By the time Maertyn and Maarlyna woke the next morning, snow was falling heavily enough that even the blue-gray stone of the canal walls was covered, not that such a covering would last, but with heavy snowfall and bitter cold, several days often passed before the snow fully cleared from the stone of the canal and station. After waking, Maertyn took his time, enjoying the moments spent with Maarlyna, both dressing and in eating breakfast.
As she finished sipping the hot cocoa she enjoyed so much, Maarlyna looked to her husband. "You?re worried about what is happening in Caelaarn, much more than usual. Can you tell me why?"
"All sorts of little things. Too many. Crop yields are down across the world. The re-settled are causing demonstrations. Food prices are up. Political maneuvering and accidental deaths among the well-connected in Caelaarn have increased…and I?ve told you about the attempts against me."
"They?re trying to blackmail you with me, aren?t they?"
"Why would they do that?" he asked. "You haven?t done anything."
"Except survive when I shouldn?t have." Maarlyna smiled sadly. "How did you manage it, dearest?"
"You know that. I arranged for the best doctors and regeneration specialists possible."
Maarlyna shook her head. "You did more than that. I know who and what I am, and I?ve read enough medical articles to know that there was only one way I could have survived." Her eyes brightened, not quite enough for tears to appear. "You risked everything, didn?t you?"
Maertyn wanted to deny that, but denying it wouldn?t have been true, and yet agreeing was almost as false. "That was never the question. What else could I have done? I hadn?t given you enough of me, especially after…"
"After I lost all chance of having children?"
Maertyn?s eyes were burning, but he shook his head. "I hadn?t fully understood how much you meant to me, and I hadn?t shown it. Then…merely telling you would have been but words, and there are times when words are anything but enough." He didn?t know what else he could say, except that he loved her, and those words would have seemed trite at the moment.
"Oh…Maertyn…"
The silence was broken by the whine of the wind as the south side door of the station opened. Svorak stepped into the main room, stamping his boots, and shaking snow off his jacket.
"Sir, Lady…canal-runner just came. Didn?t think they would with the snow, but it?s not so heavy to the east. Two envelopes, one for each of you."
Maertyn rose from his chair, walked toward Svorak, and took the letters. "I?m surprised as well. Thank you."
"You?re welcome, sir. Best I be checking the light. Might be a ship or two needing it in the storm." The light-keeper smiled, then touched the stone, and slipped back out into the snow.
Maertyn looked at one, then the other.
The first heavy envelope was addressed to Lord Maertyn S?Eidolon, in care of the station, and bore the extra delivery fees…and an address he did not recognize. The second he did recognize. "One for me, and one for you. Yours is from your cousin."
"Lycinna?"
"The very same."
"You open yours first," said Maarlyna with a smile.
Maertyn just enjoyed her expression.
"Go ahead," she prompted.
He walked back and handed her the one envelope, then broke the seal on the second, scanning the letterhead. He frowned as he finished the short missive. "It?s from Ashauer."
"Might I see it, dear?"
"Of course." Maertyn handed her the elegantly written missive and moved behind her chair, where he read it again, this time over her shoulder.
My dear Maertyn,
I learned from various sources that you took a rather circuitous route to return to yourdear wife and your duties, just to arrive a few hours early. But then you've always been good atsurprising people, yet leaving them discomfited and unharmed. Why should your journey backhave been any different?
You may not have heard the sad news about Hlaansk. The fuel cell in his official sedancaught fire and the electrical malfunctions locked the doors. Of course, all government vehicleshave now been inspected, but it is a pity that it wasn't done earlier. Minister Hedelin hadrecommended more preventive maintenance for the Unity vehicle fleet months ago, but theCouncil had rejected the funding as frivolous, given the higher priorities outlined by ProtectiveServices. There was some question over his successor, but after consulting with other concernedministers, the EA appointed your superior, Josef, as acting Minister of Science. As actingminister, of course, he will continue as Assistant Minister for Research…
I forgot to tell you that Jaelora also sends her best and trust you will not have to venturefar from the station with a cold northern winter coming in.
The elegant signature was that of Ashauer.
"Matters are getting much, much worse," Maarlyna observed.
"There?s no need to talk of those more at the moment." He smiled. "Read your letter."
Then he sat down and watched as she read, just enjoying watching her.
When she finished and looked up, he asked, "What did she have to say?"
She leaned forward and handed him the two sheets. "You can read it yourself?"
"Thank you." He smiled and took the letter, noting that Lycinna?s script was similar to Maarlyna?s, not so surprisingly, since they?d both had the same tutor as children.
Dearest Maarlyna,
I've been so remiss in my correspondence, but with Elyna's acceptance at Hytaan, andgetting her off, and Neulan's studies for admission to the University of Caelaarn's School ofMedicine, time has just slipped away. It's so hard to believe that you've been buried in the frigidnorth for almost two years and that the summer evenings when we sat up and talked most of thenight were so long ago. I don't feel that much older, but I must be. I suppose we all are, but attimes I do long for those carefree days.
All is well with us, although Daerix is having to spend more and more time at thefactorums, something about the change in baseline ambient temperatures requiring more careful adjustments and more training for the technicians…
I must confess that I've never seen so many Protective Services trainees as seem to havecome into Oxara in the past few months, although we only see them when we leave the estate,and only on weekends, at that. Daerix's workers have told him that at times their houses shakebecause of all the explosions out at the training center…
These days we don't get to Caelaarn often, and I suppose that is for the best because I'dwant to stop and see you, and you wouldn't be there. Is it as cold as everyone says up on thegreat canal? Please write and tell me all about it.
Maertyn handed the letter back to his wife. "She wants you to write back."
"She?s lonely," said Maarlyna. "She?s always had the children, and now they?re leaving. Daerix has his work, and the estate doesn?t require that much supervision." She paused. "I don?t care much for the idea that the Unity is training more and more Protective Service troopers."
"Agents…" Maertyn said dryly.
"Troopers." She shook her head. "Are you going to work today?"
"No. I?m spending the day with you. We could even play in the snow."
Her smile warmed him all the way through.