«Indeed», Jessamy said quietly. «Sadly, such is often the fate of our sex».

«So they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage».[18]

The peace looked likely to hold in Meara that summer, perhaps partially because Duke Richard made a progress into Kierney and Cassan, to show the royal presence at the courts of Earl Jared and Duke Andrew. In May, he had ridden up to the red walls of Jared's seat at Castel Dearg only hours before the birth of the McLain heir — and had mourned with Jared when pretty Elaine slipped away soon after. He would stay on patrol along their Mearan borders for several months.

The king took advantage of the respite to spend time with his young family — fortunately, as it happened, for trouble flared unexpectedly toward the end of summer: not in Meara, as one might have expected, but in Corwyn, on the opposite side of kingdom.

«Torenthi raiders crossed the river at Fathane and harried as far south as Kiltuin», Sir Sé Trelawney reported, addressing king and council in emergency session on a steamy August evening. «Scores were killed or injured, and Kiltuin town was looted and burned. It — ah — has even been suggested that some of the raiders were princes of the blood, and that rogue magic was employed. Ahern will be investigating those claims», he added, with a speaking glance at Alyce and Marie, who had been asked to sit in on the session. «The bishop is said to be livid».

As his council muttered among themselves, Donal cast another glance over the report Sé had brought from Lord Hambert, the seneschal of Coroth. It was the same that Hambert had sent to Ahern to inform him of the raid, and was stark in its assessment of the situation.

My lord, your father would not have allowed this to go unpunished, Hambert had written. The raiders destroyed most of the town, looting and burning with abandon, and even violated many of the women. In some cases, women and children were ridden down in the streets. I chanced to be traveling in the region soon after it happened, and was told by the town's headman that those responsible were definitely of Torenth, and had boasted that none could bring them to task for their actions, since the king is an old man and his brother is occupied with affairs in Meara. They also believed that, with Earl Keryell dead, you would not be able to take up Corwyn's defense, being young and unfit….

«Lord Hambert and the Corwyn regency council have already sent stiff letters of protest to the court of Torenth, deploring the incident», Sir Sé was saying, «and Ahern will be in Kiltuin by now, carrying out further investigation. But this is not the first such border violation, as we all know. One would think that the Torenthi would have learnt their lesson in the Great War».

«Twas clearly a blatant venture of opportunity», said the Archbishop of Rhemuth, forging directly into the discussion. «They know that the king's attention has been focused on Meara, and that Corwyn is in the hands of regents for its duke, who is a minor and a cripple to boot!»

«More agile a cripple than many a man with all his faculties intact», Sé said pointedly. «And crippled he was in the king's service».

«Let be, Sir Sé», Donal said mildly. «What concerns us at this time is a fitting response in Corwyn — which Lord Ahern and his regents seem to have begun quite nicely. Kenneth, how many ships have we at Desse?»

«I don't know, Sire, though I can have that information for you by morning».

«Fair enough», the king agreed. «Jiri, how quickly can we raise sufficient troops to take a policing force into Corwyn?»

«That depends on how many men you have in mind, Sire — which, in turn depends on what ships are available».

«Let's plan for about forty. We'll ride down to Nyford for ships, if we must».

Jiri Redfearn nodded. «In that case, perhaps a day or two, then».

«Which?» Donal demanded. «One day or two?»

The king's sharp tone elicited a whispered conference.

«Tomorrow?» said Jiri.

Donal nodded. «By noon».

«Yes, Sire».

«See to it, then. Sir Tiarnán, you'll leave at once for Kierney, to find my brother and inform him what's occurred. He may well be in Cassan by now, but it would probably be wise for him to return to Rhemuth. It’s late for any serious trouble in Meara this season. Seisyll, I'll ask you and the archbishop to form an interim council of regency with the queen, pending Richard's return». He slapped his hand flat against the table in annoyance. «Damn! I did not want to campaign this season. Why couldn't those misbegotten Torenthi stay on their side of the river?»

Later that night, as the castle bustled with preparations for a departure the following noon, Alyce and Zoë conferred together in low tones while they waited for Marie to come in.

«You know she's with Sé», Alyce whispered, slightly scandalized. «Please God she doesn't do anything stupid».

«She loves him», Zoë said simply. «I gather that he loves her, too. He's going off to battle. Sometimes common sense goes out the window».

«Well, it mustn't, if you're the sister of a future duke», Alyce muttered.

A fumbling at the door announced the arrival of said sister, looking flushed and happy, giggling as she closed the door behind her.

«And where have you been?» Alyce demanded, though she kept her voice low.

«Well, I might have been in Paradise with Sé, if Lady Jessamy hadn't come along when she did», Marie said pertly, flouncing onto the bed with them.

«Mares, you didn't!» Alyce gasped.

«We didn't do what we both wanted to do, but it wasn't for want of — well, wanting to», Marie replied. She hugged her arms across her breasts and sighed.

«Oh, Alyce, it's so unfair! Sometimes I want him so badly, I think I'll die if I can't have him. We were only kissing at first. We'd found a quiet corner out in the cloister walk, well away from prying eyes. But then he started touching me, ever so gently, and I got all quivery inside. It felt… wonderful! My knees started to go all wobbly, and…»

«Tell me that's when Lady Jessamy came along!» Alyce begged, hanging on her every word.

Laughing aloud, Marie shook her head and threw an arm around both of them.

«No, he started fumbling with the laces on his breeches then, and that's when Lady Jessamy came along!»

«No!» Zoë breathed, as Alyce rolled her eyes heavenward.

«Sadly, yes», Marie said. «Had she not come when she did, I'm not sure what might have happened — though I have heard it said that there are many ways that a man and a maid may pleasure one another…»

Both her companions smothered groans at that, in a mixture of sympathy and envy, but the telling had exhausted all three of them. Only a little longer did they talk, before Zoë betook herself to her own bed and the sisters settled down to try to sleep.

Next morning saw many a tearful good-bye as the king's expedition assembled in the castle yard, with wives and children and sweethearts gathered to bid them Godspeed. Sir Sé Trelawney, sitting his horse beside the king, restrained himself from too effusive a farewell to the demoiselles de Corwyn or their friend Zoë Morgan, whose father also would ride with the expedition, merely bending to salute each proffered hand with a chaste kiss.

But more than one sharp-eyed lady of the queen's household noted that his lips lingered on the hand of the younger sister of his lord, and several cast calculating glances after Marie as she and Alyce left the yard with Zoë, noting how the three then scurried to a vantage point on one of the west-facing battlements, where they might watch the column's progress southward along the river road.