"Kate Elliott - Jaran 2 - An Earthly Crown" - читать интересную книгу автора (Elliott Kate)

came closest to death, there was neither room nor opportunity to run. Did the
Company deliberately choose this play as their final performance?"
"What do you mean?" Gwyn and Anahita retreated into the wings, and the
audience broke off their applause and burst into a stream of talk and movement. A
few young men had rushed down to the stage, to try to bully or plead their way into
the back, to court Anahita and Quinn and OrianaтАФand herself, of courseтАФand a few
to court Hyacinth. In his box, Charles Soerensen was entertaining visitors, as if he had
the knack of turning any space into a sort of political Green Room. Conversation
flowed over and around Diana and Marco, broken into snippets and phrases and
abrupt scenes.
"тАФthere just aren't many actors who can make the change from the vids to the
theater successfully, though I'll admit you're right about Gwyn Jones. He was superb.
But take their Zenocrate. Just a little overdone all around. I suppose they took her on
for the publicityтАФ"
"тАФdid you see Charles Soerensen? No, there, you fool. You didn't know he'd be
at the performance tonight? It was all over the netтАФ"
"тАФand Rico was in a rare fury, too, when he discovered the two of them kissing
backstage. Imagine, he'd been boasting for the last year that he'd bed her, but nothing
came of it. And then it turns out that his sister has been sleeping with her all along."
Diana laughed, and then clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling it. Marco raised
one eyebrow and shifted his shoulder so that the two young menтАФdressed in the
gaudy gold-threaded robes that were the most recent fashion at the universitiesтАФ
could not see her past his body.
"It's all right," she murmured. "They won't recognize me without my stage
makeup."
"тАФand what do you suppose Soerensen is up to now, eh? He got the Chapalii
merchant house, and what a coup that was, too. Just like laughing in the faces of those
damned chameleons. And now he's going off to that primitive worldтАФwhat is it?
Rhui, yes, that's it. Something's going on, I tell you. A man like Soerensen has deep
plans. I'd wager my own children that we'll see some kind of action soon against the
Empire."
"Is it true?" asked Diana, watching Marco as he tracked this last speaker with his
gaze out the balcony exit.
"Is what true?"
"That Soerensen's sister is alive, and on Rhui."
His attention snapped back to her. "Where did you hear that?"
"Oh, we all know it. In the Company. Even after the Protocol Office made the
official announcement of her death, Soerensen never confirmed it or denied it. And he
never adopted a new heir. Isn't that his right, by Chapalii law? And anyway, why else
would Soerensen let us travel to Rhui? He took so much trouble to restrict the planet
from all outside contact to begin with. And why would he come along with us?
Really, you must give us some credit for intelligence."
"Infinite credit, fair one. It sits beside your infinite beauty."
"Can beauty be infinite?"
"Only in Keats. What else have you heard?"
 "About the sister? Nothing. About RhuiтАФwell, we're going to a city called Jeds,
first. Soerensen styles himself Prince there, so we'll be under his protection. Not that
any of the natives will know where we're really from. After some time there, then
there's a chance we'll be going out into the bush, into the really primitive areas. Owen
says that we might be traveling with nomads. Doesn't that sound romantic?"