Alun brought in wine, and busied himself in the kitchen, delivering courses but otherwise making himself scarce.
“How has your week of practice hunts worked out?” Angharad asked, as they ate.
“I think it’s gone about as well as I could have hoped, but it’s an absurdly short amount of time to take over a pack. Don’t misunderstand me—I’m not that worried about embarrassing myself tomorrow; if it happens, it happens. It’s just that I gather the stakes on Saturday will be higher for everyone than I realized when I accepted the job, and I’ve only got these next two hunts to rehearse.”
She nodded soberly. “That’s so. You’ll have seen the many new arrivals in the last couple of days?”
“I skipped dinner in the great hall tonight, but I saw them yesterday. A glittery bunch, and some seemed to h
