"David Drake - The Way to Glory" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drake David)

In biological terms you're no doubt correct, Adele thought. With some difficulty she controlled the
instinctive curl of her lip. But that wasn't fair, because Kearnes was really saying it was easier forher to
talk to a woman about her fears for her offspring. It didn't imply anything about the woman she confided
in.

"I might better introduce you to Midshipman Dorst, whom you've invited tonight," Adele said. "But . . .
midshipman is a responsible job. He'll be treated as an officer under most circumstances, but he's still in
training and he'll be expected to pay attention to whoever may be instructing him. And of course RCN
discipline is strict even for officers; perhaps especially for officers. Lives may depend on obedience to
orders."

"Yes, that's what worries me," Kearnes admitted to her interlaced fingers. "Oller isn't a bad boy, please
understand me, and he'svery bright on so many subjects. But . . ."

Oller is a willful brat who's never stuck to anything long enough to learn if he has an aptitude for
it, Adele translated silently. Aloud she said, "It's possible that discipline imposed by his superiors will
teach your son the importance of self-discipline, mistress. That often happens."

Certainly being clouted across the deck by a bosun who took exception to your smart mouth would be a
learning experience beyond anything a well-born youth was likely to have gotten at home. Woetjans, the
Princess Cecile 's bosun, was also biologically female. She was six and a half feet tall and showed no
hesitation whatever in using her immense strength to advance an argument with someone whom RCN
regulations made her responsibility. As Chief of Rig, those responsibilities included teaching midshipmen
the ropes as surely as they did teaching enlisted recruits.

"Yes, well . . ." Kearnes said. She forced a smile as she met Adele's eyes again. "Oller is on a cruise to
Sexburga in theBainbridge under Commander Slidell. They're taking dispatches for distribution there,
but I gather it's really a training cruise. It should be a good experience."

The poor fool almost choked getting that last sentence out, Adele thought; half in pity, half in disgust. Did
the woman have any conception of what real hardship amounted to?

But of course she didn't, because she hadn't allowed herself to think about uncomfortable things. Lira
Kearnes may well have walked past Agatha's head on Speaker's Rock, for example.

"A training cruise will give your son an idea of what service in the RCN really is," Adele said aloud,
wondering if she should get up to put a stop to the conversation. Notquite yet. "I don't know what the
regulations say formally, but I'm sure that if the boy feels he's really unsuited to a naval career, your
husband will be able to arrange his separation easily enough."

"Yes, of course," Kearnes said, her smile real this time but wan. "I know that, but I still, well . . ."

In a change of subject that made Adele reach again for her data unit—and again catch herself—Kearnes
continued, "The Captain Slidell commanding theBainbridge is Aban Slidell. His elder brother Jan was
Corder Leary's private secretary when he was Speaker of the Senate."

"Politics have never interested me, mistress," Adele said, tensing herself to rise.

"But you know that your friend Daniel's father isthat Leary, don't you?" Kearnes said. Suddenly her
voice was firmer. "I was wondering how you two came to be friends."