'Father, would you stuff yourself sick after a long day at the harvest?' At harvest - time Withen made it a point of spending one day with each of his tenants and several days with his own fieldhands, working beside them. It was one of the many things he did that endeared him to his people.
'Well -' Withen's heavy brows creased, and for once he looked uncertain. '- no.'
'So, neither will she.' He rinsed her water-bucket until it squeaked, filled it with absolutely clear, cold water, and hung it beside the grain bucket. Withen stepped forward as if he couldn't help himself.
'Son, she'll foul the water.'
'Would Mother drop food into the wine in her goblet?' Vanyel sighed.
'Well - no.'
'So, Yfandes wouldn't.” Since she has better manners than Mother.
He Mindtouched Yfandes gently. :All set, ladylove?:
:Quite, beloved.: Yfandes' mind-voice was yellow and effervescent with amusement. :Does he do that to you every time we come?:
Vanyel rubbed her forehead between her eyes and she closed them with pleasure. :Just about. Normally he doesn't follow me into the stable, but I get it when he hears from the stablehands what I did with you. Watch out for that so - called “Shin'a'in stallion;” I think he's sometimes allowed to run loose in this field. He might try and bully you; he might decide you’re one of his mares and give you a little excitement.:
She bared her front teeth delicately. :I'd rather like to see him try anything on me. I could use a good fight.:
He nearly choked. :Now, love, you 'II scare him impotent, and how will I explain that to Meke?:
:Cleverly, of course. Go on with you; I'm fine and your father is fretting.:
'All right, Father, she says she's comfortable,' he said aloud, forcing himself not to grin. 'Let's go.'
'Are you sure she should be left like that? What if she gets out?'
'Father,' Vanyel sighed, sending the gods a silent plea for patience, 'I want her to be able to come and go as she pleases.'
'But - '
Vanyel wondered if his father ever really heard anything he said. 'She's not, “he repeated for the hundredth time, 'a horse. “
Vanyel was in time for dinner, a pleasure he would just as soon have done without. But once bathed, settled into the best guest room, and dressed in clean clothing - not uniform, he wasn't on duty now, not even technically - his good sense prevailed over his reluctance. When the summons for dinner came, he followed the page and took his place at the high table. Withen tried to put him at his right, between himself and Vanyel's mother. Vanyel managed to convince him to let him take the usual seat guests took, on the end, displacing Radevel, who didn't look at all unhappy to be sitting down at the low table.
Sitting at the end he was spared having to make conversation with two people at once. His seat - mate proved to be Mekeal's thin, little red-haired wife Roshya, who took all the burden of conversation from him. She chattered nonstop, sparrowlike, without ever seeming to pause for breath. All he had to do was nod and make vague noises of agreement or disagreement from time to time, and he actually didn't mind; Roshya's gossip was cheerful and never malicious - if she had a fault it was that she seemed to assume he must know every highborn and family member for leagues around. After all, she did.
The dark, high-ceilinged hall seemed far more cramped than Vanyel remembered - until he counted heads, and realized that there were twice the number of folk dining than there had been when he was fifteen. He blinked, but the number didn't change. The low table had been lengthened, and a second table set at right angles to it at the other end, making an 'H' shape with the high table.
And the high table had been lengthened, too; when Van had been sent to Haven and his aunt Savil, only Withen, Treesa, Jervis, Father Leren, and any guests they might have had been seated there-which had then included Vanyel's Aunt Serina and her Healer. Now, besides the original four, the table included the unmarried children, all three married sons, and their wives.
Great good gods, this isn't a family, it's a tribe!
