Mienthe lifted her chin. “I can’t possibly abandon Tiefenauer. I’m staying.”
Geroen glared at her even more furiously. “Out of the question!”
“I won’t—I’ll—” began Mienthe.
“Anyway, Her Majesty’s ordered you to make ready, so if she says you’re going, you’re going,” Geroen said with clear satisfaction. “Better tell your maids. I’ll tell them in the stables to get horses ready for you and your women.”
Tan tapped his cane gently against the floor, waited a beat to collect both Geroen’s and Mienthe’s attention, and said gently, “Captain Geroen, you are captain of the Tiefenauer guard and therefore Lady Mienthe’s servant. You are not her lord cousin, to bid her come and go.”
Geroen flushed. He opened his mouth, but shut it again without speaking.
Mienthe, having recovered something of her ordinary poise, said firmly, “My maids may certainly go north, Captain, but Queen Niethe will assuredly reconsider her command to me.” She was furious. Her eyes snapped with anger and determination. “I’m quite certain that Her Majesty will not be comfortable commanding the Lady of the Delta. I will not abandon the Delta or Tiefenauer or this house, Geroen; not for your urging or the queen’s command. I’m certain my cousin would agree.”
Geroen glared wordlessly at the young woman, then gave Tan a grim look. “Well, you, I guess, won’t give me such trouble, so you think which way you want to ride out,” he snapped, and strode out before either of them could argue.
Tan shook his head, trying not to laugh. “That’s an uncommonly determined man, is my opinion. I’ve no astonishment he was slow of promotion and tended to be assigned hard duty—night captain of the prison guard, indeed! He’s hardly a courtier, is he?”
Mienthe gave Tan a long look. Then she did laugh. “You like him, don’t you? I’d think you’d prefer men who were, what, subtle and obscure and quoting poetry…”
Tan smiled back at her. “Ah, well… I like a man who knows his mind and his duty, and it’s novel to meet one who doesn’t give a thought to arranging his words prettily. One can understand his frustration.”
The young woman shook her head and insisted, “Yes, but, Bertaud would perfectly well understand that I can’t leave.” But her tone was uncertain.
Tan wondered who had taught her to doubt herself. It seemed to him she needn’t. Not at all to his astonishment, later in the stableyard, while everyone sorted out horses and baggage by the light of torches and lanterns, Mienthe continued her steady refusal of all invitations and exhortations and, eventually, commands to the contrary.
Queen Niethe thought Mienthe’s stubbornness was perfectly exasperating and terribly dangerous and possibly illegal, but, as Mienthe was not shy of pointing out, Tiefenauer was not merely another Feierabianden town. Neither the queen nor the captain of her guard nor even Geroen quite dared put Mienthe on a horse by force, especially after she said flatly that they’d have to tie her hands to the pommel to make her stay in the saddle.
Tan was not actually surprised that the young woman could hold with such firm purpose to her refusal, though he saw that everyone else was, possibly excepting Captain Geroen. He gazed after the queen’s retreating party with an obscure feeling of satisfaction, though when he caught Mienthe’s gaze he shook his head in mock dismay. “So sad!” he exclaimed. “There they all go, and us left behind bereft.”
Mienthe gave him a distracted glance—then looked again, more carefully. “Should you be standing on that leg?”
Perceptive girl. Tan had thought his grip on his cane was subtle. Evidently not. Rather than pretend he hadn’t been leaning heavily on the cane, he smiled and said, “This leg does insist on joining me, even in locations bereft of chairs. The esteemed Iriene is not here to scold me, fortunately. I’m sure I’ll soon be seated. On a horse, unfortunately, but we all have one or another burden to bear.”
Mienthe stared at him, and then laughed—a little grudgingly, but she laughed.
“Ah, look,” Tan said, tipping his head to indicate she should turn, “here are some of those earnest young men of Geroen’s—Tenned, my friend, and how does this fine night find you?”
The young guardsman in question, in company with another of the same kind, ran an exasperated hand through his hair and then glared at Tan, perhaps mimicking Captain Geroen. “I’d thank you twice over, esteemed sir, to get into the house and out of our way.” He looked at Mienthe and added in a far more conciliatory tone, “And you, my lady, if you would be so kind.”