He grinned and bowed slightly to her and her guests, then ambled contentedly back towards the kitchen.

`He's a nice boy,' she said. 'I'm hoping I can turn him into a good head waiter one of these days.' She hesitated, then amended the statement. 'One of these years.'

Will looked at her appraisingly. He had noticed there was something different about her when she had first approached the table. Now he realised what it was.

`You've lost weight, Jen,' he said. He wasn't the smoothest operator when it came to girls but he knew that was something that all girls liked hearing. And in Jenny's case, it was the truth. She still had what might be described as a full figure, but she had fined down somewhat. Jenny beamed, then twisted to look over her shoulder, trying to assess herself from behind.

`You think so? Maybe a little. It's funny, when you run a restaurant, you don't get so much time to eat. Tasting, yes. Eating? No.'

`It suits you,' he said. He thought that Gilan would be interested to see Jenny looking like this. The tall Ranger had been quite taken with her when they first met at Halt and Pauline's wedding. Later, on the journey to Arrida, he had asked Will about her several times.

She smiled at him, then rubbed her hands together briskly, getting back to business.

`The main course is a rack of lamb, seasoned in oil and lemon juice and rosemary. I'll be doing that with new potatoes, roasted alongside the lamb, and wilted green vegetables. Or I have a beautiful fresh turbot that I can steam and serve with ginger and a little chili. Which would you prefer?'

Alyss and Will exchanged glances. She knew what he was thinking and answered for him.

`We'll have the lamb,' she said.

Jenny nodded. 'Good choice. And then… hullo, here's Lady Pauline.'

She'd noticed a slight movement at the entrance and as Alyss and Will turned to follow her gaze, they saw the tall figure of Lady Pauline entering the restaurant. A few pacesbehind her, and somehow seeming to fade into the background, was another figure – a cloaked and cowled Ranger.

`Halt!' said Will, rising from his seat, a wide smile of welcome starting to spread over his features. Then the smile faded as the Ranger threw back his cowl and he saw the sandy hair and beard. 'Crowley!' he said in surprise. `What's he doing here?'

Jenny frowned slightly, trying to assess whether her main dish would stretch to another diner. Then, remembering the keen appetite that most Rangers displayed, she decided it wouldn't.

`Tell me later,' she said, turning away. 'I'd better get another lamb rack in the oven.'

As she hurried to the kitchen, they heard her calling, `Rafe! Another setting at table one!'

Alyss had risen as well and was beckoning to her mentor. Lady Pauline saw her and led the way through the crowded room to the table. She seemed to glide, Will thought. He noticed that all conversation had died away in the room as the other occupants stared expectantly at the two Rangers and their Courier companions. This gathering, they sensed, was something out of the ordinary.

The two newcomers joined Will and Alyss. Lady Pauline beamed at the young Ranger and leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the cheek. Like Halt, she had come to look upon Will as a son.

`How lovely to see you here, Will. I'm so glad you decided to come home.'

He knew she was referring to his decision to join Halt in the Task Group. He smiled at her.

`Someone has to keep Halt out of trouble, my lady.'

She nodded gravely at him. 'That's exactly what I've been thinking. He's not getting any younger, after all,' she replied. 'And Will, that's enough of the "my lady" if you don't mind. I think "Pauline" will do quite nicely.'

`Very well, Pauline.' He tried the name out and found that he quite liked it. They smiled at each other across the table.

Crowley cleared his throat noisily. 'I assume you were planning to greet your Corps Commandant, weren't you, Will? I know I'm just another silver-haired dodderer like Halt but you could say hello, at least. Alyss, you're looking more beautiful by the moment,' he added before Will could respond.

`You're a silver-tongued flatterer, Crowley,' Alyss replied easily. 'Welcome to Redmont.'

Will finally had an opportunity to speak. 'Yes. Welcome, Crowley. And tell me, what brings you here?'

Crowley was about to reply when Rafe appeared beside him, a bundle of knives, forks and platters in his arms. He hesitated a moment, shifted the load to his left arm and mimed a sword stroke in the air. Crowley looked over his shoulder at the serving boy with some concern.

`Planning on beheading me, are you?' he asked.

Rafe smiled at him. 'No sir, Ranger. Just getting the right side, like. Just shift yourself over while I put these down, before I forget which side is which now.'

Crowely glanced a question at Will. The younger Ranger shrugged.

`Jenny's training him as a head waiter,' he explained. Crowley glanced sideways at the server, whose lips weremoving, framing the words knives on the right, forks on the left, platter in the middle.

`She's got a way to go then,' he said. Then, as Rafe finished and moved away, he replied to Will's question.

`What brings me here is Halt,' he said. 'He sent me a pigeon message from one of our West Coast stations two days ago. Asked me to meet him here. Asked for Horace to come as well – he'll be following in a day or so. Had a few loose ends to tie up.'

Knowing the value of speedy communications, Crowley had recently set up a network of message stations around the Kingdom. At each one, a station manager looked after a flock of homing pigeons, trained to return to Crowley's headquarters in Castle Araluen.

At the mention of Halt's name, Will leaned forward eagerly.

`Did he say what it was all about?' he asked. But Crowley shook his head.

`Said he'd tell us when he got here. I actually expected he might get here before me.'

`I was delayed. I had a prisoner to drag along,' said a familiar voice behind him.

`Halt!' Will sprang to his feet in delight. None of them had noticed the Ranger's entry into the room, nor his silent approach. Now Will hurried around the table, upsetting his chair as he went to embrace his teacher.

`So what's this all about?' he asked. Then, before Halt could answer, he continued with a barrage of further questions. 'Who's this prisoner you mentioned? Where have you been? Why did you want Horace to come here as well? Have we got our first mission? Where are we going?'

Halt broke from his bearhug and rolled his eyes to heaven.

`Questions, questions, questions!' he said. 'Now I remember what you were like, I wonder if I haven't made a terrible mistake. Would you mind terribly if I said hello to my wife before we go any further?'

But as he turned to embrace Pauline, he couldn't keep up the pretence that he was displeased. A smile was lurking at the corner of his mouth, breaking through in spite of his best efforts to stop it.

Jenny, emerging from the kitchen, saw the extra person at the table and spun on her heel.

`Frances!' she called. 'Fetch another lamb rack from the cool room. And Rafe…'

`I know, I know, mistress! Another setting at table one!'