"Stross, Charles - [Merchant Princes 03] - The Clan Corporate " - читать интересную книгу автора (Stross Charles)

"Oh don't worry. She only understands one word in ten. It can't be helped, I suppose. She grew up in fairyland, wearing trousers and chopping up dead men to understand how they work. They didn't have time to teach her how to speak as well."
"What, you mean-" (shocked giggle) "-to the Crone?"
"No, I don't suppose she's that stupid. But she's one of the kind such as have a thoughtful temper. You don't want to get on the wrong side of her, you know. Wait, here she comes-" (English) "-would you like another glass, ma'am?"
(Click.)
"Phew, there she goes again, bouncing after some stuffed-pants longhair. This one looks like he swallowed a ferret, look at the way he's twitching."
"Raw with lust for the old goose."
"Hist! Is that your third glass?"
"Who's counting, madam? Listen, you have that one. Oh, over there! Don't look, don't be so obvious. Himself with the brown hair and the, um, isn't he something?"
"He-"
(Click.)
"Not as if my lady is stupid, but she is strange. Witchy-weird like any of the Six, but more so, if you follow me. Wears breeches and talks the Anglaische all the time except when she's trying to learn. But she does it so badly! Look at the way she carries herself. Wagging tongues have it that she seduced Sieur Roland, but if something like that could seduce anything then I'm Queen of Summer Angels. What do you say, Nicky? Dried-up bluestocking or-"
"Don't underestimate her, she's not stupid, even if she doesn't understand much. She may not look like a lizard but she's descended from a long lineage of snakes. Sieur Roland is dead, isn't he, so I'm led to believe? Do you think she had something to do with that? Suck the man dry and cast aside his bones like a spider."
"Nicky! That's disgusting!"
"Not as disgusting as what that spotty lad wanted with you in the bedchamber when she was away."
"Don't you go talking like that about me-"
"Then don't you go calling me disgusting, miss."
(Sigh.) "I'm not calling you disgusting."
"Then it's a good thing I didn't call you a whore, isn't it? People might misunderstand."
"Here, have another-drink while she's not looking. Who is that longshanks oddboy, anyway?"
"Him? He's one of the hangers-on on at court. Some fancy-boy or other to the king's bedchamber. Dresser-on-of-codpieces or some such."
"You don't know, do you? She doesn't know!"
"Rubbish, he's Sieur Villem du Praha and he's married to Lady Jain of Cours, and he rides with the king's hunt. And look, there's our missy Kara going all gushy over him."
"Kara? She's-"
"You just look, whenever she gets within six feet of him she has to tie her knees together with her stay laces to stop them falling apart. Silly little bitch, she hasn't seen the way he looks at his wife."
"Milady Kara's not one to turn her nose up at a lost cause. But what's with milady the honorable Old Goose? What's she doing with him?"
"Who the-knows, pardon my loewsprache, she's being a witch again. Shamelessly talking to strange men."
"What's shameless about it? She's got her chaperone-"
(Laughter.) "Red-Minge Kara is a chaperone? What color is the sky in your county, and do the fish have feathers to match the birds' scales?"
"I'd like to know what she's talking about, though."
"I've got an idea. Wait here."
(Click.)
"So? What's the story?"
"Give me that."
"Must be a long story to wet your throat like that."
"Long? You haven't heard the first of it-"
"Is she trying to fix Kara up with a paramour?"
"Is she-bah! Even Old Witchy-Goose isn't that stupid, what would people say if her lady-in-waiting got pregnant? I'm sorry I asked. I thought it would be something like that. And the promises I had to make!"
"Promises?"
"Yes, I said I'd ask you to meet Oswelt-him with the belly-behind the marquee in half an hour for a midnight promenade."
"Bitch!"
"Now now, mind your language! Remember I said you weren't a whore? I didn't promise you'd be there, just said I'd ask."
"You did . . ."
"So if you want . . ."
"What about her ladyship? What did you find out?"
"Well, it's as well I asked because something tells me we'll be dragged hither and back in the next months, or I'm not a household hand."
"Really? Why? What's she want from him?"
"He's not with the king's wardrobe, he's with the prince's. And you know what that means."
"Oh!"
"Yes."
"The slut!"