Kirra was staring at her, openmouthed. “Oh, yes, I can see it,” she breathed. “He’ll never walk away from her.”
Senneth smiled, but the expression felt sad. “I don’t think so, either. So let’s hope these brothers can be persuaded to be reasonable.”
Kirra flopped back against the pillows. “Well! This is certainly the season of inappropriate affection! You getting betrothed to a King’s Rider. Nate pining after a married marlady. Justin and a Lirren girl from the Lumanen Convent. Oh! And there’s more.” She pushed herself upright again, blue eyes dancing. “Apparently Darryn Rappengrass has fallen in love with some peasant girl he met on the road last summer. Ariane is beside herself. I swung by Rappen Manor before I saw Justin in Neft, and she told me the whole story.”
They talked for another hour or two, filling each other in on what they had observed in Ghosenhall and the manors of the Twelve Houses while they had been apart. Senneth had often thought she and Kirra were very different, despite the fact that they were both mystics born to noble Houses. Kirra was sublimely beautiful, completely wild, utterly confident in the love lavished on her by her sister and father. She claimed to hate the social interactions among the Twelve Houses—balls, arranged marriages, alliances of blood and commerce—but she had a passion for gossip and a natural ease with her fellow aristocrats that belied her words. Senneth, on the other hand, was serious, introspective, and willing to be wholly self-sufficient. She had been cast out of her father’s home when she was seventeen, consorted with all manner of lowborn individuals, and truly despised most of the Twelfth House scions that she had been forced to meet. She had been thrust back into that world last summer, when the king commanded her to escort his daughter on a tour of the southern Houses, and she had hated the lifestyle, and the people, just as much as she expected.
Yet here she was, promoting a match between her House and Kirra’s. And exclaiming over which lords had snubbed which ladies. And speculating on which alliances could strengthen the king’s position and, conversely, which ones might shore up any bid Halchon made for the throne. Just like any two other serramarra, heads together, whispering gossip about their friends and enemies.
But that was not what made them so close. That was not what fostered the bone-deep connection between them. They were not, in fact, just like other serramarra. They schemed and plotted and debated—not to find highborn husbands, but to avert a war. They counted out their physical gifts—hair, skin, magic—not to secure their places in society, but to array them like bright weapons in defense of the throne. Their passions allied them. Their strengths drew them together.
And the adventures they’d had on their journeys.
And the small circle of friends they’d gathered along the way.
CHAPTER 27
IT was almost dinnertime before Senneth pushed herself up off of Kirra’s bed. “I suppose I should dress,” she said. “Will Donnal really join us for the meal? I’ve never seen him sit down to a dinner with your father.”
Kirra smiled. “He doesn’t like to, but he will from time to time. My father doesn’t mind, of course, but Donnal is protective of my reputation.” She snorted. “Such as it is. Anyway, on quiet nights like this my father will often invite Carlo to eat with us—that’s the steward, you know—and his wife and daughter, and that seems to make everything easier across the ranks. Donnal joins us then.”
Indeed, the taciturn dark-haired man was already in the smaller dining room when Senneth found her way there about half an hour later. He was very formally dressed, in a black jacket with a vest of Danalustrous red, and his serious face showed an even more severe expression than usual. But he smiled at Senneth and gave her a brief hug.
“Comfort yourself with the thought that Tayse hates these sorts of things even more than you do,” she said as she released him.
“A Rider still has more status than a peasant’s son.”
“Well, I think Malcolm would gladly sacrifice any number of King’s Riders for you after the years you have spent looking after Kirra,” Senneth said.
Donnal looked amused.
The others filed in shortly afterward, and soon there were twelve gathered around the intimate table: Malcolm; his daughters; his wife, Jannis, a practical and brisk woman with a pleasant manner; the steward and his family; all the members of Senneth’s party; and Donnal. Although the numbers were split evenly between men and women, there was no formal seating arrangement, so everyone just took the most convenient chair. Senneth found herself between Casserah, who sat at the foot of the table, and Tayse. Cammon sat across from her.
“How good to see you again,” Senneth greeted Casserah. “I feel like we spent the whole of last summer traveling together, but it was really Kirra pretending to be you. Still, I can’t shake the sense that we’ve been together much more recently than it’s really been.”
Casserah smiled in her usual cool way. She was as beautiful as Kirra, but her hair was extremely dark and her skin a creamy white. Her eyes, the same drenched blue as Kirra’s, were so wide-set they gave her a perpetually abstracted air; she never appeared to be wholly engaged in anything anyone else said. She could be shockingly blunt, to the point that many people considered her rude, but she did not care about the opinion of anyone in the world. Perhaps her father, Senneth thought, and even that was uncertain.
“Well, Kirra talks about you so often that I, too, feel like I’ve spent time with you recently,” Casserah replied. “But I think it’s been nearly a decade since you lived here.”
“Maybe,” Senneth said. “I don’t want to count the years.”
Casserah took a sip of her water and gave another faint smile. “So what did you think of me last summer?” she asked. “How good was Kirra’s disguise?”
“Physically, it was perfect,” Senneth said, laughing. “Emotionally, she slipped now and then. But she won you many friends across the Twelve Houses.”
“That would be good to know, if I ever planned to step outside of Danalustrous.”
“You never leave?” Cammon piped up. “Don’t you get bored?”
She gave him her full attention but said simply, “No.”
“Don’t you ever want to—” He gestured. “See new places? Meet new people?”
“No.”
“She has no need to leave Danan Hall to meet new people,” Senneth told him. “Look at all of us. We come to her.”
“Well, I wouldn’t think you could count on that,” he said.
Casserah wore that faint smile again. “So tell me, Senneth, is your brother very much like you? I see the family resemblance in your faces.”
Senneth took a swallow of wine while she considered. “Is he like me. . .? To tell you the truth, I don’t really know. He was ten when I left, and I was very close to the boy. He was funny and thoughtful and eager to learn. I like what I’ve seen of the man, but we’ve only spent a few days together, last summer and on this trip. He seems much like the boy I remember, but who hasn’t changed in the last eighteen years?”
“I haven’t,” Casserah said.
Senneth was surprised into a laugh. “No, I suppose you haven’t.”
Tayse, who had not appeared to be listening, now spoke up. “I haven’t.”
“Maybe not, but eighteen years ago, you were already a man,” Senneth told him. “Casserah was, what, three or four? And I’m reasonably certain she’s telling the truth. She had the exact same personality when she was born as she does right now.”
“I’m able to control my temper better,” she offered.
“So am I,” Tayse told her.
Senneth laughed again. “While I have less control over mine. I think I’ll have your eighteen years instead of mine, thank you very much.”
Casserah was gazing up toward the head of the table, where Malcolm, Will, and Carlo sat with their heads together, no doubt discussing something like land management or defense. “Do you think your brother came here willingly?” she asked. “I find myself wondering i
f Kiernan forced him to come to Danan Hall to look over the likely serramarra.”
“No,” Cammon said before Senneth could speak. She looked at him and tried not to laugh. He continued, “No, he’s pleased that he’s here and he thinks you’re beautiful, but he’s a little nervous. He’s not sure you’re eager to make this match. He’s not sure what you want and he doesn’t want to disappoint you.”
Casserah’s eyes were still on Will. “Well. I’ll just have to make certain he understands me,” she said. She looked back at the Rider. “Tayse. What did you think of the fortifications in Brassenthwaite? Is Kiernan really ready for a war?”
From anyone else, such an abrupt change of subject would mean she was uncomfortable discussing the topic. But with Casserah, Senneth thought, it meant she had simply found out what she needed to know, said what she wanted to say, and moved on to another area of interest. No subtlety, no subterfuge. Unnerving but refreshing.
Not till after the meal did Will and Casserah get a chance to exchange a few words, and then they were chaperoned by Jannis and the steward’s wife. Senneth, across the room, could tell from Casserah’s expression that she found the inconsequential small talk boring and pointless, but the presence of the steward’s wife made her try to display some social grace. They had withdrawn into a pretty parlor with many small groupings of chairs and tables, designed to allow visitors a chance to play cards or hold more intimate conversations.Kirra and Senneth were standing with Donnal, Tayse, and Cammon, sipping sweet wine and wishing the evening was over.
“If Justin was here, we’d be all together,” Cammon observed.
Startled, Senneth quickly glanced around the circle and realized he was right. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she said.
“He’ll be mad, too, if he finds we were all getting cozy at Danan Hall while he was stuck mucking out stables in Neft,” Kirra said.
“I don’t think we need to keep him there much longer,” Tayse said. “I’m not sure what else there is to learn.”
Kirra gave him an indignant look. “He can learn if this convent girl loves him! And he loves her!”
Tayse smiled. “Not a good enough reason to leave one of the best Riders in a position of surveillance.”
“I could stay in Neft awhile, if you needed someone,” Donnal said. “I’d be able to get word quickly to the king if something happened.”
Tayse considered. “A good offer,” he said. He jerked his head at Kirra. “What if this one won’t travel so far?”
Kirra tossed her hair. “I’m going to Ghosenhall in a day or two. Donnal’s tired of the royal city. I think he’d be happy to have some activity planned that made him feel useful.”
“I wouldn’t want to stay away too long, of course,” Donnal said. His face was perfectly sober, but Senneth was convinced he was laughing.
“If you’re coming to Ghosenhall, you can ride with us,” Senneth said.
“You’re not going back to Brassenthwaite?” Kirra asked.
“No. I’ve had enough of my brothers for a while.”
“Then, good, we’ll travel with you.” She scowled at Donnal. “Both of us will travel with you. At least as far as the royal city. Then he can go off where he likes.”
“Happy to have your company,” Tayse said.
Cammon was watching Casserah across the room. “I think your sister wishes someone would rescue her from her mother,” he said. “She’s getting impatient.”
“That’s my Casserah,” Kirra said. “Sen, let’s go pull them away. Cammon, you come entertain my stepmother. Tell her—I don’t know. About new buildings going up in Ghosenhall or something. Just be polite while we steal Will and Casserah away.”
Accordingly, in a few minutes, the three serramarra and the one serramar had managed to form their own small group in a corner of the room. They stood as far away from the others as they could, bunching around a window. Kirra and Senneth set their backs to the room and made it clear no one was welcome to intrude on the conversation.
“You’ll never get a chance to talk to each other with Jannis around,” Kirra said, grinning at Will. “Who likes to flirt with a woman when her mother is standing right there?”
Will laughed. “And it’s so much simpler when her sister and your sister are watching instead!”
“You don’t have to flirt with me,” Casserah said calmly. “In fact, I’d prefer you were genuine.”
“A slight touch of flirtatiousness is genuine with me,” he said. “But I can try to be wholly serious if you like.”
“I will like whatever you show me of yourself, as long as it is real,” she replied.
Senneth moved as if to back away, but Kirra caught her arm and held her in place. Senneth wasn’t sure if Kirra wanted to stay to guard the conversation—or to listen to it with frank interest.
Will’s voice was just as composed as Casserah’s. “I believe there is always some awkwardness in situations such as this,” he said. “We don’t know each other at all, and yet we are supposed to decide very quickly if we might like each other enough to endure a marriage.”
“I rarely feel either awkwardness or embarrassment,” Casserah replied. “And I am not at all of a romantic nature. I am not averse to marrying for political reasons, but I would like to have some respect for my husband.”
“That seems like a good place to start.”
“What would you say your virtues are?” she asked.
He considered. “I’m easygoing and diplomatic, which means I can win friends if I choose. I have an analytical mind. I know how to think things through. My brother Kiernan trusts my advice.”
“Your faults?”
“I’m not a leader. I don’t tend to push myself to the forefront and demand that my voice be heard. I’ll take a stand, but only on issues that are extremely important to me.”
Casserah seemed to think that over. Senneth felt Kirra’s fingers biting into her arm. Almost, she wanted to pull back and give the young couple some privacy; more, she was fascinated enough that she could not bring herself to step away. So this was how marriages were arranged among the Twelve Houses! What had her father said to the marlord of Gisseltess as they plotted the doomed union between their children? She’s a mystic, but I’m sure your son is cruel enough to tame all magic out of her. . . .
“The virtues are attractive, and none of the vices are repugnant,” Casserah said at last.
Will smiled. “And you? What do you think are your own good points?” he asked.
“I am very strong. Very certain of myself. If I am pursuing something that is just or important, I can be relentless.”
“Some people might not consider that a virtue,” he pointed out.
Casserah looked surprised. “Do you?”
“I consider it familiar,” he said. “My brother has that characteristic to some degree. What would you consider your faults?”
“I care about nothing and nobody except Danalustrous,” she responded at once.
“Would you be able to bring yourself to care for someone you married if he came from a different House?”
“He would then be part of Danalustrous, don’t you see?”
“Part of him would be,” Will replied. “Part of him might still be rooted somewhere else. Would you be able to care about someplace else for his sake, if that was where part of his heart was planted?”
Casserah was quiet for a few moments, clearly trying out the concept. “I don’t know,” she said at last. “I have never tried to love anything but Danalustrous. I’m not sure I can.” She gave him a straight look from those blue eyes. “But I would accept that you could love something else. I wouldn’t expect all your loyalty to go to Danan Hall. Most of it, but not all.”