‘Perhaps; but the thought keeps crossing my mind that perhaps this girl knows she may be in line to inherit far more than Sector Twenty if the solar wind blows the right way.’
Jules stiffened. ‘You’re implying, then, that she may be the Bastard’s daughter?’
‘I’m implying that we should check her out, since she could be a weak link in the chain.’
‘All right, refresh me on her dossier.’
‘Only child of Grand Duke Nicholas Otamar and Grand Duchess Olga of Sector Twenty, so she stands to inherit a good deal right there; ultra-beautiful; was married at age nineteen to Duke Titos Boros of Swingleton, who was eighty-nine at the time. Suffice it to say that two years later, Duke Titos departed our spiritual plane, leaving the planet Swingleton to his daughter by a previous marriage – and leaving Tanya Boros, nee Otamar, with the title of Dowager Duchess at age twenty-one. That was four years ago, and she’s made no attempt to change her status in the meantime.’
‘And you think she’s taking your insults a little too seriously for a dowager duchess? Perhaps. But if she’s only twenty-five now, wouldn’t that make her a bit young to be the Bastard’s daughter?’
‘Maybe you plan to get senile at an early age, but it doesn’t affect most men. Look at our Emperor, for example. He’s only a year younger than the Bastard would be now, and he’s got a daughter who’s twenty-three.’
‘Point noted and well taken,’ Jules admitted.
‘All I’m saying,’ Yvette elucidated, ‘is that if she is Ban ion’s daughter, she seems to be the perfect way to attack. She has so many soft spots she’d make an ideal target.’
‘Yes, it might be interesting to attack her soft spots.’
‘Wipe that grin off your face, you lecherous brute, or I’ll report you to Vonnie. Duchess Tanya is beautiful, athletic, rich, talented, noble and spoiled rotten. She’s emotionally retarded, too, with the maturity level of a fifteen year old. Her hobby – or perhaps I should say her vocation – is men, and she works hard at it. She’s about as choosy as a bitch in heat, which is an apt description even if I do say so myself. ‘So my thought is this: if we can give her the idea that Gospodin ducos is the guiding force behind the House of Strength I’m positive she’ll redouble her efforts to get you to coach her yourself – personally. You, of course, give in with great reluctance, but instead of bowing down and worshipping her like all the other men do, you act like – and even say that – you wouldn’t be caught dead with her at a catfight, to say nothing of in bed. If I’m right, she could blow up like a bomb and let slip with something she shouldn’t say.’
‘All right,’ Jules said with a smile and a shrug. ‘I just hope Vonnie appreciates all the sacrifices I make for her.’
Three days later, Jules accompanied Yvette to the four-story mansion that served as home to the Dowager Duchess of Swingleton. The large house was staffed by a dozen servants – all except two being lusty young men and was furnished in lavish decadence. Brocade draperies in deep rose shades enhanced the walls, while plush pink carpeting underfoot made walking an absolute pleasure. The furniture was upholstered in wine colored velvet and thickly padded for maximum comfort.
The Duchess Tanya reclined on a divan at the far end of the room. She was a tall girl – at least ten centimeters taller than Jules- and as beautiful as a Grecian statue come to life. She wore a silver lame dress that accentuated every line of her body. A mass of platinum colored hair was arranged high upon a proudly held head. Her face had a look of self-indulgence about it, but there was a gleam of intelligence shining behind those dark blue eyes as she watched Jules enter. A predatory smile tickled the corners of her lips.
After Yvette formally presented him, Jules walked slowly around the divan once, studying the Duchess’s form from every possible angle. Finally he scowled and said, ‘Maybe I can do something with this, but there doesn’t seem to be much of anything there to work with. Peel, girl, and I’ll see.’
‘Peel?’ The girl’s head went even higher, her eyes blazed with cold indignation. ‘Are you talking to me?’ she flared. ‘I’m talking to a mass of fat and a little flabby meat that ought to be muscle but isn’t,’ he replied caustically. ‘Do you expect a master sculptor to make something of a tub of clay without touching it? If you are burdened with modesty, I suppose you could wear a bikini or tights – although how you can imagine that I, ducos, would become sexually aroused over such a slug’s body as yours is completely beyond my comprehension.’
‘Get out!’ Trembling with rage, she pointed at the door. ‘Leave my home at once!’
He gave her his choicest, top-deck sneer. ‘Madame, nothing could possibly please me more. I detest making house calls in this abominably weak field you consider gravity, and was only prevailed upon to do so by my secretary, who assured me that you would make an ideal client.’ He turned to glare at Yvette. ‘I see I shall have to have some words with her upon my return.’ With that, he spun on his heel and walked coldly toward the door.
‘Wait, you! Turn around!’
Jules stopped and slowly turned, making certain that the sneer was still engraved on his features. ‘Yes?’
‘I will remind you that I am the Dowager Duchess of Swingleton, one of the richest planets in Sector Twenty!’
‘And I will remind you, madame, that I am ducos. There are hundreds upon hundreds of duchesses and dowagers, but there is only one ducos. I am unique.’
Jules could see that the fiery young girl was struggling to control her temper and, after a second, that anger had been banked. ‘Wait, then,’ she said. ‘I’ll put on a swimsuit. After all, I do want to find out whether you’re any good or not.’
She left the room for five minutes, but when she came back – dressed in twenty centimeters worth of fabric more than nothing – ducos was even less impressed with her physique than before. ‘Lard,’ he muttered as his talented fingers objectively explored nearly every square centimeter of her body. ‘Flabby, unrendered lard. It will be a great challenge, to be sure, but ducos is equal to the task. I am told you have your own gymnasium within your house; take me to it.’
‘Why, aren’t we going to your place?’
He looked at her in amused and condescending surprise. ‘Are you that stupid? You’d fall flat and could barely get up, because you’d be carrying the weight of two other dowager duchesses as well as your own. The titles alone would be too heavy for you. It’ll take a month of work here before you’ll be able to enter the House of Strength. To your gymnasium, I say. Vite, vite!’
The Duchess reluctantly led Jules and Yvette to her gym, which was as fully equipped as could be expected for an amateur set -up. ‘First,’ Jules said, stripping to his shorts, ‘I shall show you what we accustomed to three Earth gravities can do easily here on Earth.’ He then proceeded to go through a routine of such vigor and violence that the apparatus creaked and groaned, and the very floor of the room shook. In spite of herself, the Duchess applauded when he was done.
‘Now,’ said Jules, acknowledging her applause graciously, ‘I shall show you what a fair Earth gymnast such as perhaps I’ll be able to make out of you- can do,’ and he demonstrated that, as well. Duchess Tanya, who’d thought she kept herself in pretty good condition, was frankly astonished.
‘Now I’ll find out what you can do if anything. Let me see fifty fast push-ups, right now.’ The Duchess tried gamely, but made it only to twenty-seven before her arms gave out and she collapsed onto the mat. Jules scowled over her, a sight that both frightened and enraged her. She swore to herself that she would never give him the occasion to sneer at her again if she could help it.
Jules worked her unmercifully for half an hour, which was about all she could have taken. To her credit, Jules noted that she did not complain once, no matter how harshly he treated her. Finally he said, ‘That’s enough for today, poor thing.’ Then, turning to Yvette, said, ‘Give her a massage in steam, and go deep. After that, the usual.’
‘No,’ the girl said between pants as she recovered her breath from the last exercise. ‘I want you to do it yourself. They say you’re the tops, and I want nothing but the best.’
Jules pretended to consider that. ‘Perhaps that would be best,’ he announced. ‘That way I will be able to tell more exactly how well you are developing. Alors, let us proceed to the steam room.’