It continued to snow as the winter solstice approached, but it never became cold enough for a deep freeze. The flakes remained fluffy and wet, and they heaped up into huge soft mounds of white. It made the whole world look beautiful and new when it sparkled in the sunlight.

Everyone took on a more festive mood.

The Lady Catherine made an effort to stay as far from Vero as possible. Vero was just as happy to return the favor.

The Marquise’s bleeding came, and Vero returned to Jean’s bed. It seemed that the soothsayer’s rabbit would live to see another month.

It was a Jubilee year and the festivities would go on for three days. Jubilees occurred once every seven years. When the three nights of the new moon coincided precisely with the last day of the year, the solstice, and the first day of the new year. It was the most profound holiday of all.

Unfortunately, Vero’s own woman’s blood always came with the new moon, which hampered her ability to enjoy the festivities. Fortunately, her discomfort was only mild. Jean had more than enough money for reagents to use in her infusions. She was able to fine tune them and keep her humors very well balanced.

As Jean was not a sorcerer, there was no fear of being made ritually impure through contact with her, which also made everything much easier to bear.

On the first day of celebrations, Jean’s court went out into the city after a light breakfast in the main hall. They spent the morning at the city cathedral where Father Ignacio and a priestess of the dark moon read mass.

The cathedral was still in the final stage of construction, but what had been erected already was very grand. It was originally intended to be consecrated to the Sun God alone, but it gained Luna as a sponsor before construction began. Recently, to finance the completion, the sponsorship was expanded again to serve the whole pantheon of gods.

Besides the local aristocracy, few worshiped the sun or the moon in the city.

After mass, a huge feast was laid out in the church. The orphans, crippled, and widows of the city were invited to dine with them. There was also much alms-giving to the poor, and by the time they left Vero had a wonderful warm feeling inside her.

Next, they moved to the city’s main guild hall. There they had supper, which was just as grand as their dinner had been. This time they broke bread with the city’s merchants and craftsmen. Each of the guilds took turns presenting a scene from the lives of the saints on stage with prizes given to those who received the most acclaim.

The iron and copperworking guilds were the largest, and Vero suspected some of their performers of being professional actors. They took the first and second prizes respectively. The third prize went to the tailors’ guild which gave a more amateur, but enthusiastic, performance. Vero thought she preferred the latter.

Several of the leading burghers took the opportunity to discuss business directly with their lord. However, Vero still had Antoinette and Ser Frederic to keep her from feeling neglected. There was also a wonderful carnival atmosphere everywhere.

As the evening drew on, Saul arrived with the leading citizens of the dwarven quarter. The dwarves had their own calendar, and did not necessarily celebrate human holidays. Although some who settled in human lands were slowly assimilating to surface culture. More of them just appreciated any opportunity to enjoy themselves.

They brought vodka with them, and Vero got along with all of them. They became such close friends so quickly, that she thought it a great shame to leave when the time finally came. She invited them all to come to the keep for the next day of celebrations.

When the next day came, it also began with acts of charity. This time at the gate of the palace, where the city’s beggars gathered for alms.

After mid-day, they set the tables aside in the great hall and prepared the floor for a dance. An anxious feeling began to twist Vero’s stomach into knots. She loved dances as a girl, but she had not attended one for years. Her leg was mended well enough for walking, but she worried about embarrassing herself in front of the whole court.

She demurred as long as she could until Jean pulled her up and onto the floor with him. Of course, there had been nothing to be afraid of all along; Jean was more than skilled enough to keep them from treading on one another’s feet.

After a time, she was even beginning to enjoy herself when they were separated by the Marquise.

“Jean, may I have this dance? If the Lady Veronique does not mind my cutting in?”

“Not at all, my Lady.” Vero rushed to try and curtsy; she was surprised Jean would not let go of her.

“Then Vero would have no partner.”

The Marquise was taken aback- but only just for a split second before her perfect manners reasserted themselves. “I’ve just received the season’s greetings from my sister. I thought you would wish to hear about them. Your chancellor has only just arrived there at the capital,” she added, pointedly.

Vero was horrified, but it was just then that the wonderful Frederic appeared from seemingly nowhere. “I shall take the Lady Veronique for the next dance. Presuming that she be willing?”

He held out a hand to her.

She took it at once. “Yes, that would be quite alright.”

The last thing Vero wanted was to come between Jean and his wife. Especially not now she knew how kind and perfect that wife was.

The Marquise took her husband back and Vero began moving in step with Frederic. She watched Jean as he leaned in close to exchange whispers with his wife.

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As beautiful as the Marquise was, Vero hardly understood why Jean should need to take a mistress in the first place. She had just presumed that his wife would be an ugly nag, but she was so fair that it made Vero’s heart race to look upon her.

If Vero were a man, as she sometimes pretended, she would surely have tried to court such a woman.

“Thinking of someone else? I promise not to be offended.” Frederic cut into her thoughts.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“I already told you that I promised not to be offended. Jean’s certainly very handsome. I well understand why a maiden’s eye might be tempted to stray.”

“The Marquise is very beautiful as well. I can’t believe a man’s eye would ever stray from her. Certainly not towards me.”

“Oh no? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You already know that I think you have a very pretty face. I admit, listening at doorways to others private conversation isn’t a very attractive habit. But a man in my occupation has no room to judge on that account.”

“You knew I-?”

“A spymaster is supposed to know everything, weren’t you aware?”

“How?”

“Trade secrets, my dear. Let us simply say that-”

Vero did not get the chance to hear his next euphemism; a servant interrupted them. “A messenger bird for you, Ser. Marked urgent.”

“Not another one. And when I’m with such charming company. Will you excuse me, my Lady?”

Vero assured him that she would.

She sat down again near Aeolus. Antoinette had been asked to dance by Lyam, and it had taken the lad so long to work up the courage that Vero would have hated to interrupt them.

She hoped Jean would be finished soon. Frederic returned to the room briefly- only to then leave with both Jean and the Marquise.

Saul’s dwarven friends had not yet arrived, so she made conversation with the magister. Vero was beginning to feel useless reading romances and adventure stories all day, when she was not exercising.

She asked the wizard if he would share any tomes of magic he possessed, written in plain Imperial script, so she could at least read something educational. He was surprised by the request, but he assured her that he considered all who wished to learn fellow travelers.

The more Vero discovered about Aeolus, the more of an enigma he seemed to her.

He showed absolutely no interest in women. At first, Vero thought he merely found her specifically unattractive, but she eventually realized that his disinterest was absolute. She knew some men preferred to lay down only with catamites – rumors suggested Jean’s father had been of that persuasion – but Aeolus showed no evident interest in any of the men around them either. Even if they were very handsome.

He was not a eunuch by his build and the sound of his voice. She came to suspect that he might really be a genuine ascetic, with no interest in carnal pleasures at all.

Vero admired the stoicism, although she had no interest in sharing it.

At the moment, he was a little red faced from drink. Rather than making her think him intemperate, it actually gave her just the opposite opinion. He had less to drink than she. His lack of tolerance was a testament to the infrequency with which he indulged in alcohol.

“What strange rhythmic ritualized behavior these dances are.”

“Yes,” Vero agreed. “I never questioned them as a child. Now I find myself wondering if there isn’t something more important I should be doing.”

“The purpose is recreational, and the synchronization of movement promotes social cohesion.”

“Would you like to join them? I’m willing to dance with you, if you like.”

“Hmm.” He finished his spiced wine. “Yes, why not.”

Aeolus did not dance with the skill of her previous partners and they often stepped on one another’s feet.

Jean and the others eventually returned. However, Vero’s lover was intercepted by his mother while on his way back to her. Jean and the Lady Catherine became partners for the next song, while Ser Elan took the Marquise.

“Oh, I think this spinning has made me feel sick. I should sit down.” Vero’s partner abandoned her at the earliest opportunity to return to his seat on unsteady legs.

Vero looked for Antoinette again, but she had been asked to dance by Frederic. Her maid looked very eager to accept, and again Vero felt too guilty to interrupt them.

“May I have this dance?” Mattias had arrived from somewhere.

“Yes, that would be most welcome!” Vero wondered if she should have sounded so excited, perhaps she also had too much spiced wine.

They put their arms around one another. Vero found herself standing closer to him then she put herself with the spymaster or the wizard. Fortunately, he was a skilled enough dancer to keep his feet safe from her.

She found it very flattering to know that he found her beautiful. The fact that he was unaware that she was listening made her put more stock in his words than when Jean told her the same.

Was he unaware? Frederic had known she was there somehow. Or perhaps he learned it after the fact.

Antoinette laughed gaily in the spymaster’s arms while they danced.

Vero turned her attention back to her current partner. His eyes were not so entrapping as Jean’s, but that also made them easier for her to gaze into. He was also just a few fingers shorter than Jean, but his shoulders were broader, and she thought his arms were stronger by just a touch.

If she were not already in love with someone else, she thought that she could fall in love with him very easily.

“My Lady, I have been meaning to speak with you.”

“Oh? What about?”

“I wished to thank you for saving my life.”

“There’s no reason to think the boar was certain to kill you. You might have only been injured.”

“I thank you regardless.”

“You’re most welcome. I would have hated to see your fine features marred by a boar tusk’s scars. I know Jean is very fond of you… I hope we can be friends as well.”

“I would like that very much.”

There was some commotion, and Vero realized that the dwarves had arrived. They were trying to cheer up Lyam- who had become a wallflower again. She led Mattias by the hand and they went to go join them.

New Year’s Day was a quieter affair than the previous two. They still began the morning with alms-giving, but in the afternoon, there were no grand activities. Everyone simply retreated with those closest to them to enjoy their own leisure.

Vero and Jean went into his solarium to take turns reading to one another and making love sporadically the whole rest of the day. She could not remember a happier time in her life. Not for longer than a jubilee, at least.

“May I ask you something?” Vero looked down towards Jean as he was kissing her belly.

“Anything,” he answered.

“Will you give me your word of honor as a knight that you shall tell me the truth, even if you believe I would be hurt by the answer?”

He looked at her seriously. “Yes, if that is what you wish. I do so swear- on my honor.”

“Do you love me?”

Jean looked relieved at once. “Oh, is that all? I was worried for a moment. Yes, I love you more than I have ever loved another in my whole life. Now that we’ve found one another I never wish to be apart from you ever again. Does that answer your question?”

She believed him.

“Yes… I- Yes.”

He moved higher and began teasing her with his tongue. She was no longer paying attention.

To lie to her as a whispered nothing was one matter. But Jean would never have broken his word to her as he just did. Not without effort, at least. And she had watched his face so carefully for any sign of deception.

He meant it earnestly. Every word.

All this time she planned so carefully, all the things that she would do when he lost interest in her. Where she would go, what she would sell, and what price she would take for them. She knew every answer.

He spoke so easily. It was as though he already settled everything in his own mind long ago. He was not going to send her away. He wanted her to stay with him forever. It was no longer a dream she dreaded waking from.

This was her life now.

Vero realized that she was terrified.