made a gesture that indicated he didn’t want to get into detail about that time in his life.
‘Whatever. You sensed that I needed a new influence in my life to take my mind off the things that were troubling me.’
‘As I recall, you were assigned to accompany Alyss on a mission,’ she said.
‘And it did the trick. Her youth and cheerfulness snapped me right out of my brown mood.’
Lady Pauline arched an eyebrow. ‘It didn’t stop you throwing people into moats.’
‘Maybe not. But he deserved it,’ Halt said, showing a rare grin. Then he became serious again. ‘Anyway, what I’m thinking is, if we put Will in charge of someone like I described, it might get his mind off this quest for revenge. And if we can do that, we’ll be well on the way to helping him accept and live with Alyss’s loss.’
‘Of course, you never get over the loss of a loved one,’ Cassandra mused.
Halt nodded to her. ‘No. But you can learn to live with it and accept it. And gradually, the hurt becomes more bearable. It doesn’t go away, but it becomes bearable.’
Gilan had been watching his former mentor carefully while he put his case. The young Commandant knew Halt, probably better than anyone else in the room.
‘I take it you have someone specific in mind to be Will’s apprentice?’ he asked.
Halt looked at him. ‘I was thinking Madelyn.’
SUDDENLY, EVERYONE WAS talking at once.
‘Madelyn? You mean my Madelyn?’ Cassandra cried, coming half to her feet.
‘You must be joking, Halt!’ said Horace.
‘But she’s a girl!’ That was Gilan.
Halt waited until they all fell silent. Then he answered them calmly.
‘Yes, Cassandra. I do mean your Madelyn. And no, I’m not joking, Horace. And yes, Gilan, I am aware that Madelyn is a girl.’
He noticed that, alone among those in the room, his wife had said nothing. He glanced sideways at her and was not surprised to see that she was nodding her head thoughtfully. He gave her a brief smile. The others were all still totally nonplussed by his suggestion. Cassandra had fallen back into her chair as she realised he was serious. He spoke to her now.
‘Evanlyn,’ he said. Like Will, Halt usually used thatname for her in private. It was a mark of affection between them. ‘Let’s just think about something. If you had a son instead of a daughter, what would he be doing now?’
‘I didn’t have a son –’ she began, but he held up his hands to still her protest.
‘Just humour me. Let’s say, hypothetically, you have a son. How would you be preparing him for his future as the ruler of Araluen?’
Cassandra bit her lip. She could see what he was angling at and she refused to give his suggestion any support.
Horace answered for her. ‘He’d be in the army,’ he said in a flat tone.
Cassandra whipped round to glare at him. ‘Horace!’ she cried accusingly, but Horace, tall and practical and honest, shrugged at her. There was no avoiding the answer.
Halt nodded gently, his eyes still fixed on Cassandra as she turned back to him. She flushed. He could see that she regretted the sudden surge of anger she had directed at her husband.
‘That’s right,’ he said. ‘Probably in a cavalry regiment. You would have trained him with the sword and the lance for the past few years, I would think, Horace?’
Horace nodded, a little regretfully. During the time of Cassandra’s pregnancy, he had nursed visions of training a son to ride and wield a sword and a lance like his father. When Cassandra had delivered a daughter, he had felt a moment of shocked surprise. He had simply never considered that possibility. It has to be said that this was quickly overcome by a deep-seated, lasting pleasure at the prospect of raising a daughter. But he remembered those long-ago dreams now.
Halt continued. ‘Probably be a junior officer, commanding a squad, learning how to lead men in combat, how to make life-or-death decisions.
‘And I would guess that you wouldn’t
‘Whatever. You sensed that I needed a new influence in my life to take my mind off the things that were troubling me.’
‘As I recall, you were assigned to accompany Alyss on a mission,’ she said.
‘And it did the trick. Her youth and cheerfulness snapped me right out of my brown mood.’
Lady Pauline arched an eyebrow. ‘It didn’t stop you throwing people into moats.’
‘Maybe not. But he deserved it,’ Halt said, showing a rare grin. Then he became serious again. ‘Anyway, what I’m thinking is, if we put Will in charge of someone like I described, it might get his mind off this quest for revenge. And if we can do that, we’ll be well on the way to helping him accept and live with Alyss’s loss.’
‘Of course, you never get over the loss of a loved one,’ Cassandra mused.
Halt nodded to her. ‘No. But you can learn to live with it and accept it. And gradually, the hurt becomes more bearable. It doesn’t go away, but it becomes bearable.’
Gilan had been watching his former mentor carefully while he put his case. The young Commandant knew Halt, probably better than anyone else in the room.
‘I take it you have someone specific in mind to be Will’s apprentice?’ he asked.
Halt looked at him. ‘I was thinking Madelyn.’
SUDDENLY, EVERYONE WAS talking at once.
‘Madelyn? You mean my Madelyn?’ Cassandra cried, coming half to her feet.
‘You must be joking, Halt!’ said Horace.
‘But she’s a girl!’ That was Gilan.
Halt waited until they all fell silent. Then he answered them calmly.
‘Yes, Cassandra. I do mean your Madelyn. And no, I’m not joking, Horace. And yes, Gilan, I am aware that Madelyn is a girl.’
He noticed that, alone among those in the room, his wife had said nothing. He glanced sideways at her and was not surprised to see that she was nodding her head thoughtfully. He gave her a brief smile. The others were all still totally nonplussed by his suggestion. Cassandra had fallen back into her chair as she realised he was serious. He spoke to her now.
‘Evanlyn,’ he said. Like Will, Halt usually used thatname for her in private. It was a mark of affection between them. ‘Let’s just think about something. If you had a son instead of a daughter, what would he be doing now?’
‘I didn’t have a son –’ she began, but he held up his hands to still her protest.
‘Just humour me. Let’s say, hypothetically, you have a son. How would you be preparing him for his future as the ruler of Araluen?’
Cassandra bit her lip. She could see what he was angling at and she refused to give his suggestion any support.
Horace answered for her. ‘He’d be in the army,’ he said in a flat tone.
Cassandra whipped round to glare at him. ‘Horace!’ she cried accusingly, but Horace, tall and practical and honest, shrugged at her. There was no avoiding the answer.
Halt nodded gently, his eyes still fixed on Cassandra as she turned back to him. She flushed. He could see that she regretted the sudden surge of anger she had directed at her husband.
‘That’s right,’ he said. ‘Probably in a cavalry regiment. You would have trained him with the sword and the lance for the past few years, I would think, Horace?’
Horace nodded, a little regretfully. During the time of Cassandra’s pregnancy, he had nursed visions of training a son to ride and wield a sword and a lance like his father. When Cassandra had delivered a daughter, he had felt a moment of shocked surprise. He had simply never considered that possibility. It has to be said that this was quickly overcome by a deep-seated, lasting pleasure at the prospect of raising a daughter. But he remembered those long-ago dreams now.
Halt continued. ‘Probably be a junior officer, commanding a squad, learning how to lead men in combat, how to make life-or-death decisions.
‘And I would guess that you wouldn’t
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