“We keep getting off track. If Perra is staying behind then, it will be fine as long as you aren’t gone for more than a couple of years at a time....All of the council have other professions that take them away from Telsin occasionally; when you become a council member, you must pick a second or proxy to state your wishes and vote on the council at times when you are traveling. Thankfully the grumpy old men on the council are not as picky about proxies as full members and don’t object to having. Comments are much appreciated and happy reading! * Jason Cartwright, Marquess of Fords eyed the ballroom wearily. Every matchmaking mama and their daughters were staring at him like he was a sweetmeat to be bought in a shop. He arched his eyebrow at his father, the Duke of Delaford. ‘You said this was a small affair.’ The duke, a tall man with a full head of white hair cleared his throat. ‘This is a small affair.’ ‘Of course, forgive me.’ Jason answered sarcastically. ‘Three hundred people is. Our white troops wearing their Union uniforms were indistinguishable from the Confederate troops since the Confederate troops still wore the Union blue at this early date in the war. Fifty of our white troops secured the docks so as not to alarm any new boats that arrived. More of our troops boarded and captured each of the fourteen steamboats docked for the night.Our Sioux troops took to the hills around town, sealing the town off to prevent anyone from escaping. Several went out five miles. Tim might rant about safety checks, but at least if Halley accidentally died that way, she wouldn't have to hear about it; if the other thing occurred, Halley doubted there was any way he wouldn't somehow know about it. He had a nose for such things, so to speak, and seemed to relish rubbing hers in any source of embarrassment; all in the interests of 'toughening her up' and making her a 'better spacer' somehow. Halley wasn't altogether sure it didn't come under the banner of sexual harassment,.