Page 10 of Quest of Fools

Marian knocked her hand away, grabbed her arm, and hauled her to the door—and went reeling back when she twisted and slammed her fist into his nose."I'm not leaving until I get what I want—what we both want—and it's time you stopped acting like a child about this and accept it."

Marian looked so close to exploding, it would have been comical had the situation not been so serious.He pressed a handkerchief, cream colored and trimmed in blue ribbon, to his nose to soak up the worst of the blood, and then said in garbled tones, "I'm acting like a child?I'm the one acting like a child?You forced your way into my house!You have wrecked my entry hall.You assaulted not one butthreeof my people.Get your ass out of my house and never come back, or I will summon every city guard I can muster, as loudly as possible, and make a noisy, showy production of insisting you be arrested."

Instead of heeding the warning, the woman looked ready to resort to further violence."I'm fighting for you!For our love!For—"

"For your fucking ego I should have taken as the warning it was when I first had the chance.Get out."

The woman only set her jaw and stayed right where she was.

Warf huffed.That certainly explained his strange encounter the other day.He strode down the hall, drawing their attention.Marian looked ill and near to tears again."Warf, you don't have to get involved in this.I'm so sorry—"

Ignoring him for the moment, attention entirely on the threat, Warf deftly moved Marian out of harm's way and stared down at the mystery woman, who suddenly didn't seem nearly so willing to pick another fight."You'll be leaving now, or you'll be removed."

"I don't take orders from upstart peasants—"

Warf grabbed her by the shoulders, hefted her up over one shoulder, and walked outside as a footman with a red handprint on his cheek hastily pulled the door open.Warf carried her down the steps and across the courtyard to her carriage, ignoring the rain drumming down on them, and set her on her feet."You'll not be coming here again.You do, you won't be treated as nicely."

"How dare you—" She swung at him, which made him laugh, as he easily caught her hand and gripped it just tightly enough to hurt.Yanking the door of the carriage open, he shoved her inside and slammed it shut again, then looked at the poor coachman."Go.Come find me tomorrow and I'll see you get a better job than working for her, if that interests you."

"Does it ever," the coachman said, and with a tip of his hat, rode off.

Warf sighed and headed back inside, where two maids rushed up with towels to help him dry off.Nearby, Marian was watching as other servants cleaned up the mess.He looked tired, like fabric worn down so thin there would soon be holes in it.

When the maids withdrew with the soaked towels, Warf tentatively approached him and rested a hand on his shoulder.Marian tensed and looked up."I'm so sorry.I was going to tell you about her eventually, but…" He sighed."Go get warm and dry, come down to the study when you're done—if you want.This is not your problem to deal with, so certainly you can stay out of it.Thank you for tossing her out."

Squeezing his shoulder in reassurance, Warf replied, "We're to be married.That makes us a team.Your problems are my problems.I'm sorry this happened.I'll be back as soon as I won't drip water all over your lovely study."

Several minutes later, in fresh clothes that must have only just finished being laundered from the way they were still ever so slightly damp at the seams, he stepped into the study.Marian sat at the sofa where they'd been speaking earlier, the day so much brighter, despite the dreary weather.Now he looked as though there'd been a death in the family.

Warf took his seat, stomach growling as he inhaled the scent of the breakfast the servants had transferred for them.Ignoring it for the moment, he broke the tense silence by saying, "Karla had a good friend, Lilianti was his name, who had a lover that acted much like yours.One day he finally had enough and threw the bastard out once and for all.The stupid bastard came back in the night and tried to kill him.If I hadn't been sleeping there on Karla's request, he probably would have succeeded.There are many such stories in Low City.Probably in High City too, but I suspect you lot don't like to talk about them as much."

Marian cracked the barest smile."No, in High City we pretend everything is perfect and nobody ever deals with such horrible, embarrassing problems as a former lover who won't accept the affair is over."He scowled at the food."Even though the agreement from the start was that if it lasted this long, it would most definitely end the year of the Tournament."

"It sounds to me like she betrayed you deeply and is causing you a great deal of suffering because she cannot confront and handle her own emotions.Like children bickering over a toy because they're scared by their new life, as you reminded me yesterday," Warf replied."I am sorry."

"You're kind," Marian said."Most people would not be so understanding of having their day ruined by their fiancé's former lover.You have every right to be angry."

"Because you had an intimate relationship with someone else?A relationship that lasted years?"Warf snorted."My relationship resulted in three children, you'll recall.Be mighty High City of me to throw a snit over you having a lover when I had a wife."

That got him a laugh, soft but sincere."Well, I don't see the ghost of your dear wife haunting us out of spite."

Warf laughed."Maybe she just hasn't gotten caught yet."He covered Marian's folded hands with one of his."Please don't worry on it.I'm sorry she is being so terrible and making you miserable, but I'm not judging you, only her.Though this does explain a strange encounter I had yesterday."

Groaning, Marian buried his fingers in his hair and asked, "What encounter?"

"I was offered good money to leave you," Warf said, and finally told his tale.

"I'll kill her," Marian hissed when he finished."I'll fucking kill her."

Warf yanked him back down."Eat your breakfast.Forget about her.If she comes back, summon the authorities.I would also perhaps inform someone involved with the Tournament, because isn't this a violation of the terms?"

"Oh, yes, you're right.I feel silly I didn't think of that.I'll send a note at once."He sighed."What a miserable day this has been so far."

"Hasn't been all bad," Warf replied, covering his hands again briefly."I got to see my new room, which is three times bigger than my old house.Not including the washing room and dressing room."

Marian smiled wistfully."I would have liked to see your old house, understand you that much more."

"Walk down any street in Low City and you'll understand all of it," Warf said."I'd rather focus on what sort of colors you recommend.I don't know what's common for fancy bedrooms."

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