Starclimber (14 page)

T
he sight of the ring and the hardness of Kate’s face made my stomach turn over, and I was worried I might be sick. I walked away. I heard her calling out, but I didn’t stop. Out through the doors and onto the street, not knowing where I was going. My stomach clenched, and I made it down an alley before I retched, tears springing to my eyes. After a few minutes I pulled myself together and ventured back out onto the busy street. Still in a daze, I bumped right into Reg Perry. He was with a group of other finalists, all loosening their ties and looking morose.

“Cruse!” Reg said, clapping me on the shoulder. “We’re off to Gassy Jack’s to drown our sorrows. Come with us.”

I went. I sat with them at the bar, inundated by the noise and smoke and glad of it, for I didn’t want to talk or think. They bought me drinks and slapped me on the back and said, “You should’ve been up there, Cruse.” They said, “You land dived like a falcon! You saved Tobias’s life. That should count for something! What’re they thinking? Really, you should’ve been up there, mate.”

They thought I was disappointed; they didn’t know my heart had just been clawed from my body. The clock ticked through the hours of the evening and the small hours of morning, and when I arrived home in a cab at an ungodly hour, my mother said nothing. She had heard the news on the radio. Silently she made up a bed for me in her sewing room behind the kitchen.

I wasn’t drunk, but I pretended to be, for all I wanted was to sleep and forget. But sleep would not come, leaving me to see again and again that ring on Kate’s finger and the defiant look in her eyes, and to know that I’d lost her now for good.

When finally sleep did take pity and tug me under, it seemed mere seconds before my mother was gently shaking my shoulder.

“Matt, there’s someone to see you. Get dressed.”

I squinted at the sun-filled window. It must’ve been late morning. I pulled my trousers and shirt on, hoping it was Kate; dreading it was Kate. I walked out to the parlor and saw Captain Walken talking to my sisters.

“Ah, Matt,” he said. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, sir.”

“Sylvia, Isabel, let’s give them some privacy,” my mother told the girls.

“Thank you, Mrs. Cruse,” said Captain Walken. “It’s lovely to see you again.”

“And you, Captain Walken.”

I ran a hand through my sleep-tousled hair, knowing I looked bedraggled. He’d probably come to try to cheer me up. He was a bighearted man, and I didn’t think ill of him for not choosing me.

“I wanted to talk to you last night,” he said, “but I couldn’t find you.”

“I left early.”

He smiled. “But stayed out late, I hear.”

“Some of the other fellows sort of swept me along with them.”

The captain nodded. “A hard night for you.”

I cleared my throat. “Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be an astralnaut.”

“Not so, Matt. Not so. It was very difficult to pick only three. It’s the size of the ship that limits us, not the quality of the men.”

He was being kind. “I think you made the right choices, though. They’re all excellent.”

“They are,” he agreed. “Unfortunately, Mr. Bronfman celebrated a bit too much last night. In his drunken frenzy he broke his leg.”

“He didn’t!” I said, aghast.

“Quite badly. He’ll be in a cast for some time.”

“But when does the expedition leave?” I asked.

“Immediately. You’re our next choice.”

My heart leapt. “I am?”

“You’ve not gone and made other plans, I hope?”

I chuckled. “No, sir.”

“We leave tomorrow morning for the launch site.”

My mother appeared in the doorway, her eyes wet.

“You’ve heard,” I said.

She nodded, and I went to hug her. “I’m going to outer space!” I said.

“And what about these Babelites?” she said, glaring at me.

“It’ll be fine, Mom. Captain Walken’ll keep an eye on everything.”

She smiled through her tears. “I’m sure he will.”

“There’s one more thing I wanted to talk to you about,” said the captain. “I assume you heard that Miss de Vries is engaged to James Sanderson.”

My mother turned to me in dismay. “Matt, is this true?”

I nodded. “I found out last night.”

Captain Walken looked at me closely. “Is this likely to interfere with your performance aboard my ship?”

The thought of seeing Kate right now was almost too painful to bear, and I felt my enthusiasm curdle. But I also felt my heart harden. I wasn’t going to let her ruin this for me. I’d worked for this, harder than I’d ever worked in my life.

I looked the captain in the eyes and shook my head. “No, sir.”

“Did you have any idea she meant to get engaged?” my mother asked.

“It was a surprise,” I said.

“I think very ill of her now,” said my mother darkly.

I sighed. “We’d made no promises to each other, Mom,” I told her.

Her eyes were angry. “Still, I think it a very sly thing to do. I’m sorry, Matt. But you’re well rid of her.”

I nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

But I didn’t believe a word of it.

The sun had yet to crest the horizon, and the morning still had an invigorating chill when I arrived at the aero harbor. It was all activity around the
Bluenose
, a sleek air schooner that would take us to our launch site. Judging by the supplies and provisions being loaded aboard, the trip would not be a short one. The location of our launch site and spaceship was still a secret to me. After the latest Babelite plot, Mr. Lunardi was taking no chances. Armed security guards were posted all over the landing field, and my papers were examined by two sentries before I was allowed up the gangplank.

I left my bags with the ground crew and went aboard. I found my way to the starboard lounge. It was a luxurious ship, intended for private charters, and was very well appointed, with armchairs and sofas and writing tables. Shepherd and Tobias were already there, and Tobias came toward me with a big smile on his face.

“They just told us you were coming!”

“I guess you heard about Bronfman,” I said.

“I was there!” Tobias said. “He tried to skate down the banister of the hotel’s grand staircase!”

I winced. “There’s quite a curve to it.”

“Yeah. You can imagine what happened.”

“Damn foolishness,” said Shepherd. He cut an imposing figure in his gray Aeroforce uniform. He looked at me with his cool, appraising eyes. “Bronfman should’ve been here.”

“Not with his leg in a cast,” said Tobias, giving me a wink.

I hated benefiting from Bronfman’s misfortune, but I couldn’t help that, and I’d be a fool to let my reservations stop me coming. All I could do was work my very hardest, to make sure I earned my place aboard ship.

Through the windows I saw a fine motorcar pull up, with many trunks stacked on the roof. The driver opened the passenger doors, and Mr. and Mrs. de Vries stepped out, followed by Kate—and James Sanderson.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I saw Mr. de Vries shake his daughter’s hand—which seemed a rather stiff farewell, considering she was embarking on a long journey that was hardly free of danger. Mrs. de Vries placed her hands lightly on Kate’s shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. James, on the other hand, seemed very eager to wrap his arms around Kate and lean in for a kiss on the mouth, which Kate hastily deflected to her cheek. My teeth clenched, as if sharpening themselves for an attack. I wanted them very sharp.

“Who’s that?” Tobias asked beside me.

“That,” I said, my jaws still tight, “is Miss de Vries’s fiancé, James Sanderson.”

“Isn’t he heir to the Sanderson fortune?” Tobias asked.

“Yep.”

“Interesting,” said Tobias, giving me a strange look.

Outside, another car drew up and Miss Karr emerged, with Haiku hopping about on her shoulder. She spoke at length with the de Vrieses, and I guessed she was promising Kate’s parents that she’d keep a strict eye on their daughter. Mrs. de Vries looked a bit uncertain, and her eyes kept drifting to the monkey, who was gleefully chewing on Miss Karr’s hat. Everyone made their final farewells, and I saw James push a letter into Kate’s hands. Then Miss Karr and Kate headed up the gangway.

I felt my stomach shift; I wasn’t sure I was ready to see Kate yet. I hurried out of the lounge and headed aft, but the passageway was jammed with porters wrestling with Kate’s steamer trunks. I headed back the way I’d come, rounded a corner, and ran straight into her.

She stared at me in astonishment. “What are
you
doing here?”

“You don’t sound very happy to see me.”

“But—”

“Bronfman broke his leg. I’m his replacement.”

“That’s brilliant!” she said.

“Bit hard on old Bronfman.”

“Matt, I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Are you?” I said coldly. “That was a touching send-off with your fiancé.”

I heard Miss Karr’s loud voice around the corner. Kate grabbed my hand and pulled me through a doorway into a dark room, and I felt her lips on mine and her arms around my neck, pulling me tight. I was so surprised and excited that I kissed her back, though I was furious with her and wanted to bite her as much as kiss her. Panting, I pushed her away and fumbled on the wall for a switch. The lights came on. We were in a women’s lavatory, but I didn’t care about that just now. I glared at Kate and had never felt so angry in my life.

“After all your talk about never getting married,” I said, “you go and get engaged! How could you?”

“Listen to me,” she whispered. “This engagement does not mean a thing.”

I gave a bitter laugh. “Of course not. You’ve only promised yourself to be another man’s wife.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “I scarcely know him. I have no intention of marrying him.”

“Then why’d you get engaged?”

She waggled her ring finger. “It’s obvious. I told you already. This is my ticket to outer space.” She looked me straight in the eyes. “I had no choice.”

I snorted. “You have as much choice as anyone. More.”

“Not after the jail incident.”

“Whose fault was that?”

“I know.” She nodded ruefully. “But after my father saw us together in the cell, and the photo in the newspaper…my parents don’t trust me anymore. They think I’m going to ruin my chances of marrying well. They said I couldn’t come unless I agreed to marry George Sanderson.”

“It’s James,” I snapped.

“James. George. Whichever.”

“So you have no intention of marrying him?” I demanded.

“None. Matt, you know there’s no one I care for more than you.”

“Well, I’m not sure I care for you anymore,” I said. I didn’t mean it, but I was humiliated and angry, and I wanted to hurt her.

I walked away without looking back.

We set sail, and not long after departure we were all summoned to the dining room, where a celebratory breakfast was laid out for us. We sat down at the long table like a big and rather odd extended family: Miss Karr and Haiku, the doleful Dr. Sergei Turgenev, Sir Hugh Snuffler, looking particularly puffy and self-important, Kate and I, Tobias and Chuck Shepherd, and Captain Walken. And sitting at the head of the table, Mr. Lunardi, lifting a flute of champagne.

“Ladies and gentlemen, to outer space!”

“Outer space!” we all cried, glasses raised high.

“And let me just say once again,” Mr. Lunardi continued, “how delighted I am to have each and every one of you on the expedition.”

I glanced at Shepherd, who didn’t look particularly delighted with his fellow astralnauts. Sir Hugh, who was seated as far away as possible from Miss Karr and her monkey, cleared his throat.

“I must say, though, Mr. Lunardi, I had second thoughts when I found out I wasn’t to be the only”—he paused, looking across the table at Kate—“
zoologist
coming.”

“As did I, Sir Hugh,” said Kate, with the kind of smile the Grim Reaper might wear.

Miss Karr, I noticed, was busily scribbling in her notebook. I could just imagine the kind of dispatches she’d be writing.

“The only reason I’m here at all,” said Sir Hugh, “is to put a stop to the kind of sloppy amateur observation that gives the sciences a bad name.”

“Or,” Kate retorted, “is it the refusal to consider new ideas that gives the sciences a bad name?”

Mr. Lunardi beamed. “This is
precisely
what I was after! Sir John, you see, had some reservations about inviting both of you. But not I. You, Miss de Vries, have made fascinating discoveries, but they’re controversial, and you’re still young, and a woman, and that will make many people distrustful. But you, Sir Hugh, have a reputation that’s esteemed worldwide. No one doubts your word. But you do belong, shall we say, to an old school of thinking that might be just a touch closed-minded. Now,” Mr. Lunardi continued, waving away Sir Hugh’s indignant objection, “now, with
both
of you aboard, we’ll have the most rigorous scientific debate at all times. And any discoveries you jointly make will be all the more credible to the world. Do you see the beauty of it?”

Kate and Sir High looked at Mr. Lunardi in silence.

“No,” said Sir Hugh, “I’m afraid I don’t.”

There was a flash, and Miss Karr gave a delighted cackle as she lowered her camera. “Your expression was priceless, Sir Hugh. Wonderful.”

“Miss Karr, I hope you won’t be snapping pictures of us all the time,” Sir Hugh said irritably.

“That’s why I’m here,” the journalist replied.

“Mr. Lunardi,” Chuck Shepherd said from down the table, “you’ve kept us in suspense a good long time. Can you tell us where we’re going now?”

“I can, Mr. Shepherd, and I’m sorry we’ve kept you all in the dark for so long. But I think you can understand our need for secrecy, especially after recent events. We’re sailing for an equatorial island in the Pacific, three days’ journey. That is where we’ve built our launch site and our ship.”

“Bit far away from everything,” said Miss Karr, her eyes bright with curiosity.

“Indeed, but absolutely necessary, as you’ll see when we get there.”