round table larger than Lyssia’s bed filled the room. Merelus sat at the far end, his face in shadow. Nol stood in the shadows behind Merelus’s shoulder, standing at attention, and Lyssia lounged at the opposite end of the table. The man I’d seen in the hall my first day at the house, the one with brown hair who’d confronted me about being lost, was seated between Merelus and Lyssia. As I entered the room, he leaned over and said something to Lyssia, and she giggled.
This must be Dahn, I supposed. He raised his eyes to mine as I passed him, and I had the feeling he recognized me just as I recognized him.
Most people never remembered servants because they were of no importance. The fact that this man did meant he was observant, and observant masters were people to be avoided. I made note of it should I ever be assigned cleaning duty for his rooms.
The head steward sat across from Dahn. He wore a plain gray tunic, but he held his shoulders straight and kept his chin high as if he could earn respect by the height of his nose in the air. He gave me a cursory look, and his mouth curled down as if he expected me to trip and upend the platter I carried.
I served Merelus first, then Dahn. Lyssia caught my eye and jerked her head toward Dahn. She wiggled her eyebrows and winked.
“Lyssia, do stop that,” Merelus said as I was serving the steward. I bit my lip to stifle a smile. A sharp-eyed one, the master was, despite his reputation for absent-mindedness.
Lyssia picked up her drink with a sigh and played with the rim. “Yes, Father.”
“I’ve heard from your teacher,” Merelus said. “He says you’ve been making unusually good marks lately. Exquisite, I daresay.”
Her finger froze on the glass.
I stiffened next to the steward, the platter quivering at a slant. One of the pastries wobbled at the edge of the platter. Would Lyssia mention me? Would Merelus be angry that I was helping her with her studies?
“You said if I made good enough marks, I could go to the Festival of Lights celebration in the gardens next month with an escort instead of the one in the commons with you, didn’t you?”
Merelus leaned back in his chair and studied her. “Yes.”
“It’s amazing what one can do with the proper motivation,” Lyssia said. She took a sip of her drink and gave Dahn a flirtatious smile.
I relaxed in relief that she hadn’t blurted out that I was helping her. As I straightened, the pastry toppled from the platter and plopped into the steward’s lap with a splatter of cream. Flecks of white landed on his face and shirt.
“Sunlight and air,” he shouted. “Be careful, girl!”
“I’m sorry.” I snatched up a napkin and dabbed at his trousers. “I’m sorry—”
“You will be reprimanded!”
“It’s just a bit of cream,” Merelus said, impatient with the steward’s fussing. “Here’s my napkin.”
Was that my imagination, or was Nol smirking? Laughing at my mistake and subsequent scolding?
I despised him.
“Get out of here before you make more of a mess,” the steward said.
Shaken, I retreated to the kitchen.
~ ~ ~
“Mistress Lyssia rang for you,” Mella reported later as I scrubbed the kitchen floor.
I blew hair out of my eyes and surveyed the remaining floor to be cleaned. I decided to see what Lyssia wanted first. If Crakea didn’t like it, she could take it up with Lyssia.
“Aemi!” Lyssia wailed as soon as I entered the room. “I’m in terrible trouble!”
“Why?”
She flew at me and threw her arms around me. I froze at the contact, but she didn’t let go. Reluctantly, I patted her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s an exam tomorrow. A written one, with no information about what to study. I’m going to do horribly, and I won’t be able to go to the Lighting. My father has told me that if I don’t continue to improve, I won’t be able to go anywhere. Then how will our plan to keep Dahn here work?”
“You won’t even be able to visit
This must be Dahn, I supposed. He raised his eyes to mine as I passed him, and I had the feeling he recognized me just as I recognized him.
Most people never remembered servants because they were of no importance. The fact that this man did meant he was observant, and observant masters were people to be avoided. I made note of it should I ever be assigned cleaning duty for his rooms.
The head steward sat across from Dahn. He wore a plain gray tunic, but he held his shoulders straight and kept his chin high as if he could earn respect by the height of his nose in the air. He gave me a cursory look, and his mouth curled down as if he expected me to trip and upend the platter I carried.
I served Merelus first, then Dahn. Lyssia caught my eye and jerked her head toward Dahn. She wiggled her eyebrows and winked.
“Lyssia, do stop that,” Merelus said as I was serving the steward. I bit my lip to stifle a smile. A sharp-eyed one, the master was, despite his reputation for absent-mindedness.
Lyssia picked up her drink with a sigh and played with the rim. “Yes, Father.”
“I’ve heard from your teacher,” Merelus said. “He says you’ve been making unusually good marks lately. Exquisite, I daresay.”
Her finger froze on the glass.
I stiffened next to the steward, the platter quivering at a slant. One of the pastries wobbled at the edge of the platter. Would Lyssia mention me? Would Merelus be angry that I was helping her with her studies?
“You said if I made good enough marks, I could go to the Festival of Lights celebration in the gardens next month with an escort instead of the one in the commons with you, didn’t you?”
Merelus leaned back in his chair and studied her. “Yes.”
“It’s amazing what one can do with the proper motivation,” Lyssia said. She took a sip of her drink and gave Dahn a flirtatious smile.
I relaxed in relief that she hadn’t blurted out that I was helping her. As I straightened, the pastry toppled from the platter and plopped into the steward’s lap with a splatter of cream. Flecks of white landed on his face and shirt.
“Sunlight and air,” he shouted. “Be careful, girl!”
“I’m sorry.” I snatched up a napkin and dabbed at his trousers. “I’m sorry—”
“You will be reprimanded!”
“It’s just a bit of cream,” Merelus said, impatient with the steward’s fussing. “Here’s my napkin.”
Was that my imagination, or was Nol smirking? Laughing at my mistake and subsequent scolding?
I despised him.
“Get out of here before you make more of a mess,” the steward said.
Shaken, I retreated to the kitchen.
~ ~ ~
“Mistress Lyssia rang for you,” Mella reported later as I scrubbed the kitchen floor.
I blew hair out of my eyes and surveyed the remaining floor to be cleaned. I decided to see what Lyssia wanted first. If Crakea didn’t like it, she could take it up with Lyssia.
“Aemi!” Lyssia wailed as soon as I entered the room. “I’m in terrible trouble!”
“Why?”
She flew at me and threw her arms around me. I froze at the contact, but she didn’t let go. Reluctantly, I patted her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s an exam tomorrow. A written one, with no information about what to study. I’m going to do horribly, and I won’t be able to go to the Lighting. My father has told me that if I don’t continue to improve, I won’t be able to go anywhere. Then how will our plan to keep Dahn here work?”
“You won’t even be able to visit
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