Hearts in Cups (13 page)

Aidan of Thurin spoke
up. "I support Niall's suggestion, but I think that we need to address the
question of how a consort would be chosen."

"The fairest way
would be for all of the Houses to put forth a candidate and let Hollin
choose," Laurin piped up.

"I agree that all
of the Houses should put forth their own candidates, but the consort should be
elected by a draw so that all of the candidates would have an equal
chance," Gunnar pronounced officiously.

"Yes, I think we
could all agree to that," Aidan concurred with a brisk nod of his head.

Lewys, with a worried frown,
suddenly asked, "Since Hollin has been keyed to House Langstraad, and
whoever she married would have only the potential of his own House Gift, won't
this proposal result in the loss of the House Gift of Sandovar? And what
becomes of Langstraad? Surely the duchess must abdicate if this course is
taken?"

"Lewys raises some
very good points," Aidan acknowledged. Turning to Percamber beside him, he
asked, "What do you say, my lord? When you were made regent, were you
given any access to the House Gift of Sandovar?"

"Assuredly
not," Percamber demurred. "I am originally from the barony of Morna,
which is not a House. My powers, or gifts, were not confirmed by descent but
are individual to me. The House Gifts are fixed in the line of a particular
House and, as you know, can only be set functioning though elaborate
ceremonies."

"Colin, you have
had the most formal training of any here; what do you say to this
possibility?" Branwilde fixed his eyes on the viscount.

"I seriously doubt
that Hollin could assume the powers of House Sandovar," he responded,
"being already keyed to House Langstraad. Possibly, if she married a
direct descendant of one of the Houses, her heirs might carry enough of the
right blood to be keyed to House Sandovar. All of the original founders of the
Great Houses, and eventually of the Minor Houses, are descendants of the
founder of House Sandovar, so we are all related at a distance to the Royal
House."

"This is really
beside the point," Larth Brescom finally muttered aloud. "What is
important right now is to ensure our political unity."

"And that is why
it is so important to get this embassy to the prince underway as soon as
possible, " Colin said insistently. "If an alternate plan is deemed
necessary before the search for Prince Brian is undertaken, then so be
it."

Hollin groaned
inwardly. It was abundantly clear to her that Percamber's and Colin's primary
concern was with the prince and his return, and it seemed that they were willing
to compromise with the other council members in order to be certain of having
their own plan accepted. It was not the fault of either man that they did not
know of her singular aversion to being married off in this fashion.

"Well,
Hollin," Niall's voice was silken. "Everyone here seems in agreement.
What is your answer?"

Backed into a corner,
she thought wryly; what really is there for me to say? If she did not agree to
this contingency, she was relatively certain that Niall and his supporters
would not back her decision to go with the embassy. She could simply ignore
them and go anyway, but that might well entail serious divisiveness among the
council members and could hamper the prince's ability to work with the council
if he did return. In the end it all came down to her willingness to gamble her
freedom on her belief that the prince could be found, and that he would return
willingly to accept his responsibilities. If that happened, she could refuse to
abdicate her coronet and, as head of a Great House, she would make herself
ineligible for marriage to him. Any way she turned, she found herself
negotiating a political maze, just as Ian had warned.

At last, graciously
inclining her head to the assembly, she spoke. "If you will all work
together, marshaling the necessary resources to mount an expedition to go and
find Prince Brian, then I am willing to agree that, if this quest fails, I will
return and do as the council requests, marrying from among the assembled
candidates." There were exclamations of approval from the others at the
table as she sat back down, but she caught a look on Niall's face that made her
pause and wonder, for she suddenly realized that he had not expected her to
agree to his proposal.

The members of the
council spent the remainder of that day's session in planning and working out
the specific arrangements for the coming expedition. There was an air of
contentment and self-congratulation among most the members now that a positive
course of action had been proposed and accepted by all. The council did not
pursue the issue of whether or not Hollin would be allowed to choose, or be
forced to take the winner of drawn lots. For herself, however, Hollin resolved
that the prince would be found and returned before either of those odious tasks
was forced upon her.

"Well, my dear,
today's session held undreamed of surprises for one and all." Niall turned
to favour his wife with a sardonic grin as he raised the glass he was holding
to her in salute.

Rashara, leaning back
against the cushions of her chair, closed her eyes and said, "It's a pity
that Prince Brian turned out to still be alive. Our plans have become more
complicated by him and this ridiculous notion of trying to find and bring him
back."

"Actually, it may
work for us. I've been thinking, and there are ways to use this to our
advantage, though we will have to work faster than we originally planned."
He sat down on the arm of her chair. Slowly Rashara opened her eyes and
silently regarded him with the questioning arch of her well-groomed eyebrows.
"In the first place, there are many whose suspicions about us will be
allayed if we allow them to think that our goal now is to see Hollin married to
our son. Also, with Hollin away on this embassy, the Duchy of Langstraad will
be without its commander, leaving one less power with which to contend. If we
begin mobilizing our forces while everyone's attention is focused on her, using
this quest business as a diversion, our traps can be laid with no one the
wiser. The fewer eyes and minds directed towards us at this time, the
better."

"Yes, I see
that." She narrowed her eyes speculatively. "Oh yes, I can think of
some very nice corollary actions to be started."

He reached out with his
hand to touch her cheek with his fingertips. "Tuenth's boy? Is he still
with us?"

There was a throaty
chuckle of amusement, whether at him, or the boy, or both, was unclear. She
took his hand and moved it down to where her skin met the top edge of her fine
linen chemise. Diverted, he began to play with the edge of the fabric.
"Have no fear, the little lordling will fall in with our plans, exactly as
expected. You take care of your troops and I will take care of mine." The
cloth came away unexpectedly in his hand, dispensing with further conversation.

Hollin returned to her
own quarters after the members of the council had dispersed for the day, to sit
for an hour or two in uninterrupted thought. Then, taking paper and pen, she
had written a long letter to Ian, telling him of the events that had transpired
during the meeting of the council, and of her forthcoming journey. She went on
to explain about the crystal and the ring, and her involvement with Viscount
Treves and his wife, but did not mention her fears concerning the council's
plan if the quest for the prince failed in any way. He would read for himself
between the lines. In closing, she wished him well and reiterated her faith in
his stewardship.

Looking out of her
window into the gloom of twilight, Hollin sat pensively, letting Inara brush
out her long hair. Tonight there would be another banquet, mercifully not
requiring full state regalia. Uncomfortably aware that many people would now be
speculating on the chances of potential husbands for her as she dined among
them, she was not looking forward to tonight’s ordeal. Manners would dictate
that such talk be done behind her back and she hoped there would be no cases of
lapsed decorum. As she brooded about how to get through the next few hours
without being offended or angered, the door opened abruptly and a flustered
Celia hurried into the room.

"Begging your
grace's pardon but I just heard such news... The whole palace is in an
uproar..." Wringing her hands together, the girl tried to gain control of
herself in front of her mistress.

"Sit down,
Celia," Hollin commanded, sharing a perplexed look with Inara, who stood
with a collar of pearls and pale aquamarines dangling from her raised hands.
"Whatever can be the matter?"

Placing her hands
firmly in front of her, Celia caught her breath. "The Duke of Creon's daughter
has been kidnapped!"

Hollin was clearly
taken aback by the news. "Where did you hear this?"

"The news is all
over the palace by now. It seems that when the duke and duchess returned to
their rooms, the girl's maids told them that she had stayed in her own room all
day, asking not to be disturbed. The duchess went to see if she was all right
and found her gone. It is rumoured that one of the court musicians took a fancy
to her and abducted her. The duke is said to be in a terrible rage." She
took the glass of the cordial that Inara had poured for her during this
recitation.

"Do you know
whether she is supposed to have been taken away by force, or did she go of her
own will?" Hollin asked, recovering from her initial surprise.

Celia looked shocked at
what her mistress' question implied. "It can't be of her choosing. She's a
duke's daughter!"

From across the room,
Inara spoke. "Was there a note of explanation or did she just
vanish?"

"There was no note
that I heard of. The lady was simply kidnapped and spirited away for the man’s
own vile purposes." Her voiced dropped a note as she delivered this bit of
speculation.

"How did this
supposed abductor get into her room? Creon's residence is at least as well
guarded as our own. It seems rather convenient that the girl asked not to be
disturbed while alone in her room and then a man breaks into that room and
carries her off without raising an alarm," Inara scoffed..

"He was a
palace-man, so he'd know his way about and not be questioned. Also, they say
that he was the girl's music teacher some time ago. Perhaps the guards
recognized him and let him in. They're questioning the guards now, but one of
them could have been bribed," Celia argued heatedly.

Hollin, who had been
mute during this exchange, looked sharply at Celia and repeated: "The
girl's music teacher?"

"Former music
teacher, actually," was the prissy reply.

The image of a young
man with bright eyes and an attractive smile who played for her the night she
had dined privately with Lord and Lady de Chantalcalm came into Hollin's
mind's-eye. Remembering their fondness for him, she shook her head grimly.
Whether the girl had been forced or gone willingly, Colin and Dinea were bound
to be embarrassed by the incident.

"The duke has
taken measures?" Hollin inquired reluctantly.

"Oh yes, his grace
has sent soldiers in pursuit of them. It's thought that they may have tried to
escape by boat down the river. A woman in a fish shop by the wharves claims to
have seen a girl answering the description of the lady being forced aboard one
of the boats by several ruffians. Lord Percamber has also sent out members of
the Household Guards to search the roads. Poor girl! Her mother is quite
hysterical, so her ladies say." The restorative effects of verbally
unburdening herself had returned Celia to a degree of composure and she peeked
into one of the mirrors, smoothing the front of her dress.

The image of the
Duchess of Creon in a state of hysteria was one that Hollin could not envision,
though she did not say so aloud. Wishing more than ever that she could excuse
herself from tonight's obligations, Hollin sighed and motioned to Inara,
allowing the jeweled collar to be fastened about her neck.

The banquet that
evening was a stiff and uncomfortable affair, with everyone very much aware of
the news of the abduction of the Duke of Creon's daughter. Lady Dierdre, much
to every one's surprise, attended the banquet to sit beside her glowering
husband with a pale, composed face, stifling the crowd's urge to gossip aloud.
To her right, her son, Owen, sat silently, looking depressed and miserable the
entire evening. Wagging tongues said that he had volunteered to go in search of
his sister but his father had refused permission. Lord Colin and Lady Dinea
were also present, with drawn and worried faces, though no mention was made of
the fact that the accused abductor had been a member of their household.
Conversation was stilted and a somber gloom permeated the hall as the meal
progressed to an early conclusion. With relief and vague comments meant to
reassure, the guests took their leave and emptied the hall. For Hollin, the
only positive aspect of the evening was that, with Creon's misfortune absorbing
them, no one gave thought to tackling her with unwelcome questions.

Chapter 6

The following two days
were uneasily spent by the council, finalizing the details of the forthcoming
expedition as well as attending to the usual issues of trade and taxes. All of
this took place under the pall raised by the Duke of Creon's missing daughter.
Reports had come in verifying that the hounds had picked up the scent and were
riding for Dacara with all haste. Lady Dierdre no longer came to the council
sessions, though she continued to appear at the court banquets each evening.
The Duke of Creon put his mind to the various concerns of the council, doing
his work conscientiously but with a perpetual frown. By unspoken consent he and
Viscount Treves avoided each other when possible.