Part 37 (1/2)
Wearing a formal day dress, she went about her regular duties in her private portion of the citadel, inspecting a small white gazebo that was being added inside the immense conservatory, at the center of a maze of hedges and pathways. It was a perfect place for writing and contemplation. Sunlight slanted through plaz window panels high above, and she saw the glint of an ever-present surveillance device high in the branches of a tree.
At Paul's insistence, Korba had already read every page of her current draft, marking numerous complaints and objections, but in truth he had found nothing to cause a particular uproar. She hadn't expected him to. Irulan was adept enough to use layers upon layers of subtlety. On the whole, in fact, Korba seemed pleased with the book and impatient for the next volume to be published.
A craftsman was putting the finis.h.i.+ng touches on the little garden structure, attaching the last of the decorative trim pieces that she had specified. In her younger years on Kaitain she'd had a private area like this, all the way back to when she was a young girl. Here on this alien world where people had to be sealed away from the elements, she hoped to recapture some connection with less troubled times.
The craftsman was quite aged, with a deeply creased face, snowy hair, and overhanging brows. His coveralls were worn and frayed, but relatively clean. He completed his task and began organizing his tools, taking great care to put each item where it belonged. Straightening, he looked at her inquisitively, seeking approval.
”I have never seen better workmans.h.i.+p. Muad'Dib will be pleased.” She doubted Paul would ever notice this area; the contents of her gardens remained at her own discretion, a small hint of power. A faint, respectful smile formed on the man's face as he bowed, then departed.
She waited. It wouldn't be long now.
Beyond the central hedge, Irulan heard the rustle of robes as her visitors negotiated the spiral maze, coming unannounced. So, they had managed to get past the guards, although the labyrinth itself had slowed their approach. Turning to the three Reverend Mothers as they arrived, she could tell they were trying not to look fl.u.s.tered. ”Why, Sisters! I did not expect you.”
”And we did not expect to face such a gauntlet in order to gain an audience with one of our own,” said the one in the center, an oval-faced woman who appeared to be in her early twenties.
Irulan already knew the woman's ident.i.ty - Reverend Mother Genino - and her younger companions were Naliki and Osted. All three looked too young to have undergone the Agony, but already they were successful and powerful, and counted themselves among the select personal advisers to the Mother Superior herself.
Irulan offered no sympathy. ”I am the wife of Emperor Muad'Dib. Security measures are unavoidable, as you well know. If you had informed me you were coming, I could have made your pa.s.sage more seamless.”
”We wished to be... discreet,” said Naliki. She was a large-boned woman whose face was florid from the exertion of the walk through the complex maze.
”Ah, then a few complications are to be expected,” Irulan said. ”Come, let us go where we can talk. I am interested to learn your business here.” She led the way up three steps into the small open-walled gazebo, where they all took seats on benches.
Genino s.h.i.+fted to pleasantries. ”You are even more beautiful in person than I had heard. Fine breeding from the Corrinos, grace acquired from the Sisterhood, and confidence from being wed to an Emperor.” The small, dark eyes of this woman concealed much, but not all.
Irulan smoothed a fold on her elegant dress, then tested her hands on her lap. ”I so rarely receive Bene Gesserit visitors. What brings you to Arrakis?”
”Surely, you must have guessed,” Osted said. She was the shortest of the delegation, with close-cropped auburn hair and an overlarge nose that detracted from her beauty.
Irulan allowed a bit of impatience to seep into her voice. ”I am quite busy with my duties here. State the purpose of your visit, please.”
”Time is not a good thing to waste,” said Genino. ”The Mother School has dispatched the three of us to help train Alia Atreides and Marie Fenring. Given the inherent potential in their bloodlines, their youthful interaction should not be left to chance. You will see that we have the appropriate access to them.”
The Princess bristled. Paul would not like this at all. ”Their instruction is well in hand. I have taken a personal interest in Alia, and in Marie as well. Your a.s.sistance is not required.”
”You do not understand the importance of Margot Fenring's daughter,” Osted warned.
”Lady Margot herself told me when she delivered the child here. I am aware that the Sisterhood closely monitored her upbringing among the Tleilaxu. And as for Alia... she could teach the three of you some things.”
With her hand sheltered in the folds of her robe, Genino used her fingers to transmit a message, a.s.suming Irulan could not speak freely because their words were being monitored. But Irulan looked away, refusing to accept that form of communication. With a frustrated scowl, Genino spoke aloud. ”Monitoring of important persons is only standard practice.”
”The Atreides daughter is an Abomination,” Naliki said. ”We cannot have a pre-born contaminate the delicate balance of Marie's education. We must intervene.”
Irulan smiled at the comment. ”I see very little that is delicate about Marie Fenring.” She had her own suspicions that the child's purpose here wasn't entirely innocent. She suspected it had something to do with spying for the Sisterhood, with their craving for information.
Genino said, ”Nevertheless, the interaction between Marie and Alia must be managed properly.”
”Managed by you?” Irulan said. ”And does Lady Margot approve? Before she departed, she did not express a need or desire for any further Bene Gesserit teachers.”
”The birth mother's wishes are not relevant in this matter,” Naliki said.
Irulan struggled to keep her expression neutral. Typical Bene Gesserit arrogance. ”Muad'Dib will not permit anyone to interfere with his sister, or with the daughter of Lady Margot, who has been entrusted to our care.”
Osted's expression became sly. ”But you can influence him. It is a small request to provide the girls with a Bene Gesserit education. How could he refuse?”
”How little you know Muad'Dib! Any attempt to manipulate him would be fruitless.”
”Do not forget your allegiance is to the Sisterhood!” Genino exclaimed, rising from her bench. ”Out of respect for your royal station, we have been polite, but don't make the mistake of thinking that this is a matter open to discussion. We command you to do as we say.”
Irulan also stood, making no further pretense of welcome. ”Indeed, it is not a matter open to discussion, so I shall debate with you no more. Did you disembark with luggage? If so, I will arrange to have it sent back to the s.p.a.ceport. I advise you to depart on this evening's shuttle, to avoid incurring the Emperor's displeasure. Reverend Mother Mohiam has already been banned from traveling here. Would you like that stricture to be extended to all members of the Sisterhood?”
”We will not be herded around!” Genino's anger and surprise were so great that she allowed hints of it to slip past her control. Irulan was astonished, marking the reaction with great interest. Obviously, Marie Fenring was even more important to the Sisterhood than Lady Margot had revealed.
Irulan heard footsteps from the pathway on the other side of the hedge. Familiar footsteps. ”Ah, the Emperor approaches - he must have been informed of your arrival. You may ask him yourselves, if you like.”
Paul emerged from the labyrinth, attired in an elegant green-and-gold robe of state. He looked as if he had just interrupted his duties, and his expression showed palpable annoyance. He strode directly to the gazebo. ”Why was I not informed immediately that Reverend Mothers had arrived in Arrakeen?”
Irulan formally curtsied. Half a beat later, the other three women did the same. Genino found her voice quickly. ”We came to visit Princess Irulan, n.o.ble Sire.”
Irulan said in a soft voice, ”They did not come at my invitation, and they are departing immediately.” She shot a cool smile at the three women. ”They demanded influence over the education of Alia and Marie.”
”Absolutely not.” Paul didn't take even a moment to decide. ”I forbid it.”
Irulan added, ”Apparently, Lady Margot Fenring was not aware of their intentions, either.”
The three Reverend Mothers looked startled at Irulan's detached behavior. But their priorities were no longer hers. In the process of compiling the story of Paul-Muad'Dib Atreides, she had begun to learn other threads of cause and effect - and serious missteps - that made her wonder about the Sisterhood's wisdom. She discovered that the Bene Gesserit had shaped portions of the historical record as they saw fit, concealing their mistakes and embellis.h.i.+ng their successes. Certain facts were like clay in their hands. So it was with Irulan as well, in the telling of her famous husband's story.
”We make no attempt to interfere, Sire,” Genino said. ”We are merely here to offer -”
Paul cut her off, his expression dangerous. ”You would be wise to consider your words before you speak further. With my truthsense, I hear your lies as if they are shouts.”
The robed trio departed hastily, with awkward motions. Irulan realized that she was surprisingly amused, though her heart pounded at the thought of what she had dared to do. The repercussions here, and on Wallach IX! She listened until they were well into the hedge maze, then said to Paul, ”How they will talk when they return to the Mother School.”
”I do not fear their talk.” Paul looked at her with unusual candor. ”I was something of a disappointment to their breeding plans myself, like Count Fenring. Presumably, his daughter Marie is quite precious to them because of her genetics.”
Irulan nodded. ”With your permission, I would like to inform Lady Margot Fenring of this incident. Perhaps it will make her more of an ally. This was, after all, as much of an affront to Marie as it was to Alia.”
He studied her momentatily. ”You surprise me with your dimensions of complexity, Irulan.”
”Thank you, my Lord.”
”Yes, send your message to the Fenrings and tell them what the Bene Gesserit attempted to do here. I am curious to see how they will react.” Paul whirled and left.
Alone at the center of the maze, Irulan performed a prana-bindu breathing exercise to calm herself.