Soft-hearted, true, Zared thought, but awfully clever. "Liana, please. Please allow me to go. I have never been anywhere in my life but here. I should like to meet some people who are not my relatives or hired by my family."
Liana's face showed her agony of indecision. "It's so dangerous for you. The Howards—"
"Bah!" Zared said, standing up. "The Howards! Those spineless cowards! They aren't worth considering."
"What do you know of the Howards to call them cowards? What happened when you rode away on Severn's horse? There was blood on your hose but no cut on your leg."
"Must have been the horse's from when it fell," Zared said quickly.
"I'm not sure I'm hearing all of the truth."
"What else could there be? Do you think I was captured by the Howards?" Zared gave a little laugh. "They captured me, but out of the goodness of their hearts they released me. Very amusing idea."
"I've seen you use a knife," Liana said softly. "Perhaps you could have escaped were you captured."
Zared walked across the room, grabbed a chunk of bread, and filled her mouth. "This is delicious bread. When I'm married I hope I can be half the housewife you are. That is, if I can find a husband, or, rather, if Severn can find one for me. I'm sure he will pick a good husband for me."
"All right, keep your secrets," Liana said. She'd lived with the Peregrines long enough to know that they revealed nothing about themselves unless they had to. She sighed in resignation. "Severn will no doubt choose a man who is best able to help fight the Howards, some man with years of war experience." She looked at Zared. "You need less war and more love."
"Love?" Zared said with a snort. "I have my brothers, I have God, I need no more love."
Liana looked up at her pretty young sister-in-law. She was sure Zared would someday love a man. if she knew nothing else about the Peregrines, she knew they were people of passion: They hated with passion, fought with passion, loved with passion. Zared seemed to think it didn't matter who she married, but were she bound to a man she couldn't respect, or worse, one she held in contempt, she would hate him until, if the man had any sense, he would fear for his life.
Liana also knew that all she had to do was tell Rogan that Zared should not go to the tournament and Zared would not be allowed to go, but something held Liana back. Zared would be safer at home, true, but what if Zared's passion should turn to hate: more hate for the Howards, who prevented her from leaving her home-prison, and possibly hate for Liana as well.
"You will stay near Severn?" Liana asked softly, wondering if she'd ever see Zared alive again.
"Yes, oh, yes," Zared said, her face filled with joy.
"How I wish I could go with you! I'd order some gowns for you, greens and blues. You could be quite pretty if your hair weren't always in a snarl. Oh, Zared, a tournament is so lovely. You give your favor to a man, and he—"
"I'd rather fight," Zared said. "I'd rather mount a horse, hold a lance, and knock a man off his horse. I would not like to sit and watch."
"No, I guess you wouldn't." Liana put her hands on her big belly. She was too soon due with her second child to be able to leave. Perhaps it was better if she didn't see her husband's young sister acting as a squire, mucking out stables, currying horses, running between combatants to deliver fresh lances.
Liana stood. "I do not feel it is the best thing to do, but perhaps you will be safe enough. Perhaps Severn is right and Oliver Howard will not dare attack while the king is there. I will tell Severn he has his squire." She started for the door.
"Liana," Zared said. "When you met Oliver Howard, what was he like? Is he a very great fighter?"
Liana smiled. "Not at all. He's much older than your brothers and gone to fat. But then he does not have to fight, for he's very rich and can hire as many men as he needs."
"And what of his brother?"
"Brother? I heard nothing of a brother. I'm afraid I don't know the Howards as well as your family does. Zared, what do you know of a brother?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. It's just that…" She looked at Liana. "I have not seen much of the world and know only of my brothers. They are such fine men." She smiled proudly. "They are strong and handsome. No one could beat them on a battlefield. Are they such unusual men? Or are there many men like them?"
Liana took a while to answer
. "I don't believe there are any other men like your brothers, but Zared, there is more to a man than a strong right arm. You do not choose a husband by physical strength alone. There are other qualities such as kindness and unselfishness and whether he will love you and your children or not."
"And protect his family from enemies."
"Yes, that's important too, but…" She didn't know how to explain to this girl that there was another way of life besides what she'd known. All her life Zared had lived in a private war with another family. She'd been raised as a boy to protect her. She knew nothing of sitting in the sunshine with a handsome young man while he played a lute and sang to her. She'd never had a man kiss her hand and tell her how lovely the sunlight in her hair was. Zared had never giggled with the maids or flirted with a boy, or done any of the things other girls did. Zared knew swords and horses and could sing all the vulgar songs with the men. But she didn't know satin from brocade or ermine from sable. Worst of all, she knew no men except her brothers.
"You'll find no husband like your brothers," Liana said softly.
"Then I shall never marry," she said with all the confidence of youth. "I shall remain a virgin until my death."