Mark Arbour

I'm glad I could brighten up your Monday. Mine is rather dim, but it's just tech problems, and those usually clear up.

I'm glad you liked it. Here's the deal: Matt and Wade are both dealing with one of the more traumatic (IMHO) life stages: college graduation. They have that stress, combined with the baggage they carry over 9-11. If you put it in that context, I think they're behaviors make more sense.

Too funny. Matt and Wade are looking at this situation in entirely different ways. A meeting of the minds would be a good thing.

Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. To answer your question (or one of them), I have a minimum chapter length of 5000 words, after which point I try to find a good stopping place. I usually then go ahead and hammer out the first two paragraphs of the next chapter (at least) to help me stay on track.

Thanks MDK! Will, like most teens, exhibits shades of maturity and immaturity. So you see them erratically swinging from one to the other, and gradually they grow up and the more childish moments are less frequent. Frank's changes have almost nothing to do with maturity, but revolve around his general willingness to listen to people (especially JP) and to admit when he's wrong and change directions.

I concur with your assessment of George's progression from boy to man, as I mentioned in a response earlier. It must be a bit odd for Granger to see Kingsdale and possibly see himself at a younger age, although Kingsdale isn't nearly as polished as George was. You also made a really good point about his libido. He's beyond that 17-19 year old "I'll do anyone" mode, and he's in the early 20's "I'll do almost anyone" mode. :-)

Well thank you for that vote of confidence. You never know, though. I may surprise you. ;-)

I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! There's definitely a difference in the way Granger is being treated. He noticed it a Carlton House, but his meeting with Spencer was another indicator. He's not just the young golden boy, he's a powerhouse in his own right, with a string of successes and a seat in the House of Lords, not to mention a post that gives him access to the King.

November 4, 2001 Escorial I watched with disappointment as Will and Wade walked out of the dining room, and then turned back to the table to deal with the other people here, all of whom were either angry or upset. It was one of those situations when I wanted time to digest all that had happened, to be able to effectively defuse the crisis, but time was not on my side. I could feel Stef smoldering next to me, and I grabbed his leg gently under the table to steady him, but he

I think Wade needs someone who is a little more adventurous than him, and a lot more spontaneous. Matt does that. But he also needs someone he can trust absolutely, and who is stable enough that he doesn't take Wade on wild, emotional roller coaster rides. Someone who can be a partner, a true partner.

There are those days when I open up this forum, start reading, and am just stunned at the cool stuff people post. This is one of those days. Special kudos to Westie for reminding us that no one is perfect, to B1ue for so deftly summarizing Matt and Wade's situation, to Kitt for finding the one small nit to pick in B1ue's summation, and to Henson for his insights into the DADT military. :worship: :worship:

One of my all-time favorite albums.

Snaugh.

Thanks Miles. George exhibits a 17th/18th century aristocratic disdain for merchants and bankers. It was much worse in France before the revolution, but it is a general characteristic of his social class, as much as it is of himself.

Like modern corporations today, the Guild will ruthlessly look for weaknesses and exploit them. A rising family like the Grangers makes an apt target for them, but they have other things to occupy themselves.

LOL. I actually enjoy UK Politics, to the degree that I have time to follow them. I love to watch "Prime Ministers Questions" when I can, although it hasn't been nearly as fun since Margaret Thatcher left as PM.

I think that's a reasonable reaction, but you need to consider that this book is almost over, so it makes sense that we'd have a few chapters where we closed up the holes and finished things off. A denouement.

Alright, there's no need to check hourly. Just go to the story and "like" it so you get notices when a chapter posts. Much easier. ;-) This story is almost over, but there will be another. Not immediately, but there will be another.

Your review made me think about George and his skill-set. I think that he's already a very accomplished politician, but when things get really ugly, he finds himself a bit out of his element. It's also important to consider that unless you're there (in London), you won't have a complete grasp on things, IMHO.

Ironically enough, I think Bertie is safer from the Guild than George. First of all, Bertie doesn't have George's scruples, so he can visualize what evil merchants can conjure up. And Bertie is being put into a very lucrative and influential position. His biggest threat is jealousy of others, just like it was before.

Thanks! I appreciate that! These last chapters are about tying things up, but that doesn't mean I won't throw a surprise or two at you.

Thanks Jim. I'm glad you've enjoyed this story. I'm going to finish this one off, then I'll work on the next one. ;-) There will probably be a gap between them, as I have to think it through, at least partially.

As I said in a review response, relationship problems are rarely the fault of only one party. I think that in this situation, Wade is being a little petulant, but I think he has grounds to be. In a sense, Matt has closed him off, and alienated him by the deal with Tony, so Wade is closing Matt off too. That is what I think is most symptomatic about their lack of conversation about their plans ahead. If I were Matt, I would hopefully realize that Wade is basically planning to make the next steps in his life alone. I think where Wade is on shaky ground is his view of their relationship timeline. If you notice, he seems to be equating everything from 9-11, and that makes sense, since it was such a jarring moment in their lives. He seems to have forgotten the times before then, the really good times, especially the way Matt jumped in like a white knight and saved him from his abusive family situation. The law school issue makes sense, especially from your perspective, but with Wade it's almost less about passion than duty, a pre-ordained path that he is going to walk. Wade is so organized, and had his educational future pretty much lined out when we met him as a freshman in Bloodlines. It's possible things have changed, but he's given no indication that is the case. So I'll add to your list of passions: for Wade, it's not about money, it's about tradition. I can see that really bothering Zach, but I think (harkening back to Bloodlines again) it's a bit like it was for Wade when he and Matt first became a couple and went up to Escorial: It's a safe place. No one there is going to out him, and as big of a dick as Gathan may think Zach is (and may be to him), he won't either. It's a broad circle, but a safe circle. I'm willing to bet that Wally and Clara are oblivious: Clara by choice, and Wally because he's clueless about Zach and what drives him.

I'm glad you liked this chapter, and thought it was worth the wait. I'll try to post the last one much sooner than this one.

Thanks for this review, and the ones you left on the other stories. I'm so glad you're enjoying the series! Welcome aboard!