"Then what are we talking about here?" asked Alessandra.
"What I did not know, as a girl your age," said Dorabella, "was that between cold chastity and doing that which produces babies, there is a wide range of steps and stages that can signal to a young man that his advances are welcome, to a point."
"I'm quite aware of that, Mother. I saw other girls at school dressing like whores and putting it all on display. I saw the fondling and grabbing and pinching. We're Italians, I was in an Italian school, and all the boys planned to grow up to be Italian men."
"Don't try to distract me by making me angry at your ethnic stereotypes," said Dorabella. "We have only a few weeks left before we arrive—"
"Two months is not 'a few weeks.' "
"Eight is a few. When we reach Shakespeare, one thing is certain. Admiral Morgan is not going to turn the colony over to a fifteen-year-old boy. That would be irresponsible. He likes Ender—everyone does—but in Battle School all they did was play games all day. It takes someone with experience in leadership to govern a colony. This has never been said outright, mind you. But I have gleaned this from things that were hinted at or almost said or . . . overheard."
"You've been eavesdropping."
"I've been present and human ears don't close. My point is that the very best way it could all turn out is if Ender Wiggin is governor, but taking the advice of Admiral Morgan."
"On everything."
"That's better than Ender being put in stasis and sent home."
"No! He wouldn't do that!"
"It has already been threatened, and there have been hints that it might be necessary. Now, look at this picture: Ender and a beautiful colonist girl fall in love. They pledge to marry. Now he's affianced. It happens that his mother-in-law-to-be—"
"Who happens to be a deranged woman who thinks she's a fairy and the mother of a fairy."
"In-law-to-be is married or about to be married to the admiral who is most definitely going to be the power behind the throne, so to speak. Unless Ender gives him trouble, in which case he'll take the throne, so to speak, quite openly. But Ender will not give him trouble, because he won't need to. His beautiful young wife will look out for his interests by talking things over with her mother, who will then talk things over with her husband, and everything will work smoothly for everyone."
"In other words, I would marry him in order to be a spy."
"There would be a pair of loving and beloved go-betweens who would make sure there was never any conflict between the admirals on this ship."
"By suppressing Ender and making him dance to Quincy's tune."
"Until he becomes old enough and experienced enough himself," said Dorabella.
"Which would happen exactly never, at least not in Quincy's eyes," said Alessandra. "Mother, I'm not stupid and neither is anyone else involved in this. You're betting that Admiral Morgan will seize power, and so by marrying him, you'll be the wife of the governor of the colony. But because you can't be sure that Ender Wiggin won't prevail, you want me to marry him. That way, no matter who wins this little power struggle, we'll be able to cash in. Am I correct?"
Alessandra had spoken the phrase "cash in" in English. Dorabella seized on that. "Shakespeare Colony has no cash yet, darling," said Dorabella. "It's all barter and allotment so far. You haven't been studying the lessons on our colony-to-be."
"Mother," said Alessandra. "That is your plan, isn't it?"
"Hardly," said Dorabella. "I'm a woman in love. So are you. Don't deny it!"
"I think about him all the time," said Alessandra. "I dream of him every night. If that's being in love, they need a pill to cure it."
"You only feel that way because the boy you love is not aware enough of his own feelings to make things clear to you or even to himself. That's what I've been trying to tell you all along."
"No, Mother," said Alessandra. "You've been trying to do everything but tell me. What you want me to do, but refuse to say out loud, is seduce him."
"I do not."
"Mother!"
"I've already said this. There's a lot of road between pining for him and seducing him. There's little touches."
"He doesn't like being touched."
"He thinks he doesn't like being touched because he doesn't yet understand that he's in love with you."
"Wow," said Alessandra. "And all of this without a degree in psychology."
"A fairy woman doesn't need to study psychology, she's born with it."
"Mother!"
"You keep saying that. As if you weren't sure I know my title. Yes, dear, I am indeed your mother."
"For once in your life, can't you just say what you mean?"
Dorabella closed her eyes. Saying things plainly had never worked out well for her. Yet Alessandra was right. The girl was so naive she really didn't know what Dorabella was talking about. She didn't understand the need, the urgency—and she didn't understand what she had to do about it.
Candor was probably unavoidable. Might as well get it over with.
"Sit down, darling," said Dorabella.
