On the subject of relations with the Federation, Regis made greater progress. Rinaldo had all but broken off contact with Valdir Ridenow. Except for his closeness to Tiphani Lawton, Rinaldo had little interest in off-worlders and their material benefits. The Federation seemed to have enough internal difficulties without pressing the issue of Darkovan membership, but no one could predict how long that might last. Sooner or later, Darkover’s strategic importance, its location in the galactic arm, would bring it to the attention of the Expansionist Party.

“We cannot accept the meddling of Godless outsiders,” Rinaldo stated. “Valdir is right about one thing: the Federation, with its promise of an easier life, has destroyed the moral fiber of our society. Luminosa has seen this in a vision.”

Dan Lawton sent increasingly formal demands for the release of his wife, invoking the power of his office as Federation Legate. With all the diplomatic skill he possessed, Regis went about convincing his brother of the unwiseness of interfering between the Lawtons. He brought up the issue yet again at breakfast in the central parlor of the Hastur apartments. It was not the most cheerful of mornings, for the first edge of a storm front obscured the red sun. A damp chill pervaded the chamber. Even the warmth of the jaco, served unsweetened in monastery style, seemed fleeting. Danilo was out on some errand or another.

“Is it not written that a husband is responsible for the keeping of his wife?” Regis asked. “How can he do that when, for all he knows, she is held here against her will?”

“Ridiculous!” Rinaldo snorted.

“Yes, but her husband does not know it. Nor does he know of the work she does here or the companionship she provides to Lady Hastur. He is not an unreasonable man, and he is genuinely concerned about her health. If he were able to reassure himself that she is well, he might even approve the arrangement.”

Grudgingly, Rinaldo admitted that Dan Lawton had a legitimate reason to speak with his wife. Regis proposed to arrange a meeting at the Renunciate Guild House. The Guild House had a private room used to negotiate trade contracts, to which men might be admitted. The neutrality of the venue, along with Rinaldo’s promise that she would not be coerced into returning to the Terran Zone, should satisfy Tiphani.

“Lady Luminosa,” Rinaldo corrected.

“So she is called . . . here,” Regis conceded, “but her husband knows her only by her former name.”

Servants came in to clear away the remains of the meal. In the tension of the conversation, Regis had hardly touched the buttered pastries or cold meat pie. Rinaldo made no comment; perhaps he thought Regis was practicing abstemiousness.

Rinaldo waited until the bustle faded behind closed doors. “What you propose sounds reasonable, but I do not see the point of it. I have no intention of relinquishing Lady Luminosa, should her husband prove obdurate. It would be wrong to create any expectation that he might be allowed to take her back and subject her to—whatever it is they do there.”

“The Terranan are not monsters,” Regis said evenly. “They have freely shared their medical and technical expertise, to our advantage. Moreover, they have laws governing their citizens, rights that cannot be taken away.”

“I have granted her sanctuary with the inviolable Word of a Hastur.” Rinaldo’s voice shifted to a tone Regis was coming to know all too well. In this mood, Rinaldo would not be budged.

Regis was reluctant to let the matter slide. The woman’s influence over his brother had grown since Midwinter. He saw no possibility of awakening Rinaldo to the extremeness of her pronouncements; that Rinaldo listened to anyone else was a victory in itself.

“You must honor your word,” Regis said. “At the same time, it is unkind to leave Dan Lawton in ignorance about his wife’s well-being.”

If Linnea were separated from him for this long without so much as a word, Regis would tear apart the Castle walls with his bare hands to find her. Or want to, at any rate.

Perhaps recalling the teachings of St. Christopher, Rinaldo considered the point. Regis offered to take word to the Legate himself, saying, “He trusts my integrity. If I explain the situation, I believe that will put his worries to rest.”

“That is a compassionate thing to do.” Rinaldo wrote out a safe-passage request to allow Regis to enter the Terran Zone.

Since the day was young, Regis rode the dun gelding directly to Terran Headquarters. A wind had sprung up, damp and ice- edged, slicing through his cloak. He wondered if the fairer weather of the past tenday had been a deceit, winter’s mockery, and that true spring would be a long time arriving. At least Linnea and the children were warm and secure. He thought of Mikhail, still at Ardais and well out of Thendaran politics. And Danilo . . .

Here I am,he chided himself, a mother barnfowl making sure all my chicks are safe!

Outside the Terran Zone, Regis paid a street sweeper to look after the horse. He passed the checkpoint without incident. One of the Spaceforce guards escorted him to the Headquarters building. In the man’s friendly manner Regis read a hope that tensions between Federation and Castle might be thawing. Regis did not disabuse him of the notion.

Headquarters had not changed, not the glass and gleaming steel or the men and women in form-fitting uniforms, or the faint reek of ozone and machine oil; it might have been yesterday that Regis had last walked here with Danilo beside him.

As soon as Regis presented himself to the Legate’s office, he was ushered into the inner chamber.

Valdir Ridenow was sitting in one of the two chairs informally placed around a low table.

Dan Lawton stood to greet Regis. Valdir rose as well, an unreadable expression on his face. “Lord Regis, how very good of you to call.”

“ MestreLawton,” Regis said formally, then inclined his head to the Ridenow lord. “Lord Valdir.”

“Lord Regis. Legate Lawton, I believe this concludes our business.” With a slight bow, Valdir took his leave.

Once the door was safely shut, and Regis and Dan had seated themselves, Dan leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.

“My god, Regis, what’s been going on? One day, Darkover is ready to petition for full Federation membership, and the next, it looks as though we’ll be formally evicted!”

“I believe that my brother, as Lord Hastur, has not yet settled on a course of action,” Regis replied. “Before we say anything more on that subject, may I ask what DomValdir wanted? Please tell me it was not to petition for separate Federation membership on behalf of his Domain.”

“I doubt the Federation would accept the application even if he did. I can tell you this, for it is public knowledge. DomValdir and his cousin Haldred have applied for Federation citizenship. He came here today to ask me to expedite the processing, and there is no reason I should not do so. Is there?”

Regis shook his head to cover his surprise. Had the Ridenow given up the cause of Darkovan membership, seeking instead the rights and protections of the Federation? What would come next—exile to the stars, as Lerrys Ridenow had chosen?

“I didn’t come here to investigate Valdir Ridenow,” Regis admitted. “I’m acting as my brother’s agent. I think he’s tired of getting complaints from you.”

“I’ve run out of polite ways to say, Return my wife or else.What does he think he’s doing, holding a Federation citizen? If he wanted to convince the Senate that Darkover is a barbaric planet that must be pacified for the safety of the entire galaxy, he’s made a good start.”

“I don’t think that’s what he has in mind. He’s not holding Tiphani against her will.”