“May I ask, which of these stars are mine and which are yours? I don’t see any colors differentiating them.”
Anthony moved from where he was standing to sit on the rock beside her.
“The answer to that is actually quite interesting. You see, we were claiming single stars on their own rather than looking at them as constellations. So we have unintentionally split up several constellations and…”
As Meredith watched him prattle on about distant stars and the cosmos and how small he felt within it, she recalled Ian’s depiction of the elite and the rage that had fuel his colorful words about them. She contrasted the images of “pompous” and “double-faced monsters” with the kind-hearted, trusting, witty, and appealing man sitting beside her.
Growing up, Ian had been correct about a number of things. And perhaps he was even correct or justified in his descriptions of the other members of polite society. He was wrong about Anthony. Even Ma’am Tabitha had been wrong about Anthony.
And yes, even Meredith had been wrong about him.
* * *
“So are you saying that we wouldsailamong the stars? How could that be? Surely it is air that separates them and not water.”
Anthony shrugged. “And what makes you so sure, Meredith? According to my best recollection, you haven’t yet ventured among the stars, have you?”
He thought he had her stumped, but she immediately fired back, “No, I haven’t. But birdsflythrough the sky, not swim through it.”
That was admittedly a good point that Anthony found impossible to counter. So instead he settled for pushing it aside.
“At any rate,” he said, “regardless of how we travel from star to star, I am most definitely sure there would be criminals attempting to commandeer other people’s means of transport.”
“What? Like pirates of the sky?”
“Yes! Exactly! I can almost guarantee you that there will be pirates of the skies. Nothing is safe from the grim hands of crime. So if we ever decide to travel to visit our claimed stars, I would suggest we set in place a contingency plan.”
She shrugged, “Sounds quite farfetched, but I am open to suggestions. So what is your plan?”
“Allow me to paint you a picture. So imagine that the sky pirates have taken hostages. We board the conquered vessel or sky coach or whatever it is that people are using to cross between the stars, and so the sky pirates turn their attention to us.”
Meredith scoffed, “I beg your pardon, Anthony, but so far this doesn’t sound like much of a plan.”
He rolled his eyes, “That’s because I haven’t finished explaining it yet. If the captors turn their attention towards us, then they are no longer facing the hostages. So at just the right moment, we shall give a signal and the hostages can rush the captors from behind.”
She seemed to go along with him and entertain this fantastical scenario. “Since it is so simple, it is easily executable. What sort of signal do you mean?”
“It could be anything, such as a gesture or cryptic phrase that was possibly agreed upon ahead of time.” This was Anthony’s way of indicating to her that he liked to devise contingency plans for any type of situation. It was just something he did.
They went on like this for some time and eventually one of his laughs led into a yawn, which prompted him to check his pocket watch.
“A quarter to three. Based on what happened the last time,” he sighed, “we have about an hour or so until Mr. Tulk and the rest of the kitchen staff begin their morning preparations.”
“Maybe we better head inside now, Anthony? I would much rather do so than risk getting caught out here,” suggested Meredith.
Anthony nodded while covering his yawn.
“That sounds like a good idea. Lord knows I could use the sleep. The party is drawing ever closer and with every decision the lads and I make, there’s always a dozen more that take its place.”
He stood up to lazily stretch his arms and legs.
“Aren’t you excited, Meredith?”
Meredith stared at the ground.
“Pardon me, Anthony. I don’t know whether I will be able to attend.”
He frowned. “Why not? Is something the matter?”
