owes me nothing—it is I who owe him, more than ever I can hope to Balance.”
Mr. dea'Gauss glanced down, perhaps at the envelope; perhaps at the Jump pilot's ring on her finger, then raised his eyes to hers.
“His lordship allowed me to know of the bond between you,” he said slowly. “In . . . more regular circumstances, that bond would predicate a . . . social outcome.”
“As it did with Anne and Lord yos'Galan.”
“Precisely.” Mr. dea'Gauss placed his fingers lightly on the edge of the envelope.
“Precisely,” he said again, and paused, as if gathering his thoughts.
“His Lordship,” he said after a moment, “chose to honor the bond as if it is the social outcome, realizing that this may never come to pass. It is . . . an unusual melant'i, as he himself said, and one may therefore too easily err in proper action. One wishes to place honor—one wishes to place regard correctly, and to rightly value what is precious. His solution . . . I have spent many hours considering his lordship's solution, and I cannot find it in error, my lady, nor say that I might have counseled him differently.”
The envelope was textured and tickled her palm. Aelliana took a breath.
“This is a lifemate's share.”
“It is.”
“I . . . ” She closed her eyes, opened them and considered the man before her with his practical face and canny eyes.
“Mr. dea'Gauss, Daav and I are indeed lifemates-by-nature, as he told you. However, it is by—it is by no means certain that we can, or ought to be, lifemates-by-law. It is—I had hoped that this joint endeavor we undertake would clarify that point. You will know, sir, that Mizel is by no means High House. I would not damage Korval through my ignorance, nor would I make Daav vulnerable.”
He inclined his head, but said nothing, apparently waiting for her to continue, though what else she might say —
But, no, there was something else, after all, to say.
She pushed the envelope to him and lifted her hand away.
“Please, hold these safe until I call upon you in order to sign them, or ask that you destroy them.”
Again, he inclined his head, and Aelliana bethought herself of yet another question.
“In your judgment—ought I to make Daav half owner of The Luck?”
“My lady, you ought not,” he replied promptly. “He is your copilot, and I believe you will find that satisfies him very well.”
“Thank you,” she said, and hesitated, for surely the question that next rose to her tongue was no concern of hers . . .
“Is there something else, my lady?”
“I only wonder,” she said slowly. “This . . . employment as Ride the Luck's copilot will mean that Daav will sometimes be . . . unavailable to Delm Korval and the business of the clan.”
“That had mostwise been the case with Korval's delms until very recently,” Mr. dea'Gauss said. “This firm has protocols in place to handle much of what Korval has been addressing personally. Korval's presence will naturally be required at the bi-annual meetings of the Council of Clans, but a good deal of the . . . lesser business may be handled by a designated speaker.”
She frowned. “Does he—know this?” she asked, thinking of the sense of weariness and ill health that she had felt in him, bone-deep.
“It is my melant'i to assume that Korval is informed,” Mr. dea'Gauss said delicately. “The conditions under which we currently operate are by instruction of Thodelm yos'Galan, acting as Korval-pernard'i, in the aftermath of the tragedy that cost Korval its delm and yos'Galan its a'thodelm. The instructions were never rescinded.”
“I see,” she said, and inclined her head. “Mr. dea'Gauss, I thank you for the gift of your time—and for your assistance.”
“You are most welcome, my lady. Please consider me entirely at your disposal.”
“You're very kind,” she said and stood, Mr. dea'Gauss rising with her.
“There is,” she said, suddenly recalling, “one more thing.” She touched the collar of the shirt she was wearing, one of several purchased from Anne's favorite store.
“You will, I think, be receiving an invoice from the Crystal Flower. Please forward it to me when it arrives; it is my debt and I will pay it.”
Mr. dea'Gauss bowed.
“Certainly, my lady.”
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Contents
Liaden 11 - Mouse and Dragon
Chapter Seventeen
A room without books is like a body without a soul.
