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‘How can I be a cri?’
‘What if they find out about what you’ve been doing?’
‘What if they do? They can’t do anything about it If they say anything or try to do soovernment in Eosia will collapse because nobody will trust their coins any en I think that’s why I’m fond of you You pretend to be depraved, but actually you’re like a little boy’
‘Why did you tell me about this?’
‘Because I need a partner I can handle these affairs in Eosia, but taking on Taht strain my resources just a bit You have contacts here, and I don’t I’ll teach you the business and then lease Tas up so that you can start immediately’
His eyes narrowed ‘Why?’ he deenerous, Stragen You will pay your rent every month I can see to that And you won’t pay in coins I want bullion, Stragen – nice, solid bars of gold that I can weigh – and don’t tryany copper in, either I’ll have your throat cut if you ever try that’
‘You’re the hardest wohtly afraid of her
‘Only in soen,’ she replied archly ‘The rest ofmarried’
‘We’ll what?’
‘Partnerships aren’t ive me one more hold on you, and I’d be an idiot to trust a et married?’ He sounded a little desperate now
‘That’s just too bad, Stragen, because, like it or not, you will marry me’
‘And you’ll haveto let you run around loose with this inforet used to the idea, Milord I’m in a position to make you deliriously happy – and fabulously wealthy to boot When have you ever had a better offer?’
The look in Stragen’s eyes, however, was one of sheer panic
‘Now that was so I didn’t expect,’ Danae said as she and Sparhawk crossed the lawn
Sparhaas almost too shocked to answer ‘You didn’t know about Melidere’s little hobby, you mean?’
‘Oh, of course I knew about that, Sparhawk Melidere bought her way into ht?’
‘She paid an old countess to step aside for her What I didn’t expect was the direct way she approached Stragen I thought she s a little, but she was all business She carved hiive him any rooed her’
‘No, actually you en She used the only technique that had any chance of success with hiot to pin him to the plate with a fork before you can carve hie proposal, so she was all business with hie was only an incidental part’
‘Not to her, it wasn’t’
‘Yes, I know She did it right, though I’ to have to tell your mother about this, you know’
‘No, actually you’re not You heard Melidere Mother wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, and all you’d do is worry her’
‘They’re stealing , Sparhawk What they’re going to do in no way changes the value of ht down to it, they’re actually creating wealth The whole world will be better for it’
‘I don’t entirely follow the logic of that’
‘You don’t have to, father,’ she said sweetly ‘Just take o over there next’
‘Over there’ was beside thethe grassy bank Sparhaas growing accustomed to his de facto invisibility by now, but it was still strange to have one of his friends look directly at hi his presence
‘It would depend entirely on what kind of fish were locally available,’ Vanion was explaining Sparhawk could tell that Vanion was explaining because he was using his ‘explaining’ voice, which was quite a bit like his ‘preaching’ voice Vanion had put whole generations of Pandion novices to sleep – both in the lecture-hall and in chapel
‘Why is he talking like that?’ Danae asked
‘Because he’s afraid,’ Sparhawk sighed
‘Of Sephrenia? Vanion isn’t afraid of anything – least of all Sephrenia He loves her’
‘That’s what’shi thing, it could all fall apart again’
‘Now,’ Vanion continued to lecture, ‘there are ater fish and cold-water fish Carp like the water to be war to glaze over
‘The water in thefor quite a while, so it’s fairly warm That would sort of rule out trout, wouldn’t you say?’
‘I suppose so,’ she sighed
‘But that doesn’t mean that you couldn’t plant soood cook can do wonders with carp – and they do help to keep the water clean There’s nothing like a school of carp to keep standing water frohed ‘I’?’ Danae exploded
‘It’s called "walking on eggshells",’ Sparhawk explained ‘He probably talks a great deal about the weather, too’
‘They’ll never get back together if he doesn’t talk directly to her about so that matters’
‘He probably won’t do that, Aphrael I think Sephrenia’s going to have to take the first step’
‘I found her!’ Talen’s shout came across the lawn ‘She’s up in this tree!’
‘Oh, bother!’ Danae said irritably ‘He wasn’t supposed to find her yet – and what’s she doing up a tree? She wasn’t supposed to clio on over,’ Sparhawk told her ‘Everybody’s drifting in that direction You’d better turn off your spell’
‘What about Vanion and Sephrenia?’
‘Why don’t we just let the about fish for the next ten years, that’s why’
‘Sephrenia will only listen to lectures about fish for just so long, Danae, then she’ll get to the point Vanion isn’t really talking about fish He’s telling her that he’s ready to make peace if she is’