The Truth-Teller's Tale by Sharon Shinn

Author:Sharon Shinn [Shinn, Sharon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2010-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

Part Two

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The year that Roelynn, Adele, and I turned seventeen, we prepared for the grandest Summermoon festival that Merendon had ever seen. Adele and I were particularly happy because we had graduated from school in the spring; Roelynn’s parade of private tutors also had come to an end. We were all very certain we were young ladies now, the kind who could be expected to enjoy themselves at Summermoon. Indeed, the whole town braced itself for a rare and brilliant celebration as Karro began planning for his now-traditional ball three months in advance.

Word soon spread that Karro had invited seven families from Wodenderry to attend the ball, and six had accepted. All six were blessed with beautiful young daughters of marriageable age, so it was not hard to see what Karro’s intentions were. If Adele minded the intrusion of such competition, she did not say so. Roelynn herself thought it very funny that her father would think any highborn young lady could be induced to believe that Micah was excellent husband material.

“For I love him very much, you know I do, but he’s not a courtier,” she told us one afternoon in spring. “He is not the sort of man a girl pines for and sighs over. I’m sure all of these girls are very put out to be forced to come to Merendon for a provincial ball when you know the queen will be having her own much more elegant affair in the royal city.”

“I thought the queen had been invited to your father’s ball, too,” I said.

“Well, of course, she’s been invited, but she declined most graciously,” Roelynn said.

“And the prince?”

Roelynn giggled. “Oh, he was invited. But it turns out he’s already accepted an invitation in—where was it? Oakton.” She named a rather unfashionable town on the west edge of the kingdom.

“That seems unlikely,” Adele said.

“Most unlikely,” Roelynn agreed. “So I can’t help but think he’s going off with his cronies somewhere on some disreputable jaunt. One hardly likes to speculate what it might be.”

Of course, we did speculate for a few moments, but since the three of us had all led rather sheltered lives, we were fairly sure we had not come up with anything depraved enough. When we ran out of ideas, Adele asked Roelynn, “So who will you be dreaming of come Summermoon? Are any of these highborn Wodenderry ladies bringing along an attractive brother or two?”

Roelynn shook her dark head, her eyes wide with innocence. “No! I am quite fancy-free at the moment and determined to stay so. Men are more heartache than they’re worth, I’ve decided.”

Naturally, what this really meant was that Roelynn would be ripe for falling in love with the next unsuitable man who came along.

He happened to be the dancing master’s apprentice.

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