Ashes of Roses (Tales of the Latter Kingdoms Book 4) (10 page)

“It is really no matter — ”

“It is for
me
. You may sit at the end and stare up at the ceiling and feel put upon, but I must sit close to Lord Senric, and that means sitting close to the Emperor, for the Duke is but two places away.”

“Of course,” I said at once. I reminded myself that Gabrinne had her own stakes to play here, and it was selfish of me to ignore them. “I will do what I can, but I do draw the line at fisticuffs.”

The grin returned. “Then I daresay that makes you better than half the girls here.”

I could only shake my head at such a remark, but I did follow her lead in touching my mouth with the napkin and wiping my hands thoroughly before I set it aside. Around me I noticed the other young women were doing the same, then shifting to the edges of their seats, as if they expected to break into a sprint the second the signal was given.

My heart began to pound, and I willed myself to stay calm. There were three more days after this one — three more opportunities to see him, possibly speak with him. I could not act as if everything hinged on this single night.

The chime sounded, and everyone jumped out of their seats as if pinched. No one ran, precisely, but it was certainly an inelegant rush that descended upon the high table. Gabrinne was a pace ahead of me, and I followed in her shadow, hearing the familiar voices of my stepsisters only a few paces behind me.

“Jenaris, move faster! If only you weren’t so fat — ”

“I am
not
fat — someone is in my way!”

Somehow I forced myself to not look back, to keep moving forward. And then it was as if we hit some sort of invisible wall, for a distinguished-looking older gentleman stood between us and the table, one hand raised.

“I admire your enthusiasm, ladies, but there are seats for all. Two at a time, please.”

As somehow Gabrinne and I had managed to place ourselves more or less at the head of the pack, we were neck and neck with two or three other girls, all of whom shot us venomous glances. I guessed they would not be so ill-disposed toward Gabrinne once they learned she had no designs on the Emperor, whereas I was already the source of a good deal of ill will because of the attention he paid me the day before.

We stood there, irresolute, apparently no one wishing to show poor breeding by stepping forward first. I wondered how long this impasse would last.

But then I heard the scrape of a chair being pushed back, and the Emperor rose from his seat and came toward our group. His dark gaze flickered over all of us, at last coming to rest on me, and he smiled.

“This way, ladies,” he said with a nod at Gabrinne and me, and spread his hand toward the empty seats at the table.

Words seemed to fail both of us, but we managed a curtsey, then went to take our seats — I across from the Emperor, and Gabrinne next to me, where she would be on the diagonal from where Lord Senric sat. Not perhaps the most ideal location for conversation, but apparently she deemed it well enough, for she smiled as she allowed a servant to push in her chair. I also took my place, swallowing nervously and praying that my stepsisters were not tall enough to have seen exactly what just transpired.

The Emperor returned to his own chair and smiled at me, expression warm and perhaps almost too familiar, while in the seat next to him his sister appeared to repress a grin of her own, and on his other side the Dowager Empress, a beautiful but forbidding woman of perhaps some fifty years, shot a scowl at me from beneath a pair of perfectly arched eyebrows.

What on
earth
had he been thinking?

T
orric

N
o doubt my
mother would have said some imp possessed me, to show such favoritism in front of everyone. After all, for the other two courses, I had been content to let Lord Hein manage the placement of the girls at my table. None of them interested me in the least, although I did my duty by smiling and making conversation with them, even as my eyes continually sought out Ashara where she sat across the chamber. When she turned up at the front of the latest group, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to make sure she had the best spot at the table — she and her friend, who I believed was the youngest daughter of the Earl of Kelsir, although I could not recall her name.

To my surprise, that young lady, though bold enough in other respects, seemed not interested in me in the slightest, and instead turned her attention toward Lord Senric, inquiring as to his grape harvest with a most predatory gleam in her eye. Ah, so that was her game. I wished her luck with it, for in my estimation the Duke had gone long enough without a wife. And I had to confess it was a relief to know that at least one of these young ladies had no desire to be Empress.

The others, though…

I looked across the table to Ashara. Thank the gods that Lord Hein had had the good sense to make sure the centerpieces weren’t so tall they obscured my view of my dinner companions. Her gaze met mine for a few seconds before she looked down, a warm flush staining her cheeks.

Yesterday I had thought her lovely, but she seemed even more beautiful now, in a dark green gown that brought forth mysterious copper glints from within her russet hair, and which warmed her ivory skin. Also, as befitted a dinner dress, the bodice of this one was cut lower, and I saw the faintest hint of the shadows between her high, full breasts, a contrast to the slenderness of her neck, the pronounced collarbones beneath the heavy necklace of gold and green tourmalines. Desire stirred within me, and I forced it back. Now was not the time to be indulging such things.

“It is good to see you again, Ashara,” I told her, which was certainly no more than the truth.

“And you, Your Majesty,” she replied in her low, sweet voice.

How I wished to hear her call me by my name! However, I knew I could not ask such a thing of her — not here in front of my sister and my mother, and the other noble lords who had a place at the high table. Perhaps once we had the opportunity to be alone I could urge that…and possibly other intimacies…from her, but not now.

No, here we could only speak of the commonplaces propriety allowed, but that was better than nothing. “And are you enjoying the dinner, Ashara?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The food is wonderful, and the flowers are so very beautiful. Someone must have been working from sunup to create so many lovely arrangements.”

It seemed rather an odd comment to me — of course someone had been working on the flowers all day; that was what servants were for. Since it was clear that she was sincere, and, truly, the hall did look rather impressive, I only nodded. “Lord Hein said the roses would not last much longer anyway, so best they be put to some good purpose. I confess I do not pay that much attention, save that there are arrangements all over the palace in the warm months, and not so much in the winter.”

She smiled at that. “Well, Your Majesty, they are lovely, but his lordship is correct. They will last through the first frost or two, but after that they are gone until the spring.”

“Do you have many roses at your home?”

A shadow seemed to pass over her face. “At the — at our townhouse here in Iselfex, we have none. It is all cobbles on the street, and although our cook grows geraniums in her window boxes, it is not quite the same thing. There were — there are lovely gardens at our country estate, but we do not go there often.”

There was such a combination of wistfulness and sadness in her tone that I longed to know more, to ask why they should stay here so long in town if she appeared so clearly disinclined to it, but that question seemed somehow too intimate. Instead, I inquired, “But will you ride tomorrow? I know some of the young women will only come to the reception, and not participate in the hunt itself, for they do not count themselves good enough riders. I hope you do not include yourself in that number, even if you spend a good deal of time here in the capital without much opportunity for riding.”

She waited until the servant at her elbow had finished filling her wine goblet to the halfway point. When she replied, her voice was soft but firm. “It is true that I have not had the chance to ride as much lately as I would like to, but when I was young — that is, my father and I used to ride all the time, and I think I shall manage well enough. He had me in the saddle before I was barely old enough to walk.”

I recalled then that her father had been dead these ten years or so, which could explain the note of quiet sorrow in her tone. Perhaps it was hurtful for her to recall the times they had spent together, when it seemed clear enough to me, even though she had said nothing specific on the topic, that she did not get along very well with her stepmother. A common enough story, but at least she had managed to attend these festivities despite all that. In a way, knowing even this small fact about her heartened me and made me even more anxious for the future, for by making Ashara my bride I could take her away from a life that she apparently did not find all that appealing.

Oh, that’s a good tale you’ve spun for yourself
, I thought then.
You know nothing of the kind. Yes, it would please you to be her rescuer, but certainly she has said nothing to indicate that she needs rescuing
.

“That’s a relief, then,” I told her, and hoped she had not noticed the pause before I spoke. “I know there are some good horsewomen among those assembled here, but I must confess I hoped you would be among them.”

“No fear,” she said, and smiled. “I am sure my mount cannot rival those from your stables, but I will manage well enough.”

“I would offer you the loan of one, but then all the girls would want the same treatment, and that, I fear would require me to borrow horses from my guard…which, if I’m not mistaken, would lead to a great deal of grumbling. I’m sure your mount will do well enough, and I will try not to set too hard a pace.”

“Do not make it easy on my account, Your Majesty,” she replied, with a glint in her amber-green eyes. “Or you may find it is you who are lagging behind.”

Her expression had grown lively, and so I thought she must enjoy riding a good deal, and did not have much opportunity for doing so while living here in town. I was glad my sister and I had decided on a hunt as one of the activities in this week-long carnival in my quest for a bride, even though my mother had thought the idea quite foolish, and even Lord Hein had expressed his misgivings in hosting a hunt with quite so many participants.

As it turned out, however, a good many of the young ladies had already demurred, and so the gathering would most likely number somewhat under two hundred. Even that might prove to be unwieldy, but those of my guard who were riding with us would have to do their best to keep everyone from mishap.

“I do not think lagging behind will be much of a problem,” I told her calmly, although as I spoke I wondered if I would have to rein back Thunderer, my favorite stallion, to keep him from taking too much of a lead.

“And what is your horse’s stock, Miss Millende?” my mother put in, deliberately using a form of address that should have been reserved for someone of lesser birth, and not a nobleman’s daughter.

To her credit, Ashara did not even blink. “I fear I do not precisely know, Your Majesty. My aunt is loaning me one of hers, as my stepmother does not keep a stable while we are here in town. It is so much more convenient to use a hired carriage when necessary.”

My mother sniffed, shot a sideways glance at me, as if to say,
This is the girl attracting all your attention?
, and then pointedly turned to Lord Keldryn, who sat on her right, and began asking him about the prospects of an early frost that year.

The snub was quite obvious, and I sent an apologetic look across the table at Ashara. To my surprise, I thought I saw the faintest lift at the corner of her rosy lips, as if she were more amused by my mother’s bad behavior than anything else.

Such a reaction raised the young lady even higher in my estimation, for I thought if Ashara could handle my mother, then she would make quite the estimable Empress, even putting aside my desire for her. “So your aunt is loaning you one of her horses? That is very generous of her.”

For some reason Ashara flushed then, and did not quite meet my eyes. “Yes…she does not care for town and lives some ten miles away, in Karthels.”

“And is she your father’s sister, or your mother’s?”

“My mother’s.”

She seemed disinclined to give any more information than that, and I let the matter go for the moment. Truly, I did not care who her aunt was or who her connections might be. The important thing was that she had offered Ashara the loan of a horse so she might participate in the hunt tomorrow.

By then the servants had filled Ashara’s plate, and that of her fellow diners at the table. Indeed, a choice cut of lean roast beef and vegetables and fig compote had appeared on my own plate almost by magic, although I knew that must have been done as I was speaking with Ashara. I picked up my fork and knife and cut a piece of the meat, knowing that I must allow my guests some time to eat, even if I had little stomach for it. Much better to keep speaking with her, to take these few moments we had before once again the seating arrangements changed, and she was hurried along to the final table.

But she seemed slender — almost too slender — and it did not seem chivalrous to keep her from eating. Perhaps her stepmother kept a frugal table, or was one of those given to fads such as not eating red meat, or bread, or eschewing cheese. I did not know how much time we would have to talk on the morrow, but I vowed then that I would do whatever was necessary to make sure she never slipped out of my sight during the hunt. After all, the Forest of Islin was wide, and there was always the chance that we might get lost in it together…

“
I
truly do not know
what you see in her, Torric,” my mother said darkly, and set her glass of port down on the spindly-legged table of inlaid ebony next to her. “She seems quite insipid to me. And who are her family? No one, as far as I can tell!”

Somehow I managed to refrain from letting out a sigh. This was no more than I had expected from my mother, after all.

Of course Lyarris was quick to say, “I think she seems perfectly lovely. And her father was a baronet, was he not, Torric?”

“Yes. He passed away some years ago, but to my knowledge Ashara is his heir. That makes her birth gentle enough for me. Surely you can find nothing in her manner that is objectionable?”

A sniff. “Perhaps, but nothing noteworthy, either, besides that hair of hers. The Empress of Sirlende should be a young woman of more spirit, like Baron Aldrenne’s daughter, or the daughter of the Earl of Kelsir.”

I could not help but laugh then, and remarked, “I get the distinct impression that Lord Hildar’s daughter has set her sights elsewhere.”

“Oh, you noticed that, too?” Lyarris put in. “Yes, Mother, it seemed to me that Gabrinne Nelandre showed a particular interest in Lord Senric, so I think it is not much use to suggest her to Torric. And if he has settled on this Ashara Millende, what of it? What is wrong with allowing him the choice of his heart?”

“Oh, that is very noble,” my mother said. “Would that all of us were allowed ‘the choice of our heart’!”

I had had enough. “For all the gods’ sake, Mother, are you going to drag that up again?”

“You will not speak to me in such a tone, Torric! You may be the Emperor of Sirlende — ”

“In one thing you are right, Mother. I am the Emperor of Sirlende, and so I will make the final decision here, with no one to say me nay. Do you understand?”

Another woman might have resorted to false tears then, or some other attempt at invoking filial guilt. My mother, however, did not stoop to such meager ploys. “I understand that my son is a fool,” she retorted in cutting tones, and stalked from the chamber, her attendants falling in around her as soon as she went through the door.

For a second or two my sister and I only gazed at one another. Then she said wearily, “Must you always provoke her?”

“Perhaps you should instead ask her why she always allows herself to be provoked! Indeed, I think she would be dreadfully disappointed if we didn’t have at least one argument each day.”

“Oh, Torric.” Lyarris went to pour a scant measure of port into her glass; I had told the servants to wait outside after they had attended to us when we first entered the small salon, the chamber where my family tended to gather after public affairs such as the dinner this evening. Eavesdrop the attendants would, of course, but I saw no reason why I should make things easier for them.

“Don’t ‘oh, Torric’ me,” I said irritably. “I have long since given up trying to make peace with her — I fear I have neither the stomach nor the energy for it. Now, you —
you
I will listen to. So do you think I am being foolish?”

“Not exactly,” she replied, the words coming slowly, as if she were stopping to consider each one before she uttered it. “That is, your acquaintance with this young woman has been exceedingly short, no more than a half hour together all told, but you would have had even less if Princess Lisanne had survived. It was not as if you could have sent her back home to her father if you found she did not suit you.”

That was no more than the truth. The late princess, if she had lived, would have come to Iselfex with her own attendants, greeted with all the pomp and majesty such an event required — and then we would have been married that same night, and sent to bed as well, that we might get down to the business of providing Sirlende with an heir. Very likely we would not have exchanged more than twenty words before we became man and wife in every sense of the word.