Blood Royal by Yates Dornford

Author:Yates, Dornford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Blood Royal
ISBN: 9780755127092
Publisher: House of Stratus
Published: 2013-01-10T16:00:00+00:00

At five of that afternoon I was sitting in the farmer’s orchard with a pipe in my mouth.

The long grass was cool and fragrant, an aged apple-tree made me a rest for my back, and the murmur of bees about their business and the trickle of a neighbouring rill would have had me asleep in an instant, but for the rest I had taken an hour before.

Compared with these simple conditions, might, majesty and dominion seemed to me treacherous stuff, and God knows to what flights of philosophy I might not have soared, but I heard a rustle behind me and, before I could move, the Grand Duchess sat down by my side.

“I have been very obedient,” she said. “I slept until half past three.”

“I am very glad,” said I.

“I think you are a good doctor,” she said. “My nerve has come back.”

“You never lost it,” said I.

I saw her fine chin go up.

“I am not given to tears,” she said coldly.

“You have the greatest heart that I have ever known.”

“Because I don’t know when I’m beaten? Never mind. How did you bring Grieg down?”

“He tried to kill Hanbury,” I said. “And I threw him out of a box.”

She knitted her brows.

“A box?”

“At The Square of Carpet.”

Slowly she turned, to look me full in the eyes.

“How did you come to be there?”

“Grieg set a trap,” said I. “And Hanbury and I walked in.”

“And you swore that you would be careful. You—”

“It was a trap,” I protested. “I never dreamed—”

“You are down enough upon others who break their word.”

“I took every care,” I said. “For one thing I had no idea that The Square of Carpet was the kind of place that it is. And Hanbury will tell you that—”

“Tell me yourself what happened.”

Shortly I related our adventure, while she sat looking into the sunlit distance, with her knees drawn up a little and her delicate fingers laced about her slim legs.

When I had finished—

“You must leave Vigil,” she said. “You are not safe there. Grieg was an instrument, but Johann’s the power behind. And this morning you saw what he does to people who get in his way.”

“I think The Square of Carpet was Grieg’s own show.”

“Directly, perhaps. But you’ve twisted Johann’s tail.”

“I’m going to,” said I violently. “He’ll curse the day he burned Anger before I’m through.”

Her head was round in an instant and a finger up to her lip.

“That’s not like you,” she said. “When you talk like that you scare me. What have you got in your mind?”

“Nothing,” I cried bitterly. “And there’s the rub. I’m brainless, powerless, useless. And that’s why I’m safe.”

“But you said—”

“I know, I know. I can’t help it. You see, he’s burned down your home.”

I had spoken without thinking. But, if that is a fault, it is not always a misfortune, and I cannot forget the light that my childish avowal brought into her glorious eyes or the exquisite smile that came to rest on her mouth.

“You are very downright,” she said, looking away.

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