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while later, when Garit suddenly
realized that he was still standing by the fire looking after
Calia, he swore a soft but virulent oath. The woman was nothing to
him, was possibly using his grandmother to her own advantage. He
hadn’t made up his mind yet about her intentions, but until he did
he knew he dared not trust her, much less like her.
    Three years ago he had closed his heart
against the blandishments of all women, for no one could possibly
match his lost and beloved Chantal. He’d taken no solemn vows never
to wed or be happy again, but all the same, he did not want a
substitute for his one love.
    Yet he was forced to admit to himself that
Calia intrigued him and roused his curiosity. In the very moment of
their meeting something about her had made him think he recognized
her.
    Furthermore, he had learned during his years
as an emissary that he’d do well to pay attention whenever a
familiar, nagging sense at the back of his mind warned him all was
not as it seemed. He suspected Calia of harboring secrets and he
feared those same secrets could be detrimental to his grandmother.
If only he had time to ride to Talier Beguinage and question his
aunt about Calia. But his upcoming mission was too urgent. A few
days with his grandmother were all he could spare.
    He refilled his wine cup from the pitcher
Anders had left beside him on the bench. Seating himself, he sat
gazing into the fire until a soft step sounded behind him.
    “Anders.”
    “Aye, my lord.” Hearing his master’s low
tone, the squire moved closer, so Garit would not have to raise his
voice.
    “I noticed you talking with that maidservant,
Mairne.”
    “She’s not exactly a servant.” Mindful of the
household members who were wrapping themselves in blankets or their
cloaks preparatory to sleeping on the floor, Anders kept his voice
as soft as Garit’s. “Mairne tells me she came to Saumar with Calia,
and Lady Elgida allowed her to stay.”
    “But she’s not a mage?”
    “No more than Calia. You know how it is.
Dowries are a drain on any father or brother. Families want to rid
themselves of unwanted girls and a beguinage seems a respectable
place for them. Not all the women in a beguinage possess
Power.”
    “True enough.” Garit lapsed into silence and
Anders, attuned to his moods after many years together, seemed to
follow his thoughts.
    “Since you want to know more about both
females, I’ll continue my efforts to become friends with Mairne and
I’ll learn whatever I can from her,” Anders said.
    “If she’s a maiden or unwilling, you will not
violate her,” Garit instructed.
    “Of course not. I know what you’d do to me if
I ever ravished any woman,” Anders responded with a quick grin.
“I’ll talk discreetly with the servants as well as with Mairne, and
with the grooms in the stable, too.”
    “A good idea. You are dismissed now. I’ll see
myself to bed.” Garit waved a hand and Anders slipped away in the
direction of the kitchen, presumably to begin his
investigations.
    Garit sat by the fire, watching it burn down,
frowning as he tried to make sense out of apparently unconnected
bits and pieces of information, not all of them having to do with
Calia. He’d been worried before coming to Saumar and now his
feeling of disquiet increased. The last time he’d felt impending
danger so strongly had been the night when Chantal disappeared.
He’d been right then, and he very much feared he was right now.
    In addition to his other responsibilities, he
was going to have to find a means of keeping his grandmother safe.
Knowing her independent nature, that wouldn’t be an easy task.

Chapter 4
     
     
    “Since this is your first visit to Saumar in
many years,” Lady Elgida said to Garit as they broke their fast the
next morning, “you ought to learn to know again the land that will
be yours one day. Let Calia show you the fields and the forest.
Then, tomorrow, she can explain the workings of the household and
the barns and