"Jordan, Robert - Wheel of Time 09 - Winter's Heart" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jordan Robert)

first time. Her face went crimson as Dyelin eyed her
curiously.
They had put it about that Birgitte was from Kandor, where
country women wore something like her clothes, yet Dyelin
clearly suspected the lie. And every time Birgitte let her
tongue slip, she came closer to letting her secret slip, too.
Elayne shot her a look that promised a talking-to, later.
She would not have thought BirgitteТs cheeks could get any
redder. Mortification drowned everything else in the bond,
flooding through until Elayne felt her own face coloring.
Quickly she put on a stern expression, hoping her crimson
cheeks would pass for something other than an intense desire
to squirm in her seat with BirgitteТs humiliation. That
mirroring effect could be more than merely inconvenient!
Dyelin wasted only a moment on Birgitte. Tucking her
handkerchief back in its place, she carefully set her cup back
on the tray then planted her hands on her hips. Her face was
a thunderhead, now. УThe Guards have always been the core of
AndorТs army, Elayne, but thisЕ.LightТs mercy, this is
madness! You could turn every hand against you from the River
Erinin to the Mountains of Mist!Ф
Elayne focused on calm. If she was wrong, Andor would
become another Cairhien, another blood-soaked land filled with
chaos. And she would die, of course, a price not high enough
to meet the cost. Not trying was unthinkable, and in any case
would have the same result for Andor as failure. Cool,
Composed, steely calm. A queen could not show herself afraid,
even when she was. Especially when she was. Her mother had
always said to explain decisions as seldom as possible; the
more often you explained, the more explanations were
necessary, until they were all you had time for. Gareth Bryne
said to explain if you could; your people did better if they
knew the why as well as the what. Today, she would follow
Gareth Bryne. A good many victories had been won following
him.
УI have three declared challengers.Ф And maybe one not
declared. She made herself meet DyelinТs gaze. Not angrily;
just eyes meeting eyes. Or maybe Dyelin did take it for
anger, with her jaw tight and her face flushed. If so, so be
it. УBy herself, Arymilla is negligible, but Nasin has joined
House Caeren To her, and whether or not heТs sane, his support
means she must be considered. Naean and Elenia are
imprisoned; their armsmen are not. NaeanТs people may dither
and argue until they find a leader, but Jarid is High Seat of
Sarand, and he will take chances to feed his wifeТs ambition.
House Baryn and House Anshar flirt with both; the best I can
hope for is that one goes with Sarand and one with Arawn.
Nineteen Houses in Andor are strong enough that smaller Houses
will follow where they lead. Six are arrayed against me, and
I have two.Ф Six so far, and the Light send she had two! She