Satin Ice (The Delaneys, #12) by Johansen Iris

Author:Johansen, Iris [Johansen, Iris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency, Fiction, Romance, Crime, General
ISBN: 9780553219784
Amazon: 0553219782
Goodreads: 272253
Publisher: Bantam Book
Published: 1988-10-01T07:00:00+00:00

"You should not be here," Mikhail chided as he set the cup of hot tea down in front of her on the crude wooden table before taking his place opposite her. The chair squeaked protestingly under his bulk. "If you wanted to go sledding, you should have tried one of the slides on the estate of a nobleman. This one is for the common folk."

"And who's more common than a half-breed?" Silver asked flippantly. "I like this one better. These people aren't afraid to show how much they're enjoying themselves. Besides, I'm not sledding today. I've brought Etaine." She gazed at the platform at the top of the forty-foot wooden slide across the street from the tea shop and waved to Etaine, who was settling herself on a sled preparing to make the wild icy descent. Etaine smiled and waved back before gripping the handles at the front of the sled. "Do you think the lords and ladies of the court would welcome the daughter of the owner of a circus? They accept me only because I'm an oddity who amuses them. I won't have Etaine hurt by them."

"I did not realize it was she you were protecting." Mikhail studied Silver's face thoughtfully. "I can remember a time when you would have rushed in and done battle to make them accept her."

"Etaine would be the first to be hurt in the melee, and acceptance from those people isn't worth any child's pain." She took a sip of tea and changed the subject. "Do you see those two women sitting across the room? One of them is dressed in pink and the other in blue. Is it some kind of uniform? I have seen women dressed like that before on the streets."

Mikhail's gaze followed her own to the two laughing young women sipping tea across the room. The women's sheepskin coats were open to reveal the traditional bright blue and bright pink embroidered sarafans and on their braided hair rested diadem- shaped kokoshniks of matching blue or pink velvet. He hesitated. "Yes, it is a uniform."

"What kind? Are they housemaids to a great house? Our housemaids don't dress like that."

"No, they are not housemaids."

"Then what—" She broke off in astonishment as she saw Mikhail's face. "You're afraid to tell me. Why would you be afraid?" Then understanding came to her. "They're nursemaids?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Wet nurses. It is the traditional uniform. The woman wearing pink is nursing a girl, the one in blue is nursing a boy. The amber beads about their necks are good luck amulets to ward off illness."

Silver had been expecting his confirmation, but it still brought sadness in its wake. "Don't look so worried. It's not as if someone else wouldn't have told me eventually." She lowered her lids. "It's all right, Mikhail. The pain is still there, but it's like the throb of an old wound; it's not raw and bleeding any longer. I try to think of my baby with love not sorrow. She deserves love.

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