Heartmate (22 page)

GrandMistrys Balm's gaze had sharpened, but she merely nodded. “I shall keep that in mind when we have questionable Testing.” She tapped the end of her writestick on the desk. “Though it would not do to bother T'Ash for anything less than the most important cases.” She made additional notes on a pad. “Now. Animal Healer.” She positively beamed at Danith. “I'm delighted. Truly. That such a Flair has resurfaced.”

“Animal Healer?” Danith squeaked, looking around desperately for a chair that her tiny kitchen had never held.

“No room for error,” Balm said with satisfaction. “I'll set up a double-apprenticeship for you with GrandHouse Heather for Healing and GreatHouse Willow in their animal training branch. With sponsorship by T'Ash, HollyHeir, and Fam Zanthoxyl, only the best will do, of course. The fees will be steep, but under the circumstances, I believe the NobleClass tithe should pay three-quarters. We do want to promote new skills.” She smiled encouragement.

Danith could only nod.

“Your apprenticeship should start soon, shall we say next Midweek?”

Danith nodded.

“Very good. Now.” GentleLady Balm whisked through some checklists. She peered past Danith and clucked. “We also have several available properties on the GrandHouse level that will be given to you as part of your advancement. Do you want holo information or would you prefer a personal tour?”

Too much. Too fast. Shock quaked her familiar world, and when it finished, her life would be arranged down new and foreign paths.

“I prefer to decide that later,” Danith managed.

Balm gave her a questioning look, but nodded, squaring the papyrus sheets together. “That's all for the moment, then. A good morning's work. Congratulations once again, GrandLady D'Mallow. Blessed be.” Her image blinked out.

Danith clunked her cup on the counter just before the tea slopped over the rim. She stumbled into her mainspace and onto her much-maligned sofa. She was an Animal Healer. Her apprenticeships would begin Midweek. She was GrandLady D'Mallow, to be gifted with an estate and 80,000 gilt a year!

She didn't know how long she huddled in a daze, Princess purring against her, until a cheerful whistling from outside roused her just before some quick raps on the front door. Danith got up, shook the wrinkles from the full sleeves and legs of her onesuit, adjusted wrist and ankle cuffs, and went to the door.

Peeping through the spy-hole she saw Holm Holly grinning at her. She shut her eyes. She didn't know how much more nobility she could take.

He knocked again. “I know you're in there, D'Mallow.” His voice lilted and she shut her eyes, feeling a load of responsibility drop onto her shoulders with the title, and she was a GrandHouse of one!

“I come to make T'Ash's apologies.” Holly still sounded too cheerful; what would make a man that lighthearted? She didn't know, not a man like Holly, but she had the odd feeling that T'Ash would know, and the gloomier feeling that now she was a noble, she would be finding out.

“T'Ash is indisposed,” Holly said.

Unbelievable. She jerked the door open.

“I knew that would make you open the door.” His look was long, lingering, and approving. “Just the right woman for my friend.” He beamed. “He needs someone of a more optimistic nature. And an uncommon lady of common background elevated to the nobility will understand his own downfall and victory.”

She didn't think so, and knew she'd have to find out more about T'Ash in self-defense. “Indisposed?”

Holly brushed past her and strolled into her small rooms. “Be at ease. Zanth and the T'Ash Residence are guarding him. T'Ash was on the receiving end of a strong arm last evening. He's out for a sun-cycle.”

“Two fights in a day?” She was incredulous.

Holly frowned. “I missed the fight. This last was a matter of—ah—forceful persuasion. Not a bit of struggle. And once upon a time two fights a day would have been an easy day for T'Ash.”

When Holly turned, his gray gaze was straight and serious. “He traced his Family's murderers, you know. Vengeance isn't a light thing for a man, especially not a man like T'Ash.” Holly slid back into his more cheerful mood. “But he has become positively staid of late. No fighting at all. Until you.”

She flinched.

His eyes went back to studying her home. “Very nice. I like this. You obviously will do well by T'Ash Residence. In fact, I like this place better than my own, and I'm stuck with T'Holly Residence. Can hardly change the angle of a chair.”

He noted the many coils of jewelry and grinned. “T'Ash being a little pushy, eh?” Holly walked to a table where the various necklaces lay and touched a ruby pendant, a string of twisted glisten interspersed with amber beads. “But you must admit, he does fabulous work. You'll have to forgive him for his inept courting. He hasn't had a real Family since he was six. And the Ashes ran to males even then. He had a father and two brothers, but only one female—his mother. I've tried—” Holly shrugged. “But he hasn't been interested, until you.”

Danith felt more and more entangled in a silkeen steel web.

Holly stood, hands on hips, dominating the room, just like every noble male she had ever met. A sudden smile lit his face. He clapped his hands and it echoed like thunder. “Allow me.”

An instant later a tall, intricately carved, and striking reddwood chest with several drawers stood in the place of her missing scry table. The piece was antique and valuable.

Holly looked vastly pleased. “My gift to you, D'Mallow, upon your ascension to the nobility. A jewelry chest, large enough to house all the baubles T'Ash has presented you so far.”

Danith snapped her open mouth shut, then struggled for words. “I cannot accept—”

“Of course you can. The chest was in storage. It's too damn delicate and attractive to mix with the furniture of T'Holly Residence. Besides,” he added with a winning smile, “it is customary to give gifts to the head of a new noble House, to pave the way for alliance, if nothing else.”

“How did you know I've been named D-D'Mallow,” she stumbled over her new title.

“The noble Houses get notification of these things. Be glad no one from journalism, BindWeed House, or GraceHouse Daisy, is here yet. A commoner jumping two classes is news.”

Danith shuddered. She certainly hadn't considered all of the ramifications of her sudden change of fortune. She needed to viz her friends, soon.

Holly sifted some bloodstone worry beads through his elegant fingers. “Actually, I'm fulfilling a few errands on behalf of my friend T'Ash. Is there any outstanding commission?”

She frowned. “He promised me a small bedsponge.”

“Ah, that's why he had the pallet in his ResidenceDen. Well, he is occupying it himself, I'm afraid. What's wrong with your bedsponge?”

She gestured to the closed bedroom door a few feet away.

Curiosity passed over his face and he went to it, resting his hand on the knob. “May I?”

“Yes, of course.”

He opened the door. Danith felt a shock of intense sexuality from where she stood and her body reacted. She backed to the farthest corner of the mainspace, considered going into the front grassyard.

Holly turned to her with raised eyebrows. “So?”

“In the middle of the bed. The necklace. Supposedly a HeartGift.”

He disappeared into her bedroom. “Hmmm. I think I see it. It has a roseamber heart? With a flaw in the shape of crossed swords? It's difficult to see. . . .”

Danith raised her voice. “Do you think you could take charge of it?” A tendril of hope curled through her. Maybe she could get her bedroom back. Having her innermost sanctuary off limits added to her stress.

Holly popped his head through the open door. “I don't think I'd better touch it. T'Ash is sure to be unhappy with me as it is. If I retrieve his HeartGift from his lady's bedroom—” He shrugged. “There could be a real fight. And as much as I enjoy fighting, not with T'Ash. He has a tendency to take things too seriously, not to mention the odd time or two he went berser—” He snapped his mouth shut.

Danith chewed her lip, wondering how she could get her bedroom back. She sighed at Holly's refusal. “Very well. Could you bring me some clothes please, HollyHeir?”

“Call me Holm. My pleasure,” he said, back in the bedroom. A few short minutes later he had a nice selection of her clothes neatly stacked on her settee.

“Underwear?” he asked.

Heat flushed her face. “Third drawer of the bureau.”

Holly patted her on her shoulder. “Consider me a brother. T'Ash does—did.” He brought back half the contents of her drawer. “I like the bold colors but think you should invest in something a little more sexy than commoncloth cotton for T'Ash.”

Danith choked.

“I've always found merchandise from the shop Queen of the East extremely fetching.”

She stared at him in disbelief.

A rustle and clink.

Holly spun, whipping his blaser from its holster. Princess ambled in the open front door, bedecked, as was usual now, in one set of ruby beads, three silver chains, a heavier golden one with an amber pendant, and her diamond earclip.

He stared at her in apparent awe. “Now, that is one beautiful cat.”

Danith rolled her eyes.

“I'll bet Zanth is positively eaten up with jealousy.”

Holly stooped down and trilled his tongue in a mock purr.

Princess jingled to him and allowed him to pet her.

He glanced up at Danith. “We Hollys breed hunting cats, you know. Once you have established yourself, give me a call. We'd like to put you on a retainer as our Animal Healer. Also, I believe you could be of great help in determining the best genetic strains to breed for. A Healer has access to so much information at a DNA level, that your insight would be very useful.”

Danith managed a nod.

With one last pat to Princess's head, he stood. “I'll arrange for delivery of a small bedroll. T'Ash had his covered with llamawoolweave, so it will include that. It has been a pleasure, D'Mallow.” He held out his hand.

She put her own in his, and he raised it to his lips and kissed the back. It was the first time that had ever happened to her, and Danith suppressed a disappointment that it hadn't been T'Ash who had made the gesture.

“Merry meet,” Holly said.

“And merry part.”

“And merry meet again. Until later, D'Mallow.” He bowed and left, closing the front door behind him.

Danith stared around her. Her home, even her cat, had changed in three days. It staggered her. After a while she went to a tiny closet and unfolded a pretty pale green and shot-silver scarf, placing it over the top of the jewelry chest.

Princess had sniffed the curving, carved legs and wound herself through them. Now she sat looking up at the top.

“No,” Danith said firmly. “You can't jump on top of it. You will never make it with the weight of all your jewelry.”

Princess mewed a little pleadingly.

“No. You will land on the scarf and go skidding off the cabinet. Then you will be embarrassed and have to pretend you didn't do something foolish. Besides, I'm going to put the scrybowl on top of it. You know how you hate the scrybowl.” Princess—when she was Pansy—had dumped the bowl over on herself no less than four times.

Danith hurried to the kitchen, returning to the mainspace with her scrybowl. It was much larger and heavier than the small china bowl it replaced, but it also felt incredibly comforting since it contained her first use of Flair.

Her fingers automatically traced the cloisonne lines. When she set it up and stood back, she found the pale leaves on the bowl matched the scarf. As the creamy yellow background matched her walls. A scarf she had purchased matched a bowl T'Ash had made. It was frightening.

Again and again she ran her hands over the pattern of the bowl, imbuing it with her own lifeforce, hopefully banishing T'Ash's. Hoping they didn't meld instead.

She should call her friends but didn't know what to say. Despite everything, she wasn't sure of her status. What would happen to all her common friends if she became noble? The Clovers were very important to her. She must keep them in her life. She would need the support of friends. She shivered. Her old life was looking better all the time.

 
 
Arumbling came against his chest. T'Ash knew it was
Zanth's heavy purr. He opened his eyes.

T'Ash stretched. He felt great. His energy levels had mostly replenished, no doubt helped on a little by Holm, T'Holly and T'Ivy, damn their hides. He moved carefully, but no hint of hangover, stiffness, or weariness bothered him. He took stock, inside and out. There was a delicate touch that smoothed the way for his healing and strength—D'Holly. She had a light hand with Flair, as light as Danith's would be.

Danith. T'Ash smiled and stretched more, testing his strength. Not complete, but sufficient enough for the Passage. He pushed dread from his mind, and concentrated on the unfamiliar mellowness of his mood. With the dregs of his weariness, his depression had eased, and he almost recaptured the sense of triumph he'd experienced when he'd first realized he'd meet his HeartMate. Hope fizzed through his veins.

“Both of them? Here and at Danith's?”

T'Ash shuddered. He sat up and the llamawoolweave cloak slid onto the floor. When he picked it up, his fingers caressed its soft texture, as soft as Princess's fur.