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persuade him to make an exception for the Spanish government, but so far he has not relented. He is determined—he has said—to keep developing airplanes for peaceful uses, and thus far, his desires have prevailed. Of course, if the government should require him to provide military aircraft, I am certain he would not refuse to manufacture them. He must have acquaintances among Spanish industrialists who would be willing to take over the running of this company, to accommodate the laws of Spain. It would be worse than folly for him to remain obdurate in the face of a governmental mandate. I say this because if what you seek is his cooperation in such an endeavor, you would do well to present him with irrefutable demands, not polite requests.
    As you must be aware, the Comte employs men from five nations, including Italy, France, Belgium, Denmark, and Poland, but he has shown no preferential inclination to any of them; the men were hired for their expertise. He has also employed a Czech woman, a mathematician, who has been developing calculations for improving fuel consumption for his engines. It is a bit irregular to employ women, but she is a spinster without family or expectations beyond her ability to find gainful employment, and so it may be a kindness on the Comte’s part to offer her a position of a sort. She has done diligent work, but I doubt she could find so accommodating an employer elsewhere. Druze Sviny is very loyal to the Comte, and rightly so. She will undoubtedly side with him in any decisions that bear on this company. It is possible that the others may, as well, but they may also support the government, should there be a contest of wills. If you assure his staff of continued employment, only la Sviny is likely to refuse to go along with any changes in production that may be undertaken.
    I am enclosing a full and accurate copy of our production records for the past eighteen months, and our projected production for the next eighteen months, along with copies of our ledgers for you to review for costs and supplies. If you have any questions in regard to the material, I hope you will ask in such a way that you do not compromise my position with this company. If I am dismissed for revealing this information to you, I will not be able to assist you again, if you should require more material from this company.
    In this and in all things, I have the honor to be
    Eternally at your service,
    Armando Pradera
    AP

chapter two
    February had turned bitter in Spain, the cold wind slicing down from the central plateau, sending ribbons of sleet to ruin the roads and break the fragile electrical lines that had finally begun to crisscross the country. Córdoba was miserable, bleak, and sere; as Saint-Germain got out of the Minerva in front of his factory, he had to steady himself to keep from falling on the slick pavement.
    “Dreadful,” said Rogerio, emerging from the other side of the auto with exaggerated care, hunching his shoulders against the cold. “Almost as bad as when the Visigoths were here.” He hoped Saint-Germain might find this amusing; his faded-blue eyes crinkled at the corners in what passed for a smile in his austere demeanor.
    “Hardly,” said Saint-Germain. “The streets are properly paved, for one thing. And the houses are better heated.”
    “I’ll give you those points.” Rogerio made a gesture of acknowledgment, adding, “The last half-hour, I thought we’d take a fatal skid for certain.”
    Saint-Germain shook his head. “The auto is well-designed. We weren’t in any real danger, except perhaps from other vehicles.” He patted the roof of the Minerva in much the same way he might have done to a strong horse. “We had nothing to fear: not on the roads, in any case; there may have been other dangers, of course,” he said wryly, pulling the brim of his hat down to protect his eyes from the icy rain.
    Rogerio assumed this was an oblique reference to the unpleasant second interview