"And I will teach you all I can, child," he replied, becoming as unReadable as Aradia, poised for attack.
Lenardo felt hollow. The new^s that was supposed to have united them all instead had brother faced off against sister, daughter against father.
"Wulfston," said Lenardo, fully open to Reading so that Julia would know he spoke the truth, "of course I will teach you, or try to. What I said was not an excuse to refuse but an attempt to explain why I have been unable to learn Adept abilities. But you are free to teach Julia all she can learn. Aradia will teach her, too. We are sworn allies, not enemies."
Wulfston looked to Aradia. "Sister, does Lenardo speak for you?"
"In this matter, yes. But he speaks truly. He has not mastered even the simplest Adept functions, and he has sincerely tried."
"But we will try further," Lenardo said encouragingly. His soothing was not entirely successful; although his guests maintained courtesy, they continued on guard, and Julia felt betrayed.
He tried to make up to the child that day by allowing her to touch, admitting, "You were right, Julia. There's no harm in touching."
But as he tucked her into bed that night, Julia hugged him for a moment and then said, "You've prepared a room for Lord Wulfston."
"Yes. Josa's father brought her furniture as a wedding present, remember? Arkus and Josa have lent me enough to furnish a room for our guest."
"But no room for Aradia, and her pavilion's gone. Father, can't you see what she's doing? My mother used men that way-"
"Hush! This is not at all the same thing, Julia. You mustn't be jealous. Just because I love Aradia, that doesn't mean I love you any less. I'm your father now, and I always will be. Soon Aradia will be your mother. You must learn to love her, Julia."
"She doesn't want to be my mother," the girl said sullenly.
"Of course she does. Now you go to sleep, and tomorrow you and Aradia spend some time together, get to know each other."
There were tears in Julia's eyes. "She's chained your mind and stolen your powers. You don't believe me now, but you'll find out."
Julia was not Reading. Lenardo knew that she feared Aradia might be eavesdropping, and let it go. He could understand the child's jealousy and uncertainty. He would have to prove to her that she could still rely on him. But Aradia's task would be even more difficult.
Neither Julia nor Aradia had yet been trained not to Read in her sleep, and Lenardo slept restlessly, worried that there might be a clash of nightmares. If there was, he didn't know of it, and in the morning he had the bright idea of setting the two women in his life to teaching each other. That way they would be forced to get to know each other. If Julia spent time Reading with Aradia, she would have to see that there was no ill will in her.
Lenardo took Wulfston with him on his morning's work, trying to explain how to Read. But there were no words for how it was done, and Wulfston protested that he was doing no more than describing what he Read. Nor was Wulfston any more successful than Aradia in teaching Lenardo Adept talent. After an hour's frustration, they gave up and turned to using their individual talents in mutual cooperation.
Their friendship seemed to be back to normal by the time they returned to Lenardo's house at midday, only to find Julia and Aradia in separate rooms.
"She hates me," Julia informed Lenardo when he entered her room. She was sitting on the window ledge, poised as if to jump out into the courtyard.
"Of course Aradia does not hate you," Lenardo said firmly. "It's difficult for a grown woman to take lessons from a child. You must be grown-up enough to understand that."
She swung around and let her legs dangle inside the room. "She's an awful Reader. She can't hardly Read anybody but you or me, and she didn't want to start the lesson off with the Code of Honor. Why did you ever teach her to Read, Father?"
"I didn't teach her, any more than I taught you. She has developed the ability, and now we must teach her to use it."
"She doesn't trust me. I don't think she was really trying to teach me Adept tricks, neither."
"Julia," he said, talcing her hands and pulling her off the window ledge, "I don't think she can teach you. Do you?"
"Yes. I think if she'd once learn to Read real good, she could show you and me both how she does it.''
"Well, perhaps," he said, but he didn't believe it.
One reason Aradia's Reading powers were limited was that she had refused after two days of purifying diet to continue the Readers' dietary restrictions. The problem came up again at the midday meal as Aradia and Wulfston helped themselves to huge servings of meat.
"Aradia," said Lenardo, "can you not at least wait until the evening meal to clog your system?"
"No, I can't, not if I am going to maintain my strength. Wulfston, you should have seen me when I tried Lenardo's diet. By the end of the second day, I couldn't lift a pebble."
"You are exaggerating," said Lenardo.
Wulfston paused with a piece of meat halfway to his mouth. He put it back on his plate and said, "I had forgotten. Let me try your Readers' diet, Lenardo. And you should try ours. It did not harm your Reading powers when we fed you a strengthening diet at Castle Nerius."
"It didn't make me an Adept, either," he pointed out. "Wulfston, you are willing to compromise. I wish you would persuade Aradia. She has both powers but resists my attempts to find a nutritional balance that would allow her to use both efficiently."
"I wonder if that is possible," Wulfston mused, but he left his meat and ate only what Lenardo did.
Wulfston's willingness to cooperate had no effect on Aradia. "I need my strength," she insisted, and beneath her words Lenardo sensed some gleeful hope she was holding secret. Had she found some further extension of her powers?
In the afternoon, they changed partners, with Wulfston and Julia attempting to teach each other while Lenardo and Aradia had their regular lesson. But Aradia was closed to Reading.
"Can't Julia Read us?"
"If we are Reading, yes, except that she is busy doing something else. And she has passed the beginning exercises that you are doing, Aradia. They won't interest her."
"Can she Read us talking if we're not Reading?"
"No. That is, she could not without deep concentration. In a year or so, she'll find it easy enough. Aradia, you're not going to start worrying that Julia is spying, are you?"
"Last night, while I was sleeping, I think she tried."
"I don't think so," Lenardo assured her. "At most, you may have Read one of her dreams. Julia abides by the Readers' Code of Honor."
"You don't," Aradia pointed out. "Why should she? And how can I accept it? I cannot swear celibacy, not any longer."
"That is only for the two highest ranks. I ask you to accept only the basic oath which governs all Readers, even the married ones. Misuse of your powers leads to weakened abilities, Aradia."
"You, of all people, should know that that is mere superstition. You broke your Oath, and your powers have increased."
"I did not misuse my powers," he insisted. "I invaded no one's privacy; I did not use something I Read to harm another or for personal gain. I kept all precepts that govern every Reader of every rank, and that is all I am asking you to do, Aradia. Accept the Code and the diet-"
"I can't," she said in irritation. "I cannot swear to something that will limit my powers to govern, to protect my people, to form the empire that will put an end to the constant power struggles between Lords Adept."
He stared at her. "I thought you had given up that idea."
"I had, until I discovered I could Read. Lenardo, how can you be so blind? I have both powers. I thought-" She shook her head, frowning denial of whatever she had begun to say. "No, I must do it, with you by my side."