in.
Eveshka turned to him and said, ‘ I don't know that anything is the matter. It's just— ’
‘ It's just that every time there's a difficulty with my daughter , I'm packed off to the god knows where. She's fifteen, 'Veshka, she'd never harm a hair of my head, and it's not as if she throws tantrums these days. If there's something going on I don't know about, tell me. ’
‘ I dreamed of an owl last night.''
Silly thing to say. But not so silly, if one remembered. ‘ It's that time of year, ’ he said. ‘ I think of him, too. That's not so— ’
She laid her fingers on her lips, made a little wave of her hand, and an ordinary man knew to stop there, with a wizard on the brink of thoughts she did not want to sleep with.
‘ Come to bed, ’ he urged her. ‘ There's no damned owl. If it were a swan you'd dreamed of, then I'd worry. ’
He won a laugh from her. ‘ God,'' she said. ‘ That dread ful creature. ’
‘ A narrow escape, ’ he said. ‘ It or me, I swear to you. Thank the god it flew. Ilyana could have attached herself to it. ’
‘ There could be worse places for hearts, all the same. ’
‘ The world's full of them. Every town's full of them. But she's in no danger of them riding in the woods, 'Veshka, and she's doing very well. Let her be a child this summer. Winter's time enough for lessons. Don't scold her. And don't make her stay in the house tomorrow.''
Eveshka's brows drew together. ‘ Don't scold her! Pyetr, I never scolded her.''
‘ You do ask a lot of her. ’
‘ With reason! ’
‘ She's a child, 'Veshka. She doesn't think of things in advance. Children don't. Even I remember that. She should enjoy herself, not be thinking of work all the time. Encourage her to go. ’
‘ A wizard-child can't grow up like a weed. She can't go through life doing whatever pleases her and only what pleases her. There's discipline, Pyetr. That's life and death to her and everyone in her reach. If she's feeling guilty about worrying me today, good! Let her have thoughts like that! ’
‘ The swan lived. ’
‘ Not thanks to her doing the first thing that jumps into her head. Ask Sasha how dangerous she can be. Ask him what became of his parents. ’
‘ Not fair, 'Veshka. ’
‘ You're never here when— ’
‘ Not by my choice!''
‘ I don't enjoy being always the one to tell her no, Pyetr. I know you can't do it—but what I don't like is you always being the one to give her the sweets after we've had a discussion. You're always the one with the presents, you're always the one who'll give her what she wants, and make me look like a— ’
‘ That's not true, 'Veshka!''
Eveshka walked away from him, arms folded, collecting her composure. He knew to wait in such instances, dammit, no matter his own temper was touched. He said, unable to hold it: ‘ I'm never here when she needs me, either. I didn't choose that. You never gave me a choice in it; and maybe it had to be, once, but there's no longer a reason for my sailing off down the river in crises, 'Veshka. She's outgrown any girl, wizard or not. ’
She looked at him and retorted, ‘ I wish— ’ And stopped herself, turned away with the back of her hand across her mouth. Restraining herself from what, he had no idea. Nor dared ask right now. And maybe not tomorrow. That was always the problem.
It was a very fine cottage they had built on the hill, snug in snowfalls and springtime melt, safe and solid and at least as straight as the bathhouse roof—none of them were carpenters.
But it could be a very lonely house, at night, Sasha thought, taking the candle to his desk to save lighting another— parsimony his aunt would have approved, but Pyetr would not. Why break your neck in the dark? Pyetr would chide him, Pyetr's approach to most things being both extravagant and eminently practical.
And for all he could figure, he had no idea now whether the advice he meant to give Pyetr was on the mark or not; or whether
Eveshka turned to him and said, ‘ I don't know that anything is the matter. It's just— ’
‘ It's just that every time there's a difficulty with my daughter , I'm packed off to the god knows where. She's fifteen, 'Veshka, she'd never harm a hair of my head, and it's not as if she throws tantrums these days. If there's something going on I don't know about, tell me. ’
‘ I dreamed of an owl last night.''
Silly thing to say. But not so silly, if one remembered. ‘ It's that time of year, ’ he said. ‘ I think of him, too. That's not so— ’
She laid her fingers on her lips, made a little wave of her hand, and an ordinary man knew to stop there, with a wizard on the brink of thoughts she did not want to sleep with.
‘ Come to bed, ’ he urged her. ‘ There's no damned owl. If it were a swan you'd dreamed of, then I'd worry. ’
He won a laugh from her. ‘ God,'' she said. ‘ That dread ful creature. ’
‘ A narrow escape, ’ he said. ‘ It or me, I swear to you. Thank the god it flew. Ilyana could have attached herself to it. ’
‘ There could be worse places for hearts, all the same. ’
‘ The world's full of them. Every town's full of them. But she's in no danger of them riding in the woods, 'Veshka, and she's doing very well. Let her be a child this summer. Winter's time enough for lessons. Don't scold her. And don't make her stay in the house tomorrow.''
Eveshka's brows drew together. ‘ Don't scold her! Pyetr, I never scolded her.''
‘ You do ask a lot of her. ’
‘ With reason! ’
‘ She's a child, 'Veshka. She doesn't think of things in advance. Children don't. Even I remember that. She should enjoy herself, not be thinking of work all the time. Encourage her to go. ’
‘ A wizard-child can't grow up like a weed. She can't go through life doing whatever pleases her and only what pleases her. There's discipline, Pyetr. That's life and death to her and everyone in her reach. If she's feeling guilty about worrying me today, good! Let her have thoughts like that! ’
‘ The swan lived. ’
‘ Not thanks to her doing the first thing that jumps into her head. Ask Sasha how dangerous she can be. Ask him what became of his parents. ’
‘ Not fair, 'Veshka. ’
‘ You're never here when— ’
‘ Not by my choice!''
‘ I don't enjoy being always the one to tell her no, Pyetr. I know you can't do it—but what I don't like is you always being the one to give her the sweets after we've had a discussion. You're always the one with the presents, you're always the one who'll give her what she wants, and make me look like a— ’
‘ That's not true, 'Veshka!''
Eveshka walked away from him, arms folded, collecting her composure. He knew to wait in such instances, dammit, no matter his own temper was touched. He said, unable to hold it: ‘ I'm never here when she needs me, either. I didn't choose that. You never gave me a choice in it; and maybe it had to be, once, but there's no longer a reason for my sailing off down the river in crises, 'Veshka. She's outgrown any girl, wizard or not. ’
She looked at him and retorted, ‘ I wish— ’ And stopped herself, turned away with the back of her hand across her mouth. Restraining herself from what, he had no idea. Nor dared ask right now. And maybe not tomorrow. That was always the problem.
It was a very fine cottage they had built on the hill, snug in snowfalls and springtime melt, safe and solid and at least as straight as the bathhouse roof—none of them were carpenters.
But it could be a very lonely house, at night, Sasha thought, taking the candle to his desk to save lighting another— parsimony his aunt would have approved, but Pyetr would not. Why break your neck in the dark? Pyetr would chide him, Pyetr's approach to most things being both extravagant and eminently practical.
And for all he could figure, he had no idea now whether the advice he meant to give Pyetr was on the mark or not; or whether