The Aillard Domain is the only one in which laran and Council-right pass not in the male line, but in the female; males are not allowed to hold full Domain rights in Council. The last comynara in the direct line had been Cleindori, the last of the Keepers trained completely in the old, cloistered virginal tradition. While still quite young, she had left the tower, rebelled against the old superstitions surrounding the matrix circles and especially the Keepers and had, in defiance of tradition and belief, taken a consort and borne him a child while continuing to use the powers she had been taught. She had been horribly murdered by fanatics who thought a Keeper’s virginity was more important than her competence or her powers. But she had broken the ancient mold, defied the superstitions and created a new scientific approach to what is now called matrix mechanics. For years her very name had been abhorred as a renegade. Now her memory was revered by every psi technician on Darkover.
But she had left no daughters. The old Aillard line had finally died out and Callina Lindir-Aillard, a distant kinswoman of my father’s and of the male head of the Aillard Domain, had been chosen comynara, as nearest female successor. Linnell had come to Armida for my father to foster and had been brought up as my sister.
Linnell was an expert dancer, and I enjoyed dancing with her. I have little interest in feminine fripperies, but Linnell had taught me the courtesies of such things, so I took polite notice of her gown and ornaments. When the dance came to an end, I led Linnell to the sidelines and asked her if she thought I should ask Callina to dance; Callina, too, by Comyn custom for unwed women, was restricted to dancing with kinsmen except at masked balls.
“I don’t know if Callina cares to dance,” Linnell said, “she’s very shy. But you should ask her. I’m sure she’ll tell you if she’d rather not. Oh, there is Javanne Hastur! Every time I’ve seen her in the last nine years, it seems, she’s been pregnant. But she’s actually pretty, isn’t she?”
Javanne was dancing with Gabriel. She had a high color in her cheeks and looked as if she were enjoying herself. I suppose that any young matron would be happy, after four closely spaced pregnancies, to be in society again. Javanne was very tall and excessively thin, a dark girl in an elaborate green-and-golden gown. I did not think her pretty, but she was undeniably handsome.
I conducted Linnell to Callina, but before I could speak to her, my father approached me.
“Come along, Lew,” he said, in a tone I had learned to regard, however politely phrased, as a command. “You should pay your respects to Javanne.”
I stared. Javanne? She had never liked me, even when we were going to children’s parties. Once we had both been whipped impartially for getting into a kicking-and-scratching fight, at seven or so, and later-, when we were about eleven, she rudely refused to dance with me, saying I stepped on her feet. I probably did, but I had already been telepath enough to know that was not her reason. “Father,” I said patiently, “I’m quite sure Lady Javanne can dispense with any compliments from me.” Had he quite lost his wits?
“And Lew promised to dance with me again,” Linnell said sulkily. Father patted her cheek and assured her there would be time enough for that, with a look at me which admitted no further delay unless I wanted to defy him openly and make a scene.
Javanne was standing in a little cluster of younger women, sipping a glass of wine. My father’s voice seemed more deliberate than usual, as he presented me.
“I wish you a joyous Festival, kinsman,” she said with a courteous bow. Kinsman! Well, Gabriel and I were friendly enough; perhaps she had learned, from husband and brother, that I was not such a scandal after all. At least for once she seemed to speak to me as if I were a human being. She beckoned to one of the young girls in the crowd surrounding her. “I wish to present to you a young kinswoman of your own, Lew, Linnea Storn-Lanart.”