Common sense told him now was not the time to try to explain any of that. "I think," Gryph said carefully, "that I would like to hear about you because it's midnight and we're
alone and sometimes it helps to talk."
She softened under his hand, her eyes curious now. "You surprise, me. Shield. I would not have thought you were the type who ever needed to talk at midnight."
"Maybe you shouldn't make a practice of jumping to conclusions. The world is full of surprises," he said. "What happened when you failed to get into this academy you mentioned?"
She lifted one shoulder. "I failed to fulfill the destiny for which I had been groomed since the day I was born. Without academy training I was not eligible to take over an executive position within my clan. My family was horrified. I had shown such talent and such promise. Every waking moment had been spent preparing me for the role I was to play. When the news came that my career was being cut off at the university level, my marriage was canceled."
Gryph felt a knife twist in his stomach. His fingers tightened on her arm. "You were going to be married?"
"You're hurting me," Sariana said politely.
"Sorry." He forced himself to loosen his grip. "Tell me about your marriage plans." "There's not much to tell. My parents had arranged the marriage when I entered the university." "To whom?" Gryph thought he was going to explode if he didn't get all the answers quickly. It was all
he could do to keep his voice neutral.
"To the oldest son of another important clan in my social class, of course." Sariana gave him an odd glance. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," he declared between his teeth. "This man you were to marry - did you love him very much?"
She flinched beneath his hand as if his question had truly startled her.
"I barely knew him. I only met him on a few social occasions. He seemed quite admirable." "Admirable?"
"He was a year ahead of me at the university and showing tremendous potential. He was training to take control of his family's legal interests. His family was one of the Prime Families in our social class, naturally."
"Naturally."
Sariana eyed him warily. "Are you being sarcastic?"
"Not at all." Gryph swallowed to clear his throat. "I take it this very admirable person made it into the academy?"
"Yes."
"And when you didn't, his family went looking elsewhere for a suitable bride." "That's about it," she agreed with a sigh. "I was so shamed by my failure. I could hardly face my
family."
"Why did you fail?"
Sariana's mouth tightened. "The academy board said my test scores revealed too much of a tendency toward experimentation and innovation and not enough grounding in the fundamentals. The best I could hope for at that point was an insignificant position in my family's business and, eventually, an insignificant marriage to some other academy failure. Not exactly an inspiring future. I had to get away. Had to prove myself."
"So you came to Serendipity. How will you prove yourself here, Sariana?"
"I'm hoping to prove my potential by making a reputation for myself as a business manager who can rescue clans such as the Avylyns that are in real financial trouble." Sariana looked up at him with a shy
eagerness. "I'm going to reapply to the academy and ask for permission to retake the entrance exams."
"Will that be allowed?"
"It's highly unusual, but under special circumstances the academy members will allow it. My goal is to give a graphic demonstration of my abilities here in Serendipity and use that to persuade the academy to give me another chance. I'm very close to pulling the Avylyns out of the red, you know. In a few more months, if all goes well, they should be back on their feet financially."
"If the academy members agree to give you another chance," Gryph said slowly, "you'll go back to Rendezvous?"
She smiled. "You'd better believe it. I'll be on the next available windrigger home. How else could I finish myeducation and take my proper place in society?"
Gryph had to fight to control the frustrated rage that shot through him in that moment. Deliberately he subdued it. He must take this slowly and carefully.
"What will you do if the academy is not willing to relent?" he asked.
Her smile vanished into a rather grim line. "Then I'll be trapped here in Serendipity. I have thought about it a great deal and I've decided Etion Rakken is right. It would be better to stay here if I can't take my rightful place back home."
"This Rakken," Gryph said, "he's already made such a decision for himself?" Sariana nodded. "He has resigned himself to his exile. He is very successful here and he takes what
consolation and satisfaction he can from that. If I am forced to stay, I'll probably marry him."
Gryph reached out reflexively with his free hand and snagged a huge whispflower. His fingers closed around it, plucking it from its stem and crushing it into a pulpy mass in the blink of an eye. Sariana stared in shock.
"What are you doing? Those are Lady Avylyn's prize whispflowers! She's planning to enter them in an exhibition next week."
Gryph opened his hand and looked down at the smashed petals. "Accidents will happen."
"That was no accident. You did that deliberately," Sariana accused.
Gryph shoved the evidence into his jacket pocket. "Maybe Lady Avylyn won't notice if one of her precious flowers is missing."
"If she does notice, I'm certainly going to tell her who is responsible," Sariana threatened. Gryph laughed softly. "Little tattletale. You'd inform on me?"
"In a flash."
He shook his head, still grinning. "What? No loyalty at all to your poor, underpaid employee?" "What has my poor, underpaid employee accomplished since he started this job?" she demanded. Gryph was slightly taken back by the way she had switched the topic. "As a matter of fact, I've
subcontracted out some work to an informer. A man named Brinton. He's one of those very useful people who knows every back alley in Serendipity. And he makes a living selling information to those who are willing to pay to know some of the things that go on in those alleys."
"A clanless man?" Sariana asked, obviously appalled. "A criminal?"
"Not everyone has the advantages of belonging to a respectable clan, Sariana. In spite of the social philosophers' fine plans, society is a long way from being perfectly structured. Here in the west the rules get bent a lot. You know that. I doubt we're all that unique. Don't you have any clanless people in the eastern provinces?"