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Marchioness Kotani were returning their drinks to Roman's tray.
"Another drink, my lady? My lord?"
"No, Roman," Kotani said, speaking for both. "Thank you."
"My apologies," Maijstral said. "A personal call."
Kotani lifted an eyebrow. "Not getting another bid, were you?"
"He doesn't know I have the collection. Not for certain, anyway. He keeps
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trying to hire me to steal it from Fu
George."
"I'm afraid this last week has cost the Baron rather heav-
ily."
"But not in custom, I daresay. After the last seven days, Silverside Station
is certain to become established as one of the most fashionable resorts in the
Constellation. Were I
the Baron, I might well consider my losses justified."
"Quite." Kotani smiled thinly. "Lucky that I struck my arrangement with the
Baron before that fact became obvious to him."
Maijstral bowed. "I congratulate you on your sense of timing, my lord."
"This means Kotani and I will revisit Silverside for the play," said the
Marchioness. She looked at Maijstral from beneath her lashes. "The place has
such fond memories for me, such . . . sympathetic resonance."
"I'm glad," said Maijstral, seating himself, "that your ladyship found your
stay fulfilling."
"And," looking at him, "I shall be taking memories with me, in the form of the
collection. I will delight in installing such a distinguished accumulation of
artwork at home in Kotani Castle."
294 | WALTER JON WILLIAMS
Kotani patted her arm. "This idea of yours was inspired, dearest," he said. "I
barely had to make a single correction after all those negotiations with
Maijstral."
"I think," she said, no longer daring to look at Maijstral, "the negotiations
were my favorite part."
"And now, my lord . . .?" Maijstral held up a Casino betting chip and a
molecular pencil.
"Certainly. My pleasure." Kotani wrote an amount, signed, printed. Maijstral
took the chip and placed it in his pocket.
"I'll have one of my people deliver the collection this afternoon," Maijstral
said. "In plenty of time for the de-
parture of the
Boston."
Kotani stood. "I have arrangements to make, alas," he said. Maijstral stood
and the two men sniffed ears. "Your servant."
"Your very obedient. Oh. Beg pardon, my lord. My shoe caught in the carpet."
"Think nothing of it, Maijstral."
"My lady." Maijstral helped the Marchioness to rise.
"It has been a great pleasure, Maijstral." She sniffed his ears and clasped
his hand. Maijstral stiffened slightly in surprise.
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"Yours ever, my lady," he said.
After Roman closed the door behind them, Maijstral looked at the object in his
right palm. It was a small jewelled pin, fashioned of silver, rubies, and
brilliants, in the shape of the Rover of Hearts. The ideogram for Singh's
Jewelers was stamped on the back.
"How very thoughtful of her ladyship," Maijstral said
He opened his other hand, which held the two diamond studs Kotani had worn in
his left cuff. He had taken the studs off the right cuff in greeting, and the
two securing the jacket while giving him his drinks. Stealing the studs hadn t
HOUSE OF SHARDS I 295
been difficult: replacing them had. The phony diamonds would dissolve in a
matter of weeks. Maijstral dropped the pair of studs in his left jacket
pocket, along with the other four. The Rover of Hearts he pinned to his lapel.
Shifting chromatics blazed from the three objects on Rob-
erta's table. "The colors appears to be the result of bacterial action,"
Roberta said. "They do not seem to feed on any-
thing but light, and most of that they give off as phospho-
rescence. Another drink, Kuusinen?"
"Thank you, your grace." Roberta signalled Kovinn and
Kuusinen returned his attention to the three objects. "I have looked into the
xenobiological files on the Drawmii," he reported, "and so far as I can tell
these three objects are absolutely unique. Nothing like them as been
reported if others exist at all they are a very close Drawmii secret."
"They are valuable, then, these alien hairballs."
"Your grace," solemnly, "they are priceless."
Roberta took a sip of roxburgh wine. "Oh, dear," she said. "I've had to employ
six people just to guard the
Eltdown Shard. How many guards will I need for these?"
"I would keep the objects in separate places, your grace.
You don't want to lose all three at once"."
"I'll do that. I have enough vaults in enough residences, gracious knows."
"Thank you, Kovinn." Kuusinen took his glass from
Kovinn's tray.
"Kovinn," said Roberta. "You may take the objects away and pack them."
"Yes, your grace."
Kuusinen looked at Roberta from over the rim of his glass.
"What now, your grace?"
296 | WALTER JON WILLIAMS
"The Special Event, of course."
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"Yes. Of course. The Event." He sighed. "The other candidates have been
dropped, then? It's to be Maijstral?"
"Almost certainly. But just in case, I desire you continue your inquiries
elsewhere."
"As you wish, your grace."
"Send the reports to me you have my schedule and then, if you don't hear from
me otherwise, take ship for
Nana."
"And speak to Maijstral's father?"
"Yes."
Kuusinen sighed. "I hate talking to the dead. They're so .
. . faded."
"I gather old Dornier was pretty faded when he was alive."
"And Maijstral's mother?"
Roberta's expression was cold. "I've met her, and once was enough. We can
leave that woman out of it."
"I'll be happy not to see her. I tried to stay out of her sight that one time,
but still she may remember me."
' Yes. Her memories on that occasion would not be happy ones."
Resigned to another half-year of travel, Kuusinen raised his glass and drank.
"Its lordship will be returning to Zynzlyp," Lady Dosvidern said. "It has
swallowed the Shard in order to keep it safe, and will regurgitate it on
Zynzlyp. I think even Fu George would have trouble stealing the Shard from the
Drawmiikh's insides."
"It sounds quite secure," Zoot said.
"I'm given to understand that the Imperial Sporting Com-
mission, at the request of the Colonial Service, is consid-
ering the placing of a ban on future theft of the Eltdown
HOUSE OF SHARDS | 297
Shard they don't want a High Custom sporting event causing the suicide of an
entire planetary population."
"Very wise," said Zoot. Despite the fact that he and
Lady Dosvidern were having what to all appearances was an innocent
conversation at a public table in the White
Room, Zoot found himself jittery; he kept cocking his ears back as if to
listen for people sneaking up behind him. He had difficulty keeping his eyes
focused on Lady Dosvidern.
Every time he looked at her, he kept imagining (with con-
vincing realism) the pressure of a pistol barrel to his head.
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"And of course" Lady Dosvidern smiled "Lord Qlp's return to its planet of
origin will mean that I'll be free."
"You won't be taking up residence on its lordship's es-
tate?"
Lady Dosvidern's ears turned down in disdain. "Its lord-
ship's estate consists of three stone huts, two of which are filled with
livestock. No, I had an arrangement with the
Colonial Service. Now that my task is over, I'll be collecting my pension and
leaving Zynzlyp forever. I won't be re-
turning unless Lord Qlp leaves again, and I doubt it will be doing that." She
smiled at him. "Perhaps we can meet somewhere."
The very idea conjured in Zoot an instinct to run from the room as fast as his
legs could carry him. Zoot suppressed this and drew his face into a semblance
of regret. ' lady, I am sorry to report that I'm really not cut out for
adultery.''
Lady Dosvidern seemed amused. "How odd. And this from a member of the Diadem.
It's not as if my marriage to Lord Qlp were anything but a diplomatic
fiction."
"Yet. Still."
"Zoot! May I speak with you?" Pearl Woman, hands on cutlass hilts, came
swaggering to Zoot's chair. Relieved beyond all measure by the interruption,
he stood and sniffed her.
298 | WALTER JON WILLIAMS
"Pearl Woman."
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