by Taki Drake
For the rest of the hour, the conversation was subdued, and Ruth was not further targeted with nasty comments. Instead, she had pleasant discussions on neutral topics with several of the women and felt like she had made some progress in getting to know them.
Chapter 42 – Thought Counts
Harpor Townhome, Arkken Port
“Sabina, darling, don’t forget that we are all dying to see what your hostess gifts are. Since Cyprian and I came in last, by tradition, you have to open ours first.”
Ruth had decided that she really didn’t like Ruda, Duchess Aghar. When the woman wasn’t sniping at the Mage, she occupied herself with spreading malicious gossip and targeting the very young wife of Zaks. Even sitting on the sidelines and listening to the nasty comments cloaked with banal compliments was enough to make Ruth sick to her stomach.
The Mage thought to herself, I just have to get through the next hour or so without turning the woman into a pile of ash. Surely, I can hold my temper that long. Pulling her mind back to the events unfolding, Ruth saw that the attentive Harpor Butler, Landrich, had brought over a small table and set it in front of Sabina.
In just a few minutes, all eight of the hostess gifts were arranged in a line on the tabletop. Ruth noticed that the package that she and Pawlik had presented to their hostess was the furthest away from the woman.
Now, I remember. Harril told me that if we arrived at an intimate event first, our host gift would be opened last. I wonder if Sabina planned it that way?
The first package was wrapped in an elaborate paper, threaded through with what appeared to be gold wire. Ruda had a smug look on her face as if she knew that her gift would be much admired.
Carefully unwrapping the package, Sabina exclaimed in pleasure as the last of the covering dropped away, and an intricate arrangement of carved stone flowers was revealed. The older woman gushed, “How lovely, Ruda my dear. You are so thoughtful to remember that I like to add to my collection. Thank you so much.”
“I know how much you adore your non-wilting flowers, and I know how hard it is for others, with fewer connections, to find something that is so painstakingly made.”
Handing the example of lapidary art off to the Butler, Sabina turned to the next package. As she did, Ruth watched the Butler as he moved over to the glass-fronted case on the wall between two windows. Opening the cabinet front, the man quickly rearranged a packed shelf of similar objects, placing the newest addition at the front.
The Butler stepped back and turned to look at his mistress, intercepting Ruth’s considering glance. The subtle twitch of his lips and the quirk of an eyebrow all but screamed to Ruth the Butler’s real opinion. Who would’ve thought the man had a sense of humor? I could get to like him.
The next gift was a tiny one, enclosed in opalescent fabric and fastened with a miniature bow. Sabina exclaimed, “Monir, the fabric is gorgeous. Where on earth did you find it?”
The Baroness de Sande, Monir was a nervous woman, shying away from any sudden movement and obviously living in terror of her husband. Ruth had seen how her eyes tracked the Baron whenever they were in the same room. It made the Mage burn with a low rumble of anger, as she realized what she was picking up were the signs of abuse.
“I am glad you like it, Sabina. I thought it might brighten up your day.”
Ruda broke in, saying dismissively, “Great. Now you have a tiny scrap of fabric that isn’t good for much of anything. It would’ve been nice if you had given her enough to really, like a meter length or more. Anyway, it’s too bad about the covering, let’s look at the gift.”
Monir seemed to shrink into herself and dropped her eyes down. Ruth’s temper heated up, and she spoke without hesitating, “I think it was a lovely thought to realize that the gift is not just a presentation of an item for someone but a demonstration of how much you care about the other’s pleasure and well-being. Even that small piece of fabric is enough to bring joy.”
Ruda’s face tightened as Ruth blocked her from attacking her victim. Her tones slipping more toward straight nasty than sickening sweet, Ruda responded, “Apparently where you come from, some backwater world, they don’t understand about the nuances of gift-giving. Perhaps, someone should bring you up to speed, if you’re capable of learning it.”
Her temper now firmly under control, Ruth smiled serenely and said, “In all the places that I’ve been, and all the people of different cultures and races that I’ve dealt with, politeness and thoughtfulness are common themes. I am sure you are not telling me that Arkken society is short on either of those two.”
There was a barely stifled cough from Sabina before she chirped, “Let’s see what this lovely fabric is concealing.” The hostess then carefully pulled out a small carved bird, composed of red wood so crimson that it appeared to glow. Ruth caught her breath and whispered, reverently, “How beautiful!”
Sabina’s gasp of pleasure was right behind. The older Duchess said, “It is exquisite! If you do not object, I will take the clever little fabric bag to put it in and arrange it as a nest. Then I can set the bird perched within it.”
Monir kept her eyes downcast but showed a fleeting smile as she murmured, “I’m glad you like it.”
With a wary eye toward the inpatient Ruda, Sabina picked up the next gift, a larger rectangular box wrapped in brown ribbons, saying, “I can tell this one is from Lydie and Egon. It looks very interesting!” The Countess Tanan acknowledged her contribution but remained silent. Ruth watched as Sabina carefully slipped the ribbons off the package and opened it.
The many strands of ribbon posed a bit of a problem, so the unwrapping was extended. Ruda started tapping her fingers on her wine glass in the throes of her impatience. When Ruth realized that she was imagining appropriate responses for that type of boorish behavior, she gave herself an internal shake, saying, Get it together, girl. You definitely do not want to cause a big upset. It would be poor thanks to Sabina and Tenis for inviting us.
Sabina held up an intriguing perfume bottle, cut from a clear purple crystal. “Thank you, Lydie, this will look lovely on my dressing table.”
The quiet woman nodded in acknowledgment but didn’t speak. At that point, Ruth realized that as much as she was trying to keep everybody in mind that Lydie was almost a non-entity, a shadow clothed as a woman. The thought left a trail of sadness through Ruth, sorry for whomever Lydie really was.
Reaching next for a tall cylindrical package with a puffed-up bouffant top, Sabina smiled and said, “I bet this one is from Baiba and Zaks.” The very young Duchess Buchetia said, “Yes. Zaks and I hope…”
Ruda cut across the young woman’s sentence, abruptly interrupting her to say, “Yeah, we get it. It’s another one of his smelly flowers, and you always bring that. No imagination and no difficulty in getting them. You just go and pick a flower, stick it in a vase. Wrap it up and poof, you expect that to be a hostess gift. Your mother should have raised you better.”
Baiba looked like she was going to burst into tears, obviously unable to respond to such blatant rudeness. Ruth found herself struggling with a strong protective urge that threatened to explode out of her and fill the room with magic.
Swallowing a couple of times to get herself under control, the Mage heard her voice as if it were coming from another person. “Obviously, you would not receive that type of hostess gift because you don’t value it. That would assume that after you have made it obvious how little regard that you have for Baiba’s thoughtful gift, that they would ever accept an invitation from you.”
The young Duchess threw a naked look of intense thanks toward Ruth. Ruda appeared to be stunned into silence, staring fixedly at the Mage as if she couldn’t believe the words that had just been said.
While the boorish woman glared at Ruth, Sabina’s face was visible to the Mage, who saw the faint satisfied smile that appeared briefly before the hostess completed unwrapping what was indeed a beautiful long-stemmed flower that reminded Ruth of Earth roses.
A
glowing mixture of colors, the flower petals ranged from a deep crimson to pale pink. The flower was placed in a delicate porcelain vase that incorporated some of the hues found in the purple perfume bottle that Sabina had gotten earlier. The combination of the vivid purple and the translucency of the porcelain was the perfect complement to one of the most magnificent flowers that Ruth had ever seen.
Sabina asked her Butler to place the flower and vase on the mantle of the fireplace. Once there, the gift looked like it had been designed for the room, harmonizing well with the decor and the mood.
Ruth turned to Baiba and exclaimed, “I am amazed. You or your husband have a wonderful eye for color and form.”
Surprised, the young woman responded, “Thank you! I’m learning more every day, and Zaks has so much to teach me. I am so lucky.”
Sabina rushed into speech before any more unpleasant comments could be made, saying, “Ginette and Auguste’s gift is next. Let’s see what this one is.” The hostess reached out with both of her hands and lifted a large flat box tied with an intricately woven cord of what looked like long pieces of grass. As Sabina started to slip the rope off the package, Ruth caught the intriguing scents of multiple herbs and some spices that reminded her of cinnamon and cardamom.
The smells fired a stab of homesickness through Ruth that shook her to the core. All of a sudden, she realized how much she missed the smell of Earth. The tastes of her life, the flavors of her existence were all gone. There must’ve been some leakage of her emotion that made her feelings visible. Taking Ruth by surprise, a slightly shaking cold hand patted her arm, and she looked up in startlement to see Monir looking at her with worry.
A shared look of sympathy passed between the two women, and Ruth gently laid her hand over Monir’s and squeezed it gently. Immediately releasing her grip, the Mage could feel the touch of the other woman’s hand slip away as the brief moment of connection faded. Bringing her attention back to where Sabina was in ecstasy over the contents of the box, Ruth heard her hostess still exclaiming.
“… and the teas are incredible. The last assortment you gave me was perfect for the season. I will have to hold a dinner party every time I start to run out from now on. Thank you so much!”
Looking at Ruth, Sabina told her cheerfully, “Ruth, you have to come to have tea with me someday. Then you can taste these wonderful mixtures that Auguste and Ginette create for their friends. Once you do, though, I’m warning you, you will never want to drink any other kind of tea.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Let’s plan on doing that soon. The wonderful smells when you opened the box reminded me of home, and I would love to find out how similar the tastes are.”
Everyone heard Ruda mutter, “Like anybody cares.”
Chapter 43 – Gift Judging
Harpor Townhome, Arkken Port
“We have only two left to open, and I’m excited about both of them,” Sabina trilled. Ruth suppressed a smile because she had heard that same note in her own voice when she was hosting a dinner party, and it was not going as well as she desired. It was the sound of a woman trying to get her guests through a party without them killing each other.
Sympathetically, the Mage pushed down her irritation at Ruda’s boorish behavior and secured a pleasant smile on her face. It was the one that most of the time was a mask, and she hated to wear it, but in such unknown territory, it was appropriate camouflage.
The second to last gift was another small box, about the length of a hand on each side. Tied in sculptural bows, Ruth sensed a low hum. Curious, the Mage leaned forward, listening intently to the harmonics and the pulsing of the elusive sound. Sabina was surprised at Ruth’s action but did not inquire why one of her guests was so interested in the package.
Others were not so restrained as evident by Ruda’s snapped comment, “It doesn’t belong to you! Back off and let Sabina enjoy her own gift.”
Ruth made a split-second decision to just ignore Ruda. That woman gets entirely too much attention for poor behavior. Somebody forgot to paddle her backside when she was a nasty little girl, and now she’s grown into a vicious older woman.
Sabina opened the package and reached in with a coo of pleasure, “How lovely! I have never seen anything like it.”
Annele, Countess Tozhets, blushed in pleasure. The wife of Pawlik’s old Academy buddy seemed to be nervous in her current company. The woman didn’t appear intimidated, but Ruth had noticed that she was extremely wary of Pawlik and was actively avoiding many of the other guests.
All of the women leaned forward to examine the continually moving light contained inside the sealed glass bottle. The only thing that Ruth could compare it to was some sort of high-tech lava lamp, a leftover from the 1960s. A continually evolving mixture of colors, light, and iridescent particles, the display was mesmerizing and breathtaking.
“Annele, my dear, wherever did you find it?” Sabina asked. The younger woman smiled in relief, saying, “There is a man in Tozhets that has started to create these. Each one is different, and supposedly, they last forever. I’m so glad you like it. We wanted you to have something unique and as bright and cheerful as you are.”
Sabina laughed, a trill of pleasure that seemed to fill the whole room. She said, “So your gift has a gift, such a lovely compliment. Every time we look at this, Tenis and I will think of how enjoyable this party was and how much we liked having you and Bertold as guests.”
Once again, the attentive Butler carefully took the gift from his mistress’ hands and placed it on a prominent vantage point. Ruth could feel the atmosphere change as the seven other women focused on the remaining gift. All of them look like a hunting pack that has just sighted their prey. I need to keep in mind that the entire aristocracy operates like a pack. Some of the members are strong, some weaker, all of them predatory.
With avid curiosity in her voice, Sabina said, “All we have left is the last gift, the one that Ruth and Pawlik brought. I realize that the customs and traditions on Arkken may not be similar to those of where you were raised, but I hope that this traditional piece of our guesting behavior did not cause you too much of a problem.”
Ruth recognized an opening when it was handed to her on a platter, so she immediately responded saying, “I am sure that I will be discovering nuances to your behaviors and traditions for a long time.”
In a mutter made to be overheard, Ruda cut across the conversation, saying, “Assuming that you last that long!”
Ignoring another example of the woman’s lack of courtesy, Ruth continued, “Being somewhat unsure of the types of things that you would appreciate as a gift, it was not possible for me to select something totally personal. Of course, I asked Pawlik, but like any man, he absolutely had no clue.”
All of the women in the room laughed in shared agreement, most of them breaking into smiles. Broadening her own grin, Ruth continued again, “Therefore, my criteria had me looking for something that was exquisitely prepared as well as something I believe that you would enjoy. Given my own particular set of skills, I made sure that part of the gift was something that you could enjoy for a long time.”
Congratulations, Ruth, my girl. From the confused expressions on everyone’s face, they have no clue what I just said. Oh well, hopefully, they will understand when Sabina opens the package.
Sabina and the other women were indeed looking confused, but the accomplished hostess carefully picked up the intricately wrapped package and exclaimed, “My goodness! It’s heavy.”
Ruda muttered, “She probably gave you rocks. It would fit a barbarian background.”
This time everyone ignored the woman’s outrageous behavior. Ruth could tell that Ruda did not like being ignored. Too bad! If you want attention, you’re going to need to be nice.
Sabina untied the delicate ribbon that held the top of the packaging together. The instant that the layer shifted to expose the inside, an explosion of butterflies emerged.
Iridescent wings in jewel-tone colors accented an ae
rial ballet as the tiny gemmed creatures wound their way through floating flowers. The pastel shades of the flower petals darkened in intensity as they sank toward the ground, only to disappear as they hit the floor.
A sweet scent perfumed the air for a few seconds, wakening the sense of smell as completely as the illusion fed the visual one. Looking around the room, Ruth could tell that all of the women were caught up in the experience that she had so carefully crafted.
Her eyes filled with a childlike wonder, Sabina reached over and grabbed Ruth’s hands in hers, gushing, “I have never seen anything more beautiful. Thank you so much for this gift.”
Reminding Ruth of twittering birds, the rest of the women added in their compliments, tumbling over each other in a flurry of words. Only Ruda was silent. Checking the woman’s expression from the corner of her eye, Ruth could see the same look of wonder on Ruda’s face, but also saw the underlying cold calculation that was going on furiously in the conniving mind of the Duchess of Aghar.
Ruth smiled and said to Sabina, “I am delighted that you like the packaging. However, you might want to look at the gift also.”
“You mean there’s more?” Sabina reached down into the large box and pulled out the closed package that Ruth had purchased at the apothecary’s shop. Almost trembling in excitement, the older woman flipped the lid back and shouted in glee, “Sweets! Oh, dear heavens, they look like works of art!” Abandoning the calm, reasoned hostess role, Sabina called to her Butler, “Landrich, get us some small plates immediately. Perhaps a sharp knife so that we can divide them up and share!”
The staid Butler left the room quickly, returning in just a few moments with plates and extra napkins as well as several sharp knives. All of the women had come to their feet and crowded around Sabina, commenting on the selections that were included in the large box.
Quickly, their hostess pulled six of the examples of a confectioner’s art out and cut them into four pieces each with her own hands. Jostling elbow to elbow, the women each grabbed three and returned to their seats to savor the incredible flavors.