Strangers and Lies Read Free Page B

they could have gotten that to be run by Jewish people to foster diversity instead of hate. The idea had tickled Gwen, but these men were being far more practical about the whole thing than she'd been. It was easy, it seemed, to proclaim there were going to be summer camps for city kids and military jobs for the older ones, but half the people under eighteen in the Kingdom had signed up and regularly went to meetings, which made the thing a giant headache to get together.
    The military man, who the others called General Hevesy, smiled about that part of things anyway, not all that taken aback by the challenge.
    "We're setting the Forward Scouts to it. The hard part is dealing with the girls of course, we don't have a lot of female personnel. Ten thousand girls coming next week, and not a clue what to do with them. Any suggestions Miss Farris?" He even said it like it wasn't all her fault, actually just asking if she could do something about it.
    It took a few seconds, since it was a lot harder to come up with things to actually do that way than not. They had a whole bunch of social rules here and putting young military men in to be in charge of a group of school girls was not going to go over at all well. For that matter it was probably an actual point, since at least some of those guys wouldn't be that much older than the young ladies at all.
    "Um..." She was trying to buy time and nearly started to suggest that she just didn't know what to do, when her mouth spit out words that clearly shocked everyone else in the place. "Yes... We'll grab the female Westmorlands for that duty, if they can be spared for it at all. We just won't tell the kids that they're Westmorlands. Dress them in Army uniforms. As to what they teach, well, bomb spotting skills, woods craft and hiking. Add in some extra first aid as well." That last one got a strange look, since while they had that here, the idea of slapping on a bandage or tourniquet to stop bleeding, it wasn't called that at all. She floundered for a few seconds trying to remember what it was called, then just shrugged. "Basic nursing."
    That went over better and even if it was a lot harder to free up that many female Westmorlands, no one questioned her suggestion that they simply be called "Counselor whoever". It wasn't the military after all, and they didn't need to drive the girls like they would the boys. In fact the biggest argument she got was over the curriculum, since the men around here thought that having the girls hike and do more than light exercise was a bit improper. Too much for the delicate flowers coming to them.
    That got her to smile at least, which was a fake thing that she'd had to practice in front of the mirror. Her old face couldn't manage a real smile, and her best attempts had kind of hurt, so she hadn't learned the habit. Now she could do it, but it still took work to remember how. Like wiggling her ears, which was also a new thing.
    "Oh? Perhaps you're right, but we promised them actual learning, as well as a bit of fun. I think that we should deliver, don't you?"
    The men demurred, but obviously thought she was being too difficult or something. They politely didn't call her on it, so maybe it really wasn't that? Adam at least would have, right then, if he felt the need. Darrick would do it later, when he had the chance not to embarrass her. Oh, he'd dress her down if it was required, but not where anyone else could hear it overly. Since that meant having her alone and it was hard to manage at Park Street, the man would have to be a good bit more polite about it than he might have been otherwise. In fact they probably couldn't have gotten alone time if they tried. Winslow and the staff would be all over them.
    They stayed on through breakfast, making plans. It was a big deal, she realized, since the men were actually listening to her ideas for once. That was one of the big drawbacks of the place. If you were a woman, you didn't get a fair hearing for most of