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Kneeling, Nynaeve rued in another chest A few shifts, twopans in a canvas bag were perfectly good, but too heavy, and the et replace kit, in its neat boneinlaid box; they would never think to buy so much as a pin Her h

"You knew Thom before?" she asked in what she hoped was a casual tone She watched Elayne fro to concentrate on rolling stockings

The girl had begun pulling out clothes of her own, sighing over the silks before putting them aside She froze with her hands deep in one of the chests, and she did not look at Nynaeve "He was Courtbard in Caemlyn when I was little," she said quietly

"I see" She did not see at all How did ato a noble, to a gleee?

"He was Mother’s lover after Father died" Elayne had gone back to choosing, and she said it so aped

"Yourat her, though "I did not remember him until Tanchico I was very sh to look up at his face, and hearing hiht I’d forgotten again" Her face colored slightly "I -- drank too much wine, and the next day I "

Nynaeve could only shake her head She reirl had filled her fool self ine At least she had never done that again; her head the next irl behaved as she did with Thom She had seen the sah to really think of herself as a woainst except her ainst, to prove that she was a wo to be better at everything fro with her father, but in the case of one , Nynaeve had seen the wohterto capture the man her mother intended to marry The trouble was, Nynaeve had no idea what to do about this silliness in Elayne Despite severe lectures and more from her and the Women’s Circle, Sari Ayellin had not settled down until her ain and she herself had found a husband too

"I suppose he must have been like a second father to you," Nynaeve said carefully She pretended to concentrate on her own packing Thoirl that way It explained so much

"I hardly think of hi how many silk shifts to take, but her eyes saddened "I cannot really remember my father; I was only a baby when he died Gawyn says he spent all of his time with Galad Lini tried to make the best of it, but I know he never came to see Gawyn or me in the nursery He would have, I know, once ere old enough to teach things, like Galad But he died"

Nynaeve tried again "At least Thoe We’d be in a fine fix if he suffered from stiff joints Old men often do"

"He could still do backflips if not for his lient and knowledgeable about the world He is gentle, and yet I feel quite safe with him I don’t think I should tell hih, Nynaeve gave up For now, at least Thoirl kept this up he just ht remember that she was not, and then Elayne would find herself in the pickling kettle "Thom is very fond of you, Elayne" Time to shift to some other subject "Are you sure about Galad? Elayne? Are you sure Galad could turn us in, Elayne?" The other wo a small frown from her face

"What? Galad? I’m certain, Nynaeve And if we refuse to let him take us to Cae to herself, Nynaeve pulled a silk riding dress out of her chest Soht the Creator had only made men to cause trouble for wo West

When the serving girl came with the bonnets, Elayne was stretched out on one of the beds in a white silk shift, a da to reen dress that Elayne had been wearing As often as not she stuck her thumb; she would never have adood at needlework She wore her dress, of course -- maids did not loll about like ladies -- but she did have her hair hanging loose Clearly she had no intention of leaving the rooirl in a whisper, so as not to wake her lady, and pressed another silver penny on her, with the repeated injunction that her lady was not to be disturbed on any account

As soon as the door clicked shut, Elayne bounded to her feet and began pulling their bundles out froon and twisted her arms behind her to undo her buttons In no tireen wool, Elayne in blue, with the bundles on their backs Nynaeve carried the scrip with her herbs and thebriht they could have walked right by Galad without hi them, especially with her hair down; he would reht well stop two strange wo with fat bundles from upstairs

The back stairs ran down the outside of the inn, narrow stone flights clinging to the wall Nynaeve felt athe heavy chests up these, but mainly her attention was on the stableyard and the slateroofed stone stable A yellow dog lay in the shade beneath the coach, sheltering frorooain she could see movement beyond the open stable doors, but no one came out; it was shady in there, too

They trotted quickly across the stableyard to the alley between the stable and a tall stone fence A full dung cart, swar with flies and scarcely narrower than the alleyas just rulow of saidar surrounded Elayne, though she could not see it She herself was hoping that the dog did not decide to bark, that no one ca the Poas no way to sneak off quietly, and talking their way clear would leave t