Page 9 (1/2)
SHE LOOKED ATthe bouquets, hundreds and hundreds of roses and carnations, with a ret Never had Jilseponie seen so ether in one place! Never had she experienced such a sweet aro Danube to do so this draers and a call to his one so out of his way in an effort to please her
And so she was flattered, and so the mere volume of flowers inspired awe; but there was, too, soret in her This had been her best suht and friendly, full of honest discussion of the state of the kingdoht do to i itty and char, full of mirth and smiles, and while Jilseponie appreciated that type of companionship, she understood herself to be the source of those smiles
Thus, the discomfort And now this, to awaken to find her room, and half the upstairs of Chasewind Manor, full of bouquets It was the most overt act of love Danube had shown her since his arrival, one that asked her in a less-than-subtle her and more emotional level, a level that Jilseponie was not sure she could yet handle
A level that theof Nightbird believed she would never desire again
Danube aiting for her when she went downstairs, sitting in the co a bit nervously, Jilseponie saw He had taken a chance, obviously so, at great risk to his pride
She didn&039;t kno she should respond The realization surprised her so Danube He had been so patient with her through all these years of living in the shadow of Nightbird, and, except for the flowers, had been careful not to apply too much pressure to Jilseponie So as she to do now?
She walked right up to stand before him, and as he rose she&039;s bodyguard, ere standing about the periuard, staht hard to maintain some semblance of composure
"They are truly beautiful," Jilseponie said sincerely "It is not often that a o to such trouble, and at such personal risk"
The last part of her statement rocked Danube back on his heels, and he looked at her curiously "Personal risk?" he echoed, and he shook his head and chuckled "Ever do you speak bluntly, Baroness Perhaps that is the quality I most admire in you"
Jilseponie, too, smiled widely "I have seen too much," she explained, "to be bothered by the foibles of the hureat coed to brighten yours, with a cool breeze blowing across the golden war went on "Will you ride with me?"
It was an invitation Jilseponie wouldn&039;t think of refusing, and soon after, she and King Danube were galloping across the fields behind Chasewind Manor, feeling the wind in their hair and the sun on their faces To Danube&039;s credit, he did not press the questions he had obviously opened with the bouquets, and Jilseponie appreciated the space and the tih that so, shared a wonderful lunch on the back balcony of theDanube asked if Jilseponie would join him on a sail out of the harbor and into the Gulf of Corona, a short trip to watch the a dolphins Duke Bretherford had informed him had come in earlier in the week
In truth, Jilseponie found that she would have liked nothingadventure, for she had heard soracefully leaping twenty feet out of the water
"I fear I reed to a previous and iement and have little time to spare"
It seeeray eyes But to his credit, he did not press the issue "Enough time for another ride, then?" he asked instead "A short run through the back fields?"
Sain, trotting easily along the beautiful grounds behind Chasewind Manor, the scents of the summertime fields thick about the to the dance of the horses
"The sailing will be fine this day," King Danube remarked offhandedly "Are you certain you cannot join me?"
Jilseponie wanted to accept that invitation - she truly did! - and her expression conveyed that clearly to King Danube "I cannot," she explained, "for I have pro preparations for the dedication of the Chapel of Avelyn"
"Your old friend Brother Avelyn," King Danube re hiue convince thedoood to hear the King of Honce-the-Bear speaking so highly of her lost friend, even more so because she understood the sincerity behind Danube&039;s words He was not just saying these things to please Jilseponie
"I could, perhaps, speak with the current Abbot of St Honce," Danube offered "Though I doubt that the voice of Ohwan carries roiser since the days of Markwart&039;s rule" He laughed at the little joke, but Jilseponie, who did not know of Abbot Ohwan, didn&039;t understand it
"The process of canonization is well under way, I have been told," she replied "Even those in the Church who do not favor the teachings of Avelyn cannot dispute the miracles at Mount Aida, not the second one, at least Not a single man or woman who entered the covenant and tasted the blood of Avelyn was subsequently touched by the rosy plague, and all those ent there already ill were cured"
"It would seem that if any have ever been truly worthy of the title of saint, Avelyn Desbris certainly is," Danube said with a s that the sun had well passed its zenith, and his smile turned into a frown "You ht, perhaps?"
Jilseponie considered the invitation for a moment Her first instinct was to refuse - hadn&039;t she been spending tooDanube already, and in a relationship that was fast edging toward a deeper, more uncomfortable level? But, to her surprise, she found herself accepting
Danube&039;s sht as the sun itself "This time you&039;ll not beat me back to Chasewind!" he cried, and he turned his horse and thundered away
Jilseponie honestly considered letting Danube finally beat her that day; after all, hadn&039;t he just filled the second level of Chasewind Manor with flowers for her? It was a fleeting thought, though, one that washed away as soon as she put her heels to Greystone&039;s flanks
She had already dis Danube joined her at the small paddock behind the mansion&039;s stables His smile had not diminished at all
"He will ask for your hand this season?" Abbot Brau why he was so pressing her this day "Every indication is that King Danube will seek to make Jilseponie his queen before the turn of the year"
"Then he has told everyone save Jilseponie," she replied rather sternly
"Well, of course, he must be certain of your answer before he dares ask," said Brau of Honce-the-Bear to have such a proposal refused!"
Jilseponie shrugged and looked away Of course, Brau, as those apparent rumors were, she believed, truthful All the indications were that King Danube was indeed heading down a trail that would lead to the altar of St Honce
"And ill you say?" Abbot Brauh of this already?" Jilseponie returned, shooting him a perfectly exasperated look
"I fear that we have not, if you know not the answer," said Brauh this difficult decision?"
"As the abbot of St Precious?" Jilseponie asked
"As your friend," Braumin corrected
"Then speak to me as a friend," said Jilseponie "It is obvious that you desire that I accept hiin to try to deny such a preference - and yet you skirt the issue with pleasantries and subtle hints, one after another"
Abbot Brauh," he admitted "I do wish the union, because in that union, Jilseponie will have a reater potential to make the world a better place, and to elevate Avelyn and Jojonah to the status they so rightfully deserve For me, all other missions seem to pale beside that reality"
"But you are not the one who ," Jilseponie re defeat
"There is another possibility," he said a moment later
"I have not yet told you that I mean to decline Danube&039;s proposal, should it come," Jilseponie re that we ive you a greater voice in the city and in all the region"
Jilseponie looked at hi over the initiation and first year of the Chapel of Avelyn," the abbot admitted "And while that would seem a demotion - and, indeed, in the purest sense it would be - it would grant me the power to oversee the very direction of that soon-to-be abbey, and soon-to-be, unless I uess, very influential abbey That would leave a void at St Precious that none above Jilseponie would be capable of filling"