"Robin Hobb - Assassin 1 - Assassin' s Apprentice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hobb Robin)

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"Regal, I had given it no thought. What do I know of children? I turned him
over to Burrich. He is Chivalry's man, and as such he's cared for ... ."
"I meant no disrespect to the blood, sir," Burrich said in honest confusion.
"I am Chivalry's man, and I saw to the boy as I thought best. I could make him
up a pallet in the guardroom, but he seems small to be in the company of such
men, with their comings and goings at all hours, their fights and drinking and
noise." The tone of his words made his own distaste for their company obvious.
"Bedded here, he has quiet, and the pup has taken to him. And with my Vixen to
watch over him at night, no one could do him harm without her teeth taking a
toll. My lords, I know little of children myself, and it seemed to me-"
"It's fine, Burrich, it's fine," Verity said quietly, cutting him off. "If it
had to be thought about, I should have done the thinking. I left it to you, and
I don't find fault with it. It's better than a lot of children have in this
village, Eda knows. For here, for now, it's fine."
"It will have to be different when he comes back to Buckkeep." Regal did not
sound pleased.
"Then our father wishes him to return with us to Buckkeep?" The question came
from Verity.
"Our father does. My mother does not."
"Oh." Verity's tone indicated he had no interest in further discussing that.
But Regal frowned and continued.
"My mother the Queen is not at all pleased about any of this. She has
counseled the King long, but in vain. Mother and I were for putting the boy ...
aside. It is only good sense. We scarcely need more confusion in the line of
succession."
"I see no confusion in it now, Regal." Verity spoke evenly. "Chivalry, me,
and then you. Then our cousin August. This bastard would be a far fifth."
"I am well aware that you precede me; you need not flaunt it at me at every
opportunity," Regal said coldly. He glared down at me. "I still think it would
be better not to have him about. What if Chivalry never does get a legal heir on
Patience? What if he chooses to recognize this ... boy? It could be very
divisive to the nobles. Why should we tempt trouble? So say my mother and I. But
our father the King is not a hasty man, as well we know. Shrewd is as Shrewd
does, as the common folk say. He forbade any settling of the matter. `Regal,' he
said, in that way he has. `Don't do what you can't undo, until you've considered
what you can't do once you've done it.' Then he laughed." Regal himself gave a
short, bitter laugh. "I weary so of his humor."
"Oh," said Verity again, and I lay still and wondered if he were trying to
sort out the King's words, or refraining from replying to his brother's
complaint.
"You discern his real reasons, of course," Regal informed him.
"Which is?"
"He still favors Chivalry." Regal sounded disgusted. "Despite everything.
Despite his foolish marriage and his eccentric wife. Despite this mess. And now