Days of Air and Darkness - Katharine Kerr [48]
“This is awfully exciting,” Jill said at one point. “Your aunt seems to know everything worth knowing about the whole town.”
“She does. Whenever my uncle’s away somewhere, she rules pretty much as his regent.”
Later that afternoon, when her cousins were busy with their mother, Sevinna, as a substitute hostess, took Jill out to show her the garden—a rare thing in those days, even though it was just a square of lawn with floral borders and a stone sundial in the middle. Since Jill had never seen a sundial before, Sevinna explained how it worked and read off the legend engraved around the edge: time flies fast, so catch it while you can.
“Sevvi, you know how to read!”
“I do. I wheedled my father’s scribe into teaching me the letters and suchlike when I was little. I was so afraid of what my father would do when he found out, but he just laughed and said I could waste my time if I wanted to.”
“He sounds like a kind man, truly.”
“He is, and I honor him, but of course, we’re not rich or suchlike.”
“Your uncle certainly is. I’ve never been inside a dun like this one before.”
“Indeed? Does your clan live in one of the northern provinces?”
“Well, my father lives in Eldidd, but I’m not noble-born or suchlike. He was the captain of Rhodry’s warband before Rhodry got exiled. I went with him when he rode away.”
Jill’s tale led to Sevinna telling about her mother, and from there to the life of her whole clan, and the noble clans in the neighborhood, and the local gossip. Sevinna found herself rattling on and on while Jill listened with a flattering attention, speaking only to ask questions.
“Now, I’m just dying of curiosity,” Jill said finally. “I’ll tell you why I was at Gram’s house if you’ll tell me why you were there.”
“Fair enough. We wondered if you were buying a love charm or suchlike. Rhodry’s awfully good-looking.”
“He is. It seems that every lass in the kingdom thinks so, too. He’s all I have in the world, after all, and I’d just die if he left me someday. After all, a woman’s got to fight with what poor weapons she can, doesn’t she?”
“We do. You see, I’m here because my uncle’s going to make my marriage for me. I don’t want to have to marry some man I don’t like just because he’s got the right kin. So I’m learning how to make charms and suchlike.”
“Oooh!” Jill’s eyes grew wide. “You actually know how?”
“Just a little bit right now. We all—oh, here, I can’t tell you more than that unless you’ve sworn the oath to Aranrhodda.”
“Of course I have. Why do you think Gram was helping me?”
“Oh, splendid! Well, look, tonight you’ll have to come up to Baba and Bry’s hall. We can talk about it then, because Lady Caffa doesn’t know, you see. Baba’s sure that her mother would be furious.”
“I’ll hold my tongue, I swear it. Oh, this is going to be splendid fun.”
“Ye gods,” Jill said. “These noble ladies are always eating! It seems like they just finish one plate of sweetmeats when a servant brings another. It would be awfully easy to poison someone if you wanted to.”
“And why are you thinking of poisons?” Rhodry said.
“Because of Mallona. Why else?”
They were sitting in their chamber in Tudvulc’s broch, a little room and poorly furnished. Tudvulc’s chamberlain was terrified of offending Rhodry’s powerful brother by being too hospitable to a man he’d exiled, and Rhodry saw no reason to argue about it. Besides, the room was tucked into an obscure segment of one of the half-brochs, where they weren’t likely to be overheard, compensation enough for the lack of embroidered coverlets.
“The gwerbret tells me that the ladies are going a-visiting soon,” Rhodry said. “Have you heard that?”
“I have. They’re going to show Sevinna off to possible suitors in another demesne. Lady Caffa takes her responsibility to her niece very seriously. They’ll be staying