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."Lie still.I am going to bring you water; I want you to drink as much of it as you can, to flush out any lingering poison." He brought one end of the sheet up across her body to dry her.She blinked."I… was sick.""A good thing, when you are poisoned," said Sanat Ji Mani as he searched for the ladle to bring her water from the fountain.When he could not find it, he filled his cupped hands and brought her water that way.Tulsi sputtered as she attempted to swallow, her eyes apologetic all the while."I did not… think…""That anyone would do this?" Sanat Ji Mani said, his ire concealed under attentiveness."I would not have thought so, either." He blamed himself that he had not expected something of this sort: anyone enjoying the favor of a ruler— even so minor a one as Hasin Dahele— would acquire enemies as a matter of course: a foreigner like Sanat Ji Mani would be likely to attract more rancor than the usual courtier."I should have been more on guard, Tulsi; I am sorry you have been hurt on my account.""No… oh, no," she said, and tried to hold on to him as he went to bring another handful of water."You have paid a price that was mine, not yours, to pay," he said as he filled his hands again, wishing that they were not so small.He came back to her side and trickled more water into her mouth."This is not your battle.""If it… is yours," she said, coughing once, "it is mine." She coughed again, and retched, her face turning dark red.Sanat Ji Mani rolled her onto her side and braced her while she cast up the last of what had been in her stomach.As she began to sob, he held her, ashamed that he had exposed her to such danger; he wrapped the sheet more securely around her."It is my fault you are hurt," he said, angry with himself for allowing this to happen."You have only tried to care for me.There is no reason you should have to suffer on my account.""No," she said."You have… nothing to… apologize for." Her lids were getting heavy, and there were tears on her face."We will settle that later," he said finally, gently wiping her cheeks."Let me bring you more water.I do not want any of the poison remaining in you to do more damage." He went to fetch some more, all the while mastering his temper: there was a time, perhaps fifteen hundred years ago, when he would have confronted Hasin Dahele to demand answers for how this had happened, but the intervening centuries had taught him discretion; now he realized he would have to approach this more circumspectly, or leave them both exposed to other assaults.As he carried his handsful of water back to Tulsi, he steadied himself as he prepared to nurse her, for he would not entrust her care to anyone else."I…'m sleepy," Tulsi muttered as Sanat Ji Mani put more water into her mouth."Let me… sleep.""You will rest shortly," said Sanat Ji Mani."For now, I am going to clean the floor and then take you back to our room."She blinked, chagrined."You should not… it is… wrong.""Tulsi, I have done far worse than clean floors in my time," he said, and went to get a floor-brush and a rag from the basket containing all manner of cleaning gear."You must not…" Tulsi protested again.Sanat Ji Mani ignored her as he scrubbed the vomit from the floor and concealed it in the rag."There.No one will know what happened here," he said as he stood up.He took the rag to the servants' door and dropped it in the basket where other rags were collected."When they come upon this, they will not be able to tell what happened, or who took care of it.""I never meant… that you…" She tried to sit up and groaned with the effort."No, Tulsi.Stay where you are.I will carry you." He took stock of the room, his swift perusal catching all the details of the baths."It is all right."She held out her hand to him."I… am so… sorry," she whispered and began to weep in earnest."You have nothing to be sorry for.You did not poison yourself," he said grimly as he went to pick her up."Your arms around my neck, if you please, and your head on my shoulder," he told her as he carried her toward the door he had ruined.He paused on the threshold for a moment, wondering why the sound of his breaking in had not brought servants running; the reasons that occurred to him were all sinister, and left him feeling more worried than before.He had had enemies before who had moved against him by stealth: Cyprus was still a vivid memory, as was Frater Ignazius."I can walk… if you… put me down," Tulsi offered, not quite struggling to get out of his arms."It would be best if I carry you, so no one will know you have been hurt," said Sanat Ji Mani, making his way along the corridor to the room they shared."Let those who are watching us think we are having a tryst.""How can they?" she asked, smiling weakly."They will see what we want them to see," Sanat Ji Mani told her."For now, it is useful that they not know of your ordeal.""Why not?" she asked as he carefully lowered her down onto the bed."Because we do not know who poisoned you, or why, and it is important that we not let the poisoner know he succeeded," Sanat Ji Mani said, touching her face tenderly."Let him believe he has failed in his efforts, and he may reveal himself.""But… might he not… strike again?" She put her hand to her throat."It burns.""It will improve," said Sanat Ji Mani."You have my Word."She nodded, and pinched her nose to try to stop her tears."I… This is… foolish.""Never mind," Sanat Ji Mani said, and straightened up to look for a serving tray that might contain the remnants of her meal; the servants had removed it."That is inconvenient," he said to himself."What is?" Tulsi stared up at him."I was hoping to find out what poison was used," he said."I would like to have known.""Why?" She used the corner of the drying-sheet to wipe her eyes."Because it might give me some notion of who was doing it," said Sanat Ji Mani, a thoughtful frown deepening in a vertical line between his brows.She lay back, trying not to cough."Hurts," she said."The hurt will stop," said Sanat Ji Mani, wishing he still had syrup of poppies to give her to ease her."I know," she whispered.From her place on the bed she studied him, aware that he was shielding her from the worst of his suspicions; it both pleased and aggravated her that he was so protective of her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]