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"It is nothing more nor less than you deserve," Leyuet protested, opening the door and letting himself out quickly, as if he feared Amberdrake might want to question him further. "It is only my duty; it is only what is right. I bid you good night—for now."
And with that, he gratefully took himself out. Amberdrake had the feeling that if it had been within the bounds of propriety to runaway, he would have.
There is something that he doesn't want me to ask about, and I would bet that it has to do with the King's proposal to Winterhart.
He turned back to the three anxious faces that were, at least, a little less anxious for hearing Leyuet's speech.
"Now," he told them, "let's get comfortable. The garden, I think—we're less likely to be overheard there. Makke, would you go fetch Gesten and have him bring us something to drink that will help keep our nerves I steady? We have a great deal to sort out, and we must find a way to do it in a way that will keep anyone from being hurt."
When Makke rejoined them in the garden, with Gesten and a tray of strong tea and another of sugar-cakes, he ordered her to remain. "You have a part in this, little mother," he told her, patting a seat beside him and smiling at her as she took it, timidly. Gesten went around the garden lighting the insect-repelling lamps and candles. "Let us begin with the lost clothing, for that is what brought meto such a terrible accusation. I think you do not realize that you have been betrayed as badly as you believe you betrayed me."
She bowed her head to hide her face, her shoulders trembling. Odd. I feel steadier now than I have all evening. I wonder why?Was it because he was pretending to be the ever-serene kestra'chern? Or was it because they needed him to bethe calm one?
Well, as a servant, she ca
He sensed Winterhart's anguish even as his mind raced through plans dealing with his quandary and Makke's, and he reached out for her hand even as he spoke soothing words to Makke. When the old woman finally raised her eyes to his, he smiled encouragingly at her and turned his attention to his own beloved.
"Amberdrake, I—" she began.
He managed a weak chuckle. "You are as blameless as poor Makke, if you think you somehow encouraged Shalaman to think you were interested in him," he said, taking a cup of tea from Gesten and pressing it into her trembling hand. "All you did was to be yourself. Dear gods—that was certainly enough to ensnare me,wasn't it?"
Her ma
Silver Veil would make such a Queen— and she loves him. Why can't he see that? Oh, damn. Let me get this settled first. A little matter of a murder accusation— I'll deal with hearts and minds later.
"All you did was to be yourself," he repeated. "And that was just a temptation that was too much for the Emperor to resist. I understand his desire, and I can hardly blame you if I can't blame him!"
She sensed his sincerity, even if she could not share his thoughts, and she managed a tremulous smile.
"The problem is—" he hesitated a moment, then said it out loud. "The problem is, it does appear that Shalaman was perfectly willing for me to stand accused of murder so that his way was clear to take you as his wife."
Makke's face turned gray, but both Zhaneel and Winterhart nodded. Zhaneel's hackles were up, and Winterhart's jaw clenched.
"The obvious answer is to demand Leyuet's services in Court," he continued, but Winterhart interrupted. And not, as he might have supposed, with angry words about the Emperor.
"You have to be careful not to imply in any way that Shalaman was using the accusation as a way to obtain me," she pointed out. "You can't even let other people make that implication. If anyonebesides Leyuet suspects him of dishonorable intentions, he'll never forgive us."
Oh, that is the lady I love— thinking ahead, seeing all the implications, even while her own heart is in turmoil!He felt better with every passing moment, more alive than he had in years—the way he had right after the Catastrophe, when every day brought a new crisis, but she was there to help him solve it.
"Even if it all simply slipped his mind in the excitement, people could still suspect that if I act in public," he replied, thinking out loud. "If he wasoperating with those intentions—he'll become our enemy for exposing him. And if he wasn't, well, when people put facts together and come up with their own suspicions, however erroneous, wouldn't he lose face with his own Court?"
Winterhart nodded as Zhaneel looked from one to the other of them. She toyed with the necklace as she spoke. "It is almost as bad for the Haighlei to lose face as to bedishonorable, and while he might not become our enemy over his own mistake, he isn't going to be our friend, either." Winterhart frowned. "But we can't simply leave things the way they are!"
"If he is disgraced before his own people, might he not even declare war upon us in an attempt to show that he did not want Winterhart after all?" Zhaneel hazarded, her eyes narrowed with worry. "Oh, I wish that Skandranon were here!"
I'm just as glad he's not. He's more than a bit too direct for a situation like this one.
"In any event, if we do this in public, and everything came out well, we still must have Makke's part of the story—and that makes her a conspicuous target for anger," Amberdrake said, as Makke nodded and turned even grayer. "I can't have that. And we have to remember something else—there is someoneout there who wants all of us dead or gotten rid of, and if we take care of this in public, he'll only try again to do just that. The next time he might be still more clever about it. As long as we don't know who our enemy is, we can't guard against him without just going home."
Winterhart clasped her hands together in her lap, around the cup of tea, and Amberdrake pretended not to notice that her knuckles were white.
"You are saying that we can't do anything, then?" she asked tightly. "But—"
"No, what I'm saying is that this can't be public. I spoke at length with Silver Veil, and she gave me another piece of advice—'That which is unthinkable in public is often conducted in private.' Is there a way, do you think, that we could get Shalaman alone, without any witnesses to what we say to him?"
"I don't see how," Winterhart began. "He always has bodyguards with him, even when he gave me the Necklace and the Lilies—"