She clasped her hands very tightly together and took several deep breaths. She was annoyed to note that her palms were damp. She had tried to ignore the nervous anticipation that had been building within her, but things were getting worse. It was ridiculous. She had to get a grip, she told herself.
She came to a halt in the middle of her small living room and gave herself a stern lecture. To focus effectively for a high-class talent, a prism had to be composed and in command. A prism who could not control herself could not control a strong talent. She had to do a good job tonight, if not for herself, then for the sake of Psynergy, Inc.
As usual, thoughts of duty and responsibility had a wonderfully calming effect on Amaryllis's nerves. She was relieved to feel her pulse slow. The cool mantle of professionalism descended upon her.
Much better. Almost normal. This was a working evening, she reminded herself. She was under contract. This was not a social event. The fact that she had been anxious for the past two days must not be allowed to affect her performance.
The fact that she was going to focus for the Iceman was irrelevant.
The doorbell chimed.
Lucas had arrived.
She would walk, not run, to the door, Amaryllis told herself.
The bell chimed again as she went down the short hall. Somehow the usually mellow tones seemed to have been infused with an imperious note. High-class talents were an impatient lot, Amaryllis thought. They were difficult, demanding, and arrogant. That was the principal reason why they rarely got along well with full-spectrum prisms.
For some reason, although she had taken her time getting to the door, she felt a little flushed when she finally opened it. Lucas stood on the front step.
"You're early," Amaryllis said.
Lucas frowned. He glanced at his black wrist watch. "It's exactly seven o'clock."
"Is it? Imagine that." Amaryllis summoned up a smile. "Sorry. Guess my clock is slow."
Lucas was dressed in conservative, formal evening black. Black shirt, black jacket, black trousers, and black tie. Not a hint of khaki in sight, Amaryllis noticed. She wondered what he thought of the current fad for Western Islands gear. Not much, judging from the fact that his dark hair was cut short and brushed back in a crisp, no-nonsense style.
Lucas surveyed her from head to toe. "Something wrong?"
Good grief, she was staring. "No, of course not." Amaryllis hurriedly stepped back into the hall. "Come on in. I'll just be a minute. I have to get my purse."
"There's no rush." He walked through the door. "I allowed plenty of time."
The implication that he had expected her to keep him waiting annoyed Amaryllis. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
She went into the bedroom and snatched her purse off the dresser. When she returned to the outer room she found Lucas examining the contents of her bookcase. He had a copy of Orchid Adams's newest release, Wild Talent, in his big hands. He glanced at Amaryllis with an odd expression.
"Don't tell me you like these psychic vampire romance novels," Lucas said. He sounded wary, not derisive.
"As a matter of fact, I enjoy them very much."
"But you don't really believe there are off-the-scale talents who can take over helpless prisms do you?"
"Of course not. That's why they call it fiction, Mr. Trent."
"I don't read much fiction. I prefer nonfiction."
"I'm not surprised that we have different tastes." Amaryllis gave him a grim little smile. "There's an old saying that high-class talents and full-spectrum prisms generally have nothing in common except the ability to hold a focus."
"True." His eyes moved over her as if he were assessing all the various ways in which they differed. "Shall we go?"
"Certainly."
The phone rang just as Amaryllis turned to lead the way toward the door. She ignored it.
"Feel free to answer it," Lucas said easily. "We're in no hurry."
"You're sure?"
"Believe me. I'm not in a rush to spend the evening sipping green wine punch and eating soggy hors d'oeuvres."
Amaryllis went to the phone and lifted the receiver. "Hello?"
"Oh, hello, dear." Hannah Lark's voice sounded warm and cheerful, as it always did. She was a doctor, and her bedside manner stemmed from a genuinely caring nature. "I'm glad I caught you."
"Well, actually. Aunt Hannah, I'm just on my way out the door." Amaryllis slid a quick glance at Lucas who was now studying her collection of music discs. "Can it wait?"
"This will only take a moment," Hannah assured her. "I'm filling out the marriage agency forms for you, as we agreed, and there are one or two questions I thought I'd bounce off you."
"Not now. Aunt Hannah, please."
"Do you have any strong preferences when it comes to physical appearance?"
"Uh, not really."
"Height? Weight? Eye color?"
"No, Aunt Hannah. It doesn't matter."
"You're sure, dear?"
"I'm positive."
"Good, that makes things much simpler. Now, then, intelligence and education are critical, of course. I've already made a note of that. What about mutual interests? How picky do you intend to be in that area?"
"Very picky. Compatibility is a must. Listen, Aunt Hannah, someone's waiting for me. We'll have to do this some other time."
"Who's waiting?" Hannah's voice sharpened with interest. "A man?"
"Well, yes, as a matter of fact."
"Someone from work?"
"Sort of. I'll tell you all about it later."
"You're avoiding me, Amaryllis." Hannah sighed. "This happens every time I try to get your attention long enough to complete this form. You can't make excuses forever. The Synergistic Connections agency is the best matchmaking service in the city-state. They only handle a certain number of select clients. Their list was already filled for the next six months. It wasn't easy convincing them to make room for you. I had to pull a few strings."
"I know I'm lucky that you were able to get me registered with Synergistic Connections. I promise I'll call you tomorrow so that we can fill out the form together, but I can't do it now. I really have to run."
"All right, we'll do it first thing in the morning. There's no excuse for waiting any longer. By the way, where are you going tonight?"
"The reception at the museum."
Hannah gave a delighted gasp. "Are you serious?"
"Very. Talk to you later. Aunt Hannah. Good night." Amaryllis dropped the phone back into the cradle before her aunt could recover from her shock. She looked at Lucas. "Let's go before she calls back."
Lucas's gaze was unreadable as he followed her to the door. "You're registered with Synergistic Connections?"
"My aunt insisted." Amaryllis grimaced. "She says it's the agency that matched her and my Uncle Oscar."
A glimpse of genuine understanding appeared in Lucas's eyes. For one brief, shining moment, Amaryllis felt an unexpected sense of mutual empathy flash between them. She and the Iceman might be polar opposites in some ways, but when it came to the business of marriage, they comprehended each other very well.
Marriage was a serious matter. It had been since the founders, faced with the task of creating a colony that could survive the rigors of being stranded on an alien world, had deliberately set out to promote a strong family structure. Their historical and psychological research had convinced them that only a society founded on the firm support of rock-solid families could meet the challenges that lay ahead.
The institution of marriage was regarded as a permanent commitment. It bound not only two people but two extended families. Under the guidance of the founders, the monumental weight of social pressure and the enormous power of the law had been brought to bear in order to enforce the unwritten as well as the written rules that governed the social order.