasn’t above feeling smug because one of Alexandre’s plans had misfired; his superior in the Blades had been a trifle snide at Cosimo’s failure to persuade Ivette to marry him, and he resented it.
Leo scowled at Cosimo from his perch on the sofa. Mathias gently removed his cup, which had commenced to tip, and sat it on the end table beside the sofa. Dropping a hand on the boy’s shoulder, Mathias patted it consolingly. At least Leo wasn’t shouting ‘bad man!’ at Cosimo this time, he reflected.
Mathias had no doubt his brother had been furious because Ivette had chosen Mathias instead of himself. Maybe even angry enough to try to hurt him if they hadn’t been in public, and his anger was what Leo’s empathic sensibilities had picked up. Growing up, no love had been lost between the brothers and there had been occasional fights which degenerated into physical altercations, but Mathias didn’t feel his brother’s resentment would lead him to try and do him any permanent harm.
“Thank you for coming, Cosimo,” he said. “I know we’ve had our differences, but I hope this means the family bond is still intact.”
“Cosimo shrugged. “I won't lose by it; Mom told me she is negotiating with the Pines concerning a marriage for me. I’ll have more choice than you did—the Pines have three eligible daughters.”
“Congratulations, brother,” Mathias said. “I hope you’ll be as pleased as I am with the results of the negotiation.”
The door was opened by one of the ushers. “Gentlemen, your father and brother need to take their seats.”
Mathias stood in the doorway where he could see his father and brother walking down the aisle between the seats. Cosimo joined his father, Gregory Militas, while Jonathan went to sit beside his wife. At least Militas looked to be sober, a rare state for him.
Mathias looked over his shoulder at the boys. “They’re almost ready for us. You remember what I told you to do?”
His sons came and stood behind him in a small group. At the Usher’s signal, Mathias said, “Let’s go,” and walked toward Ivette and the girls.
He and the boys met Ivette and her attendants at the center aisle and walked together toward the stage. There were a few muffled titters as the guests realized a vole was member of the wedding party. Ivette and Mathias, followed by the children and Minerva, mounted the shallow steps under the crossed swords held by a color guard from Mathias’s unit. Once all of them had ascended the stage, the color guard returned the swords smartly to their sheaths, saluted and stepped back.
Military protocol allowed for some diversity in the vows, but Ivette and Mathias had chosen the traditional ‘to Love, Honor and Cherish’ vows. When they had exchanged the kiss of peace, they turned to face the audience and the minister presented them as man and wife. At Ivette’s request, he also presented their children.
The newly married couple descended the steps, once more under the crossed blades of the color guard and walked to the back of the room where they would receive congratulations from the assembled guests.
While this was happening, building personnel cleared the middle of the room of chairs, a band mounted the steps to set up their equipment and a caterer uncovered the buffet table.
Ivette wasn’t yet an experienced mother, but even she could have predicted her toddlers would soon get bored with the reception line. Nanny was supervising the furniture movers, and everyone else Ivette thought she could trust to watch the children was standing in the line with her.
When Daphne tugged on her dress and whispered, “I’m hungry,” Ivette decided enough was enough.
“I’m going to get the kids some snacks from the buffet,” she told Mathias.
She found a corner table and settled the children at it. “I’m going to get you some snacks,” she told them. “You stay here and wait for me.”
She grabbed one of the overworked catering staff and asked for an assortment of the finger foods being served be brought to the children’s table. “I’ll need eight plates and a pitcher of water and some cups too,” she added.
The caterer had assumed the eighth plate was for Ivette and was taken aback when Jillian set it on the floor beside her chair. The expression on her face when Rika’s nose poked out from under the tablecloth and began to nibble on the food was priceless.
Mathias knew better than the caterer; he arrived at the table after the reception line broke apart with two filled plates. He handed one to Ivette and sat next to her. “How are we doing?” he asked.
“They’re tired,” Ivette said, gesturing behind her. Francisca, Don, and Gabe had taken possession of a low sofa against the wall behind the table and were fast asleep, Jillian, Leo and Daphne occupied the corner of the room, using Rika’s stomach for a pillow. Rafe was curled up on the floor beside them with his head on a throw pillow from the couch.
“They behaved beautifully,” Christina said, joining them at the table. “Affairs like this are hard on children their age.”
“Yes, if had been any other event, I’d have left them with Nanny,” Ivette agreed. “We do need to get them home soon though.”
“I’ll have the car brought around,” Mathias said. “We can take them out through the room behind us. It has an outside door.”
While Mathias was gone, Anastasia brought her boss, James Lewellyn over to the table. "Ivette, General Lewellyn would like a few minutes of your time."
Ivette looked up in surprise. "Yes? What can I do for you General Lewellyn?"
"Your mother informs me you are home for good. Is that so?"
"Yes, Mathias and I plan to make Arcadia our home base. The children are too young to do much traveling."
"If you are interested in a job, I have an opening in my company."
"Thank you, but I plan to develop my own company designing modular travel/living spaces."
"Developing any sort of enterprise is difficult with a new family. If you change your mind, please let me know. I'll hold the position open for a few weeks."
Mathias had returned. "The car is waiting outside," he said. "Who was that?"
"Mom's boss," Ivette made a face. "He tried to hire me. I told him no. I hope he takes it as final."
Mathias's eyebrows rose. "Any reason to think he wouldn't?"
"He's used to getting his own way," Ivette replied. She knelt to pick up the sleeping Daphne and Fran, while Mathias did the same for Leo and Rafe.
"Keep an eye on those three for us, please, Mom," Ivette asked, gesturing at Don, Jillian and Gabe.
"Of course, dear," Anastasia said.
Mathias didn't raise the subject again until they were pulling out of the alley to go to the Lake House. "I got the feeling you don't care for your mom's boss," he said.
"I don't, and I don't like the things he's asked Mom to do over the years."
"Such as?"
"Alexandre isn't the first man he's ordered her to develop a relationship with so she could get information from him," Ivette said. "I'm pretty sure her boss's orders are one of the reasons she and my father separated."
"He asked her to get friendly to other men while she was married? And she did it?"
"Yes. I don't think she was technically unfaithful to Dad, but she certainly allowed everyone to think she was."
"I'm glad you turned him down."
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