Naamah's Blessing - Jacqueline Carey [84]
“I wanted to,” I admitted. “But it wouldn’t have done any good.”
“You’re learning.” He continued to gaze toward the royal family, eyes narrowing in thought. “Fourteen years.”
I blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“That’s how long the Regent would be in power until Desirée is old enough to take the throne,” Bao said. “That’s what you meant, isn’t it?”
“Exactly.” Balthasar gave a precise nod. “Fourteen years to rule the realm, fourteen years to train his successor. If we fail, that child will never be anything more than a figurehead.”
“Then we’d best not fail,” I murmured.
“I’ll hold up my end of the bargain,” Septimus Rousse said in a steady tone. “And that’s a promise.”
It made me feel a little better.
But only a little.
THIRTY-ONE
When the royal steward rang the bell summoning us to the dinner table, it was time for Desirée to return to the nursery, and time for us to say our final farewells. Now came the realization that this occasion marked the separation to come, and the inevitable tears and protestations.
The assembled peers watched the scene uncomfortably, and Claudine de Barthelme gave Sister Gemma a discreet order to remove the princess forthwith.
I shook my head at her. “Wait, please.”
Although it earned her a none-too-subtle glare from Maman Claudine, the priestess obeyed.
I knelt before Desirée, Bao crouching on his heels beside me. “Dear heart, it’s time to say good-bye for now. Remember how we talked about being brave?”
She nodded.
“Remember this?” I shifted my hands into a reassuring mudra, and then a mudra of concentration. “And this?”
The effort of concentrating on emulating my gestures distracted Desirée from her tears. “I remember, Moirin. It’s a way to make prayers.”
“Good girl.” I kissed the top of her head. “When you think of Bao and me while we are gone, mayhap you will pray for us, and for your brother, Thierry, and all the men with him, and everyone travelling with us. All the way across the ocean, it will gladden our hearts, and it will help you to be brave, too.”
She gazed at me with a child’s wide-eyed willingness to believe. “Truly?”
“Truly,” I said firmly. “Now, give us both a good-bye hug.”
“A really, really good one,” Bao added. “As hard as you can, so we’ll feel it for days and days!”
With a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob, Desirée obliged, wrapping her slender arms around my neck and squeezing me with fierce strength, burying her face against the curve of my throat. “I love you,” she whispered in a muffled tone. “I do! And I will pray every day, I promise!”
I returned her embrace, pressing one last kiss against her fine, silken hair. “I love you too, dear heart,” I whispered in reply. “And I thank you for your prayers.”
When I released her reluctantly, she hugged Bao with equal fervor. He whispered somewhat in her ear, and rose to his feet holding her. When she unwound her arms from around his neck, Bao tossed her a foot or so into the air, then caught her effortlessly, eliciting a faint, sorrow-tinged giggle from her. After one more hug, he kissed her cheek and set her on her feet.
A soft murmur ran through the hall.
It may not have been as poignant a sight as the tableau Duc Rogier had staged, but it came close—and it was genuine. Not a few peers dabbed at their eyes with handkerchiefs as Sister Gemma escorted the young princess from the hall, Desirée glancing tearfully over her shoulder until the doors closed behind her.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
When I opened my eyes, the Comtesse de Maillet was staring at me with a disdain she could barely conceal. “My granddaughter lacks manners,” she said in a stiff voice. “I must confess that I am sorry to see that behavior that would not be tolerated in the Night Court is encouraged in the Palace. That, I assure you, will change.”
Without