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“I’m Traes,” I said. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Oh,” she said. “It’s fine.”
She glanced around the room for how I could have gotten in if I didn’t come through the one and only door she’d used.
“Did you find the house okay?” I said.
“Yes, thanks,” she said. “Your butler said you were going to take a while with something.”
“Yes. I was otherwise engaged,” I said. “But I’m not now.”
“He was going to show me around the garden. I think he’s waiting for me outside.”
“Don’t worry about him,” I said. “He knows what he’s doing.”
Knock, knock.
“Come,” I said.
Waev peered his head around the door. He looked surprised to see me standing there.
“I came to take the lady to the gardens,” he said.
“That’s okay,” I said. “We’ll have our meeting now.”
Waev frowned, in total confusion.
“Right,” he said. “Okay. Uh, would you care for drinks?”
“Tea,” I said.
“Very good, sir,” he said, backing out of the room.
Once he’d gone, I shook my head.
“Waev,” I said. “He’s beginning to get a bit long in the tooth, I’m afraid. You’re free to visit the gardens after our meeting if you’d like.”
“Thanks,” she said.
I shook her hand.
“Call me Traes,” I said.
“Bianca,” she said.
I couldn’t resist asking the next question:
“Did you grow up in a house similar to this?” I said.
The smile faltered on her lips.
“I, uh, no, uh, yes. The thing is… Sort of.”
“I hear a lot of families earn a lot of money from energies from your homeworld,” I said. “Oil. Gas. Things like that.”
Bianca looked at me through squinting eyes.
“Right…” she said.
