"David Weber - Honor 09 - Ashes of Victory" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weber David)

shooing gesture of his right hand banished that possibility to well-deserved
limbo. "But there are still those on Grayson who feel more than a little . . .
uncomfortable with his reforms and see you as the emblem of them. I have no
doubt that some members of that faction would love to find a way to embarrass
you -- and him -- by seizing on any weapon, even one as specious as that sort
of pettifogging legalism. I'm sure Benjamin's advisers will see the problem as
soon as I did, but I thought it might be as well to point it out to you now so
you could be thinking about it."

"Oh, thank you, My Lord," Honor said, and both of them chuckled. It was a
brief moment, but it felt good. At least we can still act naturally around one
another. And who knows? If we act that way long enough, maybe it will actually
become natural again. That would be nice. I think.

She brushed the thought aside and leaned back, crossing her legs and ignoring
Nimitz's mock-indignant protest as her lap shifted under him.

"I trust you haven't had any more interesting thoughts, My Lord?" she said
politely to White Haven, and the earl smiled.

"No, I haven't," he assured her, then rather spoiled the reassurance by
adding, "On the other hand, you have been gone for over two T-years, Milady,
and everyone thought you were dead. There are bound to be quite a few
complications waiting for you to straighten out, don't you think?"

"Indeed I do." She sighed, and ran the fingers of her hand through her short-
cropped hair. She missed the longer, more luxuriant length she'd managed to
produce before her capture, but the Peeps had shaved it all away in the brig
of PNS Tepes, and the loss of her arm had made it impractical to grow it all
the way back out.

"I'm sure there are, as well, Milady." White Haven said, and shrugged as she
glanced at him again. "I have no real idea what they might be. Well, there are
one or two things I can think of, but I feel it would be more advisable to let
Protector Benjamin discuss them with you."

His face was admirably calm, but Honor felt a sudden prickle of suspicion. He
did know something, she thought, but whatever it was, he didn't expect it to
have serious or unpleasant repercussions. There wasn't enough worry in his
feelings for that. But there was a hefty dose of wicked amusement, a sense of
anticipation that fell short (barely) of gloating but was definitely of the
naughty little boy "I've got a seeeeecret!" sort.

She eyed him with scant favor, and he smiled beatifically. Like their shared
laughter of a few moments before, the amusement flickering in his depths was a
vast relief compared to the emotions he had no intention of ever expressing to
her, and she was glad. That did not, however, make her feel a bit better when
it came to worrying over just what sort of land mines could afford him so much
anticipatory delight.