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The Queen of Attolia looked across from her throne, which had been placed where she and the king could take a break from the dancing but still see and be seen by the courtiers, ambassadors and other dignitaries attending the winter festival. Surreptitiously easing her feet out of her shoes for a moment, Irene accepted a cool fruit drink from one of her attendants. Eugenides caught her gaze and returned her smile, even as he spun the wife of Baron Erondites in a lively Eddisian dance. As the dance finished, he bowed to his partner before being sweetly importuned by the wife of the Magyar ambassador, who had, it appeared, arranged for the musicians to play a national dance.
Erondites’ wife went to rejoin her husband, and the couple moved across to where drinks were being served. Attolia narrowed her eyes as she noticed the young woman touch a hand to her ear, then casually move her fingers so as to appear to be smoothing her hair. Irene looked at Gen, now pretending he didn’t already know the Magyar dance so that the ambassador’s wife had to instruct him. She sighed. She had noticed the earrings earlier; an unusual blue-grey crystal no doubt brought from some distant land by one of Erondites’ trading family. They had not seemed to be particularly ornate or valuable enough to tempt a thief.
Later she saw her husband and his former attendant arguing silently but furiously, the signs too fast for her to read, although their tenor was unmistakable. Fortunately the two were in a corner where not many people would notice them.
******
Much later that evening Irene, unusually, chose to join her husband in his bedroom rather than wait for him to come to her. She was still fully dressed.
“Gen! How could you!”
He gave her a look of hurt innocence which would avail him nothing.
“Of course you know what I mean! You stole those earrings!”
“I wanted to see if I could do it in the middle of the ball. I need to keep in practice, you know. They weren’t gemstones, and anyway Erondites can stand the loss.”
“Since when did you care about the value of what you steal? What’s got into you? You upset that girl. You embarrassed her in public, you know. I commented on the earrings earlier and I’m sure I wasn’t the only woman to do so. Did you think no-one would notice they were gone?”
“Not everyone has such sharp eyes as you.”
“And Pheris’ wife! You really can’t afford to offend all our friends, Gen.”
“Only one friend. And -” He hesitated. He could claim that Pheris wouldn’t be offended, that the feelings of the wife of a former attendant hardly mattered, but it wouldn’t be true, or even a convincing lie. “I thought they should be tribute to the sea god. They’re from the far north, way north of Brael. The stone’s called ice crystal.”
“You need to return them, Gen.”
“Too late,” said Gen, smug. “I already gave them to the god.”
“You went to the temple? At this time of night?” Irene was standing by the table where Gen worked or read when he wanted quiet. She took hold of a book without looking at it.
“Irene! Please, that’s Sophos’ poetry book! And I only went to the shrine near the market.”
Irene carefully put the book down. She selected another volume. “Shall I rip up this codex instead? I am so angry with you, Gen. This was just so unnecessary.”
“To have the sea god on our side? I would think Erondites’ family might actually appreciate that.”
“Then let Erondites make an offering!” Furious, Irene threw the codex at the wall behind her husband’s head. As a missile it was, unsurprisingly, unsatisfactory. She looked around for a more effective weapon, and Gen tried to catch her hand.
“Please, Irene!”
“Take another offering instead. Or no, I suppose you won’t do that. Here.” She removed her own earrings, carefully, calmly, and held them out. “Take these. You can give them to Pheris for his wife. With an apology, I would say, but since I know you too well I will write on your behalf.”
“Please don’t do that,” said Gen hastily. He took the earrings. “All right.” He looked at Irene and did not even attempt to ask her to stay. She left quietly, clearly still very angry.
*******
It was late into the winter night when Irene stirred. Automatically she reached for the knife by her bed, only to pause, recognising the slight noise of the hidden door.
“Don’t. It’s me,” said Gen, nonetheless approaching rather nervously. He was carrying a small dark lantern.
“All right,” said Irene, sitting up. “What’s happened?”
Gen put down the lantern and sat on the edge of the bed. “Nothing. Or nothing much. Some damage to my ego.”
Irene merely raised her eyebrows.
Gen pulled off his boots. “I took the earrings to Erondites. The house is near the palace.”
“I know that, Gen.”
“Of course. I thought I could bribe the guard on the roof and leave the earrings somewhere suitable.”
“The guard on the roof? Why not – No, of course you couldn’t just bribe the guard on the gate, or even call at the door like a normal person, because that would be too easy.”
“I told you, I need to keep my skills sharp. I went over the roofs. I’ve done it before; it’s easy enough, but Pheris keeps a guard up there on the roof walk. He recognised me and took my coin all right, and let me climb down onto the balcony.”
Unwillingly, Irene smiled. “They know you too well there.”
“But then he double-crossed me. There must be a signal of some kind to alert the house.”
Irene was laughing now. “Pheris was waiting for you with a sword?”
“Worse. His wife. Looked as if she knew how to handle it too.”
“Well, seafaring family. Anyway, it’s your own fault.”
“I did give her the earrings. Which by the way are far more valuable than the originals. I also know just the earrings to replace yours. Not being worn by someone,” he added hastily. “I saw them at one of the gold dealers’ shops near the temple.” Irene said nothing, and he couldn’t decide if she was still angry. “It’s cold out there, you know. And starting to rain.”
“All right. You’re forgiven, I suppose.”
Gen skinned rapidly out of his clothes, which didn’t appear to be particularly damp.
Irene leaned across to help with the straps which held his hook in place.
“Just watch where you’re putting your cold feet,” she said.