"Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis - Ill Met by Moonlight" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

A flick of the eyes showed that Dunstan had noticed the hair, now silver rather than blond, but all he said
was, "If you will pardon me for saying so, m'lord, I am very glad indeed to see you here again, safe and
sound after your long voyage."

Denoriel smiled. "You are certainly pardoned for saying you are glad to see me. I hope all is well with
you, that you are satisfied with your new service."

"Very satisfied, m'lord." Dunstan's lip twitched. "It's a bit quieter than serving His Grace the duke of
Richmond, but that's all to the good."

"Yes, indeed," Denoriel agreed, and then, lowering his voice, "but don't forget that it might get livelier at
any time."

Concern showed in Dunstan's eyes, but he only bowed to Aleneil and gestured for them to follow,
saying, "Mistress Champernowne is awaiting you in the presence chamber, so please you."

They passed through a large room, obviously serving as the great hall. There were trestle tables stacked
along one wall, and a wide door led to a somewhat smaller but still large room, the general reception
room. There two pages, a footman, and three young gentlemen (whom Denoriel did not recognize)
lounged and made idle chatter. They all looked at Dunstan, but no one made any move to question his
right to escort people through the Lady Elizabeth's apartment.

Then Denoriel realized that they all recognized Lady Alana. The footman bowed to her as did two of the
gentlemen, but they all returned to their conversations only casting a curious glance or two at Denoriel.
On his way out, Denoriel resolved, he would stop and talk to the gentlemen, and the pages too, if he
could find a cause.

Past the large reception room, Dunstan gestured them into the presence chamber and closed the door
behind them. He turned to Denoriel as if he were about to ask a question, but the door on the other side
of the room opened and a young woman, likely in her early twenties, stepped through. She was smiling
and holding out her hands, which Aleneil hurried forward to take.

"My dear Lady Alana—" Mistress Champernowne's voice was mild and sweet "—how delighted I was
to receive your message two days ago. Your last letter had been so uncertain about when you would be
able to come again that I was quite in despair."

"I am sorry for that, Mistress Champernowne, but you may blame my cousin . . . well, I call him cousin
although it was by a long-ago marriage. A crusader uncle took . . . who was she to you, Lord Denno?"

"Great-grandmother, I think, although she might have been a great-great-grandmother. I am not certain
and, as you know, I have no way of checking the church records any longer."

Aleneil put her hand on Denoriel's arm and patted it consolingly. "God's Grace, Denno, I am so sorry to
have reminded you."

To insinuate himself into the ranks of the higher nobility of England wealth alone would not have been
enough. Aleneil had tampered a little with the minds of two of King Henry's friends so that they
"remembered" Lord Denno Siencyn Adjoran's story. He was now supposed to be a Hungarian
nobleman, cousin to Hungary's king, and from a family grown very, very rich from trade. Lord Denno