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4b93453
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There's no use in talking about the plan, because of course nothing went the way it was supposed to.
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Sherwood Smith |
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a6f963c
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As soon as we're born, we become a part of patterns, the intimate ones we create with those we live among, and the patterns so large that it takes a lifetime to perceive a fragment of the possibilities.
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Sherwood Smith |
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0b8e9a2
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I found the other two in Bran's room, and one look at their faces made it abundantly clear that they felt no better than I did. Not that the Marquis had a red nose or a thick voice--he even looked aristocratic when sick, I thought with disgust.
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Sherwood Smith |
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1d3f03b
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What have you to say now, my little hero?" the Baron gloated. "That you are a fool, the son of a fool, and the servant of the biggest--"
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Sherwood Smith |
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290dab8
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Mel!" he exclaimed when I opened the door. And he laughed. "Look at you! You're drowning in that kit." He turned his head to address Shevraeth. "Ain't anyone undersized among your people?" "Obviously not," I said tartly, and helped myself to the flagon that I saw on the bed. A swig of bristic did help somewhat. "Unless the sight of me is intended to provide some cheap amusement for the warriors." "Well, I won't come off much better," Bran s..
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Sherwood Smith |
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6ef60db
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But after a time even my temper tantrums have to give way to rational thought, and I faced at last what ought to have been obvious from the very beginning: We'd lost because we were ignorant. And of the two of us, I was the worse off, because I hadn't even known I was ignorant.
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Sherwood Smith |
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85cb1a2
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Do you have a welcome for me?" Shevraeth said with a faint smile as he came leisurely up the steps and inside. "Certainly," I said in a voice so determinedly polite it sounded false even to my own ears."
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Sherwood Smith |
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30a06ed
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The others conversed little, and at the end of the meal I looked up, saw the unmistakable marks of fever in their faces. Branaric grinned. "What a trio we make! Look at us." Annoyance flared anew. Glaring at him, I said hoarsely, "Look at yourself. I'd rather spare myself the nightmare, which would affright even a half-sighted gargoyle." Bran gaped at me in surprise, then laughed. "Just keep that temper sharp. You'll need it, for we may be ..
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Sherwood Smith |
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cdaf3f5
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If you're rebelling, then you must have someone in mind for the throne. Who?" Bran pointed across the table at Shevraeth. "He seems to want to do it, and I have to say, he'd be better at it than I." "No, he wouldn't," I said without thinking. Bran winced and rubbed his chin. "Mel..." "Please, my dear Lord Branaric," the Prince murmured. "Permit the lady to speak. I am interested to hear her thoughts on the matter." Rude as I'd been before, ..
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Sherwood Smith |
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ea6d161
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I just wanted to see if you traitors would dare to face me," Galdran said, his caustic voice making me feel sick inside. Sick--and angry. The Marquis bowed low over his horse's withers, every line of his body indicative of irony. Galdran's face flushed dark purple. "I confess," Shevraeth drawled, "we had a small wager on whether you would have the courage to face us."
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Sherwood Smith |
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2662c41
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You might contemplate the purpose of a court..." You brainless, twaddling idiot, I thought scornfully. I wished he were before me. I wished I could personally flout him and his busy searchers, and make him look like the fool he was. And watch the reaction, and walk away laughing."
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Sherwood Smith |
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e01331f
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I do not like to remember that trip. Not that I was awake for much of it--for which I am grateful. I kept sliding in and out of consciousness, and believe me, the were much more welcome than the
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Sherwood Smith |
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d5647da
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As soon as I reached my room I took out the Marquise's letter and reread it, even though by then I knew it word for word. It seemed impossible that Branaric's arrival on the same day--with Shevraeth--was a coincidence. I sighed. Now I could not ask my brother outright about this letter. He was as tactless as he was honest. I could easily imagine him blurting it out over dinner. might find it diverting, though I didn't think Shevraeth woul..
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Sherwood Smith |
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d8ffb7f
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At sundown the next day there came a cough outside my room. Before I could speak, the tapestry swung aside as if swatted by an impatient hand, and there was Bran. "Hah!" he exclaimed, fists on his hips. "I knew it! Reading, and not sick at all. Burn it, Mel, they're our guests." "They are your guests, and you can entertain them," I retorted. "You don't like Nee?" He looked upset. I sighed. "She seems as nice as any Court lady could possibly..
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Sherwood Smith |
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a6289e6
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So much to learn," I said with a groan. "How will I manage?" She just laughed; and the next day a new arrival brought my most formidable interview yet: with my new maid. "Her name is Mora," Nee told me, "and she's a connection of my own Ilvet. An aunt, I think. Ilvet promises she is deft and discreet. She was working for one of the northern families--low pay and too much work--but she stayed until her mistress married and adopted into a hou..
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Sherwood Smith |
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698318a
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Can you tell me," he said slowly, "why you seem still to harbor your original resentment against me?" Several images--spies, lying courtiers--flowed into my mind, to be instantly dismissed. I had no proof of any of it. So I looked out the window as I struggled for an answer. After the silence grew protracted, I glanced back to see if he was still there. He hadn't moved. His attitude was not impatient, and his gaze was on my hands, which wer..
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Sherwood Smith |
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1e3f800
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That night I retreated for the last time to the mountain peaks behind the castle and roamed along moonlit paths in the cool end-of-winter air. In the distance I heard the harpwinds, but this time I saw no one. The harps thrummed their weird threnodies, and from peak to peak reed pipes sounded, clear as winged creatures riding on the air, until the night was filled with the songs of approaching spring, and life, and freedom. The music quiete..
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Sherwood Smith |
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8992843
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I was still brooding over this question when I heard a polite tap outside the tapestry, and a moment later, there was the equally quiet impact of a boot heel on the new tile floor, then another. A weird feeling prickled down my spine, and I twisted around to face the Marquis of Shevraeth, who stood just inside the room. He raised his hands and said, "I am unarmed." I realized I was glaring. "I hate people creeping up behind me," I muttered...
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Sherwood Smith |
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68f99de
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I had hoped," he said, "that you would honor me with a few moments' further discourse." "About what?" I demanded. "I came here at your brother's invitation." He spoke in a conversational tone, as though I'd been pleasant and encouraging. "My reasons for accepting were partly because I wanted an interlude of relative tranquility, and partly for diplomatic reasons." "Yes, Nimiar told me about your wanting to present a solid front with the inf..
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Sherwood Smith |
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861fa1a
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Regrets about leaving your home?" she asked. "No," I said--making my first Court white lie. Her relief was unmistakable as she sat back against the satin pillows, and I was glad I'd lied. "I hope we make it to Carad-on-Whitewater by nightfall," she said. "I really think you'll like the inn there." "Why?" I asked. She smiled. "You'll see." I made a face. "You can't tell me? I think I've already had a lifetime's worth of surprises." She laugh..
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Sherwood Smith |
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62ea719
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What seemed to be the entire staff of the place turned out, all bowing and scurrying, to make our debarkation as easy as possible. As I watched this--from beneath the rain canopy that two eager young inn-helpers held over our heads--I couldn't help remember last spring's sojourn at various innyards, as either a prisoner or a fugitive, and it was hard not to laugh at the comparison. We had a splendid dinner in a private room overlooking the ..
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Sherwood Smith |
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2e0fb33
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I'll go in the rattler with you," Bran said the next morning, to Nee. Grinning at her, he added, "Probably will rain, and I hate riding horseback in the wet. And we never get enough time together as it is." I looked out at the heavy clouds and the soft mist, thought of that close coach, and said, "I'll ride, then. I don't mind rain--" I looked up, realized who else was riding, and fought a hot tide of embarrassment. "You can go in the coach..
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Sherwood Smith |
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f124f4f
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Then I went down to the upper parlor that they seemed to have adopted. I could hear random notes from the harp, a shivery pleasant sound that plucked at old and beloved memories, just as wearing the gown did. I slipped through the door tapestry, and three faces turned toward me. And my dear brother snorted. "Mel! Where are your wits gone begging? Why d'you have to wear an old gown thirty years out-of-date when you can have anything you wan..
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Sherwood Smith |
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b250263
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For dinner that night we found Bran and Shevraeth waiting in the parlor next to the dining room. Nee had probably prepared them, I realized. This was new for me, but it was according to the rules of etiquette; and if I looked at it as rehearsal--more of the playacting--I found it easy to walk in beside her, minding my steps so that my skirt flowed gracefully and my floor-length sleeves draped properly without twisting or tripping me up. Nee..
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Sherwood Smith |
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5f509ec
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What have you done with your day?" Nee asked, her fan spread in the attitude I recognized from our fan lesson as Harmonic Discourse. "We had a bout with the group at the garrison, had a squint at some horses brought from up-mountain. Danric answered mail, and I went over to town with Calder to look at the plans for paving the streets." This was Tlanth business. I said, "Did you talk to the elders? They want part of their taxes to go to that..
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Sherwood Smith |
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746e560
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In between lessons she talked about her friends at Court: what they liked, or said, or how they entertained. Pleasant, easy talk, meant to show all her friends in the best light; she did not, I realized, like politics or gossip. She never once mentioned the Marquise of Merindar. In my turn I told her my history, bits at a time, but only if she asked. And ask she did. She listened soberly, wincing from time to time; one cold, blustery day I..
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Sherwood Smith |
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82a89fa
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Your brother is a dear, and I do love him for the way he never fears to tell the truth. But he really doesn't understand some things, does he?" "No," I squeaked. My voice seemed to come from someone else. Nimiar ran her fingers along the harp strings and cocked her head, listening to the sounds they produced. "No one," she said, "--well, no ordinary person-sits down to a harp and plays perfectly. It takes time and training." I nodded stupid..
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Sherwood Smith |
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de9f176
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We saw Bran and Shevraeth only at dinner, and that seldom enough, for they were often away. When the weather was particularly bad, they might be gone for several days. On the evenings we were alone, Nee and I would curl up in her room or mine, eating from silver trays and talking. Branaric and the Marquis managed to be around on most days when the weather permitted gatherings in the old garrison courtyard for swordfighting practice. Even th..
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Sherwood Smith |
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8176e10
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I don't know what instructions Nimiar gave her seamstress in private. I had expected a modest trunk of nice fabric, enough for a gown or two in the current fashions. What returned, though, just over a week later, was a hired wagon bearing enough stuff to outfit the entire village, plus three determined young journey-seamstresses who came highly recommended and who were ready to make their fortunes. "Good," Nee said, when we had finished int..
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Sherwood Smith |
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cf98cba
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To resume--and we'd better hurry, or they'll be down here clamoring for our company before their supper goes cold--Lord Vidanric has been working very hard ever since the end of the war. Too hard, some say. He came to Athanarel sick and has been ill off and on since then, for he seldom sleeps. He's either in the saddle, or else his lamps are burning half the night in his wing of the Residence. He's here on his mother's orders, to rest. He a..
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Sherwood Smith |
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956624b
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Love is one of the simplest of what we call the Mysteries, and yet the strongest, like air: the greatest treasure cannot buy it nor the smartest thief steal it nor the most powerful emperor command it. And like air, it freely fills to infinity whatever is open to it.
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Sherwood Smith |
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3f24b4c
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We ended up downstairs in the summer parlor, whose great glassed doors would in a few months look out on a fine garden but now gave onto a slushy pathway lined by barren trees and rosebushes. Still sitting where it had for nearly three decades was my mother's harp. As soon as Nimiar saw the instrument, she gave a gasp and pressed her fingertips to her mouth. "'Tis a Mandarel," she murmured reverently, her face flushed with excitement. "Do y..
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Sherwood Smith |
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1fdda4c
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I think you should wear your hair down," Nee said, looking me over. "For a dinner? I might kneel on it," I protested. She smiled. "We'll dine empire style, for Prince Alaerec will be there." I remembered from my visit to the Renselaeus palace that Shevraeth's father had been wounded in the Pirate Wars many years before. He could walk, but only with difficulty; and he sat in chairs. "So wear your hair bound with these." She picked up an enam..
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Sherwood Smith |
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3d1d267
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The grandeur around us was a silent testimony to wealth and power. The air was scented with a complex mixture of exotic flowers and the faintest trace of tanglewood incense, denoting peace and kindred spirits. "Easy over the fence," Deric said softly beside me. We were already at the parlor. I suppressed a grin at the riding term, then stepped forward to curtsy to the Marquise. "My dear Countess," Lady Arthal said, smiling as she pressed my..
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Sherwood Smith |
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81e317d
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Ah, my dear," Princess Elestra said to me in her fluting voice--that very same voice I remembered so well from my escape from Athanarel the year before. "How delighted we are to have you join us here. Delighted! I understand there will be a ball in your honor tomorrow, hosted by my nephew Russav." She nodded toward the other side of the room, where the newly arrived Duke of Savona stood in the center of a small group. "He seldom bestirs him..
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Sherwood Smith |
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a64c841
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Then, without warning, notes from a single flute floated as if down on a breeze, and with a quick snap of wrists the dancers twitched the ropes into soaring, billowing squares of gauze. A gasp from the watchers greeted the sudden change, as the gauzy material rippled and arched and curled through the air, expertly manipulated by the dancers until it seemed the scarves were alive and another kind of dance altogether took place above the huma..
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Sherwood Smith |
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adcf5e9
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When the meal was over, the Princess invited everyone to yet another room, promising music after hot chocolate. Dazzled by the glint of jewels and the gleam of silk in the firelight, I moved slowly until I found myself face-to-face with Princess Elestra. "Has my son shown you the library yet, my child?" she asked, her gently waving fan flicking up for just a moment at the angle of Confidential Invitation. "No," I said, instantly ill at ease..
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Sherwood Smith |
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1162062
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I tried to think of some sort of politeness to speak out, but then Bran held up his glass and said, "To my sister! Everything you've done is better than I thought possible. Though," he lowered his glass and blinked at me," why are you dressed like that? The servants look better! Why haven't you bought new duds?" "What's the use?" I said, feeling my face burn again. "There's still so much work to be done, and how can I do it in a fancy gown?..
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Sherwood Smith |
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d8a0cdb
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Though few had seen him go, his leaving seemed to constitute a kind of subtle signal, for slowly, as white wore on, my guests slipped away, many of them in pairs. Elenet left with the Orbanith family, all but her laughing. The Renselaeuses came all three to thank me formally for a splendid--memorable--evening, and then departed in a group. After they left, I felt tiredness pressing on my shoulders and eyelids; and though I stood there, ba..
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Sherwood Smith |
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38a71ba
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Thank you for showing me the library, Your Highness," I said. "I hope you will find time for exploring in here during your stay at Athanarel," she replied, leading the way to the doors. She was kind and unthreatening; and because we were alone, I took a chance. "Did you know I was using your carriage to escape that night?" I blurted. My words sounded sudden, and awkward, and my face burned. She sighed, looking down at her hand on the door'..
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Sherwood Smith |
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56d3541
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May I ask you a personal question?" She looked up in query and made the graceful little gesture that I had learned was an invitation. "Isn't Shevraeth a friend of yours?" "Yes," she said cautiously. "Then why the fan, and the careful words when you asked about your friend Elenet?" Nee set her cup down, her brow slightly furrowed. "We are friends to a degree...Though we all grew up at Court, I was never one of his intimates, nor even one of ..
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Sherwood Smith |
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247d3cd
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One morning when we three were alone, Nee leaned forward and said, "Elen, you've been closeted with Vidanric a lot, I've noticed. Has he said aught about a coronation? I confess it makes me nervous to have it not decided--as if they are waiting for something terrible to happen." Elenet's expression did not change, but high on her thin cheeks appeared a faint flush. "I trust we will hear something soon," she murmured. And she turned the conv..
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Sherwood Smith |
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fd8508c
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I promised myself that next time Shevraeth tried to talk to me, I'd listen, and even if he insulted me, my family, and my land, I'd keep my tongue between my teeth.
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Sherwood Smith |
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e721306
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Well, if he wants to be king, he'll just plain have to get used to questions and toadies and all the rest of it," I said. Remembering the conversation at dinner and wondering if I'd made an idiot of myself, I added crossly, "I don't have any sympathy at all. In fact, I wish he hadn't come up here. If he needed rest from the fatigue of taking over a kingdom, why couldn't he go to that fabulous palace in Renselaeus? Or to Shevraeth, which I'l..
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Sherwood Smith |