Free By Heresies Distressed by David Weber Page B

condemning both of us to a necessary but loveless union. That like so many other princes and princesses, kings and queens, we would be forced to sacrifice our own hopes of happiness on the altar of duty to our crowns.
    â€œSharleyan changed that for me. She changed it by being someone I could love, and someone who could love me. By being as brave, as warm and loving, as she was intelligent. As compassionate as she was pragmatic. As gentle as she could be ruthless at need. I would have proposed this marriage no matter what her character might have been, and I would have wed her with all honor, even if there’d been no love at all between us, just as she would have wed me. But God was good to us. We had no need to make that choice, because we truly do love one another. I wish, more than I could ever possibly say, that she were here to tell you that herself. She can’t be. God, in His mercy, may have spared us from a cold, unfeeling marriage, yet our other duties, our other responsibilities, remain. And it would be impossible for Sharleyan, as I know I need not tell you, to leave those responsibilities unmet, those duties undone. You—and Baron Green Mountain—taught her that, just as my father taught me, and neither of us will be unworthy of our teachers.”
    â€œI know,” Alahnah half-whispered. “I
know
, Your Majesty, truly. And I see now that Sharley’s letters told me nothing but the simple truth when I feared she was trying desperately to offer me false comfort. Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I half-suspected—feared, at least—that the true reason she hadn’t accompanied you home to Cherayth was that it
was
a loveless marriage and you feared I might realize that when I finally saw the two of you together.”
    â€œYour Grace, I told you Sharleyan would never lie to you about something like that,” Green Mountain said softly, and she gave him a watery smile.
    â€œDear Mahrak!” She pulled her hand out of his to touch him lightly on one cheek. “Of course you did. I know that. Just as I fully realize that you would lie Shan-wei out of Hell if that was what it took to protect Sharleyan or me.”
    â€œYour Grace, I never—” he began, only to have her interrupt him with a soft gurgle of laughter.
    â€œOf course you would have! And don’t make it worse by trying to convince me otherwise.”
    He looked at her with an oddly hopeless expression, and she laughed again, then turned her attention back to Cayleb.
    â€œGet up, Your Majesty! It’s not fitting that you should be on your knees to me.”
    Her voice, Cayleb noticed, was much stronger than it had been, with a scolding note he had not previously heard from her. It was one he recognized, though. The last time he’d heard it—from someone besides Sharleyan herself, at least—it had been from his own mother, and he felt something warm within his heart.
    â€œYes, Your Grace. Immediately, Your Grace. To hear is to obey, Your Grace,” he said meekly, brown eyes twinkling with devilish delight, and she laughed again.
    â€œThat’s quite enough of that, too, Your Majesty,” she told him. “You aren’t going to turn
me
up sweet with a few words and an easy smile! That may have worked with my young and impressionable daughter, Sir, but it won’t work with me!”
    â€œYour Grace, I am shocked—
shocked
, I say—that you could possibly impute such base motives to me!”
    â€œOf course you are,” she said dryly, then pointed firmly with her free hand at the chair he had abandoned. He held her left hand a moment longer, still smiling at her, then rose and walked obediently around to seat himself once more in the indicated chair.
    â€œWith all due respect, Your Majesty,” she continued, “I hope you’ll forgive me if I inform you that you are a charming, utterly unprincipled young rascal. No doubt you’ve found that