Chapter 7

"Hello, is that Mrs Cross? Or should I say, the former Mrs Cross?"

"It is. Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Madam, I am merely the bearer of glad tidings about your daughter."

"My daughter? You know where my daughter is?"

"Indeed, madam. Allow me to introduce myself more formally: I am Robert Kempe, Governor of the human colony on the planet of Rehome."

"Rehome? Oh, yes I have heard of it. Why are you phoning me? Is my daughter in your colony, then?"

"You are quick on the uptake, my lady. Your inference is quite correct. The young lady is indeed one of our residents. I gather that the occasion of her leaving your marital home was, to say the least, unfortunate, but a necessary response to an unwanted situation. You would agree?"

"As you put it that way, I have to agree with your statement. Is there a reason for this discussion? I am unsure what you are getting at, sir."

"This call, my lady, is to ascertain your present feelings towards your daughter, Amelia. I need to know this before I can proceed further."

"If you must know, her father is dead, killed in a car smash while he was drunk. Good riddance, I say. Amelia ... I treated her badly at the time, but I was under impossible pressure, all these years ago. That pressure has gone, so I would be pleased, no, I would be VERY pleased, indeed happy to see her again. Is it possible, Governor?"

"Again, I shall be circumspect. She is engaged to be married here, but the occasion is a somewhat unusual one, if you think in Earth terms. However, in terms of the laws of Rehome, it is not unusual. Indeed, I am in a similar situation, but long married."

"Engaged? Does she want me at the wedding, or am I still on her list of people not to be contacted? I have heard nothing from her, from the time she left until now."

"Shall I say that at present, she knows nothing of your present circumstances or location. In addition, I do not think she has been told of her father's decease. She is accordingly under the impression that her parents have no concern for her."

"I don't understand. If she doesn't know about me or her father, how come YOU do?"

"Madam, I have access to sources of information that she does not have. That is why I am able to have this informal discussion with you, about a delicate matter in relation to her engagement and marriage."

"Delicate matter? What is it you are not telling me? Is there something wrong with her fiancée; or something wrong with her?"

"Neither. Both are very nice young people, of similar ages, and very much in love."

"Then what is the matter? You are skittering around the subject, but not saying anything. Please speak plainly, Governor. I am a big girl. I have had to live through hard times. I can cope with anything, I assure you."

"Very well, madam. What I have to impart is that Amelia and three other girls are intending to marry the one man, and all are agreeable to the situation."

"Eh? That sounds weird, and not like my Amelia. Surely what you are talking about is illegal?"

"On the planet Rehome, madam, the laws are different. Here, one may elect to marry more than one spouse, as long as it is a loving relationship and fully committed to by all parties. Amelia, the other three girls, and their prospective husband, have all signed the necessary legal documents agreeing to such a group marriage, and so it will go ahead in a couple of weeks time.

The question is, do you wish to be present at the ceremony? I am prepared to offer you that opportunity, without Amelia's knowledge, if you so wish it. There is a stipulation, though. You must not reveal any of these facts to anyone on Earth. You can only say that you are travelling to attend your daughter's wedding; nothing more. Do you accept that restriction? I must inform you that should you break this injunction, your trip to Rehome is cancelled immediately. We have sources on Earth to be aware of such a breach of contract."

"Ouch. You talk tough, mister. No wonder you are the Governor. You sound like you can get your way."

"Madam, I require an answer."

"I would love to see Amelia again, and tell her how sorry I am about my behaviour back then. If she is happy about this group marriage thing, then I must agree to what you say. Will I get an official invitation?"

"Yes and No, Mrs Cross. The partners in this marriage are issuing their own official invitations, primarily to people in the colony. YOUR invitation will come from me, complete with the detailed instructions for getting here. You are in a seaside town, I see, so I am arranging for a Landership – a space-going vehicle - to arrive just off the beach of your town. You must appear on the beach at the date and time I will stipulate, and the ship will come to the beach for you to board. It will recognise your voice, from a recording of our conversation. You need merely speak when it comes to the beach. It will take you up to orbit, where you will transfer to a much larger spaceship.

That vessel will transfer you, by an instantaneous means, to an orbit around Rehome shortly thereafter, and another Landership will take you down to the city of Metropolis. Once there, you will be met by my chauffeur and limousine, and be taken to the Governor's residence. There you will meet the mother and father of the other girls. The bridegroom's parents are deceased. You will remain there until the time of the wedding, when you and the other parents will attend the chapel for the ceremony. You will get to meet Amelia as soon as the ceremony is over.

Is all that clear to you?"

"Um. I think so. Do I need special clothing for going to space?"

"No. Simply wear normal travelling clothes, but remember to bring your bag with the clothes you wish to wear to the wedding. There will be a small reception afterwards."

"Your invitation – will it be posted? How long will it take to get here, from another planet?"

"It will be brought to Earth tomorrow and posted there for priority delivery. It should be with you in two or three days from now. All I need is your first name, for the invitation card."

She gasped, "Georgina. That's my name. I have continued using Cross for my surname, in case Amelia was looking for me - so she could find me." There was a catch in Mrs Cross's voice, as her emotions caught up with her.

The Governor said, "An admirable sentiment. I look forward to meeting you, Mrs Georgina Cross. Goodbye."

Bob put down his phone, and made a note to have the invitation printed and posted via the Personalia tomorrow. He looked round at Diane, "You heard it all, Diane?"

"Yes dear. Well done. Very Governor-ish, I thought! I shall speak to the Montford girls, and tell them not to talk about Amelia's parents as it would be a sore point with her. By the way, they have already sent our their invitations. I saw the list, and the Cross family are not on it. Amelia wouldn't know where to send it anyway. I gather she was an only child."

"Right. This is what we have to get off tomorrow. Remind me, please. As for now, I am off to have a look at the children. I always get a kick out of seeing them asleep. They look so cute and innocent."

"Hmm. Robert and Tessa are not so innocent, now. I caught him begging biscuits from Mary today. "please, Mummy Mary, can I try your lovely biscuits?" – that boy is going to be trouble when he grows up, trying to get things from girls with his persuasive voice. Sounds just like his father!"

"Nothing to do with his charming mother, then, dear?"

"Perhaps he gets his good looks from me, and his brains. His more nefarious talents are down to you, my love." She smiled sweetly at him. He sighed and clasped her close for a sweltering kiss. "Time you were pregnant again, my girl!" He released her to head for the children's cots.

She called after him, "If that's the case, come up and see me sometime, lover!"

Trevor was starting to become anxious about arrangements for the wedding. His own parents being dead, and no siblings, he had no relatives to bring to the event. The Montford parents, he was easy with them now, but he was concerned about Amelia. She never mentioned her parents, but he knew she had arrived at the colony alone, just like him. He dreaded to ask her about her parents when she clearly had an aversion to remembering them. He needed some advice, so phoned Ruth Kempe, the psychologist, as the best expert to hand.

After unloading his concerns to her, she said, "Let me talk it over with the Governor, and we shall see what your best approach is going to be."

Ruth found a moment after dinner to buttonhole her husband as he sat down in his study. "Bob, do you know anything about Amelia's parents? He is quite concerned about her never mentioning them, even when inviting people to the wedding: they never got an invite."

Bob looked up at Ruth. He smiled, "Now there's a thing," he said non-commitally. She grimaced. "Bob!!" His teasing subsided. "Sorry, my darling. Actually, it is sorted, Ruth. I was going to tell Trevor the day before the wedding, so he didn't blab. I spoke to her mother, and she is coming. Her father is dead, so not a problem any more."

"Not a problem? So he was a problem when alive? Why?"

"He raped Amelia and took her virginity when she was sixteen. He was a controlling bully, and drunk at the time. Her mother had refused him sex because he was drunk, so he took it out on Amelia, to make the point about being in control. Amelia was devastated, and her mother didn't do anything about it – too scared at the time. So Amelia ran away from home, and ended up in the colony, as the furthest she could get from her father.

"Oh, my goodness gracious!" exclaimed Ruth. "The poor girl! She must have had that bottled up for years. It is surprising that she developed so well here. I expect it was the feeling of being free of him, free of them, able to make her own decisions and get on with her life. From what I can gather, she has been a lively girl in the Colony, popular with everyone, but reserved when it came to boys. How did you get hold of the information? Of course, I know: The Personalia."

"Yes. Correct for one point - as the quizmaster might say. Anyway, I got the Personalia to do some searching for me, and they found that the father killed himself while drunk driving, several years ago. Her mother sold the family home, unsurprisingly, and moved to a small seaside flat by herself. A sad woman, by that time.

She never expected to be forgiven by Amelia, but she had no means of finding her anyway. It was sad. The Personalia found her address and phone number for me, so I phoned her last week. She would love to see Amelia again, and is quite contrite about the past.

The gist of all that is that I sent her a personal invite that the young folk don't know about, and arranged for her to be picked up and brought to Rehome. She will be taken to this house as our guest. She will meet the Montford parents here, and sit with them during the ceremony. At least, that is my plan. That fine with you?"

"You wonderful, caring, man. I love you!" gushed Ruth. "But, darling, I think Trevor should know, if only to stop HIM fretting. It is spoiling his wedding plans."

Bob looked at the date. "Just a week to go," he murmured. "Do you think he can keep the secret?"

Ruth was certain. "I am sure he is strong enough to do so. Let me tell him and swear him to absolute secrecy. Men like to be sworn to secrecy!"

She at once called Trevor, and asked if she could visit him at his business office next day. He agreed.

When she got there, she asked to speak with him in private, without anyone overhearing, so he informed his front office that he was not to be disturbed until further notice. "Now, what is it you have to tell me, Mrs Kempe ... Ruth?"

She went over the facts of the attack on Amelia that she had obtained from her husband, and watched as Trevor's face drained of colour. "No wonder she would never say how she lost her virginity; and how she never talked about her parents. She must hate them! Her father for his crime, and her mother for her collusion."

Ruth indicated she wanted to speak again. "That is part of what I have to say, Trevor. I have decided to inform you of this second part now, for two reasons: First, so that you have a good understanding of how Amelia must feel, and why you must give her all your support without telling her you know of the events. She may get around to telling you the sad facts once she feels comfortable in doing so. I suspect that it will be soon after you are married, when she feels safe and secure.

Secondly, and here is the fact which you must swear not to reveal in advance: Amelia's mother will be among the congregation at your wedding ceremony."

Trevor gulped. "She will? How do you know? And why?"

"The Governor got her address and phoned her. She explained her inaction at the time of the rape. She was petrified; terrified of what her drunken, abusive husband might do to her at the time of the attack, if she said anything, and that was why she could do nothing. She has regretted that choice ever since, when Amelia took off and vanished. That terrible man has since died, killed in a car crash while drunk, so she is seeking a reconciliation with Amelia. She had no way of finding Amelia until now, so the Governor has given her his own invitation to the wedding.

She will come to our home, and there meet the Montford parents. We plan for her to sit with them during the ceremony. This must be kept completely secret from Amelia until after you are married. When you line up for the guests to meet and greet the newly married partners, make sure that you are first, then Amelia, so that you are on hand to support her when she comes face to face with her mother. Tell the other girls that you are simply lining up in age order: that will make sense to them."

Trevor agreed to her demand, and promised not to reveal any of it in advance of time. He thanked Ruth, saying, "Tell the Governor I am eternally grateful to him. This will make our wedding complete."

He ushered Ruth out and organised a cab to take her home, paid for by the company. This woman had raised his spirits and made him a more efficient CEO as a result, so it was a valid business expense. He remembered that Amelia was due home tonight, once she had passed her latest tourist charges over to the departure staff, so he made an executive decision.

When he got home, he kissed each of the Montford girls, and told them: "I have to give Amelia very special treatment tonight, for a reason I shall explain after we are married. Just trust me when I say that you will approve. Please move the rota back by one day, then we can return to our normal pattern." They were wondering what was up, but agreed to suspend the rota for one day.

It was Dinah who was supposed to be with him tonight, but she was philosophical about it. "If my Trevor thinks it is important, it IS important, and so I will put up with it. Just remember, I have him tomorrow. Thank goodness I didn't tell anyone at school that I would be fucking my fiancé tonight!"

Tracy was aghast. "You surely don't talk with your classmates about you having sex with Trevor? That would be gross!"

"No, I wouldn't brag like that. I am just saying it is just as well I didn't, or I would be quizzed about it tomorrow, and had to lie. Keeping quiet about it is best, until I start to show my pregnancy. But we shall be married by then, so Mrs Defreitas can safely be reticent about her family bedroom activities."

"It should be interesting, both the Montford sisters becoming Mrs Defreitas. The school won't know what to make of it." Tracy chuckled at the thought.

Dinah was less sure. "Depends on how much publicity our wedding gets. There's not many cases of a man marrying four girls at once, I gather. We may be in the online newspaper, as it is unusual. Even the Governor married his ladies one at a time."

"True, but not quite accurate, Dinah. Each time, it was a new wedding with an extra woman being added, so that they all had to marry her. That is why we all had to sign those forms, agreeing to marry the other wives. Every wedding would be different, just like ours is. It will feel weird, though. I am glad we will be having a rehearsal, so we all know who speaks when."

"Yeah. You are right in that, Tracy. Hey, do we all get to fuck him on the wedding night? I hope so. I suppose we go back to the rota from the next day, unless he will agree to have two of us each night. That way, we get to fuck him more often. I am all for that, as I love fucking Trevor!"

Tracy sighed. "Ah - The impetuosity of youth. When your belly really swells, sister, you won't be in so much of a hurry to be fucked: it will be uncomfortable, then, honey."

"Oh. I suppose so. At least I will have my baby to look forward to, won't I?"

"Yeah. Milk dripping out of your nipples, baby poo to wipe up every day, and the amount of noise that babies make! Listen, kid. Get real: Pregnancy is not all fun and games. You and I have the difficult part to go through with pregnancy, not Trevor. And when the baby finally decides to be born, hours of pain and agony until it arrives. Ugh! It is all hard work, girl."

"Tracy, don't you want to have your baby? You don't sound keen on it."

"Yeah, I do want it, but I don't see it through rose-tinted glasses. I know what a woman has to go through. I saw a video in school. It was part of our sex education classes, and was meant to prepare you for the unpleasant side of having a baby. Sure, having your own baby, afterwards, is a joy in itself. The fucking at the start is fun – is certainly is with Trevor; and having a baby to admire is wonderful; but the process in between, I could do without."

"Wouldn't it be better to simply enjoy the experience, including the pain? I have heard that once you have one baby, you usually want more. The Kempe family, now: all the wives have more than one child, except for Helen; and I think that is just because she hasn't had the time to have more than one. Her Hector is just a baby still."

"Maybe. Well see what happens when we have these ones. At the moment, I don't really see me wanting more."

"Well, I think I will want more than just this one. I fancy being a Mum with a brood of kids."

"Not unless you finish your schooling, chum. Trevor insists on that. Do you want to go to university? If you can do it here, I think I'm for it. I want to be more than just a mother. I want a career that broadens my horizons. That's why I finally decided to stay at school full-time, and still study cooking with Mary. At school, I need to get decent subject passes to enter a university course. I may do a nutrition and health degree, so I can work with Mary in developing more money-making ideas. Our family will need the cash eventually, with our children growing."