Double Dealing(53)

Unfortunately, that left me with a lot of time on my hands, and not much to do. Fortunately though, Charani agreed to show me around. She grabbed gloves and pruning shears for us. "Let me show you the vineyard."

We walked along between the rows, Charani occasionally snipping at a late weed or a branch that was astray. I tried to keep up, but the fact was, I knew nothing about grape vines, and I didn't know if what I was looking at was part of the vine or a weed or what. "You enjoy it here?"

"I do. There’s much still to learn, but I’m trying," I said. "It’s worrisome, knowing what Felix and Francois are planning."

“Isn’t that the truth. They’re good at what they do, but I still worry. They are always in conflict whenever they plan. I was hoping that they wouldn’t have to do this for a long time. Enough time that your influence would bring peace between them.”

"Why are they in conflict?" I asked. "I've noticed sometimes that Francois likes to needle Felix."

“He doesn’t like being reminded that he’s the lesser, twice removed," Charani said, pain evident in her voice. "For a long time, I was the same way."

“What do you mean lesser,” I asked.

She snipped away another twig of grapevine and sighed. "Do you know what my birthday is?"

"No, I’m sorry.” I became very quiet, feeling deep in my gut that whatever Charani was about to tell me, it was of vital importance to my understanding the situation I was now in.

She pointed at a spot on the grape vine, and I pulled out a weed while she continued. "My birthday is January first. I was born at twelve twenty-seven in the morning. Syeira, on the other hand, her birthday is December thirty-first. She was born at eleven fifty-three at night."

"Just like Francois and Felix," I remarked. "But, how does that make them fight?"

Charani chuckled. "You see, by our tribe's law, I was second to my sister. Even in our names. Hers means 'Princess,' mine means 'Phoenix,' as in rising from the ashes of defeat, as if the order of our birth was somehow a fight that she won. Growing up, our father was much more loving and permissive to her than I. Syeira, for her part, didn’t lord it over me, but still I grew up with a certain amount of resentment of my sister. It was Guillaume's love that healed that wound in my heart."

"And you think that Francois feels the same way toward Felix?"

Charani nodded. "My father, he continued his treatment when our sons were born. Francois was not only the second born in his generation, but the child of a second born. To Guillaume's credit, he never treated Francois inferior."

“Now that you say it, I don’t know if they see it that way. From what they told me, their father held Felix to a higher standard,” I said.

Charani thought, then nodded. "Perhaps you’re right."

I thought about it. “They do seem to work well together, though."

She shrugged. "They compliment each other, that’s for sure. Tell me, do you have a problem with what they do?”

"A bit," I admitted. "It's kind of weird, you know?”

Charani smiled mysteriously and shrugged. "Maybe. But you should tell me anyway.”

I laughed. "So this is what it feels like, huh? Felix told me one time in Mexico I had a talent for asking the right questions at the right time. Anyway, I guess it's weird because sure, on one hand you have the whole danger and glamor of it. I mean, they're two of the world's best thieves. That adds a bit of dangerous attraction, for sure. Add that to their natural sexiness, and it's a heady mix. Sorry, I guess I shouldn't be calling your son sexy in front of you."

Charani waved it off. “I accept that women find Felix and Francois attractive. I'd be a blind woman or an idiot if I didn’t.”

"At the same time, though, I know the danger and the risk they are taking. Even if we don’t include the physical dangers of their capers, there is the possibility they could be arrested and sent to jail for a very long time. Maybe I was hoping that Felix would become like his Father was after he married you, a gentleman farmer or something. He’s certainly mentioned it, and he’s probably the only one who could convince Francois of something like that.”

"Guillaume and I never actually married," Charani said softly, her voice dropping as she spoke. I looked up in shock and she smiled hauntingly. "The law wouldn’t allow for it. So while by Romani tradition we were man and wife, legally only Syeira and Guillaume were married. My father insisted on that. So when the boys were born, we made sure it was overseas, as you know. American citizenship is valuable, after all. When we came back to France, the locals assumed that Francois was Syeira's child as well, as the boys are too similar to say that I had a child from another man. Thankfully, I wasn’t one of those women who showed a lot in early pregnancy before we left this area. Even still, there were some who would have it be known that Francois is, at least under the law, nothing but Guillaume's bastard."