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Next to a larger table in the middle, Bellasar – commanding in his tuxedo, his dark hair and Italian features made more dramatic by his formal clothes – raised a glass of red liquid to his lips. A male servant stood discreetly in the background.
“Feeling rested?” Bellasar asked.
“Fine.” Malone held up the pamphlet. “I’m returning this. I hate to think something might happen to it in my room.”
“Just because it’s a first edition?”
“It’s awfully expensive bedside reading.”
“All of these are rare first editions. I wouldn’t read the texts in any other form. What’s the point of collecting things if you don’t use them?”
“What’s the point of collecting things in the first place?”
“Pride of ownership.”
Malone set the pamphlet on a table. “Perhaps a paperback is more my style.”
“Did you get a chance to look through it?”
“It’s a classic discussion of the causes of overpopulation and of ways to control it. I’d heard of Malthus before. I’d just never looked at his actual words.”
Bellasar sipped more of the red liquid. “What would you like to drink? I’m told you like tequila.”
“You don’t miss much.”
“I was raised to believe it’s a sin to be uninformed. May I recommend a brand from a private estate in Mexico’s Jalisco region? The agave juice is distilled three times and aged twenty years. The family makes only limited quantities that it sells to preferred customers. This particular lot had a quantity of only two hundred bottles. I purchased them all.”
“It’ll be interesting to find out what the rest of the world is missing.”
In the background, the servant poured the drink.
“And make me another of these,” Bellasar said.
The servant nodded.
“Since you’re a co
“Vodka? Good heavens, no. This isn’t a Bloody Mary. It’s a blend of fresh vegetable juices. I never drink alcohol. It damages brain and liver cells.”
“But you’re not bothered if the rest of us drink it?”
“As Malthus might have said, alcohol is a way of reducing the population.” It wasn’t clear if Bellasar was joking.
To the left, a door opened, and the most beautiful woman Malone had ever seen stepped into the room.
8
Malone had to remind himself to breathe.
It was obvious now why Bellasar had insisted that cocktails and di
The woman’s evening dress was black but caught the lamp glow around her in a way that made it shimmer. It was strapless, leaving the elegant curve of her tan shoulders unbroken. It was low-cut, revealing the smooth tops of her breasts. Its waist left no doubt how firm her stomach was. Its sensuous line flowed over her hips and down to her ankles, emphasizing how long and statuesque her legs were.
But the ultimate effect was to focus attention on her face. The magazine cover hadn’t done justice to the burnt sie
Captivating even though she was troubled. “The others are late?” Her voice made Malone think of grapes and hot summer afternoons.
“There won’t be any others,” Bellasar said.
“But when you told me the evening was formal, I thought…”
“It’ll be just the three of us. I want you to meet Chase Malone. He’s an artist. Perhaps you’ve heard of him.”
Malone felt his cheeks turn warm with self-consciousness as she looked at him.
“I recognize the name.” Her accent was American. She sounded hesitant.
“There’s no reason you should know my work,” Malone said. “The art world’s too preoccupied with itself.”
“But you will know his work,” Bellasar said.
She looked puzzled.
“He’s going to paint you. Mr. Malone, allow me to introduce my wife, Sie
“You never mentioned anything about this,” Sie
“It’s an idea I’ve been considering. When I had the good fortune to cross paths with Mr. Malone, I offered a commission. He graciously accepted.”
“But why would -”
“To immortalize you, my dear.”
Throughout the afternoon, Malone had begun to wonder if Jeb had been telling the truth about the danger Sie
“Can you start tomorrow morning?” Bellasar asked her.
“If that’s what you want.” She sounded confused.
“If you want. You’re not being forced,” Bellasar said.
But that was exactly how Sie
“Is nine o’clock too early?”
“No, I’m usually up by six.”
“Sie
Bellasar’s pride in Sie
“Good.” As Bellasar leaned close to kiss Sie
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He turned toward Malone. “You haven’t tasted your tequila.”
9
The dining room had logs blazing in a huge fireplace. The table was long enough to seat forty and looked even longer with just the three of them. Bellasar took the end, while Malone and Sie
“Food and sex,” Bellasar said.
Malone shook his head in puzzlement. He noticed that Sie
“Food and sex?” Malone asked.
“Two of the four foundations of Malthus’s argument.” Bellasar looked at a plate of poached trout being set before him. “Humans need food. Their sexual attraction is powerful.”
“And the other two?”
“Population grows at a geometric rate: one, two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two. In contrast, food production grows at a mathematical rate: one, two, three, four, five, six. Our ability to reproduce always outreaches our ability to feed the population. As a consequence, a considerable part of society is doomed to live in misery.”
Bellasar paused to savor the trout. “Of course, we can try to check the growth of population by contraception, chastity, and limiting the number of children a woman may have. Some societies recommend abortion. But the power of the sex drive being what it is, the population continues to grow. This year alone, the world’s population has swelled with the equivalent of everyone living in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. We’re approaching the six billion mark, with ten billion estimated by the middle of the twenty-first century. There won’t – there can’t – be enough food to sustain them all. But other factors come into play, for God’s merciful plan arranges that whenever there’s a drastic imbalance between population and food supply, pestilence and war reduce it.”
“‘God’s merciful plan’?” Malone asked in disbelief.
“According to Malthus. But I agree with him. He was an Anglican minister, by the way. He believed that God allowed misery to be part of His plan in order to test us, to make us try to rise to the occasion and strengthen our characters by overcoming adversity. When those who have been sufficiently challenged and bettered die, they go on to their eternal reward.”