"Thank you, Ruby," Edward said. He watched Ruby setting about icing the cookies with Abbey. Angus had been in the walk-in pantry, deciding on what to fix for supper when he heard Ruby relay her conversation with Robert. There had been some truth in what he had said, as far as it went. But Angus didn't believe for one moment that was the whole of it. There was a deeper layer.
He decided on a large casserole of a five cheese macaroni and cheese casserole, a large bowl of very healthy and tasty turkey meatballs that were in a Greek tomato basil sauce, some shaved and sauteed brussel sprouts with slivered almonds, and then, Michael's strawberry shortcake trifle for dessert. He could put most of it in the oven ahead of time and leave it to cook. The only thing he had to honestly cook closer to supper time was the sauteed brussels. He could shave them thin in advance and have them all ready to sautee. The actual cooking would only take a moment. And, that left him time to set a washing up spell in advance so that there would be very few dishes to clean up after.
Michael went upstairs in late afternoon and saw Robert had several projects in the works at once. That wasn't unusual. Michael sat down at one end of the workbench and looked at Robert. Robert looked up at him.
"I call bullshyte," Michael said. "You got past Ruby with it because you told her a whole list of partial truths. I know you better than anyone else, except maybe Kate, and I call it a load of manure. What are you up to? I think you're planning on going to Paris by yourself to try to ferret out the mole. And here's how this will go. You'll slip out without letting anyone know you're going, and then your ass will end up in a sling, and it will be me coming to rescue you. It's gone that way before. Can we not do that this time, please? This is me you're talking to. You know I'm with you. Anytime, anywhere, no matter what, I'm with you. Take me with you from the outset. Whatever you're on about this time, I'm in. You know that."
"I do know," Robert said, not unmoved by his loyalty.
"They pissed you off massively, didn't they?"
"That's immaterial," Robert responded.
"The hell it is. You didn't even get a chance to explain what you were thinking. Here's what I think. You wanted to send Ruby in to try to ferret out the mole by doing some investigating, and you were going to send a team member in with her as a partner--using polyjuice--to pose as a new recruit. You were hoping that the two of them could ferret out the mole. But, they got their knickers in a bunch about it before you could lay it out, and so now, Satan himself could be right on our doorstep, and you wouldn't open that mission back up again."
"That mission is dead. Done. Finis. Got it?" Robert looked at him.
"And that proves my point. They weren't with you, so they're out of this project. You're going to find the mole without them, and at this point, I don't think anything they could say or do that would convince you to let them back in. So, fine. We'll play this particular hand your way. But take along who was in your corner. There were some that didn't shut you down. It isn't right or fair to shut them out as well."
"Michael, you know how long it takes to brew polyjuice. Even if what you say is true, this polyjuice isn't going to be ready today."
"So, let's go out--the three of us. Just you and Kate and me. Let's have a founders' meeting. Let's look at it, cards all on the table."
"I'm not an imbecile, Michael."
"No. You've got one of the most brilliant minds I've ever seen. But you do have a couple achilles heels, and when someone finds one of your few sore spots, this is safer for you. You recoil and you shut down and take things into your own hands. Come on. The three of us. Supper. What do you say?"
"I'm not dressing up for anyone. And I'm not doing some crowded muggle place with shitty food."
"Fine. Just as you are then. And no muggle places. I give you my word. Deal?"
"Oh, fine," he sighed, frustrated.
"90 minutes?"
"Fine."