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that.
    “This meeting is adjourned,” he said, moving toward the door, but a hand on his shoulder drew him to a halt.
    “Let’s get something to eat, and we can discuss the matter further,” Larimar said. “I don’t want to see you give up. There has to be a way to get her back. We just have to figure out what it is.”
    “Unless you know a king or ambassador of another world who would claim the snotty Charity, I think we’re out of options,” Borgoz said. “The Senator is determined to see his youngest soar to dizzying heights while his other daughter falls so far she ends up in the gutter. Or married to a man old enough to be her grandfather. I can’t bear to think of what she’ll go through when she gets home. They’re horrible to her.”
    “Then we’ll work the Charity angle. Start negotiations with the Senator again, and then we’ll find a male desperate enough for a mate that he’ll claim one sight unseen. If this Charity is as ill-tempered as you say, it would be best if her future mate doesn’t see her before the claiming ceremony.”
    Borgoz snorted. “Even that might be too soon. Maybe they should mate her by proxy.”
    Larimar laughed and led Borgoz to his favorite restaurant. He didn’t have much of an appetite but he listened to Larimar’s ideas, and hope began to blossom ever so slightly. Maybe all wasn’t lost like he’d thought. It would take some time and a bit of coercion on his part with the Senator, but maybe Charlotte would be returned to him in the end, and they could start their life together.

Chapter Nine
     
    Charlotte stared at her father across the expanse of his desk. He’d sent a driver to pick her up from the Terran station, but when she’d entered the mansion, her bags had been left by the front door. Her stomach clenched as she contemplated why he would do that. Why weren’t they being returned to her room? Was he going to make good on his threat of disowning her?
    “When I sent you to Terran, I never imagined you would capture the attention of the planet’s leader. Had I thought a coup such as that was even possible, I’d have sent Charity. If anyone is going to help rule a planet, it’s going to be your sister. So you have a choice, Charlotte. Charles Brower is still interested in taking you as his wife.”
    “He’s over sixty.”
    “You can’t afford to be picky. If you decide not to marry the congressman, then I will have no choice but to turn you out. I’ll give you a small amount to get you started, but what you do after that will be entirely up to you. One thing is for certain, you won’t be able to afford the shuttle fare to go back to Terran. If anyone in this family is going to mate with the Chief Councilor, it’s going to be Charity.”
    Of course it would be Charity, because Charity got everything she ever wanted. Who cared if Charlotte was happy or if she had what she needed or wanted? What did it matter if they stomped all over her heart by sending her younger sister to mate with the man Charlotte had fallen in love with? And she knew telling her father that she loved Borgoz would only infuriate him more.
    “I’ll take the money,” she said.
    “Then I’ll transfer some money into your account, but your credit cards have already been cancelled. Once the money is gone, that’s it. Don’t come back for more. I’ll make sure you have enough for modest accommodations. You’ll need to find a job near your home because I will no longer provide you with a driver, and of course you can’t drive yourself because of your hearing. Do you understand, Charlotte?”
    Yes, she understood. He hated her, had always hated her, and finally he was going to be rid of her. She didn’t dare tell him about the baby. If he thought for one moment she had a permanent tie to Borgoz, it would end badly for her. She had no doubt that he would force her to terminate the child, and she would rather die than let that happen.
    She’d have to find a place to live