Challenges by Sharon Green Page B

to cheer everyone up, she left just short of tears.
    I felt tempted to go after the girl who’d been my companion for two years and tell her the truth, but common sense forced me to drop the idea. Warla was terrible at hiding her feelings, and if she suddenly became unconcerned, the spy in the household would certainly notice. So I continued to sit silently among the others, at a table which had been too big for five people but which was now obviously too small. Lorand sat fairly close to me for a reason, but even he and I didn’t talk.
    I’d originally meant to go to the library after dinner, but at the last moment decided to go to my apartment instead. I could read for a while in the sitting room just as easily, and that way would avoid the possibility of needing to talk to anyone. Pretending to be angry and hurt is easier when you’re not associating with people you actually like quite a lot.
    I’d had a small tea service brought and had settled into a chair with a book, when I heard something out in the hall. I looked up at a low knock on the door, and then Jovvi was entering fast and closing the door quickly behind her.
    “None of the servants is upstairs right now, so I thought I’d take advantage of the privacy to come visiting,” she said softly, her smile strained and the words a lot lighter than the disturbance in her eyes. “I wanted to be certain you knew I wasn’t serious about blaming you for what happened to Allestine.”
    “Of course I know, and I’m so sorry,” I said at once, putting aside my book and getting up to go to her. “What that woman did was terrible, but the sentence was even more horrible. Are you sure you’re all right?”
    By then I’d hugged her, and now had a supporting arm around her shoulders. Her smile grew even worse, and she shook her head.
    “Actually I’m not all right at all,” she admitted, the strain having intensified. “I feel as though I’m personally responsible for what Allestine did and the sentence she got, even though I know I’m not. It will take a while before my balance is restored, but it helps to know that I have the strong support of good friends to lean on.”
    “You certainly do, so lean all you like,” I told her firmly, leading her toward one of the couches. “And you can also sit down, because there’s something you need to be told: Lorand and I will be out of the house for a while tomorrow morning.”
    The look she gave me was somewhat peculiar, but she simply sat at the same time I did and waited for me to explain.
    “A man came to the house late this afternoon, while you were up here in your bedchamber,” I continued. “He’s someone who’s come to see Lorand before over a matter I won’t go into now, but this time he came to say he had news. He’s finally located Lorand’s friend Hat, and he told Lorand where Hat will be tomorrow morning. The idiot was going to go alone, but I insisted on going with him.”
    “I’m glad you did,” she said with a better smile as she patted my hand. “Even the strong need support in times of difficulty, and if I can’t be with him, I’m glad it’s you in my place. Now there’s something
you
need to know about. Vallant asked me to speak to you, and—”
    By then I had stood up and turned away from her, but that probably wasn’t what had caused her words to end so abruptly. The chaos in my mind surely had more to do with it, whirling madly in all directions like a fireworks display out of control.
    “I’m glad you’re taking this so well,” she continued, the words extremely dry. “The lack of true surprise in that … great blend of emotions tells me Lorand must have mentioned the same subject. I gathered from Vallant that he’d spoken to the other men before mentioning the matter to me.”
    “Yes, Lorand told me,” I admitted without turning. “The only reason Vallant began to ignore me was because he thought that that was what I wanted, but now he’s learned differently so