Anne paced her stateroom on the ship. She had just returned from her conference Earth-side, and had not yet talked to Mary. She didn't know how to.
"Mary," she said, frowned, tried instead: "Darling Mary. I must go back to Earth." How long? her mirror asked her. How long must we be apart? "There is no time, when we are apart," she said to her reflection (rumor aside, she possessed one.) This sounded good, so she went on, "Pierre Couteau has requested my services on Earth. I don't know how long I'll be needed there... maybe a few months, maybe years. Maybe - a lot longer." She bit her lip fretfully. "Mary, you know I don't want to leave you, I've never wanted to leave you behind. But I need to go to Pierre, and someone needs to hold down all that we have built. Someone smart, and talented, and charming -"
Anne sat down heavily, and continued her monologue, now in a monotone. "You're needed here, to take over the Bonny Corporation. I am required to go to Earth to aid the Couteau family. Our needs must be second to the needs of the moment - we who live for centuries must endure patiently. I'll miss you every moment...."
She thought with a pang of their wedding plans. There was no way they could get married any time soon, unless they had a civil ceremony in a hurry... No, but Mary wanted her golden wedding, and she would have it. Someday.
Why are you choosing your business affairs over me? challenged Anne's seated reflection, voicing an anger that her sweet Mary would never show her. And to this question that would never come, Anne murmurred, "You know the debt that we owe to Monsieur Couteau. Without him we would have nothing - not our wealth, or our powers over death. We would have no life at all. He took us from the jail where we were to die, when our prayers to God went unanswered he saved your life! And for that - that more than anything - I am his slave. For love of you."
She swallowed thickly. "I'll come back. Pierre wants something from me. Maybe he is training me for some greater responsibility. Once I have learned his lesson, served his purpose, I'll be back. I'll always come back for you." And she hated her kind mentor, Monsieur Couteau - for he had given her immortality, and yet she could not spend all of time with her eternal beloved. All of her words could not make this sick pain sound right, could not make duty sound better than the brief freedom she had known here.
Anne took a linen handkerchief from the starched stack on her dressing table, and carefully wiped her cheeks clean of the blood that streaked them like a penitent's wounds. It would not do for Mary to see that she had been crying. Now more than ever, thought Anne as she walked out of the room, she needed to be strong. It was the last gift she could give to Mary for God knew how long - God, or Pierre Couteau.
"Mary," she said, frowned, tried instead: "Darling Mary. I must go back to Earth." How long? her mirror asked her. How long must we be apart? "There is no time, when we are apart," she said to her reflection (rumor aside, she possessed one.) This sounded good, so she went on, "Pierre Couteau has requested my services on Earth. I don't know how long I'll be needed there... maybe a few months, maybe years. Maybe - a lot longer." She bit her lip fretfully. "Mary, you know I don't want to leave you, I've never wanted to leave you behind. But I need to go to Pierre, and someone needs to hold down all that we have built. Someone smart, and talented, and charming -"
Anne sat down heavily, and continued her monologue, now in a monotone. "You're needed here, to take over the Bonny Corporation. I am required to go to Earth to aid the Couteau family. Our needs must be second to the needs of the moment - we who live for centuries must endure patiently. I'll miss you every moment...."
She thought with a pang of their wedding plans. There was no way they could get married any time soon, unless they had a civil ceremony in a hurry... No, but Mary wanted her golden wedding, and she would have it. Someday.
Why are you choosing your business affairs over me? challenged Anne's seated reflection, voicing an anger that her sweet Mary would never show her. And to this question that would never come, Anne murmurred, "You know the debt that we owe to Monsieur Couteau. Without him we would have nothing - not our wealth, or our powers over death. We would have no life at all. He took us from the jail where we were to die, when our prayers to God went unanswered he saved your life! And for that - that more than anything - I am his slave. For love of you."
She swallowed thickly. "I'll come back. Pierre wants something from me. Maybe he is training me for some greater responsibility. Once I have learned his lesson, served his purpose, I'll be back. I'll always come back for you." And she hated her kind mentor, Monsieur Couteau - for he had given her immortality, and yet she could not spend all of time with her eternal beloved. All of her words could not make this sick pain sound right, could not make duty sound better than the brief freedom she had known here.
Anne took a linen handkerchief from the starched stack on her dressing table, and carefully wiped her cheeks clean of the blood that streaked them like a penitent's wounds. It would not do for Mary to see that she had been crying. Now more than ever, thought Anne as she walked out of the room, she needed to be strong. It was the last gift she could give to Mary for God knew how long - God, or Pierre Couteau.