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hrjBack when Barbara had watched Baron Saveze scheme his way through debates of the council of nobles, it had been no part of her ambition to speak there herself. Did Lord Marzim think to make her a cat among the pigeons?
* * *
An invitation to dine with Lord and Lady Marzim always meant a noisy and cheerful affair, as long as there were no guests from outside the family to cast a veil of formality over the proceedings. But that was rare, as the Pertineks’ notion of family was generous and encompassing. Barbara recalled that it had been scant months into her first season in the title before she had been included within that circle, as if truly a cousin-in-law. And as Lady Marzim refused to banish politics to the men’s after-dinner brandy, Barbara felt no surprise when her host leaned across his dinner partner to ask, “Will you be attending the sessions next week?”
She laughed. “I’m not yet so bored with life that I’ll be joining the graybeards in their debates. If I’m needed for a vote, someone will let me know.”
“I would have thought you might have a special interest in Chormuin’s bill.”
Barbara cast about in memory. “I’d heard he was slipping something in right when everyone’s eager to finish before Holy Week. I thought it was just a matter of regularizing how evidence is presented in the courts. I may have studied the law, but I’m not likely to be allowed to practice. What special interest could I have?”
“There’s a new clause added. He proposes to exclude the duel. Hadn’t you heard?”
“Outlaw dueling?” came a woman’s voice from the far end of the table. “That would make half the young men in Rotenek felons!”
* * *
An invitation to dine with Lord and Lady Marzim always meant a noisy and cheerful affair, as long as there were no guests from outside the family to cast a veil of formality over the proceedings. But that was rare, as the Pertineks’ notion of family was generous and encompassing. Barbara recalled that it had been scant months into her first season in the title before she had been included within that circle, as if truly a cousin-in-law. And as Lady Marzim refused to banish politics to the men’s after-dinner brandy, Barbara felt no surprise when her host leaned across his dinner partner to ask, “Will you be attending the sessions next week?”
She laughed. “I’m not yet so bored with life that I’ll be joining the graybeards in their debates. If I’m needed for a vote, someone will let me know.”
“I would have thought you might have a special interest in Chormuin’s bill.”
Barbara cast about in memory. “I’d heard he was slipping something in right when everyone’s eager to finish before Holy Week. I thought it was just a matter of regularizing how evidence is presented in the courts. I may have studied the law, but I’m not likely to be allowed to practice. What special interest could I have?”
“There’s a new clause added. He proposes to exclude the duel. Hadn’t you heard?”
“Outlaw dueling?” came a woman’s voice from the far end of the table. “That would make half the young men in Rotenek felons!”
