At last, breathless, she pushed me away with a happy laugh, gave me a final kiss on the cheek, and began to dress. I admired her from the bed, counting myself lucky she had been the one chosen to look after me. My father had good taste in women, it seemed.

And, I guessed, Dad must have returned if he'd sent her to me. Sucking in a big, contented breath, I sprawled back on the pillows. A glow of happiness filled me. With Dad back, a beautiful new lover, and my health almost completely restored… yes, things were definitely looking up.

When she finished dressing, Rhalla blew me a kiss, then started for the door.

“Must you go?” I asked, watching her. She might have come to me as a nurse, but she was more than that now. I did not surrender my lovers willingly.

“You are an animal!” she said with a laugh. “Are you never satisfied, my lord?”

I chuckled, then patted the mattress beside me. “Come back and see!”

“I cannot. The morning is here. I have many duties.”

“Who cares? Stay with me! I'll make it all right.” I gave her a wink. “I do have some influence here, you know.”

“I know, Oberon. But even so…”

Standing, I took her in my arms and kissed her long and passionately. She responded, and we stayed that way for a long minute.

Finally she broke away.

“I will come back tonight, if you wish… now please, Oberon. I must go.” Smiling a bit wistfully, she pulled free from my arms. “It is long past time.”

“If you must…”

With a reluctant sigh, I let her go. It had been too long since I had been with a woman like her, a woman I could grow to care about… even to love. And, somehow, I knew we would never again capture a moment this peaceful, this perfect. They were far too few in my life.

She hesitated in the doorway, gazing back at me. “Until tonight,” she said.

I took her delicate white hand and gave it a lingering kiss. “I need extra care. You can tell my father that.”

“There is no need to lie, Oberon. You are as fit as any man here. I will return soon… as long and as often as you will have me.”

“I would… I will!”

She smiled again, then eased the door closed. I caught a glimpse of Port's disapproving face in the woodwork, but he quickly vanished. An unwilling voyeur, no doubt—he could hardly leave when our lovemaking grew noisy, after all.

I felt more amused than anything else.

“Port?” I said.

His face appeared, the expression still reproving.

“Yes, Lord Oberon?” he said.

“You are to say nothing about Rhalla's visit here to anyone, and especially not to my brother or father. Is that understood?”

“Are you sure that is wise, Lord Oberon?”

“Oh, yes.” I chuckled to myself. It was more than wise, it was beneficial… I knew my father and brother wouldn't approve of my bedding the servants. Rhalla's and my relationship would have to remain private, at least for now. That seemed the wisest course.

“Very good, Lord,” Port said unhappily. “Was there anything else?”

“Do you know if my father returned last night?”

“No, Lord. He does not sleep on this floor.”

“Very good. That will be all.”

With a frown, Port's face vanished into the wood again. I had no doubt that he would follow my instructions to the letter.

Yawning and scratching, I turned to the looking glass and studied my reflection. The first thing I noticed was a strange red welt on my chest, just above my heart. Odd… I hadn't noticed it last night before bed, nor had Rhalla or Horace commented on it.

Frowning, I leaning closer for a better look. It had a single blood-red dot in its center, like the mark a bee's stinger would leave. When I touched the welt, it felt hot, but not painful. An insect bite? It had to be. But what kind of insect would leave a mark like that… or that large?

Though no more color had come back into my cheeks and my skin remained a pasty white, overall I felt stronger today than yesterday, and much less like a man on his deathbed. My hands barely shook, and when I walked about, the floors and walls no longer seemed to move against me. Yes, I was definitely doing better.

As for the bite mark on my chest—well, I wasn't in Ilerium any more. Who knew what sort of insects lived in the Courts of Chaos? If the welt bothered me later, I'd ask Anari to find a poultice for it.

At the wash stand, I filled the basin with tepid water from the pitcher, made a lather with the block of soap, and scrubbed myself clean from head to heels. When I toweled dry, I felt a lot better, more like a civilized person again. A straight razor sat next to the wash basin, and I stropped it on a little leather strap hanging from the right side of the stand. Then I made a second lather with the soap and shaved off my four-days' growth of beard with minimal blood loss. After my experiences in Juniper, where a demon disguised as the castle barber tried to slit my throat, I planned on doing my own shaving.

Next I opened my wardrobe and explored the contents. Several dozen suits of clothing hung inside, and boots, shoes, and neatly folded undergarments sat on the floor. He seemed to favor dusty blues and grays. Finally, after much thought, I selected a pair of soft gray deerskin pants with a matching shirt embroidered with a gold phoenix on the chest. That's how I felt right now, reborn from the ashes of my old self. Gold braid decorated the cuffs and collar, and I thought it added a distinguished look.

As with the last set of Mattus's clothes I'd appropriated, this one fit me admirably well, as though it had been made to my exact measurements. When I examined my reflection in the looking glass, I gave a nod of satisfaction. Rhalla had me interested in my appearance again, and biased though I might be, I had to admit I cut quite a handsome figure.

Satisfied, I went to Horace's little room and found him snoring softly in his own bed. So much for watching over me last night. Aber would skin him alive if he found out the boy had deserted his post. Just as well Horace had—I didn't particularly need or want an audience for my love-making.

“Time to get up,” I told him. “Horace? Horace?”

He snored on, oblivious. Poor kid, he was completely exhausted. He'd probably been up most of the night looking after me. Good thing Rhalla had come along to relieve him.

Even so, I needed him up now. Duty called, and he had to learn what that meant. In the army, I'd missed more than my fair share of sleep. You got used to it.

I bent and shook his shoulder.

“Horace!” I called. “Wake up!”

It took a minute, but finally he opened his eyes and sat up, looking groggy and confused. He yawned widely.

“Sorry, Oberon!” he said, staring up at me through bleary, dark-rimmed eyes. “I must have fallen asleep.”

“Are you sick?” I demanded. “I couldn't wake you.”

“No, Oberon,” he said with another yawn. “I tried to stay up with you last night to make sure nothing happened, like Lord Aber said.” Then he gulped, and I knew he remembered my brother's threats.

“I appreciate your effort,” I said, “but it wasn't necessary for you to stay up all night. I didn't have any more problems, and I feel much better today.”

“If I may say so, sir, you still look sick.”

“It's not how I look, it's how I feel.”

“Yes, sir.” He hesitated. “Did you carry me in here? I do not remember falling asleep. The last thing I remember, I was sitting on the stool, watching you…”

“Don't worry about it.” I smiled to myself, realizing the truth: Rhalla must have carried him to his bed before waking me. Good thing he did fall asleep; I didn't need to be guarded from beautiful women. “You did fine,” I told him. “I'm more than satisfied.”

“Thank you, sir!” He seemed greatly relieved.

“Have you explored the house yet? Do you know the way to the dining hall?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Get dressed. You have five minutes. Then you can show me the way.”