“Cheeves, I’d take my hat off to you if one of Wipo’s boys hadn’t swiped it.”
“Thank you, sir.” Cheeves fluffed his fur the tiniest bit. “I strive to give good service.”
And so the galaxy was saved for humanity, for at least another week. Of course, after the story leaked, Catarina and I were called to testify in front of two legislative subcommittees to respond to persistent rumors that we sacrificed kittens during our stay on Alt Bauemhof, and after a great deal of soul-searching, we decided to sell the book rights. Gwen volunteered herself as my agent. She says we’re only talking to interested buyers. An Australian company is offering a $4.5 million advance. Gwen says that it might just cover my legal fees, unless, of course, the newspapers pick up on the story and fuss until I give the money back. Lydia’s almost talking to me now, a frightening thought, although I can’t say the same about the Pope.
When word first got out that Bucky and Cheeves had purchased Alt Bauemhof and Schuyler’s World, the Confederation press and the diplomatic corps collectively had a belly-laugh. I’ve noticed they’ve stopped laughing. Mordred and I have actually gotten to be pretty good friends. He says that I remind him of the hero in Hemingway’s book The Bread Also Rises. I’m still not sure how to take that.
Being viceroy of Schuyler’s World and Duke of Earl is okay, I guess, except for that stupid song they play instead of “Hail to the Chief.” A lot of people have written claiming to be destitute relatives of mine, and Catarina and Trixie have both had a major impact on the way that local governmental institutions function, Trixie especially. And having Big Susie around isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Until she pushed her way into our lives, I didn’t imagine that there was anything in the universe that could drink Harry under the table.
A few days ago Bucky called to ask Catarina to be his viceroy for Brasilia Nuevo—the same four months out of twelve deal.
Prolonged contact with the folks on Schuyler’s World is starting to make me think that there might be something to the VMR Theory after all.
The VMR Theory (v1.1) Page 27