Every Man's Fantasy Ch. 12

"Students! What on Earth for?"

"Because they're going to be valuable egg-heads for you in the future. Which is why I also want you to sponsor their PhDs - I hope at the Celetaris Institute, but wherever they choose to go."

"Don't I already sponsor PhDs at Cambridge?"

"You do. Believe me, if I can get these three to agree, they're going to be your best investment ever."

"So what do I get?"

"If the technology works, we will give you first refusal and a fifty-percent stake (subject to the approval of my colleagues, who know nothing about this)."

"All right. I'm rich. I'm feeling generous. I'm a little aggrieved at not being invited to your wedding ..."

"Sorry about that. It's family only; but we're having a big do in a year's time. I hope you'll come."

"Try to stop me. ... so I agree, but I want seventy-five percent."

"Fifty percent."

"Sixty-five. Do you need hyperdrive engines?"

"Oh, yes. Brand new ones. Why?"

"I'll get HyperStar Japan to build your engines."

"Why them?"

"I'm negotiating a partnership. We're similar size companies. We fit quite well together. Where's the wedding?"

"Perth."

"Scotland?"

"Australia."

"Of course. Visit Japan on the way, order your engines."

"We had the idea two nights ago. We're nowhere near talking to anyone about it. ... However, now you mention it, it might be useful to visit an engine designer, at least to ask if what we propose is feasible. ... And it's fifty-percent still, whether or not we use HyperStar engines."

"Sixty-percent."

"Fifty."

"We'll discuss it again when you've got your partners here."

So, with a visit to the finance department to sort out her leaving pay and retainer, Danielle went to work in an unexpectedly ebullient mood.

* * *

That evening, when her student-collaborators turned up, Danielle had a proposition to put to them. Rosa was even more interested now and even Herman paid new attention: the name of Oakshott Industries was impressive and the chance to have the cost of a Doctorate paid for, plus generous living expenses, was not something to turn down without good reason.

That night, Li returned her call. He was happy to hear from Danielle and congratulated her on her engagement. He said hello to Rosa.

When Herman had been introduced, they had a useful half-hour discussion on the hyperspace project. He was interested to learn why his method had failed to deliver the traveller to Samothea but he couldn't commit himself to joining in their work. He needed to think it over. Even when Danielle had mentioned the idea of doing his PhD at Celetaris on this very project and the chance of sponsorship, he couldn't give an answer.

He agreed to discuss it further and planned a time when his parents could be included. This was encouraging. He also had a few comments to make on the project. This was a much more confident young man than the brilliant but shy scholar she had known a year ago.

The three set down to work and didn't look up until it was time for Rosa and Herman to leave.

All this time, Roger stayed away from his fiancé. Besides leading very busy lives with work plans and wedding plans, and talking a few times a day on video, he found meeting up was just too tempting if he wanted to keep to Danielle's 'no sex' rule.

Roger had interesting discussions with the Anglosphere Free Market Institute and the production company about the sequel to his video. He also researched the outworld settlements he would like to visit on honeymoon.

On Friday, Danielle left work early to go to the university to give her answer in person to the head of her department. She worried over the decision all the way in the car and, standing on the pavement outside Trinity college entrance gate, found herself unable to enter. Something was holding her back. Instead, she phoned her fiancé.

Roger was in the university library reading a large volume on a lectern when his communicator buzzed. Automatically set to silent in the library, her message was converted to text, so he read:

- Darling, are you free? Can we talk? I'm having second thoughts. -

"Oh God!" he said to himself, putting his spectacles on the open page as a bookmark and rushed out into the quadrangle, pressing 'call-back' as he ran.

"Darling! What is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Can we go to the cafe to talk? I need to see you."

"Of course, Darling. See you there in ten minutes."

Danielle and Roger liked a small cafe in a back street that enjoyed a quiet period between the crammed student lunchtime and the noisy tourist afternoon teas.

She was there when he arrived, at a table with two steaming cups of coffee. He kissed her and sat down, waiting for her to speak.

"Were you doing anything important?" she asked.

"Nothing, Darling. What's wrong?"

"I'm being silly," she said. "I'm sorry, I'm wasting your time."

He took her hands.

"Come on, Danielle, tell me."

"I'm not sure I want to leave Cambridge."

"That's it? The move to Celetaris?"

He looked relieved in a way that puzzled her.

"Yes, what did you think?" she asked.

"Well, the wedding."

"Oh God, Darling! You didn't think I was having second thoughts about marrying you?"

He looked sheepish; but she saw a vulnerability in him she'd never seen before and didn't quite expect. It made her love him even more.

"Darling Roger, nothing is ever going to change my mind about marrying you. You're my life, my hope, my everything. You own me. ... Besides, I proposed to you first, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. Sorry to succumb to a moment of doubt. It's a nervous time for me. ... So why do you want to stay in Cambridge?"

"It's something the head of astrophysics said to me, about all the good work that's going on here and the brilliant people doing it. He didn't pressure me but just gave me a list, off the top of his head, and I've been thinking about it ever since. If I want to get more into the academic world, what can Celetaris offer me that Cambridge can't?"

"Youth, ambition, risk - the fire in the belly of a new nation, hungry for achievement."

"You sound like you're keener to go than even I was at first."

"I admit I wasn't always as keen as I now am. ... Do you know what I've been doing all week?"

"Does it involve tissues?"

"What? No! Of course not, Darling. You've got your mother's dirty mind - though it's true, your no-sex rule is getting to me."

"I know, Darling, but it's not for long. ... I'm feeling it too."

There was a pause as they looked at each other longingly.

"What I've been doing is finding out about Celetaris. You know that phenomenon where you've never heard of something before but as soon as you hear of it, you see references to it all the time? Well that's what it's been like for me with Celetaris."

"Did you know the Royal Philharmonic is playing there next month? Other orchestras are booked and the violinist, Mercedes Sator, one of my favourites, is due there in the summer to inaugurate a new concert hall named after her. There are art exhibitions there that I missed in London and Boston. Not to mention the big companies opening branches there."

"I know, Darling. It's very exciting; but I'm worried we're making a mistake."

"I'm not. Have you seen some of the people attracted to the new university at Celetaris? For example, do you know Dot Martlebury?"

"Of course."

"I didn't; but now I find out she's the biggest name in programmable math and she's going to Celetaris for a year. Darling, I'm worried we'll miss the boat if we don't go."

Danielle laughed. She felt the contrast sharply between her slowly-growing doubts and Roger's new-found enthusiasm.

"I was worried that I was making you come with me against your better judgment," she said.

"You're not making me come with. It's time I had an adventure. It needn't be forever."

"I suppose so; though I think, if we go to Celetaris, we should go one-hundred percent and not think of coming back."

"You're right," he said. "Nothing half-hearted for us."

"But what about our friends?"

"We'll keep in touch and we'll make new friends there."

"It's not the same."

"No, but it's something we'll have to put up with."

"All right. Tell me, what attracts you most about Celetaris?"

"The planet itself, I think. You know the surface is mostly granite crags with huge rivers, lakes and waterfalls?"

"Yes."

"Well, there's a city built across a waterfall, in two parts, connected across the river by mile-long bridges in perspex tubes. I want to see that city."

"I expect it's very noisy."

"No doubt; but what a spectacle!"

They talked on and by the time the cafe was beginning to fill up with tourists, Danielle was comforted and keen once again for the move.

"Thanks, Darling," she said and kissed him. "I'm off to Trinity to give my decision. Will I see you tonight?"

"Don't you have a session with Rosa and Herman?"

"Yes."

"Well, I won't disturb you. Besides, I've got a lot of packing to do."

They'd arranged that Roger would live at Danielle's flat - 'their' flat, she insisted - when he returned to Cambridge after the honeymoon to work on his video film. Then he'd send their stuff to Celetaris when he went out and the flat would be let.

They kissed again and went different ways.

For the next four weeks, Danielle's life was a whirl. In the third week, she put the hyperspace project on hold to concentrate on her wedding plans. They agreed to go to Perth a week before the wedding to help with the preparations, to entertain guests and to give Mariotta time to help Danielle shop for a dress. They also agreed to stop in Japan on the way back, as the first part of their honeymoon. This slightly amended Roger's itinerary, but it was easy to change the booking. Besides, he'd always wanted to visit Japan.

Altogether, they would have a fortnight in Perth and spend the first week of their marriage at her parents' house - an old-fashioned idea that made Mariotta as happy as she'd ever been (and she was a woman who'd never been unhappy in her life).

A small ration of friends were invited. Simon was to be best man, a favour that reconciled him to the burden of having to find another house-mate.

Of course, there was too little time to do everything needful - an excuse that was accepted by their friends for not having a Hen or Stag do - so it was a completely sober couple who sat in Danielle's flat on the morning of their flight to Perth, their bags packed for both the wedding and the honeymoon, surrounded by crates filled with Danielle's spare clothes, books and other stuff (a crate alone for her hand-bags), ready to be put into storage or, eventually, shipped out to Celetaris. It was hard to believe a woman not yet thirty had accumulated so much stuff.

They breathed a sigh of relief together.

"We did it," Danielle said.

"We did indeed. Are you ready, future wife?"

"I am, future husband. Let's go!"

Taking a large and a small suitcase each, they locked up the flat and made their way to the street where an antiseptic people-mover waited to take them to the airport and to an adventurous new life together.