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"Or another family member," Yamina admitted.
"Has Zeal told you?" I asked.
Maela just shook her head. "I haven't even thought to pray. I've been..." She looked down at her son. "What do I tell him about his father, Nari?"
"That he tried," I told her, easing myself to my feet. "And it sounds like the house has a week filled with people to worry about, and I'm sure the staff are waiting for some direction." I was trying to remember everything I'd learned in my manners classes back in primary. "I may not be the lady of the house, but I think I can give them a direction. You two also deserve time to remember."
"Thank you," Yamina breathed, catching my hand in a hard squeeze. "And don't listen to Mom. None of us blame you. Mom just needs a way to vent because mothers aren't supposed to outlive their children, and she found him."
"It's ok," I promised. "I can take it."
Then I bent to kiss Haryth's cheek, clasped Maela's arm, and headed for the hall again. Anver fell in at my side. His head turned as he examined the countless unused rooms, but he didn't say a thing. He just followed, clearly taking his duty as my guardian seriously. But I was headed to the kitchen.
I also didn't make it. Halfway there, I found Branstan with his arm braced against the wall and his shoulders shaking. I knew he wasn't laughing, not tonight, so I reached up to gently rub his back. The man tensed.
"I'm sorry, Priestess," he muttered as he quickly wiped at his eyes. "How can I help you?"
"You're allowed to grieve too," I reminded him.
He just shook his head. "The family needs us. Lady Ranndor is barely holding on. The other Lady Ranndor hasn't realized what's happened yet. Miss Ranndor is the strong one, but she read the note, and..." He pulled in a breath and his eyes started leaking again. "I told Tarben not to do this to his boys, but he didn't listen to the staff. I snuck his boys into his room - well, men, but we were so young back then. And he said it was a phase. Said he needed to get it out of his system before he was married. When Tath blushed over some boy, Tarben made it clear that he was sick for thinking that way. Beat that kid until he couldn't stand, and now look at him!"
"It's not Tath's fault," I promised, pulling the stoic valet against me in a hug. Bran's face immediately pressed into my shoulder. "They didn't know."
"But he did!" Bran sobbed. "Tarben knew. He never stopped loving men. He may have stopped touching them, but I was his valet. I saw. I noticed when he talked about his friends too much or told me too many details about a man he saw at a party. He never once stopped, and he never slowed down long enough to realize that all his kids got it too. That's the price of this house, Nari. It's what Zeal charges them, and they don't know how to deal with it!"
"They're learning," I assured him.
Which made the man push out a quavering breath. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," I promised. "And we'll make sure they figure it out. I just need you to make sure they'll talk to us, ok? Any one of us. Even Talin."
Which made Bran lean back. "Is he ok with this curse they have?"
"It's not a curse," Anver assured him. "It's an opportunity, and that's how they need to see it. Just make sure those men know they're not alone, ok?"
"Thank you, priest," Bran said, scrubbing his face with both hands. "I never should've said anything. It's the family's business, so please don't think less of me."
"It's Anver," he told Bran. "I'm a priest, and that means it's my job to listen - and not repeat. Your secrets are safe with us."
"Now," I said, "how do we help the family? What do they need for the next five days, at least?"
"Well, Priest Ela is getting the kitchen organized, and the big one, Priest Wraythe? He's making sure the maids know how to give the family privacy. Um, we're going to have the whole family, though."
"Which means you'll need rooms," I told him. "And I think I'll be taking Talin back to the temple tonight. So let's make a plan, ok? And for the rest of this week, you're going to have to make sure the staff stays focused."
"I can do it, priestess," he promised.
I just cupped the side of his face. "It's still Nari, Bran."
"It will never be just Nari," he assured me. "Priestess is a sign of my respect, and any woman who can tame Talin deserves all of it."
"But I didn't tame him," I explained. "I'm turning him loose."
He just smiled, and this time, it was a look of actual happiness. "Then you deserve even more, priestess."
Chapter 72
Talin
