“It happens,” he said. “More often in the Vale, I think, and almost always with the girls, but there are number of wards who simply marry into the households where they have been raised. You’ve been here most of your life, after all, and why not?”
Marry. “Are you saying that…?”
The smile on his face was horrifying. “Can you imagine just squeezing out all of my heirs, one after the other?”
She ran out of the room.
“Is that a no?” his voice echoed after her. He was still laughing.
She ran directly to Dathor, but Dathor was working. He was polishing saddles, and he was not alone. The driver was with him. The driver looked up when she came into the stables, but Dathor did not.
“I have need of Dathor,” she said in her most important voice.
“No, you haven’t,” said Dathor, still not looking up. “I am not here at your beck and call. I do not serve you. You do not command me.”
Oh, fine time for him to get in one of his snits about all of this. He accused her so often of acting as if she was his mistress and he was her servant, claiming she took him for granted.
They were kissing a lot at that point, but he kept his clothes on after the incident with Celedin. She still came to him, and they talked and made plans of what they would do when they both went to the city in the Vale. But she could sense that he seemed to hold against her that she was an elf, a fair elf besides, a fair elf with a wealthy father. All of thathe held against her, as if it were a personal insult against him that she chose. She could not change it. She did not like it. Whatever he wanted from her to make things equal between them, it was beyond her power.
“It is not me who asks, but your uncle,” she said.
Dathor set down his polishing rag. “I don’t believe you.”
“You’d best go and make sure,” said the driver, glancing at him. He eyed her. “But if I find you’re using the master to get him out of work while the two of you go sneaking around, I’ll have to tell him.”
She was horrified.
When they were out of the stables, she whispered, “Have you told the driver about us?”
“No, but he has eyes,” said Dathor. “You spend too much time around me, watching me with those expressions on your face. And I can pretend to be as indifferent to you as I will, he knows it’s an act. He knows I’d never turn down the opportunity to put my hands on you.”
She walked faster. “Let us go over the hill into the wood. I have things to tell you.”
“So, you did just make it up? Are you mad?”
“Please, Dathor,” she said. “Everything is ruined!”
He must have heard something in her voice, because he didn’t protest, only followed her through a small worn footpath until they had crested the hill and were out of sight of the keep. Well, the tower was visible, but they would not be noticed unless someone was up on the turret, and no one was.
She explained everything as quickly as she possibly could, looking up at him, resting her palms against his firm, broad chest.
“Nothing? Your family has nothing?” He was stunned. “You never indicated this was a possibility.”
“I suppose there were signs. I didn’t want to see them. It was so important to me to think I could leave this place behind. And I thought I could help you.”
“We could hop the train,” he said.
“Hop it?” she said.
“When they get going, you know they’re slow. You can run alongside and pull yourself up. You can hide away in one of the box cars with the luggage or the food stores. If they find you, they’re not pleased, but they mostly just throw you off, and then you hop another.”
Her lips parted. “Oh, you really think we could manage that.”
“Have you told anyone?”
She winced. “Celedin saw. He took my letter. He said something awful.”
“What did he say?”
