Mark Arbour

I'm glad you liked the chapter. I hadn't really planned to use Wade's viewpoint in this story, but it seemed important to try and understand what he'd been through.

August 1, 2002 Mayfair, London Wade I sat in my room, staring out the window, trying to hide how distraught I was. Alex had gone out to meet some of his friends for drinks, but I’d opted to stay here. Part of the reason for that was to deal with all the shit that was going on back in the US, and part of it was to recover from my hangover. We’d gone out last night, to yet another celebration of Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee. The public events had happened in June, and I’

My understanding was that the standard test use for confirmation was the Western Blot, but I'm quite possibly wrong about that.

I'm sure they'll stop along the way, and that makes getting supplies relatively easy for all of them. I would expect the Elgins to have a steward or two to take care of them, but they probably wouldn't have a chef unless they felt it necessary to take someone with them to serve while they were overseas. I don't think Caroline likes that either. We don't really know what's at the root of her actions, but I think you've hit on a good part of it with your posts. I suspect that the biggest issue is the one I've highlighted in bold and underlined. She's a powerful woman in her own right, and because of her actions, yet she must always be subservient to Granger (or some other man). That has to be grating.

Impunity posted this in the reviews, and I wanted to make a point on it, but I forgot, and you can't edit reviews or responses (grumble grumble grumble). Granger can't, and wouldn't, refuse to feed the Elgins, but what he can do is refuse to share his table with them. In essence, that means that they either supplement their stores from their own pocket, or they live on the same fare given to the average seaman. I suspect that Lady Elgin would really be unhappy if she had to bite into a weevil-filled biscuit. The officers in the Wardroom (Lieutenants, Major Treadway and his lieutenant, the master, etc.) would buy their own stores as well, and would probably share the expense. The Gunroom (midshipman, bosun, carpenter, etc) would do the same thing. So this was not unusual for esteemed or high-ranking passengers, and in fact, it would be expected.

Interesting points. The scene with the governess was designed for one purpose: to show that Caroline realized that she was going to have to bend to George's will. (Not George Will. Different century entirely. Smile) Granger has an interesting quandary with Lord Elgin. As an envoy, he's a very important person, and coercion probably won't work, or it would be more grating. By hitting Elgin where it hurt him the most (his pocketbook), Granger was able to make his point without getting into a pissing match about who was really in charge. Under normal circumstances, Granger would be expected to work with and accommodate the envoy, and any problems he caused could be the subject of a scathing letter to London, and a possible reprimand. In this situation, the Admiralty has sent Granger on this mission because they know that such bitching is likely with Lady Elgin on board.

I remember, way back in high school, I had a Physics teacher from New York. We had an earthquake during class, probably a 5-6 on the richter scale. We were all just sitting there, waiting to see if it kept going or not (length matters with earthquakes ), while the teacher totally freaked out and jumped under his desk. That wasn't easy, mind you, considering he was about 6'5". We all looked at him like he was an idiot, especially when he poked his head out long enough to scream at us to get under our desks. For us, it was just a cool non-event. For him, he was evidently staring death in the face.

Which should make for a tense few days for Matt.

This much is certain. Thanks!

Based on George's comments to Caroline, it doesn't seem like he's too worried about keeping her in check. And quite frankly, he probably doesn't want to. He is seeing her as an enemy right now, because he is hurt, but after he calms down, he'll realize that they're still partners. The last time her power was truncated, he ended up in the Indies. That will factor into his decisions.

I'm so glad you're enjoying it Miles! Thanks for the review!

You may very well be right about the brief note. Caroline knows George well enough such that she'll see the smooth veneer that is his manners creeping back into his demeanor. She's also smart enough to know that it may just be that: a veneer.

You're assuming that Granger still won't be letting the Duke fuck him when he's the King. Why do you think they call them gentlemen of the bedchamber (LOL). I don't think George is the kind of man who compares his relationship to that of others, so even if Lady Elgin is a shrew (as it seems she is), I doubt that will have any bearing on how he views Caroline. As it seems he is to sail without mending fences with Caroline, we'll have to see how time and distance impacts their marriage.

I think it was excruciating for both Caroline and George. I'm not sure how she'll try to recover from this. For Caroline, while she may see the error of her ways, she is also being quite prideful, so we'll see if that's enough.

Thanks for the review! The fact that George exploded says a lot about how upset he is/was about Caroline's behavior. He held it in until he couldn't control it any longer...and for Granger, that's saying something.

September 27, 1799 Brentwood “Please pack up my things. I’m going to eat breakfast, and then I will be down shortly,” Granger told Merlin. “Yes, my lord,” he said. Granger descended the stairs and went into the dining room, to find that they’d already gotten breakfast ready and laid out for him. He didn’t visit Brentwood that often, so it was very nice that when he did, they tried to make things so pleasant. He sat down and began to eat, deter

The subways are built with earthquakes in mind. You'd be safe, you big pussy.

You're not missing anything: you summed it up quite nicely. The fear was that Brad got it from Cody or Alex Danvers via Robbie, but as Brad is negative, that appears to not be the case. But since Matt tested positive, one wonders exactly how he got it, and who he got it from.

Thanks for the review, Miles! I don't think Wade thought he was provoking Will. He really did approach Will in a pretty normal way. I'll bet he was pretty surprised at the reaction he got.

You're missing one of those wonders of travelling: a vacation romance. There are advantages to going alone (in addition to that one), specifically that you can do and see what you want, when you want, with no interference from an annoying companion. Try going to Chicago (but not in the winter), or maybe Florida (in the winter). Nothing to exotic in either place, but a lot to see and do.

Thanks for the review! It's nice, but sometimes painful, to have someone like Will in your life who is willing to be honest, even when it hurts. I think Wade will end up appreciating that, no matter how things turn out. I think JJ's bitchiness is both predictable and hilarious. I'm not sure that age has much to do with anti-HIV prejudices, but regardless, it makes things much tougher on those who have the virus.

Thanks for the review, Gary. It's not like Cam to just bail on a friend. He's been a pretty honorable guy so far. I'd suggest there's something else at play there. But it does serve to show Matt what he'll have to deal with, as you noted. I think it's interesting that you picked up on something Brad and everyone else probably missed: that Will is going to be overly protective of Brad because he's the last parent Will has. I think that if you stop and think about what Wade has been through the past year of his life, you may want to cut him some slack. I think that if my father were killed, and my boyfriend totally bailed on me, then came traipsing back into my life, I wouldn't be all that together. He may not be at his best right now, and he may not be thinking as clearly as he otherwise would.

You addressed this much better than I could have. Thanks. Brad really doesn't have a legal right to know Will's medical history. Then again, Brad is not necessarily the most law-abiding of citizens.

First of all, congrats on being positive for 22 years and still being healthy and vital! In fact, your situation is the reason for the re-introduction of HIV into this story. When we last really dealt with HIV, it was back in the 80's, when it was a death sentence. Other than an oblique reference, mostly with drum-beating fear laced in, we haven't really tackled it since then. None of the characters has been positive since (if memory serves) Mouse and Roger. But by 2002 (and earlier), that had changed, and it wasn't the horrible killer that it was. I think it's time that the CAP family collectively brought their attitudes into the 21st century. Thanks so much for posting your review, and reminding me that simple words I type often represent real situations.

That's almost disappointing, Maarten. When I posted this, I was actually thinking of you, visualizing your grimace when you saw the blue Georgia type throughout. ;-) I'll just go on the assumption that you didn't want to say anything nice about Will, so you refrained. (SMILE) Thanks for posting a review!