The Proof House by K. J. Parker

me later.’ She yawned and stretched like a cat. ‘Really, if you are a student of human nature, he’s a real collector’s item. He’s either an evil man who spends his life trying to do right by his own family, or a good man who did one very evil thing. Or both. Like I said, he feels the greatest obligation to my mother, because she was the one he hurt most (apart from the ones he killed, of course, but they’re dead, so he can’t help them). But Bardas is the one he really cares about.’
    ‘Even though Bardas killed his son?’
    Iseutz shrugged. ‘Uncle Gorgas has an infinite capacity for forgiveness. Which argues against the evil-man hypothesis, just as the killing-and-betraying-cities thing argues against the basically-good theory. We’re a complicated lot, us Loredans. Almost but not quite more trouble than we’re worth.’
    The Son of Heaven stood up, slowly because of his bad leg. ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘You’ve been most helpful.’
    ‘Oh, that’s all right.’ Iseutz stayed where she was. ‘But do me a favour, if you would. See if you can’t find some way of making life difficult for my mother - currency regulations, customs, import licences, something along those lines. She hates things like that.’
    ‘I’m sorry,’ the colonel said austerely. ‘The provincial office doesn’t work like that.’
    ‘Really? Forget it, then. Goodbye.’
    When he’d gone, Iseutz sat on the floor, her back against the wall, her arms tight around her knees, thinking about the recurring dream she had in which the Patriarch Alexius told her that, if she wanted, he could take a sharp knife and cut off the Loredan half of her, leaving only the Hedin half behind. Invariably she woke up just before he started to cut. She’d never been able to work out whether it was a nightmare or not.
    ‘Who was that?’
    She looked up. ‘The rat-catcher,’ she said. ‘I sent for him. Place is swarming with rats.’
    Her mother sighed impatiently. ‘He was from the provincial office,’ she said. ‘What did he want?’
    ‘If you’re going to answer your own questions, what do you need me for?’
    Niessa Loredan walked over to where her daughter was sitting and kicked her hard in the ribs, enough to wind her. ‘Who was he,’ she asked again, ‘and what did he want?’
    Iseutz looked up. ‘He wanted to know if you like mushrooms,’ she said. ‘I said yes.’
    Niessa kicked her again, rather harder, and pulled her foot away before Iseutz could grab hold of it. ‘I haven’t got time to bother with you now,’ she said. ‘I’ll send Morz up to take away your books and your lamp, and don’t think you’ll get anything to eat.’
    ‘Good. I’m sick of soup.’
    Niessa bent down. ‘Iseutz,’ she said, ‘don’t be tiresome. What did he want?’
    Iseutz sighed. ‘He wanted to know about Uncle Bardas and Uncle Gorgas. I told him - well, all the stuff I knew he knew already. That’s all I could tell him. I don’t know any more.’
    ‘Well.’ Niessa straightened up. ‘You told him what he wanted, then? We have to co-operate with these people; we depend on their goodwill.’
    ‘I told him everything I know.’
    Niessa nodded. ‘And you weren’t rude or difficult? Well, of course you were. But you didn’t attack him or anything?’
    ‘Mother!’ Iseutz said angrily. ‘For pity’s sake. You make me sound like I’m mad or something. What do you think I did, chase him round the room on all fours trying to bite his ankles?’
    Niessa walked to the door and opened it. ‘We have to co-operate,’ she said. ‘It hasn’t been easy since we moved here; I’ve had to work very hard. I won’t have you spoiling it for me. Understood?’
    ‘Perfectly.’
    That sideways look again - fear, she’s worried. I love it when she’s worried. ‘Iseutz,’ Niessa said, ‘one day, everything I’ve worked for, everything I’ve built, will come to you. You’re my daughter, the only family I’ve got left. Why must you