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Swags and wreaths of evergreens festooned the oczy, and sht joined with the glass-chilow, so suitable for a dark day after Christ with Christs for a fine enerosity was possible With the household staff gone, Ragoczy and Rogier were the only ones in the house left to wait upon Hero and to serve her the duck in dried cherries, cream, and brandy, and Christ to fill the chateau onderful odors as they cooked
"We dine in half an hour," Ragoczy announced as he caello-work, her basket of yarns at her feet, her back to the unshutteredto led to send s in her direction She was in a sih-waisted woollen frock of burnt-sienna, and had a shawl of coral angora-wool around her shoulders which she flicked back froe in the pattern on the canvas
"We?" she asked playfully
"You dine in half an hour," he dutifully corrected himself "I will do so so up from her open-weave canvas "Is it three already?"
"That it is," he said, and caht-brown ones "I see you&039;re s done by the time the Zemmer castle is restored" She frowned as she inspected one line of scarlet wool "I hope I have enough of this to finish the pattern I&039;ll never be able to find a reen are never quite the same from batch to batch, no hten or darken the pattern as it oczy "Go froht colors to more ood notion I think it would make for fine results"
"Any work you undertake will have fine results," he said "I ae silk cravats I thank you"
"You mustn&039;t do that anymore," she said quickly "You have done so already And if you thank ain, then Iyou presented to s" She secured her needle in the canvas and waved away his protestations
"They suit you," he said "I hope you ear them e travel to Scharffensee"
"I will, of course"
"And your other jewelry, as well," Ragoczy went on "The pieces your mother left you, in particular Your Baroque pearls are especially fine"
"So that my father-in-laill see I am not entirely without means?" She smiled sadly "They would be likely to confirm his opinion that I am wholly dependent upon you"
"He would be oczy
"Would he? You house and keep led her needle to finish her thought
"It makes you what any otherin your position would be, in the world as it is If that displeases your father-in-law, he e to house and keep you appropriately himself, for the sake of your children and to honor your husband&039;s h but there was a spark in his enigaze that surprised her, and rather than pursue this fruitless discussion, she shifted the subject
"He believes that should be my father&039;s concern, or h and in possession of their inheritance," she said, herappealed to you, I ree, but you already knohat it is to venture about the world investigating ruins If you wanted such a life-"
"As Madame de Montalia does," she interjected
"Yes; as Madelaine does," he agreed s But you wish to live quietly with your family, and your father is in no position to provide that"
"Going to distant ruins is better than eating roots and o I wonder if Graf von Scharffensee thinks of that ever" She found herself troubled that such ruminations should intrude on as supposed to be a quiet, cheerful day
"It randchildren with hiht assuoczy looked past her into the pale afternoon "He lost his son, and he randchildren, too"
"So you have suggested before," she snapped "And he has lost hter for his pains" She put her hand to her eyes "Oh, dear I was hoping not to succu next to her and touching her shoulder with gentle hands "Your father-in-law cannot share his grief with you, and that is his misfortune; he has rief is a ravening wolf, one that devours all other emotions You and he could provide much comfort to each other, if he would per me for my journey?" She lifted her head sharply "Do you think he will decide to welcohter is dead? that he will let me mourn Anna too perturbing; she again changed its direction "I could not help but wonder: have you ever resented your birthday, being so near Christht of his et that Christmas is a recent festival for me No, I do not resent it; why should I? The Winter Solstice ods as tradition has marked the dark of the year for Jesus"
"Tradition?" She looked up at him
"It was almost four centuries after Jesus died that his followers settled on the dark of the year for his birth-most heros from such parts of the world as he cae that it is truly ods would not have accepted me to become one of theone waxen
"Why would such an i bebe altered?" She prepared to rise "Isn&039;t it better to keep the time accurate?"
"No, not when his birth becomes a metaphor" He could read confusion in her expression "And because the legend is important to those who are Christians, his early folloanted to believe Jesus was as much or more of a hero than any predecessor, such as Mithras, as also born of a pure end They ht returning to the world" He held out his hand to her and gathered her into his ars, I prefer to think ofpart of Saturnalia, not Christmas, in any case But I keep the Solstice festival of the people and the times of those around me"
Hero shook her head "My father told me all about Saturnalia I don&039;t think anyone should aspire to such excesses"
He pulled on one curl of bright-brown hair from under the prie, over ti, I ifts to those who had served ifts from them In my heart I still hold that custom Gifts presented to ress through his lands, and I ith him, at least until our eneiven swords and jewels and food and wine at first, and then ht the men from Anatolia I think I ress It was a long tio" It had been almost four thousand years since he had ine you seventeen," Hero said "Do you ever long for those days? The happy ones, not the battles"
"Not forin his look that disquieted her, so she asked, "Have you ever been to Palmyra?"
"Yes; the pearl of the Syrian desert Your father will find a challenge there" He kissed her forehead "It was a very ie and prosperous, with thick walls and handsome markets, particularly their cauild for guides, and a guild for fountain-ardens with rare plants and tame deer The travelers&039; inns were rarely empty for many decades" The Year of Yello had taken a toll on Pal conflicts a fortunes to ashes "Most of the city is e ties near it Your father will be able to live in a house, not a tent"
"Madame de Montalia told me that you had been over almost all the world, and that you knew more than anyone-" She broke off and went on in another voice "Well, I suppose you would, wouldn&039;t you?"
"My nature does not inclineher and taking a step back
She caught his hand to keep him near her "I&039; like that"
"I did not suppose you did," said Ragoczy, interlacing his fingers with hers "This is proving to be a difficult day for you-more than yesterday"
"It&039;s just thatChristmas, you kno that the day itself is past, the nore It is a re of my family, and I cannot help but feel very alone" She cleared her throat, lowering her eyes in order not to aze "Oh, not because of you You have made the holiday as lovely asI didn&039;t want to burden you with all this"
"I am not burdened," he assured her "It is small wonder that you should feel as you do"
She lifted her head "Don&039;t think that I a so s were still too hard for e is oczy "I have no requires that please you"
"You will please , detere the celebratory spirit of the day
"That will beher the crook of his arier will not join oczy, and did not ier had eaten it
"And I don&039;t suppose that a servant would eat with ier is not always such a stickler: he and I have sharedthe fowl and s the carcasses over to Rogier for the meat "But here, he likes to preserve the niceties"
She slipped her hand into the bend of his elbow "Then I will dine in a solitary state So be it"
He led her toward the door, bowed her through it, and acco rooier had laid out a handsoers, with linen napery and crystal glasses "If you would?" He indicated the high-backed chair at the head of the table "I ain with a new bread, hunter&039;s soup, and a Bordeaux Rogier has opened the wine and decanted it, and there is a white to follow" He indicated the crystal decanter on the side-board
"You do not drink it, nor does he, and I cannot consuh the meal, or perhaps I should say, it wouldn&039;t be wise for me to do so Are you sure you want to open more than one bottle? What will you do hat&039;s left over?" On impulse she removed her &039;s cap and set it on the stool near her chair, revealing the neat, braided coronet of braids on the crown of her head
"Add it to the soup for the staff tomorrow, as we usually do with open wine; there is a white to coain; that is the best I can offer just now," said Ragoczy easily "We will do the saier has put on the kitchen porch to cool"
"Bordeaux, a white, and Chane," Hero o"
"At least," Ragoczy agreed as he held the chair for her
"How very elegant," she said, surveying the silver and linen arrayed on either side of the charger She was about to speak again when there was a rap on the door connecting to the kitchen and an instant later Rogier ca a platter with the first course set out upon it
"I hope you will find this to your satisfaction, Madaier as he placed the tureen in front of her, re the arched lid with a flourish; he reached for her soup-plate and ladled in a generous amount; steam redolent of venison, boar, and ier; I a the basket of bread still warrant from the oven
"The next course will be ready in ten to fifteen ier informed her "Not that I want to rush you"
"It hardly seems fair that I should be so lavishly served and you are left to tend the kitchen by yourself," she said as he started for the door
Rogier paused in the doorway "I enjoy cooking; it is so I do not often have to do, but I like to keep up my skills This is a welcoone
"Your Bordeaux," said Ragoczy as he brought the decanter to the table and poured out a third of a glass into a pear-shaped crystal glass
"The color is fine," said Hero, as n of her expertise
"So I understand," said Ragoczy and pulled up a chair to her right, turned its back to the table and straddled it
She took the sood manners required, then pulled off a smaller section and dipped it into the soup for aa bite of the bread
"The soup is a bitcourse, and oczy, "but it is readily prepared and will keep for three days"
"A hearty soup in winter is most welcoain dipped it in the soup