impunity

Happy birthday!

Huzzah!

I'm in!

Thanks for the quick update! This story is getting grimmer and grimmer. Looking forward to a little happiness for these characters.

Holidays are gratuitous, anyway. We'll be happy to get the chapters whenever you feel ready to post them. Glad to hear things are going better for you, politics aside.

Thank you for posting this new chapter! Poor Galen. Things are so grim right now. Hopefully they'll improve for him soon (hint hint).

Fingers crossed for a July 4 chapter...

Rereading this story and enjoying it just as much as the first time. One minor quibble about this chapter and a few others where the issue comes up: call charges for a US cell phone that's being used internationally are charged to the cell phone. Anyone calling the phone from the US would pay domestic rates. Anyone calling from another country would be charged for a call to the US. The rationale is that the caller might not know that the phone was overseas so shouldn't be responsible for international charges. So, the only cost to Lisa and Joel when calling Trevor from Florida by cell phone would be the minutes deducted from their monthly limit. From a US land line the call would be free. Trevor's phone bill (paid by Joel?) would include the international charges.

Omg, that family (with the exception of Dally and Nola) is toxic! Will and Dally's blossoming romance is too cute; looking forward to seeing where you go with that. Lots of travel between Hawaii and San Francisco next week...both trips (Mike's and Brad's) should prove very interesting. Thanks for the excellent chapter!

Oh no! I completely shared George's horror at the collected memorabilia. Not only was there far too much of it, but it sounds as if much of it was really ugly. Did Caroline really need every bit of Granger tat ever made? Wouldn't a few of the more tasteful pieces have sufficed? Very interesting to learn how much political influence Caroline really wields. And glad to see their reconciliation. Thank you for this truly excellent book! Hope the next voyage isn't too far off.

Can't wait!

So, what's going on with Cavendish?

Excellent chapter, Mark! I really enjoyed the political negotiations and Caroline's role in them. Actually, it was interesting to see how much more politically astute both Caroline and Daventry were than George. I guess all that time at sea has left him a little out of touch. Can't wait to see what Caroline has done with the sitting room! Looking forward to the conclusion of this story...and the start of the next one. Thank you!

A chapter almost entirely about Will...so much to love! That last scene with Will's taming the horse and putting both Preston and Buck in their respective places was brilliant. We're a step closer to solving the mystery of Stef's bitchiness. And maybe the plane crash, although, even if Buzz's (still technically) wife turns out to have sent the package, I think it has to tie back somehow to the BW plot. Thank you for a delightful pre-weekend treat.

The one in the video? I don't remember Ethan's having slimmed down, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

So, do we have two fat characters now: Dally and Ethan? There was that time Brad gained an extra 10 lbs, but I can't remember any others.

I don't think BW wants the people around Brad to suffer per se, but their suffering makes Brad suffer and, therefore, easier to destroy. I did wonder if Buzz could be part of the plot. His appearance was very convenient...and biblical. And may have contributed to destabilizing the family. (Is Stef jealous of Will?) If he isn't really dead, that could explain why Dally doesn't appear to be in the most sincere of mourning. Mark is definitely doing his best to keep us collectively off balance. And the red, red wine has been good to me tonight.

I definitely think Brad is the target, even if the bomb was in Buzz's care package. All the attacks seem to be centered around him. While you could have said that about most of the family at first, Scott's attack suggests strongly that this is aimed at Brad. And that whoever's doing it knows Brad very, very well. That said, sending a care package to Buzz is a pretty elaborate way to blow up Brad's plane, especially as most people wouldn't schlepp a package of beans and jerky along on a quick business trip to New York. It also doesn't seem like the person is trying to kill Brad, but rather distract or weaken him by attacking the people around him. Who (other than Mike and Alexandra) could have known that he wasn't going to be on the plane? Random thought: Do we know that Buzz was really on the plane? I guess the plane wouldn't have left if it didn't have a passenger. I really need to reread the earlier chapters of this book.

After the flirtatious build up, in-person Dally was unexpected. I guess you have to throw in a dorky, unattractive character every once in a while. Some very interesting revelations in this chapter, including the dysfunctional Dalbys, the mysterious care package, and the fact that Stef is now acting weird around JP as well. Great chapter! Thanks!

I'm not sure I've ever mentioned how much I love the scenes with Wade and Mary Ellen aligned against their mother; they're hilarious! Definitely something intriguing going on in Dalby, TX. Also, whoever is orchestrating the attacks knows Brad very, very well. :I And Will was clearly astonished that some teens actually spend the school day in school. Awesome chapter! Hope things are going well for you as we embark on 2017.

Much political intrigue and a potential new love interest (?) in the handsome (and smiley) Lord Castlereagh. What a delightful gift! Thanks and merry Christmas!

This plot has most definitely thickened! So much so, that I am trying desperately to avoid a mixed metaphor. Elizabeth's being raped was especially unexpected. Looking forward to the intrigue in Texas. Also, why is Stef being such a bitch? Thanks for the chapter. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

I love Will's conversations with JP. They're always so calm and measured. They also provide glimpses that Will is still an adolescent with typical (albeit fairly infrequent) anxieties and an occasional desire for (limited) adult approval. I think his plan is a good one. Hopefully we'll get to follow his travels with JP. Thanks for another delightful chapter!

So, Marti's invitation to the next Bastille Day party...lost in the mail trash? Can't wait to hear Will's new idea. Thanks for another fantastic chapter!

Great chapter, Mark! It was very character-focused which worked well after the previous one that was more plot-driven. I particularly liked Will and Dally's lighthearted flirting (despite the sad undertones); it was a great contrast to the much more cautious conversation with Zach. The upcoming visit to Texas promises to be very interesting. I was a little confused by the party preparations in the beginning as I couldn't remember what the party was for, although I expect it was mentioned in a previous chapter. If I could make a minor suggestion (hopefully not too presumptuous ), it would be to put the reason for the party near the beginning of the chapter rather than part-way through for those of us with limited powers of recall. I'm also a lot less tolerant these days of people's saying "wrong" like a buzzer going off, but that's not really Will's fault. Thanks for giving us a second chapter so soon after the first. Looking forward to more.