Yes! YES! All right, all right … stay cool Margaret, stay cool! You have to play the next one out very subtly. Do it right and you’ll get out of here. But keep it cool! Be subtle, be very subtle.
‘This is exactly what I needed. Thank you so much, my friend! You really are such a star. What a wonderful young man you are!’
Margaret could see a smile of delight lifting his dark, scarred cheeks, but he immediately looked away, shifting his feet on the ground and fidgeting with nervous fingers. It was apparent that compliments and the warmth of close friendship were something he was quite unused to. With this in mind she wasted no time in pressing home her current advantage.
‘I’m so glad to have a trustworthy, caring friend like you, Tesla,’ she said. ‘Really. You’re a great kid.’
‘It was a small favour. It’s not necessary to praise me too highly for it,’ he replied, still shifting awkwardly on his feet and avoiding eye contact.
‘Nonsense. You deserve a compliment for being such a nice person, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. But anyway, listen kiddo, what’s the dinner situation? I’ve burned up all that food we had earlier, most likely on account of all the exercise I did today, so I’m feeling mighty peckish right about now. Does the General have time to dine in the hall, as usual?’
‘I’m afraid not. He’s very occupied right now, you know, with the mercenary situation. You’re to eat dinner here in your room, unfortunately.’
‘Well that’s fine, I do understand that it’s a very serious problem and that he does, of course, need to focus all of his energy on sorting it out.’
‘Yes…’
‘You can sit in here and eat with me later right? I mean, he doesn’t expect me to go without company the whole evening, does he?’
Tesla looked suddenly worried.
‘I’m not supposed to be in here talking to you too much, Dr Green,’ he said, stiffening up. ‘The General told me that himself. I think … I think that I already spend too much time talking to you. I’m sorry … I cannot say that I don’t enjoy it, but I also cannot disobey the General’s orders.’
Sudden panic surged a wave of crippling nausea through Margaret’s system. She desperately needed Tesla with her for dinner in order to move on to phase two of her escape plan.
‘Oh, my sweet lil’ friend,’ she said, rushing her words as the panic began to take hold, ‘I don’t mean to put any pressure on you or anything like that. Gee, I mean I know you have enough of it already. Really, if it’s going to get you in trouble, you don’t need to sit with me for dinner.’
‘It’s not that I don’t want to,’ he blurted out, ‘but I really can’t afford to get in trouble. But, um … well, I suppose I can maybe sit and chat with you for a few minutes at dinner time. The General hasn’t actually told me again that I shouldn’t talk to you. He only really said that once, before I had even met you. So … I think it will be fine for me to sit with you, for just a little while.’
He smiled at her, beaming out genuine warmth, and a wave of relief gushed its cooling waters through her veins. She nonetheless kept up her façade of relaxed nonchalance.
‘Thank you kindly, young Tesla. I do enjoy your company so!’
He chuckled, and again delight shone in his eyes.
‘I must go now Margaret. I’ll come back when your dinner is ready. Um, are there any other favours I can help you with? I like to help you, and I … I want you to be as happy as you can be here.’
‘Aw, aren’t you a little sweetie! No kiddo, I’m fine. I guess, though, if you could ask about letting me have a hot bath later though, that would be fantastic. Oh! And a bottle of dry red wine with dinner, if the General is okay with that.’
‘I’ll make sure I mention the wine and the bath. Goodbye Margaret.’
The boy saluted, clicked his heels together and marched out of the room. Now, both he and Margaret were wearing broad grins upon their faces … but each person’s smile was there for very different reasons.
***
The moon was a mere suggestion of an orb, ghostlike in its un-presence in the dark sky. The slimmest of slivers denoted its sickle edge; a razor-cut in the fabric of night, through which white quicksilver bled with infinite slowness, frozen and icy as the outer reaches of space.
Margaret was absorbed in a book on the flora and fauna of this region of the world, marvelling at its various exotic creatures and plants, the likes of many of which she had never before seen. A familiar knock on the door snapped her out of the book-trance though, so she set it down on the desk before turning around to face the door.
‘Come in, Tesla,’ she said.
The boy walked in wearing an ear-to-ear grin, carrying himself with a relaxed ease Margaret had not hitherto seen in him.
‘I can sit and eat with you!’ he announced, as pleased with this pronouncement as if he was telling her he had won the lottery. ‘The General has given me the night off, but what is more, he has said that I am allowed to talk to you and spend time with you!’
‘Well,’ Margaret said, beaming a smile at him, ‘that sounds downright fantastic!’
‘Yes,’ Tesla answered warmly as he set the platter of food down on the desk. ‘He says that he feels bad about leaving you so long in this room all by yourself, and as he is busy with the military operation and cannot keep you company, he has allowed me to entertain you. And what is more,
