die.”
Damon shook his head in dismay. “He knows all this?”
“He knows. But his will to live is strong, and while that remains, you can keep his life good. For a while.
Page 28
Years, perhaps. Afterward…” A small, resigned shrug. “Perhaps he will find some new will to live if hehas grandchildren about him. But he has always been an active man, and a proud one. He will not takekindly to inactivity or helplessness.”
Andrew said, “I’m going to need a hell of a lot of his help and advice running this place. I’ve been tryingto get along without bothering him—”
“By your leave, that is mistaken,” said Leonie gently. “He should know that his knowledge is still
needed, if not his lands and his skill. Ask him for advice as much as you can, Andrew.”
It was the first time she had addressed him directly, and the Terran glanced at the woman in surprise. Hehad enough rudimentary telepathy to know that Leonie was uncomfortable with him, and was troubled tofeel there was something more now in her regard. When she had gone away he said to Damon, “Shedoesn’t like me, does she?”
“I don’t think it is that,” Damon said. “She would feel uneasy with any man to whom she must give
Callista in marriage, I think.”
“Well, I can’t blame her for thinking I’m not good enough for Callista; I don’t think there’s any man who
is. But as long as Callista doesn’t think so…”
Damon laughed. “I suppose no man on his wedding day feels worthy of his bride. I must keep remindingmyself that Ellemir has agreed to this marriage! Come along, we must find rooms for our wives!”
“Shouldn’t it be up to them to choose?”
Damon recalled that Andrew was a stranger to their customs. “No, it is custom for the husband toprovide a home for his wife. In courtesy Dom Esteban is giving us a way to find such a place and ready itbefore the wedding.”
“But they know the house—”
Damon replied, “So do I. I spent much of my boyhood here. Dom Esteban’s oldest son and I were bredin , sworn friends. But you, have you no kinsmen in the Terran Zone, no servants sworn to you andawaiting your return?”
“None. Servants are a memory out of our past; no man should serve another.”
“Still, we’ll have to assign you a few. If you’re going to be managing the estate for our kinsman”—Damon used the word usually translated as “uncle”—“you won’t have leisure to handle the details of ordinary life, and we can’t expect the women to do their own cleaning and mending. And we don’t have machines as you do in the Terran Zone.”
“Why not?”
“We’re not rich in metals. Anyhow, why should we make people’s lives useless because they cannot earn their porridge and meat at honest work? Or do you truly think we would all be happier building machines and selling them to one another as you do?” Damon opened a door off the hallway. “These rooms have not been used since Ellemir’s mother died and Dorian was married. They seem in good repair.”
Page 29
Andrew followed him into the spacious central living room of the suite, his mind still on Damon’squestion. “I’ve been taught it is degrading for one man to serve another, degrading for the servant—andfor the master.”
“I’d find it more degrading to spend my life as servant to some kind of machine. And if you own a machine, you are in turn owned by it and spend your time serving it.” He thought of his own relationship to the matrix, and every psi technician’s on Darkover, to say nothing of the Keepers’.
Instead, he opened doors all around the suite. “Look, on either side of this central living room is acomplete suite: each with bedroom, sitting room and bath, and small rooms behind for the women’smaids when they choose them, dressing rooms and so forth. The women will want to be close together,and yet there’s privacy too, for when we want it, and other small rooms nearby if we need
Damon shook his head in dismay. “He knows all this?”
“He knows. But his will to live is strong, and while that remains, you can keep his life good. For a while.
Page 28
Years, perhaps. Afterward…” A small, resigned shrug. “Perhaps he will find some new will to live if hehas grandchildren about him. But he has always been an active man, and a proud one. He will not takekindly to inactivity or helplessness.”
Andrew said, “I’m going to need a hell of a lot of his help and advice running this place. I’ve been tryingto get along without bothering him—”
“By your leave, that is mistaken,” said Leonie gently. “He should know that his knowledge is still
needed, if not his lands and his skill. Ask him for advice as much as you can, Andrew.”
It was the first time she had addressed him directly, and the Terran glanced at the woman in surprise. Hehad enough rudimentary telepathy to know that Leonie was uncomfortable with him, and was troubled tofeel there was something more now in her regard. When she had gone away he said to Damon, “Shedoesn’t like me, does she?”
“I don’t think it is that,” Damon said. “She would feel uneasy with any man to whom she must give
Callista in marriage, I think.”
“Well, I can’t blame her for thinking I’m not good enough for Callista; I don’t think there’s any man who
is. But as long as Callista doesn’t think so…”
Damon laughed. “I suppose no man on his wedding day feels worthy of his bride. I must keep remindingmyself that Ellemir has agreed to this marriage! Come along, we must find rooms for our wives!”
“Shouldn’t it be up to them to choose?”
Damon recalled that Andrew was a stranger to their customs. “No, it is custom for the husband toprovide a home for his wife. In courtesy Dom Esteban is giving us a way to find such a place and ready itbefore the wedding.”
“But they know the house—”
Damon replied, “So do I. I spent much of my boyhood here. Dom Esteban’s oldest son and I were bredin , sworn friends. But you, have you no kinsmen in the Terran Zone, no servants sworn to you andawaiting your return?”
“None. Servants are a memory out of our past; no man should serve another.”
“Still, we’ll have to assign you a few. If you’re going to be managing the estate for our kinsman”—Damon used the word usually translated as “uncle”—“you won’t have leisure to handle the details of ordinary life, and we can’t expect the women to do their own cleaning and mending. And we don’t have machines as you do in the Terran Zone.”
“Why not?”
“We’re not rich in metals. Anyhow, why should we make people’s lives useless because they cannot earn their porridge and meat at honest work? Or do you truly think we would all be happier building machines and selling them to one another as you do?” Damon opened a door off the hallway. “These rooms have not been used since Ellemir’s mother died and Dorian was married. They seem in good repair.”
Page 29
Andrew followed him into the spacious central living room of the suite, his mind still on Damon’squestion. “I’ve been taught it is degrading for one man to serve another, degrading for the servant—andfor the master.”
“I’d find it more degrading to spend my life as servant to some kind of machine. And if you own a machine, you are in turn owned by it and spend your time serving it.” He thought of his own relationship to the matrix, and every psi technician’s on Darkover, to say nothing of the Keepers’.
Instead, he opened doors all around the suite. “Look, on either side of this central living room is acomplete suite: each with bedroom, sitting room and bath, and small rooms behind for the women’smaids when they choose them, dressing rooms and so forth. The women will want to be close together,and yet there’s privacy too, for when we want it, and other small rooms nearby if we need
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