by Robin Roseau
“I know,” I said. “Should I apologize?”
“No. Do you understand how or why you have attracted Ressaline attention?”
“I can repeat what the duchess said last night when I asked that very question, but I think more is going on than she admits.”
“You suspect treachery?”
“No. She said, in short, that she is engaging in dance diplomacy, and when she finds a woman with an apparently open mind, she intends to take advantage of it. Those weren’t her exact words, but I am paraphrasing.”
“I imagine she used other words to describe you. Intelligent and successful in a man’s world, perhaps?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I said. “Your Majesty, they have very strange customs.”
“That I know.”
“I like them, but they confuse me.”
“Two days ago, they intimidated you.”
“Now they confuse me.”
“They confuse me, too, and I have far more information than I imagine you do. However, the duchess has asked if she may be the one to bring this information to you.” He frowned. “I have not decided if I will grant this request. What do you think, Miss Cuprite?”
“I think I am a civil engineer with little experience with these matters, and I do not understand your attention any more than hers.”
He laughed then said, “I would still like to know what you think. Will you ask me what I know, or will you ask me to grant her request?”
“She wants me to come to Charth.”
“I know. And she’s asked for your attendance at events during their visit.”
“She said she intended to meddle.” I paused. “Is their friendship important to us, Your Majesty?”
“It is always good to have cordial relationships with our neighbors,” he replied. “Do you know? You are the highest ranking member of my government I could ask to accept their invitation.”
“I don’t think I understand. The Minister of Culture-”
“Is very, very good at her job,” interrupted the king. “But she will not be traveling to Charth.”
“May I ask whose decision that was?”
“Mine, I suppose, but I couldn’t ask her to undergo this ritual. I can’t ask you, either, but I can ask you to travel to Charth and give the duchess due hearing. Whether you decide to accept the ritual will be your choice. I would not hold it amiss if you decline.”
“She told me to plan to be gone for two months.”
“Depending upon the choices you make, it could be as long as a year.”
“A year!” I exclaimed.
“That would be under your control,” he said.
“Still. Two months away from my duties. Your Majesty, I have worked very hard to get where I am. If I am gone for two months, it is more than a two-month interruption. Everything that I would do during that time would need to be overseen by someone else, and any plans for immediately after that time would also transition to someone else. It would be as if I took far more than two months, by the time I am truly doing my duties on my return.”
“Are you concerned for your position, or are you looking for reasons to decline the invitation?”
“I am concerned for my duties to you and to Minister Heliodor. I like to believe he counts on me.”
“He does, but at the same time, this would be an investment in the future. You are a careful engineer. You understand this concept.”
“I do, Your Majesty.”
“Miss Cuprite, this ritual of theirs is not something I can in any conscience ask you to undertake. I will not explain why, but you will understand when Lady Olivia explains it to you. However, it would be valuable to me and to your future career if you could be free to travel into Ressaline.”
I nodded. “I will do whatever Flarvor requires of me Your Majesty.”
“We do not require this of you, Miss Cuprite,” he clarified.
“But you would like to send me.”
“Yes.”
“Then I will go,” I said. “Should I dread this custom?”
“That is not the report I have received.”
“I spoke with two women last night who said they look forward to it each time they visit Charth.”
“Just so,” he said. “In the end, it is your decision, Miss Cuprite.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.”
“I have already told Aasim to expect an adjustment in your schedule. You are free to accept their invitations as you deem best, Miss Cuprite.”
“I will, Your Majesty.”
At that he stood, and I stood with him. He took my hand and smiled at me. “Thank you, Miss Cuprite. You are a valuable member of this government. What you do is important work.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
* * * *
Lady Olivia moved quickly. When I arrived back at the Ministry of Transportation, a courier was waiting, a handwritten note in her hand with directions to await a response. I invited the courier to my office and then sat down and opened the letter.
Allium,
Several of us are attending a performance this evening with dinner beforehand. I would love if you would accompany me. Attire is cocktail. We can collect you.
She included several more details and then signed the note with an elaborate signature.
I looked up at the courier. “I will have an answer for you in one minute. Please wait here.” I stood back up and dashed down the hall to the minister’s office. He was in a conversation with one of my peers, but he turned to me when I appeared in the doorway.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” I said. I held up the note. “From Lady Olivia for tonight.”
“You don’t need to see me to approve your social calendar,” Minister Heliodor replied with a smile.
“No, but I will need to leave somewhat early to prepare.”
“Of course. That is expected. I am aware your schedule may be out of the ordinary for the next week, Allium. I will just assume.”
“Thank you, Minister.”
I returned to my office and wrote a brief reply. “I would love to join you and will be ready when you arrive.” I sent the courier off and then sat for a minute, considering my outstanding projects.
* * * *
I was already waiting when a short line of carriages came to a stop in the street outside my home. I didn’t make them wait, and so I stepped out the door at the same time Lady Olivia stepped from the lead carriage. She watched as I proceeded down the stairs, but then stepped forward to intercept me.
She was in another set of her leather outfits, this one with teal piping. I wore a knee-length dress with low heels. She smiled as we closed the distance, and she took my hands.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation,” she said before kissing both cheeks.
“I was excited to receive it,” I told her. “You don’t waste time.”
“I wasted all day!” she said with a smile. She hooked my arm and drew me to her carriage, a lovely covered phaeton with seating for two. Olivia handed me up, and then we sat, side-by-side, our shoulders and legs touching. She stroked my arm for a moment, smiling at me, then collected the reins. She called out, and the soldiers ahead of us clicked to their mounts. Soon, our entire entourage was moving through the streets of Barrish.
“You didn’t bring Bee and Dee?” I prompted.
“I did,” she said. “They are two carriages back.”
I leaned out the side and looked. “The landau?” I asked.
“Yes. With Claary and Rishia,” she confirmed. “I wanted you to myself. I love Bee and Dee to the bottom of my heart, but they require management, and so I set them on Claary.”
I laughed. “How does she feel about it.”
“She loves them, too,” Olivia said. “I am never sure, when she comes to visit, whether she is coming to see me or to see them.”
“Well, they are lovely and sweet,” I said.
“They pestered me last night to bring you back to Charth with us. Don’t le
t that go to your head. If they had their way, I would have a household of forty people.”
I leaned more firmly against her for a moment then said, “I can imagine worse things.”
“When would we sleep?” she asked with a laugh.
“Um. That wasn’t quite what I meant.”
“Oh,” she said after a moment, realizing I meant the hypothetical invitation to Charth. “So, you will be accepting an invitation?”
“Yes,” I said. “I would prefer a flexible invitation regarding when I would arrive.”
“I would need to know when you might cross the border, or you could arrange to travel with Ms. Opal and Ms. Indite.”
“You are suddenly formal?”
“I only wished to indicate they travel for business, although they find ample opportunity for pleasure. I’m sorry, but I don’t know their current intentions. If at all possible, I would like to know your plans before we depart. You won’t be traveling with us?”
“Unlikely. I wish to complete my current tasks and coordinate with my minister. I’m sure you understand.”
“I understand entirely,” she assured me. She gestured. “You have a beautiful city.”
“Thank you. I have heard Charth is also beautiful.”
“It is,” she said. “Although not like this. Ressaline City itself is somewhat drab in comparison, but it is nestled in the mountains, and we couldn’t possibly compete with their splendor. And so, it, too, is beautiful in an entirely different way.”
“I’ve never seen a mountain. What are they like?”
“Oh, I don’t even know where to begin,” she replied. “I was born to it, so I see it differently than if you were to visit. These flat lands here are disconcerting to me. It’s rough. Travel can be really rough. Here, travel can be seasonally difficult. The roads can become muddy and trecherous. There is no road into Ressaline City, not like a road here. There are routes, but in many places, you can’t travel abreast. We can’t cart supplies in and have to use pack animals.” She paused. “You would find portions of the travel far more intimidating than you did Major Bess.”
“Why?”
She pointed up. “Imagine rock above you for another thousand feet or higher.” Then she pointed down on the other side. “And below you, nearly directly below you, five hundred feet below you, is the bottom of the valley.” She spread her hands side to side, one reaching across in front of me. “The distance can be less than this.”
“Oh, my,” I said. “You’re right.”
“But it’s so beautiful,” she continued. “The tops of the mountains have snow, even in the height of summer.”
“What is snow? Is this a Ressaline word?”
She turned full on, looking at me for several moments. “You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
She shook her head. “Our worlds are so different. When water is cold enough, it forms ice.”
“Like hail.”
“Yes. Well, snow is a little like hail, but fluffy, like tiny feathers.” She explained for a while, and the entire time, I thought she was teasing me. Finally, she said, “You don’t believe me.”
“I would never accuse you of lying, Duchess.”
“You don’t believe me!” she exclaimed.
“I believe you,” I lied. She raised an eyebrow. “Well, you have to admit. It all seems very unlikely.”
“Not when you’ve lived in it your entire life. Why would I lie to you, Allium?”
“To tease me.”
“I admit that I am willing to tease you, but I don’t have to lie to do it. I am quite willing to withhold information, but it is unlikely you will ever catch me in a lie.” She said the word with disgust. “If I’m willing to lie about something like this, how can I expect you to trust me when it’s important?”
“You didn’t say you wouldn’t lie to me,” I replied. “Only that I won’t catch you at it.”
“I am able to misspeak,” she explained. “I wouldn’t want to be accused of lying because of a mistake in how I’ve said something. But I do not intentionally lie. I am, however, willing to let people come to wrong conclusions, and have even helped them to do so.”
“Have you done that with me yet?”
“No. You are quite aware there are things I’m not telling you, but I haven’t let you misunderstand anything, at least that I’m aware.”
At that moment, we came to a stop. Olivia saw to the reins and turned to climb from the carriage, but I set a hand on her arm. “I believe you.”
She turned back, paused, then smiled. “Thank you.”
“I want you to promise something.”
“You may ask.”
“I want you to promise I am safe with you,” I said. “And I don’t want any of this misunderstood safety, either. No playing games with the definition of ‘safe’.”
“You are entirely safe,” she said. “I intend for you to have experiences you would never expect, and you will come out the other side changed. But you will be stronger for it, and you will be far more prepared for your future.”
“All right,” I replied. “Thank you. Is this a date, Olivia?”
“Now that is a good question. I’m not sure.”
“Why aren’t you sure?”
“Let us consider this. It is a date from now until after the show.”
“All right,” I said slowly. “And after the show, I will return home, and so I think I misunderstand the distinction.”
“I don’t care to explain.”
“But for now, I can expect my hand held?”
She smiled. “Yes.” Then she took my hand, and we climbed from the carriage.
* * * *
Dinner was lovely. We sat at several tables with four or six at a table. Olivia and I sat with Lisolte and Kylia, although I accepted hugs from Bee, Dee, Claary, and Rishia before taking my seat. Yes, Dee grabbed my bottom. I laughed about it then whispered, “Please don’t do that here.”
Her hand moved. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“Flarvorians don’t do things like that.”
“I may do that when there are no other Flarvorians to judge, except Rishia and Kylia?”
I laughed. “Yes.”
“Okay,” she said.
Once we were seated, I turned to Olivia. “At times, Bee and Dee seem almost like children, and at other times, they seem quite sophisticated in their thinking.”
“They aren’t children, but they are far more comfortable in their joy than most people,” she replied. “That can seem childlike. But they are deeply intelligent, and while they were quite young when I claimed them, they have been mine for eight years, and they have seen much.”
As I said: dinner was lovely. We were all dressed nicely, and everyone was a deeply intelligent woman. Lisolte was especially charming, and she doted on Kylia. I finally asked, “Are the two of you dating?”
“We are tonight,” Lisolte said. “Exclusive relationships are not the norm in Ressaline.”
“We’re not in Ressaline,” I pointed out. “And Kylia is Flarvorian.”
“Kylia has become increasingly Ressaline,” said Kylia with a smile. “Last night, Bee and Dee were focused on you. Tonight, they are sharing their attention upon Claary and Rishia, but Dee still found opportunity to grab your bottom. Are you jealous? Should Claary and Rishia be jealous?”
“I’m not jealous,” I said. “Lady Olivia is holding my hand, after all.”
“And tomorrow night, when she is holding mine?” Kylia asked. “Hypothetically speaking.”
“I might be jealous if no one is holding mine,” I admitted.
“Lisolte,” Kylia asked, “what are the chances Allium’s hand will go unheld tomorrow night?”
“Zero,” Lisolte said. “As I intend to be holding it.” Then turned to me and smiled. “If you would accompany me.”
“You asked me for a date tomorrow night in front of your date tonight? And for that matter, in front of mine?”
“I take it that�
��s not done in Barrish?” She actually looked puzzled about it.
“Not normally, no.”
“Are you offended?”
“No, but are you sure Kylia, who may be more Flarvorian than you believe, isn’t?”
Lisolte turned to her date. “Are you?”
Kylia leaned forward and kissed Lisolte’s cheek. “No. But a few years ago, I would have been and may have stormed out in anger.”
I turned to Olivia. “Are you offended?”
“As it was my idea she ask you, no, I’m not.” And then she leaned over and kissed my cheek, but then whispered, “Are you?”
I shook my head slightly, but then I turned back to Lisolte. “At times, I am barely holding myself together. I am unaccustomed to everything that has happened since you arrived in Barrish.”
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Allium.”
“You didn’t, not really.”
“We represent three distinct cultures in this room,” Olivia said. “There are the Ressalines. Claary represents the Charthans, although after eight years, she has become largely, although not entirely Ressaline. Allium, of course, is nearly entirely Flarvorian.”
“Nearly entirely?”
“How many Flarvorian women hold hands in public?” she asked. “And have you ever had your bottom groped in public before? How would you have reacted in the past?” She smiled at Kylia. “And Kylia is still largely Flarvorian, but she has also become at least partly Ressaline as well. It is important to remember we come from different cultures with different attitudes, as Allium has indicated.”
I turned back to Lisolte. “I would love to accompany you tomorrow evening.”
“We’re attending a comedy club,” she said. “But I hope you will dress for me. We will collect you as we did tonight.”
“That would be lovely.”
* * * *
Later, alone in the carriage with Olivia, I asked her, “Why do I have a date with Lisolte tomorrow?”
“Because I think you like her, and she likes you.”
“Lady Olivia,” I said pointedly. “Are you going to make me work for the full answer?”
“Well, that had been my intention,” she said. “But I see it vexes you.”
“It does.”