Free Out of the Dark by David Weber Page B

office had brought him into conflict with the murky world of political patronage, he’d been viewed as a rising star. In many ways, Aldokim’s offer was as shrewd as it was generous, especially if he realized just how discontented Pieter was feeling at the moment.
    “I don’t know,” she said now, slowly. “I mean, it sounds like a wonderful offer, and you know how much I love Aldo. But I’ve never been to America. I don’t even know if I’d like it there. And if we moved, what about everything we’d be leaving behind? Mama, Papa—
your
mother?”
    “I know.” He stroked her long hair again. “But Mama would still have Vanya, Fydor, and Lyudochka—one of the advantages of big families, you know! And both her sisters, for that matter. And your parents would still have both of
your
sisters. For that matter, it’s not like the Cold War was still going on. What with telephones and the Internet it’s not that hard to stay in touch. Just look at how Aldo’s managed. For that matter, with the kind of money he’s talking about paying me, we could bring the entire family back to visit every year. Or fly both our parents over to visit
us,
for that matter. Who knows? They might decide
they
like America! The country’s supposed to be full of immigrants from just about everywhere, you know.”
    “You have been thinking about this, haven’t you?” She looked up from Grigori’s hair, her gaze intent, and he nodded.
    “I guess I have,” he admitted. “More than I’d realized, I think, or else I’d have already discussed it with you. I mean, it’s not the kind of decision I need to be making all on my own—not when it involves you and the children and our families.”
    She smiled again, faintly, thinking of all the men she knew who would have expected to do exactly that: make their decision, then announce it to their wives. That attitude was beginning to wane, but it still had a long way to go in Ukraine.
    Which might be another consideration in favor of making the move,
she thought.
Whatever else I may think about Americans, their women are certainly . . . assertive
. She looked after Daria, and her smile grew broader.
God, think what
she’ll
be like if she gets to grow up over there!
    “Is this really what you want to do?” she asked.
    “I don’t know,” he said frankly. “Up until the last couple of years, I would have said no. Like you say, I was entirely focused on the Army. And there’s a part of me that still is—you’re right about that. But this offer from Aldo . . . it’s not just generous, it’s exciting. And I
would
like to accomplishsomething a bit more meaningful in my life than being the oldest man ever promoted to major.”
    “How soon does Aldo need an answer?”
    “Well,” Pieter said dryly, “unless you think the fighting in Afghanistan is going to end next month, I don’t think there’s an enormous rush. We can certainly think about it for a while, anyway. Besides, there’s still my commission to think about. Just processing the paperwork if I decide to resign is going to take a couple of months. But in answer to what you were asking, I think this is something we both need to consider. I’d like to make up our minds before the end of the summer, though, I think.”
    Vladislava nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful, and he nodded back. Her calm, deliberate approach to life was one of the things he especially loved about her. It had always been part of her personality, even when they were schoolchildren, and he trusted her judgment. She wasn’t the sort to rush to any decision, but once she
had
decided, she neither looked back nor second-guessed herself. Nor would she second-guess
him
.
    “But for now,” he reached out and scooped Grigori up in his arms, tickling the little boy until he squealed joyfully, “let’s go down to the lake and make sure we still have three offspring.”

. VI .

    Lieutenant Colonel Alastair Sanders wanted his star.
    Well, to be