* * *
The acrobatic Ariel thought ballet was quite funny for about five minutes. She was mostly fascinated by the large flatscreen DVD backdrop, which was a great saving in set changes. When Ariel pointed out it was rather reminiscent of last night’s pornographic one, only with worse dancing, Fitz had to turn his laughter into a fit of coughing. He still attracted a number of disapproving “hushes.”
Ariel also alarmingly disappeared from their private box for a while. There were no screams or other sounds of pandemonium, so Fitz didn’t allow the look of glee on her ratty face to worry him too much. She did however adore the Cointreau-centered liqueur chocolates he’d bought her.
He’d have slept less soundly if he’d known that she’d spent the rest of the night driving around with Meilin, part of it in a very exclusive Shareholder neighborhood. And part of it visiting a couple of Vat-girls of negotiable virtue and adaptable morality. It was, Ariel concluded, a lot more fun than the ballet.
“This lot should bring down the house,” said Meilin with a particularly evil grin when she’d finished editing the film.
Ariel looked puzzled. “Why? ‘Tis very funny, but not explosive.”
Meilin snorted with laughter. “Believe me, this is H.E.”
“And her,” corrected Ariel, pedantically.
* * *
“You’re Lieutenant Conrad Fitzhugh?” The MP at Van Klomp’s door asked.
“Yes,” said Conrad warily. What had Ariel been up to? Besides running up the beer waitress’s dress last night?
“Colonel Brown has ordered your recall, sir,” said the MP apologetically. “There’s been a major incursion in your sector. We’ve got transport waiting for you.”
Fitz nodded. “Give me five minutes to get into uniform and get my kit together.”
Ariel was unbelievably dozy. It was almost as if she hadn’t slept.
It was a long drive to the front. She snoozed most of the way, contentedly.
* * *
The general bowed his tiara-wearing plump wife into her seat. Ballet wasn’t really his favorite entertainment, although he’d known an entertaining ballerina a year or two ago. But Maria was a true aficionado. And when all was said and done, it was her money. The war and cost-plus on artillery ammunition had made the Cartup clan enormously rich.
Having ogled the dancers and ordered some champagne, and salmon-and-watercress sandwiches for the interval, he settled into a comfortable doze.
He was woken by the buzz in the audience.
And no one was saying “hush.”
It took a few moments of unbelieving blinking to be sure he wasn’t hallucinating.
This was taking avant garde theater to new limits. The last time he’d seen anything like that backdrop had been at the Paradise Pussy Club. And that hadn’t been quite so explicit. And while the female in the leather outfit wielding the whip was a stunning platinum blond . . . her partner did absolutely nothing for his lacy polka-dot knickers and black bra. And even fishnet stockings couldn’t help legs like that.
The two dancers continued to pirouette with grim artistic determination as the huge screen behind them showed the details of his brother-in-law’s face.
Talbot Cartup had always liked to sport a figure in high society. He was frequently seen at the opera and ballet. But never before in quite such detail.
The general missed the part showing the interviews with the two ladies of the night, discussing his transvestite brother-in-law’s enjoyment of the rather bizarre perversion of semisuffocation. They did mention their prices for what was a very risky pastime. But General Cartup-Kreutzler was too busy trying to break into the very securely locked projection unit.
As it turned out, the DVD in the unit was amazingly bare of fingerprints.
And while the booking for the ballet trebled, it did rather change the way people regarded the art form.
* * *
“Captain?” said Fitz, looking at the bars being handed to him.
“We’re out of officers,” said the colonel, grumpily. “We lost seven including two captains and a major when we were pushed back to line three. Those troops of yours are heading for court-martial. They’re not exactly refusing orders. They want you. We just lost another two officers and your NCOs pulled the men back into the trenches. And what is this story about troops fraternizing with the rats?”