Elizabeth O’Leary, the librarian, who had turned down, politely but firmly, any number of Mr. Hennessey’s dinner date requests before the article, had invited herself over to dinner the evening after the article. They had been married a few months later. After that he had seemed – happy with a streak of sadness – that was the only way she had been able to describe it when she had asked her father about it. She never asked her mother questions of that kind, for dread of the long rambling, disjointed lectures which inevitably followed — liberally seasoned with many dire warnings that had nothing to do with the original question. Her father had looked at her and thought about it and finally said, “There is a part o him which woulda preferred Elizabeth to marry Lonnie, rather than the hero.” Now she really understood what he had been saying. Before the Race, she had just been Ariana, along with Marie, one of the two remaining founders of the Madri-Gals, and one of the ‘Talent’, and always one of the more popular singers, but she had never been aloof or pretentious, she would have a drink with everyone after a performance, and stand a round when it was her turn, and no one thought twice of talking to her or letting her help out. Now it was – different. Now she was globetrotting Ariana who had been Team Number One ten of ten times on an internationally televised show. Where Marie and Cassie and Linnea and Lavender would get standing ovations after their performances, she would get a standing ovation with half the audience shouting, “Team Number One,” from just walking on stage. People she had worked with for years were nodding politely to her, calling her ‘Ms. Collins’ instead of Ariana, ushering her to the head of lines, dropping everything else at her slightest request, and pointing her out, usually somewhat discretely, to people. It was almost depressing. She didn’t know whether to long for or dread the final episodes.
As the troupe bustled to find seats for the episode viewing, Ariana half expected to find a throne instead of her preferred bar stool…
The four remaining teams had landed in Austria, rushed around the small country, which seemed to be nothing but mountain slopes, and battled their way through the Fire (glass-blowing), Water (sailing across a mountain lake) and Earth (tin mine) challenges. It was while hurtling across the Austrian landscape that Garrett and Jeremy had taken the lead…
They had been hurtling along the winding road edging the Aeolian Escarpment. She had been driving, Nathan had been navigating, and Ben and Ari had been silently videotaping them. They were behind Garrett and Jeremy, but she was certain they were gaining. “Read those directions ta me agin, Nathan.”
“Proceed on highway 486 along the Aeolian Escarpment overlooking Donnenbruck to the cable car station. Teams must decide whether to take the 45 minute cable car ride and then proceed to the pit stop in Donnenbruck Soccer Stadium, or take the hour and a half drive on the road past the cable car station down the twisting, hairpin curves to the city of Donnenbruck, and proceed to the pit stop. The last team to arrive will be eliminated,” Nathan read calmly as the occupants of the car were alternately thrust against opposite sides of the vehicle as Ariana took curves on two wheels, and passed cars and trucks which weren’t exceeding the speed limit anywhere near as much as she was.