Worlds Apart (ThreeCon)

by Carmen Webster Buxton

  “I never thought of that.” Rishi felt chagrined. “You won’t tell anyone, will you? Praxiteles seems alarmed at the idea that everyone will know.”

  “Of course not.” Lidiya began to straighten the sheets. She stooped to pick up something from the floor. When she held it up, Rishi could see that it was what was left of her dress.

  Lidiya raised her eyebrows at the rent down the middle of the garment. “For two people who both played hard to get, it looks like you were in a hurry. Do you want me to try to fix this?”

  Rishi flushed as she remembered how the dress had gotten torn. “Throw it away. I won’t need it. I don’t plan on going cruising anytime soon.”

  Lidiya tossed the torn dress into the trash chute. “Hari will be glad to hear it.”

  Rishi chuckled. “I don’t intend to tell him that.”

  Lidiya had finished making the bed. She straightened up and glanced around the room. “Well, I did my best to get rid of the evidence. We’ll see how long it takes Hari to figure it out.”

  Three rising notes sounded.

  Rishi put down her toast. “Come.”

  “I’ll run along and get my own breakfast, then,” Lidiya said. “Call me if you need anything.”

  She went out the door with only a nod to Hari and a brief greeting.

  Hari answered just as briefly. He walked in and looked around. “Well, I see the Elliniká are early risers. You didn’t even feed him breakfast.”

  Rishi sat with her mouth open for a second. She was tempted to deny the implication but decided against it. Hari seldom bluffed, at least with her. “How did you know already?”

  Hari sat on the end of her bed. “Who do you think sent him here last night? Do you want me to put the door access program back the way it was or not?”

  She stared at him, remembering Prax striding through the suddenly-open doorway. “It was you! I wondered why the door opened without my saying anything.”

  He nodded. “I didn’t want to take any chances that you wouldn’t open it. I figured if I could just get Prax inside the door, propinquity would do the rest.”

  “Thank you,” Rishi said, getting up to kiss his cheek. “You did me a real favor.”

  “So do I put it back or not? The way it’s set now, Prax can come in anytime just by putting his hand on the panel.”

  Rishi liked the sound of that cicumstance. “Leave it as it is. I might be asleep when he comes in tonight.”

  “So,” Hari said, looking her over, “no more cruising bars? I can stay home at night?”

  “Yes, Hari,” Rishi said, picking up her coffee cup. “And you can stop lecturing me anytime.”

  “Good. By the way, do you have any travel plans for next month?”

  Rishi thought about it. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

  “Anika and I are getting married. We’d like you to be there.”

  Rishi jumped up to embrace him warmly. “That’s wonderful news!” she said, letting go of him at last. “When did you decide to do it?”

  “Last night when she said yes. I’ve been asking her for the last two years.”

  “Then what made her finally accept?”

  He gave her a peculiar glance, almost a rueful look. “I hope you won’t be insulted, but Anika wouldn’t marry me before because she thought you were in love with me, or rather, she thought you might be in love with me.”

  Rishi chuckled. It was a measure of how far she had come since that time that she could admit the truth now. “I’m not insulted. There was a time several years ago when she was right.”

  “What?” Hari looked stunned. “You’re joking?”

  “Not at all. I was a wreck for a couple of years after we lost them all, Hari. And you were there the whole time.”

  Hari made a face. “I know that. But you got better.”

  She nodded, remembering the years of despair. “Yes, but when I came out of it, I thought I was in love with you. I would have married you if you had asked me. I would have done anything to keep you with me. You were all I had.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” Hari said gruffly. “It’s sick! I watched you grow up, girl. You’re like a daughter to me.”

  “I know. Later I came to feel that way, too. You were a father and a friend all wrapped up into one. I’m just lucky I realized it before I did anything I would have regretted later.”

  “You stop talking that way or I’ll give you what my father gave me when the occasion warranted.”

  Rishi smiled as she sat down by the breakfast tray. “So Anika had it all figured out? She’s a smart woman. Don’t let her get away.”

  “I won’t,” he said, looking down at her. “So what happens now? It’s going to be rough on Prax once everyone figures out what’s happening in this room at night.”

  Rishi hadn’t considered her new relationship in that light. “You think people will treat him differently?”

  Hari sighed and gave her his impatient look. “You’re Mistress Trahn, and he’s a penniless security guard. A lot of people will assume he’s after your money.”

  “Well he isn’t,” Rishi said with conviction. If there was one thing she was sure of in her life, this was it. “He doesn’t give a damn for my money.”

  “I know that. But it’s not like he can prove it to everyone he meets. Even some of the security staff will probably believe it.”

  Rishi frowned. “What are you suggesting? Am I supposed to give him up because people won’t understand?”

  “No, not that. I just want you to think before you do anything that might make things worse for him. Don’t give him expensive presents or anything like that.”

  That sounded reasonable. Rishi nodded, conceding his point. “All right. I can see the sense in that.”

  Hari lifted his hands. “There’s another thing. I don’t know what it is exactly, but Prax is carrying his own emotional baggage. He’s got something bothering him, something he’s kept bottled up inside. Anika thinks it would be a good thing if he talked to you about it.”

  The thought alarmed Rishi. Praxiteles seemed so strong, so capable. What could bother him so much? “What do you think it is?”

  “I have no idea. But Anika said he seems to feel guilty about something. That may even be why he was willing to come with you when you tapped him on the shoulder.”

  “Thanks so much, Hari,” Rishi said dryly. All at once she recalled the scars on Praxiteles’ back. They were very different from the random scars on his chest, not only more numerous, but straighter.

  Hari smiled. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Rishi stood up. “Why don’t you go away so I can get dressed? I have a lot of work to do today, and I don’t intend to work late tonight.”

  Hari grinned at her and headed for the door.

  WHEN Prax left Rishi’s room, he made his way out of her private entrance and walked around to his side of the house. Once he was away from her door, he paused for a second to fill his lungs with fresh air, and then he started to run. He headed for the south corner of the estate. When he came in sight of the force field generators, he changed direction, turning gradually to follow the boundary of Rishi’s land.

  He ran easily, not trying for speed, just to stretch his legs and get his blood moving. It was a very pleasant morning. The sky above him was a beautiful shade of pale violet, and the soft breeze that cooled his face carried the sweet heavy scent of the flowering bushes. After running halfway around the perimeter, he turned again and headed for the hill where he had meant to sleep last night. He was surprised when he got there to find that his blankets were missing. He was quite sure he had left them there when Hari had found him the night before.

  Prax sat down and thought it out. He considered the possibility that an animal had dragged the blankets away. There were no traces of that on the ground. None of the wildli
fe on Rishi’s land was large, anyway. That meant that Hari must have taken the blankets. Hari must have known that he wouldn’t be returning to the hill. Suddenly, Prax remembered how surprised Rishi had been to see him at her door. He concluded that Hari had sent him to Rishi’s room expecting—probably even desiring—that he would stay the night.

  Prax got up and ran slowly back to the house. He let himself in and started for his room.

  Chio came into the hallway and saw him. “You’re still sleeping outside? I thought you’d be housebroken by now.”

  “It was a nice night for it.”

  “Are you coming to breakfast?”

  “In a few minutes. I need to shower and change.”

  Chio headed for the dining room with only a wave of his hand.

  Prax undressed hurriedly, but once he stood under the warm water, he thought about the night he had spent with Rishi. He felt a wonderful sense of release—not only sexual release, but a feeling of relief because finally, he knew Rishi cared for him, too. At the same time, he knew his problems weren’t over. Rishi was a wealthy woman, and he had come to realize what wealth meant in the universe in which she lived. By comparison, he had nothing. And even worse than the disparity in their stations was the problem of his debt to his clan, and his own past sins. Rishi didn’t know about that yet, and Prax had no idea how to tell her.

  Prax dressed quickly and went down the hall to the staff dining room. Several security staff were still eating, along with some of the household staff. Lidiya looked up and smiled at him.

  Prax nodded back, then sat down and helped himself to breakfast. No one addressed any comments to him in particular, so he finished his meal without speaking. He was just rising to clear away his plate when Rurhahn found him.

  “There you are, Prax,” he said. “The chief wants to see you when you’re finished.”

  “I’ll come now,” Prax said.

  Hari was waiting in his office. “Come in and sit down.”

  Prax waited for the door to close behind him before he took a seat.

  Hari looked him over critically. “You look rested but a trifle cautious. Are you worried I’m going to chew you out for sleeping with the boss?”

  Prax was prepared for the question, so he didn’t blush or stammer. “No. You wouldn’t have sent me to her room if you would be angry about it.”

  Hari nodded. “Quite true. I’m not going to chew you out. I just want to warn you to be careful. If you think everyone won’t find out what’s going on, and pretty quickly, too, then you’re wrong. You may get ragged for this. In fact, it’s almost certain that you will. You keep your temper under control. I don’t want any more incidents like last time.”

  Prax nodded but said nothing. It seemed pointless to make a commitment he didn’t know he could keep.

  “And one more thing,” Hari said. “I want that knife of yours. You bring it to me here sometime today.”

  The command surprised Prax. “It’s my knife. What do you want with it?”

  “I want to make sure you don’t use it, that’s what. You’ll get it back once I’m sure it’s not dangerous for you to have it.”

  Prax could feel obstinacy overshadowing his judgment. “Why should I have to give you my knife?”

  “Because if you fly off the handle and stick someone with it, Rishi will be upset. Now go and get it, or I’ll have Rurhahn search your room and get it for me.”

  Prax decided not to argue the point. He didn’t have an immediate need for the knife, and Hari wasn’t saying he would keep it forever. He went to his room and took his dagger from the drawer by the bed. Then he found the small throwing knife his father had given him to keep in his boot. If Hari planned to keep his dagger for a while, it would be best to keep the boot knife hidden, so Hari wouldn’t find out about it. Prax slid the tiny blade in place inside his boot; he still wore the bodi-hide boots he had brought from Celadon, so the knife slid into its slot, He took the larger knife down the hall to Hari’s office.

  “That’s better,” Hari said, when Prax laid the dagger on his desk. “Now, you remember what I said. I don’t care what anyone says to you, you keep a cool head on your shoulders.”

  Prax didn’t comment.

  PRAX spent the morning practicing on the firing range, followed by a workout in the gym. He was also to start training on some of the security systems that the staff monitored. Unlike patrolling the estate and merely keeping his eyes open, this left him with little time to ponder what had changed in his life. It was only when he walked through the dining room door that he realized that he would have to sit next to the woman he adored and eat lunch as if nothing had ever happened between them.

  Rishi looked up and smiled at him. Her dimple showed, and he wanted very much to kiss her.

  “Hello, Praxiteles.”

  “Hello, lady.”

  He sat down next to her. Thulan always had Draghnachh set the table so that he and Rishi were on two adjacent sides of the small square table. This meant they were always fairly close.

  Prax began to eat, but he would have found it difficult to say what he was eating.

  After a few minutes, Rishi looked anxious. “Is anything wrong, Praxiteles?”

  Prax shook his head. “No, lady. It’s just that I hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to sit so close and not be able to touch you.”

  Rishi smiled. “It doesn’t have to be a secret. I don’t care if everyone knows.”

  She had no discretion. Prax felt an unfamiliar sense of being the responsible one. “I care.”

  Rishi took his hand. “There’s no one here right now but us. What are you worried about?”

  Prax itched to pull his hand away. “Thulan watches on the monitor sometimes, or Draghnachh. And besides, lady, if you don’t let go of my hand soon, I can’t promise that you’ll finish your lunch.”

  Rishi laughed, but she let go. “It’s nice to know I’m having an effect on you. I always thought you didn’t feel that way about me.”

  “I thought you didn’t want me,” Prax said. “I made it plain that I’d do anything you wanted. You didn’t seem to want much from me.”

  “Oh, but I did. But I didn’t want you to come to me out of gratitude. You didn’t seem merely grateful last night.”

  “No. I came because I was worried about you. You never told me why you were crying.”

  Rishi put down her fork. “I think I’d better tell you tonight. There are some things it’s difficult to explain without someone holding you.”

  Her words alarmed him. What could be so frightening for her, protected as she was? “Is everything all right?”

  “It is now.”

  Prax knew it was the truth. When she stood up to leave the table, he rose with her.

  She turned and looked back at him before she left the room. “I wish it wasn’t a secret.”

  PRAX spent the afternoon on patrol. Qualhuan had to speak to him several times to get his attention.

  “You feeling okay, Prax?” the Miloran asked. “It’s not like you to go to sleep on the job like that.”

  “I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.” He glanced at the Miloran and returned his scrutiny. “How about you? Are you seeing your Miloran governess again?”

  “Tomorrow afternoon,” Qualhuan said. “I’m off and she’s off. We’re going to spend some time together.”

  “It’s wonderful you found someone you like.”

  Qualhuan nodded. “She’s nice, and she’s my people. It’s best to stick to your own kind in these things.”

  Prax knew that Rurhahn was married to a Terran. The senior guard lived in a house near the estate and stayed overnight in the security wing only when he was on call or on duty.

  “Do you think that Rurhahn made a mistake?” he asked Qualhuan.

  The Miloran shrugged. “Who am I to say som
eone else made a mistake? Maybe there’s a good reason the man’s name is ‘One who made a difficult choice’? I can only say what’s right for me. I don’t know how things will turn out with me and Trifuar, but I know that I wouldn’t be happy in a life relationship where I couldn’t have children.”

  Prax thought about this as they walked. He wondered how long it would be before Rishi felt she had to make a choice between him and the future of the House of Trahn.

  He was very thoughtful at dinner. Rishi teased him because he looked so abstracted.

  “I’m sorry, lady,” he said. “I have a lot on my mind.”

  “I know. I do, too.”

  When they parted this time, she took his hand for just a second.

  “Don’t be too late tonight,” she said. “You can use the private entrance. Your palm print will open the doors any time.”

  “I’ll come as soon as I can,” Prax said with conviction.

  He spent some time in the common room after dinner. Most of the conversation focused on Qualhuan’s romance with Trifuar. New as he was, Ogilvy felt comfortable twitting the Miloran about his activities.

  “So,” Ogilvy said, “you two go home and turn the gravity up? On my world, we’d use a fireplace to set the mood.”

  “Terrans are so cold-blooded,” Qualhuan said. “They need an external heat source to warm them up. We don’t have that problem.”

  “I don’t know,” Chio said. “Some Terrans are pretty hot-blooded. Look at Nakamura and Tinibu. Nakamura is in the room next to mine, and sometimes I’m afraid they’re going to burst through the wall. And even Mistress Trahn went out again last night. It hasn’t been that long since the last time, either.”

  Prax looked up at this. Suddenly, he remembered the dress Rishi had been wearing when he saw her. It was hardly the kind of dress she would have worn to a business meeting.

  Qualhuan noticed his interest and cuffed Chio on the back of his head. “Shut up, fool. Haven’t you got anything better to talk about?”

  “Ow!” Chio cried. “Damn it, Qualhuan. Don’t do that! You’re going to cause brain damage one of these days.”

  “You already have brain damage,” Qualhuan said. “Otherwise, you’d realize you have no luck with women and give up.”