Something very strange was happening with Christopher. Of course, no one else at dinner with the Russians would have been able to see it but Lilith, as well as she knew him, as well as she knew those capricious moods, could tell something was different.

Lilith looked up at him over her glass of wine while the man on her left - the Russian Ambassador - told some slightly amusing anecdote about his dog and a Persian rug and the ensuing disaster.

She was careful to smile and laugh as the Ambassador reached the punchline, but she let her eyes flicker to Christopher as he did so.

He was sitting at the head of the table, directly across from her, toying listlessly with his food. He made no attempt to look up or to speak despite the fact that there were at least three guests one could consider beautiful, and at least five that Lilith knew Christopher would be amenable to sleeping with.

When he did speak or look up, he was his usual charming self, for his light humour, his wit, and most of all his beauty, lent him his customary appeal. This was enough to satisfy the guests, which soothed Lilith, but not enough to satisfy her.

Which, of course, negated any comfort she got from the guests' satisfaction and gave her pause. For she knew that Christopher was usually the centre of any social interaction he partook in. He enjoyed it and so did everyone else.

Yet there he was, sitting quietly at the head of the table while a blonde Russian woman, the Ambassaor's daughter, shot winsome looks at him and flashes of her cleavage, while her husband, in a suit far too tight, stretched to reveal the musculature of his chest.

It bothered Lilith.

"Do you have any pets, Lilith?" asked the Ambassador, turning his dark eyes to her. In his tone there was some flirtation concealed beneath his light accent.

"No," she said, smiling ruefully. "Christopher doesn't like animals. Well, except his horses, I suppose."

She purposefully directed the answer towards her husband in an attempt to bring him into the conversation and to dispel the Ambassador's flirtation.

"You own horses?" asked the Ambassador's daughter, and her accent was far heavier than her father's, making her voice more musical and pleasing.

"I do indeed," said Christopher, smiling and displaying his set of straight white teeth. Lilith relaxed somewhat to see him smile at the woman. "I am a very passionate rider."

Lilith smirked into her serviette under the pretense of wiping her lips. That was the Christopher she knew. He smiled at the woman, his eyes flickering to her husband as well.

And then he turned his gaze on Lilith. "Lilith, too, rides very well," he said.

Lilith admired him for the innuendo only insofar as it was evidence of their supposedly idyllic marriage. Otherwise, she was irritated with him for the forwardness of it. But that was the Christopher she knew, however.

"Do you?" asked the Ambassador.

And there was the flirtation again! Lilith ground her teeth but fixed her face into a smile. "I do," she admitted. "And Christopher and I are going to Bancroft this weekend - for my birthday, it was very sweet of him - and so we'll both have a chance to ride."

The Ambassador's smile became icy and Christopher's warmed.

"That sounds lovely," sneered the woman.

"It really does," said her husband, and he sounded genuinely enthusiastic. As he turned to Lilith and nodded eagerly, she saw his dark eyes light up and his hair flop as he nodded vigorously.

She sighed and took stock of him. While Christopher loved beauty in all its forms, was equally attracted to men and women, young and old, rich and poor, beautiful and plain, based on the way he'd been going this week, the Russian Ambassador's son-in-law was most likely the prime candidate for Christopher's affections.

He was young, innocent, doe-eyed, with an air of spring sweetness. Christopher did so often like innocence.

"I quite like virtue," he'd confessed one night when Lilith was climbing into their bed.

She'd not even paused to look at him as she'd responded. "Because it contrasts with your depravity?" she'd retorted. "Or because you get some sort of satisfaction out of ruining chastity?"

"Either one," he'd laughed. "Or both."

She'd smiled and turned out the light.

Lilith was reminded of the conversation as she smiled at the Ambassador's son-in-law. "Thank you," she told him, and sighed when his face lit up with a brilliant smile that made a hungry, vicious expression curl over Christopher's face.

What a poor, foolish dear.

Lilith had kept a careful eye on Christopher and the young man throughout the rest of evening. Claret in hand, with the Russian Ambassador practically hanging about her neck.

Christopher became more of himself as he stood and chattered away with the young man. But his gaze seemed to wander and this made Lilith unhappy, for when Christopher decided on his prey he was like any good hunter; he focused.

His wandering eyes meant lack of focus, and they flickered to the Ambassador too often. Perhaps it meant that Christopher was considering seducing both the Ambassador and his son-in-law, either together or separately (Christopher was wicked enough for either, she knew).

But it was still unlike him. He concentrated on his conquest when he found it, and did not spend time exploring other options.

"Lilith, I heard from the President that you met him at Ascot the other day," the Ambassador said when she was seated on a love-seat next to a roaring fire. She had positioned herself beside the Ambassador and across from Christopher so that she could keep an eye on him.

The mention of the President distracted her for a moment. "I did indeed," she said, and smiled.

"And what did you think of him?" asked the Ambassador.

Lilith arched her eyebrows. "I am a staunch supporter of the President, Mr. Ambassador. Christopher and I have contributed to his campaigns since he was on the High Council," she said, crossing her ankles and eyeing the the Ambassador.

"You didn't say what you thought of him, though," said the Ambassador, and his eyes twinkled, either with the wine he'd been drinking or flirtatiousness. Possibly both.

"I was honoured to meet him and thought he was even more charismatic and impressive in person," she said, and that was a half-truth. Half-truths were the key to lying, Lilith had found. Telling only part of the truth was easier and more convincing than lying about it.

And Lilith had told the truth, in part. She had indeed found the President charismatic and impressive, but she hardly about to confess to the Ambassador how she had been unnerved by him.

Not as unnerved, however, as she was the moment she saw Christopher rise, leave the young man alone with his wife, and approach her.

"He gave a very glowing description of you, too," said the Ambassador. "He said you were lovely and charming."

"Glad to hear it," said Lilith, though she knew she could have made a terrible impression upon the President and he would have still called her lovely and charming. Such was the nature of social politics, and Lilith knew it well.

"Glad to hear what?" asked Christopher, joining Lilith on the love-seat.

"Apparently the President was charmed by me," she said, smiling at Christopher.

He grinned back. "Who wouldn't be?" he said, and patted her hand.

She smiled at him as winningly as she could before letting her eyes come to rest on the Ambassador once more.

"Now, I'm afraid Lilith and simply must go," said Christopher, standing and pulling Lilith along with him.

"So soon?" asked the Ambassador.

Lilith echoed his question in her thoughts, wondering what in the name of all that was holy could possess Christopher to leave without the young man. However, she simply played along, ducking her head and smiling apologetically.

"We've got to get an early start for Bancroft tomorrow," she invented, once again using the half-truth to disguise her lie.

"Oh, if you must," said the Ambassador, and stood. He shook Christopher's hand, then Lilith's, and then escorted them to the door of the embassy, waiting with them and standing far too close to Lilith as Simon brought the hovercraft around.

"Thank you for a lovely evening," purred Lilith, boldly kissing the Ambassador's cheek in an attempt to disguise the rudeness of their early departure. As her lips brushed his skin, she could smell a sweet whiff of cologne and feel the scratch of his stubble.

It worked, for he blushed, winked, and waved goodbye to them as they got into the hovercraft and sped away.

Lilith turned to Christopher the moment they were away, finding him sprawled across the seat, looking morose.

"Christopher," she began, as gently as she could. He looked confusingly dejected.

"I know what you're going to say, Lilith, but I don't see why you're unhappy about it," he snapped at her, flicking one long-fingered hand.

Lilith rolled her eyes as subtly as she could at Christopher's infantile peevishness. "Christopher," she repeated, keeping her tone even. "Christopher."

"What?" he erupted, all of a sudden shouting and full of fury. His teeth gnashed and his bright eyes glittered with anger. Lilith did not flinch. His anger did not frighten her, despite its suddenness. Christopher was a creature of caprice, after all. "What? What are you saying that for? Why do you keep saying it like that?"

"Do not speak to me that way," she told him, voice cold as ice and twice as sharp. She fixed her eyes on his and stared right into his face, unblinking. "I will not tolerate it, Christopher."

He growled and slumped back into his seat, all the passion of his anger gone, leaving him instead lethargic. "Fine," he grumbled.

"I was only going to ask why you decided not to...bring a guest home," she said, using as polite a term as she could.

"I didn't want to," he said, obstinate as a child.

"And why not? The Ambassador's daughter was beautiful," she probed gently.

"She was irritating," growled Christopher.

"And what about her husband? I thought that-"

"He was an idiot," retorted Christopher.

Lilith raised her eyebrows. "And I always thought you liked the ones that were foolish and idiotic," she replied, giving a bit of a laugh.

Christopher sulked the rest of the way home and Lilith did not speak to him. She would not do her fickle husband the pleasure of rising to his mood. And, while his lack of a lover surprised her, she could not deny that it would mean less labour on her part.

Smiling, she closed her eyes and cushioned her head on her arms. She rode the rest of the way home in a state of calm, perturbed with Christopher's sudden boredom with his lovers but satisfied that she did not, at least, have to deal with any of them tonight.

 When Thomas opened the door for them, Lilith noticed that his neck no longer creaked.

"Did the mechanic come by, Mary?" she asked when Thomas and Christopher were out of earshot in  the bedroom.

Mary, who was helping Lilith undress, nodded. "Yes, madam. All the androids have been checked and given standard maintenance," she said.

"Thank you," murmured Lilith. "Have Peter wire the money to the mechanic for it, please. And that will be all."

With a bow, Mary departed, making no noise as she ghosted from the antechamber.

Brushing her fingers through her hair, Lilith padded into the bedroom, where Christopher was sitting up, eyeing her.

She did not indulge him as she, ignoring his presence, turned off the light with a short command and climbed into bed next to him. It had been over a week since she had slept in this bed and she could not say she had missed it. However, for appearance's sake, it was necessary that she and Christopher shared the bed at least some of the time.

"Lilith," said Christopher, and she heard him roll over, feeling the bed shake under his light weight as he threw himself down on his side.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Nothing," he said, and rolled over again. "I was just going to say how much I despise that Ambassador."

"Why?" said Lilith, and there was a bit of laughter in her voice. "You couldn't possibly be jealous of him, darling. You're handsomer than he is, more charming, richer, more intelligent, better liked, and have more influence. So why dislike him?"

Christopher laughed. "You're too kind, Lilith," he chuckled, his sour mood gone as Lilith had planned it. She had stroked his ego enough to put him in good spirits, spirits that would hopefully last the entire weekend and make the whole affair more tolerable.

"Not kind," she countered, as she always did. "Simply honest."

"Your use that argument every time," came the reply.

"Then perhaps I mean it every time," she returned, and turned onto her side.

"Or perhaps you're just a very good liar." Christopher's response was just as quick as hers and very biting.

"Perhaps," she murmured. "I am a very good liar. But I'm always truthful with you, Christopher. With you I have no reason to lie. I already know the worst about you, so I don't have to lie to you, nor you to me. Now goodnight."

Then, closing her eyes, she ignored Christopher as he rolled back onto his side and gave a sigh.