“How about those two?” Mildred asked, pointing at the empty pair of seats.
The maitre d’ looked flustered. “Book top chambers and you get invite every night to eat with captain. But we believe that honored guests are seeking privacy. They sent message don’t want stinking invitations.” He shook his head sorrowfully. “Seems plenty rude to me to say that. But we kept seats. Now I’m going to bring two other guests to take them. Very rude to Captain Huston to have empty places for dinner on first night out.”
The replacement guests were two brothers, with such pale skins that Ryan wondered whether they might be albinos, like Jak. Their eyes were pink hued, and their hair was almost pure white, with just a hint of light gold. They introduced themselves as Troy and Randall Mills, twins aged twenty-five, owners of a large copper mill over the border in Canada. They explained that their main purpose in taking the Golden Eagle north was to investigate some of the mines that lay close to the Sippi, ones that they understood were worked largely by stickie slave labor.
Captain Melville Huston himself appeared a couple of minutes later, bustling through the dining room, bobbing, weaving, ducking and bowing to his passengers, arriving at the head of his table and looking at his guests. He stood there as though he were waiting for something.
Doc reacted fastest.
Pushing back his chair, he made a small bow. “Honored, Captain,” he said in ringing tones.
Huston was short and stocky, in his forties, around five feet six and one-sixty pounds, with a weathered complexion. Ryan noticed that the man’s eyes were a light blue, but the left one was clearly false, moving haltingly. He was dressed in a dark blue uniform, with layers of gold braid around collar and cuffs, and he smiled faintly as he returned Doc’s bow.
“Glad to have you aboard the Golden Eagle , Dr. Tanner.”
The captain watched as the others around the long table also rose to their feet.
“Good to meet you all. Pray sit down, and we can begin to dine.” He cleared his throat, dropping his voice, muttering an apology for his tardiness. “Problem with a shifting mud bank, obstructed mooring. Always a difficulty on the river. But we shall be stopping quite soon.”
He sat and tucked a long linen napkin into his collar, beckoning to one of the team of hovering waiters. “Let’s get started,” he called.
The food was excellent, accompanied by a range of fine Deathlands and imported wines.
But the conversation was faltering. The captain seemed preoccupied, and half a dozen times Ryan caught the pale blue eyes turned in his direction. The De Vere women never spoke, except to ask for the salt to be passed or to refuse any alcoholic beverage. They picked at their food like sparrows, hardly lifting their eyes from their plates.
Their father dominated the table, relating long anecdotes about his horses, what they’d won, what had sired what, pedigrees and lineage, the importance of weather on the feeding, trotters and pacers. Names of his favorites Citation, big Man o’ War, the Old Campaigner, a fine horse that he’d driven stone-blind.
Ryan was content to let the talk flow, concentrating on his own food a rich clam chowder, spiced with chilies, accompanied by a very dry white wine; smoked trout, baked in a lattice crust of golden pastry, with a prawn-and-cream-and-leek sauce; a choice of thin-sliced cold ham with capers and a mixed salad, or glazed pork with a ginger-and-honey sauce, or a haunch of buffalo with squash and okra. Ryan chose the roast beef, served with spiced red mash and pickled beans.
There was a wide choice of desserts, ranging from steamed puddings with molasses or a creamy custard sauce, to fresh melons in a brandy sauce with mangoes, and baked grapefruit with brown sugar and strawberries. Ryan went for a mix of delicious sorbets coconut, banana, apple and cinnamon, decorated with powdered sugar, whipped cream and blueberries.
It was one of the best meals that he’d ever had.
Halfway through he felt a change of movement, and Captain Huston half rose. The rumbling of the stern-wheel slowed and stopped, and the forward momentum of the huge vessel gradually came to a gentle halt.