Nash, wasn’t he?’
Suddenly wary, Finnlay said, ‘Yes.’
Hesitant blue eyes darted to his and then away. ‘Why … why did Mother stop him?’
Finnlay blinked in surprise. Hadn’t Jenn explained enough to assuage his curiosity?
Obviously not.
Not waiting for an answer, or perhaps afraid of it, Andrew hurried on, his voice a sharp whisper, ‘So Nash is still alive, which means Duke Robert still has to kill him – and that’s what he’s planning now, isn’t it? Another war? Because he still has to kill Nash. Isn’t it?’
‘Have you been talking to Murdoch? What has he said?’
‘Was I not supposed to? I’m sorry if I wasn’t meant to know or something but … I just … well, I was curious and … Murdoch didn’t say anything about a war. I just thought that might be what—’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Finnlay held up his hand. ‘I take it you don’t mention any of this to your mother.’
‘No.’ Andrew’s voice came out short; there was tension beneath the surface. ‘Why did she stop them? Didn’t she believe in Duke Robert?’
By the gods, that was too much! How could she have told the boy so much and yet left him understanding nothing of her relationship with Robert? Quietly, Finnlay turned his full gaze on Andrew then, deliberately looking for the tiny signs of his father in the face that resembled Jenn’s so much. ‘Have you asked her?’
A shrug was the only answer he got.
‘Do you think perhaps that if she wanted you to know, she would have told you already?’
‘I don’t know. It just seems like …’
‘What?’
‘Like she betrayed him in some way.’ Andrew looked at Finnlay then, a little fearfully, as though he knew he’d said something he shouldn’t.
Finnlay couldn’t tell him the truth. It wasn’t his story to tell. It had to come from Jenn, if anyone – and she could be a tyrant when it came to what her son was told and what he wasn’t.
And she had held him to his promise never to tell Robert that Andrew was his son, a promise he had never stopped regretting.
He could, however, give the boy something to lean on. ‘You know about the Prophecy, don’t you? You know that the roles played by my brother, your mother and Nash were written down centuries ago?’
For a moment, Andrew didn’t answer. Instead, his gaze drifted, floating to nothing in particular, leaving Finnlay with a perfect image of Robert doing exactly the same thing when he Sensed someone approaching. He waited until Andrew turned to him again, blinking a little as though nothing had happened.
Finnlay had to ask. ‘What’s wrong?’
Andrew shook his head a little, apparently unaware of what he’d just done. ‘Nothing. You were saying about the Prophecy?’
Unsure how to interpret what he’d just seen, Finnlay decided it was best ignored for the moment. He couldn’t get carried away with the hope that Andrew was finally developing Senses. It might be nothing at all. ‘Well, it’s just that you should be able to see whatever happens between them is going to be complicated. More complicated than either you or I can understand from the outside. I do know what she told me: that the Key had insisted that Shan Moss was not the right time for Robert and Nash to fight. Perhaps leaving it for another day meant Robert would have more weapons at his disposal, or more information. Anything beyond that is a guess – but I do know she had good reasons. Do you honestly think she would act in any other manner?’
‘No!’ Andrew’s eyes were wide with horror at the meresuggestion. ‘I just wanted to understand and she won’t really talk to me about it.’
‘Well, perhaps she will one day, when you’re a little older.’
‘Maybe,’ Andrew drew in a breath, ‘maybe she’s waiting until I develop powers.’
‘Perhaps.’
‘And … and what if I don’t?’ Andrew bit his bottom lip. ‘My father didn’t have any. I don’t even have a House Mark, like you and my mother. Why
Suddenly wary, Finnlay said, ‘Yes.’
Hesitant blue eyes darted to his and then away. ‘Why … why did Mother stop him?’
Finnlay blinked in surprise. Hadn’t Jenn explained enough to assuage his curiosity?
Obviously not.
Not waiting for an answer, or perhaps afraid of it, Andrew hurried on, his voice a sharp whisper, ‘So Nash is still alive, which means Duke Robert still has to kill him – and that’s what he’s planning now, isn’t it? Another war? Because he still has to kill Nash. Isn’t it?’
‘Have you been talking to Murdoch? What has he said?’
‘Was I not supposed to? I’m sorry if I wasn’t meant to know or something but … I just … well, I was curious and … Murdoch didn’t say anything about a war. I just thought that might be what—’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Finnlay held up his hand. ‘I take it you don’t mention any of this to your mother.’
‘No.’ Andrew’s voice came out short; there was tension beneath the surface. ‘Why did she stop them? Didn’t she believe in Duke Robert?’
By the gods, that was too much! How could she have told the boy so much and yet left him understanding nothing of her relationship with Robert? Quietly, Finnlay turned his full gaze on Andrew then, deliberately looking for the tiny signs of his father in the face that resembled Jenn’s so much. ‘Have you asked her?’
A shrug was the only answer he got.
‘Do you think perhaps that if she wanted you to know, she would have told you already?’
‘I don’t know. It just seems like …’
‘What?’
‘Like she betrayed him in some way.’ Andrew looked at Finnlay then, a little fearfully, as though he knew he’d said something he shouldn’t.
Finnlay couldn’t tell him the truth. It wasn’t his story to tell. It had to come from Jenn, if anyone – and she could be a tyrant when it came to what her son was told and what he wasn’t.
And she had held him to his promise never to tell Robert that Andrew was his son, a promise he had never stopped regretting.
He could, however, give the boy something to lean on. ‘You know about the Prophecy, don’t you? You know that the roles played by my brother, your mother and Nash were written down centuries ago?’
For a moment, Andrew didn’t answer. Instead, his gaze drifted, floating to nothing in particular, leaving Finnlay with a perfect image of Robert doing exactly the same thing when he Sensed someone approaching. He waited until Andrew turned to him again, blinking a little as though nothing had happened.
Finnlay had to ask. ‘What’s wrong?’
Andrew shook his head a little, apparently unaware of what he’d just done. ‘Nothing. You were saying about the Prophecy?’
Unsure how to interpret what he’d just seen, Finnlay decided it was best ignored for the moment. He couldn’t get carried away with the hope that Andrew was finally developing Senses. It might be nothing at all. ‘Well, it’s just that you should be able to see whatever happens between them is going to be complicated. More complicated than either you or I can understand from the outside. I do know what she told me: that the Key had insisted that Shan Moss was not the right time for Robert and Nash to fight. Perhaps leaving it for another day meant Robert would have more weapons at his disposal, or more information. Anything beyond that is a guess – but I do know she had good reasons. Do you honestly think she would act in any other manner?’
‘No!’ Andrew’s eyes were wide with horror at the meresuggestion. ‘I just wanted to understand and she won’t really talk to me about it.’
‘Well, perhaps she will one day, when you’re a little older.’
‘Maybe,’ Andrew drew in a breath, ‘maybe she’s waiting until I develop powers.’
‘Perhaps.’
‘And … and what if I don’t?’ Andrew bit his bottom lip. ‘My father didn’t have any. I don’t even have a House Mark, like you and my mother. Why
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