“What’s the news from Ghosenhall?” Kiernan asked.
She gave him the same recital she had given Malcolm, edited a little. He seemed equally unsurprised, though his response was different. “I’ll send troops from Brassenthwaite as soon as I’m back at the Court,” he said. “We’ve been training them against the day they would be needed.”
“Malcolm won’t send his men to battle,” she said.
Kiernan glanced over to where the marlord was making conversation with a Brassenthwaite vassal and her daughter. “Malcolm may change his mind,” he said. “He may decide that he does not like to see his nearest neighbors fighting over scraps of land that lie awfully close to his borders. He may decide Danalustrous’s best hope of remaining strong is making sure Gillengaria itself survives.”
She didn’t need to reply to that, for they were joined just then by the bridal couple. “Casserah,” Senneth said, embracing Kirra’s sister. The presumed excitement of the event didn’t seem to weigh much with Casserah. Her wide-set blue eyes still showed their habitual abstracted expression. Will stood beside her, lanky and smiling, his face familiar to Senneth because it looked so much like her own. “And, Will! I was so afraid I would not be able to make it for the wedding.”
“I was surprised to hear you’d arrived,” Will said, giving her a smile and a hard hug. “I was sure you’d find some excuse for staying away.”
She laughed. “The welfare of the kingdom? Would that have been a good enough reason?”
“Of course it would,” Casserah said, her voice as composed as always. “You didn’t need to come. I would not have been at all offended.”
Senneth couldn’t help grinning. Never anything less than the absolute truth from Casserah. “Then you won’t be offended to learn I do not plan to stay long after the ceremony concludes. I am uneasy being away from Ghosenhall. I think my place is there.”
“Perhaps the bride does not wish to talk of war on the eve of her wedding,” Harris said.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Casserah said. “Talk of whatever you like.”
The group broke up relatively soon after dinner; everyone wanted plenty of time to rest and refresh themselves before the morrow. When Senneth and Tayse returned to their room, they found Donnal there, shaped like a black hound, sleeping in front of the fire.
“Change to human form, and I’ll deal the cards,” Tayse invited him, and so the three of them were deep in a game when Kirra arrived half an hour later.
“Everyone off to bed and the bride settled in for the night,” she said with a sigh, pulling up a chair and motioning Senneth to include her in the next round. “I’m exhausted but I can’t sleep yet.”
Senneth felt her laughter bubble up. “Your sister does not seem to be a nervous bride.”
“No! Cold-blooded as ever. But she and Will deal together extraordinarily well. I think he finds her entertaining, and she considers him useful. I suppose there are worse ways to make a match.”
They played cards, talking idly, until well past midnight, when all of them were finally yawning. “Shall I come dress you in the morning or do you feel able to handle that task yourself?” Kirra asked Senneth on the way out.
“I think I can manage, thank you.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 24
IN the morning, the house was filled with all the bustle of a grand event, so Senneth and Tayse didn’t look for much interaction with Kirra. Tayse rose and left the room while she was still half asleep; she was certain he had gone to work out with some of Malcolm’s house guards. But he returned in plenty of time to bathe and change into his Rider regalia-a formal uniform of black and gold, topped by a sash embroidered with the king’s gold lions.
“You look very handsome,” Senneth said. She was wearing a long-sleeved dress of deep blue, embroidered at the cuffs and hem and bodice with a complex border of gold. The necklace Tayse had given her hung just above the neckline, perfectly covering her Brassenthwaite housemark. She had made some effort with her hair, threading blue and gold ribbons through it, and touched up her pale cheeks with a hint of rouge.
“And you, serra. Extremely beautiful.”
“I will be glad when this is over and we can be on our way.”
He grinned, and bowed her out of the room.
The wedding guests were beginning to assemble in a large, formal hall on the first floor. Columns, archways, and topiary had been decorated with intertwined ribbons of Brassenthwaite blue and Danalustrous red, and someone had coaxed red chrysanthemums and blue delphinium to bloom out of season, for vases of the cut flowers were scattered throughout the room. Kiernan and Harris were standing in a group of Brassenthwaite men, holding what looked like a serious conversation. Senneth nodded their way but did not bother to join them. A harpist and a flautist sat in a corner, offering light music; servants circulated with trays of drinks. Sunlight streamed in through the eight huge windows that lined the east side of the room.
“A pretty day to be married,” Tayse observed.
“And then a pretty day to travel,” she replied. He laughed at her silently.
Finally, finally, all the guests had gathered. A small red bird with a black tail swooped in through the high doorway, circled the room once, and landed on one of the beribboned plants. Senneth supposed it was Donnal. He rarely attended even informal dinners at Danan Hall, for he was peasant-born and not comfortable in the company of nobles, but clearly this was an occasion he wanted to observe. She waved and he dipped his head in acknowledgment.
He was the last to arrive. Now the music changed, sending a cue to the bridal party. Malcolm entered with Kirra on one arm and his wife, Jannis, on the other, and strode to the front of the hall where a magistrate stood waiting. Casserah and Will were only a few steps behind. She wore deep red; her dark hair was unbound down her back. Will wore blue with touches of scarlet. He had attached a red blossom to his jacket with a ruby stickpin. Kiernan and Chelley and Harris went to stand beside Will while Malcolm, Jannis, and Kirra arranged themselves around Casserah.
The magistrate raised his hand to quiet the last mutterings of the crowd. He was tall and big-boned, with a shock of white hair and a lined, handsome face. Senneth judged that he had observed pretty much everything the world had to offer. “Those who have chosen to marry step forward. Tell me your names and your stations,” he intoned.
Senneth took a quick sip of breath and glanced up at Tayse. In almost the same words, a magistrate had married them last fall. He smiled down at her and put his hand on the small of her back.
“I am Casserah Danalustrous, serramarra,” the bride said, speaking with utmost confidence. “Daughter of Malcolm and Jannis Danalustrous and heir to all their property.”
“I am Will Brassenthwaite, serramar…”
It was clear that this ceremony was going to take a little longer than the one that had united Tayse and Senneth, so she let her mind wander a bit. Therefore, she was not paying attention when Tayse nudged her and nodded toward the front of the hall. He raised his eyebrows as if to ask what was wrong.
She focused on the wedding party. The cleric was speaking, but Casserah was not attending. She had turned to look at her father and he was staring back at her. After a moment, he nodded, and Casserah faced the magistrate again. Senneth saw her hands ball up at her sides.