David Drake - Out of the waters

Alphena had flashed angry, but she had quickly controlled that. Now she radiated a mixture of concern and defiance.

She's learned to trust me, Hedia thought. Thank Venus for that mercy.

"Tardus announced that he would leave because he saw that your father and his senatorial friend wanted to have a private meeting," Hedia said. "Do you understand what that means?"

Alphena's mouth dropped open. "But that's crazy!" she said, showing-rather to her mother's surprise-that she did understand the threat. "Saxa wouldn't plot against the Emperor. He'd never do that!"

"No, he wouldn't," Hedia agreed grimly, "but it's very hard to prove that you haven't done something. I prefer not to take that chance, so I invited Tardus to join us."

The notion of wealthy senators plotting to overthrow the Emperor might not seem crazy to someone who didn't know Saxa personally; and the Emperor must certainly was crazy on the subject of possible threats to his life and government. A whisper in the wrong ear-which could be any ear in Carce nowadays-could mean a visit from the German Bodyguard and a quick execution in the basement of their barracks.

"But me?" Alphena said. She wasn't protesting now, and her curiosity was reasonable.

"One moment," Hedia said. To the maid holding the black bandeau and briefs she said, "Do you have gray?"

The maid-all the maids-looked stricken.

"Never mind," Hedia snapped. "Syra, bring a set of mine, they'll do in a pinch. And bring Lucilla too. There isn't time to do the hair properly, but Lucilla can manage something."

"Your ladyship, they're here," Syra said. "The clothes too."

Hedia looked around in surprise. At least a dozen of her personal servants-the line extended out onto the walkway-waited with undergarments ranging from pale gray-blue to dark gray, plus two caskets of jewelry and apparently-this was beyond the doorway-wraps and stoles.

She chirped a laugh despite the tension. Her staff had instantly realized what Hedia had forgotten: Alphena's wardrobe contained nothing suitable for formal occasions except the silk dinner tunics that Abinnaeus had delivered the day before. Why, up until a moment ago the girl had been wearing a single knee-length tunic as though she were a field hand!

"Yes," Hedia said aloud. She pointed to the palest gray combination and said, "Those."

Maids began to dress the girl. Her staff had taken over from Alphena's. Florina seemed briefly to have considered arguing. That wouldn't have been a good idea, because Hedia would have welcomed a way to reduce tension.

"As for why you and I will be present," Hedia said, feeling herself relax as her staff transformed Alphena from hoyden to young lady, "well, perhaps we needn't be, but this isn't a situation that I want to be blase about. Nobody has ever imagined that I give a hoot about any government official-"

She paused, considered, and went on with a wicked grin, "Except in some cases for what they have between their legs. And you, my dear, have the reputation of being even less political than I am."

"Oh," said Alphena as the synthesis drifted over her like a violet cloud. "I guess I see."

Maids cinched the thin silk under her bosom. She looked at Hedia and with a perfectly straight face and said, "I'll be sure to talk to Tardus about the fine points of swordsmanship, then."

Hedia's expression froze. Then she realized the girl was joking and burst into laughter.

"Here," she said, extending her arms to Alphena. "Hold me and raise your feet one at a time so that they can put your slippers on."

The girl's feet were too wide for Hedia's shoes, but she had a pair of black cut-work sandals which would do. I really must get her properly outfitted, tomorrow if possible!

"Then as soon as Florina-"

The maid had done a creditable job in caring for her mistress, given her limited resources. Hedia was making a point of not denigrating her in front of the other servants.

"-puts in the amethyst ear drops, we'll be ready to go."

Though Hedia hadn't expected to eat with her husband tonight, she had dressed to greet the guests. That was a blessing, though she had enough experience with throwing on-or throwing back on-formal clothing in a hurry that she could have managed.

Alphena raised her other foot. "But mother?" she said. "Those men with Tardus? I've seen them before."

"Yes," Hedia said, frowning slightly at the return of a matter of no importance. "They were with him in the theater. I noticed them at the time."

She stepped back and looked at her daughter, then beamed. "You look lovely, dear. Just lovely! Now, let's join the men."

Alphena followed without protest, but as they reached the main staircase she said, "Mother, I've seen them somewhere else than the theater. And I don't think I like them."

Alphena was excited to be dressed up like this-like a fine lady. She wouldn't have admitted that to a soul, certainly not to her stepmother and only in the very depths of her heart to herself, but she knew it was true.

"I don't see why I have to wear such a long tunic, though," she muttered to Hedia as they walked arm-in-arm down the mezzanine corridor toward the main stairs.

"Tush, dear," Hedia said easily. "Be thankful that you're not a man and having to wear a toga. And besides-"

She glanced to the side, assessing Alphena with the dispassionate precision of a trainer judging a coffle of gladiators.

"-you look quite nice in a long tunic. You move gracefully, and the sway of the fabric sets that off."

Alphena glowed with pleasure, though that embarrassed her. "Ah…," she said. "Ah, thank you, mother."

They reached the staircase. There was a flurry of motion within the cloud of servants surrounding them. Two maids snatched the front hem of Hedia's synthesis-it was a white as pure as sunlight on marble-and lifted it slightly as they skipped up the steps ahead of her; two more raised the back.

Oh! thought Alphena. She hadn't considered the difficulties of going up or down stairs in a garment that broke at her ankles. I could have tripped and fallen! Oh, gods, that would have been awful!

Then she wondered if Corylus would be dining with them. That thought made her so angry that she glared. She wasn't really looking at anything, but one of the maids her lifting the front of her skirt began to whimper. The girl didn't stumble or let the fabric slip, but the sound brought Alphena back to an awareness of her surroundings.

Servants had set poles supporting vertical wicker lattices on the west side of the dining alcove. Lamps would be necessary before the meal was over, but for the moment the shades were keeping the sun out of the eyes of the diners on the central, west-facing couch. Priscus, the chief guest, reclined there, and a place for Tardus had been added below him.

Saxa was at the head of the left-hand couch, adjacent to Priscus. Below him were Varus and the teacher, Pandareus.

Corylus wasn't present. There was no reason he should have been. It was just a possibility, an obvious thing to wonder about, that was all.

There was no bench on the right end. Instead, two chairs had been placed there with little side tables to hold the dishes or cup that the diner wasn't using at the moment.

Alphena looked at the arrangement. Because I'm a girl!

"I prefer to recline at dinner," she said to the dining room steward. She didn't know his name; he was plump and had a touch of red in his thinning hair. "Set me a place on the couch beside Lord Tardus."

"My dear?" said her father, looking up with a startled-rabbit expression. "I think you'd, that is-"

"Nonsense, dear heart," Hedia said cheerfully to her husband. "There's nothing improper about a lady reclining at dinner. I just prefer to sit upright."

Turning to the steward she said, "Borysthenes, remove one of the chairs and set a place for my daughter on the couch."