Eclipse by Celia Lake

Author:Celia Lake [Lake, Celia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Celia Lake

Twenty-Three

Saturday evening

Thesan sighed, doing her best to keep it inside her head. Isembard was a widely travelled man, well-educated to all the best standards. He certainly wasn’t stupid. But he could be very limited in what he considered. She was sure it wasn’t good for him. Or his duelling.

To his credit, he shut up and didn’t try to argue with her. She took a breath, looking out the window, away from him again. Then she said, “Look around you, here. How many people in this room - besides me - come from the Fourth Families, never mind Fifth?”

He swallowed, shifting weight from one foot to the other. She could almost hear him counting, mentally. “Of the people I’ve seen and know - admittedly most of them. Five. Six. Not including the servants, of course.”

Which just proved her point further, but she’d get to that. “And how many of them went to one of the Five Schools other than Schola?”

“Oh, three dozen, maybe four? I’d have to work up a list. Rhoe’s husband, Hugh, you liked him.” There were at least two hundred people there, mind.

“I did, indeed. But someone who was born into one of the pre-eminent shipping families of the past three centuries is, shall we say, not lacking for educational options or professional connections in his life.”

Thesan felt Isembard flinch slightly. “Point.” He had gone quiet, now, subdued. “We are insular.”

“Insular, and powerful. And the people here....” She gestured with one hand. “Think they understand what the rest of us need to know. Get to know. Unless we’re very lucky, or exceedingly clever.”

She drew in a breath and went on, her voice sharper. “I got into Schola because - we didn’t have a household of servants, but Mum knew to read us stories about them. One of my aunts helped us figure out what to study, with my older brothers and sister. We had to learn what you all cared about to get a chance to play on your field. I fell in love with the stars, and basically none of you take astronomy seriously, but you respect that it’s ancient and magical.”

“Um.” He was stammering almost.

“And as to the actual servants, they don’t even have that choice. Just hoping they end up in service to someone who treats them well. Your sister-in-law, for example, there’s a reason she doesn’t keep household staff long. Or at least no one with any other option at all.”

Isembard was silent for a long time, nearly two minutes. She let him stew in it. She would be patient. She could see the stars through the glass roof. That was more than enough to keep her amused.

Finally, behind her shoulder, he cleared his throat. “I see. Or rather, I’m sure I don’t. But I would like to learn what you’re seeing. What you know that…” He stalled then continued. “What I’ve been ignoring.”

She turned around to him and smiled slowly. “I’ll be holding you to that.” She could forgive him a great deal, for that pause and that request.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.