Behira suddenly called out as she banged a spoonful of potatoes against her plate. She seemed outraged less for Joshu's sake than for Lord Tanu's new wife. 'And Sarai is only my age!'
'Here, now!' Lord Harsha said, laying his hand upon her arm. 'Mind the crockery, will you? Your mother made it herself out of good clay before you were born!'
Behira looked down at the disk of plain earthenware before her, and she fell into a silence, And I said to Joshu, 'Then if any man should appreciate Maram's feelings in this matter, it is you.'
'I do,' he agreed, nodding his head sadly to Maram. 'But Lord Harsha is right: how can any man's feelings count at a time such as this?'
Although I sensed his sympathy for Maram, there was steel in him too, and great stubbornness. I knew that, having lost one prospective bride, he would not easily surrender what Lord Harsha had rightly deemed as a good match.
For a while we busted ourselves eating the hearty food that Behira had prepared us* For dessert, she brought out a cherry pie and cheese, and made us chicory tea as well. But Maram wanted something stronger than this - stronger even than the black beer that he had been swilling all through dinner. And so he announced that he had to retrieve a gift from the barn; he nudged my knee beneath the table to indicate that I should follow him.
We stepped out into a warm spring night full of chirping crickets and twinkling stars. We lit the lantern that Lord Harsha had given us, then went into the barn, with its smells of cattle and chicken droppings. We rummaged around in the saddlebags that we had placed on the straw near our horses' stalls. And Maram said to me, 'This is not the homecoming I had imagined.'
I nodded my head at this, then asked him: 'But can you really blame Lord Harsha for wanting what is best for Behira?'
'I am best for her!' Maram half-bellowed. Then his voice softened as he said, 'I love her - this time, I'm really sure that I do.' I tried not to smile at this, and I said, 'But you have put off the wedding, again and again. Some might take this as a sign that you don't really want to marry her.'
'That doesn't mean I'm ready to let that little squire take her!' 'Sar Joshu,' I told him, 'is a full knight now, and a good man.' 'I don't care if he's a damn angel! He doesn't love Behira as I do, and she doesn't love him! Will you help with this, Val?'
I thought about this for a while then said, 'You're my best friend but what I won r do is to help you make Behira into an old maid.' 'But I will marry her, if I can, as soon as our business here is done - I swear I will!' ' Will you?'
He found his sword resting upon a bale of hay, and drew it out of its scabbard. He laid his hand on the flat of the blade and said, 'I swear by all that I honor that I will many Behira!'
I gripped his wrist and urged him to sheathe his sword. Then I pointed at the bottle of brandy that Maram had pulled out of his saddlebags and set on top of the hay, too. I took his hand and placed it on the bottle.
'Swear by all that you love ,' I told him, 'that you will marry her.' 'Ah, all right: then - I do, I do!'
'Swear by me, Maram,' I said, looking at him.
In the lantern's flickering light, Maram looked back at me, and finally said, 'Sometimes I think you ask too much of me, but I do swear by you.'
'All right then,' I said, clapping him on the shoulder. I retrieved the lantern from its hook on one of the barn's wooden supports. 'I will do what I can. It may be that there is something that Sar Joshu desires much more than marriage.'
We went back into the house, and Maram presented the brandy to Lord Harsha as a gift. He told him, 'It's the last of the finest vintage I've ever tasted, and I've been saving this bottle for you for at least a thousand miles.'
'Thank you,' Lord Harsha said, holding up the bottle to the room's candles. Then, with a wry smile, he asked, 'Will you help me drink it?'
After Behira had retrieved some cups from the adjacent great
'Here, now!' Lord Harsha said, laying his hand upon her arm. 'Mind the crockery, will you? Your mother made it herself out of good clay before you were born!'
Behira looked down at the disk of plain earthenware before her, and she fell into a silence, And I said to Joshu, 'Then if any man should appreciate Maram's feelings in this matter, it is you.'
'I do,' he agreed, nodding his head sadly to Maram. 'But Lord Harsha is right: how can any man's feelings count at a time such as this?'
Although I sensed his sympathy for Maram, there was steel in him too, and great stubbornness. I knew that, having lost one prospective bride, he would not easily surrender what Lord Harsha had rightly deemed as a good match.
For a while we busted ourselves eating the hearty food that Behira had prepared us* For dessert, she brought out a cherry pie and cheese, and made us chicory tea as well. But Maram wanted something stronger than this - stronger even than the black beer that he had been swilling all through dinner. And so he announced that he had to retrieve a gift from the barn; he nudged my knee beneath the table to indicate that I should follow him.
We stepped out into a warm spring night full of chirping crickets and twinkling stars. We lit the lantern that Lord Harsha had given us, then went into the barn, with its smells of cattle and chicken droppings. We rummaged around in the saddlebags that we had placed on the straw near our horses' stalls. And Maram said to me, 'This is not the homecoming I had imagined.'
I nodded my head at this, then asked him: 'But can you really blame Lord Harsha for wanting what is best for Behira?'
'I am best for her!' Maram half-bellowed. Then his voice softened as he said, 'I love her - this time, I'm really sure that I do.' I tried not to smile at this, and I said, 'But you have put off the wedding, again and again. Some might take this as a sign that you don't really want to marry her.'
'That doesn't mean I'm ready to let that little squire take her!' 'Sar Joshu,' I told him, 'is a full knight now, and a good man.' 'I don't care if he's a damn angel! He doesn't love Behira as I do, and she doesn't love him! Will you help with this, Val?'
I thought about this for a while then said, 'You're my best friend but what I won r do is to help you make Behira into an old maid.' 'But I will marry her, if I can, as soon as our business here is done - I swear I will!' ' Will you?'
He found his sword resting upon a bale of hay, and drew it out of its scabbard. He laid his hand on the flat of the blade and said, 'I swear by all that I honor that I will many Behira!'
I gripped his wrist and urged him to sheathe his sword. Then I pointed at the bottle of brandy that Maram had pulled out of his saddlebags and set on top of the hay, too. I took his hand and placed it on the bottle.
'Swear by all that you love ,' I told him, 'that you will marry her.' 'Ah, all right: then - I do, I do!'
'Swear by me, Maram,' I said, looking at him.
In the lantern's flickering light, Maram looked back at me, and finally said, 'Sometimes I think you ask too much of me, but I do swear by you.'
'All right then,' I said, clapping him on the shoulder. I retrieved the lantern from its hook on one of the barn's wooden supports. 'I will do what I can. It may be that there is something that Sar Joshu desires much more than marriage.'
We went back into the house, and Maram presented the brandy to Lord Harsha as a gift. He told him, 'It's the last of the finest vintage I've ever tasted, and I've been saving this bottle for you for at least a thousand miles.'
'Thank you,' Lord Harsha said, holding up the bottle to the room's candles. Then, with a wry smile, he asked, 'Will you help me drink it?'
After Behira had retrieved some cups from the adjacent great
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