A Few Years Later
“ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS, Brice?” Luciana asked, as she rearranged the folds of her ball gown yet again. “I know you keep saying you are, only we’re about to walk into the ballroom and I know how much you hate these things.”
“Hated. Past tense.” He leaned and kissed her cheek. “Leave your dress alone. You look wonderful. And see? The taxiboat is slowing down.”
“Because there are dozens of boats ahead of it,” Luciana observed. She sighed. “Do you remember the last soiree they held in the Aventine?”
Brice gave a soft laugh. “How could I forget. I met you at that ball.”
Luciana nodded. “Devar and Caelen were with me, that night.”
“Have you spoken to Caelen?” Brice asked. “Is that what is making you reflect?”
“Not lately. She doesn’t always respond to my messages. I’m keeping an eye on her. She’s left the engineering institute and started her own business.”
“She probably got the idea from you,” Brice said.
Luciana smiled as she rolled her eyes.
“Well, you do inspire people,” he said. His eyes danced. “You inspire me all the time.”
“I’ll inspire you properly later.”
“Much later,” he said, with a sigh. Then, “I visited Devar today.”
Luciana drew in a breath. “Is Miriam still not speaking to him?” Miriam, the other parent assigned to raise Galen, had never stopped resenting being saddled with Devar.
She had bought a big house on the Palatine, and Devar and Galen lived in one section of the house, while Miriam went about the business of her life.
It was what it was.
“You know Miriam,” Brice said. “Devar doesn’t mind, though. He has Galen to take care of and that’s keeping him occupied. That, and all the books he’s writing.”
She sighed.
Brice picked up her hand. “He has a life because of you, my love. You worked for a year to make the ship accept his fate, and you did it. You made everyone think about the good of the ship, and our futures. You pulled the ship back from the brink of disaster.”
The taxiboat grounded with a soft crunch on the hardstand outside the arena, and instantly, people stepped up to the boat and opened the door, and started babbling at them.
From farther away, she could hear others calling out. “The Captain is here! The Captain!”
Luciana gave them a small smile, while Brice carefully stepped out, got his cane settled and held out his hand toward her.
She stood and let the dress fall as it would, and took his hand.
“Come, Captain Hume. The dancefloor waits.” Brice tugged her hand.
Luciana laughed and stepped out beside him. She nodded at the people surrounding them. She would speak to all of them by the end of the evening. There was no rush.
This evening was one for reflection. For years she had measured her worth in deals and ledgers. Now she measured it in love—and in the ship that was hers to guide.