Oh, very likely, Marguerida. Damn, but I am glad to see you. And that gown is quite splendid! You look magnificent!
Why, thank you, kind sir! And where is your comely companion of earlier this afternoon.
Gisela will be here all too soon. I managed to escape her attentions by insisting that I had to escort the children. I have never hidden behind a woman's skirts in my life, and now I am cowering behind two little girls. Isn't that a fine jest?
No, not particularly. Shall I intervene on your behalf and tell the bitch to go to the coldest of Zandru's hells?
Much as I would enjoy that, I think not. Things are difficult enough without either of us displaying the usual family temperament. "Uncle Lew, you must be glad to have Marguerida back where you can keep an eye on her. Rafaella told me that she had a run-in with some bandits on the way to Neskaya. Do you know anything about that?"
"Marguerida did say she had encountered bandits on the journey to Neskaya, but thus far has not given me any details." He sounded amused rather than annoyed.
Margaret's heart sank. The last thing she wanted to do was discuss the matter of the brigands. She had sworn to herself that she would never mention the matter to anyone, and she was quietly furious at Rafi for letting the cat out of the bag. What could she say? She stood in silence, as her father and Mikhail looked at her expectantly.
Miralys had left Mikhail's side and was talking to Dani and Emun, seeming entirely in her element. Then there were voices in the corridor, and Margaret recognized Donal Alar's piping tones. But there were others as well, and there was no mistaking the dark and seductive voice of Gisela Aldaran.
Mikhail, looking like a man hunted by a pack of wolves, moved to Margaret's side quickly, all questions about bandits going out of his mind. She felt a sense of relief, and for a moment she was actually grateful that Gisela's presence had distracted him. "You don't mind, do you? A few more minutes' respite from our cousin would be a blessing."
"Another woman's skirts?" She slipped her hand into the bend of his elbow, even though she knew that the gesture would make Javanne angry. She was almost enjoying herself now. Her mood shifted, the depression fleeing, and what replaced it was a feeling of ease that she wished she could put in a box and keep forever. Margaret knew that part of it was the presence of her father, steady and certain. And she could endure anything so long as Mikhail was by her side.
Yes, but the only one I really want to—
Mikhail! Behind my skirts is one thing, but under them is quite another!
True, but can you blame me? You are the most beautiful woman in the world, perhaps in the entire universe. I have remembered our kiss on the terrace last summer so many times.
Stop! My face feels as if it is the color of a Keeper's robe!
Nonsense. You have just a hint of roses on your cheeks, nothing more, and no one would suspect that we were entertaining unspeakable thoughts for one another.
"Mikhail, I met your bird when I came into the stableyards—or rather he flew onto my shoulder and nearly knocked me, off my horse. What a beautiful creature. We have some similar birds on Thetis—not quite so large, as I remember, but just as handsome. It made me a bit homesick."
"Beautiful, and a real nuisance. He seems to have decided that I belong to him, and no amount of discouragement does any good."
Donal Alar sped into the room just at that moment, followed with more dignity by his brother Damon, and his parents. Behind them came Gisela Aldaran with an older man who must be her father. There was another man as well, whose features were much like the father's, and she guessed he must be a son. She tightened her fingers on Mikhail's arm for a second, then drew her hand away.
They stood, shoulder to shoulder, their heights nearly equal, not touching but intimate all the same. It felt completely right, and when Lew Alton stepped beside her, Margaret* experienced the sense of being protected that she had longed for all her life. She could face anything with her father and Mikhail beside her. So why was her heart beating rapidly, and her mouth so dry?
Gisela halted, glared at them with her vivid green eyes,
then forced her mouth into a smile that held no warmth.
"Hello, Mikhail," she began in her sultry voice, clearly in
tending to ignore Margaret. She moved toward him. Mik
hail almost shrank back, then seemed to remember that he
was a Hastur, and gave her a courteous nod.v
Margaret studied the other woman, noticing the fine silk dress in a deep garnet color that fell in graceful folds around the leather slippers on her feet. The sleeves of the gown stopped above the elbow, so the smooth skin of her arms and soft hands were clearly visible. On one wrist she wore a thick bracelet of gold, set with red stones, and for an instant Margaret was surprised. Then she remembered that Gisela was a widow, not a maiden, and had children. Still, the thing on her arm looked nothing like the few catenas wristlets she had seen before. Perhaps it had been made off-world.
"Gisela, Robert, Lord Aldaran." Then Mikhail seemed at a loss how to continue. "Excuse me, but I have not had an opportunity to greet my sister Ariel. Uncle Lew, will you do the honors."
"Of course I will, Mikhail."
Faintheart!
True, my darling Marguerida, true. Now you see what a feckless fellow I really am. I would rather face a hundred bandits than Gisela right now. Besides, they are Lew's relations, not mine, so it is more proper.
I never heard such sophistry in my life, beloved!
If Lew Alton was nonplussed by Mikhail's abrupt departure, he did not show it. Margaret watched as Mikhail walked over to greet Ariel and Piedro, giving every appearance of a solicitous brother, and Lew smiled his grave smile. "Dom Damon, may I present my daughter, Marguer-ida Alton. Marguerida, Dom Damon Aldaran, and his son, Robert Aldaran, and his daughter, Gisela."
This clearly did not suit Gisela, and she stiffened, aware she had been subtly rebuffed. Her face froze, as she tried to find some way to recover. She moved her arm sharply, and the bracelet caught in the delicate silk of her dress, snagging the fabric and making her scowl.
"Lord Aldaran, Lord Robert, Lady Gisela," Margaret said formally, and made a decent curtsy.
Gisela had managed to release the bracelet from the cloth now, and she lifted her face with a feral smile. "So you are Marguerida Alton. We have heard so many stories about you." She stared at the mitted hands quite rudely.
"Stories? I cannot imagine why. My life has been quite unremarkable, overall." Or at least until I came to Dark-over, she added silently.
Robert Aldaran gave his sister an unreadable look, and Dom Damon looked ready to spank his daughter. "You are too modest." the son began. "Even up in the Hellers news of your exploits have reached our ears."
Margaret decided, with an impulse that was unusual, that she liked this man. There was something sound about him, a kind of assurance that made her want to trust him. At the same time, she felt a little of her usual shyness stir. She could sense that her desire to like Robert triggered the old pattern of emotional distance which had plagued her for as long as she could remember. Damn Mikhail for abandoning her! At least her father was keeping close, and little Donal Alar was at her side, watching with alert eyes.
"Exploits? Do you mean when I slew the dragon, or when I traveled from Ardais to Thendara in a single night?" What were people saying about her? She felt herself shiver, even as her mouth spoke the satiric words.
Robert Aldaran chuckled and patted one thigh. "Ouch! You nearly pulled my leg out of the socket!"
"Did you kill a dragon, Cousin Marguerida?" Donal
asked raptly. His eyes were wide with adoration, and he clearly imagined that she could do anything.
"No, Donal. There are no dragons on Darkover, but if
there were, and I went to kill one, I would be sure to take
you with me. I was just being very silly."'
"Good. I wouldn't like to miss that."
"I was speaking," Robert
continued, giving the little boy a friendly nod, "of your encounter with bandits between White Springs and Neskaya."
"Bandits!" Lord Aldaran, who had been standing none too patiently between his children, came to attention. "They get bolder every year. They steal horses and cattle, and anything else they can get their hands on. Something has to be done."
Robert nodded. "It is quite true that the number of gangs of thieves grows larger each year. Tell us about those you met and defeated."
Margaret had promised herself she would never talk about the terrible night, but there was no way she could think of to deny the event. And how the devil had Robert heard of it. It seemed that everyone had. She realized that most likely the merchant had told the tale in every inn on the rest of his journey, and the tale was probably all over the Hellers by now. So much for keeping it a secret.
She braced herself and began to speak. "You make it sound as if I were alone, which was not the case at all. There were four Renunciates, a Dry Town merchant, and myself, plus mules and horses. The bandits were somewhat greater in number, and they managed to surprise us in the middle of the night. I must say that it is a credit to the hardihood of Darkovans that they can even consider attacking in the cold—it had been snowing a little, and it was, to my mind, quite frigid. There were times I thought I should never be warm again.
"But my horse, Dorilys, alerted me. She woke me right up, and the next thing I knew, we were knee-deep in brigands. We managed to fight them off. Since I have no particular skill with swords, my contribution was to use what I have, which is the unarmed combat that I learned at University. I broke one man's neck—which was extremely unpleasant! And the worst part of it was that it was too easy."
Robert Aldaran gave her a curious look. He was a tall
man, older than Margaret, with dark red hair, and a grave face that changed completely when he smiled. "But, domna, I heard there was more."
Margaret swallowed hard. She felt reluctant to offer the details, but it was clear that Robert was not going to be satisfied with anything less. And if she was correct in her assumption that the story was being told everywhere, she should make sure there were no exaggerations. If only her conscience were not so troubled. By Darkovan mores, she had not done anything very terrible.
"It was rather chaotic, with the Renunciates fighting and the bandits as well, and I did not quite know what to do. After I had succeeded in breaking the man's neck, I rather panicked, I suppose, because I just wanted it to stop! I just shouted 'Stop,' without really thinking, you see, as anyone might in the same circumstances." She found her mouth was dry, and felt her father pat her elbow, as if he knew how upset she was.
Margaret swallowed again, and tightened her grip on her father's arm. "I have the command voice, you see, and I am not quite accustomed to it." She stopped again, and looked down at Donal, who grinned up at her.
"That's right! Never, never wake Cousin Marguerida up from sleep—unless you want to end up—"
"Sleepwaking out the front door in the middle of the night," Lew finished the sentence. He gave Donal a look, and the lad subsided with an understanding twinkle in his eyes.
Robert and Gisela looked from father to daughter, and Dom Damon gazed at Margaret with interest. "What happened then," Lord Aldaran asked, his small eyes gleaming.
"Much to my surprise, everyone stopped! Which is to say they froze, as if they were statues in the. snow. I was terrified because I could not think how to undo what I had done. But I did think of a way, and managed to get my companions back to normal. Not the bandits, however."
"You mean you left them to freeze to death?" Gisela asked, her voice rough with terror. There were goose bumps all along the smooth skin on her arms, and she shrank back. She looked at Marguerida, a light of fear in her eyes. "How could you?"
"What choice did I have?" Margaret did not believe her-
self. She sounded boastful, which was the last thing in the world she felt. "They outnumbered us, and one of the Renunciates was injured."
"Did you leave them in the snow, Cousin Marguerida?" piped Donal. "I would have liked to see that."
"The Renunciates dispatched them, and burned their bodies." She felt sick as she said it, and cowardly.
"Very good," Lord Aldaran announced, apparently not horrified in the least. "A better end than they deserved!"
Gisela was made of more fragile stuff, for she shivered all over, and shrank away, drifting toward Mikhail, who was still talking to Ariel. Margaret watched her, and noted that Mik did not seem to acknowledge Gisela's presence at his side.
Just as Robert Aldaran was about to ask her another penetrating question, the Lanarts entered the room. Dom Gabriel was frowning and Gabe looked very uncomfortable in his formal tunic, but Rafael smiled. Without listening to any further queries, Margaret left her father's sheltering side, and approached her uncle. "Dom Gabriel! Cousin Rafael! What a lovely surprise. I did not know you were here. And Cousin Gabe—how are you?"
Margaret slipped her hand into her uncle's arm, resting her hand lightly on his elbow. He gave her a puzzled look, as if surprised by being greeted warmly. "Well enough, well enough," he answered gruffly. "You are looking quite splendid."
She leaned her head a little closer to him, determined to make the best of the moment. She might not like her uncle, but he was safe, and would not make her feel miserable about her part in the death of brigands. "And you are looking as if you would rather be anywhere but here," she answered very quietly. "Is your leg hurting?" she almost whispered. Margaret knew that Dom Gabriel had been suffering from sciatica during the fall, and the way he favored one side told her he still was.
"A bit. Kind of you to ask." Dom Gabriel relaxed just a little. "You are a good girl, even if you are a bit headstrong and don't know how to behave. We arrived just an hour ago, with a storm coming up our backsides, and I barely had time to catch my breath. It isn't going to be much of a blow, but the wind was troublesome. Then Ja-
vanne insisted I come to dinner, though sitting down to supper with a pack of Aldarans is not my idea of digestible!"
Margaret laughed at this mild jest on her uncle's part. "No, not in the least digestible. Indeed, I think that Dom Damon would trouble a dragon's belly, don't you."
She was pleased when her uncle barked his rather loud laugh, making several people turn and look at him. "A shame," he said as quietly as his large voice would allow, "that they are extinct. I would like to hunt one, and better, I would like to see one eat ... no matter. Go talk to Rafael, will you, and Gabe, since you seem determined to be pleasant. And don't think I don't know what you are up to—trying to turn me up sweet."
"Uncle Gabriel, I am sincerely glad to see you, no matter what you think. We see things very differently, but I know that you have the very finest intentions."
"All of which will likely come to ruin, what with Aldarans in Comyn Castle, and maybe on the Council, though I will oppose that with my last breath. At least you are behaving yourself. Who's that gal hanging on Mikhail's arm—-I don't recognize her."
"That is Gisela Aldaran, Uncle."
His rather protuberant eyes bulged, and his face turned a dusky red. "What!"
"Yes. She seems to have decided that ..."
"I don't care what she's decided—I won't have it!" He glared, as if the situation were Margaret's fault. Then his expression softened, and he looked at her with something approaching affection. "Just when I think things cannot get any worse—!"
Margaret patted his forearm with her free hand, because she really felt sorry for Dom Gabriel. "I know. But at least this is something that isn't my fault."
"It has been hard-on you, hasn't it? I have made things hard for you. Sometimes, I feel as if I am the only man on Darkover who has not lost his wits completely!"
Margaret was surprised and touched by this expression of empathy, so unlike her uncle's usual behavior. He was still stubbornly opposed to Aldarans on the Comyn Council, to Lew sitting on it, or to any possi
ble marriage between her and Mikhail, and likely to remain so. But he was a
good man, a decent man, and she had to acknowledge that. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on one rather rough cheek. Dom Gabriel started slightly at this affection, then brightened a bit.
"Now, why don't you go over and pry that woman off Mikhail's arm, and I will go make friendly conversation with Gabe and Rafael, and we will both do Lady Javanne proud, Uncle Gabriel."
"Very well." He sighed. "Ariel is likely going to tell me more about her pregnancy than I want to hear. I cannot tell you what a blessing it has been that she was at Arilinn and not at Armida these months. But you are right. Javanne 'is giving me one of her looks, and a scolding will follow if I don't do my duty." Women! I am beset with women! May the Gods give me strength! He cast his eyes up to the painted ceiling, gave Margaret's hand a perfunctory pat, and left her.
Rafael and Gabe Alton moved closer to her, both of them smiling. "Thank you for your kindness to the Old Man," Rafael began. "He's been like a baited bear for days, and the journey did not help a bit. And no matter how he pretends otherwise, he does like it when pretty women fuss over him."
"Don't we all. How are you, Marguerida?" Gabe, who was no longer interested in her as a potential wife, looked her up and down. "You seem thinner."
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