"Sharon Green - Lady Blade, Lord Fighter" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Sharon)

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Chapter 1

The snow and ice had degenerated to slush that wasn't re-freezing even after dark, but Timper still
disliked riding through it over the cobbles of the city. Oncoming spring had much more pleasant signs in
the south, ones which didn't make the streets slippery and unsafe even for a sure-footed mount, and the
young courier wished he was back there. Despite the heavy woolen cloak over his clothing he was cold,
but the dratted cold wasn't bad enough to distract him from his problems, only bad enough to be an
additional burden. His problems remained just as clear in his mind as they had been.

A part of which was having to plod up and down the streets of the northern city of Fyerlin, trying to find
the one he was supposed to deliver his message to. The torches on the heavy stone buildings he passed
laughed at him for his initial naivete in believing that that would be the simplest part of his commission,
merely needing the time to reach the lady at her aunt's house. Since the skirmishing had already resumed,
having no patience to await a proper spring and summer due to the presence of so many Sword
Companies, where else would the daughter of a Duke be found but safely beside her aunt? The Countess
herself had a strong, competent House Guard, well-armed and able to repel attempted incursions during
that time of war and unrest, so where else would her niece be butтАФ

With one of those Sword Companies.

Timper sighed, overwhelmingly relieved that he would not need to be the one to tell that to the Duke.
After the death of the Duchess, the Duke had sent his eldest daughter to live

SHaron Green

with his sister-in-law, the Countess Illi of Fyerlin, intending to see his child raised with all the necessary
graces taught her, graces the ladies of his own house seemed unable to impart to her. The child had been
about eleven at the time, and the Countess was well known for her no-nonsense attitudes and iron
determination. The strong-willed child would be given no recourse save to obey her and learn the
womanly virtues. . . .

This time Timper shivered into his cloak, bewildered as to what might have gone wrong. The lady, now a
woman, was not to be found sitting demurely beside her aunt, a fact which Timper was prepared to swear
pleased the Countess! When he had politely requested an audience with the lady, he had been settled in a
chair, handed a glass of sherry, and then gently told that the lady wasn't there. If it was truly imperative
that he see her, her whereabouts might be gotten from the Company clerk of the Silver Gleaming, one of
the Sword Companies camped and billeted in and around Fyerlin. How she had gotten involved with one
of the Blades of a Sword Company no one seemed prepared to discuss, but Timper prayed he wasn't too
late. It was hardly likely that her virginity was still intact, not if she had been in the company of a Blade
for longer than five minutes, but that was the Duke's concern and the concern of the lady's future husband.
His was that he be spared the necessity of having to bring her home already marriedтАФor, worse yet,

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