Count Aral Vorkosigan, Viceroy of Sergyar, scanned the flimsy the aide handed him and set down his coffee mug with a deep and profound sigh of relief
( Read more... )
Will examined a spray of white lilac with idle interest while the aide stepped through the door to announce him. The bush was imported from Earth, no doubt; it wasn't native to Sergyar or Barrayar, but the Viceroy could afford imported plants for his Residence's hallways.
"Will Stanton," announced the aide in a discreet murmur that was carefully calculated to travel throughout the room, and stepped aside.
Will straightened from the lilac and entered the small room, resisting the urge to shove his hands in his pockets. He grinned at the couple before him. "Hullo, Cordelia."
Cordelia set down her plate on the table and rose to her feet as the aide stepped aside, and felt herself check, taken aback at the sight of the visitor. A quiet-looking man of indeterminate middle age, anywhere between forty and seventy depending on his planet of origin, with straight brown hair receding from a round bland face --
And a memory of Will's voice, saying thoughtfully: If I understand your talk of worlds and stars properly, your time is far ahead of mine. ...I wonder if I will still be there, when you are...
Startlement gave way to comprehension, and she smiled, holding out a hand.
"Hello, Will. It's been ... quite some time, apparently."
Will returned the smile, with a quick sideways one for Count Vorkosigan, and took her hand.
"So it has."
It was strange to see her here, looking the same as she had the last time he saw her, centuries ago. He had known it would be, of course, but still it felt strange. The memory of the boy he had been at fifteen was stronger and more immediate than it had been in a very long time, and a small corner of him was abruptly homesick for the long-gone rural world of his youth.
He turned to the Count, the smile dropping away into polite formality, and inclined his head. The old gesture, more than a nod and just less than a bow. "My lord."
Several hours later, Will stood with Cordelia in the Residence's small courtyard gardens, watching the slanting afternoon sunlight make rainbows in the spray of a tiny marble fountain. He dipped a hand in the basin, and watched the water drip from his fingers onto the gravel of the path, and turned a little to smile at her. "It's a lovely place," he said.
Her dry smile faded slightly, and her eyes went a little distant as she ran her fingers over the rim of the fountain. The change of subject, though abrupt, was not entirely unexpected.
"I've been trying to decide whether or not I should go back to Milliways."
"And it's crossed my mind that you already know whether I have. Whether I will. Will have." She frowned, and made a small irritable throwing-away gesture with one hand. "You know what I mean."
Broad-spectrum antibiotics. A small portable toxin-reader. A few other items. She'd hesitated long over the stunner, and finally decided not to include it.
Basic precautions. More would doubtless occur to her as the need for them came up.
She shouldered the handbag, and headed for the access corridor.
Comments 63
"Will Stanton," announced the aide in a discreet murmur that was carefully calculated to travel throughout the room, and stepped aside.
Will straightened from the lilac and entered the small room, resisting the urge to shove his hands in his pockets. He grinned at the couple before him. "Hullo, Cordelia."
Reply
And a memory of Will's voice, saying thoughtfully: If I understand your talk of worlds and stars properly, your time is far ahead of mine. ...I wonder if I will still be there, when you are...
Startlement gave way to comprehension, and she smiled, holding out a hand.
"Hello, Will. It's been ... quite some time, apparently."
Reply
"So it has."
It was strange to see her here, looking the same as she had the last time he saw her, centuries ago. He had known it would be, of course, but still it felt strange. The memory of the boy he had been at fifteen was stronger and more immediate than it had been in a very long time, and a small corner of him was abruptly homesick for the long-gone rural world of his youth.
He turned to the Count, the smile dropping away into polite formality, and inclined his head. The old gesture, more than a nod and just less than a bow. "My lord."
Reply
Reply
Reply
Her dry smile faded slightly, and her eyes went a little distant as she ran her fingers over the rim of the fountain. The change of subject, though abrupt, was not entirely unexpected.
"I've been trying to decide whether or not I should go back to Milliways."
Reply
Reply
Reply
Broad-spectrum antibiotics. A small portable toxin-reader. A few other items. She'd hesitated long over the stunner, and finally decided not to include it.
Basic precautions. More would doubtless occur to her as the need for them came up.
She shouldered the handbag, and headed for the access corridor.
Reply
Leave a comment