A friend gave me this idea. I thought I would press Susan to chose, but I believe it's better that way.
Thank you, Anton.
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I want to see the sky from above
Chapter 4: Grandfather will kill me
Sir Samuel Vimes stood at the door, welcoming his guests. Lady Sybil was at his left, smiling happily, nodding, greeting and pressing hands. Susan and John stepped inside. Samuel Vimes Jr. stared at their direction. Susan caught his stare and stared back. He made a gentle bow at her and continued talking to his encirclement.
'Susan, so nice to see you' welcomed Lady Sybil and pulled her to her tide hug. 'I see you have brought your uncle with you. Welcome, sir.' The shadow bowed politely. 'I guess you would find our little assembly quite irritating,' continued Sybil, leading Susan to the crowd. 'Your mother always used to say these kind of social gatherings were boring, so common with my Sam. That girl was such a wag.' She glanced at her face. 'I guess you were educated better than she was, I mean with a better respect to the higher class.' She spat the word with a gloom but soon smiled again. 'Please come here, you have to dance to my sons, definitely dance with my sons. Sam doesn't have company again.' she sighed deeply. 'Such a waist he is, never bring a lady, I don't know who is he after. Here, dear, I see you have your mother's clothing style. I still can't figure out why did she like the black so much. I see it's inheritable. Come, have a seat, now you have to tell me everything about yourself. Where were you born, who your father was. Tell me all, I have time to listen.'
Susan stared at Lady Sybil's questionable eyes and tried to smile, but the hourglass in John's pocket oppressed her enough to pronounce nothing. Sybil was jolly as ever, Susan couldn't imagine her reaction after her job done. She tried to hold her strive to escape, although her feet were trembling already. Lady Sybil fixed her gaze. 'Are you all right, dear?' Susan blinked in reply and opened her mouth.
'Miss Stow!'
Susan turned to the direction the voice came from. The old man stepped at her site and bowed politely. 'I heard you are Her Ladyship's daughter. I am not in a doubt, the similarity is spectacular. Such a surprise, indeed.'
Susan tried to recall his face. He kneeled at her and lifted her hand for an obedient kiss. 'My mistress's daughter. Sto Helit is saved at last!'
Susan stared at him. There was a hint in him she could recall, it was very long time ago, she was still a child, but still…
'Chancellor Bushmaster!' she pronounced. He smiled happily. 'Your Grace!' he lifted her hand to his forehead. 'I just found out about your parents death. Such tragedy! Sto Helit will be mourning for weeks.' His eyes watered. Susan felt his passion on her pressed fingers. He swallowed his tears and smiled again. 'When would you come back, Your Ladyship? Your country needs you desperately. Sto Helit was without a ruler for too long time. Your destiny is to rule, remember your parents, your mother had the bounded duty, but she preferred the civil life, I hope you would reconsider coming back soon, Your Grace?'
Susan stared at him. That was too much. Death's deputy and now Sto Helit's ruler. She remembered why she was escaping this meeting forever. She sighed deeply. 'I will think about it' she pronounced.
'Please, do, Your Ladyship. Please, do.'
The man stood at her behind, taking his military pose, declaring to anyone's eyes he was not going anywhere else. The country was headless too long, it needed its duchess, its head. And he was a part of that country, ruling Sto Helit too long, without expressing how difficult this job was, how terrified he was.
Susan looked up at his smiling face and sighed again. That's it. She was hiding too long, shirking her duty. Now the man found her and he declared he wouldn't go anywhere without her. Now she had to find the fastest way to escape him again.
Lady Sybil looked at Susan's bored eyes and tapped her hand. The music filled the hall, she stood up and took Susan's hand, leading her without explanation. They crossed the dance floor, directing to a small group of people, gathered at a separate corner. Samuel Jr. looked at them coming closer and interrupted his long conversation.
'Mother?' he pronounced questionably. Lady Sybil dragged Susan's hand and put it in his. 'Dance!' she ordered. The Head Assassin stared at her, than he moved his stare at Susan's face and sighed deeply.
'May I ask for your hand to dance, miss Stow?'
Susan tried to answer, but Lady Sybil was too fast.
'Of course, dear, she wants to dance with you.' She pushed them both to the dancing floor, watching their uncomfortable reaction to each other. He lifted her hand to his shoulder and put his hand on her waist.
'I am truly sorry for my mother's behaviour, miss Stow,' he said when they started dancing. 'I don't know what to say.' He blushed. Susan blushed too. Her scar whitened on her left cheek. He looked at her and smiled. 'You look so much as your mother' he smiled. 'Unbelievable likeness, indeed.' She sighed, watching the other couples dancing. She had her attention gone. She had other problems in her head. Samuel Vimes Sr. was standing at the other end of the hall, watching at the dancing couples with interest. He smiled at her from distance and waived his hand.
Sam Jr. observed Susan's face with interest. She looked embarrassed, it was obvious she wasn't having fun. He was under his parent's influence for too long time, especially his mother's. She made him understand she would find him a good party, but he had stated at her knowledge he would prefer to keep his bachelor's statute. Nevertheless, Lady Sybil was pushing him in this or other lady's hands, his meaning was not good enough for her.
He was alone for so much time, his profession was not quite likeable, he believed that no lady would prefer to bound her life with the President of the Assassin's Guild. But it was his only opinion. He was under the impression the ladies his mother acquaintanced with him were mad. They stated in their behaviour he would be their preferable company, they made him understand they would do anything to get him. Alive. He preferred to be dead, before bounding his fate with some of them.
He looked at Susan. She was scared. He thought he knew why was she scared. Dancing with the Head Assassin was not easy, as he demanded in his heavy thoughts.
'Are you all right, miss Stow?' asked Sam Jr. fixing his eyes at her irritated face. She startled and looked at him. 'Yes, thank you, I am fine.' She stared at the same direction again. 'You don't look fine to me' said Sam. 'Do you need to seat, or maybe you need to eat something? You look skinny.'
Susan startled again. She looked at him with a lack of understanding. Her face reddened. 'Do I… look skinny?' she pronounced hardly.
'Yes, you do.' answered Sam Jr. still gazing at her. 'You look like you haven't eat and sleep for ages.'
She looked at herself. Yes, she must have lost weight, because her old dresses were hanging over her body as sand sacks. She barely found a proper dress for the ball. Black again. She hadn't ware anything colourful since she left the Quirm lady's school. When she went to live in Ankh-Morpork the black was the preferable colour because of the street's mud and dirt. When afterwards she became Death's granddaughter she was accustomed with her grandparent's colour. After that she couldn't imagine wearing anything different.
She smiled at his face.
'Maybe it would be better if I eat something then.'
He beamed in reply and led her to the food tables. Susan toured her eyes to see where Sam Sr. was. Then she looked for the shadow. He was standing at the opposite corner, leaning at the wall, watching at the crowd with interest and inspiration.
Sam Jr. followed her stare and cleared his throat.
'How long does your uncle practice the profession?'
She fixed her eyes in his. Then she lowered her stare.
'Since…' she cleared her throat. '…his birth, I guess.'
Sam Jr. nodded thoughtfully. 'But not here, in the city?'
'As far as I know he has been everywhere, I don't doubt he was doing his… job here.'
The Head Assassin sighed. 'Where is he from, if I may ask?'
Susan stared at him. 'Why don't you ask himself?' she pronounced with irritation and pointed. 'He is over there.'
Sam Jr. smiled nervously. 'I am sorry. You might think I am too devoted to my job…'
Susan sighed and shook her head. 'I do understand you. I am sorry for my behaviour.' She downed her head. 'I am not accustomed with the social gatherings, I believe my place is not here. My mother would turn round into her grave if she could see me acting as a full idiot. I guess I should explain why…'
'It's not necessary' answered Sam, still gazing at her. 'I am also a man without much experience in the social meetings. Although the Head Assassin should be much more accustomed with that stuff, you know…'
She lifted her face and smiled. 'You look so much as your father.' He looked at her and smiled. 'How do you know?' Then he laughed understandingly. 'I guess you have seen some of my father's old iconographs. Yes, I have been told I look like my father in his younger years. Thank you for being so observant.'
Susan smiled happily. Only if he could know…
'Have you finished with your sandwich?' asked Sam Jr. 'I still want to dance with you. But this time we might even talk.' He smiled at her, she replied with a nod, then took her hand and led her to the dancing floor.
---
The main room in the Big Temple at Cory Selesty was crowded. The gods were smirking around their preferable playing ground, watching at the small figures on the round table.
Great Yo hit his sceptre to the floor, establishing order among the inhabitants of the god's peak. Om smiled at his sleeve, looking at the Fate's dark eyeholes.
'Can we bet already?' sniffed Offler, staring at the throne. Yo sighed with boredom.
'Alright. Make Your Bets.'
'Hundred for…'
'Not That Fast!' Great Yo hit the floor again. 'Let Us This Time Do It The Proper Way.'
'What froffer way?' sniffed Offler again, wiping off his huge crocodile nose.
'Those Who Thing Susan Would Do It To Stand At Left. The Other To Stand Right. That Proper Way. And This Time No Money, No Souls, No Fates. Do I Make Myself Clear?'
'Yes, Great Yo.'
'Yes, Yo.'
'Right, Yo.'
'Those Who Win Will…'
'WHERE DO THOSE WHO DON'T WANT TO BET, STAY?' asked a voice.
Yo stared at the direction where Death was and sighed.
'They Sit By My Site. Go On, Make The Lines.'
---
'And then I was summoned to do my duty' said Sam Jr. 'Dad was so irritated, you know how he hates the assassins. I guess a man being contracted so many times, would hate the guild so much. But it was not my decision to go to the Assassin's school. I can't be blamed I am so much after my father. After all being Samuel Vimes's son is not easy. You know, people look at you with different eyes. I guess it was my fate.'
'Do you like your job?' asked Susan, staring at him.
He downed his face to her and whispered: 'Honestly…' He led her away from the chairs they were threatened to strike into. 'Well… I must confess, I didn't like it in the beginning. You know, all those administrative nonsense, the meetings and the idiots that contract their best friends and family members… But I must confess now that… I like it. Because I feel I'm good at it.'
'I'm glad to hear that' smiled Susan and looked aside. They were dancing the last several hours. The couples changed, the music changed, even the musicians changed couple of times, but they talked so enthusiastic, they didn't noticed anything at all. Even the music tempo. Susan must confess, she used to like dancing with young Sam. She liked talking with him, he was such a pleasant company. She didn't remember when did she have so much fun. He could talk the way that made her listen. And he didn't questioned about anything she didn't want to talk about.
No one of them noticed the hall's emptiness, the music had lowered slightly, and when they both lend their ears they heard nothing but a single violin, playing in the distance corner. They stared at each other and giggled. How much time had passed? It was already dark, the hall was empty.
Susan detached from his hold and stared at him. 'Its so late, I didn't notice. Did you?'
He smiled at her and reached to hold her for a final dance. Susan looked at the empty hall and whitened. 'Oh, dear!'
Sam stared at her nervous face. 'Is there something wrong?'
She sighed deeply. 'My god! What did I do?' Then she run to the exit.
'What's wrong, miss Stow?' he followed her rapid retraction. 'Did I do anything wrong?'
She jumped out of the gate and rushed off his hold. Scoon Avenue was dark, she didn't notice the time passing. She was pale, angry at her self. How could I be such an idiot? How could I be such a cow? Oh, dear!
John was waiting at her at the end of the street, she rushed at his hold and cried, pushing him back. 'Is he dead? Did you do him? John, answer me! DID YOU DO HIM?'
John shook his head. NO, SUSAN. DON'T YOU REMEMBER?
'Remember what?'
She gazed at him for long time. He didn't do Sir Samuel. But Susan also didn't do him. Than if he is dead, who did… If he is dead…
She shimmered. She could recall something. Yes, she could remember. She remem…
'Oh, gods!' cried Susan and took her head into her palms. There was a moment she didn't know how much time ago. She could recall it somehow. They were dancing and talking. Sam was telling her what had happened with the Seamstresses Guild some years ago. The complot against Mrs. Palm was quite interesting chat topic. The measures the Head Seamstress did were spectacular. They were so concentrated in their conversation, they were laughing with such satisfaction. When Susan felt the tap on her shoulder and turned around to see John's pale face and his hand ready to take hers, she did something…
She just wanted to get rid of John. The company she had was too interesting, she didn't want to be interrupted at that point. She…
'Oh, Gods! John, why didn't you stop me?'
The shadow looked at her and lifted his shoulders.
'I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DO THIS.'
'For Gods sake, WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP ME?'
She thrust her trembling hand into his pocket and extracted the hourglass. She remembered it now. She did something she would never do if she was sane enough. She… she wanted to get rid of John and his demanding hands and what she did was to… When he handed her the hourglass, she… turned it upside down.
She put her face in her palms and cried. Her shoulders were trembling. John came to hug her. She cried deeply in his hold.
'Grandfather will kill me… Oh, gods, he will kill me!'
She repulsed from his hold and made a step back. John gazed at her with interest.
She was laughing.
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I hope you like it this way. Review if you need to tell me something. Critics are welcome, as always.