Naamah's Blessing - Jacqueline Carey [83]
If Desirée hadn’t looked so gods bedamned happy, mayhap there wouldn’t have been as many cheers; but she did. Happiness radiated from her every pore as she stood clutching the hand of her betrothed Sun Prince, the hands of her newly found grandmother resting on her shoulders, her newly found grandfather with an arm around his wife’s waist, Papa Rogier and Maman Claudine gazing on with approval. No one could begrudge the orphaned Little Pearl her joy.
It was a brilliant move.
“Queen Jehanne’s parents?” Bao asked me.
I nodded. “She couldn’t abide them, or at least not her mother. They had a dreadful relationship.”
He eyed them. “Why would they be a party to this?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Except that according to my lady Jehanne, her mother ever resented her. Jehanne convinced his majesty to gift them with a modest title and send them into virtual exile in the provinces. Mayhap this is her chance at last to eclipse her daughter’s star, or exact petty vengeance for being banished from her life.”
Across the hall, Duc Rogier caught my eye. He lifted his chin a fraction, daring me to speak out against this.
I glanced around the hall. I had allies here, allies amongst House Shahrizai, amongst the Lesser Houses. Amongst the guardsmen and attendants, who were not greeting the news with cheers.
Not enough.
You’ll fail, Jehanne’s voice murmured in my memory; and I saw the truth of it unfurl before me. I may have been Desirée’s oath-sworn protector, appointed by King Daniel himself, but his majesty was dead and I was a bear-witch of the Maghuin Dhonn. In Terre d’Ange, I would always be suspect. If I spoke out now, all I would do was further alienate those who thought I was mad, and jeopardize the goodwill of those who believed in me enough to risk the voyage to Terra Nova.
I inclined my head to Duc Rogier, ceding this battle.
He smiled, glancing sidelong at his wife, Claudine. She smiled, too.
The balance of the evening was like a dream best forgotten. For Desirée’s sake, I put the best face I could on it. Breathless with excitement, she was permitted to introduce Bao and me to her newly found grandparents.
I greeted them politely. Behind the reciprocal politeness of the Comtesse de Maillet, I saw only dislike born of a lingering resentment. I had loved her daughter, therefore, she opposed me. It was as simple as that. Jehanne’s father was another matter.
“I understand my daughter found comfort and kindness in your companionship,” he said to me in a low voice. “I was glad to hear it.”
“And I to provide it,” I said honestly. “My lord, if I might have a word in private regarding this betrothal—”
Averting his gaze, the Comte de Maillet turned away from me. “I beg you, do not speak to me of politics. I have no stomach for controversy. We do but seek what is best for our granddaughter, and it seems to me that this alliance will serve her well.”
“It won’t,” Bao interjected in a blunt tone. “And you ought to know it.”
Shaking his head in denial, the Comte withdrew further, demurring and deferring to his wife.
I sighed.
“Well!” A heavy hand settled on my shoulder. “Looks like you’ve been outflanked, eh?”
“Oh, aye?” I glanced up at the owner of the hand, finding a pair of bright blue eyes in a face homely by D’Angeline standards, topped with a thatch of copper-red hair. “And who might you be, my lord?”
He laughed. “You don’t know?”
Bao shifted uneasily, reaching for his staff.
“Peace, peace!” The redheaded fellow unhanded me, backing away, his blue eyes bright with mirth. “I mean no harm. I’m your captain, you idiots. I’ve been to Terra Nova and back. And I come from a line of naval commanders foolish enough to believe that the gods choose unlikely vessels.” He bowed with surprising grace. “Lord Septimus Rousse, at your service.”
Balthasar Shahrizai drifted alongside us. “Oh, good!