“Why?” Her own repressed anger was warming her better than all her shivering. “You come in here and take my teacher’s time away from me, you treat me like I’m too stupid to know that you’re insulting me with your superior attitude, you act like you expect me to be excited about the so-called ‘privilege’ of training with you. Why should I tell you anything? Why should I share my edge with you? You haven’t done a thing to deserve it.”

He stiffened as she spoke, and she waited for the outburst she knew would followed her words.

It never came.

“Why is it that you’re here, Kerowyn?” he asked slowly. “All I know is that you’re Lady Kethry’s granddaughter. I thought—I guess I thought you were just playing at this business of learning from Tarma, but you’re talking about really going out and selling your sword—”

“I’m not talking about it, I’m going to do it,” she told him firmly. Her stomach growled, reminding her that it had been a long time since she’d last eaten. “I don’t have much choice in the matter, not unless I want to live on my brother’s good will until he decides to find an appropriate husband for me. If anyone would take me at this point; there’s no telling. I’ve certainly scandalized all of Dierna’s family. And of course that assumes I’d sit right down and marry whoever he found for me, like a good little girl, which I don’t think I’m minded to do.”

And if some of the hints about the Baron that Grandmother’s dropped are true, I suspect he ’d have an interest in keeping me from producing any competition for the Keep. Kethry had never actually accused the Baron of anything, but Kero was perfectly capable of putting facts together for herself, including a few that Kethry didn’t know about. The Baron had been quite interested in the proposed marriage, and had sent a very handsome set of silver as a gift—yet had sent no representative to the wedding. Which argued for the fact that he might well have known that something was going to happen.

And he was in an excellent position to plan for it to happen. She was very glad that Tarma had hired all those guards, those very competent guards. Doubtless Kethry was keeping a magical eye on the place as well, since the promises she’d made to Rathgar were void with his death.

“I don’t know why your brother would have any trouble finding a husband—” Daren began.