Canuk

Well, James, your shorts are full of surprises; all delightful and each and every one encouranging me to rummage more in them, if only to taste the delights you have there. We can make a one sided deal: you keep showing me what you have hidden, and ill do my very best to keep enjoying them.

Bliss! my very own George, back, alive , living and playing his part in history. I do so miss him. I do like reading about his engagement with Nelson; the battle between love and responsibility played out so well. The difference between their situations. A very great read. Love it!

I am in general agreement re Alex' "wedding" - it aint gonna happen! one party of the story that does add up is Alex tale of woe re large estates. Most are now in trusts and remove the entire death duties issue that so undid many in the period between 1930 and 1980. It is pretty unbelievable that Alex' family advisers haven't resolved this by now.

Tough scene, well written. enough detail without being morbidly graphic - importantly it moves the story along. Congrats.

Graeme, I must admit I don't write comments on your works, or not often. You write so well that my amateur comments really would look cheap and ill educated. However I thought I should say how much I am enjoying the series, the Characters, the plots and intrigues of this story. I really enjoy the writing and look forward to the continuing saga.

Slightly off topic, but related, my current, long term ( 15 years) was really concerned about his exes. He was never going back there ( there were three of them) but I have met each of them which, 1) made my husband a lot more relaxed and 2) gave me some real insight into his "type". So back to the a would he date any of them? 1) over my dead body, 2) if I am a dead body highly unlikely!!! Talk about recognizing and enjoying the past but happy to leave it there, he just isn't that bloke any more. So date an ex if it is recent enough to pick things up happily where they left off, otherwise, leave the past to history, move on and enjoy!

Great writing; you do his desperate niaeve reluctance really well. That mix of fear, longing, desperation, and terror!! Looking forward to next installment.

for someone who is not into sci-fi, you have really dragged me in! congrats, excellent writing....

Excellent, with a really dark twist at the end......

I am so much in agreement with Miles Long; Caroline has been punished, but surely George can see that he does actually need her for more than a business partner. She has a good and active brain - it is to his benefit that he help her use it! Bloody marvellous. I do appreciate your efforts Mr Arbour

Darwin is a weird city. 140,000 people at a stretch. Agrarian socialist government (ie weird sort of conservative) very macho culture, but this individualism extends to a remarkable acceptance of gay society. A "straight friendly" night club with the unambiguous name of Throb. Publicised drinks for "gay men and their friends" Thursdays at what is otherwise a very conservative pub "The Cav" ( aka the Cavanagh Hotel) and a remarkable number of gay men and women spread in quite senior positions in and out of government. All in all one of the weirder but friendly places I have lived for quite a while.

agree with Timothy M, Neil is shaping up to be a real problem. Either Neil does something stupid OR, what is more likely Neil behaves like the adolescent that he is , our hero gets involved and there are weird rumours running about.... and crash goes our hero's reputation! such are the complexities of 1st world drama!! :-)

i am impressed that your writing has made me dislike with some passion a woman who in my previous studies I had always imagined somewhat of a minor saint having to put up with Lord Elgin's well documented pomposity. I think you would be justified in slightly editing history by making her take a long walk off a short plank and replaced by a female impersonator; a lithesome morrocan with dark eyes and long lashes..... or am I straying too far into my own fantasies... :-) love this story and your writing.

what is Caroline playing at?! perhaps our hero can seduce Treadway... and find out that way :-) so much for worrying about the big issues - I am such a tart!

i am obviously not from the US. I am generally considered to have a soft Australian accent (ie a more British version of Australian). So when I do this "test" it gives me Minneapolis/St Paul, Detroit and Yonkers. intriguing!

I am sorry but when you start with Theo James - there really is no where else to go!

Intersting peoples versions of a "distance relationship": to me boston-chicago while not ideal is not difficult, but then that would disrupt the plot! The sense of the continuing unsettlement caused by 9-11 is well done. Thank you

i seem to recall in some previous story that you never did cliff hangers; i can see that you are not doing them again! Great writing, thanks

You write so well. The events that pull the action along may be really out of the box, but somehow you make them work. Bloody good read. Looking forward to the next episodes!

The problem with bills like this is that the authors think they can limit "discrimination"to the specific category that the authors choose: gay, black, female, religous, non religious, specific religion, outsiders, recent arrivals, the list of possibilities is endless. However, times have changed, there is no one group that has a monopoly on political or e onomic power. Back in the day when WASPs controlled all it was somewhat easier (if you were a member of that elite), now power is spread further (not far enough, but definately futher than it was) 1)society is a better place for all of us, and 2) the bizarre legislation proposed by Arizona et al is less likely to get implemented. This is in part because people realise that if we agree to discriminate against one group its is just as easy to discriminate against another.

marvellous to see Grainger back and with a decent reward. I can imagine that the social circle would have been boring in the extreme - no wonder the regency is known for its interesting twist on morality and the penchant of many of both sexes for gambling; there was three fifths of bugger all to do otherwise! i look forward to a post a week - no idea how you find the time, but believe me it is much appreciated!

Glad you are back! great beginning; you have created variable and generally likable characters, that are not too saccharine. BTW I think you'll find its "speak (or say) my piece". in that context "peace" doesn't work!!

Great story! I have just read all 25 chapters (my tablet battery just held out!) Excellent characterisation, cunning plot; all in all a great read. I have never known anyone that was so weirdly affected by tequila, but it certainly adds an edge to the story. I am a little confused how the "baddies" expect to take over paraguay (mnd you i can't imagine why anyone would want to take over paraguay - or any other country - for that matter; perhaps i just dont have any ambition.....) look forward to the next chapters :-)

Like Centexhairsub, I really don't understand where the characters are going and while I am willing to accept that 9/11 affected us all differently (yes I did have relatives physically affected), several of the characters seem to have become completely unattached from their former pre 9/11 characters. .

I do so love my Grainger fix! While i have thoroughly enjoyed the naval battles and journeys, i foresee the next story being more of a political drama before dear grainger returns to his beloved sea. If so i am sure it will be just as thrilling! Write on! Mr Arbour, write on!