‘My lord Baron,’ said Rodrik Varl, ‘please meet my lady, Jazana Carr.’
Baron Ravel stepped down from the dais and, straining, bowed the best he could. ‘My lady,’ he said softly, ‘this is a great honour for me.’
‘Baron Ravel, rise, please,’ bid Jazana Carr. She had a voice like a nightingale, soft and lyrical. She smiled at the baron, dazzling him. ‘You grace Norvor by coming here,’ she continued. ‘Not everyone would have done so. Thank you for making the trip.’
‘The trip, my lady, was well worth the sight of you. I would have crossed an ocean had I known how magnificent you are.’
Jazana Carr pretended to blush. ‘I have heard you are a man of taste, Baron. Your compliment honours me.’
Ravel put out a hand. ‘Then do me an honour, lady, and let me take you to your seat.’
With feline grace Jazana Car slipped her hand into the baron’s. Her grip was warm and smooth. Ravel held her hand gently, then brushed past Rodrik Varl to guide the lady up the dais. The slight sway of her hips enchanted Ravel. To say that she was magnificent was to understate the obvious. When they reached her seat Ravel paused and pulled back the enormous chair, bidding her to sit. The Diamond Queen smoothed the emerald ruffles of her gown and did so. At once, two of her exquisitely dressed servants rushed up to fill her glass and offer her food. Jazana Carr took the wine, declined the food, and settled in while Ravel took his seat. In a moment the entire gathering did the same, but they did not start speaking until the lady ordered the musicians to play once again. The instruments bloomed to life. The merriment resumed. Ravel turned confidently to Bern and gave a furtive wink.
‘My lady, you have embarrassed us with so much attention,’ he told Jazana Carr. ‘This celebration; it is all too much! My men and I are overwhelmed by your hospitality.’
‘It is a trifle, believe me, Baron Ravel,’ said the Diamond Queen. ‘And you are a man accustomed to good things. Surely I could have given you nothing less.’
‘I thank you, my lady, but my expectations have been royally exceeded. I came here expecting to talk, but this. .’ Ravel sighed. ‘This is fabulous.’
The compliment made the lady smile. ‘It pleases me to hear you say so, Baron. Of course we will talk, but first you should enjoy yourself. Business is best conducted on a full stomach.’
‘Lady, even my great stomach can only endure so much. We should talk, when you are ready of course. I confess that I’m anxious to hear your opinion on things.’
It was diplomatic speech, yet Jazana Carr seemed not to understand. She ignored the statement, raising her glass and cheering on the acrobats instead, who had taken up positions in front of the dais.
‘We’ll talk, my lord,’ she said finally. ‘In a while.’
Surprised, Ravel had to stop himself from pushing her. She was a silly woman, this Diamond Queen, obviously preoccupied with fun and pretty things. Ravel cultivated his patience. With a snap of his fingers he summoned a serving girl, who placed a platter of gravied meats under his nose for inspection. Ravel retrieved his fork and dragged slices of the meat onto his plate. A teenaged boy refilled his wine glass. The baron settled back into his chair. He made small talk with the queen, complimenting her on her good taste and the remarkable way she had managed to bring so many fine foods to such a desolate place. At this Jazana Carr sniffed. She told him with a wan smile that Hanging Man fortress was not really remote.
‘If you have money, nothing is remote,’ she said. ‘You must know that, Lord Ravel. You are a man of means, after all.’
‘True,’ Ravel replied. ‘I bring the best spices across the continent for my kitchens, the best wines, the best oils. Anything I want. The cost is unimportant.’
Jazana Carr raised her glass to him. ‘People like us should have no concern of such things.’
Like us. The phrase irked Ravel.
‘You are indeed wealthy, my lady. This celebration proves that. Still, it must be very expensive for you.’
The queen shrugged. ‘I suppose.’
Again she turned to the tumblers, who had been joined by an obnoxious juggler who took four plates off the dais and began tossing them into the air. The crowd cheered and so did Jazana Carr, but not Ravel. The baron looked around the room and considered the expenses. How many soldiers were there in Hanging Man, he wondered? And how much did it cost to feed them all? Just the transport fees alone should have been ruinous.
A ruse, he decided. Her ease at paying for such grand opera was a pretence. It could not be anything else. Almost unconsciously he stretched out his hand, laying it across the table near Jazana Carr so that she could see his many rings. She glanced down at his hand for a moment, but only because it distracted her. Still, he seized the moment.
‘Ah, you admire the rings,’ he said. He wiggled his fingers and smiled. ‘I know you’re an expert on gems, my lady. Here. .’ He slipped a ring off his index finger, a fat band of gold with an enormous diamond. ‘Tell me what you think of this.’
Jazana Carr raised her eyebrows politely. ‘Oh, yes, it’s very nice,’ she purred. ‘Diamonds with cuts like that are from Marn. We don’t do that cut in Norvor. Look, let me show you the difference. .’
Now she proceeded to slip off a ring, this one larger than Ravel’s with an even more stunning diamond. ‘Here, you see?’ With her long fingernail she pointed out the differences. ‘Mine is Norvan. See how fine the cut is? Facets like that reflect more light.’
‘Mine came from a Marnan duke,’ said Ravel. ‘You may have it if you like.’
The hint of a crack appeared on the lady’s alabaster face. ‘You’re very kind, Baron. I think, though, that I have enough diamonds.’
Ravel pushed the ring closer to her. ‘Please, my lady, take it. It is nothing to me. If I wanted a hundred like it I could snap my fingers and make it so.’
‘Yes,’ drawled the queen, ‘I’m sure you could.’ Still, she left the ring there on the table, right next to her own. Her sparkling eyes regarded Ravel peculiarly. ‘You seem eager to talk about wealth, my lord. I suppose it is always so with great men of business like yourself.’
‘Forgive me, my lady,’ said Ravel. ‘I have so much of it, you see. It preoccupies me. To run as many holdings as I have requires all my attention, day and night.’
Jazana Carr gritted her pretty teeth. ‘I see,’ she said tightly. ‘Baron Ravel, perhaps you are right. Perhaps we should talk now and discuss what brought you here.’
‘Oh, I agree, my lady. And I assure you, you have nothing to worry about. We’ll come to an arrangement that is generous to you.’
Jazana Carr put down her glass and, with her free hand, took hold of Rodrik Varl’s arm. Varl snickered, shaking his head, and sipped his own drink. Ravel smiled at the queen, confused, as the music and merriment went on around them.
‘Baron Ravel,’ chuckled Jazana Carr, ‘have you come here to offer me something?’
Ravel hesitated. ‘My lady, forgive me. I’m not sure what you’re asking. I came to Hanging Man because you agreed to talk with me.’
‘That’s right,’ replied the queen. Her smile never waned, and Ravel could not decipher what was amusing her. ‘Baron, you’re right. I did accept your offer to come speak with me.’ She looked at him expectantly. ‘And?’
‘And. . well, I’m here.’ Ravel returned her questioning glance. ‘Aren’t you going to offer something?’
Jazana turned to Rodrik Varl and started laughing. ‘You see, Rodrik? What did I tell you? All men are like this!’
Baron Ravel leaned back, wondering what was happening. Next to him, Colonel Bern went stiff.
‘My lady,’ began Ravel, ‘the most unpleasant thought occurs to me. Have you brought me here to offer me terms?’
Jazana Carr couldn’t control herself. She put her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. ‘Oh, why, why wouldn’t such a thing occur to you, Baron? Tell me, please, what makes you think you are so much above me?’ She picked up the ring he’d left on the table, holding it out before her. ‘This is supposed to impress me, is it?’ She flung the bauble toward the juggler. ‘For you!’ she laughed, urging the entertainer to take it. Ravel watched, mortified by the act.