The Magic Council (The Herezoth Trilogy) (37 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

Of Motherhood and Marriage

The afternoon was torturously slow in passing.
Gratton returned to the library with periodic updates: the crowd outside the
Palace tripled, and that at the gates of Oakdowns grew four times in size, but
that was the worst of the news. The protesters seemed satisfied to demonstrate
their numbers within the bounds of law, not turning violent. The king went to
his office to speak once more with reporters, responding to the day’s
developments. Vane was adamant he would make no comment and would allow his
interview for the council in two months’ time to speak for him.

That evening at dinner, Vane sat beside Thad and
Carlina. He felt overwhelmed and angry, as well as exhausted from the effort
required merely to keep his composure. The stares and whispers from his peers,
which had died down weeks ago, returned with greater force than ever over wine
and cheese and bread to start. Partridge in a cream sauce followed as a main
course, during which the women did not bother to dissimulate their interest,
and even Thad and Carlina acted awkwardly, wishing to broach the topic of the
day but hesitant to do so. At least Thad’s interest was more for Vane’s welfare
than it was morbid curiosity. Carlina’s, Vane knew, was quite the opposite, and
she was the reason he spoke no word about the council, at least for a while. He
would much rather be sitting with Hayden and Greller, and as he sought their
table on the other side of the Hall, he asked Thad, “Why does Hayden’s wife
never come to these things? They’ve been married, what, three months now?”

Carlina laughed. “Tara Grissner? She wouldn’t
dare, would she? She’s a seamstress’s daughter, and she knows her place.” The
count’s daughter shook her head. “I still can’t believe Hayden married that
woman. What was he thinking? I can tell you, I thought I’d never see a bigger
scandal.” And Carlina’s cheeks flushed red as she realized how poorly she had
spoken, considering the news of the hour. “I suppose it’s not that ghastly
after all. I mean, Hayden Grissner’s blood’s not exactly refined.”

Vane said dryly, “I respect Hayden. And I think
Tara’s a doll.”

Carlina insisted, “She’s utterly uncouth. Have
you met her, Ingleton? Actually spoken to her?”

Vane did not trust himself to respond. Thad
said, “Of course he has, Dear. His mother was in the Crimson League with
Hayden, wasn’t she?”

“That’s right,” said Carlina. She lowered a
glass she was holding and apologized to Vane. “I always forget about your
mother. I never met her, not once—or if I did, I would have been an
infant—and well, it’s only natural that
he
should come up more in conversation about your family than she.
Twins, they were? But of course, your mother and the Crimson League….” The last
two words left her mouth in close to a whisper. “The one thing I do hear is she
was the most elegant woman imaginable. Surely you wouldn’t give her
grandchildren from a common thing like Tara? When you’re slightly more…
established, let’s say, you really should speak with me about your marriage
prospects. The Duke of Partsvale’s daughter is a dear friend, a true charm. You
two would get on exceedingly well. Or, perhaps a lady from the south? An earl
down there has two or three lovely girls.”

“Now is not the time, Dear,” said Thad, with an
apologetic look at Vane.

“Of course it’s not. I said once things are more
established, didn’t I?”

Vane got Carlina talking about her own wedding,
so he could let his thoughts wander with no more than the occasional nod or
monosyllable. Eventually, everyone moved to the vestibule of the Palace to
socialize and hear music before dessert. The space was domed, and floored with
marble, and violinists tuned their instruments beneath an elaborate winding
staircase in preparation to serenade the king’s guests. Servants with trays
were offering more wine, and Vane, who had felt too sick to drink anything but
water with dinner, grabbed a glass with gusto. Carlina, thank all that was
holy, slipped away to give the other women details about the dress she was to
be married in, and Thad told Ingleton, “Drink something, by God. I can’t
imagine the day you’ve had.”

“I’d rather not discuss it.”

“Carlina did nothing to make this more pleasant,
I’m sure. My apologies.”

“Why are you marrying her, Thad?”

“You wouldn’t be asking that if you’d spent half
the time around these women I’ve clocked in. She’s not nearly as frivolous as
most of them. Selection’s limited if you don’t want to lose an inheritance
espousing a commoner.” And Thad turned red. “You won’t have that worry, of
course, but you wouldn’t marry outside nobility regardless. My God, all you
need is that scandal on top of this council business. Can you imagine?” Thad
laughed and clapped Vane on the shoulder. Ingleton was not amused.

“I don’t want to discuss the council,” he
insisted. That option, however, was not left to him. Carson Amison chose that
moment to approach with marked swagger and with dullness in his eyes, both
attributable to wine.

“I’m surprised to see you, Ingleton. However did
you manage to leave Oakdowns?”

Vane was in no mood to play games. “I left at
four a.m. His Majesty was kind enough to give me advance notice before his
interviews, so that I could make proper arrangements for my servants.”

“So you’ve known for a day or two about the
king’s latest enterprise. A shame you have to endure all this because of his
nonsensical notions, as you surely won’t be joining. Your father’s line has
always sat on the Financial Council. I should tell you, my carriage passed
Oakdowns en route to the Palace, and I viewed that little demonstration outside
your property lines.” The man could hardly contain the glee in his voice.
“Silence can speak volumes, can it not?”

“Not that it’s any concern of yours, but I
haven’t decided which council I’ll join,” Vane lied. “As for the
demonstrators….”

Thad reasoned, “I’d be tempted to join the Magic
Council just to spit in their faces.” Amison’s glee vanished in an instant. His
gaze went from blank to icy, and his swagger turned to a sneer.

“I would do no such thing,” he told Vane.

Vane responded, “I don’t recall asking your
counsel, Amison. With all due respect.”

“That’s not counsel in the slightest, with no
respect at all. It’s a warning, and a plain one. Given your blood, you belong
nowhere near that council or the king’s newfound lunacy about the magicked. I
will personally see you destroyed if you take part. The kingdom does not need
your uncle’s nephew in such a post as a constant reminder….”

“Oh, come off it,” said Vane. “I know exactly
what you don’t want the kingdom recalling. You don’t want it to remember how in
the midst of turmoil, you let Zalski use your wedding to create the illusion of
stability. You’d like people to forget you were comfortable paying social calls
to the dictator; that you were here of all places the day he fell; that you saw
the rightful king alive, and exerted not an ounce of energy in his aid. Make no
mistake, I don’t care a jot about your prospects or reputation. Should I decide
to sit on the newest council, I’ll do so without a thought for the mob outside
my estate and even less consideration for you.”

Thad was staring dumbstruck at the dukes,
turning his head back and forth as one or the other spoke. He looked now to
Amison as the man told Vane, “You’ve made friends with Hayden Grissner, I see.”

“With the Duke of Crescenton, yes. A duke as
legitimate as you, his title granted by Rexson Phinnean because unlike you, he
didn’t turn his back on the royal family.”

Hayden had noticed the men arguing from halfway
across the vestibule, and just then was able to wind his way over. He placed
himself next to Vane and addressed the Duke of Yangerton.

“You have nothing more to say to Ingleton about
the council or the demonstrators. The king made clear the man had nothing to do
with planning this endeavor. If you have comments, bring them to His Majesty.
That’s the proper quarter.”

“Oh, I shall speak with the king, Grissner.”

Amison barged past Vane, ramming his shoulder
into him and knocking his nearly full wineglass from his hand. It shattered at
Vane’s feet, but no one outside the immediate vicinity took note. The vestibule
was just too loud.

Thad said, “That was a mistake, Ingleton. All
you told him, a mistake.”

Vane was glowering at Amison’s back, and did not
bother to respond. One servant rushed off for a towel and broom, while Hayden
grabbed two glasses of wine from a second. He kept one for himself and handed
the other to Vane. “Drink up,” he advised. “You hardly touched the first.”

* * *

The day that news of the Magic Council broke,
Gratton made it home an hour or so before midnight. He found Bennie in the now
box-free living room, sweeping around the hearth.

“Cleaning?” he said, and gave her a kiss on the
forehead. “What are you cleaning for? I thought you’d be in bed. Don’t you have
to be at the store early?”

“Early tomorrow, yes. I don’t feel tired yet.”

“That’s impossible, Bens. We were both up around
four.”

“Well, my mind’s racing.”

He took the broom from her, stepped over the
dust pile she was making, and sat with her on the settee. “Are you worried
about Vane?”

“That’s not the only thing. Not even the main
thing, I’d say.” Bennie took a deep breath. “This month didn’t do it. I’m still
not pregnant, not as of today.”

“Is that what’s bothering you? Listen, we have
time for that.”

“Gratton, I should be pregnant by now.”

“We’ve only been married two and a half months.”

“And we’ve been trying from the get-go. I think
there’s a problem,” she insisted. “With me. You know they stabbed me in the
side when the League attacked the Palace.”

“And Zalski healed you right away, didn’t he?”

“Not cleanly he didn’t. His spells weren’t clean
that day. His wife had just died, and…. You’ve seen my scar. What if there’s
scarring on the inside too, messing everything up? What if I can’t get pregnant?
It was all I could think about today, playing with Rexson’s daughter. Man
alive, she’s just adorable the way she laughs and stumbles around and hugs
Hune’s dog, and I, I want that so badly: a little one stumbling around here
with my red hair and your nose.”

Tears sparkled in Bennie’s eyes in the dim
firelight. The room was cold, and she looked close to shivering, so Gratton
took a wool blanket that was draped on the back of their seat and wrapped it
around her, holding her close. “I want it too,” he told her. “And it might
still happen, first of all, because like I said, it’s only been three months.
That’s no guarantee you’re barren. It could happen next month, or three months
from now, or next year even.”

“What if it doesn’t, Gratton?”

“We go on living and enjoying what we have,
because what we have is wonderful. And Bens, there are far too many orphans in
Podrar alone, not to mention Yangerton. We could give a child a home if you
wanted.”

“Not a child from an orphanage. We’d have to
show a marriage certificate, and that has my real name on it, with my old
address and yours. That’s all well and good, but orphanages don’t just let a
child walk out with you, Gratton. Not under Rexson’s reign. They keep track of
how he’s doing. They would have to keep note of our address, this address, and
we can’t leave that trail for someone to pick up. We just can’t do that.”

“Why not? Anyone who saw the marriage license
would know we live together. They’d just have to tail me from work.”

“They’d have to learn you work at the Palace,
then find out who you were, and after that go through the trouble of following
you home, all without you noticing. At least in that case they’d have to earn
the prize, because how many scores of people work at the Palace? Gratton, we can’t
have papers anywhere with my name and address on them, you know that: not
adoption papers, not a house deed. That’s why the house is in Hayden’s
brother-in-law’s name. You saw what the crowds were outside the Palace today,
and outside Oakdowns. For God’s sake, I’m a known associate of the king from
the Crimson League. Besides Hayden, I’m the only one left in Herezoth. Some
fanatics are crazy enough to think they could shut down the council if they
threatened me or some such thing, and then there’s the Fist. They could want
revenge, so no, taking in a child is not an option. If I can’t get pregnant we
won’t have children, and I’m honestly starting to think I can’t. And I’ve told
you, I keep telling you, don’t call me Bens or Bennie. If you do that around here,
you’ll do it out. It’s Hannah: stupid, horrid Hannah. What a ghastly….”

“Listen up, Hannah Reesp, no name someone like
you went by could ever be ugly. As for that scar, whatever else it might
signify, it’s a mark of honor that I’m damn proud of and you should be too.
You’re as much of a soldier as I’ll ever be. Hell, you’re more of one, you got
that? War wounds sometimes have consequences. That comes with the territory.
I’m still not convinced you can’t have kids, but I love you all the same,
whether you’re piddling around about to start labor or barren as a cookie jar
after two hours with unattended youngsters.”