tales of the latter kingdom 08 - moon dance (6 page)

And we girls were not being ignored, either. True, much of the attention was on Adalynn, but each of the rest of us was to have a new gown, so we might not look shabby on the young bride’s day. My dress was certainly the most beautiful I had ever owned, with its sweeping skirt of silver and sapphire-blue brocade, and the silver edgings on its slashed sleeves. The gown was a gift from my aunt, for certainly I would never have been able to afford something so fine on my own — well, unless I happened upon a way to sell one of the precious gems Tobyn had sent me. At any rate, even though the happy event was still several days away, the house had already begun to buzz with excitement.

The tea and the food did seem to revive my cousins somewhat, for their eyes grew less heavy and some of the bloom returned to their cheeks. My aunt watched them carefully, but said nothing as they rose from the table and went back upstairs — Carella and Theranne to prepare for the arrival of their tutor, Adalynn and Janessa to go back to their needlework. Janessa was very skilled, and although Delanis, Aunt Lyselle’s personal maid, was overseeing the construction of Adalynn’s wedding gown, Janessa had offered to embroider a matching silk purse.

Their departure put me rather at loose ends, and so I decided I would go for a walk. Not because I wished to have an “accidental” encounter with Lord Mayson, but rather because I thought some time outdoors might help to clear my head.

After absentmindedly nodding a “yes” to my aunt’s admonishment that I put on my hat, I went out the side door that led to the gardens. Truly, summer was upon us with a vengeance; the hot sun overhead made me very glad of the hat, and the air was thick with the scent of roses and lilies and lilacs. Bees hummed away.

I took in a deep breath of the warm air. Despite the heat, it did feel good to be outdoors. I wore a gown of lightweight blue linen, and so did not feel too encumbered as I made my way down the path to the gate which opened on the rolling landscape beyond. Two guards stood there as well; they offered me a pair of quick but friendly bows as I went by, but I also noted how they paid attention to where I was headed. My uncle had all the appearances of an easy man, true. That did not mean he did not keep watch on the comings and goings of all the young women who lived under his roof.

Except last night….

The thought was so odd that I paused for a moment to consider it. Where in the world had that come from? As Adalynn had told her mother, we had all gone to bed early the night before, and slept more or less soundly. I had a vague recollection of hearing an owl hooting outside my window, sometime in the depths of the night, but there was nothing so very unusual about that.

Shaking my head — but not too firmly, for fear of dislodging my hat — I resumed my pace and strode down toward the stream. My hope of having my cousins accompany me had not come to fruition, but at least I could enjoy the shade of the trees there, and the delicious coolness of the water.

As I removed my slippers, I turned them over and inspected the soles for any signs of unusual wear. I saw nothing, however, except scuffs that I knew had been there for some time. And since the shoes had come from the same shoemaker in Bodenskell where my aunt bought all our shoes, I had no explanation as to why Janessa’s slippers, and Adalynn’s, should be so much more worn than mine.

I set the slippers down on a rock and unrolled my silk stockings, then hitched up my skirts so I might safely walk in the water. Perhaps such behavior was not entirely ladylike, but at the moment I thought of nothing more than getting some much-needed relief from the heat.

Cool water closed over my bare feet and rose to halfway up my calves as I went a little farther out into the stream. In the early spring, when the snow melt flowed down from the mountains, I would never attempt such a thing, for the water — besides being icy cold — would rush far more quickly than it was safe to stand in. Now, however, while I could feel the current as it flowed around my legs, I knew it was safe enough.

I waded upstream a few paces in the green-dappled shadows cast by the willows and sycamores that overhung the stream banks. A little ahead was a place where I liked to stop and sit down, a sandy stretch in between the otherwise rather rocky edges of the creek. When I drew close, though, I could only frown in puzzlement, for the usually smooth expanse of sand was now marred by a number of footprints. And not men’s booted feet, either, indicating that perhaps my uncle’s huntsmen had come this way. No, these prints were similar in size to my own, small and delicate.

Had my cousins come here without me? I supposed it was possible, although most of the time they preferred to stay downstream, at the natural fording spot with its stepping stones where I had left my slippers. Here, the bank was sandy but steep, and not that easy to reach. And yet it seemed that someone had been here.

I could feel myself frowning as I moved closer to the far bank of the stream. Because of the way it sloped so steeply, the easiest way to climb up was to grasp an exposed tree root and use that to haul myself from the water. As I did so, part of my hitched-up gown came loose and trailed in the creek. Damn. I tried to console myself that on such a warm day, the fine linen would dry in no time.

At any rate, I had more puzzling things to occupy my mind. For once I had carefully skirted the sandy area where the footprints were most prominent, I saw that they continued into the forest before they disappeared completely, obscured by fallen leaves and last year’s carpet of pine needles. Perhaps a master woodsman would have been able to still locate their trail, but I certainly did not possess that particular ability.

So I stopped there, standing on a patch of thin grass in my bare feet, staring off into the woods and wondering. I knew my uncle’s lands ended out there somewhere, and wild land began, owned by no particular lord, although I supposed it must then be the king’s property. We had always been admonished to stay by the stream and not venture into the forest, for it was populated by bears and wolves and the gods knew what else.

Right then, with the sun shining brightly overhead through a canopy of fresh green leaves, the forest did not look terribly intimidating. But I was barefoot, and knew also that my aunt and uncle would be quite angry with me if I wandered off there by myself. The mystery of those vanishing footprints would have to be investigated at another time.

Repressing a sigh, I turned toward the stream and began to carefully descend toward the water. As I did so, however, I made a mental vow.

I would return, and see where those footprints led.

But not that day. When I returned to the castle — looking somewhat the worse for wear, I must admit — my aunt admonished me for disappearing for so long, and cast a jaundiced eye at my bedraggled skirts.

“For it seems that his lordship has seen fit to come visit his son, and now we are all in an uproar!” she announced.

“Lord Mayson’s father is coming here?” I asked, wondering what on earth this sudden visit might mean.

“Yes,” Aunt Lyselle replied, “and with very little warning. He will be here in only a few more hours, so go get changed, and have Tarly do something about your hair.”

I put a hand to my head. When I had been roaming around near the stream, I had not paid much mind to how my hair might be behaving, but now I could tell that it had become something of a tangled mess. “Of course, Aunt Lyselle. I’ll make sure I am completely presentable.”

“See that you do.”

There was nothing for it but to flee upstairs and ransack my wardrobe to see what would be appropriate for an earl’s visit. I had several fine wool gowns, but of course they were far too warm to be suitable for a sunny day in early summer. The linen dresses seemed too plain, and the blue brocade must be reserved for Adalynn’s wedding.

In the end, I settled on a pale green watered silk that was a hand-me-down from my cousin. It had suited Adalynn’s coloring very well, but I’d never thought that particular shade did much for own pink-and-white complexion. But as I had little else that was at all suitable, I put it on. Really, I doubted it mattered much what I looked like anyway. The earl was coming here to see his son, not judge my charms…or lack thereof.

Tarly, the maid who attended Janessa and myself, appeared so she could comb the tangles from my hair, then wind the heavy curls around her fingers so they looked presentable. At least my hair did generally do as it was told, as long as it wasn’t left to run wild, as Annora used to say.

Right then I missed her terribly, amidst all the hubbub. Yes, I had had six years to come to terms with her absence, to learn to become a part of this new family, but cousins were not sisters. And Annora had been far more forgiving of my whims and humors than any of my cousins ever were. If I had told her something odd was going on, and had described the footprints I’d seen going into the woods, she wouldn’t have dismissed my suspicions, but would have talked to me seriously about them.

But she was gone, and had made a new life for herself in North Eredor. I could not blame her for the choices she had made, for I was sure I would have done the same thing, and yet…

…and yet I could not ignore the hole she had left in my world. Ever since our mother died, she and I were the only person the other one had. Our father was still very much alive, but that mattered little, considering how he had treated both of us.

Then I put those thoughts resolutely aside, for I could feel the sting of long-suppressed tears in my eyes, and it would certainly not do to appear before Lord Elwyn, Mayson’s father, with a red nose and puffy eyelids.

“Thank you, Tarly,” I said, once she was done with my hair. She bobbed a curtsey and headed out, no doubt to check on my cousins and make sure they also were fit to be seen by as exalted a personage as Lord Elwyn.

I studied myself in the mirror. Being out in the wind and the sun had added some color to my cheeks, and so the pale green silk of the dress did not wash me out quite as much as I had feared. Indeed, my eyes looked far greener than normal in contrast, and so I thought I should do well enough.

Besides,
I told myself,
I am sure he can have no idea of what his son said to you about being his wife. The earl will only look at you as the niece of his friend. Then he will go, and you can spend your energies on trying to determine whose footprints those were — and where they were going.

That sounded sensible enough. I could hear the chatter of voices out in the corridor, and so I knew my cousins must be ready to go downstairs. It seemed safest to fall in with them so I might descend the stairs as part of a group, and therefore escape any unwelcome attention.

Indeed, with Adalynn in fine rose-colored brocade, and Carella looking equally resplendent in bright sky-blue, I doubted that anyone’s eyes would seek me out. Janessa and Theranne were somewhat less noteworthy, but still looked quite lovely.

As we came into the great hall, I saw that our visitor was already there, his son next to him. I had met Lord Elwyn several times before, and thought him to be a kindly enough man…but now I could feel my heart begin to race. In the past, I had only been one of the gaggle of girls who lived under my uncle’s roof. Now I was the young woman his son had asked to marry him, although I still had no idea whether Mayson had divulged anything of our exchange to his father or not.

Like Mayson, Lord Elwyn was tall and dark-haired. His eyes, however, were deep blue, and his features had a more chiseled look to them. I guessed the slight roundness of his son’s nose and chin must have come from his mother, although of course I had never met her, since she’d died years before I came to stay with my aunt and uncle.

His lordship smiled pleasantly as we girls came into the hall. Almost as one, we curtseyed, and my aunt looked on in approval, clearly glad that we did not have to be reminded to show the proper respect to our visitor.

“Ah,” said Lord Elwyn, “I thought your gardens lovely here, but I see your most beautiful flowers bloom indoors.”

Carella and Theranne and Janessa giggled, while Adalynn only inclined her head, as if she was far too used to those sorts of compliments. I could feel my cheeks flood with color, but as I stood rather behind the other girls, I felt I did not have to show any more response than that.

“We are truly blessed,” my uncle said. “But now, if we might all go to the dining chamber?”

“Of course,” Lord Elwyn said, with no apparent fading of his smile. He followed my aunt and uncle into the dining hall, a later addition to the building, with its windows of mullioned glass open to the gardens and a warm breeze blowing through. On that breeze wafted the scent of hundreds of roses, and their perfume made me relax slightly. I had detected no particular alteration in his lordship’s expression as he looked at me, and so I felt buoyed by the notion that perhaps he did not have any idea of what had passed between his son and myself, and that this visit was only his idea of being neighborly, and possibly wishing to know how his son fared.

Mayson did not look at me as he fell in behind his father and also headed into the dining chamber. Whether his avoidance of my gaze was due to embarrassment over his words of the day before, or because he did not want his father to notice any particular regard paid to me, I could not say.

But I did breathe a little easier as we gathered around the long table of polished mahogany, and all took our respective seats. Whether by luck or by careful arrangement, I was seated at nearly the opposite end of the table from Lord Elwyn and his son, and so I thought I should be able to survive the meal without having to exchange a word with either one of them.

The servants came out first with a salad of field greens and dressing of honey and oil and fine red wine, perfect for the warm day. After that was cool strawberry soup, and then cold roast fowl and a compote of berries. Clearly, my aunt had made certain to put together a menu that would not have us all panting from the heat by the time we were finished, and I wondered how she had managed to ensure that everything was so perfectly done in such a short amount of time.