Read The Empress of Mars for Free Online Page B

could make a great deal of money for the clan, you know,” said Mary thoughtfully.
    “Eventually,” said Perrik. “They have to be perfected first, don’t they?”
    There was a door’s hiss and a growl from the chamber beyond, and a moment later Cochevelou came in. “Mary? What’s this?”
    “Perrik was only showing me a new bii he’s designed,” said Mary. Cochevelou gaped at the blue lights a moment, and then grinned wide.
    “That’s my brilliant boy!” he roared. He came at Perrik as though to embrace him. Perrik flinched away and looked at the floor. Cochevelou dropped his arms, coloring, and cleared his throat. “Well! Er. What a fine thing, now! You see, Mary, what a genius I’ve raised?”
    “You don’t even know what it does,” muttered Perrik.
    “I don’t, that’s a fact, but I’m proud of you anyway,” said Cochevelou apologetically.
    “Let’s continue our interesting conversation in the other room, shall we, Cochevelou?” said Mary. “A good night to you, Perrik dear. Can’t wait to see how they turn out!” She led Cochevelou from the room and, settling him at the table, mixed him a drink.
    “Well, my own man, I’ve given your gracious offer a deal of thought these last few minutes, so I have. And as for trading the rock for the land, why, I’d hate to see you come out on the wrong end of the bargain, if it should be appraised and turn out to be worth no more than the postage to send it Down Home.
    “So here’s what I’m proposing: you’ll draw up the papers for transfer of sale on spec, and I’ll pay you ten punts deposit, and ten punts a week, which will be rent for use of the land meantimes. We’ll send the rock back to Earth with Finn and he’ll get it appraised. If it’s a diamond, like what the Brick thinks it is, I’ll pay you
six thousand
punts for the land, eh, out of my riches? The clan can’t refuse that, surely.” She settled on Cochevelou’s lap and smiled into his eyes.
    “And what about making me the happiest man on Mars?” Cochevelou inquired.
    “Oh, my dear, can I in good conscience bind you to a poor beggar woman? Which is what I may well be, if my sparkly rock turns out to be a crude old lump of nothing much. And of course in that event you’d have my ten punts deposit for your own to keep, and the land too, and I’d be a regular paying tenant. But if my luck holds . . . well, you know,my heart, I’m bruised in love three times now, and swore I’d never trust myself to marry again. But if I ever
should
wed again, it’s only you I’d consider. So we’ll wait and see, won’t we?”
    “So we will,” said Cochevelou weakly, for she was breathing into his ear.
     
    The transfer of title was registered with the British Arean Company by Mr. Morton, who as a Briton seemed less likely to annoy the authorities.
    So on the appointed day the rock was sewn into the lining of Finn’s thermal suit, and he was seen off to the spaceport with much cheer, after promising faithfully to take the thing straight to the best dealers in Amsterdam immediately on arriving Down Home.
    The next they heard of him, however, was that he was found drowned and smiling on the rocky beach at Antrim not three weeks after his homecoming, a bottle still clutched in his hand.
    Mary shrugged. She had title to the land, and Cochevelou had ten punts a week from her. For once, she thought to herself, she had broken even.

 
     
     
     

CHAPTER 5
Winners
     
     
    It was the Queen’s Birthday, and Mary was hosting the Cement Kayak Regatta.
    Outdoor sports were possible on Mars. Just.
    Not to the extent that the famous original advertising holo implied (grinning man in shirtsleeves with football and micromask, standing just outside an airlock door, the image captioned: “This man is actually STANDING on the SURFACE of MARS!” though without any mention of the fact that the holo had been taken at noon on the hottest day in summer at the equator and that the man remained outside