Fortune and Fate (Twelve Houses) (22 page)
Read Fortune and Fate (Twelve Houses) Online
Authors: Sharon Shinn
Jasper Paladar seemed to find it attractive, at any rate. He smiled more often than he did when he was playing cruxanno with Wen, and his replies to her sallies were spirited and made with the aid of several forceful gestures. Wen found herself wondering if Demaray Coverroe was as brilliant, warm, and well-read as Jasper’s own wife had been.
Or perhaps
all
the noble ladies of his acquaintance were more likely to meet those standards than Wen could be expected to.
all
the noble ladies of his acquaintance were more likely to meet those standards than Wen could be expected to.
Despite her distaste for the company, Wen was pleased when everyone in the assembled group survived the outing and made it back to shore. Even more pleased when the Fortunalt contingent was safely behind the hedge and the guards left behind assured her that all was well. She washed her face to rinse off the residue of sea air and ate a healthy dinner.
She hesitated before making her customary trip up to the house—she had been with Jasper Paladar the whole day, after all, so she had nothing to report—but she decided to check in with him just in case he was expecting her. And indeed, she found him in the library, brooding over the cruxanno board, and ready with a smile when she entered the room.
“I wondered if you might be too weary to play for an hour,” he said.
“You think I’m tired? After sitting on a ship’s deck for hours doing nothing?
Tired
is after I’ve spent all day trying to prove I’m stronger than Orson even though he outweighs me by nearly a hundred pounds.”
Tired
is after I’ve spent all day trying to prove I’m stronger than Orson even though he outweighs me by nearly a hundred pounds.”
He looked interested. “And are you?”
She settled herself in the seat across from him. “Of course not. But I’m faster. And so far, I’ve killed him four times and he’s only killed me once. So I’m better.”
“Strategy over strength,” he said.
“Training over natural advantage,” she retorted.
He didn’t bother to answer, and they were both silent awhile as they studied the board. Finally, after she made her first careful move, she said, “I didn’t care much for that Bauler fellow.”
“No, nor do I,” Jasper answered, his eyes still on the board. “He’s Thirteenth House, but he’s never struck me as quite decent. The sort of man who would get his housemaid pregnant and then send her off without a copper.”
She muffled a laugh at the perfect description. She repositioned a line of her soldiers and had the satisfaction of hearing Jasper suck in his breath in irritation. “He’s Thirteenth House,” she repeated. “Was he ever considered to be one of the new serlords?”
“Coren?” Jasper said in accents of revulsion. “Hardly.”
“How were they chosen?”
He sat back in his chair and steepled his hands, as he often did when about to embark on a long explanation. “The marlords designated the properties they were willing to cede, and all their vassal lords convened and voted on who among them deserved to be elevated—a process that involved no end of brangling and bribery, as you can imagine! In Kianlever and Tilt, so I heard, it took months before a consensus could be reached, though in Brassenthwaite and Rappengrass, the voting was over in a day. But then, Kiernan Brassenthwaite and Ariane Rappengrass run exceedingly well-regulated Houses. In every case, the elected lords had to present themselves to Ghosenhall to be approved by the queen.”
“Who picked the properties to give up in Fortunalt?” she asked.
“I did, but Serephette was instrumental in my decisions.”
“It’s hard to imagine anyone voting for Tover Banlish’s father, if he’s anything like his son,” Wen commented.
Jasper grinned. “He’s even less polished—but more honest, I would say. Not much of a politician. Neil Holden is much the same. I confess I often think my own job would be easier if Demaray had won a title instead.”
Wen gave him an inquiring look. “She wanted to be serlady?”
He made an equivocal motion with his hands. “Half the men and women of the Thirteenth House desired the new title and said so outright. Demaray was more restrained than most about showing how much she wanted it, but it was clear she liked the idea of being elected to a higher station.”
Wen thought about the extravagant town house with the expensive marble facing and ostentatious gold doors. Had Demaray Coverroe built that house hoping the other lords would consider her grand enough to be voted in as serlady? If so, Wen didn’t think much of Jasper’s notions of restraint.
“I suppose she was very unhappy when she didn’t win the votes,” Wen said.
“She didn’t appear to be,” Jasper said. “Of course, nothing was settled for certain until the queen ratified the elections. Amalie had already rejected two other serlords—one from Tilt and one from Gisseltess, I believe. I thought Demaray might have another chance at a title if Amalie turned down Banlish or Holden. But, in fact, the queen approved them both without the slightest hesitation.”
“Did
you
want to be serlord?” Wen asked curiously.
you
want to be serlord?” Wen asked curiously.
“Not even for an instant,” he said. “What an impossible task! To serve as the first generation of a new stratum of society! Nothing could be so hard.”
“You took on a chore that was almost as hard,” Wen said. “Watching over Karryn.”
“Well, but this is only a few years of turbulence and trouble,” he said, smiling. “I’ll be able to wash my hands of her once she’s twenty-one. Not at all the same thing.”
Privately, Wen thought he had accepted the more difficult assignment, but she let it go. “It’s your move,” she said. “Unless you’re tired of the game.”
He leaned forward again, eyes once more intent on the board. “Not at all,” he said. “I’ve figured out exactly what I want to do.”
Chapter 12
THE JOURNEY FROM GHOSENHALL TO GISSEL PLAIN RE
QUIRED more effort than Senneth had spent on any trip,
ever
, and she had been traveling half her life. She had been certain Cammon wouldn’t be able to leave the palace guarded by only nine Riders, but she hadn’t expected them to bring nearly seventy additional soldiers with them, as well as various heralds, cooks, valets, and couriers.
QUIRED more effort than Senneth had spent on any trip,
ever
, and she had been traveling half her life. She had been certain Cammon wouldn’t be able to leave the palace guarded by only nine Riders, but she hadn’t expected them to bring nearly seventy additional soldiers with them, as well as various heralds, cooks, valets, and couriers.
“I thought we were a country in peacetime,” she said to Tayse as she surveyed the small army of soldiers bivouacked outside the city, awaiting the signal to move out in the morning.
A brief smile lit his dark face and made his otherwise forbidding presence seem a little less intimidating. Of course,
she
was not intimidated. She had been married to the Rider for more than two years and fear had never been her predominant emotion when she was with him. “Even in peace, royalty cannot be lax,” he said.
she
was not intimidated. She had been married to the Rider for more than two years and fear had never been her predominant emotion when she was with him. “Even in peace, royalty cannot be lax,” he said.
“We only brought twenty royal soldiers when we squired Amalie around three years ago!”
“And almost turned back a dozen times when danger presented itself,” he reminded her. “I’m not sure that Gisseltess is entirely tame. So we will go in well defended.”
She sighed theatrically. “I used to dread going home to Brassenthwaite because I didn’t want to see my brothers,” she said. “Now I have to dread Gisseltess for the same reason. Because of a brother! Who would ever have expected such a thing?”
His smile returned. “You, I believe, when you did everything in your power to make it possible for Nate to marry the marlady Sabina.”
“Well, you’re the one who put her husband to death, so you’re really the one who enabled the wedding,” she replied.
He bowed his head as if rebuked, but answered, “That was not the reason I killed him.”
No. Tayse had killed Halchon Gisseltess to save Senneth’s life. Everything else was just a side benefit. “And, anyway, I don’t hate Nate as much as I used to,” Senneth said. “But I can’t think he’ll be delighted to have to put up such a big retinue when we descend on him.”
“He will have the privilege of welcoming the royal consort to his House,” Tayse said. “He should feel honored.”
Senneth grinned. “I think Nate disapproves of Cammon. He remembers him as the vagabond who dined at Brassen Court and really didn’t deserve to be sitting at the table.”
“He didn’t think a Rider should be sitting at the table, either,” Tayse said. “
Or
marrying his sister. If we spent too much of our time worrying about what Nate likes, there would be no progress at all in the world.”
Or
marrying his sister. If we spent too much of our time worrying about what Nate likes, there would be no progress at all in the world.”
That made Senneth laugh, and she was still smiling when she entered the palace to look for Cammon and tell him everything was ready for tomorrow’s trip. She found him standing in his study, Amalie beside him.
“Majesties,” Senneth said, bowing low.
Amalie offered her usual welcoming smile. The young queen was barely twenty-one and absolutely radiant, with strawberry-blond hair, fine white skin, and all the natural glow of youth. Being queen agreed with her, Senneth thought. Or maybe, after a reclusive adolescence spent hidden away from the world, Amalie simply thrived on the constant bustle and interaction that made up a queen’s ordinary life.
“Is everything ready for tomorrow morning?” Amalie asked.
Senneth nodded. “We look like we’re ready to invade the southern Houses but, yes, at last Tayse is satisfied that Cammon will be safe enough to travel. I was supposed to ask you if you have any lingering concerns about letting him leave the palace—”
Amalie waved her hands. “No, none at all. Go, go. Leave right now if you like.”
Cammon was laughing. “She thinks once this trip is successful, Tayse and Romar will finally agree that it’s safe for her to travel outside the city again,” he explained. “It’s not that she’s so eager to get rid of
me.
She’s really only interested in her own future amusement.”
me.
She’s really only interested in her own future amusement.”
Senneth regarded them with a frown. “I have to say, I expected the two of you to be a little more weepy at the idea of being separated,” she said. “Won’t this be the first time you’ve been apart since you were married?”
“Since before that,” Amalie said tranquilly. “We haven’t been separated since he first came to the palace to guard me.”
“Well, I would think you would be a little more upset.”
“We’ll be able to stay in touch,” Cammon said. “I don’t even know why Tayse is so insistent on bringing couriers.”
Senneth nodded. Cammon had frequently and dramatically illustrated his ability to communicate with loved ones over impressive distances, and he and Amalie had been speaking to each other silently long before anyone else had been aware they were falling in love. For a reader, she supposed, that mental connection might be almost as sensuous and satisfying as the physical one.
“Perhaps Tayse will want to send news to other people besides the queen,” she said. “Or perhaps he is merely planning how he will get news out if something happens to
you
. You know Tayse—he is always thinking of the worst thing that could possibly occur and then trying to figure out how to work around it.”
you
. You know Tayse—he is always thinking of the worst thing that could possibly occur and then trying to figure out how to work around it.”
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