CHAPTER 23

The duke’s London residencewas suitably impressive. Grand, towering pillars, adorned with intricate Corinthian capitals, flanked the entrance, rising to support a majestic pediment above. The finely carved, warm-hued stone showcasing the craftsmanship of the era.

Someone had obviously designed the facade to inspire awe and showcase power. But that was not what had her stomach tied in knots. Nor was the snotty superiority of the butler, who looked them down as if they were importuning him.

“May I help you?” he intoned, managing to imply that he didn’t actually intend to help at all.

“Yes, we need to speak with the duke and duchess,” Dariux replied with enough command to give pause to the haughty butler.

“His and Her Grace are not at home,” the butler replied.

“It is a matter of utmost importance. They will want to receive us,” Kalli provided, taking pity on the man.

The butler’s nose twitched. The only outward sign that their insistence flustered him. “I shall inquire if they are receiving. May I have your calling card?”

“We don’t have one,” Dariux shot back impatiently. “Just tell them we have the information they seek. And that it is about the duchess. They will understand.”

Kalli gave him a chiding glance. No point in antagonizing the servants. He just raised a brow. Unrepentant.

The butler pinched his lips, then turned to do their bidding, but not before throwing a meaningful look at the footman standing by the door. It clearly meant. ‘Don’t let them out of your sight.’

He returned a few moments later to invite them to follow him. He led them to a sunny parlor at the front of the house and bowed out, closing the door after him.

“Let’s have a seat,” she said, lowering herself to one chair.

“I prefer to stand.”

“Dariux, you are being confrontational. Have a seat and stop looming. You look threatening.”

“Well, we are in unknown and possibly hostile territory.”

“What makes you say that? The duke and Olivia have shown no hostility.”

“That’s because they are not even aware of our existence. How do you think they will feel when they find out we are the culprits for bringing her into this time? And that we now have come to take her back? After all that’s happened between them. No, I don’t think they will be happy with us. We shouldn’t underestimate the duke. He is a powerful man and could cause a lot of trouble for us if he so chooses.”

“All the more reason not to antagonize him.” She gestured to the armchair opposite hers. “Have a seat.”

Dariux agreed reluctantly, but a moment later they both sprang to their feet when the door opened again and the duke walked in, followed by Olivia.

“My butler informs me you have an important matter to discuss with us, but I am afraid he didn’t mention your names. How remiss of him,” the duke said, formal and cold.

Kalli stared at him. They had been studying these people for over a month now. They had spied on their intimate moments, measured and analyzed every feeling they had. And yet, now she felt as if she were looking at them for the first time.

There was no need for instruments to discern their feelings at this moment. Apprehension bubbled under the duke’s stoic facade, and his eyes were full of mistrust and animosity. She conceded that Dariux might have a point of being wary of him. And they hadn’t even told them the truth yet. She gulped.

“Forgive the omission, Your Grace, I am Dariux, and this is my partner, Kalli.”

Dariux had spoken in the same clipped and formal tone as the duke. They looked like two rams about to butt heads. Better to intervene before their mutual antagonism escalated.

“We have the answers you are seeking. We know how she ended up here. In fact, we are the cause,” Kalli said, looking at Olivia, who had gone pale at the news and slowly sank down on the sofa.

The duke stared at them, and if looks could kill, they would be dead. But when he spoke, his voice was as controlled as always, betraying none of the turmoil she knew he was feeling.

“Please have a seat. It seems we have much to discuss. May I offer refreshments?”

“Thank you, but no. That won’t be necessary,” Dariux said.

Kalli sat and out of the corner of her eye saw Dariux reluctantly lower himself to the chair he had just vacated. The duke sat next to Olivia on the sofa, and they clasped hands, clinging to each other. Their small gesture of support nearly brought tears to her eyes. It was evident they suspected what was coming and were dreading it.

They spent the next several minutes answering their questions and explaining their mission. But when all was said and done, the duke asked the most important question of all. Why?

Dariux tried to brush it off, but the duke was too smart to fall for half-truths.

“You are right. Our mission had a purpose. And what happened with Olivia turned out to be a happy accident in terms of our mission,” Dariux admitted.

“How so?” asked Olivia.

“We came to learn about human interactions and relationships. About love. In order to explain, we need to give you a panorama of how the world is in our time.”

“In our time, humans are dwindling at an alarming pace because people are not having children anymore,” Kalli said, taking up the story, afraid Dariux would go on extolling the virtue of parbots. “It’s not that we are physically incapable. We have created robots that look like humans, and they can be designed and programmed with all the characteristics one person could want in a partner.”

“So why attempt to create a lasting bond, or make a relationship work with another imperfect human being, when these robots are available and a relationship with them is easy and satisfying?” Dariux added.

His words were like a dagger through her heart. Was he for real now? Was he back to defending parbots? After last night?

“The robots, of course, cannot reproduce,” Dariux continued. “There was an attempt to create a male robot equipped with sperm from donors, capable of impregnating women, but it was an abysmal failure. Very few women were interested. They consider childbearing and rearing a dreadful prospect that would damage their bodies and interfere with their personal pursuits, so they did not want this robot. So far, the creation of a robot capable of bearing children has been unsuccessful. And given the poor acceptance the ‘dad robot’ had, the idea has all but been abandoned.”

He was babbling now. Very uncharacteristic of him. Had he realized his blunder? Maybe he was sorry and was trying to cover.

“This mission to the past was to observe and study firsthand what made people fall in love and stay committed in a relationship with each other,” she added to distract herself from over-analyzing Dariux’s words.

“Both Dariux and I are scientists. He is an engineer, and I’m a neurobiologist. We hope, by traveling to different time periods, to find a common thread to the human amorous relationship that can be used in a rehabilitation program to turn the tide on a generation addicted to robots.”

The duke and Olivia wore identical expressions of bewilderment.

“What are these robots you keep talking about? Are they some sort of automaton?” the duke asked.

“Similar, but much more advanced,” Dariux explained. “They look exactly like humans and possess artificial intelligence, which means they act like humans too. In Olivia’s time, robots already exist, though none as advanced as the ones in our times.”

“In my time, robots look like... machines,” Olivia said. “I don’t think anyone would think of having a relationship with one of them. Of course, I have seen movies that depict advanced robots like the ones you are describing, so I have no trouble imagining them. Although I have to confess that it seems far-fetched that people have reached the point of preferring a fake relationship with a robot over a real one with another human being.”

“Why is that so difficult to understand?” asked Dariux. “Just consider how many human relationships fail. Getting along is difficult. Personalities clash. Life’s problems erode relationships. Even monotony, boredom, and weariness affect even the best. Is it any wonder that people prefer a relationship where there’s no drama and all their needs are met? When they aren’t, or even if they merely change their minds, they can simply exchange or reprogram their robot and receive all the benefits of a new relationship.”

Oh! He was not sorry at all. He was sticking to his guns, so to speak. The knife in her heart twisted.

“But what about love?” Olivia asked, appalled.

“What about it?” Dariux replied almost defiantly.

At that moment, Kalli’s dreams of love died a painful death. She finally understood why people called it a broken heart. The pain in her chest felt as if her heart had fractured and sorrow was oozing out of the cracks.

“I mean, don’t people want to feel loved? To love somebody in return? Surely that is not possible with a machine!”

“There is affection involved,” Dariux protested. “Some people have stayed with the same robot for years, even when more advanced models have become available. When asked why, they say they are fond of its quirks. Isn’t that a sign of this emotion you call love? The behavior has no logical explanation.”

The sadness transformed into blinding anger. At herself, mostly. For believing he could love her. Despite his protestations to the contrary. What a fool she had been.

“I don’t think Livvy is talking about the partiality you may feel for an inanimate object. Or even the affection one might feel towards a dog or another animal who has served us well. She is talking about a deep bond between two souls. A bond so strong you can’t imagine life without each other, because nobody can replace that person in your heart or your life,” the duke said.

Now that was love. The duke’s words had the power to destroy her. Kalli wished someone looked at her with a tenth of the emotion he directed at Olivia. And Olivia? She wasn’t looking at him. She seemed caught in a vortex of misery. Which could only mean she loved him as much as he loved her.

And they were about to break them up.

“Are you here to take me back to my time?” Olivia asked.

“Yes,” Dariux answered. “That is why we are here. We will finish this mission and depart a week from Sunday. We will take you back to more or less the exact moment when you were transported. Nobody from your time will have had time to miss you or notice you were absent.”

“I see. That is good then. Wouldn’t want to worry my parents.”

The heartbreak in the room was a tangible thing. It seemed to squeeze all the air out of the space.

Kalli couldn’t stand it.

“I just want to add something,” Kalli said, “because you don’t seem very happy. Leaving or staying is your decision. We would never try to force you one way or the other.”

Dariux’s head whipped to look at her. His shocked gaze promised a heated argument. So be it.

“Transporting her here was an accident. We can’t leave her here. We don’t know the consequences. It’s dangerous,” Dariux said.

“Consequences could be already underway without us knowing. She should be allowed to decide,” Kalli shot back.

“I don’t agree,” he bit out.

“That’s because you don’t understand the very emotion we came to investigate.” To hell with him.

“And you do?”

Oh, how she wanted to smack the mockery out of his tone. “I’m beginning to understand.”

“Faulty reasoning.”

“Perhaps.”

“Guys,” Olivia said, “there’s no need to argue. I already decided I would go.”

The duke’s sharp intake of breath sounded as if he had received a mortal wound.

“I’m just saying you can change your mind,” Kalli said softly.

“I won’t.”

For whatever reason, Olivia was determined to go back to her own time. Kalli didn’t understand it, since they were both so patently miserable. But there was nothing she could do if Olivia agreed to go, and the duke would not fight for her to stay. She nodded, weary to the bone of all the emotions in this room.

Dariux looked furious. The duke, grim and stoic. Olivia looked as miserable and exhausted as herself. She felt an odd sense of kinship with this woman.

Olivia stood, and the duke immediately followed, touching her elbow in solicitude. The small gesture of support, despite her resolve to leave him, was hard to witness unmoved.

“Thank you for seeking me out and clearing everything,” Olivia said. “You said you are departing a week from now. Where and when will we meet again?”

“At the country estate. It is necessary to depart from the same place we arrived, or nearby. The machine can travel in time, but not in space. We can meet at the manor on Sunday, before sunrise at five on the clock. You must bring the car. It can’t be left behind,” Dariux replied.

Olivia nodded. “Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go rest for a bit.”

Kalli jumped at the opportunity to leave. “Yes, of course.”

Dariux said nothing, merely turned and left, looking unaffected by all the pain they had caused. His only emotion seemed to be outrage at her for going against his wishes.

The ass.