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out onto the balcony.
Both sun and soletta had set hours ago. Only the city itself gave a glow to
the night. A few pedestrians still crossed the park below, moving in and out
of the shadows, hurrying on their way to or from the bubble-car platform, or
strolling more slowly in pairs. Miles leaned on the railing and studied one
sauntering couple, his arm draped across her shoulders, her arm circling his
waist. In zero gee, a height difference like that would cancel out, by God.
And how did the space-dwelling four-armed quaddies manage these moments? He d
met a quaddie musician once. He was certain there must be a quaddie equivalent
to a grip so humanly universal...
His idle envious speculations were derailed by the sound of voices within the
apartment. Ekaterin was welcoming a guest. A
man s voice, Komarran accented: Miles stiffened as he recognized the rabbity
Venier s quick speech.
" - ImpSec didn t take as long to release his personal effects as I would have
imagined. So Colonel Gibbs said I might bring them to you."
"Thank you, Venier," Ekaterin s voice replied, in the soft tone Miles had come
to associate with wariness in her. "Just put the box down on the table, why
don t you? Now, where did he go... ?"
A clunk. "Most of it is nothing, styluses and the like, but I figured you
would want the vidclipper with all the holos of you and your son."
"Yes, indeed."
"Actually, there is more to my visit than just cleaning out Administrator
Vorsoisson s office." Venier took a deep breath. "I
wanted to speak to you privately."
Miles, who had been about to reenter the kitchen from the balcony, froze.
Dammit, ImpSec had questioned and cleared Venier, hadn t they? What new secret
could he be about to offer, and to Ekaterin of all people? If Miles entered,
would he clam up?
"Well... well, all right. Um, why don t you sit down?"
"Thank you." The scrape of chairs.
Venier began again, "I ve been thinking about how awkward your situation here
has become since the Administrator s death.
I m so very sorry, but I couldn t help being aware, watching you over the
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months, that things were not what they should have been between you and your
late husband."
"Tien... was difficult. I didn t realize it showed."
"Tien was an ass," Venier stated flatly. "That showed. Sorry, sorry. But it s
true, and we both know it."
"It s moot now." Her tone was not encouraging.
Venier forged on. "I heard about how he played fast and loose with your
pension. His death has plunged you into a monstrous situation. I understand
you are being forced to return to Barrayar."
Ekaterin said slowly, "I plan to return to Barrayar, yes."
He ought to clear his throat, Miles thought. Trip over a balcony chair. Pop
back through the door and cry, Vennie, fancy meeting you here!
He began breathing through his mouth, for silence, instead.
"I realize this is a bad time to bring this up, much too soon," Venier went
on. "But I ve been watching you for months. The way you were treated.
Practically a prisoner, in a traditional Barrayaran marriage. I could not tell
how willing a prisoner you were, but now - have you considered staying on
Komarr?
Not going back into your cell? You have this chance, you see, to escape."
Miles could feel his heart begin to beat, in a free-form panic. Where was
Venier going with this?
"I... the economics... our return passage is a death benefit, you see." That
same wary softness.
"I have an alternative to offer you." Venier swallowed; Miles swore he could
hear the slight gurgle in his narrow neck. "Marry me. It would give you the
legal protection you need to stay here. No one could force you back, then. I
could support you, while you train up to your full strength, botany or
chemistry or anything you choose. You could be so much. I can t tell you how
it s turned my stomach, to see so much human potential wasted on that clown of
a Barrayaran. I realize that for you it would have to start as a marriage of
convenience, but as a Vor, that s surely not an alien idea for you. And it
could grow to be more, in time, I m certain it could. I know it s too soon,
but soon you ll be gone and then it will be too late!"
Venier paused for breath. Miles bent over, mouth still open, in a sort of
silent scream.
My lines! My lines! Those were all my lines, dammit!
He d expected Vorish rivals for Ekaterin s hand to come pouring out of the
woodwork as soon as the widow touched down in Vorbarr Sultana, but my God, she
hadn t even got off Komarr yet! He hadn t thought of Venier, or any other
Komarran, as possible competition. He wasn t competition, the idea of Vennie
as competition was laughable. Miles had more power, position, money, rank, all
to lay at her feet when the time was finally ripe - Venier wasn t even taller
than Ekaterin, he was a good four centimeters shorter -
The one thing Miles couldn t offer, though, was less Barrayar. In that, Venier
had an advantage Miles could never match.
There followed a long, terrifying silence, during which Miles s brain
screamed, Say no, say no! say NO!
"That s very kindly offered," Ekaterin said at last.
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
And was Venier wondering the same thing? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]