but every day there's another war
Politics, Maryani had learned over the past six or so years, were not quite her thing.
It was less that she was incapable of pursuing the subject and more that it seemed so needless; if people were just a little smarter, a little better-educated, half of these legislative laws and bureaucratic idiots would be pointless. Still, Ehlana had been raised to run the system she was given as best she could, and consequently Maryani paid attention just in case--she had a knack, of sorts, for getting into places the more proper ladies couldn't or wouldn't go.
Some people called this "spying". Ehlana and Maryani considered it one of their little secrets (though Mirtai was obviously aware of them too, as Ehlana's right-hand woman), as Maryani was not always certain Martel would appreciate it, although she suspected Sparhawk knew of the arrangement regardless. Currently a group was assembled, after a discussion on Dolmant's slight (or more than slight) overreach of power, and Platime was explaining the myriad purposes of highwaymen, and their present agenda in the mountains near Cardos.
"Don't worry, Ehlana," he reassured her (though Maryani thought Ehlana hardly seemed to fuss over it), "I'll try to get some men inside their band, and when Stragen gets back, we'll put our heads together and work out some way to put those people out of business."
"I knew I could count on you," Ehlana said. She rose to her feet. "If that's all we have, gentlemen, I have an appointment with the dressmaker--for a proper dress, Maryani."
The addition was largely because Maryani was always encouraging Ehlana to pick up things that were purely devised to make Sparhawk drop whatever he was holding. (Maryani also employed this tactic on Martel on a regular basis, but she was pretty sure he tried to pretend it didn't effect him sometimes.)
"I'll be along in a moment," Sparhawk told his wife, "I want a word with Platime."
Maryani can only imagine what that might be.