Page 52 of The Red Woman on Mars

“I come from a place,” she ventured, “where the government doesn’t care about the basic needs of its citizens. I hope that the Council will always make sure our needs are met.”

“Well said,” Ren told her approvingly and patted her hand on his arm.

Caspian shrugged good-naturedly. “Point taken. How is your sister, Miss Bowen?”

“Very well,” Vivian replied automatically. “She has chosen Mitzi King as her partner and is nearing two weeks into her pregnancy.”

“I heard,” Caspian said with a good cheer that rang false.

“She was sorry to see you take yourself out of the running,” Vivian told him, wanting to wipe the false bravado off his expression.

She was rewarded by seeing Caspian’s face fall. “So was I,” he murmured. “Very sorry indeed. I—” He looked at Ren and then back to Vivian. “Ivey and I both decided that as much as we hope for a continuation of the Hayes line, this approach was not for us. I wish—” He broke off without finishing.

“You mean you let Dorsey do your thinking for you,” Ren snapped.

Caspian jutted out his chin. “I’m my own man. X simply made a compelling case. The sacrifice asked of the Red Mothers is too great.” He bowed to Vivian. “Forgive me, Miss Bowen. This does not seem to be a fit matter to discuss in front of you.”

A snort of laughter escaped Vivian before she could suppress it.Yes, why discuss a procedure that directly impacts my own health in front of me?

Under her fingers, Vivian could feel the tension vibrating off of Ren as he said, “I would think, Counselor, that as a fervent supporter of terraforming, you of all people would understand. Are we not taking an action today that will directly benefit our descendants? And we’re doing it in a much shorter timeline than converting the planet’s atmosphere. It’s a sacrifice necessary for our long-term survival that our generation must bear.”

“Youare not the one making the sacrifice.” A red flush stained Caspian’s pale face as he looked pointedly at Vivian.

While she appreciated Caspian’s sentiment, Vivian understood why Ren had spoken in terms of a generational sacrifice. Her mind turned to Wim on his knees wrestling with his artificial god. What would it do to this generation of Martian aristocrats to witness their wives go through the agonizing pain of carrying the modified fetuses to term?Three times.Vivian shuddered.

“I should get Vivian home.” Ren made a gesture to his driver, who’d been following in the groundcar a discreet distance behind as they walked the district.

Caspian bowed. “A pleasure to see you, Miss Bowen. Please … tell your sister …”

“I’m not telling my sister anything,” Vivian said, more sharply than she intended. “Delilah’s already chosen a spouse. And it’s not you.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

10 Sols to Presentation Day

The luncheon in the banquet hall that day was sparsely attended. Only four women remained, and they could hardly move as the Martians around them vied for their attention. In the bathroom, Vivian found a brief respite from the suffocating atmosphere, lingering at the sink to let the cold water from the gilded faucet flow through her fingers.

“You’re supposed to conserve the water, you know.” Felicia met her eyes in the bathroom mirror. “And you’ll dry out your skin with all that washing.”

“Thanks.” Vivian turned off the faucet. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

Felicia washed her own hands with brisk efficiency. “I hate this limbo we’re in right now.”

“Why not get it over with then? Any one of them out there would jump at the chance to marry you.”

Felicia fiddled with one of her long microbraids. “I guess … after seeing Camille fall so hard for Theo … I hoped that might happen for me.” She shook herself. “But it’s not going to. Viv, have you spoken to Delilah lately?”

“A week ago.”

“Camille is worried sick about her, but Delilah refuses to talk. I don’t think she’s meshing well with Mitzi King.”

Vivian’s chest gave a painful spasm. “She didn’t want to tell me anything about it either.” And what could she do? It was too late. Delilah was pregnant with Mitzi’s child, and the payment had been sent to her parents. “How’s Camille?”

“Better now. She had a kidney stone, and fuck, Viv, it was awful. She was screaming and crying, and the pain meds they gave her didn’t do shit. They said no morphine until she’s out of the first trimester. Dr. Chavez thinks that because she had one so early, she’s going to get them the whole pregnancy.” Felicia bit her lip. “Honestly, that’s why I’m still here. I’m fucking scared. I don’t do so well with pain.”

“I’m scared too,” Vivian admitted.

Felicia reached out and gripped Vivian’s hand. “We’re a sisterhood, right? We’ll get through this together.”