"Tamora Pierce - Circle Opens 1 - Magic Steps" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pierce Tamora)

of gold embroidery at his collar would add sparkle to his eyes. Until he was fully
recovered from his recent heart attack, he would need such aids to keep his people
from thinking he might still die.

And it wont hurt to stitch in signs for health and strength, either, she thought,
fingers already itching to pick up needle and thread. "Uncle," she announced
crisply, "just because the healers say you may ride again does not mean you are
ready to take up your old work schedule as well."

Duke Vedris IV, ruler of Emelan, looked up at his favorite great-niece and smiled.
The smile warmed a face that was still haggard, though he looked better to
Sandry's critical eye than he had even a week ago. He needs to smile more, she
thought. Without affection or amusement to light his eyes, he was a rather
forbidding middle-aged man with fleshy features, deepset brown eyes, and an
eagle's nose. With some warm feeling in his face, he looked both serious and kind,
the sort of man it was easy to trust and depend on.

"This isn't work," the duke told her as he lifted the sheaf of parchments. "I'm just
reviewing what's been done on the repairs to the harbor wall."

Sandry walked over to him, kissed his forehead, and drew the papers from his
fingers. "The harbormaster is an expert on this sort of thing. You told me so
yourself. And you know what Dedicate Comfrey said—why pay these people if
you have to watch them all the time?"

"I'm not watching. I'm keeping myself up-to-date." The duke carefully got to his
feet. Sandry did not try to help. Too many people did that, and it upset him far
more than did the loss of his former strength. "You and Dedicate Comfrey should
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 Tamora Pierce-BOOK ONE OF THE CIRCLE OPENS QUARTET: magic steps - Kurr


understand that sooner or later I must begin to oversee my realm once more."

"I can't wait until you do," she told him pertly. "You're getting awfully hard to
handle."

He laughed at that. I'm going to miss you when you return to Winding Circle," he
remarked, going to the door."You're the only one who is completely frank with
me.

As he left the: room, Sandry put the papers she had taken on, his desk. For a
moment she stayed there, star ing blindly at the curtained, windows. As much as
she wanted to return home, she worried about him.. Over and over she had, heard
tales of the way he lived, skipping meals and going without sleep to complete
some piece of work, His household was in awe of Duke Vedris, and feared, to balk
him. Without her there to keep an, eye on things, he would probably return to his;
old bad habits.

She didn't like that thought. Emelan's best healer-mages had warned her that while