"Kerr,.Katharine.-.Westlands.04.-.A.Time.Of.Justice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragon Stories)

In a flood of giggles and interruptions, Babryan told how they'd made a friend of Jill and how she too wanted to learn Aranrhodda's lore. Sevinna noticed Taurra listening with a small fixed smile, her delicate mouth pressed thin as if she were in pain.
'They're in Belgwerger now,' Babryan finished up. 'So we wondered if you'd like to meet her.'
'That might be most amusing, even if she is common-born,’ Davylla pronounced. 'Perhaps we can send a page to find out where she and Rhodry are staying.'
'Or would that distress Lady Taurra?' Sevinna put in.
'Why would it?' Taurra turned dark eyes her way. 'Frankly, I should like very much to see this lass. Probably she needs the Old Lore to handle a man such as this Rhodry seems to be. Perhaps I can offer her some advice.'
On the morrow, Lady Taurra kept to her private chamber all morning, and Sevinna was frankly glad of it. While Lady Davylla was busy with her servants, Babryan and Wbridda took Sevinna to visit Clamodda, the Wise Woman who lived in a hut inside the ward of the palace. Since Clamodda had spent most of her life on a farm, she would have been uncomfortable living inside the palace itself, preferring a tiny wooden hut among the other servants, or so she told the girls. A tiny wrinkled woman with wispy white hair, she'd lost all of her teeth years ago and was now losing her sight.
‘The eyes aren't so keen any more, my ladies. But thanks be to our Lady Davylla, I won't starve before the gods see fit to take me to the Otherlands.' Clamodda peered into Sevinna's face. 'Now here, lass, you seem to be as pretty as your cousins here.’
‘I’ll hope so,' Sevinna said. 'My thanks.'
'I do hope you're courteous to our lady Davylla. Best woman in the world she is, and the kindest. I'll be doing my best for her, I will. It's a son she needs now, not another daughter, you see. Oh, you should have heard her husband, carrying on and berating her when the little lass was born. Well, we'll just see about that, we will. We'll just see if the next one isn't a son, as nice and fat as you could want, too. I'm a-working on the charms right now, I am.'
'We'll pray so, too,' Babryan said. 'And we'll leave you to your work.'
Arm in arm, the girls wandered out into the ward, where they found a page searching for them.
'There's a silver dagger at the gate, asking for Lady Sevinna. Should I have the captain chase him away?'
'It's a her, silly!' Sevinna said. ‘I’ll bet it's Jill, anyway.'
The girls followed the page down to the gates, where indeed Jill was lounging against the wall in her dirty men's clothes. Sevinna ran to her and caught her arm.
'Jill dearest,' Sevinna said. 'It truly gladdens my heart to see you.'
'My thanks, but what's wrong? You look so worried.'
Only then did Sevinna realize that indeed, she did feel that something was wrong, and maybe badly so. Before she could say so, Babryan and Wbridda ran up, calling out greetings, to sweep Jill along with them up to the broch. They took Jill up to their chamber above the women's hall, then sent a maidservant with a message to Lady Davylla. Jill started to ask after their mother, but Babryan was too excited to have time for pleasantries.
'Oh, Jill, we've met Lady Taurra, and she's not ill at all. The poor woman! What a tale it is.'
'Indeed?' Jill said, all wide eyes. Tell me.'
As Babryan rattled off the story, Jill listened, feigning a little squeal of amazement every now and then. Sevinna was sure the squeals were feigned, anyway. She wondered how she ever could have thought that Jill was just an ordinary lass like they were. She realized that meeting Lady Taurra had put her on her guard, like a doe who hears one hound barking and begins testing the wind to smell out the pack.
'Do you know this Lord Gwell?' Jill said.
'We don't,' Babryan said. 'But there's lots and lots of lords in the kingdom, aren't there? Why?'
'Just an idle wondering.' Jill gave them all an impartial bright smile. 'But does she truly know the Old Lore?'
They were happily discussing love charms when Lady Davylla came to their chambers and brought Lady Taurra with her. After Babryan introduced Jill, Davylla took them all down to the women's hall where they'd be more comfortable and sent a servant for a plate of dried fruit dipped in crystallized honey. They all sat down on cushions by the open windows, where the sun came in pleasantly with a bit of cool breeze.
'Now Jill dearest,' Davylla said. ‘I’ve actually met your Rhodry down at court. I wonder if he'd remember me?'
'Oh, he does, my lady. When I told him where I was going, he said to give you his regards, if you'd take them from a shamed man and a silver dagger.'
'Well, I will, but it's rather naughty of me.' Davylla flashed a grin. 'Rhodry was always so charming.'
For a while they chatted about Rhodry and his mother, the Lady Lovyan, who was trying to get the king to intervene and recall her son from exile. Sevinna noticed Taurra watching Jill with a pleasant enough smile, but she would glance Jill's way and then somewhere else, as if she didn't want anyone to catch her doing it. The maidservant came in and began to hand the dried fruit round, offering the plate to Lady Davylla first, then the lasses, and finally Taurra and Jill.
'Just put that down on the table,' Davylla said. 'And you may leave us.'
The servant put the fruit on a low table near at hand, then curtsied and left. Sevinna nibbled on a dried apricot and listened to the others talk; she was too uncomfortable to say much herself. Lady Taurra seemed to have little to say, either, although once or twice she made some comment to Davylla. Sevinna supposed that she would have little in common with the young lasses. She supposed. Once Babryan got up and passed the plate of honeyed fruit round again. Gradually the talk drifted from Rhodry and court gossip to the real interest of this little group: the Old Lore.
'Baba and Bry showed me the little knife your Wise Woman made them,' fill said. 'I hope that wasn't naughty of them, but I was awfully interested.'
'Not naughty at all. Poor Clamodda can't do that fine work any more, you know, with her eyes. Fortunately she trained a lass out in the countryside to do it. It's just amazing what some of these simple farm folk know!'
With a small smile, Taurra got up and fetched the dried fruit, offering it around the circle. By the time it came to Jill, there was only one piece left.
'Odd,' Davylla said vaguely. 'I thought there was lots more. Eat that up, Jill darling, and I'll send someone for more.’
'My thanks,' Jill took the dried slice of apple. 'Here, I'll take the plate and fetch the servant, my lady.'
'She should be just out in the corridor.'
Sevinna surreptitiously glanced at Taurra. She could swear that there was a bulge in her kirtle, as if something were hidden in it. Jill came back and resumed her place.
'You've got a bit of honey on your kirtle, Lady Taurra,' Jill said.
'Oh, so I do, how messy of me!' Taurra idly dabbed at it with her forefinger. 'Do you have a handkerchief, Davylla dearest? I've quite forgotten mine.'
Her eyes met Jill's in a flash of dueller's hatred.
While Taurra was busy dabbing at the spot, Jill slipped the apple slice into her brigga pocket. No one seemed to notice but Sevinna. What is going on? she thought to herself. Things seem to have turned so peculiar! Although everyone pressed her to stay, Jill insisted on leaving soon after, saying that Rhodry had told her expressedly to come back early, not late. Pleading courtesy, Sevinna walked with her down to the ward. They lingered in the open door of the central broch for a moment.
'Jill,' Sevinna said. 'You've got some game afoot, don't you?'
'Whatever makes you think that? Tell me, Sevvi, do you like Lady Taurra?'
'I don't. I don't know why, but I don't.'
'Good. You've got more sense than your cousins and the Lady Davylla put together. Now listen, Sevvi. Be very careful while you're here, will you? Don't ask me why. Just keep your eyes open and watch what you say to Lady Taurra.’
'She's not the sort of woman I'd care to cross.'
'Good. Don't. Now I shan't be able to see you again for a while, because Rhodry and I are riding out this afternoon. We're going to Hendyr. Do tell Lady Taurra that, will you, if she asks? Rhodry can usually pick up hires guarding merchant caravans out of Hendyr.'
Although Sevinna of course agreed, she wondered why she was so sure that Jill was lying to her. When she went back into the great hall, she met Lady Taurra on the staircase. With a smile, Taurra came to greet her.
'And did you say farewell to your friend?'
'I did, indeed. She and Rhodry are riding down to Hendyr, so the gods only know when I'll see her again.'