Chapter 19

“That will be nice, Sandra.” Reg failed to see the additional meaning she had put into her answer, or that there was more than one word that started da... “Some day, you will be struck with how nice a young man is, and be the answer to his own prayers for a nice girl.”

“I know, but I already have my eye on a nice young man.”

“That was quick! What does he think of your interest?”

“He hasn’t even noticed, Reg, but I am afraid to push, in case I scare him away.”

“That’s a shame. You should discuss it with my wives; they will be happy to advise you about your next step. I would be useless to speak about such matters.”

“Thank you, Reg. You are a wonderful man: you give good directions for advice, if nothing else.”

One of the babies began to chunter, in his or her grandmother’s arms. Reg was up like a shot. “Excuse me, one of my offspring needs me.”

He moved to the crying baby and offered his arms to the grandmother, who handed her charge over to Reg. He gathered the little bundle in his arms, whispering, “There now, my little one. Daddy is here for you; no need to cry.”

The child looked up at him, recognised his face, and immediately calmed. Reg rocked her for a few minutes until the baby fell asleep. He then handed her back to the doting grandmother with a reassuring smile. She smiled back, and he resumed his seat beside the waiting Sandra.

Sandra took his hand and patted it.

“You make a very good father, Reg. That is one of the things I love about you.”

He preened at this praise, and told her, “I never want my children to feel I do not love them, for I know what it can be like to be unloved.” He brightened again. “You make a lovely substitute mother, Sandra my dear. The babies all love you to bits.”

“Well, I want to be a good real mother sometime, so it is excellent practice.”

“Thanks for your company, Sandra; it was very welcome. You had best get back to your seat before anyone else grabs it!”

“It is safe. I am beside Frances’ Mum and Dad, so they are watching it for me. They think I am cute, it seems!”

“Well, you are; no surprise there. Thanks again, but scoot. I don’t want to seem to be having fun with another woman just now, in case I get in trouble before I am even married!”

Sandra scarpered, and was sitting demurely in her seat long before the first of the brides entered. Each was holding a pretty bouquet and grinning fit to burst. The flowers seem to have been a hit, Reg decided, as he returned his face to the front.

The priest gestured for Reg to come and stand before him, and indicated the spot. Music burst out to announce the bridal party. It was Mendelssohn’s Wedding March from ‘A midsummer Night’s Dream’.

The eight brides marched slowly and sedately down the aisle in pairs. Naturally there were no parental escorts for this event, as that would have been overkill as a procession. As each pair arrived at the front, they peeled off, left and right of Reg, leaving space for the others, until there were four ladies perched either side of the husband-to-be. Each was trying to avoid grinning too much as they stood waiting for what to them was the finale.

The priest went into his spiel, giving his introduction about marriage on the planet Rehome’s human colony; the stringent rules about marriage in the colony, and concluding with the commitment each man or woman made to his or her spouses.

“I will ask the bridegroom if he will make the promise to his brides, by name and as a group, to love and cherish them as stated by me, for life. He must say “I will” to formally accept that legally binding promise to his spouses. I will then proceed to asking the brides, by name and as a group, to agree with a similar solemn binding promise to their spouse. I will address them as a group but by individual name and ask them to make that promise by saying together, “I will”. These promises are the essence of this ceremony, made before our deity and these witnesses, and cannot be broken except by criminal acts which results in banishment of the perpetrator to Earth.”

The service started with a love hymn, and then the priest launched into demanding the promises by the brides and groom. That completed, he announced, “According to the law and custom of the Colony of Rehome, I now pronounce you husband and wives.”

The congregation applauded, and Reg and his wives reversed themselves and bowed to the congregation. The priest then gave a mercifully short homily about love and commitment, both in marriage and as a community; then declared, “The area next door is set up for the reception of this new family, where you can individually congratulate them and help yourselves to food and drink, courtesy of the Governor of the Colony, who is sitting at the rear of the congregation with his own family.”

There was a short gasp from the many people who had no idea that they had so illustrious a personage present at the ceremony. At a gesture from the priest, Reg walked down the aisle, followed by his new wives walking in pairs again for the symmetry. They entered the side room, where the priest got them to line up to be welcomed.

First to arrive were the Governor, Robert Kempe, and his four wives, who all made a short welcome to each one of the Robertsons, then moved on to make way for the others. Reg said ‘Thank-you’ to the Governor on behalf of them all for the reception and the wonderful spread. Following them were three ladies, one of whom they recognised as Jenny from Mr Dangerfield’s office, so the others would be her wives-to-be. Jenny told them, “That was a beautiful ceremony.”

On the tables were a wide variety of finger foods and glasses of wine – white, red and rosé – and soft drinks. On cards laid on the table were the words: ‘Buffet foods by Mark’s Party Supplies, 120 Main Avenue.’

Telford Prentiss spotted this and remarked, “Local businesses starting up already: that is a good sign. I wonder if we could start supplying pharmacies with a regular drug shipment?”

He was overheard by one of the Governor’s wives, who tapped his arm.

“Sir, would you like to discuss that with the Governor?”

“I certainly would, young lady. Do you know him well?”

“I am married to him, sir.”

“Oh. My apologies for assuming you were younger than you are.”

“It is a nice compliment, sir. Please come this way. What is your name?”

“Telford Prentiss. I am here purely for my daughter’s wedding ceremony, then I return to Earth.”

She responded, “Ah, here we are. Can I interrupt, darling?” The Governor turned aside from chatting to Mrs LeBrun. “Excuse me, my dear. Work, I think! Yes, my love?”

“Mr Telford Prentiss here thinks he might be in a position to supply pharmaceuticals to our local pharmacies.”

“How do you do, Mr Prentiss. Are you in the drug business?”

“Indeed so. I am CEO of the UK arm of Quantum Pharmaceuticals. I noticed a local firm supplied food to the wedding reception, and thought that if you have local pharmacies, we might be able to arrange a deal to supply your drug needs for them. Our range is considerable.”

“That does sound worth exploring, Mr Prentiss. At present, our pharmacy is a single one, based at our general hospital, and some popular medicines aimed at houshold use are currently sold at our grocery stores. What do you have in mind?”

“At first, I was thinking of just supplying your local pharmacies, but if you do not have such, what if our company set up a local chain of pharmacies in the Colony? We would need an initial monopoly while we set up the business, then we could be open to local competition.”

“I good idea, but our policy is not to have direct investment in local firms from Earth. The Colony has to be able to survive on its own two feet, you see. If you were to emigrate here, you could build your own pharmacy business, but you can’t do it from Earth. Are you well paid by your company?”

“I am afraid so. Starting my own pharmacy chain would take time to build up to make sufficient profit to be worthwhile for me. My daughter Fiona is one of the Robertson brides. Would it be acceptible for her to set up such a business?”

“Yes, provided you were not financing the business from Earth.”

“So, if I donated a largish sum of money to her, purely as a future inheritance provided early, she could use part of that inheritance to set up such a business? Would that fit your rules?”

“Curiously enough, it would fit our requirements, provided you did not leave the donation as a staged payment, or it might be construed as an ongoing investment. Keep it as a one-off early inheritance, and it will be acceptible.”

“Well, Fiona’s stepmother does not like her, so if I die and Fiona is on Rehome, her inheritance might vanish rather than come to her, so it would be satisfactory to give it to her early.”

“Sounds okay to me, Mr Prentiss. As long as the money comes without strings, in the form of a written statement to that effect: hers to do what she wants with it, it fits our colony rules. If she decides to set up a business in that line, and your company can do her a deal for future drug supplies, then fine.”

“I hear that you sell drugs to Earth. Is there any chance my company can get a slice of the action?”

“It is always possible, but due to certain side-effects, you might prefer not to be involved in the distribution side.”

“Side-effects?”

“Perhaps on the erotic side, if I might word it carefully?”

“Oh. Mood-enhancing side-effects?”

“That is so. It is these side-effects that make our export popular, but by the same token may not suit your more mainstream market. In certain jurisdictions, our product may be deemed illegal, but we simply make it available to purchase, with no promises regarding effects; nothing else.”

“Sounds like a wise position to take. A product that is both popular and apparently illegal, tends to be a profitable exercise. Do you have people doing research on other substances that may have pharmaceutical applications?”

“Not at present, not on any formal basis. The Colony is too young to be so well organised.”

“I see. In that case, if my company provided a few such researchers, might our company get first chance to import any resulting products? That would not be any direct investment; merely a legally-sanctioned opportunity for us to be the primary importer of agreed products from Rehome in future.”

“That would appear to be satisfactory, except that whatever conditions were applied to any contract with these researchers, at the end of each full year of their work here their contract must permit them to cancel without penalty of any kind, should they decide to remain here as settlers if approved by the Colony, and allowing them to bring any family with them. Agreeable to you?”

Telford had to think for all of two seconds before blurting out, “Done!”. He added, “If I treat them right, they will decide to stay with the company for a good while, I am sure.”

“Either way, it will be helpful to the Colony,” said Governor Kempe.

Mr Prentiss offered his thanks, then set out to locate Fiona, as the receiving line had now dispersed. He found her tenderly holding her smiling baby, saying to her, “You are Mummy’s wonderful little girl.”

Telford tapped her on the shoulder, and she spun round.

“Daddy! That was a nice ceremony, wasn’t it?”

“It was indeed, and you are now legally Mrs Robertson, not just in name only. Congratulations, my girl.”

“I am so pleased, Daddy. We are going to have a tract of land, and build a house there, and have lots of children to fill it. I can now forget all about Dora and her machinations. She is not going to kill you now, is she?”

“Not for my money, certainly. On that matter, I propose to send you your inheritance now, rather than wait until I shuffle off this mortal body. You will get most of my assets. Dora will get what remains: not a great deal, but enough to keep her in relative comfort.”

“You should not have to do that, Daddy, but if you think it best, I will not object.”

“Thank you, my dear. My only request – no more than a suggestion for you, is that you might think about setting up your own pharmacy business here. The only real pharmacy is in the hospital, for their own purposes, but a private pharmacy business can offer a much wider range of products beyond the prescription drugs. You could set up one shop and if there is a growing demand, as I expect there will be, you can turn it into a chain, either all run by you, or as a franchise setup.”

Fiona stared at him, open-mouthed. “Daddy! Typical of you, to see a business opportunity for me. I suppose you will want me to order most of my stuff from your company, and in particular from your branch of the company?”

“That would be very welcome, but you are under no compulsion to do so; it would just be nice for your old dad if you did.”

“Okay, Daddy. If you think it has potential, I will look into it, after I discuss it with the Governor. Do want a share of ownership of the business?”

“I can’t do that, Fiona. The Governor tells me that Rehome does not allow direct investment from Earth. It has to do with being economically independent of Earth, which is a laudable ambition. Handing over your inheritance early gives you the assets to start up the business, but it will be entirely YOUR business, financed with your own money.”

“Thanks, Daddy. I will look into the possibilities, for there may be other businesses worth me having a look at. We first have to build ourselves a home on our land, once we get it.”

“Any idea how far you will be from the city? Distance can be a bugbear if you don’t have a car.”

“Daddy, there are few cars in the Colony, we were told, for roads are almost non-existent outside of the cities. Most travel is by train, but they are expanding the rail network all the time, for the economic benefits to the Colony are immense. They have a magnificent new tracklaying machine to expand the network.”

By the time the reception was over, those parents scheduled to return to Earth were wondering about when they would have to leave for the Landership. A phone call by Frances to The Personalia brought the news that Landerships left every day about the same time of day, so as long as seating capacity was available, they could book their places.

She passed on this information, and while a few wanted to get home smartish, for business reasons, those not in a rush decided to stay another night and see a little more of the city, and learn where their daughter and family would be living.

The new Robertson clan first travelled back to the housing block, so they could change back into normal daywear, then made their way to the administration department to see what land was being offered to them. They got a surprise when they went inside. The land on offer to them was not near the city. It was close to the second city that was currently being adapted for human use.

The official explained, “The tract we are suggesting as your land grant is very close to the city boundary, and a rail halt – not yet a true station – is close to your land. Passing trains will stop if you ask them to; a phone call to the driver is all that is needed. Train travel is easy and you can be back in the first city in less time than walking in to the first city from a piece of land more distant. We can also give you a larger tract as a bonus, because firstly you are a large family gtoup, and secondly we want to encourage more settlement around the second city and thus provide a farming population that will encourage new shops and businesses in the city.”

Reginald asked, “Does that mean that Sandra can get a land parcel next to us? And what about the twins and their tradesmen husbands: Thomas Taylor and Gerald Brown?”

The official grinned. “That also helps; you see, we know Sandra works for you, so a piece of land next to yours will help with that situation. The two tradesmen will be employed in the second city, and they will be given land on the outskirts – not necessarily near you - so getting home will be easy for them if they have land near to their workplaces.”

Frances beamed at the man. “I think we can all live with that, but please speak to the men about it.” She turned to one side to ask, “Where is Sandra?”

The teen pushed through the crowd of wives. “Here, Frances.”

“The department is offering a tract of land for you, next door to ours. Will you be happy with that?”

“Yes, please! That suits me perfectly. I want to stay close.”

Reg intervened, “Is there water on our tract? Enough to irrigate it?”

“Yes, there is. Several small streams run through your property before meeting the little river that runs through part of the city. The streams should be adequate for watering your land, but you may need to install irrigation channels to get the full benefit.”

Reg looked around at the faces of his wives, gauging their attitudes. He was able to tell the official, “We’ll take the land you offer. Sandra, do you also accept?” She nodded, “Yes, Reg my...” then stopped abruptly.

Prudence frowned at Sandra’s words, or rather at what was unsaid. She then stared at Frances, looking for confirmation of what she was reading into Sandra’s unsaid words, but Frances did not seem to have noticed, or was ignoring it. Prudence let it be.

The official gave a small cough, to attract attention.

“There is another matter: the farmer and his wife, named Robson. They expressed a wish for good land from crops, yet not too far from the tract you receive. It appears they have a daughter married to Mr Robertson and want to remain fairly close.”

Frances corrected him, “Two daughters married to Reginald, not one.”

The man blinked but said nothing about the correction. He continued, “There is a suitable tract of farmland near your land, for the Robsons, beyond Miss Sandra’s tract, between two small rivers, but because of that it is larger in extent than your land; the rivers mark natural boundaries. Do you have any objection to this disparity in area?”

Reg replied, “They need the land for their commercial crops; the more ground the better. We only need enough land to feed our family in the years to come. We have no objections.”

“Excellent. Someone else will discuss farming implements with them, as local equipment will be used. The other parcels of land have less significance, so we do not need your opinion on that matter. If you all report to the legal section, across the way there, they will issue you with your land grant documentation, including the plan of your holdings. It only takes a few minutes to print them out from the database, then they will certify them as correct and approved.”

They did so, then returned to their accomodation block for an extended family discussion about those visitors returning to Earth, and saying farewell without shedding tears.

Jessica took over for the honeymoon celebrations, explaining to Frances, “A honeymoon is for a couple to get to know each other more intimately, to realise who their partner is for life. Trying to do that with eight women at once is a recipe for disaster, Frances. Reginald should have an evening with one wife at a time, so he can concentrate on her, on her needs and wants, on the love between them, one on one. Each wife should get the same treatment, so that we all know how Reginald feels for us as individuals, not simply as a group.”

“You are sure of this, Jessica?” Frances was not certain of this assessment.

“When I joined you girls, Frances, for a while I had time to watch you as a loving group, and I was impressed. Once I decided that this was for me, I had to persuade Reginald that I, as an older woman, was worth the effort of loving. When I finally did get him to myself and he made love to me, it was wonderful in comparison to my first time with my other husband; in fact, compared to all the times with my other husband. That man never loved me, just claimed me.

That made me appreciate the value of one-on-one loving where the emphasis is on love. The sharing of a honeymoon is between man and woman; nothing else should get in the way, not even other spouses.”

“I see. Does that mean you want to be first with Reg?”

“Good God, no! You can decide on the order, Frances: you are the chief wife. Pick the names out of a hat, for all I care. I love the man, so I am willing to do anything I can to make his life perfect. All I can do is commend singular love with Reg for each of us. I think it will be good for all of us, understanding what Reg means to each of us. It also means the others can look after our baby, so we don’t get interrupted at any point.”

Frances was more convinced. “I am willing to try it, Jessica. I can see your argument; I think it will be welcome to Reg, once it is explained to him.”

It was. The thought of making love to a single wife at a time, showing her how much he loved her, appealed to him as a formerly lone offspring. Sharing his love with Frances or any other of his wives would be a statement on its own.

It was a good beginning for their formal marriage.

Epilogue

Three weeks after the wedding, the family had moved temporarily to a housing block in CityTwo while their home was being constructed on their land grant. Even that was a surprise in how it was done. One could order a house to be built by a local contruction firm, but much of it arrived prefabricated in sections from Earth, and delivered as a massive unit by Landership direct to the building site on Rehome. The Landership was apparently able to use the same technology as with passengers to move from planet to planet, but was configured inside for cargo. This one was a pure cargo vessel, and much of that cargo was packaged as building sections small enough that they fit inside the limited space of that vessel. Being small, the wood frame panels could be put together more easily than on Earth with its cranes and large panels. Construction was almost like a DIY kit house, except that most were put together by professionals, able to adjust manufacturing faults on the site as they built.

It still took weeks from the design phase, aiming to produce a house suited to the commissioning family. The process included ordering the sections, their shipment to Ascenscion Island, then their delivery by Landership, and finally put together and completed by joiners, plumbers and electricians to the requirements of the client.