Understanding a moment was slipping away, he added, “Perhaps I should have said four things. Would you dine with me tonight?” He quickly added, “Assuming Lord James doesn’t insist on the three of us dining with him, of course.”

She hesitated only a moment, not wishing apparently to appear too anxious, and said, “If your sponsor doesn’t require your presence, I would enjoy supper with you.”

She turned and in a playful fashion looked over her shoulder and said, “I’ll have the tea, ladder, and servant sent to you at once.” Her smile could only be called seductive, as she added, “And I’ll come back later to see if there is anything else you need.”

“Thank you,” said Amirantha, fully enjoying watching her walk away. The long Quegan toga might run from shoulder to floor, but it hugged her curves in a most tantalizing fashion.

Taking his mind off the lovely woman, he turned and began to consider the prodigious task before him. Sighing, he reached out and took a book at random off the pile. He opened it and found it to be written in a language alien to him. Glancing around to ensure he was unobserved, he took from his belt pouch a small item Pug had given him before they arrived in Queg. He did as he had been taught and incanted a short phrase, holding the trinket to his forehead, then put it away. When he opened his eyes, the letters on the page seemed to swim, then come together in words he could read. Softly to himself, he muttered, “I should have met these people a hundred years ago!”

Now able to read this ancient Quegan text, he began to read softly aloud. “‘On the matter of the stars and their locations in the heaven by seasons…’” He read another page, then put aside the amateur astronomy text and looked around. To no one he said, “You know what you want is at the bottom of that pile, don’t you?”

“Sir?” came a voice from behind.

“Oh,” said Amirantha, seeing two servants in the doorway. One held a tray with a pot and infuser, a cup, and a canister of tea, and the other held a short ladder. “Never mind.” He pointed to the stocky man with the ladder and said, “Put that over there and climb to the top, and gently pull down the topmost book.” To the other he said, “Put that on the table, please…” As the servant moved to do as he was instructed, Amirantha said, “And find me a chair for that table. Thank you.” He turned his attention to the man climbing the ladder and the job that lay before him.