“I have to dash upstairs and get my purse,” she said.
They walked out of the dining room and Gianna ran lightly upstairs, Verlaine at her heels barking excitedly. Trevor hesitated and decided to indulge himself with one last look at the painting he was so drawn to, so he entered the library and stood in front of the frame.
“You really like that one, don’t you?” she asked from the doorway a short time later. “I’m flattered. I woke from a dream—a good dream for a change—and the image was in my head so I painted it the same day.”
Appalled to have his situational awareness so lacking, he was at a loss for words.
She walked to his side, glancing from the painting to him. “It actually reminds me of you, a little.” Raising her voice, she called for Duffy. When the butler arrived, out of breath, she said imperiously, “Take this one off the wall, wrap it and put it in the groundcar. I’m taking it with me.”
Evidently used to her making split second decisions of this type, the man nodded and stepped forward to lift the painting off the wall. Gianna looped her hand through Trevor’s arm and said, “Shall we?”
As he exited the house, stepping out the elaborate front door into a beautiful, crisp morning, Trevor said, “I’ve enjoyed my stay here. It was peaceful.”
“I think you need more peace in your life,” she said cryptically, surprising him with her insight. “But I’m glad to hear it. Once the house and grounds were mine, I did my best to create a haven. Even the flowering plants were selected with an eye to those which emit a calming scent. Sounds as if I was successful. I’m giving you the painting, by the way.”
Shocked, he paused. “I can’t accept something so valuable. Let me pay you for it.”
“We can haggle,” she said with a laugh. “On the way to the spaceport. This will be fun—I want it to be free and you want it to be costly. I’ve never done a reverse negotiation. Usually I state a price and the buyer accepts.”
“Or rejects?” he asked.
Shrugging, she shook her head. “No. Original works by G. Nadenoft are rare in the Sectors. Sought after.” Putting a hand to her lips, Gianna chuckled and her eyes sparkled in the morning sun. “I’d better stop there or I’m going to sound boastful and conceited and you’ll try to increase the price you pay.”
Duffy came out behind them, followed by a robo carrying the wrapped painting. “Ready to go, my lady.”
“All right then.” Hands on her hips, tapping one toe, she surveyed Trevor’s borrowed groundcar with disapproval. “Not my usual mode of transportation, so corporate and well, stodgy. I hardly go to the city often except to visit one or two old friends but I have a much more fun car than this. I don’t suppose we could take mine?”
“I have to return this one to the CLC affiliate today,” he said with genuine regret. “Although I’d love the chance to drive something more high powered.”
“Another time,” she said as he ushered her to the groundcar. Verlaine jumped in first, sprawling over the entire rear seat and then Gianna took her place next to Trevor demurely.
Trevor felt as if he was holding his breath in anticipation of her changing her mind again but he retraced his route over the lengthy driveway and then along the regular roads, Duffy right behind in a big boxy van. Gianna kept the conversation light and seemed untroubled this morning by any doubts or fears. Trevor checked on Verlaine a few times and he was apparently snoozing. Trevor relaxed the closer he got to the spaceport. This might actually happen.
“I haven’t been in the city in several years,” she said, studying the elaborate government complex they were passing on the right. “As I mentioned, I used to come and have lunch with several of my friends from school days but we’ve all drifted apart as the girls got married and advanced in their careers. When I’m home again after the wedding perhaps I’ll make an effort to reconnect.” She gave Trevor a big smile. “This voyage is going to be so good for me—I can tell already.”
He hoped she was right but deep inside his head there was a whisper of worry it was all going too smoothly and if she’d been so traumatized for so long, how likely was it she’d sail through this trip with no flashbacks? When part of her stated goal was to retrace her steps as best she could on the modern day cruise liner?
“You’re frowning rather fiercely.” Head tilted, brows drawn together in a frown of her own, she was studying him intently. “Am I boring you?”
“Not at all.” Knowing she wouldn’t appreciate the direction his thoughts had been trending, he rather desperately retreated to the last thing she’d said. “You were talking about school. You came into the city for school?”
She shook her head, distracted by the topic as he’d hoped. “At first but it became clear I’d be too disruptive to the other kids because of my mood swings and my need for a service animal, no matter how well behaved and highly trained. Eventually my father created a small school on our estate and invited a select group of people to send their children. Bribed them actually, with rich scholarship offers. I only learned about his machinations years after the fact, when he died. The man was consumed by all kinds of guilt.” Gianna spoke so dispassionately about her own father that Trevor cast her a startled glance but she was already going on with her explanation. “When I was older, I came into the city for special classes and had a bit of home schooling too but I pretty much self-educated, especially in my late teens when I understood how sheltered I’d been.”
Trevor had a hard time relating to how she’d been brought up. In his teens he’d been in what was basically a reform school and then mainlined into the military. He bit his tongue, having no intention of sharing those memories with her. They were certainly from different levels of the Sectors society. Whatever polish he possessed was courtesy of the military.
He checked the vids again as Gianna paid attention to Verlaine, petting the hound and giving him a treat. Trevor thought maybe they were being followed by unknown persons other than Duffy in the estate’s van, but couldn’t be sure, which annoyed him. Given his training and skills, he should be able to spot a tail with no problem. Taking over from the auto pilot with a muttered curse, he took the groundcar on a circuitous route to the spaceport, hoping to detect a following vehicle but had no luck.
When they arrived at the CLC affiliate’s area of the facility, he jumped out to confer with Duffy privately. “Is there any legitimate reason someone might have been following us? Did Gianna hire any private security for today?”
The butler shook his head. “I wondered if you were lost there for a few minutes, going through the unnecessary detour. No, as I said before, she let all the guards go when her father died and the inventory of gems and jewelry was sold off. The estate is pretty well buttoned up, as you saw, but patrolled by robos and with an AI overwatch. She took no extra precautions for today.”
Trevor turned to speak to Gianna, who’d gotten herself and Verlaine out of the groundcar and was now walking to join them. “I’ll get the company’s robos organized to load the shuttle’s cargo hold with your luggage and then we can be on our way. Will you be okay out here with Duffy?”