She looked a wide-eyed question.
“Never mind,” said Flandry scornfully. “That’s a mere detail. I don’t suppose my work went quite for nothing. I helped end the Ardazir war and the Syrax deadlock. I personally, all by myself, furnished Aycharaych as a bargaining counter. I shouldn’t demand more, should I?” He dropped his face into one hand. “Oh, God, Kit, how tired I am!”
She rose, went over to sit on the arm of his chair, and laid a hand upon his head. “Can you stay here an’ rest?” she asked softly.
He looked up. A bare instant he paused, uncertain himself.
Then rue twisted his lips upward. “Sorry. I only stopped in to say goodbye.”
“What?” she whispered, as if he had stabbed her. “But, Dominic—”
He shook his head. “No,” he cut her off. “It won’t do, lass. Anything less than everything would be too unfair to you. And I’m just not the forever-and-ever sort. That’s the way of it.”
He tossed off his drink and stood up. He would go now, even sooner than he had planned, cursing himself that he had been so heedless of them both as to return here. He tilted up her chin and smiled down into the hazel eyes. “What you’ve done, Kit,” he said, “your children and their children will be proud to remember. But mostly … we had fun, didn’t we?”
His lips brushed hers and tasted tears. He went out the door and walked down the street again, never looking back.
A vague, mocking part of him remembered that he had not yet settled his bet with Ivar del Bruno. And why should he? When he reached Terra, he would have another try. It would be something to do.
About the Author
About the time Poul Anderson graduated with honors in physics from the University of Minnesota, the writing bug bit hard.
Author since then of some twenty science fiction books, Anderson also has to his credit two historical novels, three outright mysteries, and a substantial nonfiction work investigating the likelihood of life existing on other worlds.
He is a member of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Mystery Writers of America. His other interests include history and politics, travel, outdoorsmanship, and, especially, a daughter named—appropriately enough—Astrid.