“Nuking hell!” yelled the Mayor. “Look where you’re going, not at me!”
I hastily faced forwards again. “Sorry.”
“Captain Mobele’s commanding officer has contacted me,” said the Mayor. “He’d like a situation report.”
“I don’t know what you mean by a situation report.”
“Does Captain Mobele seem to be eating properly? Does he look physically well? Do you think he needs more clothes, or other supplies like an all-weather sleep sack? The Military will send anything we think would be helpful.”
I frowned in thought. “He seems perfectly well. I haven’t seen a sleep sack, but he’s got plenty of blankets. When he came and talked to me, he said he hadn’t got a lookup, but he also said he couldn’t use one.”
The Mayor spoke in a sharp voice. “Captain Mobele came and talked to you?”
“Yes. I was doing some work in our almond field, and I had a very bad headache. He was worried I needed medical help.”
“Ah.” She drew out the single syllable into a long sigh of understanding. “A distressed civilian who looked in need of medical help. Yes, if anything could drag the man out of his nightmares and into the real world then that would do it. Over 90 per cent of Military recruits are born into Military families. The odds are that Captain Mobele grew up living and breathing Military values, especially the duty of the Military to protect civilians.”
I daren’t turn my head to look at her again. “You seem to know a lot about the Military.”
“I should do. I was married to one of them for five years.” She paused for a moment. “I’ve told you that so you’ll know to come to me if you think Captain Mobele has any problems, but you’d better not repeat it to anyone else.”
“I won’t,” I said.
We drove on in total silence after that. I wondered how long ago this marriage had been, how the Mayor had got involved in a relationship with one of the Military, and why they’d split up, but I daren’t ask.
Eventually we reached the school. There was a mass of people there already, some digging the trenches for the foundations of the new dome, while others set out refreshment tables. Yet more people were arriving through the school portal. The Mayor got out her lookup and spoke into it. I was shocked when her voice bellowed out at deafening volume.
“Everyone get out of the way while we park the hover sleds.”
I hadn’t known a lookup could act as a microphone. Possibly basic models like mine couldn’t. I hoped they couldn’t. If the twins found out how to magnify their voices like that, they’d deafen everyone in Jain’s Ford County.
The Mayor pointed out where she wanted me to park the transport sled. I carefully moved it into position, and we both got out. I stood watching her wave her arms, pointing out where the other sleds should park. They’d just reached the right places, when the babble of voices around us stopped.
The Mayor looked round to see why everyone had gone quiet. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “We’re honoured. One or two of the Jain boys usually come to help on Community Days, but this time the whole family are here.”
Chapter Twelve
I turned round, panicking about whether a massed arrival of the Jains meant good or bad news, and saw the group of people standing in front of the portal. It was bigger than I’d expected, including all six of the Jain children and what must be their husbands and wives.
Rodrish was standing next to his parents. When he saw me looking at him, he waved and came running towards me. “Come and meet my parents, Amalie.”
It was good news then. As I looked at Rodrish’s smiling face, all my doubts suddenly seemed foolish. Rodrish was as committed to our betrothal as I was, and asking his parents’ approval had just been a polite gesture of respect.
I relaxed, smiled back at Rodrish, then realized that I was about to meet his whole family. Worse than that, half the population of Jain’s Ford County would be avidly watching and listening to every word we said.
I gulped and hesitated, but Rodrish caught my arm and towed me along with him to face his parents.
“Mother, Father, this is Amalie,” he said.
Rodrish’s mother, Inessa Jain, hugged me in a warm, perfumed embrace. “Welcome to the family, Amalie.”
She released me, and Rodrish’s father, Kellan Jain, gave me an approving nod. “Welcome indeed.”
An unnerving thought hit me. Rodrish’s parents would naturally call me Amalie, but what was I supposed to call them? Even after Rodrish and I were married, it would seem strange to use the words mother and father to refer to anyone but my own parents.
“I’m sure you know our boys, Bened, Caden and Patryk,” continued Kellan Jain. “Our girls, Mirrie and Sara, have been living near Great Lake Settlement since they got married, but they portalled over here to meet you.”
He was pointing rapidly at people as he named them. When he started introducing the husbands and wives as well, I gave up any hope of remembering names and faces. I ended up with just one image firmly fixed in my mind. Bened Jain, an older, taller, and bulkier version of Rodrish, looking at me with an expression of dismissive superiority.
“We didn’t want to overwhelm you too much, so we didn’t bring our grandchildren,” said Kellan Jain. “Now, where are your parents, Amalie? I’ve met your father at Jain’s Ford Settlement Council meetings, but I don’t think I’ve met your mother yet.”
I turned to look for my parents, and saw my family had gathered into a shocked huddle at the front of the crowd. I beckoned them over to join us.
“I’m delighted to meet my new daughter’s family.” Kellan Jain directed a confident, practised smile at my parents, and held out a hand in greeting.
My father shook his hand. My mother was holding the baby, so she hurriedly passed him to Lisbet so she could shake hands in turn. Kellan Jain seemed to be waiting for them to say something, but they were clearly too shocked to speak.
I was still struggling with what to call Rodrish’s parents. It seemed disrespectful to even think of Kellan and Inessa Jain by just their first names. Cella would chat happily to my parents, calling them Mother and Father Roche, but some people considered that a low class habit and faintly insulting. I wouldn’t have addressed Shelby Summerhaze as Mother Summerhaze if I hadn’t been angry with her, and I certainly couldn’t casually refer to the most respected couple on Miranda as Mother and Father Jain.
I felt the only solution was to avoid calling Kellan and Inessa Jain anything at all. “This is a bit of a surprise for my parents,” I said.
“Of course.” Kellan Jain aimed his smile at my parents again, obviously used to people being awed into silence by his presence, and then turned back to me. “Rodrish told us that you’re the brightest girl in the school, Amalie. You passed your Farming Studies Certificate with the highest possible grades, and you’re one of eleven children as well.”
I was disconcerted by the way he said that, and unsure what to say in response, but Inessa Jain quietly intervened. “Please introduce us to your brothers and sisters, Amalie.”
It was my turn to point at people and gabble a long list of names. I was deeply grateful for the fact the twins were too stunned to misbehave.
“Eleven fine children and six of them daughters,” said Kellan Jain. “Excellent.”
He had a greedy look in his eyes as if he was counting potential grandchildren. I flushed with embarrassment, but didn’t say anything. It didn’t matter if Kellan Jain thought I’d have a dozen children or none at all. Rodrish and I would be the ones to decide the size of our family.
Inessa Jain touched her husband’s sleeve, and murmured his name in a warning tone. I’d heard whispered jokes that one word from Inessa Jain was more significant than all Kellan Jain’s eloquent speeches. I saw the truth of that now, because he gave her a guilty look and went abruptly silent.
Bened took this chance to step forward and join the conversation. “I don’t understand why Rodrish’s girl still has her hair tied back.”
Rodrish looked at him in irritation. “It should be obvious that Amalie had to keep her hair plaited like an unattached girl until our betrothal was announced.”
“I think everyone knows about your betrothal now, baby brother,” said Bened. “Go ahead and let down your girl’s hair, or are you so shy that you need me to do it for you?”
Rodrish glared at him and took a step forward, right hand clenched, as if he was about to punch Bened in the face.
“Not in front of the children!” I snapped the words at Bened in a voice of contempt, grabbed Rodrish’s hand, and turned to walk towards the nearest of the school domes with its lopsided pink hummingbird. I felt the tug on my hand as Rodrish hesitated for a moment, but then he turned to walk with me.
Neither of us said a word until we were inside the classroom with the door closed behind us. I let go of Rodrish’s hand, and checked the room carefully to make sure there was nobody in here with us, particularly no spying 6-year-old twins.
“I could kill Bened,” said Rodrish. “How dare he say that in front of everyone?”
“He seems to be trying to spoil our betrothal for us,” I said. “I don’t know why he’d want to do that, but you mustn’t let him succeed.”
“He wants to spoil our betrothal because he’s feeling threatened,” said Rodrish. “Bened was promised the Great House before I was even born, but Father isn’t happy about the arrangement. He thinks Bened is a lazy farmer, who wastes time on his flower garden rather than caring for his crops.”
“What’s the Great House?” I asked.
“My parents’ house on the main Jain’s Ford Estate,” said Rodrish. “They’re supposed to be handing it over to Bened next Year End, and the main Jain’s Ford Estate naturally goes with it. As I said, Father isn’t happy about it, but Mother insists they should honour their old promise.”
Given the size of the houses each of the Jain boys had already, I guessed that the Great House was massive. “I don’t understand. Why would your parents give Bened the Great House if they’re living there themselves?”
“My parents have built a new, even more splendid house for themselves on Mother’s land grant near Memorial,” said Rodrish. “They originally meant to give the Great House and main Jain’s Ford Estate to Bened last Year End, but he behaved dreadfully at their Year End party so they delayed the transfer for a year. Bened has been sulking ever since, which has annoyed Father even more. Bened’s totally dependent on Mother fighting his cause now, so I think he felt threatened when he saw her hugging you.”
I was still thinking that through when Rodrish gave a sudden shake of his head. “Nuke Bened. This is our moment, Amalie.”
He took a step closer, put his arms round me and kissed me. He was still kissing me as his hands moved up to my hair. I could feel him struggle with the cord tying my hair plait for a second, and then his fingers were running through my hair, setting it free to tumble round my shoulders.
He broke off the kiss on my lips, and moved to kiss my hair instead. I closed my eyes to focus on the warmth of his hands and lips, and the sound of his rapid breathing, but opened them again when I felt myself lifted into the air.
“Rodrish Jain, what are you doing?”
He laughed as he carried me along. “You have wild hair, Amalie. They say that girls with wild hair are wild in other ways too. Which was your school desk?”
“Rodrish Jain, you aren’t tumbling me on my old school desk.”
He laughed again. “We can use my desk if you prefer. This was my school classroom too. I had lessons in here last year.”
He put me down on a desk, presumably the one he’d sat at last year. I hastily slid off onto the floor, and slapped him on the side of the head. “Remember that both our families are standing outside this dome. What if one of them comes marching in here?”
Rodrish sighed. “You’re right. Bened just might do that, and then I’d really kill him.”
I found my lookup, tried to set it to mirror mode, and waited while it did its usual flickering.
“That reminds me,” said Rodrish. “I have a betrothal present for you, Amalie.”
He took an oblong, flat object from his pocket, and held it out to me. A brand new lookup. A fancy one with all the special features, exactly like the one Palmer Nott had gloated about here in this classroom.
“I’d noticed you needed a new lookup,” said Rodrish. “I hope you like it.”
I stared at the lookup. I’d been saving every credit I could for a new lookup. I’d calculated that in another three weeks I’d be able to buy myself the basic model. Now Rodrish was casually handing me a lookup that must be at least three times as expensive.
“You shouldn’t have spent so much money,” I said.
“I wanted to buy you a present,” said Rodrish, “and lookups don’t cost very much.”
He didn’t think that lookups cost very much. For me, that lookup represented over a hundred evenings working in Mojay’s Bar. I stood there for a moment longer, realized that Rodrish was starting to look upset, and told myself not to be stupid about this. Rodrish had given me a generous and thoughtful present. It was ridiculous to see it as some symbol of the difference between us.
I took the lookup and smiled at Rodrish. “It’s a stunning gift. Thank you.”
He was content again now, watching happily as I turned on the new lookup. I used it as a mirror, discovered I’d forgotten to bring a comb, and had to do my best to tidy my hair with my fingers.
I slid the new lookup into my pocket with the old one. “We’d better go outside now.”
Rodrish pulled a face. “If we must.”
It felt strange to be walking out of the classroom with my hair loose round my shoulders. When we were outside, I was startled by Cella running up to us.
“Stand still, Amalie!” she ordered me.
I looked at her in bewilderment, then saw the hairbrush in her hand and understood what was happening. I obediently stood still as she brushed my hair properly into place, gave me a hug, and ran off again.
Rodrish took my hand, and we walked on towards our families. Our route took us right past where Shelby Summerhaze was standing. I hesitated, let go of Rodrish’s hand, and walked up to her.
“I’m sorry I was rude when we spoke yesterday. I was in a hurry to leave because I was on my way to see Rodrish’s farm. You’ll understand that meant I couldn’t agree to have dinner with you and Tate.”
Shelby Summerhaze glanced over my shoulder at Rodrish, and then gave me a painfully forced smile that failed to hide the resentment in her face. I wasn’t sure my apology had done any good, but at least I’d tried.
Rodrish and I were turning to walk away, when Rina’s husband, Theo, marched up to Shelby Summerhaze and spoke in a maliciously loud voice.
“You should have been satisfied with trying to poison my marriage, Mother Summerhaze, instead of screaming your outrage about Amalie’s rudeness to half of Jain’s Ford Settlement. We all know the truth now. You were trying to stop Amalie from going to look at her chosen husband’s farm, and force her to spend time with your own son instead.”
By now everyone in the area was staring at the two of them. Theo turned to gaze round at the crowd. “I’m sure everyone will agree that would be appalling behaviour whoever Amalie was going to marry, but trying to prevent the betrothal of the son of Kellan and Inessa Jain was totally disgusting.”
He looked back at Shelby Summerhaze. “People may be interested in hearing the truth behind some of your other lies as well, Mother Summerhaze. Rina hasn’t been meeting Norris behind my back. We’ve both been meeting him, to discuss what happened and try to make peace between us. All three of us would appreciate it if you’d stop spying on us and mind your own business for once.”
Theo stalked off to where Rina was waiting, and pointedly kissed her. Shelby Summerhaze watched them for a second, flushed red with anger, and threw a vindictive look at me.
I’d thought an apology would make things bette
r, but I’d only caused more trouble. I daren’t say anything at all now, in case it made the situation even worse, so I rejoined Rodrish. We headed on towards where my parents were talking to a woman. I thought she was the older of Rodrish’s two sisters, Mirrie.
Rodrish’s parents saw us coming, and started walking to meet us. I tensed as I saw Bened was at their side. I leaned closer to Rodrish, and whispered to him.
“Don’t hit Bened!”
Rodrish barely had time to pull a face at me before his parents and Bened arrived.
“Bened wishes to apologize to you both for his embarrassing remark,” said Inessa Jain.
Bened gave her a sulky look.
“I’d prefer to forget it,” I said. “It didn’t upset me.”
“I’m glad to hear it didn’t upset you, Amalie, but it upset me very much.” Inessa Jain turned to look at her eldest son, and waited a bare two seconds before snapping at him. “Bened!”
“I apologize for my inappropriate remark,” said Bened.
“Thank you for your apology,” I said.
Inessa Jain glanced at her husband. “I think you’re right about reconsidering our plans.”
Bened spun round to frown at her. “What does that mean?”
“Your father and I will discuss that later,” said Inessa Jain. “We’ll now leave Rodrish and Amalie in peace.”
The three of them walked away. Rodrish looked after them and whistled softly. “I don’t think I’ll need to punch Bened after all. Mother’s furious that he made such a suggestive remark about my future wife. I think it may have cost him the Great House. In which case ...”
His expression suddenly changed to one of calculating greed. I was unpleasantly reminded of Kellan Jain picturing how many grandchildren I might give him, but Rodrish was thinking of vast estates not children.
“This changes the whole situation,” he said. “The girls had their share of the land grants when they married the sons of other Founding Families. I was hoping that my marriage would convince my parents that it was time for me, Caden and Patryk to have land to start our own estates too, but the Great House and the main Jain’s Ford Estate would be even better. If they aren’t going to Bened, there has to be a chance they will go to me!”