Whaa? Whaas wrong? Artemisiaas telepathic words slipped into his head, stunning him. Head projected strongly enough to rouse her.

He shouldnat answer, should reduce the bond between them, not let it expand with emotions, with anger. You lied to me.

About what?

That made him grit his teeth. More than one thing, obviously. First item, your name. Your true surname isnat Panax, itas Mugwort. As in the Mugworts who were tied to pylor and the Black Magic Cult murders.

Yes. Her words crackled with her own anger down their link. As in the Mugworts who had a lady whose religion was different, and because of that, because she had incense that most households in Druida had, containing a small amount of pylor, we were scourged by the newssheets.

aLady,a he sneered. You were also n.o.bles. He flipped through the information in his brain about n.o.bleHouses. You were a GraceHouse. You would have been GraceMistrys Mugwort.

He kept his mental tone smooth as a sharp blade. And you, as a Mugwort and a Healer, knew the scent of pylor, probably understood what had happened to that murdered man as soon as I examined him.

YOU examined the body.

I asked if you knew the smell. You said no.

I . . . shook my head.

I asked your opinion, you said NOTHING.

Her silence went on a beat too long, twisting unbearable hurt within him. My mistakea"he made sure his tone was mockinga"thinking you were honorable enough to help without being asked.

Thinking I was too stupid to understand what I saw, more like, she shot back.

Had she tossed her head? Maybe.

And it took you long enough to think everything through. And when you did, you anger and rage like a man, blaming me. Waking me. Iam tired of that and of YOU and your own self-righteousness.

Self-righteous! Havenat you wondered why I was able to contact you mentally?

She snorted this time. A bond often forms between a Healer and a patient in such shared circ.u.mstances. Donat worry about it. It will fade. The sooner, the better.

He laughed and made sure she heard it through their bond. No, it wonat. Not a link between HeartMates, DEAREST.

Complete shock vibrated through their connection. Gasping, maybe. Heart thunderinga"he could feel how her pulse raced.

NO! IT CANaT BE.

Yeah. It is. He sensed her thoughts fluttering.

You canat tell me! Itas against all our laws to tell me that I am your HeartMate. It takes away my free will!

His turn to snort. Yeah, letas call the guards. We can tell them all about Artemisia Mugwort who helped discover the body of a murdered man. A Healer who kept her mouth shut as to how he died. Do you know who he was? Are you hiding that, too?

No! I said nothing . . . for my own reasons. It has nothing to do with you.

Weare HeartMates. Most would say that whatever one does would affect the other. He paused. Just because youare my HeartMate doesnat mean I want you.

Of course it doesnat. Her tones were frigid. You want your lost Dinni.

What!

You didnat think that I would know that? Itas obvious.

There was a pause, and when she spoke mentally again, it was like shead sent icicles down their link. Cold enough that he shivered inside. And I figured out a long time ago that you didnat want me.

He could envision her now, chin up, gaze straight, green eyes lit with anger of her own. I understood that when the years went by and you never came for me. Youare older, you must have felt the HeartMate connection earlier when you had your Pa.s.sages. Youare a man who likes to solve puzzles. You must have looked until you knew who I was.

That wasnat a question, but he answered it anyway. Yes.

But she was continuing, I thought that since you knew who I was, you didnat want me because of the scandal, that claiming me might besmirch your own name or reputation.

He heard her bitter laugh.

But you really didnat care enough about me to see under the surface, did you? Well, now I know why youave treated me like you have. Enjoy your life, Garrett Primross. I wonat bother you. Ever.

The link between them didnat snap, not between HeartMates, but it squeezed so narrowly he couldnat feel ita"nothing of the emotions that might be churning through her. So he had to shout his last words. I WILL SEE YOU MIDMORNINGBELL AT THE HEALINGHALL!

He couldnat feel her emotions; as for his owna"relief that he didnat need to hide anything of himself from her again, that she understood about Dinni.

Rusby jumped up to the bedsponge. You woke Me up. Tilting his head at Garrett, he said, You were mean.

Garrett winced.

The kitten licked his forepaw. But you have always been mean to her.

Garrettas gut knotted. Head been wrong in not controlling his anger, wrong in speaking with Artemisia at all. His emotions had been too d.a.m.n scrambled.

Trust was an iffy thing. He had trusted her and she had lied, but shead nursed him and been there with him, went through a lot to take care of him.

He tasted the bitter ashes of self-anger. He must apologize tomorrow.

Eighteen.

Garrett Primross was her HeartMate! As soon as she choked off the bond between them, Artemisia sobbed. Shock, initial joy, anger, and then pain at his words rejecting her. Oh, Lady and Lord, how she hurt. She folded up into a ball and pulled the linen cover over her head.

How wonderfully horrible. She wept until the throbbing emotions drained and she was left with a stuffy nose and a headache.

And a heart ache.

In the deepest reaches of her being, shead had hoped that her HeartMate just hadnat found her. That he hadnat looked for her or discovered who she was. That he hadnat made a decision to avoid her.

She hadnat pursued him. At seventeen, when shead had her Pa.s.sage dreams, the Family had still been in flux. She hadnat been at her childhood home, nor had she been here, in BalmHeal Residence. Theyad been in rooms rented to them by lower-cla.s.s people who would be suspicious of the Panaxes if one of the Family had had a strong Pa.s.sage to free equally great Flair.

Artemisia and her mother had agreed to bring on her Pa.s.sage with drugs and make it proceed at a quicker pace. Theyad gambled that Artemisia wouldnat have more Flair than her parents. If she had, the drugs would cripple that Flair. Artemisia had accepted it all. Anything that would ease the lot of her Family. So shead suffered through a fast Pa.s.sage. Not over weeks or days, but in septhours, less than half a day. There had been a quick s.e.xual connection with her HeartMatea"and a quick releasea"but she hadnat had the time or the luxury to experience long dreams or deep connections with him.

Now she knew that he would never want hera"head been so cutting.

She rose from bed and went to the waterfall, washed, then threw the sheets in the cleanser. Staring at her favorite pillow, she saw it was stained with tears. It was feathers and shead have to use a special spell to clean it.

The other pillow on the bed was the one shead taken to the Turquoise House. All right, looking at that hurt. The best way to get rid of the scents that would remind her of the slight time shead had with her HeartMate was to air it in the herb stillroom. Then shead re-cover it with a different fabric.

Everything would be all right. She had to get through only a few days. One final meeting at the HealingHall this morning.

At least now she knew her HeartMate didnat want her. Because he was in love with a dead woman. Because of the scandal. Because shead once been n.o.ble. Because she worked with n.o.bles and respected them. Was that all? Too much? Too little?

Didnat matter. She didnat want the narrow-minded, self-righteous man, either.

And now that she knew no HeartMate was coming for her, shead get on with her life. She was a pretty enough woman, and a Healer, and had a good career, and maybe, Lady and Lord bless, a few good connections. Shead find a man and be content. Have children.

She would choose carefully, a man who wouldnat demand to live outside the walls of the sanctuary, whoad live in her home. Shead like children . . .

Bleakly, she sat on the window seat and waited for the dawn, watched the sun rise through a bright and clear sky. Then she moved through the early morning with forced calm, staying busy with housekeeping spells and work in the conservatory. Her home.

She hadnat let despair win beforea"she wouldnat now.

She dressed very carefully to meet Garrett again, in her most pristine and professional SecondLevel deep green tunic with silver embroidery on the long sleeves, around the hem and side slits of her tunic and her trouser cuffs. The outfit wasnat good for messy Healing, even with all the spells to keep off various bodily fluids. But she needed the confidence boost.

Fine for a meeting with the FirstLevel Healers and Garretta"GentleSir Primrossa"though. And it made her feel good. As did the approval of her Family. With a gleam in her eyes, Tiana said that since Artemisia looked so good, shead invite her to lunch after the meeting at Darjeelingas HouseHeart and Artemisia agreed. They walked through the estate to the gate together.

aSo, what are you hiding?a asked Tiana.

Artemisia gritted her teeth; her sister knew her too well. aNothing I can tell you of.a aIam a priestess, I know how to help with psychological and emotional problems, and something has you stirred up beyond what we discussed last night.a aI donat want to talk about it.a When had her steps turned to stomping? She slowed them, knew her sister and raised a palm out. aI need to mull this over first.a And she couldnat tell her sister, or her father, the ex-judge. They would be disturbed that Garrett had broken a cardinal Celtan law by telling Artemisia that he was her HeartMate. Upset enough that they might take action.

Her mother would be hurt.

And none of them would approve of the fact that Artemisia intended to do nothing about the situation. They all saw her as the most softhearted of them, perhaps the weakest. Just because she didnat like risk or confrontation.

That she wanted to ignore the man wasnat weak. He didnat want her, so what? She would get on and find a man to love and marry, have children. She wouldnat let Garrett Primross put a rocky boulder in the path of her life. She let out a quiet breath. aIam thinking that with the successful end of this experiment, my career is on the right path and I should consider marriage.a aReally!a aYes.a aWhat of your HeartMate?a Since Artemisia had been sure Tiana would ask, she was ready with an offhand comment. aOh, since he hasnat shown up by now, I donat think he will.a aAnd you donat want to go looking,a Tiana said with a note in her voice that meant she was equivocal about her own feelings to her own HeartMate.

aNot my style,a Artemisia continued lightly, let her true wistfulness show. aIad like children soon.a aYouall be a wonderful mother.a Tiana beamed a sincere smile. aOur parents and BalmHeal Residence want children sooner rather than later, too.a She said the low chant that dropped the layered-for-centuries spellshields and opened the door into the illusion of a thicket. As usual, the abandoned warehouse district in the northeast corner of Druida was empty.

Tiana turned and hugged Artemisia, then said, aI love you. Iall meet you at NoonBell at Darjeelingas HouseHeart restaurant!a Her elfin smile flashed. aAnd Iall start considering men for you!a She teleported away.

Even for Family, teleportation was discouraged into and out of BalmHeal estate and Residencea"for the rest of Celta it was impossible. Artemisia said the rhyme that locked the door and raised the shieldsa"blocking the image of Garrett Primross from her mind. Shead find other men attractive, she was sure.

Yes, all she had to do was to get through this one final meeting.

Once again Garrett was in the main den of Primary HealingHall. Rusby hadnat wanted to go to another place with harsh-nose Healer smells and had stayed snoozing in the apartment.

Just as well, Fams werenat encouraged in HealingHalls unless they were providing comfort and Healing aid for their people.

FirstLevel Healer Ura Heather sat arrogantly behind her carved antique and ma.s.sive desk, and FirstLevel Healer Lark Holly was next to him in one of the two plush chairs before the desk. Artemisia Mugwort sat in a straight-backed chair against the wall near the door. Ready to leave.

Her face looked more stern than head thought was possible, nearly expressionless. Her body was stiff with watchfulness.

aGentleSir Primross, I am pleased to confirm that we should be able to manage the Iasc sickness due to the successful experiment we conducted,a FirstLevel Healer Ura Heather said.

aHeard that yesterday. Donat know why I had to come in today,a Garrett said. He needed to get Artemisia alone to apologize.

Heatheras nostrils quivered. aWith the measurements that the Turquoise House took and the blood we drew, we have found an anomaly that might explain, among other factors, why you survived the sickness.a That focused his attention on her. aTwice. I survived the sickness twice.a aYes.a aWe are all too conscious of your altruism in this matter,a Lark Holly said smoothly. aThe FirstFamilies Council met, and upon recommendation of TaHeather, have authorized an annual gilt to be paid to you for the rest of your life.a Garrett whipped his head around to stare at her. Smiling, she named a figure that was triple the annual income from his business. He opened his mouth, shut it, said gruffly, aI didnat do it for the money.a Then he looked back at Heather; faint disapproving lines bracketed her lips. aAnd I didnat do it out of any sense of guilt or for fame.a Heatheras eyes flashed like the stream of a blazer shot.

aWe understand that,a Lark continued smoothly. aIt is our thanks for allowing us to put you through such an ordeal to better the life of Celtaas citizens.a He wanted to grunt. Instead he inclined his head. aThank you.a He wasnat too proud to take the gilt, especially since it ensured head be financially stable for the rest of his life. He glanced at Artemisia. She looked the same. Head have liked some show of cheer on his behalf.

Not that he deserved it from her. But he hadnat thought she was the type who could hold on to anger or a grudge. He was disappointed in both of them.

So he looked back to Heather. aWhat about this anomaly you found in my blood?a The thing more important than his guilt or Artemisiaas hurt feelings, the way to save people.

aNeither this HealingHall nor TaHeatheras or Culpeperas research laboratories have been able to isolate the anomaly. We do know that something about your blood reacts with your Flair in a significant manner that shields you from the Iasc sickness and apparently even combats it. We know that the more you succ.u.mbed to the illness, the more Flair infused your blood and worked with the anomaly.a aBut you donat know as much as you wanted,a he said.

aWe know a great deal more than we did before. Our labs will continue to work with your samplesa"a aYou took enough of them.a aA good thing we did, too,a Heather snapped. aHowever, to continue, we have also couriered some of your blood to the laboratories of the starship Nuadaas Sword to be a.n.a.lyzed. Ancient Earthan technology works differently.a She sniffed in a superior sort of way and her voice fell with dissatisfaction. aThe starship might possibly shed some light on the sample. In any event, we should still be able to manufacture a panacea that acts like your blood to save any future cases of those infected with the sickness.a aGood to know.a aSecondLevel Healer Panax will continue to be our liaison with regard to this matter,a Heather said.

aI was a.s.signed a full caseload of patients this morning and am expected on full shift tomorrow morning,a Artemisia said. aI canat handle the time out of the HealingHall that this matter might consume.a Heatheras brows snapped down. aWhat?a Lark Holly moved and he understood what had happened. Lark had given Artemisia enough worka"or Artemisia had asked Lark for enough worka"to avoid him.

Heather swiveled in her chair to the data screen on her wall. aShow Artemisia Panaxas patient roll.a The screen blinked on and pics and stats of patients scrolled along it. Enough that Garrett couldnat keep count, more files than he was working, that was for sure. More files than he would ever need to work again.

aI will rea.s.sign some of your cases,a Heather grumped.

Garrett almost caught a flicker of reaction from Artemisia, but she was st.u.r.dier than head thought. aI am a better Healer than liaison,a she said.

aNevertheless, Iad like you to continue with this matter,a Heather said. aThank you for coming to this debriefing, GentleSir Primross.a So they were being dismissed. He and Lark Holly stood.

Heather said, aYou are cleared to teleport and use whatever amount of Flair you need for your work.a aFirstLevel Healer, I would like to request that I not be the contact betweena"a Artemisia said.

Heather glared at Artemisia, who still sat. aI am in charge. Tell me, do you value your job here, SecondLevel Healer Panax?a Artemisia went white. aYes.a aI tolerate you, no more. Iave allowed you to stay in my HealingHall and youave been adequately competent. But I do not forget your background or your bad blood. If you wish to keep your position here, you will accept the duties I give you.a aYes, FirstLevel Healer Heather.a aAlready I have been tasked with rumors about a murder that included your name in the report.a Artemisia turned wide staring eyes at Garrett, as if head talked to the flitch behind the desk about finding the body. He could read his HeartMate now. Betrayal.

After wetting her lips, Artemisia said, aOf course it will be my pleasure to be a liaison between Primary HealingHall and the research laboratories of TaHeather and Culpeper to GentleSir Primross.a She stood and took a step to the door.

aIndeed,a Heather said.

The scry panel lit with a buzz. aYes?a demanded Heather.

Her a.s.sistant said, aCaptain Winterberry of the Druida guards to see GentleSir Primross and SecondLevel Healer Artemisia Mugwort Panax. He is in the small conference room.a Antic.i.p.ation suffused Garrett. Dealing with the Captain and murder was so much easier than Healers.

aInform the guard that the pair of them will be there momentarily,a Heather said.

aYes, FirstLevel Healer.a aSecondLevel Healer Mugwort, I will remind you that your probationary period at this inst.i.tution has not expired and you will be up for review in a week.a aYes, FirstLevel Healer Heather,a Artemisia said. When she met Garrettas gaze, her pupils were so dilated that he could see only the tiniest rim of green. aGentleSir Primross, please come with me to the small conference room.a She turned her straight-spined back and walked away from him.