Chapter Twenty-Two
“Thank you, Vivian, for another memorable outing.” Ren paused outside the dormitory and bowed over her hand.
“I enjoyed the gallery,” Vivian said honestly. “Especially the sculpture garden.”
“I’m glad.” He stroked his beard. “Vivian … Presentation Day is four days away.”
“I—yes.”
He gave a tiny sigh. “I must ask. Is there another?”
“No.” Vivian shook her head rapidly. “No, of course not.”
“Very well.” He pulled a small black box from his pocket and handed it to her.
Vivian opened it and let out an involuntary gasp upon finding a large white pearl strung on a gold necklace.
“My mother asked me to present this to you, as a token of her respect. My father gave it to her on the day they wed. It’s an Akoya pearl gathered from the oysters found off the shores of Japan.”
“Thank you,” Vivian whispered. “This is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever given me.”
“My mother requested that I convey that she hopes to welcome you to the Nakamura home.” He bowed again and walked away down the redstone path.
Vivian clutched the gift to her and stared at his retreating back. Four days. She should accept him tomorrow. It was time.
In her bedroom, a handwritten envelope lay on her pillow. Vivian’s heart leapt, thinking it was from Xavier, until she recognized the handwriting. Delilah. Why would her sister bother writing to her when she could just visit?
Vivian placed the pearl necklace carefully on her bedside table and opened the letter.
Viv,
Guess where I’ve gone?? You’re going to be so surprised!
I’m on my way to the Catena dome. Can you guess who I’m with?
I’ve fallen in love with Silas, and we’ve run away together.
Isn’t that so romantic? The best part is there’s nothing that bitch Mitzi can do about it.
I wish I could see her face when she finds out. I’m cracking up just thinking about it.
Love you!
Delilah
Vivian sat down abruptly on the bed. The rent on her parents’ new trailer was only paid for another week or two. Could Arcadia claw back the funds sent to Earth? Had her mother already gotten a dog?
The Intelligence must be aware that Delilah had gone with Silas. The two of them wouldn’t have been able to conceal their actions. Would her parents, having finally found a taste of freedom, be confined again?
No, she couldn’t allow it. She should chase after Ren and accept his offer immediately, before the taint of Delilah’s decision made Vivian undesirable and no one wanted her at all on Presentation Day.
She could send more money to her parents in a matter of days and shield them from Delilah’s actions.
Vivian rose, pacing in her tiny room, the letter clutched in her hand.
What did Silas want with Delilah? She had a partner. She’d signed a contract. She was pregnant.
Silas had encouraged Xavier’s sister to carry a pregnancy to term when he must have known it would most likely kill her. Why?
And he’d tested out the idea of running away on Vivian, but she’d dismissed him. What had he said? We could start a life together somewhere else. Had he made a similar proposition to Delilah?
What did the Catena dome have to do with any of this?
She considered what she knew of Catena. A newly elected charismatic leader. A rocky relationship with Arcadia. A water shortage. A nebulous threat. There was no reason Vivian could fathom why Silas would take Delilah there.
If Vivian had told Delilah about Silas’s past, she wouldn’t have run off with him. If she hadn’t prioritized loyalty to Xavier’s secret, she would have taken her sister into her confidence. If she had not left them alone to go to the law library. If, if, if …
Xavier.
Vivian froze in the middle of her bedroom. Xavier had dealt with Silas all his life. He would know what to do.
She located her modest credit chit, changed her clothes, put on shoes and a hat, and left the deserted dormitory. Presentation Day was only four days away. She needed to hurry.
Sneaking out of the compound had become routine.
Vivian swung her small duffel over one shoulder, pulled herself up the tree, perched for a moment at the top, and dropped over the wall.
She had consulted a map on the information nexus before departing and memorized the route.
The journey had seemed simple enough to plan in the comfort of the dormitory.
Dorsey Estate had its own station and getting to it only required a single transfer point in the industrial district.
On the streets of Arcadia, she kept her head low. No one was looking at her, she reminded herself. She wore her drabbest auburn dress and kept her hair tucked under a modest taupe hat. She paid her fare with a tap of her credit chit and settled in for the long journey.
Delilah had left her.
Left Arcadia.
With a man who could not be trusted.
Vivian drummed her fingers on her bag. Did the Arcadian trains always move this slow? She hadn’t taken a train often and never crossed the full dome. Most of the time, when she’d had the opportunity to leave the dormitory grounds, she’d been whisked along in some oligarch’s private groundcar.
As the train stops progressed, the types of passengers in the car changed.
More Martians got off and more Earthers got on.
The head coverings grew more practical in appearance and more of the women wore pants or jumpsuits.
Many of the riders sank wearily into seats, dirt beneath their fingernails and soot on their faces.
Vivian’s drabbest dress appeared more and more finely woven and well-cut the closer the train got to the industrial district.
Finally, she reached the transfer spot. Vivian followed the others exiting the car and looked around.
She’d expected after her walk through the industrial district with Ren that she would be oriented, but instead she found herself lost on the unfamiliar streets and wasting precious minutes wandering around looking for the stop for the Dorsey line.
She caught the train just before the doors closed and sat panting on the hard chair, trying to regain her composure.
As the train moved away from the industrial district, Vivian watched the rougher-clad Earther commuters dwindle, replaced by well-dressed Martians.
A few stared at her with open curiosity.
She remembered Ivey’s words: Clothing is a game.
Her Earther build and her aristocratic clothing didn’t add up in the eyes of the other passengers.
Vivian sat up taller and hid her unease behind a smooth, expressionless face.
Next stop: Dorsey Station, an automated voice announced.
Vivian dismounted at last. Her back ached from the hard seats, and her stomach rumbled. She began making her way slowly down the street before lifting up her weary head.
Dorsey Estate was stunning.
The main house stood high on the rising ground of a crater with immense picturesque windows overlooking the surrounding lovely, if more modest, dwellings.
Instead of the formal, stately trappings of Yarrow House and Hayes House, the Dorsey home seemed to embrace the natural Martian landscape, blending into the surroundings with clean modern lines and sharp edges.
The square black beams, dark metal windows, and rusted steel fencing echoed the harsh, minimal beauty of Mars.
At the gate, Vivian rang the bell and nervously gave her name to the security screen.
The gates swung open with a creak. She walked down an angular walkway dotted with spiky plants with torch-like red flowers jutting from their tops.
The house’s floor-to-ceiling glass doors slid open as she approached.
“Vivian Bowen?” In the spacious entryway, a young Martian woman descended floating, faux-wood stairs.
Her angular face resembled Xavier’s but her clothing looked nothing like the style of the Martian oligarchs.
Her dress ended with a flare just below her knees, dyed in splashes of bright orange, pink, and yellow.
Her hair was styled in puffs on either side of a jaunty miniature purple top hat.
On her tiny feet, she wore black slippers.
“How … unexpected. But my brother did say you were bold.”
Vivian’s heart hammered in her chest. Now that she was here at Dorsey House, she was at a loss for words. Surely a Red Mother descending upon a counselor’s home without warning violated a dozen rules of Martian etiquette. “Is Xavier—Mr. Dorsey—is he here?”
“He is.” The young woman looked her up and down. “X is currently tied up in meetings. Am I correct to assume you are here without invitation?”
“I—yes. Will he see me?”
She grunted. “He’ll see you. His exact words to me were, ‘Don’t you dare let her leave.’ ”
Relief flooded through Vivian, and a soft smile escaped her lips. Despite everything, she’d missed him.
The woman gave a short, silvery laugh. “So he has had an impact on you. I couldn’t tell from his version of events.” She inclined her head, and the black feathers affixed to her little top hat wobbled. “I’m Zuri.”
First names then. “Vivian.”
“Won’t you come upstairs to the drawing room, Vivian?”
She followed Xavier’s sister up the floating stairs. Floor-to-ceiling window walls overlooked the rust-colored Martian landscape. A shiny black upright piano stood in one corner.
Zuri pressed a recessed button on the wall. “Refreshments for Miss Bowen, if you please.” She gestured for Vivian to take a seat on a dark leather loveseat and sat down across from her. “Have you selected a spouse, Vivian?”
“No. I mean, not yet.”
Zuri raised her brows. “Aren’t you cutting it close? Ever since I got home, the big wedding on Presentation Day is all Arcadia Life will talk about. I heard it’s going to be televised live from the Council chamber.”
“I have four days.” Vivian tried to ignore the way the sentence made her heart beat faster.
A discreet Earther servant arrived, bearing a tray of tea, scones, and a platter of fruit. With careless elegance, Zuri poured her a cup of tea. “Is it true you told X he was the last person on Mars you could ever love?”
“He told you that?” Vivian felt her face flush.
“There are no secrets between my brother and me. Not anymore.”
Vivian took a sip of tea. “I was angry with him.”
Zuri let out another peal of laughter that rang on the high ceilings. “It does sound like he earned your anger.” Her face sobered. “I don’t think he’s allowed himself to be in love since—well, he told me he divulged to you the mess from when I was fifteen.”
Vivian frowned. What did the story of Silas’s inheritance and affair with Zuri have to do with Xavier swearing off love? “I hope you don’t mind that he shared your personal business. I promise I won’t tell anyone else.”
“I know. You are a woman of impeccable honor, according to my brother.”
Vivian picked up a scone and turned it over in her hand. “Can I—can I ask you something?”
Zuri made a welcoming gesture with her teacup.
“Why did Silas want a child with you?”
Zuri blew out a breath. “That’s quite a question.
My brother warned me you were direct.” She took a sip of her tea.
“He wanted to upend the system. He believed, at the time, that the risks of a Martian woman carrying a pregnancy to term were exaggerated, used as a tool to enforce the class hierarchy. When I was a rebellious fifteen-year-old, I found his argument compelling. But Silas was wrong not to trust the experiences of our foremothers.”
“Do you think he still wants to topple the Arcadian oligarchy?”
Zuri shrugged. “I’ve no idea. I haven’t seen him in nearly five years.” Her gaze sharpened. “Stay away from Silas Gatlin, Vivian. Behind his handsome, charming facade is a cold, ruthless sociopath.”
“Indeed,” came a deep voice from the doorway.
Vivian spun around to meet Xavier’s eyes. She could read a mixture of concern and gladness in his expression. “Hi,” she whispered.
“You’ve put me in quite a dilemma,” he said lightly as he swiped a scone from the tray. “How can I stand by my promise to keep my distance when you show up unannounced at my doorstep?”
“I find, Mr. Dorsey, that I am quite unable to stay away from you.”
He grinned. “Is that right?”
She couldn’t help smiling back at him. “Yes … I mean, no. Is there somewhere we can speak privately? With no one or no thing listening.”
Xavier raised his eyebrows. “My office. Zuri, if you will excuse us.”
Zuri looked curiously between the two of them. “Of course.”
Without touching her, Xavier gestured her down the corridor to a nearby office on the same floor.
He pressed a switch to lower the shades on the wide windows and turned on a side lamp that reflected on the dark gray walls.
Vivian hesitated at the door, her knees trembling under her. He took her hand and led her inside.
Vivian stared down at his large hand enclosing hers. He ran one calloused thumb over her knuckles before releasing her. She watched his fingers flex as if involuntarily as he turned away. She sat, shakily, on a side chair.
Xavier poured her a glass of water and placed it down in front of her. “I can see you’re distressed. Tell me what’s the matter.”
His gentleness quite undid her. Vivian felt tears threaten, and she blinked rapidly. “Are you sure the Intelligence can’t hear us in this room?”
“Counselors’ offices are not monitored. Despite my aunt’s ill-conceived dependency on the Intelligence, the Council is an independent body, and we are entitled to a higher degree of privacy than other Arcadians.”
Another time, Vivian might have asked more questions. She’d read about the court case limiting the power of the Intelligence in her law textbook and was curious about how it worked in practice. But now, all Vivian could think about was her sister.
In halting words, she related what had occurred.
“Delilah left me a letter.” She handed it to Xavier, who swore under his breath after he finished.
“She’s always been impulsive. Especially when faced with something hard.
She runs away from problems, rather than facing them.
” She rubbed a hand over her face. “I wish I’d told her what I learned about Silas.
She would never have left with him if she’d known what he was capable of. ”
Xavier spread his hands. “You didn’t tell her because I’d asked for your discretion. If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”
“If she doesn’t participate in the wedding ceremony on Presentation Day, she will have broken her contract.
” Vivian twisted her hands on her lap and didn’t mention her parents and their new trailer.
The dog. “I hoped that we could find them in the Catena dome and undo this before it’s too late.
I know it’s a lot to ask. But I—I didn’t know who else I could trust.”
Xavier made no answer. He rose and paced up and down the room with a furrowed brow. Finally, he spoke, “We’ll find her. I know a place we can start in Catena. We’ll leave at once.”