Chapter#05
A footman was approaching with a single letter on a tray; it must be urgent, then Arianna saw it had van Sietter's seal on it. She frowned anxiously. Her father by marriage would not be writing to some mere younger child about urgent political business, but his rare letters to her were invariably a fore-runner to an even more bitter discord than normal between the members of the el Maien family.
There was a commotion at the door and little Lord Arkyll bounded into the room, still wearing his nightshirt. Lady el Jien's face flushed up with pleasure. The cooks all smiled, although unlike the footmen, they turned their eyes politely aside from the pink and white maternal beauty of the future sworn Lady. She held out her arms to Arkyll who leapt into her lap and snuggled into her soft big breast. His nursery-maid was coming after him scolding. Arianna laughed and only said: "Wills't change after breaking your fast, my cherub? Wills't go with Ria then to school?"
"Oh yes," Arkyll said. His nursery-maid looked sceptical.
Since he was with his mother, Arkyll took the opportunity to help himself to chocolate pastries instead of something more nourishing. Arianna turned to break the seal on her letter.
It began with some pompous preliminary lies about van Sietter's concern for her health before going on to instruct her that he would be visiting Castle Sietter with some guests. 'Why does he write to me, not to Clair?' Arianna thought in nervous irritation. 'Whom has he invited, why has he not given their names? Puh!'
"Is it from papa?" Arkyll demanded hopefully, seeing the frown on her face.
"No, my Angel," Arianna said absently, showing him the back of the letter. "Mays't read here, it is not papa's name, is it?"
Arkyll looked at the crabbed black writing and shrugged with a grin. He had started school but he was forever sneaking away to play close to his mother so he had not learnt his letters.
Arianna's angry blue eyes flicked on to read that her husband was being dragged back to her. van Sietter was of course only telling her this so he could protest how firmly he had told Clair he should spend more time with her, insinuating that Clair was reluctant to come. Arianna paid this no heed, she knew Clair was never reluctant to come home to Arkyll.
... I have also written to tell the Lady Anastelle I expect to see her when I arrive in one week, and I hope she has shown the courtesy to write you and let you know she will be coming which she has not shown me. I prithou write it to me with despatch what her answer has been ...
At this, Arianna's warm red mouth fell wide open. She stared at the cramped small letters penned on the paper. Her round blue eyes crumpled in an anxious frown and her lips moved to repeat the words to herself in disbelief. 'Whatever is he playing at?' she wondered.
She rose from the table. Taking Arkyll's little hand in her own, she said: "We must light a candle for Uncle Tashka, sweet heart." Arkyll came trotting willingly with her, much preferring to go down the corridors to the chapel to having to dress and go to school. She would let him light the candle himself, which was exciting. If he made sufficient fuss she would let him light candles for Uncle Tashka to each of the thirteen Angels, so that Uncle Tashka might have all the dark Angels to watch over him, and then one more for the hero Baya who threw down the pale Angel.
Uncle Tashka could wrestle like Baya and duel even better than Baya! better than anyone. Uncle Tashka was so great a military intelligence, and so handsome, that they had called he and his fellow Lieutenants the Angels when they served together under Arkyll's father in his troop. His father too was a famous blade and commanding officer, although when people told Arkyll about his heroic action in battle and his much admired adherence to the code of honour, it made his mother cross.
"Thy time for my allegiance!" shouted a husky warm voice outside the tent.
Commander-Lord Vadya el Gaiel van H'las stirred one arm in the soapy water of the tin bathtub and sat up, his broad shoulders and muscular chest with the keloid scars across his brown ribs, his narrow hips surging out of the wash lapping down over his genitals. His big cock and balls floated softly in the water, flaccid against the clearly delineated muscles of his strong thigh. He reached out towards his manservant Batren, who was standing by with the towels.
He had recognised the voice as that of one of his Captains, Tashka Maien, and he shouted casually: "Enter!"
The entrance flap was gripped in thin scarred fingers which flung it back and a head of dark hair close-cropped in severe military style leaned into the tent. A tall muscular body was coming after with one long leg poised to step inside.
Slanted blue eyes in the clear tanned face of a ridiculously pretty young officer looked straight into Vadya's brown eyes. Tashka's gaze moved down Vadya's muscular brown legs sprawling out of the tin bathtub in the middle of the red and black carpets, then up to his chest with the scars and black hairs on it, then down to his balls and cock floating in the bath water. The blush went suddenly hot and red up his tanned cheeks, his rose-petal mouth bunched in a stutter. Tashka turned shyly downwards the exquisite blue eyes that cast a heartbreaking Northern beauty into his face.
'What a schoolgirl!' Vadya thought with a grin. He threw a wet flannel, catching Tashka round the head. Tashka jumped and looked up through his lashes at his naked soapy Commander with an embarrassed smirk. He muttered something about Lieutenant-Lord el Darien and an extra guard on the woods side of the camp and disappeared in such a rush that he barely stamped out the ritual steps of the junior leaving the senior H'las officer.