rock. He wanted to know a lot more about the Mars surface forms.
Bey had swallowed the bait, all the way down. But he was not about to admit that to Trudy Melford. "Very interesting. Now I have to head back to Earth."
And if she was disappointed at his response, she was not about to show it to him, either. "Of course. But won't you at least stay at the castle long enough to have a meal with me?" She sensed his question before he had time to voice it. " Alone with me. I value the services and loyalty of Jarvis Dommer, but not his company."
"That sounds fine."
Bey had traveled a hundred and twenty million kilometers since breakfast, give or take the odd few hundred thousand, using everything from his own legs to the Mattin Link.
He had earned an hour or two off.
* * *
Back at the castle Bey realized that Trudy had certainly not given up trying. She dropped him off at a suite on the twelfth floor, suggesting that he relax for half an hour while she changed and gave final instructions for their lunch.
It took him only a couple of minutes to realize that the whole suite he was in had been designed and equipped for Bey's particular taste and convenience. Trudy had not only visited Bey's house on Wolf Island—she had taken careful notes there. Everything from bathroom fixtures to wall decorations had been modeled on what she had seen, presumably with the idea of matching his personal tastes. Trudy didn't want to give him any reason to refuse to stay.
Bey was smiling to himself by the time he had been through every room of the suite. What Trudy did not and could not know was that Bey didn't care what his surroundings were like. He didn't inhabit a material world. The decoration and arrangements of the house on Wolf Island owed more to prior occupants and gifts from friends than they did to Bey's own tastes. The thing that he liked best about this castle suite was the view from his windows, of strange illuminated rock spires and spears that jutted up and down from the grotto floor and roof. And he liked that because it was so totally different from Wolf Island.
Well, it was only money, and Trudy surely had oodles of that. She could afford to decorate a new suite or a new house for a visitor every day of her life and never notice the expense. But what were her own tastes? He would never deduce it from his immediate surroundings.
Bey decided that he had the time and inclination to see the rest of Melford Castle. Particularly, if he could locate them, Trudy Melford's personal quarters.
He left his suite and headed for the nearest elevator. Up, or down? Would Trudy choose to be high up on the fourteenth floor among the glittering spires, like a princess in a fairy-tale, or would she prefer the greater convenience of the lower floors?
The second, if Bey was any judge. She might be the Empress, but she was a highly practical one. Wasted time was no more to her taste than wasted words; which again raised the question as to why she was willing to devote so much of the former to him.
He was no nearer to answering that than he had been before their first meeting on Wolf Island. The Martian surface forms were fascinating, but Trudy Melford had many others working for her who would jump at the chance to come to Mars and investigate them.
Bey arrived at the elevators, changed his mind, and headed for the stairs. He would still go down, but he wanted to see every floor.
It was impossible to do a thorough job in half an hour, or even half a day. Melford Castle was reputed to have a hundred and fifty rooms. Bey soon learned that this number did not include ante-chambers and bathrooms and interconnecting corridors. There seemed to be subsidiary staircases on every floor, walk-in closets the size of Bey's Wolf Island study in every bedroom, little nooks and crannies everywhere that housed treasure troves of priceless curios of old Earth.
After the first few minutes he gave up the idea of a systematic tour and headed down from floor to
Bey had swallowed the bait, all the way down. But he was not about to admit that to Trudy Melford. "Very interesting. Now I have to head back to Earth."
And if she was disappointed at his response, she was not about to show it to him, either. "Of course. But won't you at least stay at the castle long enough to have a meal with me?" She sensed his question before he had time to voice it. " Alone with me. I value the services and loyalty of Jarvis Dommer, but not his company."
"That sounds fine."
Bey had traveled a hundred and twenty million kilometers since breakfast, give or take the odd few hundred thousand, using everything from his own legs to the Mattin Link.
He had earned an hour or two off.
* * *
Back at the castle Bey realized that Trudy had certainly not given up trying. She dropped him off at a suite on the twelfth floor, suggesting that he relax for half an hour while she changed and gave final instructions for their lunch.
It took him only a couple of minutes to realize that the whole suite he was in had been designed and equipped for Bey's particular taste and convenience. Trudy had not only visited Bey's house on Wolf Island—she had taken careful notes there. Everything from bathroom fixtures to wall decorations had been modeled on what she had seen, presumably with the idea of matching his personal tastes. Trudy didn't want to give him any reason to refuse to stay.
Bey was smiling to himself by the time he had been through every room of the suite. What Trudy did not and could not know was that Bey didn't care what his surroundings were like. He didn't inhabit a material world. The decoration and arrangements of the house on Wolf Island owed more to prior occupants and gifts from friends than they did to Bey's own tastes. The thing that he liked best about this castle suite was the view from his windows, of strange illuminated rock spires and spears that jutted up and down from the grotto floor and roof. And he liked that because it was so totally different from Wolf Island.
Well, it was only money, and Trudy surely had oodles of that. She could afford to decorate a new suite or a new house for a visitor every day of her life and never notice the expense. But what were her own tastes? He would never deduce it from his immediate surroundings.
Bey decided that he had the time and inclination to see the rest of Melford Castle. Particularly, if he could locate them, Trudy Melford's personal quarters.
He left his suite and headed for the nearest elevator. Up, or down? Would Trudy choose to be high up on the fourteenth floor among the glittering spires, like a princess in a fairy-tale, or would she prefer the greater convenience of the lower floors?
The second, if Bey was any judge. She might be the Empress, but she was a highly practical one. Wasted time was no more to her taste than wasted words; which again raised the question as to why she was willing to devote so much of the former to him.
He was no nearer to answering that than he had been before their first meeting on Wolf Island. The Martian surface forms were fascinating, but Trudy Melford had many others working for her who would jump at the chance to come to Mars and investigate them.
Bey arrived at the elevators, changed his mind, and headed for the stairs. He would still go down, but he wanted to see every floor.
It was impossible to do a thorough job in half an hour, or even half a day. Melford Castle was reputed to have a hundred and fifty rooms. Bey soon learned that this number did not include ante-chambers and bathrooms and interconnecting corridors. There seemed to be subsidiary staircases on every floor, walk-in closets the size of Bey's Wolf Island study in every bedroom, little nooks and crannies everywhere that housed treasure troves of priceless curios of old Earth.
After the first few minutes he gave up the idea of a systematic tour and headed down from floor to
Similar Books
