Page 111 of Stardust Child

“That,” he began icily, “was the Duchess of Andelin. The author of this work. A work which half the men in this room read without difficulty. A work that was judged of sufficient quality to guide His Grace’s expedition to the Berlawes, where he is searching for the origin of the devils. That is why he is not here. And you should wonder at the mercy of the stars that he is not, or you would be dangling off the sides of the gatehouse tonight, where you could examine the devils in greater detail than you would enjoy.”

“I don’t see why they shouldn’t.” Edemir was livid. “You are impatient to begin your own observations, are you not?”

“I will beg Her Grace’s pardon,” Forgess said quickly. It was one thing to mock the penmanship of an unknown Tresingale pseudo-scholar, and something else to personally insult the Duchess of Andelin, Daughter of the Stars. “I was…intemperate. But even so, if we wish to learn the truth of the devils, it must be documented prop—”

“That is correct,” Justenin interrupted. No matter how badly Tresingale needed scholars, he could not overlook this insult. “We do need proper documentation. We only have one copy of Her Grace’s excellent work, which His Grace left behind for your study despite the advantages it might have afforded him on his dangerous journey. Therefore, I will not see you again until you have produced a complete, exact copy.Each.”

“Sir Justenin.” Master Torigne drew himself up, stiff with polite offense. “As Masters representing the Tower of Scholars, we cannot accept such treatment—”

“Unless you think we need more copies than that, Sir Edemir,” Justenin added, glancing at his distinctly unfriendly companion.

“Six, including their journeymen,” Edemir said, after a lengthy pause that made it clear that further protest would only increase the number required.

“And I will leave it to you to determine how you might make a persuasive apology to Her Grace.” Privately, Justenin knew this would be impossible. Her Grace would never believe any apology was sincere. He lifted his head, fixing them with a cold, pale stare. “Persuasive tome.”

“We regret that it has come to this, sir knight,” Master Torigne replied, with an air of apology that did not match the glint in his eyes as he dragged the fuming Forgess out the door.

“Will you go?” Edemir asked in the silence.

“Later,” Juste said, picking up the orders they had been discussing before the scholars interrupted. “She will need a little time.”

Though Ophele was nothing at all like himself, Juste thought he understood her. She would hold herself together and retreat to some quiet place to lick her wounds. His presence would only prolong the bleeding. Later, she would be able to hear his arguments. She was a sensible creature.

He was not angry, himself. Juste rarely felt anything with intensity. But he was…irritated. All this time he had been socarefulin instructingher, letting her intelligent, pristinely untutored mind unfold at its own pace. It was challenging, rewarding work, and while he had begun for Remin’s sake, he continued it now because he enjoyed it. It pleased him every time she made some new connection that would never have occurred to him or asked a question that challenged his own preconceptions.

She was a little puzzle box he had been painstakingly opening, and thosestupidmen might have made it snap shut again.

* * *

The duchess was not at home when Juste went looking for her later that afternoon.

A visibly curious Lady Verr said she had gone to the harbor, though if it weren’t for the hovering forms of Leonin and Davi, he would never have found her. She was not at the harbor, but above it, hidden in the encircling roots of an old chestnut tree on the hill by the barracks. From there she could see all the activity of the docks without being observed, seated in the grass with her chin on her knees.

“My lady.” Juste dismounted, smacked his horse on the nose when it tried to bite him, and left it to crop the yellowing grass. Leonin met his gaze with his usual expressionless nod, but Davi still looked as if someone had strangled his pet kitten. “I hope I am not disturbing you.”

“No, it’s all right.” Her voice was subdued, but steady, and though he could see signs of recent and prolonged weeping in her face, she was much more composed than he had expected. There was a fragile steel in this girl. It was easy to overlook with her soft exterior, but it all but confirmed his suspicions about her past.

Steel was only forged in a crucible.

“I did not think I would find you here,” he said, gesturing Leonin and Davi back with a wave of his hand. “Are you busy, Your Grace?”

“No. I promised Sir Edemir I would look at the harbor,” she said, nodding toward the busy docks and warehouses below. “There are always at least two ferries waiting to be unloaded by this time of the day.”

“I see.” Juste had heard about the problem. Master Gibel would have been tearing his hair out over it, if he’d had any. “What have you discovered?”

“I don’t know yet. It might be a problem with one of the warehouses,” she said, without much interest. “The one on the end.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The porters take a longer time in it. Maybe. I don’t know.” It was too close a reminder of her other work, and her mouth shut. She knew why Juste had come looking for her. For a moment, he hesitated, wondering how to approach the subject, and then shrugged. Neither of them enjoyed small talk.

“Your handwriting could use improvement, my lady,” he said bluntly, sitting down beside her. “Though I didn’t think anything of it. I do remember stopping here and there to decipher a word, but it’s nothing worse than I’ve seen from Miche or Bram. They’re probably pickier in the Tower. But it says nothing at all about your scholarship. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” She was holding her head high, but her hands were clenched tightly together in her lap.

“And it is likely that some of the forms are lacking,” he went on, considering. “Particularly in your mapping. There are a variety of methods for such work, and Edemir and I did not teach them to you; we didn’t know you needed them. But we—no.Iam pleased with what you did. You surpassed my expectations. I found no fault in your method or your conclusions. And it exceeds much of the scholarship of the Tower in one significant area. Can you guess what it is?”

“No.”

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