"Morning, Clarissa," said Nicole. To call her by her first name felt not quite respectful, but to call her "Miss Greenglove," especially with her two sons right there with her, seemed cruel. Clarissa gave Nicole a woebegone look that seemed to be asking for something--Nicole wasn't quite sure what. Then she ducked her head, and her bonnet hid her eyes. Phil, the five-year-old, looked up at Nicole. He had very light blond hair, almost silver, and large eyes that seemed set deep in his pale, thin face. A little ghost. "My dad's gonna fight Injuns." "That's fine." Nicole didn't know what else to say. Clarissa, who had taken a few steps ahead, reached back and jerked Phil's arm so hard that he hollered. Raoul, when they entered his office, seemed unperturbed by his argument with Clarissa. But his eyes widened and flashed with momentary anger when he saw Nicole. Then he grinned, teeth white under his black mustache. "Well, Nicole and Frank. Come to lay your hatchets to rest? Now that the Indians are waving theirs around?" "That's why we're here, Raoul," said Frank. "Yeah, I've read your paragraphs in the _Visitor_," said Raoul, one side of his mouth twisted up in a contemptuous smile. "Seems you'd just love to give Illinois back to the Indians." "Nothing of the kind," Frank said gruffly. How unfair, Nicole thought. Frank had written only that if the 1804 land agreement had been obtained through fraud, it would be better to negotiate a new treaty with the Sauk and Fox rather than meet them with armed force. Raoul's tanned face reddened and his nostrils flared. "Give back Illinois," he persisted, "just like you wanted to give Victoire to Pierre's mongrel bastard." Nicole saw not a trace of guilt on that broad, hard face over what he had done to Auguste. She clenched her fists. She must try to contain her anger. Frank spoke. "Don't bring up Auguste now, Raoul. He's what divides us, and we oughtn't to be divided now. We want to talk to you about protecting Victor." Heat lightning flickered in Raoul's eyes, shifting quickly to a derisive gleam. "Well, that should be easy, Frank, with your attitude. You can make a white flag out of any bedsheet." Nicole thought, _He's just using our coming here as an opportunity to rub our faces in the dirt_. "Don't make this so hard for us, Raoul," she said. "We need each other." "Really? What do I need you for?" His eyes were cold. Many answers crowded Nicole's mind, but she thought for a moment before speaking. "You need the people of this town to make a success of the estate, now you've taken it over, your orchards and farms, your shipping line, your trading ventures. Most of the people who live in Victor work for you, directly or indirectly. And you're leaving them unprotected."