He felt Juvana's hand press gently around his forearm and, feeling extremely stupid, he turned to look at her.
"It does, you know," she said gently. Then she grinned at the others. "I never thought I should be able to render a harper speechless."
"But that's not why I want Kasia ..."
"Of course it isn't," Juvana said.
"Such a dear boy," said Brashia, beaming at him.
"Like the cut of his sail," Bourdon put in.
"Close your mouth, Rob," F'lon suggested from the doorway.
"F'lon, stop propping up the door and go and fetch the harp Robinton made for Kasia," Juvana said, flicking her fingers at the dragonrider. "You know where it is. And tell Kasia that it's gone very well indeed." As soon as F'lon left, she smiled placidly at Robinton. "He can be dreadful, can't he? I do believe that drug-onriders are far worse than harpers for teasing, aren't they?"
Robinton was still floundering over the idea of being related to the Lord Holder of Tillek. "Honestly, I had no idea."
"Of course you didn't," Juvana said easily. "Now, Clostan would be instantly suspect of such connivery – but not you."
"Kasia said you've been loaned a sloop for your espousal days," Bourdon said. "Sail much?"
"Only from Fort Harbour to Ista, and then the seven-day fishing run with Captain Gostol. He's loaning us the ship."
"Is he?"
"Yes, had us out tacking up and down the harbour the other day." Robinton grinned. "To see if Kasia knew what she was about, for he was very sure I don't."
The admission did him no harm with Bourdon, who leaned forward and began to explain the foibles of small ships. That kept the conversation going amiably until F'lon carried in Kasia's harp, handling it with the reverence he would ordinarily give only to his Simanith. As he passed it to Robinton, he murmured, "Beautiful piece." Then both Bourdon and Brashia came over to examine the carving, the inlay and the strings; then, of course, they asked him to play so that they could hear its tone.
Playing brought Robinton to complete balance. And seeing that, Juvana made her excuses and left for other duties.
Never had there been such a brilliant Gather day as this one, when Robinton took Kasia's hand in his in front of the Court Hall, where the Lord and Lady Holders stood with Master Minnarden and the other CraftMasters available for this happy duty. That they were the first of seven couples didn't impinge on his consciousness then. He had eyes only for his Kasia. Behind them were their witnesses: his mother, radiant in blue, standing between F'lon and Groghe, who had said he was here in his official capacity as a Fort Holder.
Kasia's parents stood on her side: her mother flushed and excited, and her father doing very well at looking proud and dignified.
Never had Robinton had to speak his own words in front of such a huge crowd. Singing was another matter entirely, but speaking his whole heart in words was something else again. He had to clear his throat, but then, taking a deep breath, he announced his intentions to be a loving, kind, considerate spouse, caring for Kasia all his life, nurturing their children and providing for the family.
Holding hands, he looked into Kasia's eyes, which were no longer shadowed with an old grief but radiant with joy, as she -who also had to clear her throat before she spoke – declared her intentions in a loud voice. She grinned more broadly when she got to the part about children and winked at him.
"We have heard your promises, Robinton and Kasia," Melongel said, stern in his capacity as Lord Holder.
"And have witnessed them," said Master Minnarden while the other CraftMasters murmured their traditional response. The observers cried congratulations and shouted, "Good luck!"
Melongel's face relaxed in a smile as he shook their hands before moving to the next expectant couple. "Brother," he murmured slyly to Robinton.
"So kiss her!" F'lon cried. When neither Robinton nor Kasia moved, he took them by the shoulders and pushed them together.
The lightning that passed from lip to lip seemed to encompass Robinton's entire body – and hers as well, leaning so trustingly against him. He was almost annoyed when F'lon's hands pulled them apart.
"I'm so happy, my dear daughter," Merelan was saying as she embraced a bemused Kasia. There were tears in Merelan's eyes, but she had always been able to cry and remain beautiful. She changed places with Brashia, who hugged her daughter tightly, weeping so profusely that she couldn't speak at all. Bourdon was shaking Robinton's hand fit to render it useless for any playing.
F'lon was insisting that he definitely had the right to kiss Kasia -just this once, to show her what she'd missed. Then Merelan was hugging Robinton so tightly that he had to seize her arms to be released.
"Be as happy as I have been with your father," Merelan whispered for his ear alone; and when he tensed, she held him slightly away, giving him a hard, long look. "For we have been happy ...
together." And he realized that she spoke the truth: that it had always been he who had been the problem with his father. "You're the heart big enough to love an entire world," she added. Then she released him.
Groghe, rather shyly, kissed Kasia on the cheek and told her she'd be very welcome whenever she came to Fort Hold. Which he hoped would be often.
By then, three more couples had had their vows witnessed to choruses of cheers.
"I need a drink," F'lon announced and began herding them all out of the crowd and towards the Gather tables set around the dance square. There were two tables set upon platforms on either side of the players' dais. The right-hand one was for the newly espoused, and it was there that F'lon led his little group.
A beaming wineman met them halfway, his tray of glasses clinking against each other.
"I know I shouldn't, but I'm serving the Benden wine, which the dragonrider said I must give you," he said, leaning forward to murmur this treachery to them. He beamed warmly at Kasia and held the tray out to her. She couldn't seem to stop smiling, even as she sipped the deliciously cold, crisp Benden white.
They were all served and then took their places at the table as kitcheners rushed forward to serve them.
Robinton never remembered the rest of the table filling up. It was all a blur of happiness: Kasia was his and he was hers, and his mother was here. Her parents were quite nice folk, and he no longer felt uneasy with them, listening to the snippets of advice Bourdon was giving him about sailing. But if F'lon didn't stop teasing him, he'd land him one in the jaw very soon, although Kasia laughed as hard at his witticisms as her parents and his mother.
The MasterSinger led off the singing with one of the love songs Robinton had written for Kasia, though his mother kindly did not mention that. She was accompanied by Minnarden, Ifor, Mumolon and several local instrumentalists. It was received with rapturous applause and determined shouts for more. Brashia looked stunned as the truly lovely voice rose in joyous phrase and shook her head, murmuring, "She's every bit as good as they said, every bit!"
"Proud of your mother, aren't you?" Bourdon said, leaning across the table, his face flushed with pleasure and the good Benden wine. "Every reason to be."
"And she of him," Kasia said proudly, clasping both hands around Robinton's arm and resting her face against it for a moment. Their legs were twined under the table so tightly that Robinton hoped no one could see under the cloth – and that he wouldn't be asked to stand. Fortunately he wasn't. Prepared as he was for the necessity of taking a turn, he was pointedly ignored by Minnarden when the musicians changed round.
His leg went to sleep twice under the table; and when Kasia had to leave briefly to use a facility, she limped the first few steps from cramp. Brashia and Merelan went with her, reassuring Robinton -who couldn't bear her out of his sight – that she'd be fine with them.