they must rely on other, more subtle tools to maintain their position. Like their ability to plait the braids, and to do each other favors, by way of their grandchildren. And when my mother was in her thirties—little older than you are now—she was subjected to much pressure.”
“So there’s this conspiracy of old women—” Helge was grasping after the concept—“who can make everyone’s life a misery?”
“Don’t underestimate them,” warned the duchess. “They always win in the end, and you’ll need to make your peace with them sooner or later. I’m unusual, I managed to evade them for more than three decades. But that almost never happens, and even when it does you can’t actually win, because whether you fight them or no, you end up becoming one yourself.” She raised one finger in warning. “You’re relatively safe, kid. You’re too old, too educated, and you’ve got your own power base. As far as I can see they’ve got no reason to meddle with you
“Stross effectively keeps all the the plates spinning that he launched into motion in the first volume of this series…. Stross is having great fun with these books, and it’s contagious.”
—
“The sequel to
—
Tor Books by Charles Stross
