Chapter 12
August 29, 1925 P.D. Friday, 10:30 am
Rachel's made sure that her belongings were secured in the back of the lorry before she made a last sweep of her room.
"Lew, thanks for helping out," Rachel said and patted him on the shoulder as she passed.
"Glad to help," he said.
She returned to the carport with her handbag. "I guess that's everything."
"Are you sure that you don't want the piano?" Katherine asked.
"Bella's learning to play, I don't want to take it away from her," Rachel replied. "You've already given me a car, I'm grateful."
Ben gifted her with one of the older palace cars, and she wasn't one to complain about it. Of course, now Jeanette, Theresa, and Honor were wondering if they would receive a car if and when they moved out.
There were facts that Matt acknowledged, intellectually, if not yet emotionally. Benjamin Mayhew was the caretaker of Grayson's largest fortune of money, property, and investments. The wealth the Mayhews possessed was more than he could imagine. In couple of months, he would be a part of that family. He would never have to worry about money ever again. In a single "I do" he would, in essence, leap from solid middle class to unimaginable wealth and privilege. It was a daunting thought for a simple boy from Redmon. The Mayhews welcomed him into their home, their family, and their hearts simply because he loved Rachel. Her parents knew he would be a good husband to her and make her happy, which mattered more to them than all the money in the universe.
Rachel had her own savings and investments, that she built and managed on her own, which was already worth more than he would ever earn in a lifetime. As a princess of Grayson, she had the pick of high-born genteel, polished, wealthy Grayson men. Despite that, she picked Matthew Isaiah Goodson, a nobody with nothing from Redmon Steading. He had to spend his savings and borrow money from his father and brother to get her a decent engagement ring, for Tester's sake. He was bringing nothing into the marriage and sometimes it embarrassed him. Rachel of course disagreed.
"I get you, that's all I want," she had said.
The Mayhew kids were aware of their family's position of wealth and privilege, but they weren't spoiled. That's what made them so likeable. When Mayhew kids turned 13, they were started on a modest allowance and were required to either invest, save, or donate a part of that allowance to charity. Additionally, they started instruction in matters of savings, investments, and money management — another facet of life most 13-year-old Graysons didn't face.
#
"Robert, do you have everything?" Rachel asked him.
"I do, m'lady," he answered.
"Let's be about it then," she said and gave her family lingering hugs, cuddling a little longer with the baby. Each family member gave their goodbyes to Hipper as well. He felt the family's bittersweet emotions; it was like when a kitten finally left his home nest to make his way in the wide world.
At least she's not going to another planet, Katherine consoled herself.
"Call us when you get settled in," Ben said.
"I will, love you, bye!"
Matt and Lew left in the lorry, while she and Robert followed in the car. She turned on the radio and sat back while Robert drove.
"So you'll be able to get along with Aunt Honor's armsmen, right?" she teased.
He looked sideways at her and his lips twitched. "I'll manage, m'lady."
"Why Robert, I think you just made a joke!"
"It can happen from time to time," he replied.
"Have you heard from Nate?" she asked.
He nodded. "Captain Tucker let me know that the regeneration on his leg is completed, and he will be in physical therapy for the next month. He looks forward to his return."
"Did he actually say that?" she asked.
"He did, m'lady."
#
"This lorry comes from the Palace motor pool, you think it'd run better," Matt complained.
"Yeah, that SCAP sensor is flashing…know what that is?" Lew asked.
Matt shook his head. Lew sighed and put his uni-link in his ear to call Rachel. "We happen to know someone who knows her way around gizmos and widgets."
Rachel answered her call. "What's up?"
Lew's voice explained. "This vehicle isn't handling very well, and S-C-A-P is flashing on the control panel."
"Is it yellow or red? Is it solid or blinking?" Rachel asked.
"Yellow, solid," Lew said.
"And not handling well, what's happening?"
"There's a tremor on the passenger side under my feet, and an occasional thump," he said.
"No smoke or odd smell? Any heat building up under your feet?" she asked.
"No."
"All right, the lorry should make the rest of the trip. You may lose some acceleration, but if that sensor turns red and it gets hot under your feet, pull over, shut the lorry down, and get out," she instructed.
"Got it, thanks."
"Drive safe."
Lew ended the call. "Like I said, she knows her gizmos and widgets," he said and repeated Rachel's instructions.
#
It took over two hours for the lorry to make the one-and-a-half-hour trip to Harrington Steading. Rachel thought that she could run faster than the lorry was traveling when she saw it slow, and then stop after it crossed the intersection of First and LaFollette Boulevard. Matt and Lew climbed down and waved at her when she pulled the car behind them.
"It shut down," Matt stated.
"When we're just a kilometer away from the house, of course it did!" Rachel fussed.
She put her uni-link in her ear. "Aunt Honor? Do you have medium-sized lorry available? The one here quit on us just after we crossed the First Boulevard intersection."
She nodded at something Honor said.
"Give me a minute to look. I'll call back."
She hung up, went to the car, and retrieved a set of work gloves and diagnostic device from her baggage. She returned to the lorry and opened the starboard mechanical access panels. She scanned the components and took readings.
"Hmm…capacitor is dead…runs damaged, these panels are warped…and this generator cell…" she mumbled and shook her head.
She closed the panels, took off the gloves, and looked at her companions.
"Diagnosis?" Matt asked.
She smiled at his teasing question. "Simply put, it's dead."
She put the uni-link back into her ear and spoke to Honor again. "We need a tow."
She shook her head. "No, I'll take care of it…yes, we're right here at the big intersection. Thank you."
She looked at her companions. "Someone is on the way."
She dialed her link again. "Is this the palace switchboard? Yes, please put me through to the motor pool."
She let out a breath and waited.
"Hello? This morning, I took out one of the lorries for Harrington Steading, and it's no longer operating."
She rolled her eyes at whatever the person said.
"Yes, I'm sure…who is this...may I speak to the supervisor?"
She now frowned at the speaker and put her hands on her hips. "Yes, I think it's necessary…this is Rachel Mayhew speaking, I must insist that you get the supervisor on this line, now."
Hipper bleeked in question from the hood of the car. Whoever was on the other end of the call was testing Rachel's patience.
"Is this the motor pool supervisor... the lorry I signed out this morning for Harrington Steading is dead and on the side of the road… the secondary capacitor is blown, the associated runs look as if they've been chewed, and compressor cell is melted."
She nodded. "Well, I can't just leave it here on the side of the road; it's going to be towed to Harrington House."
"Tomorrow? Good, thank you."
She ended the call, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She returned her gloves and device to her bag and leaned against the car with Matt and Lew.
"It'll cost more to fix that thing than it's worth."
#
A shuttle with a tractor arrived for the lorry, and the group continued to the house in the car. Honor Harrington greeted them in the parking space and watched the shuttle tow the lorry to the vehicle hangar. When the lorry was on the ground, Rachel and her companions unloaded her belongings from it and followed her to her new room.
"You can play baseball in here," Matt said of the spacious room. Lew agreed; this room was larger than his entire dorm at Alvarez Field.
"How about some lunch before I unpack and get settled in?" Rachel suggested.
"I thought as much," Honor said from the door, with Andrew on her hip.
Rachel reached for the baby, who babbled and settled happily in her arms.
#
In the dining room, Honor grinned when the always hungry young men filled their plates from the sideboard. Rachel placed some celery and pineapple on Hipper's smaller plate before preparing her own plate. He joined Nimitz across the room at the breakfast nook. The breakfast nook was adjacent a bay window, and the cats looked out of the window as they ate.
"Nimitz spotted some mice a couple of days ago, he's determined to catch them," Honor said, "and how long has Hipper been eating pineapple?"
Treecats very rarely ate fruit, but that didn't mean that they didn't. "There was a weekend when we went to a diner in Landing, and he was curious about the pineapple I had on my salad. He sniffed a chunk, flicked his tail, and tasted it."
"What else does he eat?" Honor asked.
Rachel pondered the question. "Hmm…rabbit, but all 'cats like that. Tuna and salmon are the only fish he eats, and he likes peanut butter."
"Well, he seems to have a more refined palate than Nimitz," Honor stated, teasing her 'cat.
Nimitz responded by looking blankly at her, and then resuming his meal with Hipper.
"Thank you, m'lady, for lunch," Matt said.
"I second that, your grace," Lew added.
Rachel watched the toddler in the highchair next to her, who was focused on placing peas onto his little spoon, then getting the spoon into his mouth without spilling the peas.
"You're doing so good!" Rachel gushed.
"Raoul, fork please," Honor said and looked at her son pointedly.
Raoul sighed and placed the bit of chicken from his hand back to the plate. He picked up his fork and resumed his meal. Katherine needed no encouragement; she used her fork to remove the top piece of bread from her sandwich, and then stabbed at the revealed slice of cheese.
"I hear that Michael is going through a picky food stage?" Honor asked.
Rachel nodded. "I got him to eat some pancake yesterday morning, and last night he ate some meatloaf and gnawed on a roll."
Then she started laughing and had to put her glass down. "And this morning, I heard mom exclaim oh my goodnesswhen she saw his morning diaper."
—
Rachel had Andrew in her lap, and they both munched on a peanut butter cookie. Matt and Lew were enchanted with their slices of cheesecake.
"So I gather you look forward to reporting in Monday morning?" Honor asked.
"I do. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying this time goofing off; the past three months weren't exactly stress free. I feel the need to get back to work, to be of use," Rachel said.
Rachel's uni-link signaled, and she answered. "Hi dad...it was towed here to Harrington House. The motor pool manager said that a tow vehicle will come and pick it up tomorrow…that's good, can you please send it out in tomorrow's mail bag? Thanks...yes, next weekend…love you, bye!"
She ended the call and looked to Matt. She gestured that he had a bit of crust on the top of his lip. "One of the stationers sent some samples of wedding invites. They'll be in tomorrow's mail bag."
Their growing list of attendees were all going to receive "save the date" e-mails, but everyone was also getting an old-fashioned card invitation and RSVP. It was a nice tradition that Rachel wanted to observe, aside from the scandalous cost of postage to Manticore!
—
Back in her room after lunch, Rachel unpacked her clothes to save Matt and Lew the embarrassment of handling her underthings. They unpacked books, pictures, mementos, and keepsakes.
"Where do you want your comm console?" Matt asked.
"The desk by the window is fine," she said.
"And the HD viewer?" Lew asked.
"Don't know yet," Rachel replied.
"Whoa, this is nice," Lew said and help up a large, framed image of the academy, taken from cloud level.
"I took that photo my last time in a Javelin," she said wistfully.
"Even after…" Lew said.
"Yes, even after the thing burned and came apart all around me, and parachuting into the bay," she confirmed.
Lew looked at his chrono and rolled his eyes. "We missed the shuttle back to the field."
"That's no problem, take my car," she said, measuring a space on the wall.
"Are you sure?" Matt asked.
She gave him a patient, loving smile. "I'm sure. Besides, it'll be your car too, soon enough."
She looked at Lew and raised an eyebrow. "And if you plan to make my sister Mrs. Radford, the same will apply to you."
She wished she had a camera the moment her comment hit home for Lew. He swallowed and cleared his throat.
"So… she and her family are okay with… me and her?" he asked, unsure.
She rolled her eyes and threw an arm around his shoulders. "You immigrated to Grayson and took up service with our Navy to be on the same planet as her! Of course they're okay with you!"
"My family still think I'm nuts for coming here, but once they meet her, they'll understand why," Lew said.
Rachel ruffled his hair and looked out the window. "Now that your transportation is figured out, want to check out Harrington City?"
She finished in her room and reconnected with Robert. He was given his own room in the Armsman Wing, and when Nate returned, he too would have a room.
"Are you settled in your new room? Do you need anything?" she asked.
She found Hipper in the living room, discussing the mouse situation with Nimitz and three other 'cats.
We're going out, she signed.
He hopped on her shoulder and rubbed his cheek against hers, then rejoined his companions.
Have good time with your mate and friends, he replied. We have pests to take care of.
#
While not nearly as large, as say Mayhew or Burdette Steading, Harrington Steading was much more modern and offered attractions unique to the steading, such as Dempsey's. They decided on dinner there and enjoyed the food and atmosphere. After dinner, they decided to check out the Starlight Billiards and Dance across the boulevard. They paid the modest door fee and stepped through the swinging double doors.
"Hey, look who it is!" a voice from their right called out.
They looked to their right and saw Ensigns Josh Chatwood, Jacob Ingram, and Charlie Conway.
"Radford, you're looking good in that uniform!" Josh declared and shook his hand. "Mayhew, Goodson, good to see you."
"You too," Rachel stated.
"Do you want to join us? I need to warn you though, Jake's apparently a pool shark," Charlie said and greeted them as well.
Rachel didn't care for billiards, but she did enjoy being with friends, enjoying a cold beer (or two) and listening to music. After two rounds of billiards, Matt set his cue aside.
"Care to dance, m'lady?" he asked and kissed her hand.
"I'd like that," she said.
They left the billiards hall and joined the other couples on the adjacent wooden dance floor. The song was a familiar favorite, so they danced and swayed among the other couples, thoroughly enjoying each other's close company.
"You're a good dancer," she noted.
"I've got a good partner," he replied and gave her a kiss.
Her lips touched his ear, sending chills down his back. "Do you have to go back to the field tonight?" she whispered.
He shook his head. "No, I absolutely do not."
She giggled, delighted at his hilarious yet sincere answer. "Good."