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A Caress Of Twilight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 64 из 236" But she never looked at me, and the phrase had a rehearsed quality, as if she wasn't truly listening to her own words.
I smiled. "Fine, why the swimsuits, Maeve?"
"I thought you might want to get more comfortable, that's all." Her voice still sounded flat, like dialogue that she'd planned to say but no longer cared about.
"Thank you, but I'm fine as I am."
"I'm sure I can find suits for your gentlemen, too." She finally looked at me while she spoke, but her voice was still muted.
"No, thank you." And I put enough force into the thank you that I thought she'd take the hint.
Maeve set the empty glass on the tray, slipped the sunglasses on, and only then took the new drink in hand. She drained a quarter of it in one long swallow, then looked at me. The glasses were large and round with fat white rims, and they were mirrored so that I could see a distorted reflection of myself as she moved her head. Her eyes and a large part of her face were completely hidden. She didn't need glamour now; she had something else to hide behind.
She pulled the robe closer to her neck and sipped the black rum. "Even Taranis would not dare to have Emrys executed." Her voice was low, but clear. I think she was working on not believing me. She'd given herself enough time with her rehearsed bit about the swimsuits that she'd thought about what I'd said. She didn't like it, so she was going to try to make it not true.
"He wasn't executed," I said, and again I watched her, waited for her to ask for more. You often learned more by saying less.
She looked up from her drink, making those mirrored glasses glint in the sun. "But you said Taranis had had him killed."
"No, I said he killed Emrys."
It was hard to tell behind the large sunglasses, but I think she frowned. "You are playing word games with me, Meredith. Emrys was one of the few among the courts that I might truly have called friend. If he was not executed, then what? Are you hinting at assassination?"
I shook my head. "Not at all. The King challenged him to a personal duel."
She jumped as if I'd struck her, sloshing some of the rum over the white of the robe. The maid offered her a linen napkin. Maeve handed the drink to the woman and began to wipe at her hand, but not like she was paying attention to what she was doing.
"The King does not take personal challenges. He is too valuable to the court to risk on a duel."
I shrugged, watching my image imitate me in her glasses. "I just report the news, I don't explain it."
She put the napkin on the tray, but refused the return of her drink.
I smiled. "Fine, why the swimsuits, Maeve?"
"I thought you might want to get more comfortable, that's all." Her voice still sounded flat, like dialogue that she'd planned to say but no longer cared about.
"Thank you, but I'm fine as I am."
"I'm sure I can find suits for your gentlemen, too." She finally looked at me while she spoke, but her voice was still muted.
"No, thank you." And I put enough force into the thank you that I thought she'd take the hint.
Maeve set the empty glass on the tray, slipped the sunglasses on, and only then took the new drink in hand. She drained a quarter of it in one long swallow, then looked at me. The glasses were large and round with fat white rims, and they were mirrored so that I could see a distorted reflection of myself as she moved her head. Her eyes and a large part of her face were completely hidden. She didn't need glamour now; she had something else to hide behind.
She pulled the robe closer to her neck and sipped the black rum. "Even Taranis would not dare to have Emrys executed." Her voice was low, but clear. I think she was working on not believing me. She'd given herself enough time with her rehearsed bit about the swimsuits that she'd thought about what I'd said. She didn't like it, so she was going to try to make it not true.
"He wasn't executed," I said, and again I watched her, waited for her to ask for more. You often learned more by saying less.
She looked up from her drink, making those mirrored glasses glint in the sun. "But you said Taranis had had him killed."
"No, I said he killed Emrys."
It was hard to tell behind the large sunglasses, but I think she frowned. "You are playing word games with me, Meredith. Emrys was one of the few among the courts that I might truly have called friend. If he was not executed, then what? Are you hinting at assassination?"
I shook my head. "Not at all. The King challenged him to a personal duel."
She jumped as if I'd struck her, sloshing some of the rum over the white of the robe. The maid offered her a linen napkin. Maeve handed the drink to the woman and began to wipe at her hand, but not like she was paying attention to what she was doing.
"The King does not take personal challenges. He is too valuable to the court to risk on a duel."
I shrugged, watching my image imitate me in her glasses. "I just report the news, I don't explain it."
She put the napkin on the tray, but refused the return of her drink.