And no one else knows of this?" he asked gently.
I shook my head slowly, unable to remove my gaze from his faze. "Azmus discovered it by accident. Rode two days to reach me. I did send him…"
There was no point in saying it again. Either he believed me, and--I swallowed painfully--I'd given him no particular reason to, or he didn't. Begging, pleading, arguing, ranting--none of them would make any difference, except to make a horrible situation worse.
I should have made amends from the beginning, and now it was too late.
He took a deep breath. I couldn't breathe, I just stared at him, waiting, feeling sweat trickle beneath my already soggy clothing.
Then he smiled a little. "Brace up. We're not about to embark on a duel to the death over the dishes." He paused, then said lightly, "Though most of our encounters until very recently have been unenviable exchanges, you have never lied to me. Eat. We'll leave before the next time-change, and part ways at the crossroads."
No "You've never lied " No " I can trust you.'" No warnings or hedgings. He took all the responsibility--and the risk--himself. I didn't know why, and to thank him for believing me would just embarrass us both. So I said nothing, but my eyes prickled. I looked down at my lap and busied myself with smoothing out my mud-gritty, wet gloves.
"Why don't you set aside that cloak and eat something?"
His voice was flat. I realized he probably felt even nastier about the situation than I did. I heard the scrape of a bowl on the table and the clink of a spoon. The ordinary sounds restored me somehow, and I untied my cloak and shrugged it off. At once a weight that seemed greater than my own left me. I made a surreptitious swipe at my eyes, straightened my shoulders, and did my best to assume nonchalance as I picked up my spoon.
After a short time, he said, "Don't you have any questions for me?"
I glanced up, my spoon poised midway between my bowl and my mouth. "Of course," I said. "But I thought--" I started to wave my hand, realizing too late it still held the spoon, and winced as stew spattered down the table. Somehow the ridiculousness of it released some of the tension. As I mopped at the mess with a corner of my cloak, I said, "Well, it doesn't matter what I thought. So you knew about the plot all along?"
"Pretty much from the beginning, though the timing is new. I surmised they would make their move in the fall, but something seems to have precipitated action. My first warning was from Elenet, who had found out a great deal from the Duke's servants. That was her real reason for coming to Court, to tell me herself."
"What about Flauvic?"
"It would appear," he said carefully, "that he disassociated with this plan of his mother's."
"Was that the argument he alluded to?"
He did not ask when. "Perhaps. Though that might have been for effect. I can believe it only because it is uncharacteristic for him to lend himself to so stupid and clumsy a plan."
"Finesse," I drawled in a parody of a courtier's voice. "He'd want finesse, and to make everyone else look foolish."
Shevraeth smiled slightly. "Am I to understand you were not favorably impressed with Lord Flauvic?"
"As far as I'm concerned, he and Fialma are both thorns," I said, "though admittedly he is very pretty to look at. More so than his sour pickle of a sister. Anyway, I hope you aren't trusting him as far as you can lift a mountain, because I wouldn't."
"His house is being watched. He can't stir a step outside without half a riding being within earshot."
"And he probably knows it," I said, grinning. "Last question, why are you riding alone? Wouldn't things be more effective with your army?"
"I move fastest alone," he said. "And my own people are in place, and have been for some time.
I shook my head slowly, unable to remove my gaze from his faze. "Azmus discovered it by accident. Rode two days to reach me. I did send him…"
There was no point in saying it again. Either he believed me, and--I swallowed painfully--I'd given him no particular reason to, or he didn't. Begging, pleading, arguing, ranting--none of them would make any difference, except to make a horrible situation worse.
I should have made amends from the beginning, and now it was too late.
He took a deep breath. I couldn't breathe, I just stared at him, waiting, feeling sweat trickle beneath my already soggy clothing.
Then he smiled a little. "Brace up. We're not about to embark on a duel to the death over the dishes." He paused, then said lightly, "Though most of our encounters until very recently have been unenviable exchanges, you have never lied to me. Eat. We'll leave before the next time-change, and part ways at the crossroads."
No "You've never lied " No " I can trust you.'" No warnings or hedgings. He took all the responsibility--and the risk--himself. I didn't know why, and to thank him for believing me would just embarrass us both. So I said nothing, but my eyes prickled. I looked down at my lap and busied myself with smoothing out my mud-gritty, wet gloves.
"Why don't you set aside that cloak and eat something?"
His voice was flat. I realized he probably felt even nastier about the situation than I did. I heard the scrape of a bowl on the table and the clink of a spoon. The ordinary sounds restored me somehow, and I untied my cloak and shrugged it off. At once a weight that seemed greater than my own left me. I made a surreptitious swipe at my eyes, straightened my shoulders, and did my best to assume nonchalance as I picked up my spoon.
After a short time, he said, "Don't you have any questions for me?"
I glanced up, my spoon poised midway between my bowl and my mouth. "Of course," I said. "But I thought--" I started to wave my hand, realizing too late it still held the spoon, and winced as stew spattered down the table. Somehow the ridiculousness of it released some of the tension. As I mopped at the mess with a corner of my cloak, I said, "Well, it doesn't matter what I thought. So you knew about the plot all along?"
"Pretty much from the beginning, though the timing is new. I surmised they would make their move in the fall, but something seems to have precipitated action. My first warning was from Elenet, who had found out a great deal from the Duke's servants. That was her real reason for coming to Court, to tell me herself."
"What about Flauvic?"
"It would appear," he said carefully, "that he disassociated with this plan of his mother's."
"Was that the argument he alluded to?"
He did not ask when. "Perhaps. Though that might have been for effect. I can believe it only because it is uncharacteristic for him to lend himself to so stupid and clumsy a plan."
"Finesse," I drawled in a parody of a courtier's voice. "He'd want finesse, and to make everyone else look foolish."
Shevraeth smiled slightly. "Am I to understand you were not favorably impressed with Lord Flauvic?"
"As far as I'm concerned, he and Fialma are both thorns," I said, "though admittedly he is very pretty to look at. More so than his sour pickle of a sister. Anyway, I hope you aren't trusting him as far as you can lift a mountain, because I wouldn't."
"His house is being watched. He can't stir a step outside without half a riding being within earshot."
"And he probably knows it," I said, grinning. "Last question, why are you riding alone? Wouldn't things be more effective with your army?"
"I move fastest alone," he said. "And my own people are in place, and have been for some time.
( Sherwood Smith )
[ Court Duel ]
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