“Your father may not have told you this,” Sienna said, “but the reputation of a young woman can come back to haunt them. You do not want people discussing your choices behind your back.”
“I already have people talking about me behind my back,” Emily said.
“And you really don’t want to give them more ammunition,” Sienna snapped. She stepped forward, towering over Emily. Somehow, she looked more terrifying than a necromancer. “Your reputation overshadows you. You have to be careful.”
“I know,” Emily said.
Sienna didn’t look convinced. “What you do in private isn’t important.” She knelt down, facing Emily. “But what you get caught doing in public is important.”
“We’re not in public,” Emily said.
“That’s the sort of excuse I expect from a five-year-old,” Sienna said. “I suggest you be more careful.”
She sat back and sighed, heavily. “I must also apologize for my daughter’s harsh words. Please rest assured that she will be suitably punished.”
Emily winced, inwardly. Marian was lucky there had been no outside witnesses. Caleb wasn’t the only one whose actions reflected on his family. Sienna would have been judged by how well she’d handled the situation. Her community might have turned on her if she’d allowed her daughter to get away with such unpleasant accusations.
And the story of The Boy Who Cried Feud is all about dealing with it, she thought. Lady Barb had advised her to read the stories, explaining that they would help her to understand magical society. It’s better than The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
“She is young,” Sienna said. “She will grow into maturity.”
Emily swallowed. “You don’t have to punish her. I…I know what it’s like to lose someone I loved. I don’t blame her for being angry.”
Sienna met her eyes. “Her behavior was appalling,” she said. “And she tried to leave the house this morning.”
“I don’t blame her,” Emily said.
“And I am glad of that,” Sienna said. She sounded relieved. It dawned on Emily, slowly, that she could have demanded compensation for the accusations. “But I cannot allow Marian to grow up in the belief that lashing out at people is acceptable. The next person she mouths off to may demand a far more exacting price.”
Emily shivered. A nobleman insulted by a little boy might draw his sword and behead the child. Or break bones or…she’d seen it happen in Zangaria. A magician might hex the child, or demand payment from the child’s parents. Sienna was far more able to defend herself and her family than any peasant woman, but even she couldn’t stand up to everything. Her community would have shunned her if she’d allowed her children to run wild.
“She’s young,” she said, finally.
“Yes,” Sienna said. “And I want her to grow up.”
“I didn’t want Casper to die,” Emily said. “I…”
Sienna smiled, humorlessly. “If I believed you had deliberately set him up to die, Lady Emily, I would have killed you the moment you entered the house,” she said. “I might have had to let him go off to the war, but I could certainly have avenged his death.”
Her smile faded. “But the necromancer who killed him is dead. And I thank you for it.”
“You’re welcome,” Emily said, automatically.
Sienna turned to look over the city. “Go back to your room and get some rest,” she said, gruffly. “I’ll have some more food sent up for Frieda when she awakes.”
Emily rose. “Thank you,” she said. “And I’m sorry about her conduct too.”
“You can put her to work scrubbing the floors, if you wish,” Sienna said. It took Emily a moment to realize that the older woman was joking. “And I suggest you do tell her to apologize.”
“I will,” Emily said.
“And don’t let me catch you and Caleb too close again,” Sienna said, as Emily clambered down the ladder. “I’ll have to take notice next time.”
“We’ll behave,” Emily said.
“Forgive me for not believing you,” Sienna said, dryly. “You two are in love.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
EMILY SLEPT BADLY.
The wards kept Justice’s influence out, she thought, but she still felt something at the edge of her dreams. A presence, perhaps…or just random flickers from the depths of her mind. She drifted in and out of sleep for what felt like hours before a knock at the door awakened her. Frieda sat up as Emily dragged herself out of bed and walked over to open the door. Karan stood outside, carrying two mugs of steaming Kava.
“Drink this, then get dressed and come downstairs,” she said. “We might have to go out soon.”
Emily took the mugs, passed one to Frieda and turned back to Karan. But she was already heading down the stairs…Emily shook her head, closed the door and walked over to the window. It was dark outside, but she saw faint glimmers in the distance. They were on the very edge of dawn.
“I slept poorly,” Frieda said.
“You owe Caleb an apology,” Emily said, without looking back. She looked out the window as she sipped her drink. People were gathering in the darkened street, but the wards made it hard for her to see them clearly. “You were very unpleasant to him.”
“He deserved it,” Frieda said, unrepentantly.
Emily sighed. She knew Frieda didn’t like Caleb much – and she was fairly sure Caleb felt the same way – but there were limits. Insulting Caleb in front of his younger siblings would probably have led to a real fight, if Sienna hadn’t returned. Lady Barb had warned her against humiliating a man in public unless she was prepared to deal with the consequences.
She turned to face the younger girl. “Apologize to him, please. He doesn’t deserve that sort of treatment.”
Frieda sniffed. “Should I prostrate myself, or will getting down on my knees suffice?”
“Just say you’re sorry,” Emily snapped, as she yanked the curtains closed. She wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep or the grim awareness that they might be attacked at any moment, but her head was starting to pound again. “And do try to sound convincing.”
“I hope Marian is going to apologize too,” Frieda said. “She was very unpleasant to you.”
“I’ll live,” Emily said. She pulled off her nightgown and reached for her shirt. “And so will you.”