It isn't fast in coming. The Count pours the wine first, setting the bottle back near Ivan and swirls it in the glass, taking in the aroma and color. At length, there's that first appreciative sip and the delicate sound of the glass clicking back on the polished hardwood table.

There's almost enough time to hear the whistle as it falls.

"It occurs to me that you do work well together. Perhaps now, even better." And there it is, that hard, calculating look. He was never one to go long without finding a use for something. "In fact, there's been a matter I've been asked to advise on recently."