Hearts in Cups (9 page)
"There is a
barrier." Dinea was plainly confused. "You try," she suggested.
With Dinea standing
beside him, Colin performed the same movements and received the same response.
His mind sought out his wife's and drew her to him. Together, working as one
mind, they reached for contact with the duchess and were met by the
unassailable image of fire. The mental picture of fire completely surrounded
Hollin, allowing nothing to enter, keeping her mind totally hidden. They
withdrew and stood looking at Hollin.
When Hollin dissolved
her own trance it was to ask, "Where were you? I thought I would be aware
when you joined me?"
Colin laughed.
"You would have, if we could have. Your mind has a rather unique defense
system."
To an equally surprised
Hollin, Colin explained the image of fire. "Fire is the House Gift of Langstraad.
It is logical that it should protect you. I have known of mental barriers to
prevent contact but yours is the strongest that I have ever encountered. There
is no way for us to get through. My suggestion is for you to continue on your
own. I suspect that your House Gift is sufficient protection from enthrallment,
but I can teach you some techniques that might make working with the ring a
little easier for you."
"I would be
appreciative of any help." Hollin looked at the ring on her finger and shook
her head in wonder.
"I have thought of
another way in which I might aid you..." Colin put forward his suggestion
with a glint of humour. "Dinea and I have talked it over and I wish to offer
my assistance on your journey. I am well-versed in arcane matters, which may
prove useful to you."
Hollin sat with a grave
face. Essentially a private person, she had deliberately isolated herself from
her peers by spending so much of her time at Castle Lir. Her trips to Pentarin
had been restricted to attending council sessions, with little or no time
devoted to socializing, and thus she had made few friends within the city.
While she was undaunted by the possibility of facing the council members and
proposing to go in search of the prince herself, she could see the advantage of
having Lord Colin on her side, both here and on such a journey. She had been
favourably impressed with the viscount's conduct during past council sessions,
and her experience with him the last few days had confirmed her respect for his
abilities. Intuition told her that she was going to be in need of friends in
the days to come.
"Well," she
finally replied, "the Pentacle Council has yet to accede to the idea of a
quest for the prince. But, if and when they do, I will gladly accept your
offer."
Colin sketched a
respectful bow. "Thank you."
"To finish our
evening on a less serious note," Dinea interjected with a smile, "I
have arranged for a musician to entertain us." While Colin went to the
doorway to summon the musician, Dinea continued comfortably chatting. "I
think you will enjoy Daffyd's playing. He came to Pentarin with us two years
ago as one of our retinue; but, as he is very talented, we gave him leave to
study here. His abilities have proven to be so commendable that last year he
was sent to Gwenth at the behest of the Duchess of Creon to teach her daughter.
He is back now in Pentarin studying and when we are in residence he frequently
plays for us." She spoke in tones of great affection and greeted him as an
equal when he entered the room. "Your grace, may I present Daffyd ap
Blewyns, apprentice to the Bard Auric de Varennes of the Royal College of
Bards."
"Your grace does
me honour," was his reply as he knelt before her.
When he looked up,
Hollin found herself regarding a man of about her own age. Her initial
impression of him was a mass of curling, soft brown hair. He wore a short beard
and mustache, so that his bright hazel eyes seemed to be peering from within a
thicket. There was an infectious good humour in the set of his mouth that made
him at once very attractive. He wore the blue and silver livery of House
Sandovar and carried both a small harp and a flute of carved wood. She judged
him to be not as tall as his lord but much broader through the chest and
shoulders. Looking at him, Hollin mused that without his instruments, he was
built more along the lines of a warrior than a courtier.
Laying his two
instrument bags on a nearby table, he announced: "I have recently learned
a new song that I thought might please your ladyship. Actually, it's an old
melody that I have tinkered with." He flashed them an engaging smile as he
pulled a small harp out of its leather bag and quickly checked its tune. When
he began to play, Hollin recognized the song she had heard a few nights before
as she walked back to her own rooms after her first meeting with the de
Chantalcalms and Lord Percamber. Listening to it again, she remained impressed
by it; and by the young musician who had arranged it. After the song concluded
Hollin told him how much she enjoyed it. Pleased by her warm reaction, he
picked up his flute and played another tune, this one brisk and lively. He
continued to play for his patrons for well over an hour, utilizing both his
harp and flute and occasionally singing in a pleasing baritone. The atmosphere
engendered was so congenial that Hollin inadvertently sighed when she realized
how late it had grown and that she must make her farewells. The leave-taking
was less constrained than their greetings and there was a genuine sense of
friendship as they parted for the evening.
"At first, I
thought that she was very aloof," Dinea told her husband later that
evening, in the privacy of her own bedchamber. "It was as if that ring of
fire in her mind surrounded her person as well. But I've reassessed my initial
reaction to her, and now I find that I rather like Lady Hollin."
"She is the
Duchess of Langstraad," her husband replied, kissing her forehead.
"It is not easy to be the Head of any of the Houses, especially one of the
Great Houses, and she is young and essentially alone. I don't blame her for
whatever barriers she must stand behind. She is in a potentially vulnerable
position and we will need all our wits, along with whatever extra she can
provide, to negotiate this council session successfully."
Dinea looked closely at
Colin, a frown of concern on her face. "I thought that we had a good plan
for dealing with the other Houses?"
"We do, my dear
lady, we do. However, we don't know what bag of tricks Niall is bringing with
him, or anyone else's response to our plans. However, we shall be dealing from
a position of strength, and that singular young lady will be their biggest
stumbling block. I will be very surprised if she doesn't carry the day."
He embraced his wife reassuringly. "Come to bed now, it is late and House
Creon is due to arrive tomorrow."
There was a burst of
feverish activity in the private apartments of the Duchess of Langstraad as her
attendants sought to complete their lady's toilette. Lady Clowen, splendidly
garbed herself, stood in the center of the dressing chamber issuing orders like
a general. Inara, finishing with the last hairpin, reached for the ducal
coronet of state, a heavy circle of linked golden dragons encrusted with
diamonds and emeralds. Hollin felt the weight of the precious object settle on
her head and automatically shifted her shoulders to help balance it. It was not
quite as heavy as the crown she wore to conduct her own ducal court, but she
did not have to try to eat in that one. She sat, quiescent, in a sea of
green fabrics; some closely encasing her body while others drifted and swirled
away from her. A gold necklace brilliant with emeralds encircled her throat,
and emerald earrings dangled from her ears. On her right forefinger she wore
the massive gold signet ring of state. The only departure from the colour
scheme of green and gold was the red glow of Sandovar's Heartstone on her left
hand.
To stand she needed the
assistance of two of her ladies-in-waiting. It took her awhile to accustom
herself to the weight and restraints of the formal gowns of state, and she had
given herself an hour before she was to make her appearance. Inara clucked to
herself and made little adjustments in the folds of material. Hollin slowly
walked across the room and turned to look at herself in the mirror of burnished
metal. It was always a shock to see how much older she looked when dressed for
a formal ceremony. On the other side of the room a regal figure in green and
gold looked imperiously back at her.
"Oh, your
grace!" Celia breathed reverently. Hollin smiled indulgently at the girl.
"Inara, take Celia
with you, and tell Sir Benedict to have the honour guard ready in half an
hour’s time." Lady Clowen was crisply authoritative. After the ladies had
gone, she turned a critical eye on Hollin. "That Inara hasn't the brains
of a rabbit, but she certainly knows how to dress you."
Hollin suppressed a
laugh. "Lady Inara is exceptionally good at what she does," she
admonished.
"Yes, but that's
all she is good for," was the acerbic reply. "Did you hear that House
Gresha only arrived this afternoon?" Clowen went to pour the duchess
something to drink from a tray set on one of the tables.
"At least they
arrived. From what I've heard, Lady Maire is a very poor traveler. It's a
wonder Lord Lewys didn't just leave her at home."
"Poor traveler or
not, I'm sure Lady Maire would rather die than miss such a prominent social
occasion. Everyone is here, and from the buzzing you'd swear we were living in
a beehive."
Hollin took the cup
from the older woman and drank thoughtfully. "I haven't seen many of my
peers as yet. Lady Laurin came by to talk and give me letters from Genvra, but
aside from Lord Colin and Lady Dinea, I've been left to myself. Do you know if
there have been any communications between the Houses here?"
"Lord Aidan and
his wife dined with the Duke and Duchess of Creon last night, but Lady Caitlan
is the duchess' sister, so there is nothing odd there. Someone told me that the
Earl of the Inner Ward visited House Mirvanovir on his arrival but I don't know
if that's true." Clowen stood in thought for several minutes. "There
do seem to be more people here than is usual, even for a council session. I think
that the rumours have piqued a lot of people's interest. Lady Anya, who is
attached to House Sandovar, says that the increase in minor nobility in the
city has put a strain on the local residents to provide space and services for
them."
"Any news from
House Mirvanovir?"
"No, they have
been reticent since settling in. The Duke of Creon's daughter has come for her
first council session. I saw her briefly yesterday. A very comely girl; they
should make a good match with her."
Hollin remembered Ian's
having said something similar about this same girl. Apparently her parents were
hoping to secure a more illustrious match by bringing her to Pentarin during a
council session when the city would be filled with many of the Pentarchy's most
illustrious families. She felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl, but then
perhaps this was something the girl desired as well. In the social reality of
arranged marriages, many girls simply thought of it as the way it should be.
A knock at the door
informed them that the honour guard had arrived and that it was time for the
duchess to be escorted with due pomp and ceremony to the formal banquet.
Surrounded by her own guards and courtiers, the Duchess of Langstraad moved in
stately procession to the Great Hall.
The Great Hall of
Pentarin Palace stood at the far end of the central, semi-circular courtyard.
In this building were held the audiences, state banquets and entertainments of
the royal court. A flight of broad, shallow steps led up to the great bronze
doors of the building. The bas-relief panels affixed to these doors depicted
the founding of the Pentarchy by Gryffyd and his four children. A crowd of
people had gathered and were milling about on the edges of courtyard. Many were
servants, some were nobles looking to find their places, and others were guards
seeing that business was conducted in an orderly fashion. Bright colours
dominated the scene and the smell of food being prepared wafted out from the
palace kitchens. There was a sense of expectancy in the scene as the
commencement of the banquet drew close. This feast of welcoming, held on the
eve of the convening of the Pentacle Council, was one of the more important
social events of the year, and even those not invited to enter the hall still
tried to catch a glimpse of the nobles who were invited. As the time drew near,
the principal members of the Great and Minor Houses assumed their places at the
top of the stairways that rimmed the courtyard. The invited nobles and guests
of the city had already taken their places in the courtyard itself. As Hollin
and her escort approached the stairs, the people who were in her path fell
back, bowing assiduously. She gave no sign that she saw or heard what was going
on around her, but continued to walk with a measured pace until she stood at the
top of the stairs. Looking from the people gathered below to the closed doors
of the hall, she noted that each of the other Great House members now stood, as
she did, at the top of their flight of stairs. Silence came over the crowd as
the great doors swung open and the regent, Lord Percamber, flanked by his house
guards and wearing the chain of office over his formal robes, came forth. He
raised his hand in greeting and trumpets brassily resounded within the
courtyard. Taking her cue, Hollin began the slow, cadenced walk down the stairs
and across the courtyard. Each of the other Great Houses did the same, being
careful to arrive at the foot of the main staircase together. Behind them the
Minor Houses began their walk. When they reached the bottom step, the Heads of
each of the Great Houses lined up abreast of each other and began to ascend.
The other House family members, nobles and guards followed them. At the top,
they paused before the regent and bowed acknowledgment. He, in turn, gave each
of them a kinsman's embrace and then led the way into the Great Hall.