"David Weber - Worlds of Honor 4 - Service of the Sword" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weber David)

believe he would usurp her authority.
"As for the Navy," Beth continued, pretending not to notice how upset he was, "Intransigent's
captain will be requested to release you for certain social and diplomatic receptions once the ship
is within the Endicott System. Captain Boniece will be assured, however, that your 'second hat' is
not to be allowed to distract you from your duties as a Queen's officer. Any briefings the
diplomatic representatives feel you need in preparation for arrival at Masada are to be fit into
your spare time."
After three and a half T-years at the Academy, Michael had a fair idea of how little spare time
a midshipman had. He suppressed a groan.
"I live to serve my Queen," he said, keeping his tone light.
Beth reached over and patted his hand.
"Thanks, Michael. In a few years, the Star Kingdom is going to need all the friends we can
get. Who knows? Maybe with your help we can find a way to win over both Endicott and
Yeltsin."
"Right," Michael said, looking at the black queen standing all alone on her side of the board.
"Maybe we can."
***
Dinah, Ephraim's senior wife, was a few years younger than her husband. They had married
when she was fifteen and he seventeen. Their first son, Gideon, had already fathered an extensive
brood of his own, and some of his sons were reaching an age where they could help crew their
father's ship, even as Gideon had Ephraim's.
Now the senior wife stared at her rebellious junior, her anger evident.
"What do you think you are doing?" Dinah repeated.
Judith returned Dinah's gaze as levelly as she could, but meeting those steel gray eyes wasn't
easy. Judith had been ten when Ephraim had first brought her into his home. For the two years
before he had taken Judith as his youngest bride, Dinah had been a surrogate mother to the
orphaned girl. The senior wife had been strict, but not cruel, coaching Judith on matters of
etiquette, listening to her recitations, and standing between her and the resentment of Ephraim's
other wivesтАФall of whom knew perfectly well that he hadn't brought the Grayson girl home out
of high-mindedness.
When a few years later, Judith had suffered her miscarriages, Dinah had sided with the doctor
who had advised giving the girl a few more years to physically mature. She had held her ground
even in the face of cutting remarks from Ephraim, who accused Dinah of envying the younger
woman's youth and potential fecundity.
Now, hair as gray as those piercing eyes, her figure spread from the children, living and dead,
she had carried in the thirty-eight years of her marriage, Dinah stood as accusing judge of her co-
wife. What Judith didn't understand was why Dinah didn't immediately com for Ephraim or one
of her sons.
"I wanted to see what it was like," Judith answered lamely. "I saw Zachariah using it and it
looked like fun."
As Dinah set the headset in its rack, Judith could swear that the older woman looked at the
program list and understood what was written there. But that was impossible, wasn't it?
For the first time in the four years she had lived beneath Ephraim's roof, Judith doubted that
she understood how things worked.
"Come away, Judith," Dinah ordered, her fingers tapping the tabs for the shut-down sequence.
These were standard, the same as for every appliance in the house, so Judith shouldn't have
been surprised, but something stirred within her, an inkling of an emotion so alien that she had all
but forgotten what it felt like.
Hope.
Afraid to feed that strange emotion, Judith bent her head and dutifully trailed Dinah to the