Java and Shair were still sitting in easy intimacy when Robin opened the door. “Shair, he’s here.”
“Who?” Shair asked, looking over the back of the couch that she and Java were sharing.
“Duke Ander. He wants to meet Java.” Her words launched both Shair and Java from the couch.
“Are you sure, Robin?” Java asked, then looked past her to see Stephen Corban speaking with Eldora. “You’re sure.” Turning, she hugged Shair. “I’ll bring him out here as soon as I can. Probably tomorrow.”
“Don’t hurry things, Java. He’s still the duke of a duchy that would happily stone the three of us to death. And be careful what you do and say around him. Ander was depressingly devout when he was younger. I don’t know how he would react to a Le’Ah princess.” Shair’s eyes were troubled, and Java nodded her understanding.
Java quickly put on one of her few dresses that she kept at Robin’s manor. It was made of brilliant blue velvet with real gold needlepoint on the cuffs, hem and neckline. It was also hideously heavy. Her knives were secreted on her thighs and forearms. Slits sewn with a single thread gave her quick access to the knives on her legs without being obvious, while the knives on her arms were in drop sheaths. The dress’ lace back made her back-sheaths impossible.
Java groused, “If Naria knew how much I hate this dress…”
“…She’d make you wear it more often,” Robin finished with a laugh.
Java scowled at her, then hugged Shair. “I’ll see you as soon as I can.”
“Remember, Java, Ander is never alone. Watch everything you do and say.” Shair was as serious as she could be. “This is a hostile territory scout.”
Java nodded, unconsciously straightening and snapping a salute, which Shair acknowledged. Lothar had already saddled Sugar, and Java rode to the palace with Stephen in close attendance. Not seeing Java’s knives caused him some concern, but more for where she was hiding them than for her safety. Half the duchy knew about her habit of carrying concealed weapons now.
Java was escorted to the court immediately upon arrival at the palace. She walked casually toward Duke Arten and Duke Ander when two large Helena Guardsmen stepped into her path.
“State your business,” the elder of the two said softly.
“I’m here to see Duke Ander. Is there a problem?” she said sweetly, counterfeiting one of the palace nitwits.
Two of the palace Royal Guards saw the Helena Guardsmen confront Java, and moved to interfere, but a subtle hand gesture kept them back. Java would handle this herself.
The elder Guard looked her over and grinned. “His suite is off to the south. Just leave your name and he’ll get to you.” Both guards smirked and looked at one another. When their attention was off her, Java acted.
Flexing her biceps, she caused her knives to drop to her hands. She took a step closer to the Guards and pointed six inches of razor-sharp steel at each of their crotches.
“Look down,” she said softly. Both men looked down and started. “If you move, I’ll slit your sacks.” She noted the surprise and fear in both pairs of eyes before she smiled again. “I’m Princess Java. If you weren’t warned, I’m not patient with obnoxious fools in uniform.” Stepping back, she flipped her knives into a nearby wall, then nodded to the grinning Royal Guardsmen before slipping past the pair of very startled Helena Guardsmen.
Duke Arten had seen the confrontation as well, and frowned at Java as she walked up. “Java, you’ve got to stop pulling knives on men in the palace.”
Java looked at her adopted father and grinned. “They told me to leave my name at the duke’s suite and he’d get to me.” She grinned at Duke Ander and curtsied deeply. “Lord Duke, I am pleased to meet you.”
Duke Ander flushed, though whether from anger or embarrassment, Java couldn’t tell. He was taller than she had expected, fully six and a half feet. He has the same white hair and brilliant blue eyes that make his sister so unforgettable, and his physique is as trim and athletic as a man half his age. All in all, he’s a man I wouldn’t mind sharing a night or three with.
Briefly glaring at his men over her head, he went to one knee. “I am pleased to meet you, Princess Java. Please forgive my men. They will not trouble anyone further.” His mouth was frozen into a fixed smile, but his eyes burned.
Java nodded her agreement, then winked at him, startling him. “In other circumstances…”
“Java!” Naria whispered fiercely, but Ander had already begun laughing and wagging a finger at her.
“Oh, my. Your daughter, Naria. Definitely your daughter. Excuse me for a moment.” Nodding to his hosts he went to have a few words with his Guards while Arten and Naria faced off with Java.
“That, young lady, was not lady-like at all. Nor proper when addressing the duke of another duchy.” Duke Arten was glaring at Java, and she was suddenly contrite.
“You have to behave, Java. Even if he is here to see Shair, he’s still a visiting duke.” Naria held Java’s gaze until she nodded her understanding.
Duke Ander returned then and bowed to Java. “Princess, your stables will be very clean come morning. Again, please accept my apologies.”
Java cast her eyes to the floor and bit her lips before answering. “I accept your apology, Lord Duke, and offer mine. I have behaved inappropriately.”
Duke Ander was startled by that, but nodded. “In other circumstances…” He grinned and laughed. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m afraid my cousin here is remembering a young man who visited soon after he and Naria were married.” Looking at Arten, he winked. “I’ve grown up a bit since then.”
“As I remember, you were quite insulted that I had married such an improper woman,” Arten said with a grin.
“And, as I remember, you told me to butt out. You were right. I’ve had the opportunity to learn a great deal more about the world since then. More about people. Especially more about women.” Ander grinned and bowed to Java. “I believe we have a friend in common, princess.”
“We do indeed, Lord Duke. We do indeed. My lieutenant is here for a visit, if you should care to meet her. She’s a remarkable woman.” Java’s eyes danced as Duke Ander nodded.
Ander glanced at Arten and Naria. “You obviously know.”
“How could we not? Her association with other friends made our meeting inevitable.” Naria kept her eyes locked with Ander’s.
Ander nodded, then turned back to Java. “A story reached me concerning you and your lieutenant, princess. Certain claims and accusations were made against both of you by a woman who claims to have been a Firewalker Scout.”
“Eva Prineville was a scout. She was dismissed from the company for bearing false witness against a fellow scout. Her name was posted with the League as a liar.” Java’s eyes flashed as she remembered Eva and the results of her actions.
“Lebawan’s Priests are unforgiving and intolerant. As am I, in some cases. I came close to tearing her tongue out for saying the things that she said about Shaireese. And you.” He looked Java in the eye, questions clear.
Java never looked away. She simply smiled and glanced at Arten and Naria. “Excuse us, please. This will only take a moment.”
Reaching out, she took Duke Ander by the hand and led him through a door into a private audience chamber. Once there, she dropped her dress and turned her back to him.
“This is what Eva did to me, to us,” she said softly as Ander began to curse. “Ten lashes, the penalty for breaking the Code.” She turned back, not making any effort to cover her breasts. Her arrow scars were highlighted by a slight flush she was feeling from being alone with him. “I am who and what I am, Duke Ander.”
“Princess, how…Gods Above and Below! Damn that woman! To bear false witness…to say such things…” Duke Ander stalked the room, kicking at the floor.
“They’re true. She lied about other things to cause the trouble, Duke Ander. We in the Firewalkers don’t hold with any of the religions that consider the Le’Ah evil.” Java
watched his eyes, waiting for some reaction.
Ander turned and faced Java as soon as she spoke. “Le’Ah?”
“Women who love women.”
“Then what you said out there was for show.” Duke Ander’s face closed down, anger clear in his eyes.
Java smiled and glanced down at her breasts. Her nipples were erect and aching. Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she glanced at him, then looked away. “No. I like men, Duke Ander. I like you. But I also like women.”
“That’s why Shaireese ran away,” he whispered softly. A tear formed and slid down his cheek. “She ran away because of the evil in her.”
“Not evil!” Java said fiercely. “Nothing that does no harm is evil. Remember that, Ander. It doesn’t matter what some priest says.” Java grabbed his hand, forcing him to look at her.
Ander looked down into a pair of blue eyes that drew him like few others ever had. Leaning down, he kissed Java softly, waiting to see if she pulled away.
Java had been hoping for his kiss, and pressed up to him, opening her mouth slightly as she felt his questing tongue. They kissed passionately for a moment, then he gently pulled away. “Under other circumstances…”
“…I’d throw you to the floor and rip your pants off,” Java completed, giggling.
“Java!” he whispered, grinning. “That is not lady-like behavior.”
“No, it’s mercenary behavior.” She gently pulled away and picked up her dress. Quickly pulling it on, she smiled at Ander. “Now that you know, what will you do?”
Ander looked Java in the eye as he answered. “I will see my sister.”
Java and Ander rejoined the party to find that they had hardly been missed. Duke Arten saw them come back and nodded. “Did you two get things straightened out?”
“One or two, Arten. One or two.” Ander said softly, ignoring Arten’s suddenly intense gaze.
Java smiled softly, but wouldn’t say anything until Arten muttered “Firewalkers!” under his breath like a curse. Then she began giggling.
*
Late that night a shadow flitted across the upper floors of the palace. Duke Ander’s suite wasn’t far from Java’s, and she found the palace walls ridiculously easy to negotiate. Slipping in through an open window, she eased into his bedroom, listening for sounds of more than one person in the room. By the light of the moon, she could see him alone in his bed. Easing close to him, she reached out slowly…
…Ander’s hand came up and clamped on her wrist like a vise as his eyes opened.
Java froze. “It’s Java,” she whispered and watched as comprehension registered in his eyes.
“What do you want?” he whispered softly.
Java used her free hand to unfasten the clasp at her throat, dropping away her light clothes. “Do you really need to ask?”
Sliding a hand around her bare back, he said, “No. I think I know.”
Java found Ander to be a skilled and considerate lover, seeking to pleasure her before himself. Afterward, she snuggled into his arms. “That was wonderful, Ander.”
“More than wonderful, Java. You have a way about you that makes loving you a privilege.” He kissed her softly, feeling her heart quicken as she moaned.
Java clasped her hands behind Ander’s neck, holding him to her. There was a feeling building in her that left no room for anything but him. The feel of his hands. The taste of his kiss.
The morning sun and a brace of Guardsmen and manservants found Duke Ander alone in his bed, much to his surprise. A single long, dark hair on a pillow told him that it hadn’t been a dream.
Formal breakfast in the palace had Java and Ander seated on opposite sides of the table. She was cool and collected as they spoke of inconsequential things over tea and biscuits while the main course was being presented.
“Well, Ander, how did you sleep last night?” Arten asked in a jovial tone. He’d had Ander’s door discreetly watched to see if he had any company. Since no one had entered or exited the door, he assumed that Ander had spent the night alone.
“Quite well, Arten. The beds here are very comfortable,” he said absently. Watching Java from the corner of his eye, he saw her grin.
“Duke Ander,” Java said softly, “I will be visiting with Lieutenant Skyhaven this morning, if you would care to meet her. I’m sure she would be most interested in meeting you.”
“I would like that, Princess Java. Anyone who had a hand at producing such an impressive woman as yourself must be quite a woman in her own right.” Ander’s eyes danced as they spoke for more than one reason.
“Yes, Lieutenant Skyhaven is quite a woman, Duke Ander,” Naria said from her seat to his right, while Arten nodded.
Ander nodded, and breakfast continued as the news of the duchies was rehashed. Finally, after an hour had been wasted on breakfast, Java and Ander mounted their horses for the short ride to Robin’s manor. Java was again dressed in her dress uniform, a change that left many of the duke’s Guardsmen nervous.
Captain Grissom looked Java over carefully, compressing his lips into a tight line before addressing Duke Ander. “My Lord Duke, I cannot approve of this.”
“It’s her city, and duchy, captain. I think I’m safe in Princess Java’s hands,” he said with a grin that almost made her blush.
“I always go armed, Captain, as two of your men discovered last night. I am still a Firewalker Scout.” Java kept her voice soft, but firm. No one will ever get me to leave my knives behind again.
Captain Grissom sighed and shook his head, but there was nothing else he could say. “As you command, my Lord Duke. Form up!” he shouted, and ten Helena Royal Guardsmen formed a human shield around Duke Ander.
Java simply grinned and headed out, leading them through the city to Robin’s manor. Once there, she had to put her foot down to keep the captain from searching the manor.
“My friend is not an unknown threat, you bonehead. My parents and the Hiddendell Royal Guard trust her and her servants. If you have a problem with that, too bad.”
No woman had ever spoken to the captain like that before, and he didn’t like it. “Now listen here…” he began, only to be interrupted by Duke Ander.
“That’s enough, Captain. We are guests of Princess Java and her friends. Post your men on the fences if you wish, but you are not to molest any of these people. Is that clear?”
“But, my Lord Duke, we don’t know who’s in there.” The captain was looking desperately about the area, as if seeking concealed assassins.
“Actually, we do,” Ander said softly as he walked toward the doors.
Robin came out and knelt to him. “Please be welcome in my home, Duke Ander.”
Ander barely heard Robin as he walked past her. A shadow in a darkened doorway resolved itself into the shape of a woman. A woman in a uniform that matched Java’s, with the familiar white hair and bright blue eyes he saw in the mirror every morning.
His sister’s eyes.
“Oh, Sherry,” Ander cried as he clasped his baby sister in his arms.
Shair held Ander as tightly as she could, tears running down her face. “Andy. Oh, Andy,” was all she could manage for several moments.
Java and Robin had closed the door before any of the Guards could see what was happening, then stood back to let their friends have a moment alone.
Shair cried on her brother’s shoulder while he cried into her hair. When Princess Shaireese had disappeared and then been pronounced dead, he had cried and raged at their father for not doing more to find her. Over the years he had held out hope that she would one day be found. Now, holding her in his arms, his heart was once again whole.
Shair led Ander into Robin’s study and closed the door. Robin and Java respected that they needed time to catch up, to adjust. Knowing that Shair was alive was far different from holding her in his arms, and Ander was emotionally overwrought.
Shair was in little better shape. She had denied her emotions for years, but Ander had made her realize that she lov
ed him as much as she had loved anyone in her life. As much as she loved life itself.
Java and Robin shared a smile, then went to fix a tray of tea and cakes. Eldora and her girls were confined to their rooms until Shair and Ander could finish their reunion, so Robin set the service herself. A shadow in the light under the door made Java grin and open it suddenly, startling Captain Grissom.
“Duke Ander told you to post your people on the fences, not skulk about the door. He’ll see you when he’s finished his business.” Java stood firmly in his way, and he looked over her head into the room.
“Where is the Duke?” he asked in a hostile tone.
“In the privy,” Java answered, watching his face register shock before she closed the door. A glance and a nod had Robin casting a privacy spell. So long as the door remained closed, no one could see or hear anything that happened in the study. Not even Java or Robin herself.
Java and Robin spoke softly as they waited, Java making Robin both jealous and curious with her story about her night with Ander. “Really?” she asked, grinning.
“Really. The man is a wonder. He…” she was interrupted by the door of the study opening to reveal a brightly smiling Shair.
“Come in, girls,” she said softly, and Java and Robin quickly complied.
Ander was sitting on the sofa, sipping brandy. “Java, I owe you more than I can ever repay,” he said softly, smiling at his sister.
“No, Ander. This is a family matter. There is no debt among us.” Java slipped her arm around Robin’s waist and went to sit next to him. “This is my friend and sister, Robin Cartwright.”
“Lady Robin, thank you,” Ander said as Shair slid in on his other side, snuggling under his arm. “We couldn’t have met under any other conditions.”
“It was my pleasure, Duke Ander,” Robin said softly.
“Andy, you said Java told you about me, us.” Shair bit her lips, still unsure of her brother’s reaction. “Are you all right with it?”
“No. I still find it hard to accept, but Java showed me something last night that makes me think Lebawan may not be right. I could never accept that you are evil, or that there is anything evil about Java or her friend.” Ander sipped his brandy, looking at the two young women next to him.
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