Dream of Me/Believe in Me

nothing of charm, my lord,” she said honestly. “It was not covered in my education.”
    “True charm cannot be taught, my lady. Perhaps it comes from an open heart and a gentle spirit.”
    She looked at him in frank surprise, then burst out laughing. “Forgive me, my lord, but for you of all men to call my spirit gentle … Did I not just yesterday suggest your skull would be the better for being dented by an oar?”
    Hawk laughed as well but his eyes on her suddenly held a shadow of concern. “Better you speak your mind clearly than you bestow false smiles and hide ill-thought behind them.
That
is all too common here where power gathers, and you would do well to remember it.”
    His warning sobered her for already she had some sense of what he meant. The undisguised contempt of Lord Udell and his sister was not forgotten. She wonderedif there were others who would resent her as readily and shivered inwardly at the thought.
    Hawk's hand closed warm and strong on hers. Without further delay, they rejoined the king and Father Asser.

Chapter THIRTEEN

    T HE QUEEN S SOLAR OCCUPIED THE MIDDLE floor on the eastern side of the royal residence. It was a bright and cheery room, well suited for the constant work of weaving, sewing, and embroidering, to which even the most noble ladies were expected to devote themselves. Krysta made her way there with the help of a maid after her visit to the scriptorium. She understood that the king and Hawk had much to discuss, and though she would have liked to hear what they said, she was not surprised to find herself gently but firmly dismissed. Her natural inclination to go off alone was thwarted when Hawk excused himself for a few minutes to escort her back to the residence, and found a maid to assure him she would get where he clearly expected her to go. His reward was a bemused frown that turned into a gaze of pure longing the moment his back was turned.
    As soon as Krysta stepped inside the solar, she was certain she had made a dire mistake. Several dozen ladies were gathered there, of all ages but alike in the sumptu-ousness of their dress. They reminded her of the gloriousbirds sitting on the vines of the
A
, each garbed in magnificent plumage and seemingly interested only in what went on beneath their noses. At the moment, that meant Krysta. Before she could draw a breath, she was pierced by gazes both curious and knowing. They froze her in place and for an awful instant she thought she would not be able to move. Then Eahlswith, that wise queen and gentle mother, saw her. The queen's smile seemed a rope thrown into a storm-tossed sea. Krysta went to her gratefully and took the seat she indicated directly beside her.
    “I was hoping you would come,” Eahlswith said. “You must tell us all about your visit. Is the new book everything my husband hoped?”
    Several of the nearby ladies adopted expressions of polite interest but one did not. Lady Esa continued to give all her attention to the exquisite bit of embroidery she was stitching. Only the slight, sardonic curve of her lovely mouth hinted at her thoughts.
    “The book is wonderful, my lady,” Krysta said, ignoring Esa determinedly. “It is very well organized and clearly written, setting forth those laws King Alfred believes are essential to the good ordering of the kingdom. It is divided into three sections, the laws as they pertain to men who pray, men who work, and men who fight. The script itself is in a very able hand, much easier to read than some I have seen, and the book as a whole is magnificently illustrated with each first capital on a page done in gold and many beautiful pictures drawn throughout.”
    “How relieved I am to hear it,” Eahlswith said, “for I vow, my dear husband cares almost as much for his books as he does for his children, and that is saying a great deal indeed.”
    The ladies smiled kindly, all save Esa, who rolled her eyes slightly.
    Either the queen did not see her or she chose to ignoresuch behavior. Krysta suspected the latter for she had already surmised that Alfred's queen was as wise in her own way as he was in his.
    “What did you think of the scriptorium?” Eahlswith asked.
    “I think it the most wonderful place I have ever seen,” Krysta said candidly. “We were there long enough for me to read parts of several books, and the king was so kind as to say that I could borrow one.”
    “How wonderful that you read,” the queen said. “I have thought from time to time