Jenna Starborn (18 page)

He was smiling, though rather unpleasantly, and she was frowning, and I had to wonder what sort of ill will existed between the Ingersoll heiress and this gorgeous man. A little jealousy, perhaps? For Mrs. Farraday had distinctly told us that the Ingersolls had already been entertaining guests when they decided to journey to Thorrastone Park. Perhaps Mr. Luxton had come wooing and his suit had appeared to prosper until Mr. Ravenbeck made his reappearance on the scene.

Not that I would ever know any of it.

Miss Ingersoll did not bother to reply to Mr. Luxton's comment, but merely turned her back on him. “I believe we are all assembled,” she said. “Shall we go in to dinner?”

“Certainly, but first let me make you known to a few of the members of my household who will be joining us tonight,” Mr. Ravenbeck said. “Mrs. Farraday I believe is already in the dining room, making sure the china does not slide to the floor while we are engaged in conversation elsewhere. And you have all met her on many occasions. Also, I believe some of you are familiar with my ward, Ameletta.”

At that, Ameletta skipped forward out of the shadows, a little dancing moonbeam of a girl. She was too cowed by her company to indulge in her usual chatter, but she was smiling like summer itself as she held out her hand to Bianca Ingersoll.

“But of course! The charming child I spent such a delightful day with the last time you were on Fieldstar!” Bianca exclaimed. She bent down to give Ameletta an airy kiss on the cheek. “Don't you look beautiful tonight, Ameletta! How lovely to see you again.”

Ameletta pirouetted to give the whole company a chance to glimpse her face, and the others nodded or smiled or waved as the mood took them. “And Miss Ayerson, her tutor,” Mr. Ravenbeck continued, motioning Janet to step forward.

She did so, laying her hand unobtrusively on Ameletta's shoulder, as if to contain the child by the weight of her own presence. But I knew better; I knew she was using Ameletta as an anchor, and I wished I was standing close enough to grasp even such a frail savior myself. The women gave her the most cursory of looks, then dismissed her, but the men all smiled more enthusiastically than they had at Ameletta. Even the indifferent Mr. Luxton let his emerald gaze linger for a moment or two on the tall, crimsonrobed figure standing so quietly in the center of the room.

“And Miss Starborn, our nuclear technician,” Mr. Ravenbeck said finally. I forced myself to take one step away from the wall so that the others could, by my movement, locate me. I knew otherwise they would not have been able to make out my indeterminate shape and color. Bianca and Melanie Ingersoll and their mother brushed their glances across my face and looked elsewhere; Taff and Fulsome nodded brusquely; but Luxton held my gaze for an electrifying moment that reminded me, even if briefly, that I was alive and female. It was one of the most peculiar, though shortest-lived, moments of my life.

“Very well, now that we are all friends, let us go in for dinner,” Mr. Ravenbeck said. We all turned in one body toward the door, and I followed Mr. Fulsome's blonde head into the other room.

Mrs. Farraday was already fluttering about the guests, directing each of us to our seats and dropping an absentminded kiss on Ameletta's head. Not to my surprise, I found that Mrs. Farraday, Janet, Ameletta, and I were grouped together at the foot of the table, while the more exalted guests were ranged toward the head of the table, closer to Mr. Ravenbeck. Large centerpieces of flowers and ivy had been strategically placed between those of us on the lower half of the table and those on the upper, so that it was hard to peer through the foliage. Thus the halfcitizens and less desirable residents would be present but invisible. I wondered if the arrangement had been Mrs. Farraday's idea or Mr. Ravenbeck's.

Conversation was desultory as we waited for Rinda and Mary to bring out the first course. From much browsing over the StellarNet, I was familiar enough with the news of the day to have followed any conversation about current events, but most of their talk consisted of idle chatter about people and social venues that were mysteries to me. Many of the observations about absent friends were rather slyly spoken and elicited muffled or outright laughter. It occurred to me I would not want to be an acquaintance of any of these people and missing from one of their congregations, for to have my character so blithely blackened seemed disagreeable in the extreme.

Eventually, the meal commenced as Mary and Rinda brought out platters of steaming vegetables. We always had decent meals at the manor, but for this evening, Mrs. Farraday and the cook had assembled a truly magnificent repast. Courses of salads, meats, pastas, and fruits followed the first one, and a fine array of desserts capped off our culinary adventure. I knew better, but I could not stop myself from sampling portions of every dish, and eating till I literally thought my body would explode. Everything was so good! And I was not used to indulgence. I ate, and was sorry for it, but ate again.

The four of us situated below the greenery did not make much attempt to talk to one another, though Ameletta did crane her neck almost continually, trying to get a glimpse of the faces on the other side of the dividers. Most of Janet Ayerson's conversation consisted of low admonitions to the young girl, telling her to be still, sit quietly, eat some more of her carrots, did she want to spill chocolate on her dress? Mrs. Farraday, though she filled her plate several times, seemed always to be straining toward the kitchen, awaiting the sounds of some disaster unfolding just beyond the door. Yet nothing untoward occurred.

It must have taken us two hours to finish our meal in a leisurely fashion. I was relieved when Mr. Ravenbeck finally put down his fork and exclaimed, “Well! That was a splendid example of the advantages of modern civilization! An excellent dinner, Mrs. Farraday. Thank you so much for putting it together.”

The other guests murmured vague thanks, glancing through the leaves in her direction and looking quickly away. Mrs. Farraday appeared flustered but delighted. “Oh—no trouble—well, I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it. Thank you, yes, thank you.”

Good. Now it is time for us all to separate, my confederates and I to go up to our rooms, and Mr. Ravenbeck and his guests to indulge in some other pursuits
. This was my innocent thought as the meal came to its close; imagine what dismay I felt in the next few minutes!

Mr. Ravenbeck came to his feet and glanced down at his guests. “So! Taff, I understand you are quite a hand at SpaceShot,” he said. “Miss Ingersoll tells me you and she have played every week for six months and she has never bested you.”

SpaceShot was an electronic game played over computer terminal screens, and many of the students at Lora Tech had been proficient at it. Not one to have much interest in games, I had never attempted to play it, but my students assured me it could be quite thrilling.

“I'm a master of the sport!” Taff replied, smiling enough to make the immodest boast less annoying. “I'll challenge any of you to beat me at the game.”

“SpaceShot? That's
my
best game,” Luxton said in his dreamy voice. “I'll take you on.”

“Oh, such fun for the rest of us,” Bianca said with a little pout. “Watching the two of you shoot imaginary torpedoes at each other.”

“We'll play teams,” Mr. Ravenbeck said. “I ordered the upgraded version the other day. Four players to a screen. I am assured the action is much faster and the kills more satisfying.”

Everyone laughed except Janet Ayerson and me. We were staring at each other in dawning horror as a quick review of the company present, combined with the most rudimentary mathematical exercises, warned us who might be asked to play on these teams.

“But we don't have enough people to fill your crews,” Mr. Fulsome complained. “For you don't have to tell me that Mrs. Ingersoll does not excel at simulation games—”

“Oh! Don't be ridiculous,” that lady said in rather sharp accents. “I'd rather be thrown alive into the vacuum than attempt to learn something so pointless.”

“Well, then. Can we play three to a team?” Taff inquired. “Each lady to serve as captain and choose her men?”

“I would be happy to take the role of captain,” Bianca Ingersoll said with purring satisfaction. “May I punish any of my crew members who do not perform to my standards?”

“Only if you reward those crew members who exceed them,” Luxton said. “Though I have to admit, you are handier with a rebuke than a reward.”

“One is merited so much more often than the other,” the beauty replied.

“Well, that settles it, you two cannot play on a team,” Mr. Taff said merrily. “Melanie, will you be captain and choose your men? For it looks like we will have one girl and two boys to each side.”

“I am perfectly willing to be captain if I am not expected to play very well,” Melanie said with a coquettish smile. “And surely I may be allowed to be decorative if I am only one of two?”

“But we have four ladies,” Mr. Ravenbeck said. On his feet, he was tall enough to see over the greenery, and his eyes, wickedly mocking, were fixed on mine. “Miss Ayerson and Miss Starborn would both be pleased to play.”

“Oh! Of course. Tutor and technician,” Mr. Fulsome said, looking around in some bewilderment, as if he had forgotten exactly where we had been placed. “Can't believe you slipped my mind. Happy to play on any team they're on.”

Melanie looked less than pleased, and Bianca actually raised her eyebrows. “But, Everett, surely they are not interested in wasting their time on such frivolity?” she asked. “And perhaps they are not familiar with the game and would find it embarrassing to try to play in front of strangers.”

“They could hardly be any worse at it than you and Melanie,” Mr. Ravenbeck said cheerfully. “You forget, I've seen you play. Come! Miss Ayerson! Miss Starborn! On your feet, and come join us.”

Predictably, Ameletta had jumped up before either of us had moved a muscle. “Oh, Mr. Ravenbeck! May I play too? I am ever so good at SpaceShot—Miss Ayerson and I play it all the time!”

This was news to me, but the dread on Janet Ayerson's face intensified to such a degree that I realized it was true, and that she would now be expected to perform with some skill on her team. Mr. Ravenbeck laughed and held his arms out in a welcoming gesture.

“You can play on my team—you shall be my hands some of the time,” he said, as she hurried down the length of the table to hurl herself into his arms. “Will that be good enough?”

“But, Everett,” Bianca Ingersoll said in a rather dangerous voice. “A child? Are you sure? And your friends have not said they would actually like to join us.”

“I want them to join us, and that should be good enough for them—and for all of you,” he replied. He spoke smilingly, but there was a certain stubbornness in his delivery that made Bianca Ingersoll draw back slightly in her chair. “Come! Let us repair to the library. The games have already been set up.”

Everyone stood, some of us more slowly than others, and in a ragged group began to make our way to the appointed room. Mrs. Farraday had bustled off to the kitchen before Janet and I had gone more than a few steps, and I turned to my fellow sufferer with a look of marveling apprehension.

“Can this really be happening? Is there no way to refuse?” I asked.

She shook her head. Her cheeks were pale, but the smallest smile was beginning to work its way across her face. “He believes it is a treat for us—a rare privilege—to be allowed to socialize with citizens as equals,” she said. Myself, I doubted the purity of his motives, but I didn't like to say so. “It would hurt his feelings for you to reject this offer. You cannot disappoint him.”

“Then quickly tell me the rules, for I have never tried my hand at this or any similar game.”

“Well, I have not played the expanded version, but it cannot be much different. There will be two screens, and to each screen, I assume, will be attached four consoles, each player to be assigned to a console. It is a role-playing game that simulates a space battle, so you will be, perhaps, the second gunman, with the ability to shoot torpedoes in a certain range. You only have a finite amount of ammunition, and if you do not spend it wisely, you will not be able to protect your side of the ship when the battle becomes fierce, so hold your fire until you have a clear shot.”

“But-how pointless and inane!” I exclaimed. “Why would anyone enjoy such a pastime?”

Janet smiled more widely now. “Well, the screens are very realistic, and the sound effects are remarkable. And I must say it can be exhilarating to be the winner and watch your opponent's ship explode. But is there any intrinsic social, moral, or intellectual virtue to this game? None whatsoever. I cannot imagine you will enjoy yourself at all.”

I was about to retort that I could not imagine she had ever passed any time in such a diversion, as Ameletta had claimed she had, but we had by this time made our way to the library, where the rest of the company had already assembled. And, as we learned in minutes, divided into teams.

“Ah, Miss Ayerson! Arrived in good time!” was Mr. Ravenbeck's greeting as we entered the room. “You are to play on the team with me, Joseph Luxton, and Bianca Ingersoll. Miss Starborn, the others are to be your companions. Quickly, now, we are all grown impatient.”

Before joining my crewmates, I took a moment to assess the setup of the game. The library had been transformed into the mirror images of two starship command centers. Each ship bridge consisted of one oversize monitor, perhaps fifty inches in diameter, with an array of authentic-looking consoles laid before it. Each console contained a keyboard, a joystick, a bank of blinking lights, and a variety of sound mikes and headphones that might have been merely props to add to the air of realism. Before each console was a highly ergonomic chair, such as I imagined ship's captains to find comfortable for a long space journey. All the other members of my team were already seated in their assigned places.