"Who?" Then her voice was uneven. "You called me darling. Are you sure you're in your right mind?"
"I mean it, dear." Did he? "I couldn't forget last night."
He was falling into the self-made trap of the dishonest, unable to tell his own truth from his own falsehood.
"All right," she said unevenly. "So you couldn't forget it? So what?"
He spoke softly. Please, he had to see her in his room right away. It was urgent. Would she come now? A long silence. Yes, she would come. No, she wouldn't tell her father. Positively. Five minutes later she slipped into the room. She barely opened the door. He took her instantly into his arms. When he figured he had kissed her enough, he let her drop limply into a chair.
The circles under her eyes were worse. She looked miserable. He drew up a chair, tenderly took her hands in his.
"Look at me, Fayette. I'm going to make a confession that will shock you. I'm not Carruthers Straley. I'm Ralph Unterzuyder."
She didn't look shocked. He pretended not to notice.
He told her selected portions of the story. "I suspected you had the map. I examined Tertium Organum in your apartment yesterday when you and your father were in the kitchen."
And you wanted me to examine it! So I'd be sure to hire you and Beecher and take you with me to Saturn. That was the reason you posed as explorers, so Titan Settlers would give you a free ride to the vicinity of X!