"The Eyes Of A God" - читать интересную книгу автора (Marco John)

'No one will see," Cassandra chuckled. "It's private here. That's why I wanted to come. At least I don't have my sisters looking under my bed."
'But the earl, Cassandra. This is his home."
'So? He doesn't care what I get up to just as long as I'm happy, the old dear." The princess smiled at her painting. It was very good considering her amateurish skill, and she was proud of the way she had captured his expression. Earnest, with just a touch of danger.
'You should be painting your new husband," Jancis chastised. She lowered her knitting angrily. "And just what will you do with it when it's done? Give it to Lukien?"
'Don't be silly."
'Me?"
'Yes, you. Stop fretting now, I'm trying to work."
Cassandra stole another glance across the water. Lukien had looked away again, which deflated her. She frowned. Another of his men came to join him, not Trager this time but the one called Benn. He sat down next to Lukien and the two began talking.
'He's not at all what I expected," said Cassandra finally.
Jancis rolled her eyes. "I can see you won't let me get any of my knitting done today."
'He is though, isn't he, Jan? Handsome, I mean?"
'Stop being wicked," said Jancis. She looked around for unwelcome ears. "You're engaged, Cass. Have you forgotten?"
Cassandra hadn't forgotten. In fact, she kept drawing comparisons between Lukien and her husband-to-be. Akeela was sweet and charming in his own nervous way. And he was a great man, at least that's what everyone was saying. She knew she was lucky to have him. But he was also bookish and overly polite, with none of Lukien's roughness. All her life Cassandra had been surrounded by people like Akeela. She realized suddenly how tired she was of men with breeding.
'It's nice to daydream," she said softly. She put down her brush, plainly staring now across the water. Benn and Lukien were laughing and sharing some cheese. A lute player was nearby, as were several of Linuk's friends. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the picnicЧexcept Cassandra. It wasn't the pain in her stomach that bothered her anymore. Since coming to Glain that had mostly subsided. Now it was a different ache that seized her, much less physical than the one that had kept her on the chamber pot.
'I want to go riding," she decided suddenly. "With Lukien."
'What?" Jancis put down her knitting and stood. "Cass, don't."
'Why not? It's my only opportunity. No one here will care."
'What about your father?"
'My father's twenty miles from here." Cassandra pulled the canvas over her painting, hiding it from prying eyes. "I want to talk to him."
Jancis huffed forward. "That's why you wanted to come here, isn't it?" she asked. "You just wanted a chance to be alone with him."
When Cassandra didn't answer, Jancis sighed.
'Please, Cassandra, don't be stupid. Just forget it, all right?"
'I don't want to forget it," said Cassandra. "I want to find out why he's been staring at me." She looked at her friend imploringly. "I want to find out about him."
Jancis shook her head in resignation. Cassandra gave her a smile.
'You're a dear. Look after the painting for me, will you?" she said, then started back across the bridge. Lukien noticed her at once. He stood up, as did the others, bowing his head in greeting.
'I want to go riding," Cassandra declared. She looked at Li-nuk's servants. "Fetch me two horses, please." Then she looked at Lukien. "You'll come with me."
The knight's face drained of color. "What?"
'You'll ride with me, keep me safe. You're my protector, aren't you?"
'Yes, butЧ
'Then protect me. My father wouldn't want me riding off without you."
Lukien swallowed hard. "All right, my lady," he managed. "I'll ask some others to come with us as well."
'No," said Cassandra, brushing past him. "I came to Glain to get away from the noise of the city, not to drag it along by the tail. You alone will be quite enough, Lukien."
As she passed, heading toward the house to change into her riding gear, she heard Lukien's astonished gasp. A small, satisfied smile crept onto her face.
warm breeze blew across the meadow, stirring her hair. Cassandra tucked the ebony strands behind her ear, then looked around with a satisfied nod.
'We'll stop here," she said.
Lukien shifted in his saddle. "Stop? I thought you wanted to go riding."
'I want to rest now," she said as she slid from her horse. She smiled as she surveyed the meadow, enchanted by the sunlight on the grass. There was a patch of buttercups nearby. Cassandra sat down next to it and folded her legs beneath her. She stuck her nose into the flowers, became frightened by a bee, then plucked one of the blooms. Seeing Lukien still mounted, she sighed, "Please come down. I won't hurt you."
Embarrassed, Lukien dropped from his horse and towered over her. "Earl Linuk will be worried about you. We should head back."
'We haven't been gone that long," said Cassandra. "And I have that old dear Linuk wrapped so tightly around my finger he can barely breathe. I could be gone for a week and weasel my way back into his graces in a minute. Now relax. You're making me nervous."
Lukien remained standing over her, unsure what to do. He felt awkward. He looked around for somethingЧanythingЧto occupy him. Cassandra noted his nervousness and chuckled.
'Sit, Lukien," she said. For the first time she gave him a genuine smile as she gestured to the grass beside her. "Here."
Lukien at last sat down. His eyes darted around the meadow, praying that no one could see him. Cassandra gazed across the plain, sighing happily. Her face glowed with sunlight and a look of deep satisfaction. It was easy to tell how much she enjoyed being away from Hes. Without her father or sisters shadowing her, she didn't seem like a child anymore. Lukien let his eyes linger on her a bit too long.
'You're staring at me," she said.
Lukien turned his head. "I'm sorry."
'You've been looking at me a lot, I've noticed," said the princess.
'Forgive me, my lady. I meant no offense." Lukien groped for o Lukien's surprise, Cassandra was an excellent rider. She hadn't needed his assistance to mount or guide her horse, and in fact she led the way through the rolling hills of Glain, hardly speaking or even turning to regard him. Her silence was a pretense, Lukien knew, and it bothered him. She had surprised him with her request to go riding, then had once again turned into her stony, familiar self. As she rode a few paces ahead, taking full notice of the meadow and none of him at all, Lukien watched her in fascination. He even felt a little nervous. Or was it guilt?
They were far from Linuk's house now, far from the other picnickers and servants, in a meadow of swaying grass surrounded by gentle slopes. Lukien could see no one for miles, just the birds and creatures that called the meadow home. They rode at an easy pace, Cassandra occasionally pausing to gaze at the open sky or steal a leaf from a tree. It had been nearly an hour since they'd left the others and her mood had quieted. She wasn't quite the insistent princess she had been earlier, but she wasn't a companion, either. It was as if she were riding alone, and Lukien kept a respectful distance, silently spying on her. A 'But you kill people. I have heard the stories. They say you are a berserker in battle. My Uncle Raxor once told me that you killed twelve men in the battle of Redthorn, even after he had called retreat." Cassandra looked at him squarely. "Is that so?"
'I'm a soldier, my lady. I do the bidding of my king. When there's war, I fight."
The girl's eyes narrowed on him. "But you love it, don't you? I can see it in you. You love to fight."
'It is what I am best at," Lukien replied. He studied the blade of grass in his hand, then noticed the flower in Cassandra's. The comparison made him laugh. He was like the grassЧutterly common. And Cassandra was certainly a flower. But he had tried to be more than just a blade of grass. He had tried to distinguish himself through battle. "I won't apologize for what I am, my lady," he said. "You are royal. You don't know what it means to be a commoner."