by Robin Roseau
“Because they’re all men.”
“That is true, but that’s not why.”
“Because you don’t trust them.”
“Do you trust them, Tess?”
“Maybe Mr. Redhouse.”
“Not Mr. Nexisa?”
“Mr. Redhouse has always been kind to me. He’s made sure my room is warm in the winter. When I got here, my window wouldn’t open, and he got Mr. Gleece to fix it. I trust Mr. Gleece, too.” She paused. “Maybe those are small things, but that’s the kind of man he is. He takes these things almost personally, if you know what I mean.”
“I do know what you mean,” I said. “Go get Mr. Redhouse.”
She didn’t ask but hurried from the room. With the door closed, I looked about. “She’s stayed mousy.”
“She’s good at her job,” Terla said. “And her instincts are good. But we all know about keeping our heads down, and she hasn’t been around you enough. Give her time.”
I nodded. We talked about other things until Tess returned, bringing a confused general services officer with her. I invited him to sit then said, “Mr. Redhouse, I have received word from my father. He ratifies my decisions to date and reaffirms my authority. He seems pleased.”
“That’s good, Your Highness.”
“Mr. Redhouse, Ms. Sessen is quite your champion.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I think if I were going to sum up what she had to say, I would say she feels you have a good heart and are passionate about your work here.”
He paused and looked down.
“I’ve invited you here to ask your opinion on a few topics,” I said. “Mr. Redhouse, are you afraid of me?”
He looked up. “I don’t understand the question.”
“In this room, with the door closed, we speak plainly. I don’t have time for politics or platitudes. I think you can appreciate plain speech.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You seem distinctly uncomfortable.”
“I don’t understand why I’m here.”
“How about this. For two minutes, trust me.”
“I trust you, Your Highness.”
“Do I frighten you? Speak plainly.”
“You don’t frighten me, Your Highness. You confuse me.”
“Is that because I’m a woman?”
“Maybe.”
“When is the last time you answered to a woman?”
“I was fourteen and answering to my mother.” He paused then continued. “Sometimes, I see you, and you are…” He trailed off. “You’re in your gowns, and you’re smiling at people, and laughing, and that makes sense. But then you invite me here, and you ask if I’m afraid of you, or you talk about…”
“Feelings. All right. Let me ask this differently. Would you rather I went home?”
“Why would you ask that?”
“Because I desperately hope to secure both your loyalty and honest opinion, and I don’t know how to gain it.”
“You’re the princess,” he said. “And you don’t think you have my loyalty?”
“I see you struggling to look me in the eye. I see your body language. Since I’ve arrived, we’ve barely shared a dozen sentences that went beyond the minimum required for our respective duties. I have no idea what you want, what you think, what you feel. When I pressed Ms. Sessen how she felt about the staff here, yours was the very first name that came up, and she spoke of you in glowing terms. You seem very efficient as well.”
“Your Highness,” he replied. “You are the princess. I would walk through lava for you.”
“I told you,” whispered Tess.
“Yes, you did,” I said. “Mr. Redhouse, I could use your thoughts, but I get the impression you would rather return to whatever you were doing.”
He shook his head. “Maybe this is lava, but I’m here.”
“All right. You’ve been here a long time.”
“Twenty-six years.”
“All right here, when most others have rotated to other positions.”
“I met a local girl. We married.”
“I knew you were married. I didn’t know she was a local girl.”
“She’s not really a girl anymore, of course. We have three children, nearly grown up themselves.”
“I want you to begin bringing them to some of our events, Mr. Redhouse,” I said. “Morning tea, perhaps, as fits their schedules.”
“I’ll ask them,” he replied.
“So. Twenty-six years. When you arrived, the staff was half the current size.”
“Not the maintenance staff.”
“The only department that hasn’t swelled,” I said. “If anything, it’s understaffed, but you do a fine job. I can only imagine the hours you must work.”
“My son helps, too.”
“I don’t recall any invoices to pay him,” I said. “Are you covering it in a less obvious fashion?”
“He’s here helping his father.”
“Well, he should be paid,” I said. “How old is he?”
“Fourteen.”
“Old enough to be paid,” I declared.
“Thank you, Your Highness. He’ll appreciate that.”
“Does he do a good job?”
“I have to watch him like you might anyone his age, but yes.”
“Then use your judgement,” I said. “Mr. Redhouse, I have formed my own inner group of closest advisors. Have you noticed?”
“I think everyone has noticed.”
“Are you offended?”
“No, Your Highness.” He paused. “May I speak plainly?”
“Yes, any time that door is closed.”
“Your Highness, I’m little more than a glorified carpenter.”
“Somewhat more than that.”
“I’m not, however, a politician. I own one suit. Do you understand?”
“I understand entirely.”
“I stay out of all of that. I see to it the systems work. I’m a little particular about some of it, but that’s just my way.”
“You have no complaints from me.”
“If you want to talk to me about the building and the grounds, I am happy to do so. But I think I’m here for something else.” He paused. “You’re going to ask questions I’m not qualified to answer.”
“What kind of questions?”
“Whether the other departments are over-populated. The embassy is over-populated. We have too many people in this space. But I am not qualified to tell you who is necessary, and who is not. I wasn’t in any meetings where expanding staff was discussed. I typically found out when someone told me we needed space. I’ve done the best I can.”
“Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Redhouse. Sometime in the next few days, I’m going to invite people who wish to rotate home to do so. I would really, really prefer no one from your department accepts that offer, but no one is a prisoner here. I’d rather you not mention that until after I do, but I wanted you to know ahead of time.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” He paused then stood. “Will there be anything else?”
“If your family doesn’t attend tea sometime soon, you’ll be back in here, feeling uncomfortable.”
He offered a little laugh. “I’ll invite them.”
“Thank you, Mr. Redhouse.”
I waited until the door was closed and turned to Tess. “He’s a good man. Now, do you also want to escape?”
She straightened. “I think you should make your offer.”
“And will you take it up?”
“Only if you ask me to. Otherwise, I’ll stay.”
“Good. I think that’s all for now, Tess.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
We waited for her to slip from the room, then I sighed. “Give her time,” Selzen said.
“Does anyone think Mr. Nexisa should be invited to remain?” No one spoke. “I’m not promoting anyone from his department. I thought about her, but she’s not ready. Now does anyone think Mr. Nexisa should remain?
”
They chuckled. “Who will oversee the department?”
“Not me,” I said, sipping from my tea. “Mariya, should we have Terla and Selzen wrestle to decide who has to take it?”
“As entertaining as that might be, I imagine there are better ways.”
I sighed dramatically. “All of this is temporary, unless people decide to stay when I leave. The new ambassador will need to bring some staff.”
“That’s fairly common,” Terla said. “Quite typically, all the department heads are replaced, unless there are past relationships.”
“Ah. Well, I am taking the role of chief political officer, but I need an assistant. And I need a head of consular affairs.”
“Your pick,” Selzen said to Terla. “Or did Renishta want one?”
“I’m her general assistant,” Renishta said.
“If you’re serious, Selzen,” Terla said. “You’re better with the politics, and I’m a better paper-pusher. I can take consular.”
“Then I’ll be your assistant political officer,” Selzen declared.
“Excellent. That being said, this is my little council.”
“What do you want me to do?” Talith asked.
“You’re helping get through all of that,” I said, hooking my thumb to my desk. “So, my second assistant political officer. The three of us are the department. I’m getting rid of the rest.”
“All right, then.”
* * * *
I invited Mr. Epseen to our conference room along with his entire staff. I sat at the middle of one side of the table, my closest staff beside me. They sat on the other side. “I want to thank all of you for your past service to this embassy,” I said. “We are beginning a new phase here, and Father has recalled all of you to Barrish. I want all of you to transition anything you’re currently working on to Ms. Sarlenda or Ms. Leyviel. Mr. Epseen, you will transition any outstanding work to me. None of you is suddenly unemployed but are recalled to Barrish. You may take any reasonable time to settle your affairs here, but I would prefer you vacate the embassy in no more than two weeks from today. If you need an extension, you may explain the reason to me.”
They were clearly shocked, but they didn’t try to argue with me. There were a few questions, but then they all filed out, all but Mr. Epseen, who remained in his seat, staring at me. He waited until the others had left before he said, “You intend to run my office with two people.”
“Three,” I said. “I’m sure the future ambassador will bring others. He’ll have to, as when he arrives, I’ll depart with my immediate staff.”
“You’re leaving him with no experienced staff.”
“I’m leaving him with the ability to build his own team.”
“You nearly destroyed this embassy. Through the good graces of the Prime Minister, you were saved from your folly. And now you’re throwing away decades of experience.”
“You’ll be in a prime position to offer your services to the next ambassador,” I said. “You’ll be able to catch him while he’s still in Barrish. I could spend the next six months doing nothing but attending parties, and we’d be just fine. Lady Olivia calls it dance diplomacy.”
Without another word, he pushed off from his seat. He was gone by nightfall, his office an utter shamble.
Mr. Nexisa was next. Renishta brought him to me in the conference room. He sat down but tried to beg off, stating he had important duties.
“Well, you need to transfer those duties to Ms. Blendost. I have heard from Father, and he is recalling you to Barrish.”
“Excuse me?”
“I do not know his plans, but you are relieved of your duties here. Ms. Blendost will assume authority for consular affairs. If you coordinate, you can travel with some of Mr. Epseen’s staff, but please work with Ms. Blendost. Thank you so much for your hard work here.”
Even if I had no idea what that work was.
“Of course,” he said.
“I will address the staff myself. That is next, so I would ask you to keep this to yourself for another half hour.”
“Of course.”
He looked a little shocked, just like most of the political office staff had been.
But I assembled the rest of the embassy, minus the political staff. “I’ll get right to it. I have heard from Father, as you can perhaps guess, with the return of one of our Royal Couriers. He compliments all of us on our recent successes.” Terla initiated the applause for that.
“There will be staffing changes. The entire political office will transition to me, with Ms. Sarlenda and Ms. Leyviel to assist me. They have been informed, which is why you don’t see them. They are recalled, along with Mr. Nexisa, to Barrish, where they will debrief and then see to new assignments in some exciting locale. We wish them the best.” This time, I offered applause but felt a little false for it.
“Ms. Blendost will assume authority for the consular services,” I added. “I’m sure everyone will help her settle in.” I turned a circle. “Father has also suggested that many of you have been posted here for an extended period. If anyone else wishes to rotate home, please see me. You will be missed, but my father appreciates your long service in support of this embassy. Questions?”
“Is there word of a permanent ambassador?”
“Father suggests I may spend my 19th birthday here but made a promise I’ll be in Barrish by my 20th. That is all I have at this time. Anyone else?”
Birthday
I barely noticed Mr. Epseen’s absence. He’d had a large staff, and I had no idea what they had all been doing.
We lost six more people. The rest remained, and we settled in, far more comfortable, having lost a third of the embassy. I tried to give one of the better rooms to Tess, but she told me, “I like my room. It’s small, but I want to keep it, if that’s all right with you.” Who was I to argue?
We sorted through the things Father had sent. It took days, and it was on the third day that Renishta asked, “What is this?”
“What is what?”
“This newspaper article,” she said. “It’s in a folder by itself, but it’s one of the local gossip papers.”
“Gossip papers,” I repeated a little dully.
“It’s about you and Flame.”
She slid the folder to me. It contained simply one cutting of thin paper, and it was, indeed, about Flame and me, and a rather outrageous, entirely unlikely, and unfortunately far too accurate an account of one of our evenings together.
“Is there a note?”
“Just that,” she said.
“This might have fallen out,” Selzen said. She gave me a handwritten note in Ahlianna’s hand.
Neither Mother nor Father have mentioned this to me, but we do get the newspapers here. Is she cute?
Ahlianna
In bed that night, I told Flame about it. She grew quiet, and I asked if she was upset.
“Newspapers are one thing,” she said. “Of course, they get our newspapers. But that was from one of the cheap gossip papers. Darfelsa, someone mailed it to them, and I don’t know if I should point a finger at Mother or Father. How upset are you?”
“Let me show how upset I am.” I crawled on top of her.
* * * *
The entire council was quite pleased to hear Father ratified the agreement as laid out, and they rapidly agreed to help us set up an inspection team. After that, once we’d gotten our minds around everything Father sent us, we picked three we thought we should work on. But I decided an open approach was best, and so we invited Prime Minister Githien to visit me at the embassy. We met in my office, sitting down at the small conference table.
Laid out on the table were the various folders Father had sent. With my staff beside me, and the social niceties observed, I smiled. “Belolad, when we discussed shipping, we also agreed we would be looking at some of the other agreements between our countries.”
“I remember,” he said.
“This is not a permanent post for me,” I said. “
And I think we both recognize my youth.”
“And you sent much of the available expertise back to Flarvor.”
“I suspect you can imagine why.”
He shifted in his chair, and I thought he might have something to say, so I waited. “It’s not my place to council you, Darfelsa.”
“While we frequently sit across the table from each other, I would like to think we’re also trying to be friends, Belolad. I recognize your experience and welcome your wisdom.”
“I won’t ask you to confirm anything I’m about to say. You didn’t trust Honrah Epseen. And you didn’t know who from his staff you could trust. Rather than take advice you couldn’t trust, you simplified your position here.” I said nothing, but he was absolutely right. “I could conjecture further, but I think that’s enough. I’m not saying your decisions were wrong. But I will advise you to make sure you keep people around you who are willing to disagree with you.”
I nodded. “That’s a lesson Father teaches, too. Do you struggle to elicit honest answers from your staff?”
“All the time. Some of that is my own fault. I don’t always respond well when someone tells me I’m wrong.”
I smiled. “That can be difficult to hear.”
“Could I ask something, Darfelsa?”
“Of course.”
“Everyone who traveled with you from Flarvor is a woman.”
“That is true.”
“You have promoted one of those women into one of the key positions here.” He indicated Terla. “And you have yourself taken the other most important position, with another woman as your immediate lieutenant. Your immediate aide is a woman. I am the only man in the room.” He gestured. “Your combined ages barely reach mine, discounting Ms. Leyviel.”
“All that is true.”
“I guess I am curious.”
“Why we are all women on this side of the table, or why there is no one older than 30?”
“I guess both.”
“The first is easiest. When I was recalled from Ressaline, I left unfinished business behind. I had thought that was fine, as I thought I was only going home for a visit, and I didn’t learn about this mission until I reached Barrish. I chose to travel here via Charth.”
“Ah.”
“Are you aware of their requirements to travel freely through their country?”