A Match for the el Maiens Ch. 02

Dame Sevianne Inien was sitting to one side of the fireplace, her young son standing by her grey armchair. The older Knights and Dames avoided her. The younger men had been circling her before Lady el Jien arrived, but had been rebuffed by old Commander-Sir Flada Clathan standing close by.

Arianna crossed to Sevianne with her warmest smile lighting up her eager face and the dimple dancing in her chin above the sparkling diamonds and lace over her full breast. Sevianne, rising to greet her, could not but smile in return and Commander-Sir Clathan's face softened to see Lady el Jien so happy. The Knights and Dames whispered to each other behind a hand that Dame Inien's faded green silk dress had a patch on it! but Lady el Jien did not seem to notice. Arianna took Sevianne's hand, brushing her formal greeting aside. Flada Clathan bent down to speak to her son, Hanya.

"You are a beauty worth walking a mile for!" he said indulgently to the child, "but what are you doing here, hanging about your mama's skirts? Why are you not playing with the other children?"

Hanya hung back shyly and said softly to his mother: "Where is papa?"

Arianna looked down at the baby of her husband's junior officer: Captain-Sir Hanya Vashin, and caught her breath.

Clair el Maien and Hanya Vashin had made an exceptionally handsome pair: lean and tall in their red and gold Sietter uniforms, Clair dark-haired and Hanya the pattern of the Sietter Knight with his rangy strong body, blond hair cropped at the back and sides and beautiful cold blue eyes.

Hanya Vashin had been handsome but his child was like an Angel. Those beautiful blue Vashin eyes that had been like chips of ice in the face of his father in blood were shy and sweet and warm with the affection of the child's gentle heart in his seraphically lovely golden face.

However even Arianna noticed that his shirt was too short in the sleeves and his little pair of breeches had been cut for a bigger boy and were only held up by his braces. She frowned in puzzlement that Sevianne Inien would bring her child to the formal reception rooms dressed so badly. The plain clothes did nothing to detract from little Hanyan's extraordinary beauty, his skin seemed to glow from within with health and sweetness of heart. When he smiled up into Arianna's face, she could not forbear to smile back, putting out a hand to cup about his soft golden-pink cheek.

Sevianne had caught her breath up in an anxious gasp. "Your father is dead, my baby," she said quickly. "Papa is not here. Let me talk with Lady el Jien. Lady el Jien, I came because I thought Lord Clair would be here, he wrote me ..." she stuttered and blushed. "I will not need to see you."

Arianna looked into Sevianne Inien's face with a clear inquiring stare. Sevianne's eyes swung off to one side. Commander-Sir Clathan stood back from the two of them with a bland expression on his lined gentle face.

"Come to see me," Arianna said in a suddenly autocratic tone of voice. "Take Hanya to play with Arkyll, Ria will watch him for you while we talk." She attempted to soften her tone. "Lord Clair would like them to play, his son in blood and ... and Captain-Sir Vashin's son." She was conscious of Flada Clathan at her elbow, politely not listening to their conversation. Sevianne was still insisting to look aside. Arianna stooped to Hanya and gathered him in her arms, trying to reassure Sevianne by showing kindness to this child whom she knew was intimately high in Clair's affections.

"Mays't call me Aunt Anna," she suggested. Hanya leant willingly into her caress and said softly in reply, "Aunt Anna." She gave Hanya's angelic blond head a kiss.

Arianna moved gracefully away to walk between the Knights and Dames, pressing a hand here, making formal acknowledgement of allegiance there. Flada Clathan had gone over to the young Knights and the First Sietter officer. He stood with an irritated look on his affectionate old face, keeping an eye over the young men. He had taken the opportunity out of the pacifist Lady el Jien's earshot to remind them that her husband had cut the face of a member of the high nobility who had only written a poem addressed to her and to enquire if they wished to risk his glove by annoying a woman of a famous high chastity with their insulting attentions. Or worse, the glove of her brother by marriage: that infamous killer in the duel, Tashka el Maien van Sietter.

Arianna noticed that there was a breath-taking display of confectionary on the tables: edible models of a fleet of fishing boats and sea creatures which were made not with flour but with a great deal of even more expensive sugar. Her brow creased as she realised that everyone was looking at her. She was too embarrassed to wrap the sugar crab in a napkin and sneak it into her pocket for Arkyll.

After the reception she went slowly to the castle offices. They were in the old part of the castle, the other side of the huge entrance hall to the reception rooms, near the library and armoury. The walls of the offices had never been plastered and were still of grey stone. There were bookshelves with boxes of papers ranked around the tables of the office where the seneschal and chief clerk worked. Hanging between the long narrow slit windows were two black and blue silk troop banners. They were torn. Old brown stains were visible on them.

"Lady el Jien," the seneschal was a tall robed man who wore his greying hair long, merchant-style. The younger clerk had been a Lieutenant in Clair's troop and had short hair and dressed in a felt suit. He still had a tendency to stand in the formal Sietter stance with his heels snapped together. When he came to greet people he always had to hold out his fighting arm, his right arm, now. He had lost the left arm from the elbow down.

Lord van Sietter had not handed over any formal powers in the Sietter region to Clair and Arianna but he was occupied with his position as King's Representative for Foreign Affairs. Much of the work in the region fell on Clair's -- and therefore on Arianna's -- shoulders. (Sometimes van Sietter would countermand something Clair had laid down, simply it seemed for the pleasure of making his son look a fool.)

When Clair first had these responsibilities laid in his lap, he was newly returned from the war with H'las. His bride had waited a year alone in his home for him -- only sometimes with Tashka to give her the pleasure of some company. After the dreadful victory of Shier Bridge, Clair went to court himself and persuaded his father and van H'las to treat for peace.

Then he disappeared. He left his Lady wife and even the troop he commanded with no direction. It was Tashka who suddenly appeared one night bringing Clair home, stricken by what he had been through, his grey eyes suicidal with grief. It was Tashka who had to ride back out and lead the decimated remnants of Fourth Sietter back to the Generals' headquarters. And it was that wretched charming Tashka who talked Arianna into staying in Sietter and persuaded her to help Clair by taking up decisions about the region he was in no state to consider. Just for a short while, my dear. Do it not for Clair, nor even for my sake. Do it to annoy that snake van Sietter who only wants to prove Clair incompetent in revenge for forcing peace out of him before he wished for it.

Tashka had of course no idea what it meant to Arianna to be involved in this small way in the regional management, what opportunities it opened up underneath the trivial business of dealing with the lesser aristocracy. Arianna was careful not to make apparent what it was she was about in the castle offices, when her husband was not there and she could do as she would with the support of the seneschal and clerks.

The closest connection she had to Clair was in this strange disguised meeting of their minds: passages of reports she dictated to the clerks; recommendations which the reports said had come from Laran or Tarra but in which Clair recognised in puzzlement a more sophisticated political philosophy than theirs.

Arianna had dealt with a number of petty and dull incidents which were of the greatest importance only to those directly involved when Flada Clathan was announced. She looked up with pleasure, assuming that Flada had only come to relieve their boredom. He was not one who continually brought small problems for his future sworn Lord and Lady to deal with in the hopes that they would notice him more. He had no need to seek Clair's attention, as children he had often taken Clair and Tashka to stay with his family.

They made amiable small talk at first in which even Tarra was included out of Sir Flada's generosity of heart. They talked about the negotiations on taxes which would make it possible for trade to pass through H'las and Sietter. Arianna was the only one who thought such an important treaty might be signed. She sighed as she thought of the weaving trade in Arventa, failing to the point of no recovery because of a lack of investment.

"It is a pity there is no chance of a marriage with the el Gaiels," Sir Flada remarked. "A marriage tie would persuade the merchants that Lord Pava is serious in his promises."

Arianna thought of van Sietter's letter and her blue eyes suddenly sparkled with mocking laughter. "What, the honourable Lady Anastelle, daughter of the el Maiens, for young Commander-Lord Vadya el Gaiel van H'las?" she inquired.

Sir Flada looked appalled then burst into loud laughter. Laran smiled but looked disapproving, these were serious matters. Tarra looked puzzled. Still laughing, Sir Flada put his hand in his pocket. He brought out a napkin and showed Arianna two sugar fishes. "You are to see Dame Inien," he said. "Perhaps you would like one of these for her boy and one for Arkyllan?" Her face lit up with pleasure and beauty so that he smiled nearly as infatuated a smile as the silly young Knights and the officer he had warned away from flirting with her. Then he said, with a curious emphasis, "Dame Inien's boy is a sweet-tempered child."

He looked intently at her and continued, "Lord Arkyll will like to play with Hanyan. Arkyllan must miss it, not to have a brother to play with." Laran was muttering something and pulling papers together. The old Commander-Knight looked embarrassed but he continued in a determined and softly affectionate tone, "you would not take it out on the boy, my dear, if Clair ... Commander-Lord el Maien were to claim Captain-Sir Vashin's child as his own in duty bound." Laran coughed loudly, Arianna turned her face up to the lined face above hers with a clear blue enquiring look. She did not think of his kindly affectionate tone as an impertinence. He knew Clair and Tashka so well even she had started to call him 'Uncle Flada'. He said: "Dame Inien is sorely troubled now that her father has died. He housed her and the boy willingly in spite of van Sietter causing the family difficulties. Her brother is not so willing to suffer for the boy's sake, he is suggesting she go back to her studies but she cannot take the baby boy to the University and nobody has made provision for him."

When the next appointment came in Arianna saw it was Dame Sevianne Inien. She wished that she could meet Sevianne alone. But it was clear Sevianne had only come because Clair had told her he would be there. Arianna tried to pretend that was like his slackness although it was not at all in his character to fail in support of one of his dependents.

Sevianne had started speaking without giving Arianna the chance to give her the sugar fish for Hanyan. "I just want to ask," she looked down instead of into Arianna's eyes, "is there no chance that Captain-Sir H-Hanya Vashin's farm can come to my son?" Even without what Commander-Sir Clathan had told her, Arianna would have realised this was a subterfuge.

"Lord Clair will consider the matter," Laran cut in with a sideways look at Arianna. "Dame Inien, you know that Lord Pava has refused but that Lord Clair will do what he can." When he thought that Arianna was not looking, he gave Sevianne such a fierce glare that she started to cry. Laran looked cross.

Arianna got up and went to put a hand on Sevianne's shoulder. She looked at the opposite wall. The black and blue banners hanging on the wall were those of Fifth and Ninth H'las. Clair's soldiers had carried them away for him from the victorious horror of the battle of Shier Bridge. Shier Bridge, the most infamous battle of a terrible war; Shier Bridge -- where Hanya Vashin died saving Clair's life.

When he received the torn bloodied strips of black and blue silk, Clair spent the whole day wandering the castle trying to decide where to hang them. He walked to and fro the great hall, the armoury, the family sitting-room, his own room, his grey eyes getting bigger and wilder. Finally Arianna suggested he put the banners in the castle offices, where he worked every day -- when he was home.

Arianna bent to look into Sevianne's soft, tear-bedewed face. "Why did el Farin van Graiel send back the funding Lord Clair put up for your studies?" she asked.

Sevianne looked back up at her in surprise. "I have a child," she replied. "How can I be concentrating on my studies if I am forever fretting about the child?" She said it as if quoting the famous scientist she had been working with. "Never mind that," she added quickly, feeling Arianna's hand tighten on her shoulder. "What could I do with Hanyan if I work at the University? Lord Clair has come as often as he can but he is not at court these days and he cannot be taking Hanyan all day while I am in the laboratories and library."

Arianna bent a sudden look of astonishment at her. Laran Harca made a small moan. "Woulds't trust Hanyan to Lord Clair?" Arianna blurted out. "He is very hard on small children."

"Oh no," Sevianne contradicted her. "Hanyan is lucky, I do not think Captain-Sir Vashin would have done so much for him as Clair has done." Her lip curled as she said it.

"So Lord Clair has come often," Arianna repeated, noticing the familiar way into which Sevianne had slipped of using Clair's name instead of his titles. "To your family's homestead, do you mean?"

Sevianne caught Laran's glaring eye. A look of terror appeared in her face. "Oh no," she faltered. "No, just once or twice he visited us. Captain-Sir Vashin was his friend." She looked in agony up at Clair's wife.

"I thought he was always at court," Arianna said, as if to herself. She moved away from Sevianne, frowning at the papers on the table. "I thought he was with all sorts of .... He was often with you, helping you with Hanyan?" she asked, looking down at Sevianne. Sevianne looked back at her frozen with fear.

"Wants't to go back to work with van Graiel," Arianna said slowly, staring at Sevianne's pretty immobilised face as if she could read her thoughts behind the smooth young forehead which hid a scientific intelligence. She felt curiously constrained, she could not help remembering how it was that she had learnt that Sevianne had been lured into the arms of ice-eyed Hanya Vashin, who had failed to protect her from falling pregnant in a deliberate and spiteful disregard for her honour. "Wants't my Lord to take Hanyan?" Arianna enquired clumsily.

"I know I cannot ask that of him!" Sevianne burst out with a fresh gust of tears. "He lives here with you and Lord Arkyll, of course Hanyan cannot come to him here! My Lady, I mean Lady el Jien, since my father died my brother is asking me to go and I have nowhere, I have nothing! Where can we go, since Lord van Sietter denies us Captain-Sir Hanya Vashin's farm?" Her fair face twisted with agony at the hopeless situation she had found herself in.

Lady el Jien's frown had disappeared in a warm soft pity in which Sevianne could hardly bear to place any dependence. "After all the times I have writ you, why has't not come to me?" Arianna said indignantly. "Surely does't not think I will shut Hanyan out of my heart -- what, for his father's sin in seducing you? Sevianne, his father ... he died saving my Lord's life.

"My money is not under van Sietter's hand, I can give you a scholarship. And ... I have a correspondence ... a slight acquaintance I mean, with B'Dar of the H'velst Mountains whom I could ask to take you to work with him. Hanyan can live here, with Arkyll, truly as Arkyll's brother. B'Dar would let you come here often to see Hanyan because I could ... because we have a fine library. I will show you my ... I mean our, library. Shall't miss Hanyan but shall't know he is happy with Lord Clair, is it not so? If he calls Lord Clair papa, at the least I might be his Aunt Anna. Let him come to us, to make my heart glad."

Laran and Tarra were staring fixedly at the table and the floor, anywhere but at the two women making so pragmatic an arrangement. They could not help wondering what their future sworn Lord was going to make of this agreement and whether he would blame them for allowing these matters to come to his Lady wife's ears.

Sevianne was staring at Arianna, her mouth bunched up against her tears, her face flushed with fear. She broke suddenly into a smile and tears all at once and started hiccoughing with hysterics, to find an easy solution to what had seemed an intractable set of troubles. Laran and Tarra rushed to fetch water for her to drink although Laran looked as though he was tempted to throw it over her. Arianna only stood by her, pressing her hand on Sevianne's shoulder.

When she had finished with the day's appointments, Lady el Jien moved gracefully back through the passages and entrance hall to the family's quarters. Her grey silk skirts swished along the corridors, she had a concentrated frown on her face and the servants she passed did not look on her in her elegant grey suit and diamonds as they would do when she wore the faded pink cotton dress (which Lord Clair had said through gritted teeth to her maid-servant that he would personally tear off her body and stuff down poor Lisette's throat if he had to see it again). She went up the stairs by her room and passed down the veranda to Clair's room, looking as she went into the inner courtyard at the flowers around the fountain bubbling into its bowl under the old pear tree.

Ladda was forever complaining that they should enclose the walkways under and along the veranda off which the family's bedroom doors led. In summer it was pleasant to come straight out in the fresh air but in winter they all had to brave the bitter winds and snow when they wanted to come out of their rooms. Arianna had taken Ladda seriously when she first arrived in the castle and ordered some workmen to do the job -- what a to-do there was, Ladda pale with shock and trying to find ways to deny she had suggested it, the steward writing on behalf of the mutinous workmen to Clair himself at the battle-front to appeal to him. A most insulting letter came back from him to her telling her to keep her bloody soft Southern ways to herself and leave his home alone; she could move into the formal guest rooms or go back to Iarve if she could not take a bit of fresh sunshine in her damned interfering step.

She passed through the sunshine now with a resentful pout of her full red mouth. She walked into Clair's room cautiously, as if it were the wolf's lair.

It was a big room, lit by slit windows to the gardens on one side and a square window onto the veranda on the other. It had hardly changed since his bachelor days, she had come there to him only for a short time, for a few nights. Clair still slept on that hard narrow roll of trooper's bedding in the middle of the floor, too small for two people to lie in with any degree of comfort. She supposed he did use the bed in their bedroom in the family rooms at court. (She tried not to think too much about his bedroom arrangements at court.)