Page 7 of Stardust Child

“I appreciate your concern,” Juste told Remin dryly as they walked along the market road the next day. “Yes, managing society is Her Grace’s domain. Normally she would host gatherings and invite guests for extended visits, partly for the pleasure of company and partly to make connections for you. And it would be an opportunity for men and women to mingle and partner.”

It had occurred to Remin that this task might rightly belong to Ophele. But she wasn’t one of the Roses of Segoile, whose first entrance into aristocratic society had been play dates with other blue-blooded toddlers. She had grown up in exile, a prisoner. They would have to find another way.

“There have been some requests from other lords,” Remin said thoughtfully. “Interested in trade. We have iron, and there were mines in the Berlawes, before Valleth came. Count Druimon was interested in testing the soil for our vineyards.”

“Profit makes it easy to overcome their scruples,” Juste observed, and they exchanged a cynical glance as they reached the market square. There was the racket of construction all around them, merchants and craftsmen willing to face devils when there was a large, captive population nearby, with a year’s wages saved up and nothing to spend them on. In the distance, Remin could see skinny Nore Ffloce bounding down the street like a grasshopper, trailing papers and assistants.

“A few offers are probably genuine. And the old man would say beggars can’t be choosers.” It was galling to admit it, but there were few noble Houses willing to associate with Remin Grimjaw at all, despised by the Emperor as he was. Duke Ereguil had counseled him to be careful in choosing his friends, but not to reject any offers out of hand. “If I accepted, perhaps they would be willing to bring their wives and older children.”

“Even if you manage to persuade them that they will not instantly be set upon by devils, there is nowhere to put them, at present,” Juste pointed out. “Even when the main house is built, my lord, there will only be room for you and the duchess and a few retainers and servants. It would do you no favors to invite them to stay in a cottage.”

“We will deal with the devils,” Remin said, with a baleful look at the distant Berlawes. It was too early for snow on most of the peaks, but theadvance of those whitecaps would mark the retreat of the devils for the year. The timing was tricky. If Remin waited too long to pursue them, there would be nothing to find, but it would be suicide to attempt the journey now.

A journey that Huber had attempted. Remin’s mind was never far from his friend, gone these many weeks to Ferrede with no way to know whether he lived. But if anyone could survive weeks in the wilderness with devils, it was Sir Huber Adaman.

“We must plan for what will come after,” Remin said stubbornly. “Miche swears he will be a bachelor, but the steward’s lady would be a fit companion for Ophele.”

“I would prefer to find a lady in my own time, if it’s all the same to you.” But Juste’s tone was compassionate rather than sarcastic. “It will be a work of years, my lord. Building the house, defeating the devils, and bringing civilization to the valley won’t happen in a night.”

“At this rate you’ll all be old men before that happens,” Remin grumbled, and then realized with horror that he sounded likeDuchessEreguil. “Never mind. I only thought that I would like companions for my wife. I didn’t think of it, before I brought her here.”

“She might thank you more for a teacher,” Juste said sympathetically as they climbed a low hill overlooking the market square. “If she had been any other child, she would have been sent to the Tower. I can’t imagine what her divine father was thinking.”

“What do you mean?”

“It took me years to understand what she grasps indays,”Juste replied, with unusual vehemence. “It is the most profligate waste of a fine mind, and the stars do not give such gifts to be squandered. If we have not already made an offer to the Tower, then we should, even if it is only for the eyes of heaven. She has both interest and aptitude, my lord.”

“Perhaps they will find a Daughter of the Stars more interesting than witch-summoned devils.” Remin huffed, raking his fingers through his hair. “I will have Edemir write to them again. He managed to find a sufficiently mad arborist. Perhaps he can find a mathematician who reveres the stars more than he fears the Emperor’s displeasure.”

“Or accusations of heresy from the Temple,” Juste agreed, his lip curling. It was ludicrous, but nonetheless true: the Tower would no moresupport Remin than the Temple would, and for the same reasons. The Emperor had many ways to wage a war against House Andelin, and not all of them required steel. “Her Grace would be a new argument to put before them, I suppose.”

“I wouldn’t bother, if we didn’t need healers so badly,” Remin growled. “But we will make our own study of the devils in the meantime, and I would give the task to her, if you and Edemir are willing to teach her.”

“There was a book I read, some time ago, on how knowledge is properly catalogued,” Juste said thoughtfully. “The Tower has methodology for their investigations, you know. I’ll speak to her about it. Though I’m no scholar, either. Edemir is the closest to a scholar among us.”

“I’d be grateful. She wants some useful occupation,” Remin said, relieved. “But we need to make the valley fit for ladies and scholars first.”

“I was meaning to talk to you about that. It could be regarded as another problem of society,” Juste said, with a flick of his pale blue eyes. “Until now, we’ve been an army, and our labor force is used to obeying orders. But your soldiers are only about half of the population now. Did you hear about the incident at the gatehouse?”

“The fight or the incident with the prostitute?”

“A stabbing. Last night.”

“No.” Remin’s brows lowered. “What happened?”

“I imagine Bram’s been too busy to report yet. I just happened to hear it from one of my herdsmen this morning. There was a disagreement between a mason and a bricklayer, who were dicing. One pulled his belt knife.”

This was the third incident in as many weeks. How many was too many? Remin frowned. Some rough behavior should be expected and tolerated in a place like this; a group of men who were given money with no way to spend it would inevitably start dicing, and violence followed gambling like the moon followed the sun.

“I’ll look the other way for a fistfight,” he said slowly, sounding out his own principles. “But not if someone picks up a weapon, whether it’s a blade or a tree branch.”

“Under the Imperial Code, the penalty is flogging. Hanging, if the other man dies,” Juste said, nodding. “Unless it was self-defense.”

“Was it?”

“Not according to my herdsman. But the man who drew the knife has the right to make an appeal to his lord, and offer a defense.”

It would have been nice if the valley had been a happy band of intrepid settlers, scratching civilization from the red maw of merciless Nature. Remin and his men did their best to make it appear so. But they were all imperfect men, as Ophele’s favoriteThe Will Immanentwould say, and the only reason there had been no worse crimes was because the Knights of the Brede kept a tight leash on who was permitted into the valley and gave them all little opportunity for mischief.

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