"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 01 - The Winds of Gath" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

someone wanted to kill me. That was a long time ago now. A long
time ago." She was repeating herself, she realized, another
attribute of age. Irritation made her cough.

"My Lady!" Seena swept toward her, hovering at her side.
"Can I get you something? A drink? Anything?"

"Relax, girl, and don't fuss." Gloria swallowed, easing her
throat. "You can't run away from unpleasant facts by forcing
yourself to be busy with trifles. It's time you grew up and faced
reality. Someone wanted you dead. Can you guess why?"

"No, My Lady."

"You can't even venture a guess?"

"Not that, My LadyтАФI don't believe that anyone would want to
assassinate me at all."

Then you're a fool!" Irritation made the old woman sharp.
'Take my word for it that they did. Now can you guess as to
why?"

"Yes, My Lady." Her eyes were very direct, "To eliminate me
from the possibility of succession."

"Good!" Gloria smiled her pleasure. "You're not as stupid as I
hope some people think. Now you can get me the pomander."

She sat back, relaxing in the chair as she sniffed the ball of
golden filigree stuffed with exotic spices. She had always loved
the scent of spice but the pomander held more than that.
Liberated by the warmth of her hand microscopic particles of
chemical magic rose from the ball to be absorbed by the mucous
membranes of nose and mouth. Beneath their influence her body
grew fractionally young again. Later she would pay for the
demands made on her metabolism. Now it was important that
she should not appear a senile old woman with a fogged and
aimless mind.

"Tell me," she said gently. "What made you think that you
could be considered as my heiress?"

"I don't think it," said the girl. "You asked me to give you a
reason why I should be killed. I gave you oneтАФ but I don't believe
that I was the target of the assassin."

"You were," snapped the old woman. "Later you shall see the
proof. Someone, somehow, guessed something they shouldn't
and took steps to eliminate what they must have considered to