tales of the latter kingdom 08 - moon dance (20 page)

Perhaps. Lady Danelle Bellender had died when Mayson was only ten, and therefore a number of years before I had come to live with my aunt and uncle. No one seemed to speak of her much, and I had never asked Mayson about her, mostly because the subject never seemed to come up in the natural course of conversation, and I certainly didn’t wish to pry.

“It is possible that he loved her so much that he didn’t want to have another wife,” I suggested, holding back a wince as Tarly accidentally pulled at my hair. She murmured an apology and kept working.

“I suppose so.” Janessa went silent then, perhaps pondering her own father, who was still desolate over the loss of his wife, three years later.

Or possibly that was the narrative he wished her to believe, rather than admit that he didn’t want to manage the rearing of a young woman on his own. I had to wonder how Janessa felt about being fobbed off on us when her father had had no trouble keeping his son close to home. She rarely talked about either of her parents, and again, I didn’t press her. I knew what it was like to be asked for information you had no desire to give.

“But it does seem odd, especially when a title is involved,” she went on. “For if anything should happen to Lord Mayson, then what will Lord Elwyn do?”

“I doubt there is much to fear on that score,” I said. “Lord Mayson is young and healthy, and there is no reason to think he will not live a very long and happy life.”

“I should think he would be very happy…if you would agree to be his wife,” she said slyly.

At that comment, Tarly shook her head. “Lady Janessa, that is not the sort of thing to be discussed in light conversation. Surely if his lordship had offered for Lady Iselda, she would have told the family by now.”

I feared that Tarly’s trust in me was woefully misplaced. For of course I had said nothing to anyone of what had passed between Mayson and myself, just as I had kept silent on the subject of Reynar and the strange spell that had drawn my cousins from the castle each night.

So I only nodded, since I did not quite trust myself to speak. Janessa sent me a sideways glance from under her lashes, but appeared to subside for the moment. Instead, she went to the mirror that hung on the wall next to the wardrobe, and turned from side to side as she inspected her gown. I had no doubt that she was imagining the effect her appearance might have on Lord Gwyllim, and I could not blame her. My aunt and uncle had given Janessa as loving a home as they could, but she must be pining for a place she could call her own. And if that place should include a title and a handsome young husband, all the better.

“There,” Tarly said, moving away from me slightly so she might better inspect her handiwork. “All done, so now let me help you into your gown.”

This task was accomplished with a great deal of care, for of course my maid would not wish to jar any of my curls loose as she slid the gown up over my shoulders and then began to lace it up the back. I did not think she needed to be quite so cautious, as, once it was set, my hair tended to stay in those curls, unlike my poor cousin Theranne, whose own unruly locks always fell back into their natural waves no matter what her maid did. Would they risk fate today and attempt to curl her hair, or be practical and adopt a style that embraced those loose waves?

Knowing Adalynn and how she wanted everything just so, I guessed that she would make her younger sister suffer the hair-curling process, no matter what. I could only hope that the bride would be so occupied with other matters that she would not be paying much attention to her sister’s hairstyle, should it begin to suffer the effects of gravity partway through the day.

Tarly fastened the necklace of moonstones and pearls around my neck, then handed me the earrings to match. I slipped them into the holes in my earlobes and went over to the mirror to inspect my appearance. My motivation for doing so was very different from Janessa’s, for all I cared about was that there should be nothing in my appearance for Adalynn to find fault with. I certainly did not care about attracting the attention of any young men, since the only man I was concerned with would not be here to see me.

That thought elicited a small sigh, and I quickly looked over at Janessa to make sure she had not noted anything out of the ordinary about my demeanor. Luckily, she was still fussing with her necklace, making sure that all the little rose quartz drops lay flat against her skin, and so I doubted she had seen anything at all.

“You are both very beautiful, my ladies,” Tarly said as she replaced the brushes and combs in the dressing table’s drawers. “And a credit to this household, I am sure.”

Janessa blushed, and I smiled at our maid. “And a credit to your hard work, Tarly. Thank you for taking so much time with us.”

She bowed her head, but her words were deprecating enough. “Well, I would have heard about it from Lady Adalynn, and from her ladyship, if I had not done my very best. But there is still some time before you can go downstairs, so I believe you should sit down and be comfortable — only not too comfortable, as I don’t want to see those dresses wrinkled.”

“We shall be careful,” both Janessa and I said in unison, and Tarly gave a satisfied nod.

“Very well. I will go down and see how things are faring, and then I will be back up to fetch you when the time comes.”

We both agreed to this plan — not that we had much choice in the matter — and the maid departed. I had left a book on the table by the window, and so I retrieved it and sat down, preparing to read. Janessa did not appear overly happy about my choice of diversions, but since she had little choice, she too, went and fetched something to occupy herself — an embroidery hoop with a half-finished handkerchief held within.

So we sat in silence for the space of an hour, although it felt much longer, and then Tarly returned to fetch us downstairs. As we descended the staircase, we met up with Carella and Theranne, although there was no sign of Adalynn. She would come last, after the rest of us had taken our places in the great hall. Both her sisters were also resplendent, Carella in a blue gown trimmed in gold, and Theranne lovely in a dress of a soft, coppery-blush shade. They smiled at us, and Theranne looked as if she wanted to gush about everyone’s gowns, although a warning glance from Tarly was enough to make her subside into a respectful silence.

The castle itself was quiet, all the guests already seated in their designated places. Everywhere, though, were flowers, and a warm summer breeze flowed through the open windows and doorways. I thought again of what a lovely day it had turned out to be, and how lucky Adalynn was to be married on such a day. I could only hope that I would have similar luck in my own wedding.

If that were ever to happen at all. Yes, Reynar and I had pledged that our destinies should be as one, but what did that mean? He had not asked me to marry him. He had not even said he loved me. I thought he did, but I had only feelings to go upon, and not much else. And of course there were probably many who would say we could not possibly have true feelings for one another, not after such a short acquaintance. I supposed it did seem mad, but I could not deny the effect Reynar had on me, the way he occupied my thoughts in a way no other man ever had. Surely that must be love, mad and impetuous as it might seem.

However, I knew I had to push those thoughts aside. It would not do for me to be distracted by such matters on my cousin’s wedding day. Let me survive all this, and then the next time I saw Reynar, we could put together a real plan. Would we have to elope? Possibly, for I saw how his master held him under his sway, and I did not know if he possessed the strength to confront the man who had been both father and teacher to him.

An elopement would hurt my aunt and uncle terribly, I knew. They would think me ungrateful, and I could not even blame them for that. And where on earth would Reynar and I go? We could not stay here in Purth, a land where use of magic was outlawed.

North Eredor,
I thought then.
Of course. For not only are my sister and her husband there, but in that land there is no prejudice against those who work magic. We could live openly, and not have to fear what might happen if someone were to guess that Reynar was a mage.

“What on earth are you thinking about?” came Janessa’s rather irritated voice. “You almost stepped on the train of my gown!”

“I’m so sorry,” I replied at once. “I supposed I was woolgathering.”

“Thinking about Lord Mayson?” she asked in arch tones.

Theranne giggled, and Carella sent Janessa a very pained look. I opened my mouth to protest the insinuation, but Tarly intervened, saying, “My ladies, we are almost to the hall. Please show some decorum.”

Our maid had very little power to control or punish us — but she could make a less than favorable report to Aunt Lyselle, who no doubt would take us to task for our behavior, should word of it get back to her. The girls all subsided, although Carella kept shooting daggers with her eyes at Janessa, who affected not to notice.

And then we were at the doors to the hall, and the footmen were opening it for us.

Truly, if I had not known it was the same space where my aunt and uncle held all their large gatherings, I should not have recognized it. The long tables placed up against the walls were gone, and instead the enormous chamber had been filled with row after row of wooden benches — all of which had been made by the craftsmen who lived on the estate. Those benches were now crowded with lords and ladies in their best finery, so my eyes could barely take in the array of colors, the gleam of metal embroidery, the glint of jewels at throats and wrists. Along the walls were tall vases filled with roses and lilies and ferns, their perfumes at war with those worn by the guests.

At the end of the hall was a dais, and on that dais were more flowers, and the priest of Inyanna who would oversee the ceremony. We four girls were charged with walking down the aisle between the rows of benches and scattering rose petals as we went. Once we were done with that all-important task, we were to take our positions, two of us to either side of the priest, so we might stand there as guardians of her virtue until the priest had completed the ceremony and Coryn and Adalynn were officially bound as husband and wife.

More footmen stood inside the door. They handed us our baskets of rose petals — I knew several of the maids had been up early preparing them — and we all headed down the aisle. I was first, because I was the eldest, followed by Janessa, then Carella and Theranne. A murmur of approval went through the crowd as the four of us passed, and I could feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. I was not used to having so many eyes upon me.

Even worse was catching a glimpse of Mayson, who sat in the second row on the right. His dark eyes shone as he looked at me, admiration clear on his features. Oh, dear. If he was already this starry-eyed….

But I did not have time to think of him further, because it was time to climb the two low steps to ascend the dais, and to take my position to the left of the priest. Janessa stood next to me, while Carella and Theranne headed to the right, so they might stand in locations that mirrored Janessa’s and mine. I had been so overwhelmed by the crowd that I hadn’t even realized music was being played; the musicians sat to one side of the dais, the harp and the flute and the fiddle playing a pretty country melody. Then the tune shifted, became more solemn, and another murmur moved through the crowd as Adalynn appeared in the doorway to the hall, the light streaming in from the corridor behind her and outlining her in a golden glow.

Yes, she and I had had our differences over the years. But in that moment, I could feel my breath catch at how beautiful she was, how queenly her posture as she glided down the aisle, the silken skirts of her train rustling as she went. My gaze flicked to the front row, where my aunt and uncle sat. Aunt Lyselle was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, while Uncle Danly practically glowed with pride at the sight of his eldest daughter.

Coryn, too, seated on the opposite bench with his own parents, looked as if he couldn’t quite believe that this glorious creature was about to become his wife. She paused next to the bench where he sat and held out a hand, and he nearly stumbled over his own feet in his haste to get up and take her fingers in his. Perhaps one corner of her mouth twitched, but otherwise she did not react.

Then the two of them came to stand on the dais, and the priest began to speak the words of the ceremony. This was where I would allow my thoughts to drift, for I had attended enough weddings to know that this part of the proceedings was quite dry, and contained a number of words on the subject of obedience and duty and a whole host of admirable qualities that managed to make marriage sound quite dull.

I did not think it would be dull. Not if I could have Reynar as my husband.

My gaze shifted, and I caught sight of Mayson staring up at me. He, too, did not appear as if he was terribly interested in the words of the ceremony. No, he seemed far more occupied with watching me, as if he had never seen me before and wanted to commit every detail of my appearance to memory.

Oh, dear. There would be no escaping him during the festivities that would follow the ceremony itself, and it seemed clear enough to me that he had no desire to spend those hours with anyone else. In that moment, I wished I were mage-born like Reynar, so I might cast a spell to take me far, far away from here.

But I could not let my worries show in my expression. No, I had to stand there and fix a small half-smile on my lips, and pretend to be interested in the proceedings. It did not help matters that I could also see Lord Elwyn sitting next to his son. His lordship glanced from Mayson to me and back again, and his mouth pursed slightly, as if he was considering something that had not entered his thoughts before.

To my relief, the priest said the words that invited Coryn to kiss his new bride, and the newly made husband and wife shared a very chaste kiss. From the intent look Coryn gave Adalynn, I guessed that the kiss was only chaste because it was so very public, and that things might be very different when they were alone together.