Stavin nodded his understanding. “We’ll take a look tomorrow, Corinne. Right now, we would both like to clean up and get something to eat.”
Corinne smiled and led them into the house and up the tower. “The best rooms are at the top, of course,” she said as she led the way.
“Why is the house built like a tower?” Stavin asked. “Why are all of the buildings in Valovad built like this?”
“Taxes,” Corrine replied. “Valovad was originally an independent city, back before Evandia was founded. Each building within the city’s walls was taxed by the number of square cubits it occupies, but it’s just the actual amount of ground the house covers that is counted. The city fathers kept the tradition after Evandia became part of the Empire.”
“So they are built up, not out,” Charvil said as he nodded his understanding.
“Who are you, Sir?” Corinne asked.
Stavin blushed as he replied, “Corinne, this is my father-in-law, Charvil Kel’Horval.”
“You are correct, Charvil. House Fel’Lovar and House Bel’Valat are both here in the city and are built in this fashion. House Bel’Orlav is outside the city and follows what you and I would call a normal pattern.”
“Why did you choose this one?” Stavin asked.
“It was closest to the Traders’ Guild offices. It’s also the smallest.” She smiled at Stavin as he thought about that. “I had most of the house closed off in the other two so only the servant’s quarters needed to be kept warm. Saved on fuel.”
Stavin smiled as he said, “Very good. Which house do you want to keep?”
Corinne asked, “What do you mean?” as she stopped and turned to face him. Her expression wasn’t puzzled, which told Stavin that she knew exactly what he meant.
Stavin grinned, then replied, “I mean I really want you to stay on with House Kel’Aniston. Your mother is going to inherit Elain’s when your grandmother dies. It’ll probably be twenty years or so before your turn comes. I’d like you to stay on here, so I’m offering you the house of your choice so you’ll be more comfortable.”
Corinne looked at him closely, then shook a finger at him. “Nanny said you were tricky. What are you offering?”
Stavin chuckled. “I was told to offer you ten percent of the net profit.”
“Were you told I’d refuse?” she asked with a grin.
Stavin tilted his head to the side as he said, “No, but it was just a first bid.”
Corine was watching him carefully. “We’ll discuss it in the morning. I don’t want to take advantage of you.” She smiled as they reached the top room of the tower. She pushed the door open and stood aside for Stavin and Charvil to enter.
Stavin was speechless. Charvil let loose a long, low whistle. The room was large, taking up most of the tower’s twenty-cubit diameter. It was richly, even gaudily appointed, and held what Stavin thought must be a fortune in fine furniture. He finally found his voice and whispered, “Gods Above.”
Corinne chuckled. “That was pretty much my reaction as well. We passed four of these rooms on the way up. This is the most richly appointed of them. I’m staying in the bottom one.”
Charvil said, “I’ll take the next one down. Where is the privy and bathing chamber?”
“All the way down,” Corinne said with a smile, “which is why I’m in the bottom room. Fewer stairs in the middle of the night.”
Stavin and Charvil shared a look and a laugh, then Stavin walked over to the bed and started taking off his armor while Charvil and Corinne left, closing the door behind them. He kept his under padding on, then headed down the stairs. He was half way down when he heard Charvil clumping down behind him. Corinne saw him when he reached the ground floor and pointed to a door at the side of the room. He went through and found a modern flushing privy and a large tub next to a copper water heater. He’d finished with the privy before Charvil got there, and went out to find their saddlebags. They had both brought civilian clothes with them, and he returned to the bathing room to find Charvil already in the tub.
“Good. Set them over there,” Charvil said as he scrubbed his arm.
“This is quite a house, isn’t it?” Stavin asked as he looked around the room.
“It’s inconvenient as can be. I’ll bet you a silver crown that she picks the house outside of town,” Charvil said as he switched arms.
“No bet,” Stavin replied with a laugh.
When they were both clean and properly dressed, they went out to find Corinne waiting for them. “I had Canis dash up the street to an inn for more food. We don’t fix much with just the three of us here.”
Stavin nodded. “That’s fine. What is the status of the servants? You said you kept two at each house.”
Corinne looked at him carefully. “Only House Bel’Valat employed regular servants. The other two owned slaves.” She stopped speaking as Stavin’s expression changed. He didn’t exactly look angry, but the friendly smile was gone. “I sold the younger slaves, and kept the ones that would have been hard to place.”
Stavin said, “I don’t approve of slavery,” in a no-nonsense tone. “Free them and change their status to paid employees,” he said after he’d calmed down. She bowed her head in acknowledgment but didn’t say anything. “Have you considered which house you want?”
She smiled and looked at him from the corner of her eye. “The Bel’Orlav house outside of town. These towers are so very impractical.”
Stavin and Charvil shared a grin, then Stavin said, “Very well. Sell the tower houses or rent them out, whichever you think is best. The furnishings as well. Unless there are books,” he added with a grin. “I get any books.” His eager expression made Corinne and Charvil both laugh.
Corinne nodded and said, “There are show libraries in all three houses.”
“Show libraries?” Charvil asked with a puzzled expression. “Please explain that.”
“Libraries that exist solely to show how cultured and refined the owners are. The idea is that if you have a large library you must be very successful because you have time to read all of those books.” She paused and shook her head. “No one believes it, but they maintain the fiction. The library is usually handed down, father to son, generation upon generation. We have one,” she said with a shy smile. “Nanny keeps it in her parlor.”
Stavin was looking at Corinne like she was a sweets vendor and Charvil chuckled. “After we eat, Stavin.”
After they had eaten, Corinne showed Stavin and Charvil the library. There were at least five hundred books, and Stavin started walking along the shelves, running his fingers across the bindings and reading the titles.
Charvil looked at Corinne as he chuckled and said, “We may as well call it a night. He won’t be of any use until he’s noted every book in the room.”
* * *
Canis crept into the library late that night and covered the sleeping young man. She took the book from his hands and laid it beside him before she turned down the lamp and closed the door, then joined her husband in their small room. Madam Corinne had already told them of their change of status, and she felt a great deal of gratitude toward her young master.
Chapter 19
CORINNE TOOK STAVIN AND CHARVIL TO the other two houses after their morning meal. The Bel’Valat house was another tower, almost identical to the Fel’Lovar house, but with one more level to the tower. Stavin shook his head as they toured the building. Jolan Bel’Valat’s taste in furnishings was even worse than Boldan Fel’Lovar’s, and Stavin shuddered as clashing styles from all over the continent assaulted his eyes.
Next was the Bel’Orlav house, and both Stavin and Charvil nodded their approval of the house Corinne had chosen. It was bigger than anything except the fortress in Kavinston. Sarvba Bel’Orlav had been from Reynadia, and had built a great mansion, imitating the noble houses of his homeland.
Corinne smiled at their reactions. “To answer your unasked questions, it has a deep cellar below ground and three floors above, with a fini
shed attic as a fourth. There are sixteen bedrooms, seven bathing rooms, and nine necessaries. That’s what they call privies in polite society. There is a large stable behind the house, and a small paddock.”
“Gods Above and Below. How many people lived here?” Stavin asked as he gazed up in wonder.
Corinne laughed as she replied, “Ten.”
Stavin and Charvil both looked at her as Stavin asked, “Just ten?”
Corinne nodded. “Yes. Sarvba and his wife, and their three children. The other five were slaves. I’ll introduce you to the pair I kept once we get inside.” She had dismounted and tied her horse to the rail, and Stavin and Charvil were right behind her as she climbed the wide stairs leading up to the door.
The door opened before she reached it and an older-looking woman bowed deeply as she held it aside. She was dressed in common servant’s clothing: pale blue blouse with sleeves bound closely to her forearms, and a dark brown skirt that almost brushed the floor. She said, “Welcome, Mistress Corinne,” but she kept her brown eyes cast down, as was proper for a slave.
“Thank you, Elanst. This is Master Stavin Kel’Aniston and his father-in-law, Master Charvil Kel’Horval.” She waited until Elanst was looking at her before continuing. “By Master Stavin’s decree, you and Bardin are free. You may, as you decide, stay as paid employees of House Kel’Aniston, or leave if you wish. Canis and Feld have also been freed and chose to stay.”
Elanst looked at Stavin and bowed very low. “Thank you, Master Stavin. I think I can speak for my man when I say we would be pleased to stay.”
Stavin smiled and bowed his head deeply. “As you choose. Mistress Corinne will be remaining here to run House Kel’Aniston. I imagine she’ll be finding things other than maintaining the house for the four of you to do. The servants of House Bel’Valat have chosen to seek other employment.” He smiled as she considered that announcement.
Charvil looked at Corinne and asked, “What happened to the rest of the Bel’Orlav family?”
“They were taken and sold into slavery by the king as the family of a traitor. That’s what happened to the rest of the other families as well. The slaves,” she nodded to Elanst, “were considered part of the household goods and were transferred to Master Stavin with the rest of the assets of each house.”
Stavin walked the rest of the way into the house and looked around. Unlike the towers, this mansion was decorated in subdued earth-tones that were soothing to Stavin’s country-bred senses. A wide staircase led up to the other floors, but he ignored it. A man had come from the back of the house and Elanst was busy telling him of their change of status.
Corinne said, “Let me show you around,” and both Stavin and Charvil walked over to join her. “The kitchen is in the basement. There are passages within the walls to direct heat from the ovens into the house during the winter, or out the back in the summer. The bottom floor has two large rooms that serve as great hall and banquet hall, as well as the formal dining room, Lady’s Parlor, and Lord’s Study.” She was leading them through a wide double doorway and smiled as they reacted to the big room. “The ceiling extends all the way up to the bottom of the third floor in both of the big rooms. Elanst tells me that this chandelier holds two hundred candles, but the other one only holds one hundred and twenty-five.”
“Gods Below,” Stavin breathed. “What could they need that many candles for? And there are lamps all around the room as well.”
“It’s all for show, Stavin,” Corinne said with a wide smile. “I’d hate to have to light the damned thing. There’s a winch to lower it, but still--”
Stavin chuckled. “Library?” he asked and smiled as Charvil and Corinne laughed. She led him up to the second floor and into a library that rivaled the one in Princess Marina’s suite. He guessed the number of books at between two thousand and twenty-five hundred. He immediately began browsing the titles, then stopped and picked up two books from different shelves. His eyebrows knitted together as he said, “These are duplicates.”
Corinne nodded deeply. “I told you, they’re just for show. Different bindings make them look like different books.”
Stavin shook his head and put the books back. “Anything else of interest here?”
“No, not really. Bel’Orlav wasn’t really a major House. Sarvba spent most of his fortune on the house itself, not the furnishings. There is a well-stocked wine cellar, if you are interested. Either Sarvba or his wife was apparently a connoisseur, and they collected a wide variety of wines. Some of them are quite rare and valuable according to the people I’ve consulted.”
Stavin shook his head. “I don’t like wine. It all tastes like vinegar as far as I’m concerned.” He paused as a thought crossed his mind, and a smile spread across his lips. “I owe your grandmother for several favors. Keep anything you personally want, even if it’s just some of those rare wines for show, then give the rest to Madam Elain. Use our wagons to ship it to Twin Bridges.”
Corinne let loose a loud, full-throated laugh. “Nanny will be delighted. I agree with you, but she loves wine.”
They returned to the Fel’Lovar house and Stavin and Corinne spent the rest of the day going over everything in the inventory she had done through the winter. “There are a total of thirty-seven wagons between the three Trading Houses, as well as three large warehouses. Bel’Orlav and Fel’Lovar were both in the textile trade,” Corinne said as she handed Stavin the papers. “I suggest that Kel’Aniston pick up where they left off. I’ve consulted with several of their customers and they seem willing to let us take over the contracts. Bel’Valat was a general merchandise trader, much like your friends the Zel’Vandars. That warehouse is full of odds and ends of all sorts.” She looked at Stavin expectantly and he bowed his head.
“Go with the textile trade. As for House Bel’Valat, sell off what you can. Keep the warehouse for expansion in the future, but the goods are of no interest. Unless you find something special that you want to hold on to.”
Corinne chuckled as she shook her head. “What do you want me to ship north other than the books?” she asked as they finalized the list of things Stavin wanted done.
“I want that desk,” he said, pointing to the side of the library. “I’ve heard of desks where the top rolled down to close, but I never thought I’d be able to buy one. The house that we’re moving to is small, but there’ll be room for that.”
Charvil chuckled from the side of the room where he was looking at a book of old maps. “With just the four of you it shouldn’t be too crowded.”
Stavin laughed. “I know. But I’ll need shelves for the books, so let’s add in a load of finished lumber suitable for book shelves. That little house doesn’t have a library, but it will soon. And, now that I think of it, don’t send duplicates. If there is more than one of a book, only send one north to Kavinston and keep the others here. After all, I can’t have it be said that House Kel’Aniston doesn’t have a library.”
Corinne smiled and nodded her agreement. “We’ll make a list to make sure. Any other furnishings?”
Stavin looked around and shook his head. “No, this stuff is too gaudy for my tastes, and it wouldn’t mean anything to Shari. Charvil,” he said, turning to look at his father-in-law, “can you think of anything Shari would want from what you’ve seen?”
“Bedding: down comforters and pillows especially. Any furs: coats, rugs, throws--anything soft and fuzzy. Any object that’s more for touch than how it looks.” Corinne looked curious, so Charvil briefly explained about Shari’s eyes. “She can’t admire how pretty things are, but she can enjoy the feel of them.”
Corinne nodded her understanding. “I can think of several things that are meant to be held, and some others that are beautiful to the hand as well as the eye.”
Stavin sighed and said, “Keep the best of the furnishing for the Kel’Aniston House, and sell the rest or leave it with the towers. You probably have better taste in that sort of thing than I do, so use your own judgment. The one thing w
e haven’t decided is what you get for running my House.”
Corinne looked at him and said, “Twenty percent.”
The challenge had been made, and they engaged in ten spans of good-natured haggling and discussions before they reached an agreement. Corinne accepted full authority to run the Trading House as she saw fit, and agreed to manage the Kel’Aniston assets with all the care and skill she possessed--for fifteen percent of the net profit. Stavin and Charvil both laughed when that bargain was finally made.
“You’re a tough one, Corinne,” Stavin said as he shook his head.
“You should be grateful, Stavin. At fifteen percent, I have every incentive to make yours a very profitable house.”
“There’s one other thing, Stavin,” Charvil said as soon as they had shaken hands on the bargain.
“Sir?”
“Wagons.”
Stavin paused for a moment, then nodded. “The wagons. I almost forgot.” Turning, he said, “Corinne, what kind of wagons do we have?”
She considered him carefully for a moment, then said, “Twenty-six heavy cargo wagons and eleven enclosed trader’s wagons. Why?”
Stavin grimaced. “How many of the cargo wagons do you think you’ll actually need?”
“For the contracts that I’ve been exploring I’d need all twenty-six of them. Maybe more. Why?”
Now Stavin sighed. “I need at least sixteen more cargo wagons to haul our supplies from Aravad to Kel’Kavin. I was hoping we, I, already had them.”
Corinne gave him a sideways look. “There are the enclosed wagons.”
“They won’t do,” Stavin answered. “We need something that can handle at least fifty bags of grain.”
The Andarian Affair Page 13