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."They are very devoted to her, and she to them.They are very honest and knowing."Stover snorted."So sharp tey'd cut theirselfs if'n tey ain't careful."Ostentatiously Blanche looked away from him toward the inside of the stable."So, wach'y do when young'uns t'bed?" Stover asked, coming closer.Taking a step back, Blanche said sharply, "I have duties enough to keep me busy, I assure you.""Dull sleepin' alone.""But safe and comfortable," Blanche snapped."And I am sure you, too, have duties you should beattending.I recommend that you get to them.""And I recommend the same." Ladbroke's voice was hard and cold."There's plenty of harness thatneeds cleaning." He set one of the stools he carried in the open doorway, dusting it off carefully."Sorryto be so long, Mistress Parry.I was looking for this lazy lout to remind him about the harness, and to tellhim to muck out the stalls of Dickson's and Gerrit's horses while they're out.""Horses don' care," Stover said.Both Ladbroke and Blanche stared at him for a moment.Blanche turned her back, muttering but loudenough to hear "Disgusting." Ladbroke pointed in silence to the interior of the stable.Apparently Stoversaw something in Ladbroke's face that induced him not to push his luck any further."That was the outside of enough," Ladbroke said, anger in his voice."I wanted to give him a week to getused to us and working, but I will have to tell the steward to get rid of him at once.""It is my fault," Blanche said apologetically."He began by talking about that fairy tale in which theprincess pricks her finger on a spindle, and then sleeps for a hundred years.It made me think he wasbetter than his station.""He's got tastes above his station or below it.I'll agree to that much," Ladbroke replied."He proposedto me to sell Lady Elizabeth's horses and substitute God-knows-what that look a bit alike to replacethem."Blanche shook her head."What a fool.Maybe he believes in fairy tales where the so-called clever ladalways tricks his betters!"Ladbroke looked past her.Blanche did not think he was seeing either the stable wall or the courtyardbeyond.He said no more, but Blanche thought he might be seeing the fairy place where he had oncelived.To her surprise, she could detect no regret in his face.Whatever he remembered was pleasant, butnot longed for.Blanche continued to spin in silence, but not for very much longer.Less than a full hour had passed whenLadbroke stopped polishing the harness on which he had been working and lifted his head.A momentlater, Blanche heard hooves on the hard driveway and Ladbroke went to open the gate of the outercourtyard for the riding party.When they arrived at the stable, Denoriel did not dismount, allowing Ladbroke to lift Elizabeth from herhorse.Denoriel just leaned down from Miralys to touch the girl's face."I will be away for a few days," hesaid, "but you know the messenger that can reach me in an emergency.Only I do hope there will benone."Elizabeth laughed."What sort of emergency can happen in a virtually empty palace?" she asked."UnlessI am so foolish as to fall down the stairs!""God's kind Grace forefend!" Denoriel exclaimed, making an odd sign in the air."Remember, if youremain cheerful and all else goes well.""We will go.adventuring," Elizabeth finished, after her lips had formed another word, one she couldnot say.Denoriel understood and nodded, and Miralys started down the road to the main gate.Elizabeth sighed,but she was not really sad, and was grateful to Kat for making her ride out.Denno had brought all kindsof joyous messages from Da and such tales of his delight at being with her that her exile seemedworthwhile.She smiled at Tolliver, who was leading her mount away, waved at Ladbroke, and followedBlanche, who had packed away her yarn and spindle, toward the palace.As she passed the yew hedge, Elizabeth hesitated.Something inside her echoed faintly the feeling ofUnderhillBut it was not enough to stir either recognition or warning.So, although she sensed the amulet Rhoslynhad left, she did not recognize it and passed on.Later in the day actually while Pasgen was setting and testing his Gate Ladbroke grew uneasy.Hehad no Talent and could not feel magic, but he had lived so long with it that a familiar sense of pricklingand heaviness in the air teased him.He went all over the barn checking each stall and each animal.Therewas nothing either amiss or too familiar.All he found was that Elizabeth's two mounts were unusually alert for the time of day, eyes wide openand ears cocked.Ladbroke examined them and the whole stall carefully and found nothing; the horseswere not nervous, merely expectant.That was odd, but he felt odd himself as he had when Elizabethused to ride out to meet Lord Denno.Ladbroke suspected that Denno made her cast and ward againstspells.Ladbroke had that same feeling now, so perhaps the mare and gelding associated the feeling ofmagic with their rider and were waiting for her to appear.What magic, though? Ladbroke continued his investigation with great thoroughness, but he could not findanything inside or outside the stable.By the time he got to making his way past the yew hedge, Pasgenwas finished with his work and had retrieved the amulet.The feeling of magic being done was gone, andLadbroke found nothing.But he could not know that was only because there was no longer anything to find.Chapter 22Pasgen came to Rhoslyn's domain to tell her that the Gate was ready and tested.Somewhat to hissurprise, Llanelli came down and greeted him with real pleasure and none of her past hysterical pleas andwarnings.She was so calm, even amusing, that Pasgen agreed to have a meal with her and Rhoslyn, andactually enjoyed himself.His mother was interested in what he had to say about the chaos lands withoutbeing prying, so much so that he engaged in a real, pleasurable conversation with her long past the timewhen he would usually have departed.Afterward he took Rhoslyn to see where he had set the Caer Mordwyn terminus of the Gate to thestable [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]