The Rise of the Omarlo Clan. Rosylan McCallum

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      Lady Tess stormed into her room muttering, “How dare he! How dare he! The nerve.” Lady Tess looked around and saw her maid Minna. She also saw the concern in Minna’s eyes, but Lady Tess wanted to be alone. “Out! Get out!” she shouted as she paced back and forth, furious at what she had been forced to endure. Minna left, quietly closing the door behind her. Lady Tess shook her head and ground her teeth. She thought he would pay. She would see to it. Finally, her raging anger spent, she sat down at her desk and began to plan her revenge.

      The start of the day had offered much promise. She awoke knowing that her twenty-year-old son, Rarg Omarlo, was due to return to Racine and the Keep. It would be for the first time since Lord Marlis, her father, fourteen years ago, had taken him. At that time against custom, her six-year-old son was to be fostered under the House of Marlis on Urus. She had ranted and raged, but it fell on deaf ears.

      The invasion, so long ago, had taken as casualties Lord Imir, General Drakar, and her children—six-year-old Rarg and the four-year-old twins. As a consolation prize, her father left her regent over Racine. Only Captain Nor had understood her anguish and offered her comfort. In time, as a way to show her gratitude, she made him supreme general over Racine’s military. Currently, he was away, or she would have had him by her side.

      The heralds signaled the imminent arrival of her son and his party, and she asked Minna to hurry. She needed to be at the Keep’s door to welcome her son. There was no time left for Minna to fuss with her hair. She quickly left her rooms and went down to stand at the door of the Keep. Then she thought it better to step out onto the steps and stand ready to receive her son. Lady Tess watched Rarg ride up to the Keep. She found it hard not to frown, as he seemed to be uncomfortable sitting a horse. Was he a poor rider? She watched, as he had to be assisted from his horse. He adjusted his cloak and then walked up the steps of the Keep. He seemed to grimace for a smile. He walked into the Keep, passing her and the few old retainers that had known him as a child. There was no show of recognition or interest.

      She tried not to show her displeasure. She followed him into the Keep and saw him nod recognition toward the hated emissaries of her father and their wives who had arrived two days before him. He then stopped and turned to face her as if waiting for something. Lady Tess curtsied and said, “Welcome home, my son.”

      He gave her a quick half smile and leaned over and pecked her on the right cheek and said, “Mother.”

      A noisy group of people who had accompanied him from Urus followed in behind them. He abruptly turned from her in a deliberate sign of dismissal and walked over to the group of young men and began to talk animatedly. Lady Tess heard the instant murmurs that went through the audience of people who were standing in the central hall of the Keep. She held her head high, masking all emotions. What did she expect? He had been raised as an outsider, as a Marlis.

      What did or could he remember of what it was to be an Omarlo? Her father had deliberately withheld any concepts of what that meant from him. It was his reason for having taken her son into his household at such an early age. She still inwardly blamed Imir for all that had happened. It mattered a lot to her that he had lost his life during the invasion. She blamed him for dying. She continued to watch what she now thought of as a pretentious peacock of a son. Did he not know protocol? She was, after all, regent, which demanded a degree of respect.

      They were called to the main hall where the ceremonial banquet was to be served. He turned and again walked past her, followed by his entourage of friends and Urus emissaries, and entered the meal room. He took the seat, her seat, at the head of the table. Pointed the opposite seat out to one of his confidants. The remaining invited dignitaries of Racine found seats around the group. Then Rarg gave orders that the meal was to commence. Lady Tess, left standing at the entryway, was eventually noticed by one of his confederates who leaned over and pointed her out to Rarg.

      Rarg looked up and around the table and responded, “Oh . . . eh. Is there room?” Lady Tess turned and, with as much dignity as she could muster, left the hall. She had not failed to see smirks on the faces of several of the emissaries. The dignitaries of Racine sat stunned and silent. In their minds, this did not sit well.

      Their opinions did not matter to Lady Tess. What mattered was Rarg’s obvious coldness, which was directed toward her. When he looked at her, there had been no warmth or show of maternal recognition. He had returned to claim his title as Lord of the Keep of the House of Omarlo. He had purposely, before Racine and Urus dignitaries, snubbed her. His mother, the current regent of Racine, was snubbed as if she had been some annoying unwanted servant in his way. She thought, how like a Marlis.

      Yes, she had fled to her room. As she sat planning, she thought, fine, we are to be enemies. Then he would find that she too was born a Marlis. Had she not married into one of the most powerful families in the Nissarian system? Did she not currently run Racine? СКАЧАТЬ