Free The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale Page A

break free.
    The voice swore close to his ear, the arms around him so tight they hurt. "Samuel, thank you, thank the Lord for you, God love you, boy, you're a bloody damned natural-born God-given hero—" The voice kept talking, kept muttering fiercely on and on, and finally Kai got away and floundered against Samuel's lap, and her father gathered them both up together, and when the canoe ran onto the beach he lifted them both out and still wouldn't let go.
    Lady Tess was waiting, standing in the water with the hem of her skirt trailing out, dragging in the slide of surf onto the beach. Her face was streaked with tears, her dark hair flying free of its pins. She jerked Kai up into her arms, knelt and buried her face against Samuel's wet shoulder and hair. The swash rolled away beneath them, draining sand from under his toes as it retreated. He stumbled a little to keep his feet.
    "Steady there, son." The firm hand still gripped his shoulder. Samuel looked up at Lord Gryphon's face. The sun blazed off the man's blond hair; he was tall and pleasant and exalted and he'd never called Samuel "son" before. He was grinning. Samuel felt his own face change, felt the shaky, uncertain smile. People crowded around, half-naked Hawaiians still dripping from the surf, respectable
haoles
, white-skinned and dressed up to their chins in dark clothes and hats, even Lady Tess' Oriental butler who had come with them in the carriage to serve Sunday picnic at Waikiki.
    Someone started a cheer. Lord Gryphon swept Samuel up as easily as Samuel had lifted Kai. A multitude of hands caught his arms and legs and tossed him high in rhythm.
Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray
!
    They tossed him three times, then pushed him upright and lifted him onto Lord Gryphon's shoulders, in spite of his wet bathing britches. Kai wriggled and screamed in Lady Tess' hold, wanting up, too, which sent Master Robert off into wails until Dojun the butler swung him up and started toward the coconut grove that overhung the beach.
    Half the crowd began to move in that direction; the other half stayed on the beach and cheered on the Hawaiians who took the canoe again to search out the shark. From somewhere word came that the Hawaiian king was resting in his house at Waikiki. By the time they reached the tall palms, girls waited with garlands of flowers and maile leaves. Lord Gryphon swung Samuel down. As everyone stood back and grew silent, the girls came forward and placed the garlands around Samuel's neck, enveloping him in sweet scents and cool leaves.
    "His Majesty honors your courage." The first girl kissed him on both cheeks, and as the second one began to do the same, he squirmed back, which made her and the crowd all laugh, and she grabbed his shoulders and kissed him anyway.
    He backed up and collided with Lord Gryphon, who leaned over and murmured, "Tell 'em something to say to His Majesty."
    Samuel wet his lips. He took a breath. "Please tell him—His Majesty—that it was—really, it wasn't anything. Please tell him—the flowers smell good."
    That seemed to make everyone laugh, too, but Lord Gryphon put his arm around Samuel and pulled him hard and close, so it was all right. It was wonderful. Samuel was shaking a little. He looked back out at the brilliant turquoise band of water inside the reef, and beyond that to the rolling lines of surf, where the great shark had slipped like a shadow back to the dark and blue depths of the sea.

----
Chapter Seven

     
    "
He's made off with the goods again!" Mrs. Dawkins
was pink with gusto, accosting Leda on the dark stairs with the latest news of the outlandish robberies that had begun the week before. "Third time in a sennight. Here's the paper, miss! Read all about it. A Japanee prince this time. Oh, he's a downy cracksman, this one is. Hoisted a sacred sword right out from under this Japanee's nose, with the peelers standing guard all over the place." She was almost squealing with glee over the discomfiture of the police.