"Anthony Piers - Incarnations 3 - With a Tangled Skien" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

Nevertheless, they felt more comfortable with each
other now. Niobe fixed their meals from the stores in the
cabin, and when these were depleted, Cedric hiked into
town to buy more and haul them back in his knapsack.
He liked to hike; he was a very physical person, with the
burgeoning energy of youth. But they also played games
together, including a contest of riddles. She quickly dis-
covered that he had a remarkably agile mind and could
best her readily at this sort of thing. She fed him the riddle
that had stymied her family for years: it concerned six
men trying to cross a river using a boat for two, with
certain conditions. He solved it immediately, as if it
wasn't even a challenge. He also caught on to the nuances
of correct speaking so rapidly that he was soon perfect.
She could understand, now, why his family had a schol-
arly tradition.

Meanwhile, he showed her how to manage the physical
things, such as stacking wood for the winter so that it




14 With a Tangled Skein

wouldn't rot and emptying the base of the outhouse. But
she continued to sleep on the bed, and he on the hearth;

there was no physical romance between them.

In two weeks Niobe came to know Cedric very well
and continued to be impressed by his superior qualities.
He was a strong and smart youth, with an amiable dis-
position and good potentialЧbut he was a youth. He was
also her husband. Niobe knew she could not send him
away to college without consummating the marriage. But
how was she to go about it? She had no experience in this
aspect, and no great inclination. Still, it was evident that
Cedric was not going to initiate the matter; he treated her
with a respect bordering on worship. So it was up to her.
"Cedric," she said one pleasant afternoon.
He met her gaze, then looked away shyly. "Ah, Niobe,
and has it come to that now?" At times he seemed almost

to read her mind.

"When the honeymoon is over, my mother will ask me,

and your father will ask you. For the news."