by Robin Roseau
"And so... this is normal?"
"This is normal," I agreed. I glanced at her footwear. Her shoes were better geared for walking than riding. I was in walking boots myself, and so I would need to stop by the house for my riding boots and a different cloak; I would loan one to her as well.
"Why are you frowning?"
"If you promise something to me, will you keep the promise?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"We need to stop by my parents' home, and I want you to promise to behave. We are going there so I may change my boots and grab warmer cloaks for both of us. But if you are going to misbehave, I don't dare take you that near a bed."
She laughed. "I will behave. More or less."
"More or less?"
She grinned.
"How do you feel about spending some of the money you exchanged?"
"Are you taking me shopping?"
"Yes."
She grinned. "I love to go shopping."
"Come on." I took her hand and pulled.
In the small villages on Talmon, the cobblers make shoes only on demand, sized for your foot. But in Sudden, we had two cobblers who kept various shoes and boots on hand in a variety of styles. I wouldn't buy walking shoes this way, as the fit is more important when one will be walking for kilometers and kilometers. But for a ride, there is a little room for adjustment. And so I took Delilah to one of the cobblers. As soon as she saw the shop, she grinned.
"So, you would dress me in the Talmonese style?"
"I would have you buy boots more appropriate for riding," I replied.
It was the cobbler's eldest daughter, Miratine, who greeted us. We were friends, of a sort. "Chaladine," she said. "How are you?" She offered a brief hug then turned to Delilah. "Is this one of the star people?"
"It is," I said. I provided introductions in both Talmonese and English. Then I told Miratine the purpose of our visit.
"Of course," she said. She gestured. "Here, Delilah," she said. "Sit." At that point, I translated back and forth.
Miratine removed both of Delilah's shoes, struggling with them for a moment, then marveling at them. "I have never seen shoes like these?"
"They are tennis shoes," Delilah said. "They are very comfortable."
Miratine admired them for a moment longer, which I thought amused Delilah, then set them aside. She took measurements of both feet, then excused herself for a moment. When she returned, she had several pairs of boots with her in two styles. She showed them both.
"They are rather plain," Delilah said. She took one of the boots and looked at it. "The stitching is not entirely even."
I didn't translate, although I thought perhaps her tone was sufficient. "They are made by hand," I said. "Miratine's parents are two of the best cobblers in Sudden. They do not make the shoes you would buy for dancing, but these are good, practical boots. But perhaps you do not care to resemble someone from Talmonese in your footwear."
She paused, examining the boot. "These are good boots?"
"You can buy fancier boots," I said. "But they are made to order, and we could not have them today. If we want to go riding this morning, these are the boots that are available."
"Well," she said. "Then we shall try them." She handed the boots back and held out a foot, waiting for Miratine to dress her feet.
I didn't understand the problem. She was clearly disappointed. These were good boots, well crafted, and if she wore them enough, they would feel good on her feet.
Delilah stood and walked around in the boots. "They feel funny."
"They will feel funny," I said. "They are designed for riding. Do they fit?"
She wriggled her feet then sat back down. "I would like to try the others."
In all, Delilah tried on all the boots Miratine had brought out, but in the end, she decided the first pair fit best.
"Do I really need these?" she asked.
"They look good on you," I said.
"They're not really my style," she replied. She looked at them critically.
"These are important. I cannot take you riding in your other shoes. It would be dangerous."
"Dangerous? The shoes matter?"
"You must be able to slide your feet in and out of the stirrups," I said. "Your shoes will not slide easily. Difficulty sliding in is only annoying, but if there is a reason to slide your feet out you do not want to stick. These won't stick. The heel is high to prevent your foot sliding too far, however. And the height of the boot prevents bunching against the saddle. You will be far more comfortable with these boots than your shoes."
"All right," she said. "I guess I'll take these. How do I pay her?"
I told Miratine we would take these, and she named a price. I repeated it to Delilah. She looked away for a moment, then she turned to me. "So expensive?"
I smiled. "You must bargain."
"Bargain?"
"Yes. Don't you bargain when you buy things at home?"
"Bargain. You mean negotiate a price?"
"Yes."
"I suppose we do for some things, but not for something in a store. You should bargain for me, and I will watch."
"It would be in Talmonese, and you wouldn't understand. What would boots like this cost on Centos Four?"
She eyed them and frowned. "We do not have boots like these. We have boots, but they are not made from these materials or in this fashion. And these are very plain. I would never buy these if you didn't say I need them today."
Miratine asked if there was a problem. I told her only that Delilah hadn't expected to bargain.
"She could pay the asking price," Miratine said with a smile.
I translated that, and Delilah's expression turned predatory. "You are going to make me bargain? So you will translate what I say?"
"Yes."
"Tell her I will not pay such an outrageous price."
"It's not-"
"If I am bargaining, then I should bargain my way," she said. "Tell her."
I explained to Miratine I was only translating, then I repeated what Delilah said. Then I added, "She is learning."
"Of course." Miratine turned back to Delilah. "These boots were crafted by hand. They take many hours to create, and we have them here for you to take right away." Then she offered a slightly smaller price.
"Every shop on Centos Four would have boots ready to take right away," Delilah replied. "With a wider sampling as well." She offered a slightly higher price, but she came up half of what Miratine came down.
The two went back and forth for a while. Miratine espoused the benefits of these boots, pointing out the features that made them good, safe riding boots. Delilah pointed out every flaw, and she had a sharp eye, and finally negotiations stalled. Miratine had come down further than she should have, perhaps as a gift to me, perhaps to be able to say she had sold a pair of boots to one of the star people. But Delilah's offering price was still an insultingly low price.
"At this price, we barely pay for the materials," Miratine explained. "Mother made these boots herself, and she would make nothing for her time."
"That is not my concern," Delilah said. She shook her head. "We will go somewhere else. Take them off."
I stared at her but didn't translate. She turned to me. "Tell her."
"I cannot take you riding in your other shoes," I said.
"Then we'll do something else. She grinned. "Perhaps we can go to your room and I will behave."
I turned to Miratine. "The last riding boots I bought from you were seventy-four dollars. Is that a fair price?"
She looked up at me. "She did not just offer that much." It was more than Miratine was asking.
"I do not believe she understands what goes into making these boots, and she compares them against what is available on Centos Four."
"We are not on Centos Four."
"I know. Is seventy-four fair? I will sneak the coins to you."
She nodded. "Thank you, Chaladine." She glanced at Delilah, and her expression was cl
ear, although she didn't say anything.
"Pay her," I said to Delilah.
"Really?" She smiled broadly and clicked the toes of her boots together. She didn't wait. She had her money in a pouch she wore around her waist, under her clothes. She opened it, but she didn't recognize the coins. I told her the colors, and she pulled out the right ones.
"This is more."
"She will give you a few coins back."
Before handing over the coins, she looked at them. "Hey! This is you!"
I smiled. "You didn't know I was that important, did you?"
She looked at her other coins. "This is your mother." She passed over the required coins, and then Miratine gave her change. Delilah examined them. "I don't know who these are."
"That is my brother, Rordano, and the little ones are my sister, Margotain."
"The entire family is on the coins?"
"Look at the back," I said. "That is Margotain's thumb print."
We collected her shoes, and I offered to carry then, but then I hugged Miratine. I had managed to pull out the remaining coins we needed, and I used the hug to give her the difference.
"Thank you," she said again.
"Thank you for understanding," I replied. "We have our hands full, teaching them what it means to live on Talmon."
"The Governor has shopped here. She didn't seem to need much help."
"But she is very old, and Delilah is not."
Finally I joined Delilah on the street. She was frowning at me. "You hugged her."
"We're friends."
"You shouldn't hug other people when you're with me."
I laughed. I didn't realize at the time she was serious. But then she let herself be distracted with the money. "I didn't know you would be on money. Great-grandmother Christianna is the only person I've ever met whose picture was on money."
"She has her picture on money?"
"Sure. Well, not anymore, but sometimes you still see them. She was Imperial Governor of Centos Four, but it was a long, long time ago."
I laughed. "I am going to tell Father than Cecilia should be on our money." I grinned. "I believe she should be on the most common coins. That is Margotain's place now, but they can remove mine, and then Rordano and Margotain can move up."
"You don't want to be on the coins?"
"It would be worth it to know Cecilia would spend a week pressing her thumb into the coins."
"What? You make them by hand?"
"Perhaps I should explain."
* * * *
"Behave, more or less" meant "get Chaladine worked up terribly, then dance away and ask where we were going riding."
It was very hard not to take her to my bed. Very hard. If she had worked any harder, I would have lost that battle.
Instead, I changed boots and set her shoes in my closet; we would pick them up later. I loaned her a cloak, and if it weren't for her unusual pants poking out below the cloak, she would have looked quite the Talmonese.
I wondered if I could get her to buy entire outfits.
Father kept a small stable and paddock. Most of our horses were kept outside town, but we had our choice of several. As I hadn't been spending time lately, my horse wasn't there, but we took two of the gentle horses.
Delilah was surprised when I began to saddle them myself.
"Where is the stable boy?"
"Stable boy?"
"Groom. Whatever you call them here. The boy who takes care of the horses. Is he shirking his duties?"
"There is no stable boy," I said. "We all tend our own horses."
"But... you're on money! Hire someone."
"It is not the Talmonese way," I said. I didn't even know how to explain.
"I hope you don't expect me to mop up a stable," she said. "If I have to mop a stable, I'm not interested."
I laughed. "No, Delilah. I won't ask you to mop up a stall." She didn't even use the right word, and it was her own language. "Now, this is a very gentle horse."
"You want me to climb on top of that? He's huge."
"He's of average size," I said. "His name is Badbreath." I gave the Talmonese words and made her repeat it until she had it right.
"Can't I just call him 'horse'?"
"I don't think we've taught him English yet," I said.
"Well, does his name mean something?"
"No. It is just a name." I didn't think she'd appreciate knowing what his name meant, and I didn't want to deal with it.
I checked everything over one more time, then I led the horse to a mounting block. I didn't use one anymore, of course, but I had when I was younger. I got Delilah aboard her mount, but I held his reins. "I'm going to walk you around the paddock so you grow accustomed to the motion."
"This isn't hard," she said a minute later. "How do I make him go faster?"
"If you do that while I am holding his nose, you will confuse him."
"But what do I do? Kick his sides?"
"No!" I said. "Why would you think that?"
"Um. Videos?"
"No. You don't kick him. You lean forward. If you want him to slow down, you straighten up. To turn, you lay the reins against his neck." I paused. "I should have put a halter on you and showed you."
"After the way you tied me last night, I think you might have enjoyed seeing me with a bit in my mouth."
I laughed.
I walked her around a little longer, then I said, "All right. I'm going to let you walk with him. Sit straight up, and I will hand you the reins." I kept my hand near Badbreath's nose, but I handed them up to her, sliding them over his head. She tried to take one in each hand, but I said, "Just your left hand. Hold them relaxed." I made some changes. "Now, if you have to stop in a hurry, you can pull backwards, but that is for emergencies. You should steer him with your weight and just by laying the reins against the side of his neck."
Then I let go.
"Cluck at him and lean forward, and he'll start to walk."
It took a few minutes, and she gave him confusing directions, but he really was a gentle horse, and soon she was walking around in circles, then more complicated patterns.
"This isn't so hard," she said finally. "Can he go faster?"
"He can go fast enough for you to fall off," I said. "I imagine your reaction would be similar to mine yesterday when you were driving."
She laughed. "Maybe I won't ask him to go quite so fast."
I left her there to walk around a little more, then I fetched my horse, calmly watching all this and perhaps wondering when it was his turn. I climbed atop, then moved to the paddock gate. It took Delilah a moment, but then she walked on past. But then she leaned forward, and Badbreath sped up, moving into a bouncing trot.
Delilah screeched and yanked cruelly on the reins. Badbreath came to a stop, and I sighed.
I closed the gate then moved up to her.
"Just sit up," I said. "That wasn't an emergency."
"It hurt!" she said.
"He did what you asked," I said. "And you rewarded him by yanking on his mouth." I shook my head. "I really think you would look cute with a bit in your mouth for a half hour."
"You caught me by surprise last night, but you don't really think I'd let you do that again, do you?"
* * * *
I only took her out for a bit less than an hour, following a path along the harbor, then climbing up the hill before turning out towards the headlands. We didn't go the entire way; we would be late for lunch, and it would be rude to make them wait.
Delilah was appreciative, and she made several comments about the beauty.
She smiled at me a lot, and the troubles from this morning were forgotten.
* * * *
"I smell like a horse," she complained as we walked to the inn. I hurried her. We weren't late, but we would be if we dallied.
"You sure do," I said. "Now you smell like a Talmonese."
"You didn't smell like a horse last night."
"I'm pretty sure by the time last night was over,
I smelled very much like you instead."
"Ah, but that was because I was riding you." She chuckled. "Does Badbreath now smell like me, too?"
"I don't think he smells as much of you as you do of him," I said. I grinned. "You know, I had an ulterior motive."
"Oh? You do not care for how I smell?"
"You know I love how you smell. No. This afternoon, I want to show you the baths."
"The baths? We will bathe together. I believe we should go riding tomorrow, too. I have things to show you when we bathe."
"The communal baths," I said. "They are an important part of Talmonese life. Cecilia loves her hot showers, but she uses the baths two or three times a week for the company."
"She and Sartine..."
"And half the women of Indartha."
Her eyes grew wide.
"It's not like that!" I said. "Stop that. You'll like it. Trust me."
"Of course I trust you," she said. She smiled. "I will have to show you how I like being bathed."
We made it to the inn; we were not the last to arrive, and so I didn't feel too bad.
Over lunch, Cecilia asked each group what they had done. When it became our turn, Delilah answered for us. "And this afternoon, she offers to take me to the baths."
"Oh, I could use a hot soak myself," Cecilia said. "Mother, you remember I told you about them. Oh, it's heavenly. We should all go."
From Delilah's reaction, I was sure she didn't understand what a communal bath was. She sputtered a little, but Cecilia only smiled. "They are communal baths," she explained. "Check your modesty at the door."
I wouldn't have said it aloud, but I wasn't sure Delilah had any modesty.
Well, we didn't all go, but about half the women, including Christianna and Savannah, accepted offers. All told, including local Talmonese, there were nine of us that made the walk to the baths. I was prepared to pay everyone's fee, but Cecilia said, "Everyone give her two dollars. If you want one of the bath girls to bathe you, it's another dollar. If you want a massage, that is ten dollars."
"Five dollars," Delilah said.
"Excuse me?" Cecilia said.
"I taught her to bargain this morning," I said. "I think I created a monster. Delilah, we don't bargain at the bathhouse."
"But it was so much fun earlier," she said. She showed off her boots. "I taught Chaladine how to get a good price."