Swim Among the People by Gallagher Karl K

Author:Gallagher, Karl K.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kelt Haven Press
Published: 2023-03-19T00:00:00+00:00

***

Robat snuggled up to Elinor as she climbed into their bed. She lay flat instead of curving into him. There was something on her mind.

“That young man is Edward’s brother, isn’t he?” she asked.

He turned to face the ceiling. “He could be. He has the look. He looks enough like little Rhys to be his father. But everything he’s said about his family has been fiction for our entertainment.”

“He’s told you the truth about himself now.”

If standing, Robat would have shrugged. The gesture didn’t work in bed. “He’s said some truth. I’m not in a position to extract his whole life story.”

“Just ask if he has a brother Edward who worked here.”

“Oh? And what do I say when he asks why I want to know?”

Elinor turned on her side to face him. “Tell him the truth. A man named Edward Scott needed help. We gave his son shelter.”

“My love, do you know nothing of the Fieran obsession with revenge? Edward’s idea of relationship building was to show me an entertainment where a man committed twenty murders as vengeance for the death of a favorite second cousin. How will he react to knowing we sent his brother to his death?”

“Oh.”

She turned back and stared at the ceiling for a few moments. “Can we keep the secret from him?”

“Only you and I know the whole of it. Megan and the elders know baby Rhys is Fieran but we didn’t tell them which Fieran. There’s a dozen or so mechanics who worked with Edward on his generator upgrade project. Someone who looks too close at Richard and Rhys might guess they’re related.”

“Mmmm. I can put a damper on the last. All Fierans look alike, right?”

Robat laughed. “From what I’ve seen they’re almost as diverse as Censies. Every shade of brown there is. And they’ve done some genetic engineering. I saw one with red hair.”

“That must stand out. But there’s been hardly any Fierans visiting Rhuddlan. I’ll use the look alike line to damp speculation about Richard and Rhys. Though that would be easier if he was elsewhere.”

“For Harold’s sake. It’s bad enough we couldn’t save the one. I can’t send the other outside with the Censorate looking for him in particular.”

Elinor propped herself up on an elbow. “But how do we explain him?”

“Everyone’s already coming up with the explanation. We’re so desperate to marry off Megan we’ll take in a penniless boy who jumped off a Jaaphisii ship.”

“Hmph. He needs to be more than a willing body to meet my standards for marrying Megan.”

“Or mine,” agreed Robat. “But we don’t have to explain that to everyone.”

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